Meze Liric

disclaimer:  I received the Meze Liric as part of tour that was sponsored through Head-fi.org.   I have no financial interest in Meze or any of its partners or distributors.  I have received no compensation or directions regarding this review and the product was sent on to another reviewer after my 14 day review time was up.    If you have an interest in a Liric or other Meze products, please see their website and Facebook page.    Remember also that he drivers used in the Liric are produced in Lviv Ukraine and please do what you can to support the people of Ukraine with your actions and prayers.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

The Liric ships in a presentation case wrapped in a card-stock outer box with the name and Meze Logo and what appear to be the slightly out of focus hands of the conductor guiding his orchestra.  The leather presentation case has a gold stylized Liric logo on the lid and matching gold lip on the inner box and thread ties on the sides.  It is typically understated and very similar to the Liric itself in that regard.   A travel case protects the headphones inside the presentation case and the provided cables and adapters fit inside yet another leatherette bag inside the soft case so there is no metal on metal contact anywhere in the package.  It is well thought out and well made to protect the investment these represent.  The review sample came with the 2 standard cables (short and long 6.35/3.5mm) and an optional upgrade 4.4mm braided cable to complete the kit.

 

 

Build/Fit:

If you’ve had the pleasure of trying an Empyrean or Elite, you might be tempted to call the Liric a closed back version of Empyrean based on similarities in design but that isn’t doing the Liric justice.  The frame of the Liric is a lightweight magnesium alloy allowing a substantial weight reduction when combined with the slightly smaller cup size.  The headband is redesigned and does not use the suspension design of the E series models but instead uses a single spring steel band that allows end users to adjust clamping force as desired.   The redesigned headband and weight reduction means that although the Empyrean looks a lot like the Liric, the two wear very differently and to me the Liric is more comfortable for long sessions.    Knowing the Liric would be used as a travel companion means every detail of the form fitted travel case and the headphone itself was double checked for durability so lightweight didn’t equate to fragility.    The adjustments are tight and should last well as aluminum is used in the contact surfaces for added strength and wear resistance.

The outer face of the cup has a leather outer cover and a single copper colored vent port that Meze refers to as the pressure equalization system.   the vent is tuned specifically to maintain a certain chamber pressure inside the unit while preventing fatigue caused by lack of venting.  Each cup has a 3.5mm jack allowing for easy swapping of cables with both a short travel cable and a longer home cable provided in the kit and a number of upgrade and after market options available.   I used a custom 3.5mm to XLR cable in my collection for some of my listening in addition to the factory provided cables.

One other plus is while the outer headband, cups, and pads are leather, the under-surface of the headband where it comes in contact with the wearer is fabric and thus not as prone to getting hot after extended wear.   I did feel some heat build up on the cups but not as much as I expected with a closed back and leather pads and it certainly was not as warm as something like the Campfire Cascade with its leather memory foam pads can get after extended wear.

 

Internals:

Meze lists the driver as an Isodynamic Hybrid Array Driver which may confuse some as it is more closely related to a planar magnetic than it is to a dynamic driver in most senses.   The model found in the Liric is a scaled version of the driver found in Empyrean and shares a similar design if on a slightly smaller scale.   The “hybrid array” part of the name comes from the fact the driver has two discrete sections with a switchback trace used for the woofer and a spiral trace used for the mids and highs.   Two separate motors drive the traces so the two can act largely independent of one another despite being on the same substrate.   It is in essence a more complicated planar magnetic driver with neodymium magnet arrays on either side of an almost weightless (o.o8 gram) diaphragm.  Rinaro who designed the driver for Meze says this combination of dual motors helps  reduce distortion while increasing resolution.   The driver has a nominal impedance of 30Ω and a sensitivity of  100 dB/mW @1 Khz making it easy enough to drive with the more potent dongles such as the Cayin Ru6 and Earmen Sparrow (balanced) .  I had no trouble pushing the Liric to full power on DAPs like the Hiby R5 Saber and Cayin N3Pro, but did find that the Liric scaled quite well with improvements in DAC and ended up doing most of my testing either from the RME ADI-2 black edition or from a Fiio M17.  Neither needed anywhere near the full power they are capable of delivering but both offered better detail than the lesser models I tried.

In addition to the driver itself, Meze has designed the cups to reduce reflection and minimize phase distortion for improved soundstage.   Another interesting design choice is the pads are vented from the rear and effectively become part of the acoustic chamber.  This allows for smaller cups while maintaining a larger internal volume of air behind the driver because now the pad space is included in that measure.  The downside to this new technology is since pads are now part of the acoustic chamber itself, they are not easily removable and the likelihood of finding an aftermarket pad for the Liric seems pretty slim.   Replacement pads are available but require a service kit from Meze to install properly.

 

Cables:

The base kit comes with two included cables of 1.5m and 3m length respectively.  other than length, the two are exactly alike with a rubber jacket and copper/bronze jack, splitter, and connector housings that match the vent on the outer cup and the aluminum rods used for vertical adjustment.   The black and copper aesthetic is carried through the package from the case to the cables to the ear-cups giving it a very consistent look.   The provided cables aren’t fancy and some will suggest they are not of equal grade as the headphone but they were sturdy enough for daily use, easily replaced (in a nod to what daily use does to cables over time) and replacements are reasonably priced  as low as $30 on Meze website.  I think based on the anticipated use patterns providing 2 cables with decent strain reliefs, good build quality, and easy replacement trumps exotic materials and having to treat it more gingerly when discussing a road warrior.    There is an upgrade option that is a braided 4.4mm cable that was provided with silver plated copper in Litz braid up to the splitter and then a two wire twist to the 3.5mm mono jacks at the north end.   Even here, the price is kept reasonable with a list of $129 and options for 3.5, 2.5, or 4.4mm termination at that price.

 

 

Sound:

Bass:

Sub-bass has good rumble as we might expect from a closed back but it has better cleanliness and dynamics than you might expect.  The hybrid planar is on full display in the lower range where it combines good power with good dexterity.   The sub-bass fades into the background when not the emphasis of the piece but then crashes back in with authority when timpani strikes or contrabassoon picks up the lead.     The mid-bass shares a lot with the sub-bass in speed and clarity but has a bit less of an emphasis that gives the mid-bass and lower-mids a slight dip in overall presence and keeps it from being absolutely neutral.   Again while not perfectly linear, the articulation makes up for any dip by keeping voices in the mid-bass and lower mid from becoming obscured.   I’m a bigger fan of this tuning than that of the Empyrean where the mid-bass is a bit more forward and the lower-mids a bit thicker and more lush as this sounds a bit closer to realistic for most of the material I listen to.   Often speed equates to a sterility or an unnatural sound but here the Liric maintains enough sustain and decay time to keep it from sounding abrupt as notes fade out.

Mids:

The lower-mids start out just slightly recessed that makes the tone a bit thinner than Empyrean in this range and those who love the mids of Empyrean may be a touch disappointed as the Liric shares little of the same mid-range tonality. True mids are a bit more forward but not elevated and then again the upper-mids have just a touch of a recess before transitioning into the lower treble.  Its a very different tuning than most as we’ve all gotten used to a dip in the lower and a climb through the mids and into the lower treble as companies try to mirror the Harman Target curve.  I’m glad Meze didn’t as it gives us another option and a tuning that is not so vocal forward.   Both lower and upper vocals have enough separation from the instrumentation to cleanly cut through, but neither stands out in front.   Too often I hear a solo voice with an acoustic guitar and the voice is in front of the guitar by enough that it couldn’t possibly be the same person playing and singing in real life, the Liric tuning comes closer to reality in that regard.  The combination of detail, separation, and speed makes the mids quite revealing and means the Liric is not quite as forgiving as the Empyrean was.

Treble:

Lower treble climbs from the slightly dipped upper mid-range before reaching a plateau that gives most of the lower treble a mild emphasis.  It is not enough to be strident or become fatiguing, but is lifted slightly above neutral before dropping back a bit in the 6-7kHz range.   There is a second push in the 8-10kHz range but again not a big one and again while this helps add some air and a bit of headroom, it doesn’t get particularly fatiguing as big jumps in the 9kHz region often can for me.  If I had looked at the FR alone, I might have been a bit afraid of the  9kHz range, but listening proves it unwarranted.   Overall the treble is mildly elevated, has good extension, and enough detail to keep things lively and interesting.   Snare has good rattle with nice clean sharp attack and cymbals have enough shimmer without becoming sizzle.   Roll-off is above my limits and those of my test equipment so somewhere above 14kHz.

Soundstage / Imaging:

If I had to pick a single reason to buy the Liric, this would be it.   The stage on the Liric is better than all but a few closed back headphones I have heard and one of the reasons in my comparisons I suggested the Liric is closer to the Rognir P than the dynamic version.    The Liric manages to create a nearly 3-dimensional stage with very realistic dimensions and very fluid but easily tracked movements around the space.    There is still a hint of a wall at the back of the room so the Liric won’t give the HD800 and its seemingly endless depth a run for its money, but as closed backs go, its about as good as they get.

Seating the orchestra is straight forward with good instrument separation and no gaps or overlaps to speak of.   Positions are very tightly defined in space and movements can be tracked very cleanly around the space.  This also helps as passages become more complex as details are not lost to overlap that would be on lesser models.  The combination of stage definition, separation and precise imaging would endear the Liric to gamers looking for the ultimate in-game sound.

 

Comparisons:

It seems kind of strange to suggest that a $2000 closed back headphone has a lot of competition in the market, but it does these days.   Starting at the low side (price wise) the Kennerton Rognir dynamic retail at roughly $1600,  The Sennheiser HD820 and Sony MDR-Z1R both come in at roughly $1800 as does the Fostex TH-900 Mk2.  Then at slightly over the price of the Liric we have Ultrasone’s excellent Edition 8 EX which with its similar size and drivability may be the Lirics closest overall competitor.

vs Kennerton Rognir Dynamic –  To my eye, the looks are an easy win for the Kennerton with its stabilized wood cups.  At $500 less costly, that scores points for the Kennerton as well.   But that is where the wins stop for the Rognir D.   The Liric is lighter on the head and more comfortable as a portable/travel companion while the Rognir is better suited to at home use.   Also the Liric has better resolution than the Rognir D and quite frankly comes closer to the Rognir P model that retails for $1000 more than the Liric.    For portability and sound quality the Liric is the clear winner.

vs Sennheiser HD820 – Here I can’t even give the Sennheiser points for looks as the Liric is definitely the more cohesive design.  If anything the HD820 wins on durability as it is a comparative tank when placed side by side with the Liric.  The HD820 isn’t designed for portable use and needs a much more potent amplifier than the Liric and as such other than both being closed back and both roughly $2k USD.  The two have almost nothing in common.    I like the HD820 more than some critics, but cannot recommend it in a discussion of portables, it just doesn’t fit here.

 vs Fostex TH-900 Mk2 – These two come a bit closer.   The big Fostex has a nominal impedance of 25Ω and the same 100dB/mW as the Liric so both can be driven fairly well by portable sources.    Oddly the stock cable for the Th-900 mk2 is still a 6.35mm only affair so by the time you add a 3.5mm terminated cable prices are nearly identical.  The Fostex feels like it is twice the size of the Liric on the head,  and certainly stands taller on the ears with its larger cups.   The deep cherry red of the cup further calls attention to it which may not be desirable either.   The Liric has an advantage in absolute resolution, but both have stellar overall sound quality so its hard to pick one over the other.  Size wise, Liric wins, sound wise this one is down to personal preference.

vs Sony MDR-Z1R – This one is a grudge match that will likely come down to the listeners preferred signature.   Both are solid builds with the Sony being slightly larger than the Liric but both are about equally comfortable on the head so weight and size likely won’t help separate the two.   The Sony has a higher nominal impedance (64Ω) but with both having high sensitivity it likely won’t mean the Sony needs a different amp than the Liric.   The big difference is in presentation.  The Z1R is thicker, warmer, and has more punch while the Liric is thinner, faster, and has a more technically accurate signature.    If you want lots of slam and  vocals pushed both forward and made a little thicker, the Z1R is the operative choice.  If you want a true reference tuning, the Liric comes much closer than the Z1R.  (As a side note the stock cable on the Z1R is definitely not a travel cable and will need replacement if used for your daily commute).

vs Ultrasone Edition 8 Ex –   To me, this is the closest match for the Liric.  Both are roughly the same weight and similar size on the ear, both have similar amplification requirements, and both sport similar construction, and both have enough resolution to be source limited a good bit of the time.  The Edition 8 has a bit more low end depth, but gives up a little texture in the process.  Both have great mids with the Ultrasone having a slightly thicker presentation and a bit more note weight compared to the Liric which has a bit better detail and faster transients.    At the top end the Ultrasone is a bit brighter than the Liric which may come down to preference.  I love the highs on the Ultrasone, but for SWMBO it crosses the line into territory where it is too hot.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

In some ways the Liric is very much a Meze and in other ways, not as much.  Mind you, I don’t think that is a bad thing, but it probably does require that I explain myself.  There is little denying the lineage of the Liric where physical form is concerned.   We’ve seen the design cues before in the Empyrean and the Elite and while the Liric is a closed back, it shares the same design language.   The same could be said for the driver inside it, another Rinaro/Meze collaboration and another generation of the hybrid isodynamic array driver that all their flagship models have utilized.   If you’ve heard previous Meze products, you’re familiar with the laid-back, warm, thick, house sound that is common to them, and this is where the Liric turns off the road those previous models traveled.    The Liric has a closer to linear signature with a bit more energy in some key places so while it still shares some of that laid-back nature of the other Meze headphones, it has its own unique tone.   The Liric is not as warm and a bit less lush than the Empyrean particularly in the mids and loses just a little bit of detail to its bigger brother as well, but what it gains is a tone that is more natural sounding and a stage that is exceptional.   That combination gives strings a more realistic presentation and makes the Liric a favorite among closed back headphones for me.   Although quite expensive for a gaming headphone, the Liric would be a fantastic option for those who can afford it as the combination of stage and imaging are something special.