Introduction

Meze Audio is a Romanian brand famous worldwide for a harmonious combination of design, build quality, comfort-in-use, and tuning. We've covered multiple Meze headphones in the past, ranging from the more budget-friendly Meze 99 series to the flagship open-back ELITE. Amidst these two, Meze also brought out its closed-back flagship set called the LIRIC that impressed with its design and premium build as with pretty much any Meze product to date. The LIRIC, now referred to as the LIRIC 1st Generation, launched two years ago and has since been discontinued in favor of a newer product. Some may refer to it as the LIRIC 2, but it's officially called the Meze LIRIC 2nd Generation, and today we examine it in great detail.


If you read my review of the older 1st gen LIRIC, then the stock photo above will seem familiar. Perhaps this is why Meze Audio decided to refer to it as a second generation version of an established product rather than call it something else entirely. In fact, at first glance you might think the only difference is the ear cups have gone from the all-black leather/soft-touch plastic exterior to wood, but that's just part of a larger puzzle which makes the LIRIC 2nd Generation worthy of its own review. Inside we will find an updated planar magnetic driver setup and, as a welcome change, the ear pads are no longer glued in place and are now easily swappable too. Meze Audio also says the new LIRIC has been tuned with customer feedback taken into account so let's dig deeper in our review which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below. Thanks to Meze Audio for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp!

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The Meze LIRIC 2nd Generation shipped directly from the company in a thick cardboard box that is branded with the company logo and product name clearly spelled out, which I would have rather not seen done to avoid any mishaps during shipping. The actual product box is found inside within a plastic wrap and has one of the more beautiful designs I have seen to date. It continues to be functional with the brand logo and product name on the front to go with the company behind the drivers used, but adds to it with a nice scene to set up what should hopefully be an enjoyable, tranquil listening experience. There is not much else to note on the back or sides aside from the seals and flaps which keep the box closed during transit. Inside is a more premium case as expected from Meze. This is a padded storage box with the Lyriche LIRIC name and isodynamic driver coil artistically rendered around it. It opens up from the top with two straps keeping the lid in place, and the actual carry case is inside a thick foam sheet with a precisely machined cutout, which also accounts for the extra space for the zipper—a nice bit of attention to detail.


The carry case made out of ethyl-vinyl acetate (EVA) is durable enough to handle daily use—at least as much as it would be susceptible to knowing an expensive set of headphones is inside. It's still larger than some of the other portable headphones I have seen, which is not a surprise since we already know the Meze LIRIC does not fold inward. The surface is textured and dimpled, comes with the Meze logo on the front, a carry tag on the top, and has a flat-enough back to allow it to rest naturally there. There is some dust and spill resistance courtesy the self-covering zipper mechanism, and two zipper pullers make opening and closing the case easier.


The inside of the carry case has felt lining to prevent any scratches to the headphones, which lie flat with the ear cups oriented upward. The accessories are found in the space between the headband and the ear cups in the form of a standalone cable and a small Meze-branded drawstring PU leather bag that contains another cable, an airline adapter, and a 3.5 mm (1/8") TRS to 6.35 mm (1/4") adapter to wrap up the unboxing section.