Meze 99 Classics Walnut Gold Headphones (Gold & Black)

Product Information

Plenty of power to push the 99 Classic, rarely went over 60%, sound was lush and warm with plenty of details and clarity. My favorite portable closed headphone setup. When you open the box up, you will be greeted not by the headphones but by the attractive and valuable hard-shell carry case; the headphones are lurking inside. I like the case; it’s good quality and molded to precisely fit the 99 Neo rather than just being an off-the-shelf offering.

Designed and engineered to the highest standards, the 99 Neo headphones deliver class-leading sound quality. Featuring ribbed drivers, the 99 Neo gives a precise, low distortion sound that lets you hear every detail. With generous 40mm drivers, the sound drops right down to 15Hz – giving these headphones deep, powerful bass. What stroke me when I opened the box for the first time was that the earcups are made of real wood. Each cup is made from a single solid piece of walnut wood carved to size and shape, and therefore each cup has unique colours and grain. It gives the design a certain warmth that, coupled with the gold accents, make the Meze 99 Classics look like a timeless headphone. It has to be noted that another edition with silvery accents is available. 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. Starting with the spring steel headband which is very sturdy but also due to the minimalist design using two thin strips it's very lightweight. Attached to this via a cast zinc alloy cross structure is the wide and well padded self adjusting headband. The steel headband extends all the way down to where it's attached to the center of the earcups. The conical earcups are made from a single piece of wood - in this case walnut, which not only looks great but has wonderful, natural resonating properties. On the underside of each earcup is where the 3.5mm cable plugs connect, again highlighted with a subtle gold ring surrounding the holes to fit into the the overall style.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

The 860 is much more linear across the board so offers a very different sound compared to the Classics. Bass is tighter and faster without any of the same boomy properties found on the Meze. Midrange in comparison is a lot thinner and less lush than the Classics'. The treble is where these two have the most in common, being neutral-ish on both. The 860 reveals more details in music but presents itself in a more accurate and less emotive manner compared to the “fun” tuning of the Classics.

More importantly, in all the headphones mentioned above, the design sensibilities are strongly integrated with the headphone's structural and acoustic performance. The 99 Classic is not only terrific looking, it's well built to deliver the goods for a long time.

I believe that the 99 Classics are the best made pair of headphones in this price range. No sight of plastic, beautiful wooden cups, metal headband with an elastic band for improved comfort, detachable cables in both ear cups. There is really nothing to be afraid of in terms of durability. Also, Meze has a fantastic customer service, so even if you’d murder a part of your 99 Classics, these guys will easily deliver spare parts for you to fix your headphones yourself.The 99 Classics do not have any folding features to make them more compact for travel and transport, but they do come with a hard side, clamshell carry case with zipper closure. Inside the case is a smaller zip closure pouch to store cables and adapters; both 3.5mm to 1/4" and dual 3.5mm airplane adapters are included. Like the headphone, the travel case is a very handsome and useful item. The low end is not what I would call technically perfect, but in the overall tuning context, it works very well to round off the 99 Classics sound. You get bass that extends fairly deep but not into the bass-heavy territory. Three weeks in and I'm not sure if my ears are deceiving me but I'm still hearing improvements in the bass. The tubbiness has largely gone, although the warmth is still there. Midrange performance seems to be better as well, although I think this may be because the bleed from bass region has reduced, bringing out the midrange qualities. Listening to James Brown’s classic album “In the Jungle Groove”, snare and drum hits seem to have more dynamic expression and those subtle shuffles that Clyde Stubblefield produces on the “Funky drummer” have more impact and separation than before. Charles Sherrell’s bass line is rich and mellifluous. Some people scoff at burn-in time on equipment - I beg to differ! Thanks to the lightweight construction (260g without the cable) and a great headband construction Meze 99 Classics sits on your head very comfortably and it’s a pleasure to use, even for a long period of time. Mids: The main reason why I bought these and I was right. A very natural reproduction of piano and guitar sound. Vocals are a bit forward, "in front of the orchestra", you can hear every whisper, every drop of saliva in the mouth of the vocalist. That is truly something. 5 stars.