The material of the frame of the glasses matters. I got some squeeking with lacquered metal, nothing with plastic frame.
Meze Audio LIRIC - The portable isodynamic hybrid array headphone
- Thread starter MezeTeam
- Start date
arielext
Headphoneus Supremus
I have done some extensive switching between Liric and Ether CX and both are extremely well thought of closed-backs that give a very open-back like presentation. Liric has way more energy down low but also some more up top. The ether cx seems dull and lifeless compared to Liric... until EQ comes into play, until different pads are swapped on the Ether CX.
Between the Ether and Liric I do would give the edge to Liric but not enough for me to justify the difference in price.
If anything Liric gave me a good introduction in Meze's high-end offering. I'm eyeing the Empyrian now. Meze gained a friend but not a Liric owner.
Between the Ether and Liric I do would give the edge to Liric but not enough for me to justify the difference in price.
If anything Liric gave me a good introduction in Meze's high-end offering. I'm eyeing the Empyrian now. Meze gained a friend but not a Liric owner.
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keithmarsh
100+ Head-Fier
Has anyone else noticed this with their Lirics? The leather on one of the ear cups is starting to become loose and get air bubbles.
Pretty disappointed to be honest and not what I would expect from Meze. I will of course reach out to customer support but wanted to gauge whether this is normal and something I have to live with or if it is a defect.
Pretty disappointed to be honest and not what I would expect from Meze. I will of course reach out to customer support but wanted to gauge whether this is normal and something I have to live with or if it is a defect.
I find it interesting that he claims the Liric isolates so well that it can be used on public transport. I wonder if he has actually tried that.
EarFatigue
New Head-Fier
I had the Liric for 30+ days and really enjoyed them. In the end I kept my Focal Stellia and added The Empyrean to my collection. Similar to you...I was intrigued with Meze and am fully a convert now...just not with the current closed back. I can satisfy my detailed/technical needs with the Stellia and have the Empyrean to kick back and enjoy anything from my collection in pure comfort (build) and zero fatigue from the sound signature.
For the record, he lived in Australia and the bus ride was indeed fairly quiet when compared to HK underground.
Has anyone else noticed this with their Lirics? The leather on one of the ear cups is starting to become loose and get air bubbles.
Pretty disappointed to be honest and not what I would expect from Meze. I will of course reach out to customer support but wanted to gauge whether this is normal and something I have to live with or if it is a defect.
This is not good, I just send you a PM to follow up on the problem for you.
My commute is also a rather quiet bus ride, so maybe it could work as long as I don't disturbe my neighbours. Many of them prefer to catch an extra hour of sleep on the bus.
keithmarsh
100+ Head-Fier
Thanks Andy - just replied to your message. Meze are already on the case... great customer support
I’ll start as I usually do with sincere thanks to Meze & Andy Kong for organizing this loaner tour. They were generous enough to allow us about 2 weeks with the Meze Liric to put it through it’s paces and I did indeed enjoy my time with them. There’s a lot of info already out there about the Liric construction and design so I’ll only touch on that as necessary. For more information, check out Meze’s dedicated Liric website: https://mezeaudio.com/collections/all/products/liric
Fit and Comfort
One thing I’ve always appreciated about Meze is their design aesthetic. Every headphone I’ve seen from Meze has been pleasing to my eyes, and the Liric is no exception. From the angle of the extension yoke rods to the gold air vent hole on each cup there is a look to these headphones that I find wholly appealing. Also consistent with my experience with Meze, the Liric is very comfortable, even after long listening sessions. They are light at 391 grams (less than a pound) and more importantly the weight is well distributed. I felt no hot spots or other discomfort, though noggin size (or lack thereof) may play a deciding factor here. As always YMMV.
Review Details
Before I offer my listening impressions, I’ll start with a little about myself and other points of interest. I’m over 50 years old and have less than perfect hearing. I’ve been a music lover for as long as I can remember, and my preference leans toward the warm side of neutral. I’m a huge believer in the “my ears/your ears” axiom, and I believe the signal chain makes a difference. Feel free to liberally add as many mental IMOs and YMMVs as you want while reading.
My chain for playback is various WAV, FLAC, & MP3 files from my refurbed HP Elite Desk via USB to a Bifrost 2 to either my ifi Pro iCan (1st version) or ZMF Pendant (also 1st version). The Liric sounded wonderful from both the Pendant as well as the ifi, but I had a slight preference for the Pendant and did the majority of my listening utilizing that amp. I felt no need to burn in the Meze since it is a review loaner and likely has a couple of hundred hours on it already.
Sensitivity and Isolation
I found the Liric to be very easy to drive, and it sounded excellent from both my (old) Samsung A10 as well as a Fiio M6. I won’t go into much detail there since I rarely use headphones on the go and I did almost all of my listening with my desktop setup. Suffice it to say that for portable use, the sound was very engaging and satisfying, at least with the equipment I had on hand.
Overall the Liric is good at isolating outside noise, if not class leading in that regard. I did wear it solely in my relatively quiet home which admittedly isn’t the best test for sound attenuation. It did a respectable job of drowning out dogs barking and other various noises especially with music playing, but there was always a small sense of being a part of my surroundings as opposed to being in my own world. Depending on your preferences this could be a good or bad thing. Given my usage, it didn’t bother me at all.
I think it’s worth mentioning Meze has a few design choices that may have something to do with that sense of connection. The Liric utilizes a pressure equalization valve and a proprietary ear pad air flow system which seems to add to an “openness” to the sound and I’m guessing has an impact on isolation. I can also tell you that this is one of the only closed back headphones I’ve experienced that doesn’t aggravate my tinnitus, which is a pleasant surprise since most closed back headphones do. I can’t say that has anything to do with the aforementioned features, but it would be a plausible explanation. As always YMMV.
Sound
IMO this headphone does indeed adhere to the Meze house sound. My preference is for headphones that are on the warm side, and I’ve found Meze delivers on that front consistently.
Even though the bass is more subdued than many of Meze’s offerings, it is still a bit north of what many would consider neutral. The bass does seem to be somewhat un-planar like in that I don’t find it to be particularly fast and agile. It does reach deep when called for, and it’s not so slow as to be considered sluggish, it’s just not lightning fast. I’d place it between the Empyrean and the Elite, though I only heard the Elite briefly at CanJam NYC. I still found bass to be satisfying and pleasing for my preferences.
Things sound tighter in the mids but I wouldn’t call them dry. There was good clarity and no fatigue during my listening. There is a bit of a dip around the 1-2khz region and again in the upper mid/lower treble area. I didn’t find it to be bothersome, however those craving the most linear mids will likely be disappointed.
There is extension up above 10khz, but my hearing is spotty at best in that area due to age & job related hearing loss, so I won’t be commenting there.
The Liric is not the last word in plankton, I found the resolution to be on the relaxed side and detail is discernible if not in your face. Though some may crave a more forward presentation, I found enough detail to make me feel as though I’m not missing anything. It might have more to do with the relaxed presentation than the ability to eek out fine levels of sonic detail.
Moving on to headstage, the Liric does have some unique tricks up it’s sleeve...or pads I guess. I’ll start by saying I don’t believe it’s possible to get a “closed back headphone that sounds like an open headphone”. This Meze is no exception, but as I previously stated, there is an openness to the sound that can likely be attributed to the Liric’s distinctive design. The result is a coherent image that has some width but better depth, and an airy quality that seems to give some extra room around the notes. It is a presentation I’ve come to enjoy the more I listen.
Some Comparisons
Unfortunately I have nothing on hand that would be fitting for a direct comparison to the Liric. The closed backs I have are sub $500 dynamic drivers and hardly class leading. I do have the ZMF Aeolus and an ETA “Mini” which I do think would be a couple of interesting comparisons.
Despite being an open back dynamic headphone, the Aeolus & the Liric do have some common ground. They’re both tuned with boosted bass and overall warmth in mind. I am using the ZMF Verite perforated lambskin pads with my Aeolus currently, which retains the downward sloping sound signature, but tames a bit of the Aeolus’ mid bass response. They both seem to have good extension to my ear, though the Liric goes a bit deeper and is a bit more forceful in the sub-bass region then lowers the mid bass more sharply. Aeolus overall has the tighter bass to my ears, though it’s not by a wide margin. The larger difference is in the midrange & treble regions, where the Aeolus dips around 2-4khz, the Meze rises there. Headstage interestingly is fairly similar as well, with the Aeolus just pulling ahead in all directions except depth, where the Liric admirably matches (for a closed back headphone). I’d say detail retrieval is on par with one another as neither headphone was outclassed here.
The ETA Mini is a different beast altogether, being an on ear dynamic driver headphone with a more intimate headstage, but snappier transients and better detail retrieval. I decided to include this comparison because IMO despite being $300 (at the time of writing) the sound can keep up with offerings in this price range. The Sub bass region is slightly better extended on the Liric, and is more impactful as well. The ETA mid bass does not rise as much in comparison, and is tighter and more controlled throughout. There is definitely bass presence with the ETA, but more interesting for me is there is a good amount more slam from the dynamic driver as well. From the mids on up to the treble, the Mini is more linear and revealing, feeling a bit dryer overall but never fatiguing to my ear. Headstage is definitely more the Meze’s strong suit, the ETA being more intimate overall, but maintaining very good imagery and coherence. As I mentioned above, I actually find detail retrieval to be more evident in the ETA overall, the Meze trailing even if not by a huge margin. They are very different presentations that IMO compliment each other well.
As I said at the start, I quite enjoyed my time with the Meze Liric. Antonio Meze has a knack for tuning warm and inviting headphones that are also beautiful and comfortable. The Liric is no exception, and is one of the finest closed back headphones I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. If you are at all interested in the upper end of the closed back headphone market, it would be a mistake to overlook the Meze Liric.
Fit and Comfort
One thing I’ve always appreciated about Meze is their design aesthetic. Every headphone I’ve seen from Meze has been pleasing to my eyes, and the Liric is no exception. From the angle of the extension yoke rods to the gold air vent hole on each cup there is a look to these headphones that I find wholly appealing. Also consistent with my experience with Meze, the Liric is very comfortable, even after long listening sessions. They are light at 391 grams (less than a pound) and more importantly the weight is well distributed. I felt no hot spots or other discomfort, though noggin size (or lack thereof) may play a deciding factor here. As always YMMV.
Review Details
Before I offer my listening impressions, I’ll start with a little about myself and other points of interest. I’m over 50 years old and have less than perfect hearing. I’ve been a music lover for as long as I can remember, and my preference leans toward the warm side of neutral. I’m a huge believer in the “my ears/your ears” axiom, and I believe the signal chain makes a difference. Feel free to liberally add as many mental IMOs and YMMVs as you want while reading.
My chain for playback is various WAV, FLAC, & MP3 files from my refurbed HP Elite Desk via USB to a Bifrost 2 to either my ifi Pro iCan (1st version) or ZMF Pendant (also 1st version). The Liric sounded wonderful from both the Pendant as well as the ifi, but I had a slight preference for the Pendant and did the majority of my listening utilizing that amp. I felt no need to burn in the Meze since it is a review loaner and likely has a couple of hundred hours on it already.
Sensitivity and Isolation
I found the Liric to be very easy to drive, and it sounded excellent from both my (old) Samsung A10 as well as a Fiio M6. I won’t go into much detail there since I rarely use headphones on the go and I did almost all of my listening with my desktop setup. Suffice it to say that for portable use, the sound was very engaging and satisfying, at least with the equipment I had on hand.
Overall the Liric is good at isolating outside noise, if not class leading in that regard. I did wear it solely in my relatively quiet home which admittedly isn’t the best test for sound attenuation. It did a respectable job of drowning out dogs barking and other various noises especially with music playing, but there was always a small sense of being a part of my surroundings as opposed to being in my own world. Depending on your preferences this could be a good or bad thing. Given my usage, it didn’t bother me at all.
I think it’s worth mentioning Meze has a few design choices that may have something to do with that sense of connection. The Liric utilizes a pressure equalization valve and a proprietary ear pad air flow system which seems to add to an “openness” to the sound and I’m guessing has an impact on isolation. I can also tell you that this is one of the only closed back headphones I’ve experienced that doesn’t aggravate my tinnitus, which is a pleasant surprise since most closed back headphones do. I can’t say that has anything to do with the aforementioned features, but it would be a plausible explanation. As always YMMV.
Sound
IMO this headphone does indeed adhere to the Meze house sound. My preference is for headphones that are on the warm side, and I’ve found Meze delivers on that front consistently.
Even though the bass is more subdued than many of Meze’s offerings, it is still a bit north of what many would consider neutral. The bass does seem to be somewhat un-planar like in that I don’t find it to be particularly fast and agile. It does reach deep when called for, and it’s not so slow as to be considered sluggish, it’s just not lightning fast. I’d place it between the Empyrean and the Elite, though I only heard the Elite briefly at CanJam NYC. I still found bass to be satisfying and pleasing for my preferences.
Things sound tighter in the mids but I wouldn’t call them dry. There was good clarity and no fatigue during my listening. There is a bit of a dip around the 1-2khz region and again in the upper mid/lower treble area. I didn’t find it to be bothersome, however those craving the most linear mids will likely be disappointed.
There is extension up above 10khz, but my hearing is spotty at best in that area due to age & job related hearing loss, so I won’t be commenting there.
The Liric is not the last word in plankton, I found the resolution to be on the relaxed side and detail is discernible if not in your face. Though some may crave a more forward presentation, I found enough detail to make me feel as though I’m not missing anything. It might have more to do with the relaxed presentation than the ability to eek out fine levels of sonic detail.
Moving on to headstage, the Liric does have some unique tricks up it’s sleeve...or pads I guess. I’ll start by saying I don’t believe it’s possible to get a “closed back headphone that sounds like an open headphone”. This Meze is no exception, but as I previously stated, there is an openness to the sound that can likely be attributed to the Liric’s distinctive design. The result is a coherent image that has some width but better depth, and an airy quality that seems to give some extra room around the notes. It is a presentation I’ve come to enjoy the more I listen.
Some Comparisons
Unfortunately I have nothing on hand that would be fitting for a direct comparison to the Liric. The closed backs I have are sub $500 dynamic drivers and hardly class leading. I do have the ZMF Aeolus and an ETA “Mini” which I do think would be a couple of interesting comparisons.
Despite being an open back dynamic headphone, the Aeolus & the Liric do have some common ground. They’re both tuned with boosted bass and overall warmth in mind. I am using the ZMF Verite perforated lambskin pads with my Aeolus currently, which retains the downward sloping sound signature, but tames a bit of the Aeolus’ mid bass response. They both seem to have good extension to my ear, though the Liric goes a bit deeper and is a bit more forceful in the sub-bass region then lowers the mid bass more sharply. Aeolus overall has the tighter bass to my ears, though it’s not by a wide margin. The larger difference is in the midrange & treble regions, where the Aeolus dips around 2-4khz, the Meze rises there. Headstage interestingly is fairly similar as well, with the Aeolus just pulling ahead in all directions except depth, where the Liric admirably matches (for a closed back headphone). I’d say detail retrieval is on par with one another as neither headphone was outclassed here.
The ETA Mini is a different beast altogether, being an on ear dynamic driver headphone with a more intimate headstage, but snappier transients and better detail retrieval. I decided to include this comparison because IMO despite being $300 (at the time of writing) the sound can keep up with offerings in this price range. The Sub bass region is slightly better extended on the Liric, and is more impactful as well. The ETA mid bass does not rise as much in comparison, and is tighter and more controlled throughout. There is definitely bass presence with the ETA, but more interesting for me is there is a good amount more slam from the dynamic driver as well. From the mids on up to the treble, the Mini is more linear and revealing, feeling a bit dryer overall but never fatiguing to my ear. Headstage is definitely more the Meze’s strong suit, the ETA being more intimate overall, but maintaining very good imagery and coherence. As I mentioned above, I actually find detail retrieval to be more evident in the ETA overall, the Meze trailing even if not by a huge margin. They are very different presentations that IMO compliment each other well.
As I said at the start, I quite enjoyed my time with the Meze Liric. Antonio Meze has a knack for tuning warm and inviting headphones that are also beautiful and comfortable. The Liric is no exception, and is one of the finest closed back headphones I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. If you are at all interested in the upper end of the closed back headphone market, it would be a mistake to overlook the Meze Liric.
- Easy to drive
- Good isolation
- Comfortable for long hours
- Not too analytical sound signature
- Understated look
- Makes for a probably end game office headphones
ThanatosVI
Headphoneus Supremus
Are those australian Dollars?
- Easy to drive
- Good isolation
- Comfortable for long hours
- Not too analytical sound signature
- Understated look
- Makes for a probably end game office headphones
- Easy to drive
- Good isolation
- Comfortable for long hours
- Not too analytical sound signature
- Understated look
- Makes for a probably end game office headphones
I like your last comment: Makes for a probably end game office headphones. This is indeed one of the scenarios that I have discussed with several friends. They start to use the Liric as Work For Home headphones, and they can fully visualize that when they resume full-time office pattern, the Liric will become their indispensable office "accessories".
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