Introducing the Meze Audio Liric II Headphone, a pinnacle of audio craftsmanship from Meze Audio. The Liric II is a premium open-back headphone designed for audiophiles and music enthusiasts seeking uncompromising sound quality and a stunning design. Featuring a revised driver design with the new QWRM and meticulously tuned acoustic chambers with brand new wooden ear cups, these headphones deliver a natural and balanced sound signature with a touch of warmth. The ergonomic and luxurious design ensures long-lasting comfort, while the high-quality materials used in construction provide durability and style. With its wide soundstage, precise imaging, and rich bass response, the Meze Audio Liric II Headphone invites you to rediscover your favorite music with newfound clarity and detail.
Features:
Combining the innovative design prowess of Meze Audio with Rinaro's cutting-edge technological advancements, the LIRIC II (2nd Generation) headphones introduce a fresh perspective for active audiophiles who crave music on the go. This new iteration offers a refined sound signature that strikes a delicate balance between a balanced and warm profile, catering to discerning ears seeking an engaging yet non-fatiguing listening experience. At the heart of this achievement is the Quarter Wavelength Resonator Mask (QWRM), a meticulously crafted metal component strategically placed to cover select openings in the driver frame. This ingenious design element effectively attenuates high-frequency peaks above 7kHz, resulting in a smoother and more enjoyable listening journey. With the LIRIC II, Meze Audio and Rinaro have created a headphone that not only delivers exceptional sound quality but also prioritizes listener comfort and long-term enjoyment.
Rooted in the tradition of Maramures craftsmanship, Meze Audio's decision to uphold the design ethos of the original LIRIC headphones led them on a journey to infuse warmth into their aesthetic by incorporating wood for the ear cups. After careful exploration, Meze discovered that Macassar ebony offered the most compelling fit – a luxurious and dense hardwood renowned for its striking appearance. With a deep, rich brown hue interwoven with intricate golden-brown stripes, Macassar ebony imparts a sense of timeless elegance to each pair of headphones. The inherent uniqueness of this wood ensures that every headphone is one-of-a-kind, embodying its own story and character. Beyond being a tool for experiencing music, the Liric II headphones are a personal statement piece, allowing each music lover to showcase their individuality and appreciation for exquisite craftsmanship.
Elevating the listening experience, the Liric II (2nd Generation) now comes equipped with Meze Audio's premium hand-braided copper cable as the stock option. This meticulously crafted cable has been designed to deliver uncompromising audio quality, ensuring a pure and immersive sound experience. In response to the diverse needs of audiophiles, the Liric offers two cable terminations: a 4.4 mm termination for compatibility with most portable headphone amplifiers, providing a seamless connection for on-the-go listening; and a 3-meter soft TPE cable with a 3.5 mm jack, perfect for creating an ideal setup in the comfort of your home. Whether you're enjoying music on-the-go or settling in for an extended listening session at home, the Liric II's premium cables offer versatility, durability, and exceptional performance.
Continuing the natural evolution of improvement, the Liric II (2nd Generation) headphones proudly join the esteemed Meze Audio family of products, now featuring detachable magnetic ear pads. This thoughtful addition not only reflects Meze Audio's commitment to innovation but also enhances the headphones' reliability and serviceability. Audiophiles and music enthusiasts worldwide have come to appreciate these characteristics, which now offer added convenience and versatility. With the ability to easily detach and replace the ear pads, users can personalize their listening experience and maintain the headphones with ease. This evolution in design ensures that the Liric II headphones continue to meet the high standards of quality and functionality that have become synonymous with the Meze Audio brand.
I'm a recent newcomer to the audiophile scene but I've been lucky enough to listen and try some amazing gear thanks to a dear friend of mine. My first experience was the Sony WM1ZM2 paired with the Oriolus Traillii. This is a great way to be introduced into this world. Well as you can imagine I was immediately hooked. I couldn't afford my dap at first so I bought myself a nice L&P W4. Which is an amazing dongle paired with UM Fabled Sounds I was in a dream world. But I knew I wasn't getting the best I could. So I did some research and settled on the hiby r8 ii. Man, I thought the L&P was doing a decent job and it was. But the Hiby makes everything sing. Every sound is more expansive, clearer, and detailed. And while I liked the Sony, the hiby has a lot more powerful features. There is a lot more control. Also, Andrew really is the best. Now I must get back to listening to music.
Let's start off with CONS:
1) Oriolus only grace the world with only 199 sets.
2) Heavy. It's heavier than OG Traillii and UM AP combines.
3) Pricey.
Love the L shape terminal from new cable. Cable looks very familiar to the PW1960. New cable material consists of pure silver, gold-silver alloy, copper vs 1960 pure copper.
I thought Traillii was perfect. Oriolus somehow manage to improve the vocal and treble. Traillii TI sounds like an open back headphones...very airy.
Warm natural sounds when pairing with Sony M2.
Turn on Hyper and let the bird with titanium wings sings to you if you have Cayin N30LE.
Por el precio que tienen son insuperables y a decir verdad son mis IEMs favorito, no venia con la case Dygnis pero a decir verdad no es importante para ml
It’s been 5 weeks since CanJam NYC. My mission, try as many IEM’s
I left the Grand Maestro until the end of the day.
Sound Impressions:
BASS: Thick, Fast and Deep. The GM has what they call NOAH modules that can be swapped out to change the Bass frequency response, without impacting the upper frequencies, bringing the mids and treble appear to be more forward, through less bass (blue module). This impacts the sub-bass most and leaves the slam of the mid bass region intact. The black module, which comes stock, gives the most sub-bass. This is what many reviewers consider a “Basshead” sound. Having listened to the Scarlet Mini in comparison, I would say the Mini is a “Basshead” set. The GM is, however, not…just a Basshead set.
MIDS: I found midrange to be very well balanced, with both female and male vocals very clear and engaging. Giving the sound signature a slightly warm feel. But this is where Fatfreq has another trick up their sleeve. There’s a toggle switch just behind the 2pin connector. It sticks up about 1mm and allows the listener to turn the bass down on the fly and bring the midrange and treble slightly forward. My listening preference is always slightly warm, but for certain tracks and artists this setting is preferred.
TREBLE: The treble is crystal clear and very well extended, but never fatiguing.
TIMBRE: This is where the GM sets itself above all others I’d heard. The quality of the sound across the entire frequency range was best in class. Every instrument could be isolated with all the details present. 10/10
TONALITY: The balance of the instruments to the vocals is, again, the best I’ve ever heard. It’s like some little man (the crossover) inside working his soundboard, and making the IEM completely in control of the concert in my head. Getting the most out of every last bit of sound detail and making sure no part over powered another. 10/10
SOUNDSTAGE: Ok, this is some next level shit! We’re not talking about a soundstage that was ultra wide. Rather something I’d never experienced before and directly related to the timbre and tonality. Instead of having visualisation of the instruments playing on a stage, it feels like I’m sitting on the stage and Stevie Nicks is singing next to me, Mick Fleetwood is playing behind me and on my other side is Lindsey Buckingham playing his guitar with smooth precision.
SIBILANCE: I’m ultra sensitive to sibilance and have test tracks I use to see just how controlled an IEM is to lower it. Without a doubt the GM is the least sibilant of any IEM I’ve heard.
MASKING: This was probably the biggest and single most distinguishable difference between the GM and anything else I’ve heard on the market. Similar to the experience in soundstage, the instruments and isolated to themselves, making all the details present. On busy tracks that would normally sound like a bunch of different things happening on top of one another, but GM has a magical way of creating a space or protective zone around each musical element. If I could explain this another way, imagine hearing a track recorded in the late 60’s, with its hiss and imperfections, where it sounds like there’s a fog or layer of pollution present that makes everything sound just a bit layered into everything else. Now imagine you take the full stage in dip down into a pool that cleans all of that away, raise it back up and now you hear only the instruments as they were originally intended. The GM takes old tracks and “remasters” them. And takes remastered tracks and makes them even better! 10/10
BUILD QUALITY: Just look at the photos. I was also lucky enough to get the gold upgrade cable thrown into the deal for free! 10/10
CUSTOMER SERVICE: I had heard some stories about problems in the past, but after reaching out to Fatfreq post sales and asking for certain things that were missing from the sale, because it was a floor model and being contacted by Ben himself, I was very happy with how they handled everything. I used to live in Singapore and can tell you the people are amazing!!!
I think some of this has to do with just how much power these IEM’s really need. More than any that I’d tried on the day. Now remember I was driving these with a FiiO M17, a BEAST of a DAP that puts out round 1,500mW on the 4.4mm plug @32ohms. These IEM’s are power hungry! They take every bit of that and deliver it with surgical precision. I spoke with Ben, the CEO of Fatfreq and he told me the M17 is a great pairing for the GM and that they have a few at their HQ in Singapore. They also have a technology called Linear Impedance, which I believe levels the playing field for the different drivers in the set. I think the impedance of this set is 32ohms, but it sure seems like it takes more to drive it than other 32ohm sets I have. This higher impedance and power requirement also contributes to eliminating the background noise, giving a cleaner listening experience.
Tighter bass. Black background.
