Meze 99 Classics Walnut Silver Headphones (Silver & Black)

Product Information

Beautiful wood. Unfortunately highly microphonic headband arch (rings when touched). The headband really likes to pull hair out. Small ear pads.

The Meze 99 Classics, for the price and beyond, are wonderful headphones that do perform up to there with much more expensive headphones. It’s an interesting and lightweight system that contrasts intriguingly with the usual expanding, telescopic headphone system. It works well, though and is comfy to boot. SOUND QUALITY Music files streamed from Tidal and Qobuz through AudioQuest's DragonFly Red DAC included: "I'm Not Doing This for You," from the self-titled album by electronic beatmeisters Awefekt (24-bit/44.1kHz, 37d03d); trip-hop from Dido in "Hurricanes," from Still On My Mind (16/44.1, BMG); Deep South beats in the hip-hop subgenre trap in "Red Room," from Offset's Father of 4 (24/96, Motown); Frank Zappa's The Yellow Shark, performed by Ensemble Modern (16/44.1, Zappa Records); and dance/R&B from Solange in "Things I Imagined," from her When I Get Home (24/44.1, Columbia). Vinyl included two very dissimilar albums: the popping jazz of Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne's Poll Winners Three! (Contemporary S7576), and the urban dread of Fink's Resurgam (R'Coup'd RCPD015). And I expected, after a few seconds of this lower frequency uplight, to hear a higher frequency downturn. That is, I expected the bass, so much of it was there, to swamp and leach all over the soundstage. It didn’t. Well, look psychologically it kinda did. That is, you can’t help but be mentally affected by the bass so you may think the mids are being bloomed by the bass but that’s not really the case. The mids are pretty tight and focused, yes, but not really swamped. There’s a slight warmth for the midrange but that seems to be endemic to the nature of the headphone sound. That is, there is an overall dark glow over the soundstage but there is enough air and space in the upper frequencies for the mids to hold their own and deliver the detail you need. Even treble-based cymbals are suitably tremulous. Build quality is excellent, everything is finished to a very high standard, and there was nothing to complain about in manufacturing. I mention in the classic review that this is one of the best headphone designs of the past few years. It is a modern take on a classic design and has been pulled off in a classy way.The other accessories are phenomenal, too – far better than you’d expect at this price. The two cables (the 9’10” without a mic, and the 3’11” one with) are housed in a very snazzy little felt carry case, secured with a zipper. You’ll also find a 6.3mm adaptor inside, along with an aeroplane adapter. And by the way, did we mention that all of this comes in a gorgeous, rigid case? It’s genuinely one of the cooler cases we’ve come across. The pouch that the cables come is sweeeet | The Master Switch What We Like: SOUND QUALITY: Here is the core. I burned them for about 15 hours. At 32 Ohm they are easy to drive with a mobile but will respond well to better sources. Meze claims flat frequency response and it’s not far from truth. 99C is fun to listen. Sound is balanced across all frequencies. Nothing over-powers. With this warm signature, the Meze 99 Classics do not let focus on the highs slip away. Treble has in fact good extensions and sufficient presence; it’s able to show itself effortlessly and to lend air and clarity to the scene as a whole. Though it’s always clearly audible in the mix, it’s never piercing or harsh; on the contrary, it’s easy on the ears. Although I usually like bright headphones, the 99 Classics did not disappoint me in delivering highs that I can clearly hear in the mix. I’ve had these headphones for well over a year and they may have played music for over 300 or 400 hours now. I tested them with various sources throughout time; for the purpose of this review, I used an Aune M1s, a Topping DX7 with its own amplifier or in conjunction with a Head ‘n’ Hifi Objective2 amplifier and a Little Dot MKIII SE. Meze 99 Classics

The flimsy-looking skeletal frame is surprisingly rigid, while their large padded headband does well to prevent pressure from building on the head. With and without glasses on, we spend hours listening to the Mezes during testing, and their design is light and comfortable enough to do so without feeling burdened. I need to begin by saying that I did my best to keep the volume as closely matched as possible, and that I did my best to keep the test as reliable as possible. I have taken part in multiple tests in Romania, including double-blind tests, where the results were quite clear, that cables, each have their own specific sound. This can be attributed to many phenomena in electronics, including even mismatching impedances (which is a much more serious effect than might seem), but regardless, I will not talk about why each cable sounds that way, but about how each of them tends to sound, to provide a reliable review where I can.There is, however, slight evidence of the wood lacquer being worn on the bottom edge of the ear cups by the end of our time testing them – something you should perhaps expect to happen over time if they’re constantly placed on a desk. With a sonic character that’s easy to love at first listen, the 99 Classics are pleasingly even-handed and bask in full-bodied lusciousness and clarity from top to bottom. There’s a natural warmth to the midrange that laps up Chris Stapleton's country crooning as we play Whiskey And You, with the Mezes keen to throw his vocal under the spotlight. Instead of using plastic, the 99 Classics feature solid walnut ear-cups. These hand-finished ear-cups not only look luxurious but are also hardwearing and improve the sound quality. Matched to a steel headband with gold accents the style is premium luxury all the way. Right from the start, they offer a very classy experience. You have the product image on the front side, and honestly, who can't say this isn't a beautiful headphone? They also make big mention of the awards they have won since the release of the Classics in the way of the respective outlet’s badges. There is a clear improvement in terms of soundstage, both in the width, which is now quite wide, and in the depth, which is now deeper, Meze 99 Classics also gaining better overall layering from this cable.

The wooden cups are a small circumaural or maybe a big supra-aural depending on your ear size. Certainly, for me, they are a small circumaural meaning there is some adjusting to do. Side to side the fit and seal are excellent and fully justify their tag of circumaural. It feels comfy in that respect. Top and bottom, however, do feel a little snug to the point where it does get uncomfortable after an hour or so. There does seem to be some downward pressure developing on the top of the ear and around the ear lobes that a few mm in extra length would make all the difference. Meze Audio's 99 Classics, which are in the middle of the company's headphone line, arrived in a zippered hard-shell case that also contained two lightweight, detachable, Kevlar-sheathed cables: one 4' long with a one-button remote control for portable use, and a 9' cable for home use. At the headphone ends of these cables are dual 3.5mm gold-plated TS plugs—these, rather than the earcups themselves, are marked L and R—with a single 3.5mm TRRS plug at the amplifier ends. Also included are 3.5mm-to-¼" and dual 3.5mm airplane adapters. All plugs and cables can be kept in a small, resealable, faux-velvet pouch (provided). How to describe the bass from the Meze 99 headphones… Have you ever seen those old WW2 films? Those featuring a captured spy in the chair, Gestapo villain in a long coat and a nasty facial scar wants facts, facts, facts! You know the type. But it’s no go from our hero. His lips are sealed. So the Germanic tough slaps the…guy…around…the..face! That, my friends, is the bass from the 99s. Each bass hit is a wallop across the chops. It’s massy, massive and meaty. It’s big, it’s full of impact, its…well, it’s nasty. Nasty, nasty bass that hits you in the solar plexus like a heavyweight boxer. Inside the case, as mentioned, you get the 99 Neo and then a small pouch full of the accessories, which you attach to the inside of the case with a velcro pad.

Meze Audio 99 Classic headphones

The accessories are very well made; my only issue was using the cable. The bottom half is cord material, and the top half is rubberized. I must point out that any touch or movement in the area past the splitter transmits some microphonics into the earcup. I liked that they are dual entry cables (one each to the left and right earcups), as I feel this gives a better balance and overall aesthetic look. Styling It’s worth to mention the hard case one more time. It is nicely made of hard shell imitating leather. It is quite spacious, so you won’t have to worry about your headphones being squished, and you can easily fit both of your cables inside. Great touch.

I consider the Meze 99 Classics among the best headphones you can buy– hence the high rating. Their peculiar design and sound signature make them stand out from the crowd and affords them a niche where they reign supreme.The product is returned in original condition (with brand’s/manufacturer's box, MRP tag intact, user Lows - Certainly where the separation from their predecessors is the low end. The 99 Neo has a fuller bass response thanks partly to an enhanced sub-bass emphasis. I won't say they are bass canons because they are not, but they provide the sufficient quantity to match almost any music genre. Speed in the low end is good for such a big driver, and distortion is almost negligible in this frequency; it remains composed even on challenging and complicated compositions. Conclusion & Summary Two cables are included – a short one with microphone/remote unit, and a longer one. Both have got a 3.5 mm plug. Last but not least, a 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter, airplane adapter and zipped bag (for the spare cable) are included as well. It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with Meze, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. This review is not sponsored nor has been paid for by Meze or anyone else. I’d like to thank Meze for providing the sample for this review. The sample was provided along with Meze’s request for an honest and unbiased review. This review will be as objective as it is humanly possible, and it reflects my personal experience with Meze Silver Plated and Balanced Cables. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it, the purpose of this review is to help those interested in Meze Silver Plated and Balanced Cables find their next music companion.