Meze Audio LIRIC - The portable isodynamic hybrid array headphone

[henriks]

Any one with ether flow c for comparison?

 

[MatW]

Very good impressions, thanks. Reminds me the feeling I get when I use my 9200s (now on my head ) regarding to the subbass capabilities. I love the Denon's subbass and I think the Liric would be redundant in my collection because both headphones are well balanced with a very good subbass.

My wallet thanks Thanatos and also Malevolent for their impressions

Interesting. Some same impressions are telling me to get the Liric, even though I also own the D9200...

 

[Terriero]

Interesting. Some same impressions are telling me to get the Liric, even though I also own the D9200...

Yes, I know you own them The thing is that I prefer headphones that complement the one I own and I think I will upgrade my Z7s to the Z1Rs, because I know it's register and is totally different from what I find in the 9200s. Lack of time to cycle through different headphones due to the job and kids and also, like I said, better for my wallet

 

[MatW]

Yes, I know you own them The thing is that I prefer headphones that complement the one I own and I think I will upgrade my Z7s to the Z1Rs, because I know it's register and is totally different from what I find in the 9200s. Lack of time to cycle through different headphones due to the job and kids and also, like I said, better for my wallet

You are the smarter person.. I think the comfort of the Liric will be better than the D9200. And more sub bass maybe?

 

[Halimj7]

Liric Impressions
I had them now for a few days and since they are so addicting I listened A LOT to them.
For comparisons I have the bigger Brothers Empyrean and Elite.

First question one might have: Is it a closed Empyrean or Elite?
And the answer is neither, they have their very own signature. Tonality wise they are still closer to the Elite than the Empyrean.

The Empyrean is the warmest and thickest of the lineup. The Liric has a leaner and more defined structure not unlike the Elite. Upper Bass and lower mids are slightly recessed, which makes them the most V shaped of the bunch, however they still retain a natural close to neutral balance.

Treble is sparkly and energetic but luckily they are not bright, Meze house sound is still there just in a new flavour.
The Mids, due to being recessed can't live up to the bigger Brothers though. To be fair the mids are what the other Mezes excel at and both of them cost significantly more.
Not that they are bad on the Liric, it's just that I am used to the bigger Brothers, which makes it an uphill battle to begin with.

Soundstage is remarkable, most of the time I forget that they are closed. If it weren't for the Isolation, which reminds one of the closed nature. Imaging and detail are good, but the open Models are superior here, the Elite by a significant margin even.

Comfort is absolutely on par with the bigger Mezes, which is quite surprising.
No other company could match the Elite comfort and Meze did it with a second, completely different Design.
The pads feel very nice to the touch. This time without alternatives though.

Now I saved the best for Last, the Bass!
Are they V-Moda like basscannons?
Of course not, they are still tuned for audiophiles but with tastefully elevated Bass.

While the Empyrean has also elevated Bass the distribution is different.
The Empyrean has a bump in the mid to upper Bass Region, while the Liric has it in the Lower Region. It has exceptional subbass, in quality, quantity as well as extension.
Even with the elevation it always stays textured and well controlled.
It's super addicting and for me the unique selling point of the Liric.
To me it seems certainly stronger than on the open models and I don't really understand why most others call it neutraly tuned.
The Elite still has by far the best impact (not only of the Meze but all planars I ever heard), but has to admit defeat in the subbass.

Overall the signature is very energetic engaging and Musical. Just like we're used to from Meze, the Liric gets you toetapping in no time.

The First closed back from Meze is a great success in my book. The subbass capabilities pleasantly surprised me and I can't describe how happy I am to have chosen the Liric over the CRBN (which will still come in like a year...)
Even though they are much more affordable than my other cans, they will certainly receive equal headtime.

Where should Meze go from here?
If I could wish for a new Meze headphone, it would be another ultra high end flagship. It would certainly have the mid Bass to treble region of the Elite but with the Liric subbass.
The Elite did nearly everything perfect in my book, except for the subbass. Now the Liric perfected that one.
Sure it's not possible to combine all the strengths of their open and closed backs into one headphone, but maybe they manage to translate more of the Elites strengths into a higher tier closed back, while keeping the Lirics subbass. At least that's my

When I first saw the press release for these I was instantly excited…then I sadly learned they had abandoned the empyrean sound signature, which would be perfect for a closed back. Maybe they do another closed back with the warm lush empyrean sound signature.

 

[433521]

With the Stealth we are just hearing the music from the speaker and not the reflections. It's the reflections you miss.

 

[vicens bosch]

Good morning, I wonder if it is very difficult to change the pads of the liric, and how it would compare to a denon d9200.
I am thinking of buying a pair of these next week and I have these doubts, I think I have read that the pads are well matched, it is true.
a greeting.

 

[ddlo]

i spent another 2-3 hours or so with the liric today. alongside with the empyrean both hooking up to the balanced out (xlr and 4.4mm respectively). I swapped and compared them on adele's new album 30 again and again. the empyrean sounds a lot more open and warmer. the liric in fact sounds closer to the DCA stealth than to the empyrean. even though i bought a few DCA cans, i never get used to that kind of dark sound signature. for now, i still prefer the empyrean over its little brother.

it's a bit off topic but then i swapped the empyrean with the hd800s to listen to a few more songs. every time i came back to my trusty hd800s, i wonder what is the sonic advantage the much more expensive new comers nowadays offering me. I find it very hard to identify any. even HD800s' relatively weak bass turns out quite adequate and enjoyable after listening a few songs. i actually felt there is too much bass in the liric after the hd800s listening session. the hd800s is the yardstick that many use to compare with high quality headphones (rightly so! even the wearing comfort is hard to beat). it performs very well/at TOTL level at so many aspects at a price significantly undercuts almost all other alternatives.

 

[Nostoi]

i spent another 2-3 hours or so with the liric today. alongside with the empyrean both hooking up to the balanced out (xlr and 4.4mm respectively). I swapped and compared them on adele's new album 30 again and again. the empyrean sounds a lot more open and warmer. the liric in fact sounds closer to the DCA stealth than to the empyrean. even though i bought a few DCA cans, i never get used to that kind of dark sound signature. for now, i still prefer the empyrean over its little brother.

it's a bit off topic but then i swapped the empyrean with the hd800s to listen to a few more songs. every time i came back to my trusty hd800s, i wonder what is the sonic advantage the much more expensive new comers nowadays offering me. I find it very hard to identify any. even HD800s' relatively weak bass turns out quite adequate and enjoyable after listening a few songs. i actually felt there is too much bass in the liric after the hd800s listening session. the hd800s is the yardstick that many use to compare with high quality headphones (rightly so! even the wearing comfort is hard to beat). it performs very well/at TOTL level at so many aspects at a price significantly undercuts almost all other alternatives.

Definitely agree on the enduring merits of the HD800s. At 1.5k or even cheaper, they're basically a bargain in today's market.

 

[frix]

Although offtopic I agree on the HD800. When the tonality of the empy and HD800 is matched with EQ and not a deciding factor anymore. The HD800 is technically still noticeable superior. We should't delude ourselves thinking there were huge improvements in headphone technology over the years. Mostly it is just different tuning and taste.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Although offtopic I agree on the HD800. When the tonality of the empy and HD800 is matched with EQ and not a deciding factor anymore. The HD800 is technically still noticeable superior. We should't delude ourselves thinking there were huge improvements in headphone technology over the years. Mostly it is just different tuning and taste.

The Empyrean is definitely the superior headphone of those two though.

 

[Beagle]

The Empyrean is definitely the superior headphone of those two though.

The superior headphone is the one that you prefer listening to, regardless of price or technical ability.

Has anyone (who has owned both) compared the LIRIC to the DCA Aeon 2 Noire Closed?

 

[adrianm]

The superior headphone is the one that you prefer listening to, regardless of price or technical ability.

+1. Do i care if "open backs are better" if i can't hear my music over the sound of my mechanical keyboard? No. Do i want to sit in a lounge chair twiddling my thumbs in a quiet room with TOTL open backs people feel like are summit fi? No. Are they better? Some, but difference aren't that huge, and i'm glad i threw money at my chain instead.

 

[OneEyedHito]

Has anyone (who has owned both) compared the LIRIC to the DCA Aeon 2 Noire Closed?

I just actually sat down to do this right now. Have a few cable impressions to take some notes on and will do the same for these two headphones and post up.

Both HP's Highest output matched to 90db (using @GoldenOne 's suggested cardboard with a hole in it to an SPL meter trick), using the same Double Helix Silver Cable for both sets of headphones (HiRose to 3.5mm adapters on the DCA)

Track 1 - Olufar Arnald's Re:member
DCA A2N - Good listen, if I didn't have any other CB HP's this would impress for the money. Less Body overall but less bass bloom too so a bit more linear across lows to mids.
Meze Liric - Fuller sound, better upper mid and highs
On this track the Liric sounds a bit busier (instruments are less spaced out) overall but that is likely more to do with the fuller sound to my ears, but I prefer the Liric to the A2N here, it is a more engaging listen.

Tracks 2 & 3 - Lana Del Rey's Norman ****ing Rockwell & Mariners Apartment Complex (Chose these because it keeps piano/keyboard/strings heavy instrumentation but adds a full range of vocals to the mix)
DCA A2N - Again if I only had these I would be happy with the sound for a CB HP. Very linear across the FR. Vocals have good decay, instruments have good separation, nothing stands out to my ears to sound out of place or overwhelmed by anything in the tracks.
Meze Liric - Vocals are bit more forward and gives the impression of more depth in the soundstage, sound is again fuller (maybe warmer to some ears but warmer and fuller blend together in my brain) on these vs the A2N, but there is a bit less separation again on this track as the other through the Liric due to that fuller sound, sounds are a bit more pushed together. Overall the better low end is more attractive to my hearing on the Liric vs the A2N with the vocal added tracks here.

Summary:
If I only had the A2N I would be happy with them on these three tracks listened to, but having the Liric I prefer them between the two. Sonically I get MORE from the Liric and as more is not always better in this instance it makes for a better listen to me. I would say that for the $600ish I paid for the A2N and the $1500-2Kish the Liric will sell for.........well I could find better things to spend that $900-1400 difference on but I would end up with the Liric anyway as I am afflicted obviously. Hope this helps.

 

[Shane D]

Both HP's Highest output matched to 90db (using @GoldenOne 's suggested cardboard with a hole in it to an SPL meter trick), using the same Double Helix Silver Cable for both sets of headphones (HiRose to 3.5mm adapters on the DCA)

Track 1 - Olufar Arnald's Re:member
DCA A2N - Good listen, if I didn't have any other CB HP's this would impress for the money. Less Body overall but less bass bloom too so a bit more linear across lows to mids.
Meze Liric - Fuller sound, better upper mid and highs
On this track the Liric sounds a bit busier (instruments are less spaced out) overall but that is likely more to do with the fuller sound to my ears, but I prefer the Liric to the A2N here, it is a more engaging listen.

Tracks 2 & 3 - Lana Del Rey's Norman ****ing Rockwell & Mariners Apartment Complex (Chose these because it keeps piano/keyboard/strings heavy instrumentation but adds a full range of vocals to the mix)
DCA A2N - Again if I only had these I would be happy with the sound for a CB HP. Very linear across the FR. Vocals have good decay, instruments have good separation, nothing stands out to my ears to sound out of place or overwhelmed by anything in the tracks.
Meze Liric - Vocals are bit more forward and gives the impression of more depth in the soundstage, sound is again fuller (maybe warmer to some ears but warmer and fuller blend together in my brain) on these vs the A2N, but there is a bit less separation again on this track as the other through the Liric due to that fuller sound, sounds are a bit more pushed together. Overall the better low end is more attractive to my hearing on the Liric vs the A2N with the vocal added tracks here.

Summary:
If I only had the A2N I would be happy with them on these three tracks listened to, but having the Liric I prefer them between the two. Sonically I get MORE from the Liric and as more is not always better in this instance it makes for a better listen to me. I would say that for the $600ish I paid for the A2N and the $1500-2Kish the Liric will sell for.........well I could find better things to spend that $900-1400 difference on but I would end up with the Liric anyway as I am afflicted obviously. Hope this helps.

Do you really listen at 90Db's or am I reading that wrong?