In 2021, Meze teamed with Rinaro Isodynamics to create the Empyrean Elite, which became of the more sought-after audiophile headphones to be released. Now at the tail end of the year, Meze has unveiled yet another new high-end headphone with the LIRIC for $2000. For the LIRIC, Meze and Rinaro Isodynamics has come together again, this time for a closed-back over-ear headphone with a similar design philosophy.
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 Audio 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.
ORIGINAL SOURCE RECORDING
Absolute linear phasing offers the listener the original spatial image as it was recorded. This includes information from the instrumentation as well as the recording environment itself.
NONLINEAR PHASING
Nonlinearities in phase response noticeably affect the reproduction of the spatial image
of the original recording.
Phase-Xâ„¢ LINEARIZATION SYSTEM
With the addition of the Phase-Xâ„¢, Liric achieves a more linear phase response and a faster transient response decay. This allows for a more faithful reproduction of transient sounds and improves ambience and spatial imaging for the listener, taking them closer to the environment of the original source recording.
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. Using this combination allows the headphone to achieve an increased exposure of direct sound wave frequencies over the 10kHz range, as well as improved imaging and localization, by decreasing the impact of short-wave time delays caused by diffused field reflections.
The switchback coil is more efficient at reproducing lower frequencies and is positioned in the upper part of the driver. 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.
At frequencies above 10kHz, where sound wavelength is smaller than the cushions inner cavity, the sound field becomes diffused with an amount of the direct and reflected sound waves within the ear canal.
A significant increase of direct sound waves was achieved by positioning the most efficient part of the diaphragm in mid-high frequencies directly over the ear canal, resulting in improved 3D imaging and spatial localization.
Specs
- Diaphragm Type – Rinaro Isoplanar® [MZ4]
- Frequency response 4 – 92,000 Hz
- Impedance 30 Ω
- Nominal SPL 100 dB (1mW/1kHz)
- Maximum SPL >130dB
- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): <0.15% (in the whole frequency range)
- Weight: ~ 390g
The Meze LIRIC is available at Audio46.
Compare the ranking of various headphones, earbuds and in-ear monitors using our tools.
Discuss this, and much more, over on our forum.
---MAJORHIFI may receive commissions from retail offers.
