Meze Liric | Closed-Back Isodynamic Hybrid Planar Headphones

Our Take Liric continues Meze’s legacy of superb design and innovation. Not content to make a “closed-back Empyrean,” Meze is pushing into new sonic territory with a headphone that takes aim at some of the best closed-back headphones in the world. Ultimately, Liric is a look back at Meze’s roots with the 99 Classics, taking those basic principles – a portable design with a sound that evokes the joy and emotion of music – and pushes it forward into flagship level headphone. Read the full review.

Award Winning Technology in a Portable Frame

LIRIC features the state-of-the-art technology developed by Rinaro, re-engineered for day-to-day use. The MZ4 Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver was scaled down and tuned to deliver an audio experience in-line with its larger counterparts found in Empyrean and Elite.

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.

[MZ4] CASING
Reinforced polymer housing designed to withstand the demanding 10,7N load generated by the Hybrid Magnet Array.

[MZ4] ISOPLANAR DIAPHRAGM
Weighing only 0.08g with a large active area of 3507mm2.

[MZ4] HYBRID MAGNET ARRAY
Symmetrically placed on either side of the diaphragm our neodymium magnets are arranged into a Hybrid Array to create a 0.3 Tesla Isodynamic magnetic field required for a uniform activation across the whole diaphragm surface.

MZ4 ISODYNAMIC HYBRID ARRAY DRIVER
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 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.

ULTRA LOW DISTORTION
Total harmonic distortion (THD) measures under 0.15% in the whole frequency range.

LIGHTWEIGHT
71g combined driver weight designed to create a headphone that offers comfortable listening on the go.

Phase-X™ SYSTEM
Improved ambience and spatial sound imaging through innovative technology.
Patent pending

ULTRA HIGH RESOLUTION AUDIO
Upper frequency limit of audio reproduction is 92,000 Hz.

EASY-TO-DRIVE
100dB@1mw/1kHz; 30Ω
Can be driven by almost any portable source without needing amplification.

SCALED FLAGSHIP ISODYNAMIC HYBRID ARRAY TECHNOLOGY
One of the most sophisticated and advanced planar magnetic technologies in the world has been scaled down for portable use.
Patented in US, EU, China and other countries.

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.

SWITCHBACK COIL
The switchback coil is more efficient at reproducing lower frequencies and is positioned in the upper part of the driver.

SPIRAL COIL
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.

ISOPLANAR DIAPHRAGM MATERIAL
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.

IMPROVED EFFICIENCY AT HIGHER FREQUENCIES
At frequencies above 10kHz, where sound wave length is smaller than the cushions inner cavity, the sound field becomes diffused with an amount of direct and reflected sound waves within the ear canal.

Phase-X™, A Revolution in Sound Imaging

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 deliver an immersive spatial sound imaging.

Specs

Overview

Driver Type
    Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array® MZ4
Operating Principle
    Closed
Ear Coupling
    Circumaural
Frequency Response
    4-92,000 Hz
Impedance
    30 Ω
Nominal SPL
    100 dB (1 mW / 1 kHz)
Maximum SPL
    > 130 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
    <0.15%
Weight
    391 g

MZ4 Driver Specifications

Geometrical Shape
    Ovoid
Size
    92mm x 63mm
Driver Weight
    71 g
Casing
    Fiberglass reinforced polymer
Diaphragm Type
    Rinaro Isoplanar® MZ4
Active Area
    3507 mm2
Diaphragm Weight
    0.08 g
Acoustic Mass
    6.5 kg/m4
Lower Frequency Limit
    4 Hz
Upper-Frequency Limit
    92,000 Hz

In the Box

Case:

• Gift box with foam inserts
• EVA pouch with soft plush interior

Included cables:

• 1.5m soft TPE cable, with aluminum casings, ending with 3.5 mm jack
• 3m soft TPE cable, with aluminum casings, ending with 3.5 mm jack
• 6.3mm gold-plated adapter
• Airplane jack adapter