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Highly Recommended – head-fi.org
When Sound Meets Poetry, An Extraordinary Headphone Is Born
Meze Audio has been wanting to do a portable planar magnetic headphone for a while, and following two successful collaborations with Rinaro, it was a natural next step. Naming it LIRIC was an ideal metaphor for the vivid and poetic sound behind its ethereal silhouette.
LIRIC is an expression of emotion. A perfect blend of timeless aesthetics, premium materials, and the very latest in audio engineering from Rinaro Isodynamics, it is an actual harmony of form and function meant to set a new benchmark in high-end portable audio. Designed for high fidelity listening on the go, LIRIC delivers high build quality, excellent comfort, and a life-like, immersive listening experience.
"An Amazing Piece of Equipment"
The LIRIC was honored by receiving a Highly Recommended rating from head-fi.org.
"The Meze Liric is an amazing piece of equipment. The build quality is as good as in their flagship headphones, you can see so much leather and you know it’s premium stuff. The sound is relaxed yet very detailed, with very powerful bass and an incredibly good soundstage."
"I've received them some time ago and if I wouldn’t have to write other reviews I would keep listening to music only with this one headphone. And the best part – it’s a very power-efficient headphone, so you can run it even with a portable DAC/Amp or DAP and it will show what it's got."
Award-Winning Technology in a Portable Frame
LIRIC features the state-of-the-art technology developed by Rinaro, re-engineered for day-today use. The MZ4 Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver was purposefully scaled down and tuned to deliver a similar audio experience with its larger counterpart found in the Meze Audio 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. Each driver is entirely hand assembled and tested in Rinaro's industrial facility in Ukraine.
LIRIC is the first closed-back headphone to be powered by Rinaro’s Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver. Created exclusively for Meze Audio, the MZ4 driver offers the same dual shaped voice coil array seen in the Meze Audio Empyrean. Over 30 years of R&D have gone into developing this technology, resulting in one of the lightest and most advanced planar magnetic drivers on the market.
A new innovation to the MZ4 driver developed in-house by Rinaro Isodynamics is the Phase-X™ system, which improves ambience and spatial sound imaging, often found to be a problem in closed back headphone designs.
Helps Block Out Ambient Noise
"The Meze Audio Liric is able to physically block out more noise than some of its closest competitors by virtue of having a closed versus an open back," reports Christian Thomas, soundguys.com, February 23, 2023.
"Though the open back is prized for a tendency to mean more 'natural' sounding audio, it comes with a lot of tradeoffs in actual use simply because very few of us will ever be able to listen in a truly noise-free environment. Meze Audio addressed this in a few clever ways, while offering attenuation typical of a closed-back design."
Advantages of a Dual Driven System
The MZ4 driver combines individual switchback and spiral shaped voice coils within the same diaphragm, allowing sound to be targeted with more accuracy around the natural form of the ear, for a more selective acoustic performance. Using this combination allows the headphone to achieve an increased exposure of direct sound wave frequencies over the 10kHz range, as well as improved imaging and localization, by decreasing the impact of short-wave time delays caused by diffused field reflections.
The switchback coil is more efficient at reproducing lower frequencies and is positioned in the upper part of the driver. The spiral coil is more efficient at reproducing middle-high frequencies and is positioned directly over the ear canal, enabling more direct sound waves to enter the ear without any time delays.
Innovative Driver Design
The diaphragm is manufactured from a custom developed isotropic thermally stabilized polymer with a conductive layer. Through unique processing methods an ultralight yet rigid diaphragm has been achieved.
An innovation to the MZ4 driver is the Phase-X™ system created by Rinaro as a way to minimize phase distortion issues typically found in closed back headphone designs. This patent-pending technology helps create an immersive spatial sound imaging. The Phase-X™ system improves the accuracy of spatial imaging in-line with its open back counterparts, especially noticeable on binaural recordings.
An Audiophile-Worthy Experience at Home or On the Go
Combining high-end materials with an ergonomic design approach and a sleek, modern finish, LIRIC is made for the audiophiles who want to enjoy their passion in and outside the house, for hours on end. A lightweight magnesium skeleton ensures the headphone stays flexible, shock resistant and oxidation free, while maintaining an ideal fit for long listening sessions.
Padded headband cushions are symmetrically placed in a “+” shape to allow proper air flow and to lower the heat and humidity buildup. Covered in genuine leather, the headband is perfectly tuned for optimal pressure distribution. It follows the structure of the head, creating firm and even contact. Just like all Meze Audio headphones, LIRIC is easily adjustable for a sturdy, yet comfortable feel that fits most head shapes.
Ultimate Comfort for Ultimate Sound
The choice of an angled ovoid ear cup shape is perfect for surrounding your ears closely without adding unnecessary pressure or weight, at the same time offering a deeper sound and a better passive sound isolation.
A precisely tuned air vent hole can make a world of difference in how you perceive the sound around you, that is why Meze Audio learned and adapted from previous experiences and decided to add its Pressure Equalization System in LIRIC’s ear cups. The results are 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.
Love at First Touch
No detail is left to chance when creating a multisensory experience. With the LIRIC, each texture was carefully selected to complete the other, creating a tactile spectacle distinguishable at first contact. Referencing the textures found on magnesium parts of professional photo cameras, this headphone preserves that same softness to the touch, while demonstrating an outstanding wear resistance.
Achieving the highly-refined finish was definitely a challenging process. The union of black leather, gloss-matte spatters on magnesium, and metallic copper accents were the perfect addition to this contemporary aesthetic, completing the portable personality of the headphone.
"High-End Listening for Portable Music Fans"
"The Meze Audio Liric has a likable but more aggressive sound signature than what Meze Audio fans might be used to coming from the Empyrean and Elite," reports longtime reviewer Marcus, headphonics.com, February 23, 2022. "You get something much more immediate, fun if you like, and an entirely suitable high-end listening experience for portable audio fans."
