Meze Audio took a big swing when it released the original Liric headphones, offering a new design of planar magnetic drivers, and some creative engineering. But today we’re getting acquainted with the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation). What’s different? Are they any good? We took some time to figure out.

Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation)?

The Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) absolutely screams “luxury product” right out of the box. Not only do the headphones come with a super-ostentatious case and build, but also some Macassar Ebony paneling on the backs of the earcups that wouldn’t look out of place in a high-end cigar shop. These are headphones meant to fit a certain image, and it’s not hard to figure that one out.

Using a friction-rod design, the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation)’s ear cups have an extreme range of motion in relation to the band, able to swivel or pull out quite far. The padded band is also able to unfurl quite far, so the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) can meet larger heads with no sweat. Though the headphones are quite heavy at 427g, the very plush ear pads and wider cup design distribute the weight well. However, be aware that you might strain your neck a bit, as that’s a lot of mass to add to your head.

These headphones are pretty much purpose-built for the computer or Hi-Fi setup, and not to be taken out and about with you. For one thing, the cost of these headphones is astronomical, so you might be tempted to baby these things. For another, the outside world might adversely affect these headphones through inclement weather, so these are best left tethered to where you do your serious listening. The upside is that the most commonly dirtied components, the ear pads, are easy to remove and clean. They’re held onto the earphones by some strong magnets and aren’t dislodged unless you really want them to be.

Much of the design of the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) is extremely similar to the original Meze Audio Liric — the vents, isodynamic drivers, and basic design is all virtually the same. The driver design is interesting in that it’s split up to take advantage of the natural anatomy of your outer ear, and this type of driver is not only in the Liric headphones, but also the higher-end Empyrean. However, Meze Audio changed up the structure of the mask in front of the driver to include what it’s calling a Quarter-Wavelength Resonator Mask. Essentially, this is put in place to keep sound above 7kHz under control, and it seems to do its job.

The Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) connects to source devices via a Y-shaped cable with 3.5mm TRS or 4.4mm balanced termination. Each stem of the Y-cable terminates in a mono TS plug that inserts into the female 3.5mm jacks on each ear cup. Because the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) is so easy to drive, you shouldn’t have any trouble with power, or need for extra equipment. You should only need a DAC if your source doesn’t support the files you’re trying to listen to, or if there’s noise introduced by the signal chain somewhere.

Though the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) will most likely spend its time in a quieter setting — like in an office, by the computer, or dedicated listening station — it can still isolate you from outside noise to a respectable degree. Blocking an average of 68% of outside noise, a good seal will mean that you can expect quieter sounds like environmental noise, computer fans, and weird house sounds to get all but muted. Loud housemates will be dulled, but as always: the best way for you to avoid noise is for there not to be any around you in the first place.

How do the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) sound?

Though the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) is a fair bit bassier than audiophiles used to open-back headphones might be expecting, the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) will sound great to most listeners.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

The chart below shows how the sound of the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

The Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) sounds very good, as a simulated panel of hundreds of listeners would rate the headphones very highly. Extremely high Timbre and Distortion scores make up for a somewhat less stellar immersiveness score. However, that score isn’t low enough to affect the overall much, and consequently, it’s a safe bet that most people will quite like the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation).

Reviewer’s notes

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

For a set of audiophile headphones, this is an interesting response, as it’s one of a select few that emphasizes bass as much as it does. Though sub-bass falls off a little bit, this will sound a fair bit more “normal” to more novice headphone enthusiasts. The high end seems to have a more toned-down ear gain bump that our target favors, and this will be a plus for longer listening sessions.

There’s a bit of wobble in the high-end response, but this isn’t exactly to the degree where it would count as a flaw, as each deviation is within 4dB at worst. However, some people will perceive these ranges of over-emphasis as added detail, as some of the softer sounds in these ranges like echo, room effects, and string attack will be much easier to hear. However, some high harmonics might end up grating at high listening volumes — which is something you should be avoiding anyway.

Though we don’t often find distortion to be all that objectionable in audio products, the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) is outstanding at keeping a lid on added junk noise and unwanted changes to your audio. The multi-paned planar magnetic drivers that we saw on the last version of Liric headphones is truly creative, and are quite solid in this department. If you can hear junk noise, be sure that there isn’t something wrong with your signal chain, or source.

If we were to wager who would be the intended audience for this kind of sound, it would definitely be the above-30 crowd, as Knowles’ research shows that extreme treble extension is something preferred by older listeners. Though the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) isn’t a set of in-ears, there’s something to the idea that good sound is universal, as evidenced by our experiences with having independent validation of our preference curve.

Can you use the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) for phone calls?

As the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) does not have a microphone, you can’t use it for phone calls. Though it’s possible you could find a replacement cable with one, the included options with the headphones don’t have such an assembly.

If you’ve read this review all the way through, you probably already know whether or not the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) is something that you want in your life. The long and short of it is that these headphones are exactly the kind of thing I talk about when I say that expensive headphones are (sometimes) worth it. For those not looking to chase an uncatchable audio quality dragon, the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) is a solid buy for those with almost $3,000 to blow on headphones. It may not be able to do everything you want to do at all times, but it will work quite well at a computer or listening station.

To state the obvious, there are headphones that are cheaper and do more than the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation). Additionally, headphones like the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) are mainly geared toward those who aren’t really all that concerned about money in the first place and are picking their next set of cans to serve as a set piece or something they’ll never have to replace. Is the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) good? Yes. Is it thousands of dollars good? Well… the wood speaks to me. I like it.

What should you get instead of the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation)?

Those looking for an alternative will deal with matters of taste more than objectively better or worse sound. Truth be told, at this price point, there’s not exactly a dearth of options, but the idea of “value” is right out the window.

Should that $2,000 you’d need to spend to get the Meze Audio Liric (2nd Generation) seem a little too steep for you, you may want to check out the Focal Azurys ($549 at Manufacturer site). Closed-back headphones in the high-end bracket face diminishing returns the higher you go, so if what you care about is a striking aesthetic and good sound, you could have both for about a quarter of the price.

If you’re not after a bassier sound, you should probably take a long hard look at the Sennheiser HD 800 S ($1499 at Amazon). It’s an extremely competent set of headphones, an icon, and a solid performer. The HiFiMan Sundara ($299 at Amazon) is also an extremely utilitarian set of headphones that performs extremely well.