Meze Audio LIRIC - The portable isodynamic hybrid array headphone

[Kristofa]

Once the kids came along, my time for music diminished so much that I went into a hiatus from everything hifi related. My first born was such a bad sleeper that I have basically no memories of the first two years. Only tiredness.
Fast forward to 2022, we went to High End Munich together and of all the wonderful headphones there, it was the Liric that got our attention. And Trifecta

Thanks to the wonderful people from Meze, I was able to walk home with both the Liric and 99 classics. And thus, Liric rekindled my fire, and since then it holds a special place on my heart.

I prefer the design and sound of the first generation to the second. Not that the second is bad, but the first is more to my liking. I like the lush sound, strong airy highs and the soundstage that sounds more like an open back. Strong mid bass, perfectly controlled sub bass, the epitome of hi-fi, for me. Not to mention how good they sound with a mobile setup.
I'm revisiting them tonight and getting the same vibes as the first time I've heard them.



I just love their understated elegance.

I love hearing this. I decided to not upgrade my first gens since I am so happy with them. It pleases me that others prefer them who have heard both generations. I haven’t heard the second gens.

 

[RenoGu]

I can relate to this. I’ve come across the debate between first and second-generation meze, even at Canjam NY’s Meze table. Personally, I prefer the first generation. In fact, the representative at Meze was quite surprised to hear my preference, as most people there were raving about the second generation. Ultimately, taste preferences vary widely among individuals, so what one person enjoys may not be the same for everyone.

 

[227qed]

The op asking the question wants to add a 12db bass shelf at 20hz ... Why is beyond my understanding but in my experience almost anything will clip have distortion with that much of an increase.... But what do I know

Check out the track See Me by Memento Mori. Wait for the bass at 53 seconds and you’ll understand. There is usually just too much roll off at those deep frequencies. Add a shelf if you can and you’ll see how much better the track can get.

My Kennerton Gjallahorn GH50s take the bass shelf no problem and provide pretty epic bass. I’m just looking to take that experience to the next level by finding something with the same or better bass performance, but with a bigger stage, better imaging, better mids, more resolution, etc—all the things you’d expect from a TOTL vs “midrange” experience.

Even my old ananda would take the bass shelf just fine as well.

Any ways, to sum it up I’m basically probably looking for a TOTL closed back version of the famed abyss 1266. I just really like the meze for a lot of other reasons too, especially price, so I’m trying to gauge how much potential the bass has.

 

[227qed]

I'm not a bass head but how deep does a plucked double bass go. My audition track for bass is off Jennifer Warnes' SACD Another Time, Another Place with track 2 being the tester. It opens with a plucked double bass and the Liric 2 handles it supremely well. The note and the decay is detailed and deep.

That’s a nice album. The bass I’m listening to is much deeper though.

The last good track I came across is called See Me by Memento Mori. Check out the bass at 53 seconds.

 

[grailnewt]

Okay... Kennerton gjallorhorns are hardly mid-range but you do you... Mid-range price maybe but hardly performance wise... They already have better mids ,soundstage then the lirics either v1 or 2 if you want closed back bass cannons you might want to look at campfire audio cascade or something else... But you aren't going get everything you are asking for in either version of the lirics... Rognir aren't really bass cannons either not are they very open soundstage wise.. nor is the imaging or resolution the greatest... Can't speak about the arkona . Regardless the gh50s are one of the most open closed backs there is even still. The only thing that has a larger sound stage that I've heard is the zmf atrium cb but bass was very neutral and controlled not a bass head HP... Good luck with finding what you are looking for in any closed back (it's a unicorn)

The track you mentioned wouldn't even make it into my bass testing tracks

Check out a group called peakaboo bumpin
Or angel by massive attack
Tape b let me go
Mersiv bounce
Wink need me
Dmvu this one's for the soundboiz

Lots of other tracks with way deeper bass

 

[227qed]

Okay... Kennerton gjallorhorns are hardly mid-range but you do you... Mid-range price maybe but hardly performance wise... They already have better mids ,soundstage then the lirics either v1 or 2 if you want closed back bass cannons you might want to look at campfire audio cascade or something else... But you aren't going get everything you are asking for in either version of the lirics... Rognir aren't really bass cannons either not are they very open soundstage wise.. nor is the imaging or resolution the greatest... Can't speak about the arkona . Regardless the gh50s are one of the most open closed backs there is even still. The only thing that has a larger sound stage that I've heard is the zmf atrium cb but bass was very neutral and controlled not a bass head HP... Good luck with finding what you are looking for in any closed back (it's a unicorn)

Well midrange in price to be sure. Sound I’m not so sure, but that’s why I’m here asking questions. I know they blow everything else I’ve had out of the water, but I don’t know how far the headphone ceiling goes and how much improvement there is from here.

The kennerton are just really tough to compare and get feedback on since there’s not a lot of people that have heard them. Anyways, I really appreciate your feedback on the liric, that’s what I was hoping to find out.

I’ve read that the rognir does well with a pad swap and takes EQ well, so that might still have unicorn potential. There’s just not a ton info on Akrona right now either, but that’s also a strong contender.

I had read the atrium closed does good bass. With it being a biocellulose driver, I would expect it to take EQ great as well, similar to the Fostex. I had an emu teak and x00 for a long time before upgrading to the gjallahorn. Now I wanna see what’s next!

The only other real option I’m seeing now is the caldera closed.

Anyways, I don’t want to derail the liric thread. I bet it’s great and I’ll probably get it as a true portable set some day.

 

[1ceb0x]

I'm done with the abysmal performance of Fiio Btr7. The battery is so tiny, it powers the meze liric og for 2 hours before it needs a charge, on 4.4 balanced output and bt on.

Can anyone here recommend a good dac or dap that can power the meze liric for 10+ hours?

I don't really need a dap, but if that's what I need to get to get a longer battery, I might just do that. I'm looking at ibasso dx260, but I'm also tempted to try a Walkman. Or a good dac with proper battery.
Also I need 4.4 balanced outputs.

Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Newsee]

I'm done with the abysmal performance of Fiio Btr7. The battery is so tiny, it powers the meze liric og for 2 hours before it needs a charge, on 4.4 balanced output.

Can anyone here recommend a good dac or dap that can power the meze liric for 10+ hours?

I don't really need a dap, but if that's what I need to get to get a longer battery, I might just do that. I'm looking at ibasso dx260, but I'm also tempted to try a Walkman. Or a good dac with proper battery.
Also I need 4.4 balanced outputs.

Any help will be appreciated.

Have a look at Hiby R8ii

 

[mikaik]

I'm done with the abysmal performance of Fiio Btr7. The battery is so tiny, it powers the meze liric og for 2 hours before it needs a charge, on 4.4 balanced output and bt on.

Can anyone here recommend a good dac or dap that can power the meze liric for 10+ hours?

I don't really need a dap, but if that's what I need to get to get a longer battery, I might just do that. I'm looking at ibasso dx260, but I'm also tempted to try a Walkman. Or a good dac with proper battery.
Also I need 4.4 balanced outputs.

Any help will be appreciated.

If you want something similar, there's the iFi xDSD Gryphon. It's got BT, balanced, good sound and you can find them in classifieds.
Don't go for the Sony NW-A306 as it's lacking power (and balanced output). Any other DAP is probably OK.

 

[M700LTR]

Any news about a Meze "POET"?

 

[UnderwaterB0i]

Hey all, I currently use the 109 Pro at home while I work, but it looks more and more like a return to the office will happen for me. Do the original Lirics have a similar sound profile to the 109 Pros? I see they are creeping under $1k on the used market, which seems much more palatable than the $1.5k of the Liric 2. I understand the issue with the glued on pads, and while I don't love it, I can deal with it. I also have access to EQ and already have the Meze copper cable, so I'm not worried about that upgrade either. Any thoughts?

 

[grailnewt]

Hey all, I currently use the 109 Pro at home while I work, but it looks more and more like a return to the office will happen for me. Do the original Lirics have a similar sound profile to the 109 Pros? I see they are creeping under $1k on the used market, which seems much more palatable than the $1.5k of the Liric 2. I understand the issue with the glued on pads, and while I don't love it, I can deal with it. I also have access to EQ and already have the Meze copper cable, so I'm not worried about that upgrade either. Any thoughts?

I've heard both the liric is a little bit different than the 109s obviously being a closed back it's not quite as open or airy it's also slightly more aggressive and slightly more dynamic than the 109 in my opinion the tone is pretty similar however it's a little brighter in the high mids low treble... Hope that helps

This is my opinion regarding the OG lirics which I still have and love

 

[Iron-Buddha]

Any news about a Meze "POET"?

I'm waiting for my local dealer to get my hands on one to try it out.

Haven't upgraded since the Liric 1. I got used to the warmer, softer, sound...my Focal Clears sound harsh by comparison so looking for the Poet as the open back brother.

 

[thelittletaffia]

my Focal Clears sound harsh by comparison

I'll echo that sentiment. My Clear MGs sound too aggressive compared to the Liric 2.

 

[gto88]

I recently compared Liric 2 to Sony MDR-Z1R and Denon HA-D5000, the bass is D5000 > Z1R > Liric 2.
Liric 2 is weaker and less quantity. If one doesn't compare, Liric 2 itself sounds good actually.