Meze Liric II Closed Back Headphones Review
Hey, this is Matt from ListenUp. And today we're reviewing the new Meze Liric II over-the-ear closed back headphone.
Meze Liric Story
I volunteered to do this review because I have been a Liric I owner for a couple of years now. Initially, this headphone got some mixed reviews across the industry. But I chose it because I really wanted a closed back headphone that had all day comfort and these felt great. And of course the build quality was excellent.
However, when it comes to sound, as with most closed back headphones, you've got good imaging, but you don't have a super wide sense of space—the way you might in an open back. But, it's personal preference. For me it created kind of this real inward listening experience that was very private, and intimate—not the last word in detail, but I could still hear some separation from the instruments. So now let’s see how the new Meze Liric II compares.
New Meze Liric II
Just looking at the packaging and the spec sheet, I think it's amazing that Meze has been able to deliver these for the exact same price. So at $2,000, the Liric II holds the price of the Liric I. And this is in a time when it seems like everything in Hi-Fi has gotten 20, 30, 40% more expensive post-COVID. And not only did they hold the price, but Meze now includes their upgraded cable as well as a three meter version of the cable that came with the original pair. So you're actually getting slightly better value across the board.
I also think the new wood treatment on the outside of the cups is very handsome. It's beautifully finished.
Meze Liric II Fit
So we haven't had a lot of time to dig in and do a deep dive on the sound comparison. But what I will say is right away, the things I liked about the Liric I are present in the Liric II and more—they are even smoother sounding. I know when I have days where I'm just clacking away at my computer, building spreadsheets, writing emails, whatever it is, I’ll be able to wear these headphones for multiple hours without fatigue, either physically or sonically.
Meze Liric II Sound
The sound is kind of the highlight of the build change outside of the external appearance. It’s what Meze calls QWRM technology and it brings down the treble a little bit. It's a wave forming mechanism and it's actually a physical thing that you can see on the device. And it really does smooth out the bright spots present in the Liric I sound signature.
Meze Liric II Build Quality
Also, I think Meze continues to have one of the highest standards in the industry for build quality. Everything about the Liric II feels luxurious and they've really hit on a lot of the points that reviewers and people in the industry didn't appreciate with the first version. I think it's a really powerful thing when companies find their biggest critics and they send them an update to this product. And if you look across YouTube, you'll find several deep dive reviews where the first people they sent the Liric II out to were people that were very critical of the Liric 1. To me that shows incredible confidence.
It says they've addressed any of the issues with the Liric 1 and made a truly better product with the second version.
Meze Liric II Technology
Like most high end Meze headphones, the Liric IIs are using the Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array MZ4 driver technology. So this is one of the most sophisticated and advanced planar magnetic technologies in the world, and it's been scaled down to headphone size. It uses a wave configuration combined with a coil configuration to give you different sound signatures throughout the frequency range.
These headphones are also ultra low distortion with a total harmonic distortion that measures under 0.15% across the entire frequency range. They're incredibly lightweight at 71 grams. Maybe it's not fair to say featherweight, but certainly not the type of thing that's going to make you uncomfortable, whether you're listening at your desk or on the go.
Meze Liric II Specs
And these are pretty easy headphones to drive. They'll do 100 db @ 1kHz, 1 mW, which means they can be driven by almost any portable source—no need for massive amplification.
Specs aside, what are the big things here that you're going to hear different in the Liric II versus the Liric 1? Again, they've tuned the whole sound signature to kind of roll off those high frequency peaks that are above 7000. So you're going to get a smoothness in the upper part of the range that was really missing in the Liric 1. They use something they call a Phase X system—the idea is to create more spatial imaging, which is tough in a closed back headphone. I certainly don't think it reaches the level of a open headphone, but I can hear some improvements in the spatial presentation
Conclusion
Overall, an already great headphone that has been improved upon—ultra comfortable and pleasing to wear, and, most importantly, to listen to. I’m excited to spend more time with the new Meze Liric IIs!
Want to learn more about the Meze Liric IIs? Chat with ListenUp’s headphone experts.
