Meze Liric Closed Back
Nov 12, 2021 at 9:23 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 164

buffalomatt

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Meze Audio launches first closed-back headphone powered by Rinaro’s Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver
Headphone Guru / by Headphone.Guru




Baia Mare, Romania, November 15th 2021. Meze Audio, award-winning headphone company based in Baia Mare, Romania, announces the release of LIRIC, its first closed-back headphone powered by the Isodynamic Hybrid Array Driver, re-engineered for portable use.

Combining high-grade magnesium, leather and aluminium in an ergonomic design with a sleek, modern finish, LIRIC is made for discerning audiophiles who want to enjoy their passion both in and outside the house or while commuting, for hours on end.

Each material was carefully selected to complete the other, referencing the textures found on magnesium parts of professional photo cameras and preserving that same tactile experience, while demonstrating an outstanding wear resistance.

“We’ve been wanting to do a portable planar for a while, and following two successful collaborations with Rinaro, it was a natural next step. Naming it LIRIC was not a game of chance. It was an ideal metaphor to paint the authentic, vivid and poetic sound disguised behind its sculptural silhouette”.Antonio Meze, Lead Designer & Founder of Meze Audio

Meze Audio’s LIRIC


Flagship technology in a portable frame​

Created exclusively for Meze Audio by Rinaro, LIRIC’s MZ4 driver was purposefully scaled down and tuned to deliver a similar audio experience with its larger counterpart found in the Empyrean. Combined with the closed-back design, it helps preserve the original clarity and emotion of your favorite music through enhanced sound and minimized external noise.

“It’s been a complex and challenging project to scale down our award-winning technology into a closed-back headphone design. After almost 3 years of intensive work alongside our partners at Meze Audio, we have achieved that goal – with LIRIC, the flagship sound goes truly portable, representing a new milestone in the application of the Isodynamic Hybrid Array technology.”Pavlo Shymanovych, Founder of Rinaro Isodynamics

An innovation to the MZ4 driver is the Phase-XTM system, created by Rinaro as a way to minimize phase distortion issues, typically found in closed-back headphone designs. This patent-pending technology helps improve the accuracy of spatial imaging, in-line with its open back counterparts, which is especially noticeable on binaural recordings.

A blend of high build quality, excellent comfort and a life-like, immersive sound, this headphone is an actual harmony of form and function meant to set a new benchmark in high-end portable audio. LIRIC is hand assembled with care and painstaking attention to details in Baia Mare, Romania.

Meze Audio’s LIRIC is now available worldwide, retailing for $2000/€2000/1850 GBP.


ABOUT MEZE AUDIO​

Founded in 2011 in Baia Mare, Romania, Meze Audio is renowned for timeless design, pure comfort and engaging vivid sound. Winner of multiple audiophile industry awards, Meze’s current product range includes: 99 series headphones (99 Classics, 99 NEO), Rai series IEMs (Rai Penta, Rai Solo) and the two open-back Isodynamic Hybrid Array headphones, Empyrean and Elite.

ABOUT RINARO ISODYNAMICS​

Rinaro, a progressive audio engineering company, has been at the forefront of planar magnetic development since the 1980s. From its Cold War origins to today’s state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing facilities, Rinaro have continued to innovate for the last 30 years, creating the revolutionary Isodynamic Hybrid Array found exclusively in Meze Empyrean, Elite and Liric headphones.

The post Meze Audio launches first closed-back headphone powered by Rinaro’s Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver appeared first on Headphone Guru.
 
Nov 13, 2021 at 4:04 PM Post #7 of 164
Great for Closed Back fans!

Personally I had high hopes for a cheaper Open-back version :/ Both the Empys and Elites are a bit too expensive for my taste, an open back around the 1500-2000 EUR price range would have been perfect. :frowning2:
 
Nov 13, 2021 at 4:13 PM Post #8 of 164
Finally, a more reasonably priced new high-end. If it's light, easy to drive and somewhat portable, it could have a nice slice of the market. Stealth and Stella are in different price categories. LCD closed has that weight. ZMF closed cans' impedance isn't a good fit for portability but then again they aren't amp picky.
 
Nov 13, 2021 at 5:03 PM Post #9 of 164
I take a seat here... :L3000: A few minutes ago my wife came near me and said to me to low the volume (I hate that...) I was listening to symphonic metal with the 1990 Pros and loved the experience... Most of my listening time now is with my closed cans because of that. Now I turn to Norah Jones with the 1990 Pros, not so annoying for my wife and children (time to sleep for them) :relieved:

I hope Meze achieved something similar to the Empyrean in a small closed factor, like they say. I find the price not so far to my "maximum to spend in headphones", more or less same as the Sony Z1R.
 
Nov 13, 2021 at 10:24 PM Post #12 of 164
Interesting... Certainly above my desired price range (1k) but something less than empyrean and more than the classics is nice to see.

It will be great to break the trend of putting out headphones that cost 4-5k.
Yeah I was really rooting for the HEDDphone to break the trend but its efforts weren't enough. Now I'm rooting for Meze
 
Nov 14, 2021 at 1:27 AM Post #13 of 164
The Liric is beautiful, like all of their headphones. I have been demoing the Elite for the past couple weeks and have gone back and forth whether I want to buy one or not. Right not I am a no, but it is a really fine headphone. I own the Radiante 1706 which I absolutely adore. But, the Liric is gorgeous and I can't wait to read impressions and at some point the opportunity to listen.
 
Nov 14, 2021 at 6:19 AM Post #14 of 164
£1,850..that's 2 months salary to me, and it is one of the goddam ugliest headphones I have ever seen. Why do these small, high end headphone companies insist on making ugly elongated oval shaped headphones that look cheap (at least from the pictures) and poor build quality. What is it with HifiMan, MrSpeakers and Meze that they insit on making their headphones look like this, when they could so easily make their headphones to look like a true work of art such as the Sony R10, Sennheiser HD800, Denon AH-D5000/7000 and Fostex TH900? why oh why do they have to be so ugly?! it puzzles my mind.
 
Nov 14, 2021 at 6:24 AM Post #15 of 164
£1,850..that's 2 months salary to me, and it is one of the goddam ugliest headphones I have ever seen. Why do these small, high end headphone companies insist on making ugly elongated oval shaped headphones that look cheap (at least from the pictures) and poor build quality. What is it with HifiMan, MrSpeakers and Meze that they insit on making their headphones look like this, when they could so easily make their headphones to look like a true work of art such as the Sony R10, Sennheiser HD800, Denon AH-D5000/7000 and Fostex TH900? why oh why do they have to be so ugly?! it puzzles my mind.
One of the great things about the headphone world is that there's a headphone for every budget. You don't need to spend two months salary to find a decent headphone.

I think 2k is pretty reasonable so long as it can compete with other TOTL headphones within a similar range.

On their looks, they look pretty fine to me but let's hope some impressions/news tomorrow.
 

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