Meze Liric - High-end closed-back Headphones

[@saverioricchiuto5386]

I have had the luck to spend a whole afternoon at the most kind, knowledgeable and available hifi dealer I have met in my life who allowed me to play with any ah the headphones he had in shop just to “help me in my search for a good sounding closed-back headphone”. And he had them all. I did not put a price cap, so I listened to anything in the 500$ to 5.000$ range, including Sennheiser, Focal, Dan Clark Stealth… Meze Liric is the one I eventually bought. Not because of value, not because of portability, not because of the looks…just because it was the sound I preferred. Period. Your mileage may vary of course. Great match with that GSX-Mini (or in general class A and tube amps).

[@WorldView22]

Did you try any Verite/Atrium, Utopia, Stellia, or Arya Stealth?

[@FilipinaVegana]

I also bought the Liric, but the ZMF Bokeh is the finest pair of closed-backs I've heard.

[@anncleverley4721]

Excellent review. I have just purchased the Lirics (had them for nearly 2 weeks with the Cayin N7) and I am so pleased with them, how they look, comfort, portability and the way they perform and use them with my new Cayin N7. I have tracks that are badly recorded and the Liric lets me know this, but they are exciting in doing so. They do like a bit of power and the N7 can give this but sometimes I do need to pump up the volume on certain tracks but there is no distortion whatsoever. On hires tracks from Qobuz they perform brilliantly. I was looking to get the Focal Stellia, I am more than happy with the Liric and I don’t think I like the look of the Stellia especially now I have the Focal Bathys which are a nice bluetooth to have but look very Dr Who Cyberman like. I have the choice to send the Lirics back if I want to, but they are going nowhere, they are staying firmly put. Thank you Amos for the tracks you have shared.

[@FilipinaVegana]

Grabbed a pair of these yesterday!

[@arthurhaywood2184]

There’s just one bottom line question for me…… I’m enamored with my DCA Aeon 2 Noire. Does the Meze Liric justify its more than double price tag? Interesting that they’re sitting there right behind you with no mention of them.🤔

[@morespinach9832]

Neither are truly good sound. Aeon will have muffled some sounds, as will the V shaped sound of Meze. You can only tell when you hear something proper immediately on the side.

[@HiLoMusic]

@@morespinach9832 terribly stupid response

[@JTB--]

I've been curious to try the Elite... but the price tag is too steep imo.

[@benjamincraig7198]

Great review as always! Children of the sun is a wonderful song. Thanks for putting me on to this Amos!

[@norrinRadd026]

Great review. I do have one unrelated question. What amp is that you have connected to the FiiO M-17?

[@Currawong]

The FiiO Q7.

[@norrinRadd026]

@@Currawong Thank you.

[@asplmn]

Meh... I'll stick with my ZMF Verite Closed. The Liric don't seem all that portable, and if that's what I wanted, I'd probably go Focal Bathys

[@soulfulfool]

VC is superior even for many open backs and I love ZMf pads they are crafted to fit perfectly my head. It's hard to upgrade from VC with right choice of pads and amp

[@Michaelincontext]

1) thanks for the intro to "Dead Can Dance." 2) Can you comment more on the Rinaro Isoplanar vs. planar in general? I have a hard time with the Sibilants/highs of most planars I've tried. 3) you mentioned inside earcup dimensions. Can you comment a bit more, maybe comparing them to Focal Elex, Senn. HD6XX, etc? Thanks!

[@Currawong]

For the sibilance, I'd guess that the frequency response of your ears is more sensitive to 5-10 kHz frequencies, or you listen to very brightly mastered music. If there isn't a pair that is suitable, you'll have to resort to EQ to get around that I reckon. I'll definitely consider ear pad size comparisons in the future. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@Michaelincontext]

@@Currawong Kind of you to reply. Thanks. Greatly appreciate your reviews!

[@kato2395]

Does this headphone blows the Sony MDR-Z1R out of the water in the closed back headphone category?

[@adrianm7555]

I have the Z1R and have been considering replacing them with the Liric since they came out. Not even close. Lirics have better highs, a more even sound signature, I like that it's more neutral, bass is overdone on the Z1R, but you can Eq that down. In soundstage, layering, detail the Z1R is clearly better. And I say this as a fan of the Meze Elite, which is my main headphone, and I consider better than all the flagships our there.

[@sjqideez6626]

Yeah, it destroys them. The difference is night & day. Etc.

[@asplmn]

@@adrianm7555 So, I used to own the Sony Z1R, but sold them once. I acquired a ZMF Verite Closed. Just better in every way -- tho, Z1R's are a tad smaller and lighter. Not sure if this is a fair comparison due to the ZMF listing for a bit more cash, but you can find some sweet used deals on them. If you prioritize sound quality, the ZMF is the best I've heard for a closed back -- they also sound very "open." They are much better than the Z1R & Liric in soundstage, imaging, tonality, and timbre.

[@morespinach9832]

Anyone who think any product blows any other product out of the water.. in an industry where products are almost on par.. well here’s the answer: No.

[@batmanthinks]

I haven't finished the video yet but it is unfortunate that the earpads aren't user replaceable. You'd have to send it back to meze and they would do the replacement

[@Currawong]

I don't know that they aren't user replaceable so much as they are stuck on so that you don't accidentally lose them outside.

[@batmanthinks]

@@Currawong i emailed meze as I was considering this for a "casual listening" pair and that's what they said about earpad replacements. I did not ask though why that was the case although the not losing it outside makes sense

[@cpj4634]

The are user replacebol with Meze kit

[@batmanthinks]

@@cpj4634 it is not for sale

[@barnabyzelman]

Thanks for the great review. The Liric is a hard pass for my search for end-game closed-end headphones. Still searching...

[@HiLoMusic]

Try the stealth for endgame, or a focal strellia, or verite

[@InternetUser-d7s]

Had these for a while. Loved the comfort and build. Overall timbre was engaging, but the metallic sizzle in the top end ruined them for me. Listening to Dio's Holy Diver was legit painful. Also had TT2, Hugo2, and Mojo and oddly they sounded best on Mojo OG. 109 Pro on the other hand 👌Campfire Cascade meanwhile - am experiment gone wrong. 🤣

[@Currawong]

I found that the sizzle went away after a few hours. Could be the upper-mids/lower treble though. That does slightly harm the mid-range IMO. I'm listening out of the 109 Pro as we speak, and know what people mean who feel that they like it better.

[@InternetUser-d7s]

@@Currawong I kept with them for some time - cable rolled a few times (pure copper helped) - but the metallic edge never quite went away. Indeed, they nailed it with 109 Pro. I agree with you - 109 Pro tuning in Liric form with foldable cups would be the dream.

[@Michaelincontext]

@@InternetUser-d7s Appreciate your comments. I tend to shy away from planars due to Sibilant / highs are too hard for me. Did you stay with them? I may need to flee temptation and stay with Focal...

[@morespinach9832]

@@InternetUser-d7s 109 pro is Meze’s usual V sound.

[@rhodey2952]

I personally wasn’t a fan. Imo they’re too expensive for the sound quality. They were comfortable though. I’d take the radiance over these any day.

[@morespinach9832]

Overpriced for what they are. Sorry. Enjoy the reviews a lot but the sound quality is not even close to something 1/3rd the price - Neumann NDH 20. It’s the same Meze V shaped sound.

[@HiLoMusic]

Have you actually ever tried a pair of meze lol