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related to: are meze audio headphones good for iphone 8 miniWe Did The Research. Read Our In-Depth Guide for the Best Headphones of 2024. Which Headphones are the Best? Read our Expert Reviews!
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2 days ago · Meze’s 109 Pro is one of the best open-back headphones below a thousand dollars. Now they’ve added a more price-conscious option that will act as a good entry-level to the brand. A $400 price tag might still be a big ask, but it’s definitely more obtainable, and a good way to jump head-first into audiophile headphones without breaking the ...
- Meze Audio Liric aren't afraid to look back in order to move forwards
- Meze Audio Liric: one-minute review
- Meze Audio Liric: price and release date
- Meze Audio Liric: design and features
- Meze Audio Liric: audio performance
- Buy them if...
- Don't buy them if...
- Also consider
Extended functionality? Nope. Mainstream pricing? Hardly. Adaptable or undemanding? Not a chance. You don’t get pampered by the Meze Audio Liric wired over-ear headphones, except in one regard. Buy a pair and it’s you who’ll be doing most of the pampering.
Jump to
Price and release date
Design and features
Audio performance
Should I buy them?
•$1,999 / £1,799 / AU$3,399
•Released in November 2021
The Meze Audio Liric are available to buy now, and in the United Kingdom you’ll need to part with £1,799 to secure a pair. The equivalent in the United States is $1,999, while in Australia they cost around AU$3,399.
‘Not cheap’, then, is to understate Meze Audio's pricing strategy somewhat. Just because the company sells headphones that cost more than twice this amount, there’s no avoiding the fact you can have very nearly five pairs of Sony WH-1000XM5 for the same outlay. How on Earth, then, does Meze Audio justify the asking price?
•Premium materials, carefully assembled
•Feel lighter than their 391g
•Won’t suit the larger-eared listener
If you thought a premium price means extended functionality, think again. The Meze Audio Liric are headphones – you put them on your head, physically attach them to your source of music, and then listen. There is no voice-assistance, no active noise-cancellation… just a cable from each earcup at one end and a 3.5mm connection at the other.
Two cables are provided in the frankly huge hard-shell carry-case the Liric arrive in: one of 1.5m, the other 3m long. They’re both robust, and both feature sturdy and quite glitzy terminations. As far as attention to detail and perceived value go, there’s obviously been some effort made.
The headphones themselves are an equally upmarket proposition. By carefully combining leather, aluminium, magnesium and steel, Meze Audio has produced what is, by prevailing standards, a good-looking and tactile pair of headphones. The headband/hanger mechanism distributes their 391g weight evenly and comfortably, the exposed adjustment mechanism feels built to last, and clamping force is very nicely judged. The plump earpads are fairly narrow, though - anyone with ears only modestly larger than average is going to find the fit rather snug.
•Detailed to an almost comical degree
•Eloquently communicative
•Not as burly a listen as you might be expecting
First things first: don’t expect to be blown away by nearly two grand’s-worth of headphone prowess if you’re attaching them to a mediocre source of music. Spotify free-tier subscribers, owners of virtually all smartphones that still have a physical headphone connection, folks who want to hook them straight into the side of their laptop should all a) look elsewhere, and b) spend much less money on headphones. The Liric are unapologetically intolerant of all of this.
Subscribers to high-tier streaming services, owners of dedicated digital audio players and those who understand the need for a dedicated headphone DAC or amp when using a laptop as a source, though, can read on. Treat the Meze Audio with a degree of care and the rewards are both immediate and considerable.
Key specs
You want an explicit description of your music
The Liric are as detailed and revealing as any headphones at anything like the price.
You don’t take much carry-on luggage
The carry-case these headphones travel in is almost comically large.
Your music source is equally talented
Don’t expect the Liric to make a silk purse out of your sow’s ear of a laptop headphone socket.
You're on a budget
You’ll need to have spent equally big on a source player or headphone amp to hear the Liric at their best.
You think you know what ‘portable’ means
Turns out you don’t.
You celebrate in a wider ear
Quite big earcups, quite narrow earpads. Go figure.
Think the Meze Audio Liric might not be the audiophile over-ears for you? That's OK, here are three alternative wired high-end options that might offer just the combination of sophisticated style and sound quality you're looking for.
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
Beyerdynamic may not be as well known as its German sibling, Sennheiser, but the audio company has a history of creating some of the best-sounding audio gear on the market – and the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro, an open-back version of the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro, sits at the very top of the pile. Quite simply, the DT 1990 Pro are the best over-ear headphones, in our opinion, as long as you're aware that others will also be able to hear your music…
Sennheiser HD 800
The Sennheiser HD 800 are, hands down, some of the best-sounding pairs of over-ear headphones on the planet, affectionately praised by inner circles of audiophiles the world over – and you'll pay a pretty penny for them. During our testing, we found that when paired with the proper hardware, they sound absolutely excellent and balanced in every way. Offering incredibly detailed sound that will lead you to ignoring your regular speakers, these are some fantastic headphones that also feel great to wear.
Shure AONIC 50
Dec 27, 2021 · The lows are almost as good, but sound a little soft-edged in relative terms. These Meze headphones are as impressive as they come where composure and control are concerned. Give them a complex piece of music such as Orff’s Carmina Burana and they are able to keep track of the multitude of musical strands without sounding strained.
Dec 3, 2021 · The guitars sound very detailed and powerful, I think that Meze Liric is one of the best headphones to listen to acoustic music. Another very strong part of the Meze Liric sound signature is the treble. It’s fast forward, so it’s very important to find a synergetic source that won’t make the highs will steal the show.
Sep 4, 2021 · This is a new flagship headphone that features the same isodynamic hybrid array planar that was featured on their Empyrean model. In a way, this is seen as an upgrade to the Empyrean, featuring the continued collaboration between Meze and Rinaro Isodynamics, which aims to set a new standard for high-end headphones.
Mar 23, 2024 · The Meze Audio Liric II is a good improvement over the original with a smoother, more coherent, and relaxed sound signature making it a more competitive closed-back planar headphone for a wider range of musical genres.
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Apr 22, 2024 · If you are after headphones at this high-end level then these Meze models deserve serious consideration. SCORES. Sound 4; Build 5; Comfort 5; MORE: Read our review of the Austrian Audio The Composer. Also consider the Grado GS3000x. Read our Sony MDR-Z1R review. Best headphones – every type tried and tested
