Meze Audio LIRIC - The portable isodynamic hybrid array headphone

[Nostoi]

I had an hour-long audition with the Meze LIRIC and the Dan Clark Audio Stealth today.

Long story short, the LIRIC was a better fit for my tastes, whilst the Stealth remains a good contender for a top-tier closed-back headphone (with some caveats).

First things first, both headphones are very comfortable in use; neither headphone has a strong clamp. In tandem with the lush, thick pads, and with bodies that are feather-light, the 2 of them were a pleasure to use.

On to the sound....

Meze LIRIC
The LIRIC sounds very different from the brand's original flagship, the Empyrean. The latter exceeds in bringing to the fore a lush, textured, meaty sound that's more parts musical than detailed, more fun than balanced, in the overall sense. In contrast, the LIRIC takes a different approach - the tonality is leaner by choice, with a bass presentation that is lighter on the slam; on the flipside, the highs on the LIRIC are more prominent, with good articulation and presence. In comparison, the Empyrean struggles, on occasion, to deliver the magnificent highs that its comparative brethren in the top-tier, open-back space achieve with stunning efficiency.

Ultimately, the LIRIC takes a more level-headed approach; it's an Empyrean that has decided to mature, by shedding away its layers of verdant bloom and blush, and introducing a more neutral take on things, comparatively speaking. You'll still enjoy a bass section that has good layering and sub-bass extension; the midrange retains a decent amount of warmth that provides vocals with authority and vigor; and you finally have a treble section that is more lively, with good detail, sizzle and sparkle.

With EDM, the LIRIC doesn't struggle to provide a good semblance of energy, dynamism, and musicality; these are the traits that I seek most in headphones (or IEMs). A robust bassline, replete with texture and slam, accompanies the aforementioned treble section to give dance music a figurative boost; you'll hear the thump and the cymbals, the synths and the grooves. This is a headphone that pairs very well with EDM, IMO.

Dan Clark Audio Stealth
To be brutally honest, I wasn't impressed - at all - with the Stealth when I first listened to them. They sounded rather lifeless and lackluster; it was severely lacking in engagement and musicality. Still, I proceed to listen to the very same tunes that I subjected the LIRIC to, and it became apparent to me that the Dan Clark Audio flagship had more than a few tricks up its sleeve.

Evidently, the Stealth is a maestro at producing the finest bits of detail; clarity was clearly (no pun intended) at the forefront of the designers' minds. Amongst the myriad closed-back headphones that I have tried, only the Rögnir stands alongside the Stealth as an equal in the pertinent aspects of resolution and detail.

In the bass department, a slight mid-bass hump lends a touch of warmth to an other neutral-oriented headphone; the layering on the Stealth is quite superb. Couple this with the excellent sub-bass extension, and you have a presentation that's quite welcoming to bassheads. On the other end of the spectrum, treble is equally inviting, thanks to an airy display that retains good articulation. It isn't a bright headphone per se, but the highs are certainly one of the best in the Dan Clark Audio stable; probably the Ether C Flow 1.1 provides highs that are equally as prominent as the treble on the Stealth.

Sadly, despite its top-tier resolving capabilities, I found the Stealth deficient in the (important) facets of dynamics and musicality. Despite its ability to produce micro-details with effortless labor, the overall sound didn't engage me in a very meaningful way. I could certainly appreciate its technical strengths; it is definitely a headphone that was made to distill the qualities of top-end open-back headphones in a portable, closed body. With that being said, I couldn't enjoy my music with them - I played crucial segments of 15-20 of my favorite dance tracks between the Stealth and the LIRIC, and the latter won on the "toe-tapping, head-bopping" scale, each and every time.

Overall
Make no mistake, though, if you are in the hunt for a closed-back headphone that has fortes in the aspects of detail, layering, and balance, the Stealth is a good-to-great choice, albeit one that is somewhat pricy. If you don't need a portable solution, the Rögnir remains the better option, IMO. It is equally as resolving, but is easily more engaging and dynamic than the Stealth.

The LIRIC, on the other hand, is a fantastic option at the $2,000 mark. Yes, this isn't cheap either, but $2,000 is still half of $4,000. What you lose in sheer resolving prowess, you gain in musicality, engagement, and fun. Plus, they are just as portable, so neither headphone gets the win in this department.

Incisive, balanced, and lucid impressions, as ever! Glad you got to demo the Liric and glad you like them. I also agree with your account of the Stealth - they show you the ingredients of the music in a neutral way but fail to produce any sense of musical pleasure when doing so.

 

[CTR640]

@Malevolent
Do you still have the Klipsch Heritage HP-3? I am curious how the Liric does sound compared to HP-3.
I'd like to have different headphones with different soun signatures.

 

[Bonddam]

I am loving my Liric. For me super isolating. I can wear them at no extension but found better results for myself if I bring them down to center. I can't believe the holographic sound it's sounds larger then they are. Beginning was a crap show which Drew from Moon said as well in his review but quickly changed to a different creature.
It's better to have pads PU as maybe less heat build up. The fake stuff is still made by animal products when egg shells are used. So they might be cracking a few eggs or going around buying the cracked eggs but either way they be stuffing those chickens later down the road as I don't see to many wild chickens roaming the streets of Pennsylvania. If it's 100% synthetic then talking about poisonous chemicals that are man made from black gold.

 

[szore]

I had an hour-long audition with the Meze LIRIC and the Dan Clark Audio Stealth today.

Long story short, the LIRIC was a better fit for my tastes, whilst the Stealth remains a good contender for a top-tier closed-back headphone (with some caveats).

First things first, both headphones are very comfortable in use; neither headphone has a strong clamp. In tandem with the lush, thick pads, and with bodies that are feather-light, the 2 of them were a pleasure to use.

On to the sound....

Meze LIRIC
The LIRIC sounds very different from the brand's original flagship, the Empyrean. The latter exceeds in bringing to the fore a lush, textured, meaty sound that's more parts musical than detailed, more fun than balanced, in the overall sense. In contrast, the LIRIC takes a different approach - the tonality is leaner by choice, with a bass presentation that is lighter on the slam; on the flipside, the highs on the LIRIC are more prominent, with good articulation and presence. In comparison, the Empyrean struggles, on occasion, to deliver the magnificent highs that its comparative brethren in the top-tier, open-back space achieve with stunning efficiency.

Ultimately, the LIRIC takes a more level-headed approach; it's an Empyrean that has decided to mature, by shedding away its layers of verdant bloom and blush, and introducing a more neutral take on things, comparatively speaking. You'll still enjoy a bass section that has good layering and sub-bass extension; the midrange retains a decent amount of warmth that provides vocals with authority and vigor; and you finally have a treble section that is more lively, with good detail, sizzle and sparkle.

With EDM, the LIRIC doesn't struggle to provide a good semblance of energy, dynamism, and musicality; these are the traits that I seek most in headphones (or IEMs). A robust bassline, replete with texture and slam, accompanies the aforementioned treble section to give dance music a figurative boost; you'll hear the thump and the cymbals, the synths and the grooves. This is a headphone that pairs very well with EDM, IMO.

Dan Clark Audio Stealth
To be brutally honest, I wasn't impressed - at all - with the Stealth when I first listened to them. They sounded rather lifeless and lackluster; it was severely lacking in engagement and musicality. Still, I proceed to listen to the very same tunes that I subjected the LIRIC to, and it became apparent to me that the Dan Clark Audio flagship had more than a few tricks up its sleeve.

Evidently, the Stealth is a maestro at producing the finest bits of detail; clarity was clearly (no pun intended) at the forefront of the designers' minds. Amongst the myriad closed-back headphones that I have tried, only the Rögnir stands alongside the Stealth as an equal in the pertinent aspects of resolution and detail.

In the bass department, a slight mid-bass hump lends a touch of warmth to an other neutral-oriented headphone; the layering on the Stealth is quite superb. Couple this with the excellent sub-bass extension, and you have a presentation that's quite welcoming to bassheads. On the other end of the spectrum, treble is equally inviting, thanks to an airy display that retains good articulation. It isn't a bright headphone per se, but the highs are certainly one of the best in the Dan Clark Audio stable; probably the Ether C Flow 1.1 provides highs that are equally as prominent as the treble on the Stealth.

Sadly, despite its top-tier resolving capabilities, I found the Stealth deficient in the (important) facets of dynamics and musicality. Despite its ability to produce micro-details with effortless labor, the overall sound didn't engage me in a very meaningful way. I could certainly appreciate its technical strengths; it is definitely a headphone that was made to distill the qualities of top-end open-back headphones in a portable, closed body. With that being said, I couldn't enjoy my music with them - I played crucial segments of 15-20 of my favorite dance tracks between the Stealth and the LIRIC, and the latter won on the "toe-tapping, head-bopping" scale, each and every time.

Overall
Make no mistake, though, if you are in the hunt for a closed-back headphone that has fortes in the aspects of detail, layering, and balance, the Stealth is a good-to-great choice, albeit one that is somewhat pricy. If you don't need a portable solution, the Rögnir remains the better option, IMO. It is equally as resolving, but is easily more engaging and dynamic than the Stealth.

The LIRIC, on the other hand, is a fantastic option at the $2,000 mark. Yes, this isn't cheap either, but $2,000 is still half of $4,000. What you lose in sheer resolving prowess, you gain in musicality, engagement, and fun. Plus, they are just as portable, so neither headphone gets the win in this department.

Pithy. Great review!

 

[Andykong]

Just looked at the Liric drivers and they don't look like Empyearn and Elite they have what looks like bone structure is best word. Look and see it is Aluminum in color and you can't make out the switch coil like on the two open backs. So good that they are not just throwing same old drivers in different chassis but living with the design that will become Meze house look and they should stick and just improve it forever. You can feel the hard structure at the bottom of the pads so I was right in my design theory.


you have all three I want to get the Empyrean to use the Elite pads on it and want do it till someone can say the Elite hybrid pads do improve the Empyrean. I bought the original leather and it was not worth it.

Be reminded that these headphones are part of my job. I know, this is the most attractive part of my job.

The Liric driver is definitely a dual driver design with switchback coil on top and spiral coil at bottom, the earpad makes it difficult to check out but when I light it up with the flash light of my mobile phone, I can barely see the "circular" spiral coil around the silver dot.

 

[Andykong]

Thanks, glad it was helpful.

I never had full confirmation, but I think my Rognir are Reference tuning, though I really need to double check this. From what I gather, Kennerton started the "Fun" tuning quite recently.

BTW: the Liric sounds very good on A02/C9! The tube warmth slightly smoothens the top end without undermining any detail.

Glad to know the A02/C9 and Liric works fine as a pair. I only tried this combination briefly as I want to use the XiAudio stack as much as possible, before I return them them next month. What is your setting on C9? I use Tube +Class AB.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Be reminded that these headphones are part of my job. I know, this is the most attractive part of my job.

The Liric driver is definitely a dual driver design with switchback coil on top and spiral coil at bottom, the earpad makes it difficult to check out but when I light it up with the flash light of my mobile phone, I can barely see the "circular" spiral coil around the silver dot.

The driver is also nicely described on the website

 

[Andykong]

My Empyrean Was also used, from someone who bought them blind and instantly disliked them.

They had less than 50h on them when I bought them and continued to improve in my first 80h with them.

Ever since then I pre ordered all other Meze Headphones.
The Elite burn in difference Was rather subtile.
Curious how the Liric will turn out to be

I remember reading some impression saying Empyrean need burning in, so the first owner of your Empyrean probably take a heavy first punch on you behalf, you probably should thank him for that if you run into each other again.

Meze must be Metallica Fans, holy cow, never heard the Metallica-Metallica in this Quality, sounds like the Liric made for it!

Thanks Meze for your first closed back - for me it is a Masterpiece!


P.S. RME ADI2 DAC FS -----> Pendant SE -----> Liric

Any EQ in RME ADI2 or you run it flat? Need an extra push on the lower registers?

Late night seduction…

The Sony is sexier in your photo.
What HPs were you used with the Sony before the Liric? Sony MDR-Z1R? Mainly closed back?

I just jumped in my favourite HP shop, and what have I found on the audition table?

Someone with very good taste was there before.



Unfortunately I had no time for comparision, the small new beauty took it all.

Unmistakably Meze sound. Surprisingly wide and open sounding for a closed back hp. Very good sinergy with my Hiby R8.

Yes, the house sound is obvious.

By the way, a nice HP shop.

 

[kundica]

My amp isn't a very nice tube like the Pendant but I'm running the ADI-2 > SA-1 balanced > Liric and don't use any EQ at the moment. I've played around with boosting the bass a little, but find it quite tasteful without EQ so I've mostly run it without.

I ordered my pair on release and been listening since Tuesday. Simply put, I love these headphones. I was a bit nervous ordering blind, especially given how polarizing the Empyrean can be for people and having not heard them, but the Liric has delivered for me in a huge way. Not only are they one of the most comfortable headphones I've used(even more than my HD800s which tend to disappear on my head), they have a natural and smooth sound that works with just about everything.

To my ears they sound fairly balanced overall. Solid bass that extends quite low and isn't boomy or bleeds into the mids. Treble is airy with good detail but not bright. Mids are engaging but don't sound overly forward. They might lean a bit warm, but these are not warm headphones, nor are they bright. It's redundant of me to say this again, but the best way to describe Liric is balanced and smooth with nice detail. I haven't heard any other high end closed backs above this price point, but soundstage is the best I've heard from a closed back with a pleasant amount of width and depth. Honestly, they often sound like an open back to me.

When first listened single ended with the stock cable, I did find them a little limp. Since they use dual 3.5mm like my Hifiman, I swapped to a balanced cable and that went away. Usually I just attribute that to volume differences but these seemed to gain more authority balanced.

I'm curious to see measurements and how they compare to what I think I'm hearing. I find Liric's tuning and tonality to be pretty spot on to what I've been searching for. I haven't enjoyed listening to music this much in a long time and have a hard time taking them off.

 

[Ichos]

Meze Liric early impressions*

The Liric sounds more or less like the Elite encapsulated in a closed back headphone.
Tuning is very balanced / natural and as always with the Meze very musical house sound.
Voices are seductive, bass is neutral extended, tight and controlled without boost.
No masking , no mid bass clouding, everything sounds clear and well defined.
Treble is sparkling and extended , yet smooth and controlled, excellent.
Minor exception a touch of metallic timbre but it is too early to jump into conclusions.
The headphone is open sounding and it doesn't feel boxed, sound is not caged inside it.
Wide open, at least for a closed back, with pinpoint positioning.
Fast with natural decaying but a slightly lean on higher pitched percussion instruments.
Comfort is great but it does get hot after a while, sound isolation is good but not excellent,
I guess that is something to sacrifice for the open sound.
The sound signature is very far from the Empyrean and if you were expecting a bass canon closed back headphone to shutter you ear drums with sub bass, then you should look elsewhere.
The Liric is reference tuning with natural timbre and organic texture.
If you seek for an Elite killer, sorry but it is not, but if you like an Elite like tuning in a closed back design then you have found it.
Pure sonic bliss.

* After 24 hours of burning / FiiO M11 Plus balanced as the source

 

[Andykong]

And my actual plan. Just the founding need to go to a dac first. R2R, or Dave?

Maybe the priorities will cange as I get time to time some reminders that I hear the music too loud. The Lyric shall solve that. I tried, covering the cups with the palm off head. Not much left to hear.

Well, not all R-2R are the same, you might find this disappointing when compare to Dave.

I had an hour-long audition with the Meze LIRIC and the Dan Clark Audio Stealth today.

Long story short, the LIRIC was a better fit for my tastes, whilst the Stealth remains a good contender for a top-tier closed-back headphone (with some caveats).

First things first, both headphones are very comfortable in use; neither headphone has a strong clamp. In tandem with the lush, thick pads, and with bodies that are feather-light, the 2 of them were a pleasure to use.

On to the sound....

Meze LIRIC
The LIRIC sounds very different from the brand's original flagship, the Empyrean. The latter exceeds in bringing to the fore a lush, textured, meaty sound that's more parts musical than detailed, more fun than balanced, in the overall sense. In contrast, the LIRIC takes a different approach - the tonality is leaner by choice, with a bass presentation that is lighter on the slam; on the flipside, the highs on the LIRIC are more prominent, with good articulation and presence. In comparison, the Empyrean struggles, on occasion, to deliver the magnificent highs that its comparative brethren in the top-tier, open-back space achieve with stunning efficiency.

Ultimately, the LIRIC takes a more level-headed approach; it's an Empyrean that has decided to mature, by shedding away its layers of verdant bloom and blush, and introducing a more neutral take on things, comparatively speaking. You'll still enjoy a bass section that has good layering and sub-bass extension; the midrange retains a decent amount of warmth that provides vocals with authority and vigor; and you finally have a treble section that is more lively, with good detail, sizzle and sparkle.

With EDM, the LIRIC doesn't struggle to provide a good semblance of energy, dynamism, and musicality; these are the traits that I seek most in headphones (or IEMs). A robust bassline, replete with texture and slam, accompanies the aforementioned treble section to give dance music a figurative boost; you'll hear the thump and the cymbals, the synths and the grooves. This is a headphone that pairs very well with EDM, IMO.

Dan Clark Audio Stealth
To be brutally honest, I wasn't impressed - at all - with the Stealth when I first listened to them. They sounded rather lifeless and lackluster; it was severely lacking in engagement and musicality. Still, I proceed to listen to the very same tunes that I subjected the LIRIC to, and it became apparent to me that the Dan Clark Audio flagship had more than a few tricks up its sleeve.

Evidently, the Stealth is a maestro at producing the finest bits of detail; clarity was clearly (no pun intended) at the forefront of the designers' minds. Amongst the myriad closed-back headphones that I have tried, only the Rögnir stands alongside the Stealth as an equal in the pertinent aspects of resolution and detail.

In the bass department, a slight mid-bass hump lends a touch of warmth to an other neutral-oriented headphone; the layering on the Stealth is quite superb. Couple this with the excellent sub-bass extension, and you have a presentation that's quite welcoming to bassheads. On the other end of the spectrum, treble is equally inviting, thanks to an airy display that retains good articulation. It isn't a bright headphone per se, but the highs are certainly one of the best in the Dan Clark Audio stable; probably the Ether C Flow 1.1 provides highs that are equally as prominent as the treble on the Stealth.

Sadly, despite its top-tier resolving capabilities, I found the Stealth deficient in the (important) facets of dynamics and musicality. Despite its ability to produce micro-details with effortless labor, the overall sound didn't engage me in a very meaningful way. I could certainly appreciate its technical strengths; it is definitely a headphone that was made to distill the qualities of top-end open-back headphones in a portable, closed body. With that being said, I couldn't enjoy my music with them - I played crucial segments of 15-20 of my favorite dance tracks between the Stealth and the LIRIC, and the latter won on the "toe-tapping, head-bopping" scale, each and every time.

Overall
Make no mistake, though, if you are in the hunt for a closed-back headphone that has fortes in the aspects of detail, layering, and balance, the Stealth is a good-to-great choice, albeit one that is somewhat pricy. If you don't need a portable solution, the Rögnir remains the better option, IMO. It is equally as resolving, but is easily more engaging and dynamic than the Stealth.

The LIRIC, on the other hand, is a fantastic option at the $2,000 mark. Yes, this isn't cheap either, but $2,000 is still half of $4,000. What you lose in sheer resolving prowess, you gain in musicality, engagement, and fun. Plus, they are just as portable, so neither headphone gets the win in this department.

This is encouraging, especially when we factor in the price of Liric.

Some did comment that Liric is closer to Elite than Empyeran in terms of sound characteristic. Technicality wise, the Elite is a clear winner over Liric.

I checked out my favourite EDM album Kojiki by Kitaro after reading your impression, I must say I am impressed.

How's the passive noise cancelation btw? Just out of simple curiosity because open or closedback, I don't have issue about that.
I'm only impressed how amazing my Beyerdynamic T5p.2 blocks noise, better than the DT770 I had.

Bonddam said the Liric is super isolating.

By the way, there is small vent in the lower part of the earcup, don't let this vent fool you and assume the vent will break the isolation. When I put the earcup close to my ear trying to listen to leaking sound "locally" from top to bottom of earcup, I don't hear any noise when my ear passing by the vent. Meze called this "Pressure Equalization System" :

A precisely tuned air vent hole can make a world of difference in how you perceive the sound around you, that is why we’ve learned and adapted from our previous experiences and decided to add our Pressure Equalization System in LIRIC’s ear cups as well. The result: better controlled airflow, improved ear cup chamber pressure, and a sound that is airy, transparent, detailed and flows naturally, enveloping you into a whole new world of music.

 

[Nostoi]

Glad to know the A02/C9 and Liric works fine as a pair. I only tried this combination briefly as I want to use the XiAudio stack as much as possible, before I return them them next month. What is your setting on C9? I use Tube +Class AB.

Same C9 settings, I find AB gives a nice punch. I'm waiting now on a balanced cable because the true test of the Liric's portability will be how they pair with the R01 module. SE shows potential, so I'm hopeful the added output will not only bring more headroom but also greater dynamics.

Well, not all R-2R are the same, you might find this disappointing when compare to Dave.

Nice. Does the dongle have the horsepower for the Liric?

 

[Andykong]

My amp isn't a very nice tube like the Pendant but I'm running the ADI-2 > SA-1 balanced > Liric and don't use any EQ at the moment. I've played around with boosting the bass a little, but find it quite tasteful without EQ so I've mostly run it without.

I ordered my pair on release and been listening since Tuesday. Simply put, I love these headphones. I was a bit nervous ordering blind, especially given how polarizing the Empyrean can be for people and having not heard them, but the Liric has delivered for me in a huge way. Not only are they one of the most comfortable headphones I've used(even more than my HD800s which tend to disappear on my head), they have a natural and smooth sound that works with just about everything.

To my ears they sound fairly balanced overall. Solid bass that extends quite low and isn't boomy or bleeds into the mids. Treble is airy with good detail but not bright. Mids are engaging but don't sound overly forward. They might lean a bit warm, but these are not warm headphones, nor are they bright. It's redundant of me to say this again, but the best way to describe Liric is balanced and smooth with nice detail. I haven't heard any other high end closed backs above this price point, but soundstage is the best I've heard from a closed back with a pleasant amount of width and depth. Honestly, they often sound like an open back to me.

When first listened single ended with the stock cable, I did find them a little limp. Since they use dual 3.5mm like my Hifiman, I swapped to a balanced cable and that went away. Usually I just attribute that to volume differences but these seemed to gain more authority balanced.

I'm curious to see measurements and how they compare to what I think I'm hearing. I find Liric's tuning and tonality to be pretty spot on to what I've been searching for. I haven't enjoyed listening to music this much in a long time and have a hard time taking them off.

Glad you enjoy Meze Liric. This is very encouraging when you said the Liric is "spot on to what I've been searching for" and "haven't enjoyed listening to music this much in a long time" This really motivate us, the Meze team, continue to strive on to deliver more best products of their class.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Nice. Does the dongle have the horsepower for the Liric?

The Liric is ultra efficient, doesn't need tons of Power.

Surely also scales with better amplification, but that's more a thing of quality and less of raw muscle

 

[Andykong]

Same C9 settings, I find AB gives a nice punch. I'm waiting now on a balanced cable because the true test of the Liric's portability will be how they pair with the R01 module. SE shows potential, so I'm hopeful the added output will not only bring more headroom but also greater dynamics.

In balanced 4.4mm, R01 can't handle the Elite, but the Liric is enjoyable. I won't go into more detail, hopefully you'll find that out soon.

Nice. Does the dongle have the horsepower for the Liric?

Reasonable but not outstanding. I use high gain 60 when I am working while listening. If I don't split my mind and focus on the music only, I need to run it u p to 70.