Zaylli LYRÖ Headphone Review: A New Open-Back Contender with Mechanical Sound Tuning

Todd Anderson · 2026-03-19T07:59:54-0500

Today on the bench sits LYRÖ, a striking new open-back headphone from Zaylli, a Hong Kong-based startup entering the market with an ambitious first swing. Priced at $249, LYRÖ arrives with an intriguing feature set shaped around what the company calls Healthy Acoustics.

Ah, yes... I know exactly what you’re thinking. Nothing like opening a review with marketing speak. But stick with me, because it’s important to understand the why behind Zaylli’s approach. In this case, Healthy Acoustics is meant to capture both physical comfort and tailored acoustic performance. We’re talking about defined tuning targets and user-accessible acoustic controls, paired with hardware features like an open-back architecture, breathable earpads, and two distinct wearing configurations.

It’s an interesting package that raises a few obvious questions. Is the LYRÖ a genuinely fresh take on portable headphone design, or is it a collection of clever ideas chasing attention? More importantly, can a $249 headphone from a first-timer deliver the level of acoustic sophistication its technical claims suggest?

Let’s find out.

Overview

Zaylli describes itself as “an audio startup redefining how we listen,” on a mission to combine studio-grade sound with a comfortable, hearing-safe design. That mission is baked into LYRÖ’s industrial design, offering a compact, foldable, open-back, tunable headphone that can be worn in traditional headband form or converted to neckband style. In headband mode, it weighs a mere 3.9 ounces. In neckband form, that weight drops to just 3 ounces. And when folded down, it compresses to under 5 inches, making portability a major part of the product’s identity.

Many portable headphones in this price class are closed-back, wireless, app-driven, and designed around convenience features like Active Noise Cancellation. LYRÖ is anything but, presenting as a wired, open-back, and physically tunable device that just feels less digital. That isn’t to say it doesn’t offer some modern conveniences. Take, for example, its detachable MMCX cable system, which accomodates a shielded 3.5 mm cable with an inline microphone, as well as a secondary balanced cable option. But without all of the buzz tech loaded into modern wireless products, LYRÖ presents much more like a throwback.

Visually, the LYRÖ doesn’t look like a stripped-down utilitarian monitor. Instead, it’s styled to make an impression. Earcups are wrapped in either soft lambskin or vegan-friendly protein leather (my sample has the latter), while the outer panels use aerospace-grade aluminum and CNC-machined metal components with hand-polished textures. The finish, says Zaylli, is further enhanced through vacuum plating and anodizing, and the headband incorporates an adjustable food-grade – yes, food-grade – silicone strap. And its size is totally deceptive. I’ll be the first to admit I was skeptical the headphones would impress when I held them for the first time.

Like many products these days, LYRÖ was born on the back of a Kickstarter campaign. It’s closed now, but raised a hefty $1,364,409 HK (roughly $175,000 in USD). That kind of early support doesn’t prove performance, but it certainly suggests that LYRÖ’s mix of style, modularity, and engineering is attractive to a decent-sized audience. And soon enough, that audience will begin to receive the results of its investment. Zaylli says mass production is underway, with shipping expected to begin in a few short weeks.

Tech Breakdown

LYRÖ’s technical story begins with tuning, developed to align with Head-Related Transfer Function, using a custom target called the “Zaylli On Ear Curve.” Apparently, this curve is designed to optimize ultra-high-frequency behavior, minimize linear distortion, and refine treble response to enhance spatiality and atmosphere. The important takeaway here is that the headphone is not simply tuned for broad consumer appeal, but rather for a psychoacoustic target that should drive a more natural and spatially convincing presentation.

That tuning philosophy becomes more interesting when you look at LYRÖ’s most unusual feature, Sound Curve Switching (SCS). This patented acoustic structure, controlled by a rotary mechanism mounted on the driver enclosure, enables bass adjustment up to +8 dB and treble adjustment up to +2 dB through physical acoustic manipulation rather than DSP. In other words, this isn’t an EQ preset buried in an app. It is a mechanical tuning system built into the headphone itself. For listeners who like to move between a more reference-oriented presentation and something with greater low-end weight, this might just be one of LYRÖ’s defining features.

At the driver level, Zaylli has packed quite a bit into this design. LYRÖ uses customized copper-clad aluminum voice coils, high-flux N52 magnets, an ultra-light 0.1 millimeter bio-carbon nanocomposite diaphragm, and liquid silicone surrounds. While I’m no design engineer, that sounds like a serious collection of materials for a headphone at this price. Taken as a group, we’re talking about a system with rigidity and motor control, which, last time I checked, should lend to transient speed, low distortion, and tonal refinement.

Zaylli says its driver strategy deliberately introduces subtle second-order harmonics to add warmth and naturalness to sound, while maintaining very low measured distortion. It reports THD below 0.05 percent at 500Hz and 1 mW, and states that at a peak listening level of 90dB, third-order harmonics remain below 0.02 percent across the audible range.

The physical acoustic structure behind the driver also appears to be central to the design. Zaylli says it used Finite Element Analysis and high-resolution 3D printing through repeated design iterations to develop a patented suspended cavity architecture. According to the company, this micro-acoustic structure reduces diaphragm breakup, reinforces bass response, and lowers non-linear distortion across the frequency range.

The open-back implementation itself is also more nuanced than it first appears. Zaylli refers to it as Acoustic Stealth Technology. The system combines cast aerospace-grade aluminum with CNC-machined metal panels and concealed internal structures engineered through FEA. The goal, according to the company, is to achieve near-open-back performance in the mids and highs with exceptionally low non-linear distortion, while also improving bass response and adding resistance to dust and debris. That last point is worth noting. Open-back headphones aren’t typically associated with durability in mobile use, so Zaylli appears to be trying to retain the acoustic benefits of an open design while making the product more practical as an everyday carry.

Comfort engineering is another major part of the story. The LYRÖ’s earpads are built from hybrid fabrics, avoiding the impermeable adhesive layers used in many traditional earpad designs. Zaylli says this improves airflow and breathability while keeping the low-frequency response intact. The pads also use low-density memory foam to improve circulation and reduce heat and sweat buildup during long sessions.

Then there is LYRÖ’s broader flexibility when it comes to wearability. The headphone supports both headband and neckband wear, folds into a compact footprint, and is designed to run easily from smartphones, consoles, and other low-power devices. The company lists impedance at either 32 ohms or 35 ohms, depending on where you look in the marketing materials. Either way, LYRÖ is positioned as efficient, highly portable, and easy to drive without a dedicated amplifier.

Unboxing

LYRÖ arrives in lightweight yet well-designed packaging. Its jet-black box sports an external slip cover and custom internal protective foam, housing the headphones, a travel case, two cables, the optional sports neckband, and an informational booklet.

The headphones arrive neatly folded in the case, and I appreciate that it doesn’t require an advanced degree to unfold and refold them as you move them from the case to your head and back. The included cables appear to be sturdy, are incredibly easy to switch out, and offer a decent range of use from a device (the 3.5mm microphone-enabled cable is 52” long, while the balanced cable is 47”).

There are some physical elements of the headphones I love: the artful look and feel of the outer driver enclosures, the foldable metal band, the mechanical feel of the onboard tuning controls, and the earpad materials. I’ll even toss in the look and feel of the cables themselves, especially the metal chain look of the 3.5mm cable. All get my stamp of approval.

Those aside, there are elements that aren’t quite up to par in my book. The earpads, while comfy, are a royal pain to re-attach if removed, and the attachment system, which consists of slipping a thin plastic disc under 4 attachment points, doesn’t inspire much confidence from a durability perspective. The “food-grade” headband is also a bit lackluster in the appearance category, though it’s easy to adjust and comfortably performs its job. Also receiving a lackluster stamp is the optional sports headband. It’s plastic and feels a bit cheap.

Wearability

When it comes to fit and comfort, the standard headband is my preferred option for LYRÖ. It delivers a lightweight, highly satisfying feel, which further plays into the spacious, open sound produced by the headphones. Notched sliders on either side of the headband allow the silicone strap to be tightened or loosened, ultimately giving you the ability to position the earcups exactly where you want them.

I wore LYRÖ for hours on end with this standard configuration and never felt any sort of physical fatigue. Like any wearable, there comes a time when your body needs a break, but LYRÖ gives you quite a bit of latitude for comfort.

The alternative sports band is a bit of a different story. I’ve already mentioned my dissatisfaction in the material department, and, unfortunately, long-term comfort is also an issue. The band slides behind your ear flaps, for lack of a better word, and rests where your ear meets your head. This arrangement is fine for a few minutes, but over time, discomfort sets in.

Beyond the fact that I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d choose the wired LYRÖ over wireless earbuds for any sort of sports activity or music on the go, the sport band's overall design is a miss for me. It’s uncomfortable and unnecessary. And to be even pickier, the process of swapping the driver enclosures between bands has just enough sticking points to be a bit of a pain.

Listening Impressions

For listening tests, I paired the headphones with a THX Onyx DAC/AMP, an iPhone 16 Pro, and Spotify’s lossless tier of tunes (24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC). Regarding physical controls, I adjusted the rotary sound curve dials to add a bit more low-end weight to the presentation. Those controls are easy to turn, but the system is stepless, so you need to carefully dial in each side of the headphone for a matched experience. The internal mechanism actuated by the control appears to modify the headphone’s internal acoustics, which in turn influences how the driver behaves and shapes the overall sound. As far as I can tell, adjustments had little impact on mids and highs, though I didn’t perform any measurements to confirm.

Here’s where I really vibed with the headphones. They deliver a really – really – smooth and spacious listening experience. Any sense of claustrophobia or tightly contained sound is cast aside as the open-back design and detailed presentation create a clean, airy soundscape.

Testing tracks ranged from a bevy of Billie Eilish songs, Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me, Rage Against the Machine’s eponymous effort, endless travels through the techno-etched worlds of Deadmau5, Orbital, and Aphex Twin, several romps with Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and long sessions led by curated playlists pulled together by Spotify, where acts like TV Girl and RAC came to play.

The low end capabilities of LYRÖ are serious. Not in the sense of devastating bass with a slam factor, but definitely as an operational characteristic that’s powerful and present. It has a way of adding warmth to tracks that demand it, as in TV Girl’s “Cigarettes out the Window,” where the presentation yearns to be thick and weighty.

Transients in the lower registers are also pleasantly tight and punchy. Running through tracks like Orbital’s “Petrol,” the Prodigy’s “Breathe,” and “Psycho” by Malaa allowed the headphones to show off their ability to navigate fast beats without getting muddy.

Vocals, particularly female vocals, as heard in Billie Eilish and Norah Jones tracks, were delivered with careful attention to detail and that natural airness we all like to hear. Overall, midrange frequencies are well-balanced, though I found them to lean slightly toward the brighter side of the spectrum. There were times when I wanted a bit more thickness to the sonics in this region.

And that kicks us straight into high frequencies, which are entirely dependent on how the ear pads are positioned on the ear. Unlike over-ears, where you have quite a bit of placement latitude, LYRÖ’s window for positioning is much narrower. So, if you want a critical listening experience, make sure your ear pads aren’t negatively impacting the sound by way of not sitting properly on your ears.

Don’t expect sparkly highs with LYRÖ. What you get are very listenable, fatigue-free upper regions that play well with recordings that can sound harsh. Take the Stone Roses’ self-titled 1989 album, which is far from reference considering sonic characteristics. As much as I love those tracks, and love I do, there’s no denying their recording qualities could have been better. With LYRÖ, I found tracks like “Shoot You Down” and “Waterfall” to have a refreshing smoothness. Then, shifting gears to bright, zingy music like Orbital’s Insides, treble elements weren’t subdued to make the tracks sound flat and lifeless.

Conclusion

At $249, LYRÖ ends up being a surprisingly thoughtful and, at times, impressive entry. Zaylli has clearly put a great deal of effort into blending acoustic intent with physical design, and while not every idea lands perfectly, the overall package feels purposeful rather than experimental. Its lightweight build, tunable sound profile, and open, spacious presentation give it a character that stands apart from the typical closed-back, DSP-driven options that dominate this price range. There are areas that could use refinement, particularly in execution and ergonomics of the sports strap, but as a first product, LYRÖ shows a level of ambition and technical awareness that's hard to ignore. If this is where Zaylli is starting, it will be very interesting to see where they go next.

If you’re a fan of headphones like the Grado Labs SR80 or SR60, I think you'll find a lot to love with LYRÖ. In fact, if I had my choice between the three, Zaylli would get my money.

Zaylli LYRÖ Headphone Specifications

Driver Type: Dynamic with bio-carbon nanocomposite diaphragm (0.1 mm)
Voice Coil: Japanese copper-clad aluminum
Magnet: N52 high-flux
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 40 kHz
Impedance: 32 Ω / 35 Ω
Sensitivity: 111 dB / 113 dB SPL
Total Harmonic Distortion: < 0.05% at 500 Hz, 1 mW; < 0.02% third-order at 90 dB SPL
Tuning System: Sound Curve Switching (SCS) with Zaylli On-Ear and Diffuse-field modes
Acoustic Design: Open-back with Acoustic Stealth Technology (AST) and suspended cavity architecture
Earpads: UltraVent breathable hybrid fabric with memory foam
Materials: Aerospace-grade aluminum, CNC-machined components, silicone headband
Cable: Detachable MMCX, 3.5 mm with inline mic; optional balanced
Wearing Modes: Headband and neckband
Weight: 112 g (headband), 85 g (neckband)
Folded Size: Under 12 cm
Channel Matching: < 0.5 dB
Compatibility: Smartphones, consoles, low-power devices

Zaylli LYRÖ Headphone Review: A New Open-Back Contender with Mechanical Sound Tuning

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