Meze Audio shook up the high-end space in headphones a few years back with their release of their EMPYREAN headphones, and this week’s product announcement hopes to cash in on some of that sweet high performance nostalgia with a new mid tier price, closed back headphone called LIRIC.
Whoever tunes the headphones at Meze has a good ear for it, as we were very impressed with their entry level 99 Classics early on. The newest closed back Meze LIRIC brings a refreshed version of what Meze calls its Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver (based around planar magnetic technologies) from its R&D partner Rinaro. Fit into the new form factor, the latest headphone from the Romaina-based company holds a lot of promise for a possible restructure of the $2k plateau of audiophile headphones. More info in the press release below.
Meze Audio launches first closed-back headphone powered by Rinaro’s Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver
Baia Mare, Romania, November 15th 2021. Meze Audio, award-winning headphone company based in Baia Mare, Romania, announces the release of LIRIC, its first closed-back headphone powered by the Isodynamic Hybrid Array Driver, re-engineered for portable use.
Combining high-grade magnesium, leather and aluminium in an ergonomic design with a sleek, modern finish, LIRIC is made for discerning audiophiles who want to enjoy their passion both in and outside the house or while commuting, for hours on end.
Each material was carefully selected to complete the other, referencing the textures found on magnesium parts of professional photo cameras and preserving that same tactile experience, while demonstrating an outstanding wear resistance.
“We’ve been wanting to do a portable planar for a while, and following two successful collaborations with Rinaro, it was a natural next step. Naming it LIRIC was not a game of chance. It was an ideal metaphor to paint the authentic, vivid and poetic sound disguised behind its sculptural silhouette”. – Antonio Meze, Lead Designer & Founder of Meze Audio
Flagship technology in a portable frame
Created exclusively for Meze Audio by Rinaro, LIRIC’s MZ4 driver was purposefully scaled down and tuned to deliver a similar audio experience with its larger counterpart found in the 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.
“It’s been a complex and challenging project to scale down our award-winning technology into a closed- back headphone design. After almost 3 years of intensive work alongside our partners at Meze Audio, we have achieved that goal – with LIRIC, the flagship sound goes truly portable, representing a new milestone in the application of the Isodynamic Hybrid Array technology.” – Pavlo Shymanovych, Founder of Rinaro Isodynamics
An innovation to the MZ4 driver is the Phase-XTM system, created by Rinaro as a way to minimize phase distortion issues, typically found in closed-back headphone designs. This patent-pending technology helps improve the accuracy of spatial imaging, in-line with its open back counterparts, which is especially noticeable on binaural recordings.
A blend of high build quality, excellent comfort and a life-like, immersive sound, this headphone is an actual harmony of form and function meant to set a new benchmark in high-end portable audio. LIRIC is hand assembled with care and painstaking attention to details in Baia Mare, Romania.
The Meze LIRIC is available direct from the company site as of today and retails for $2k USD.
More info: Meze Audio LIRIC
