Meze 99 Classics over-ear headphones
- The Meze 99 Classics are featured in Head-Fi’s Top 10 Best closed-back headphones of all time and are a regular fixture on Inner Fidelity’s Wall...
- REAL WOOD EARCUPS provides natural sound isolation that’s suitable for studio recording, video editing, and podcast monitoring. They easily plug in...
- SELF-ADJUSTING PU Leather HEADBAND that spreads the weight out and fits all head sizes, making the Meze 99 Classics a comfortable premium high-end...
The Meze 99 Classics are over-the-ear headphones with a unique design, build quality and a growing reputation for being an affordable set of audiophile-focused boxes. The Meze 99 Classic ranks among the more discreet, but best performing headphones currently available for under $ 310. Romania is not known for audio. But in the last few years that has changed. Thanks to a man: Antonio Meze. Meze is the founder and engine of MEZE Audio, and his in-ear and in-ear headphones are nothing short of amazing.
Other headphones may sound technically more polished, but none of them look as good as the 99 Classics. Romanian maestro Antonio Meze has built a truly spectacular pair here, which is among the most beautiful audio objects we have ever seen. We regularly use our pair to listen to pleasure – and when we who live and breathe headphones and amps use equipment during our downtime, you know they’re going to be good. The details, fit and finish are extraordinary and the wooden headphones are an absolute pleasure. The sound is balanced, precise and elegant. And while the 99 Classics don’t bother the Empyreans, above they are still a wonderful pair of cans – especially for the asking price. There is simply no other pair of high-end headphones that offer so much, for this little one. The 99 Classics are really special, and somehow always cheaper than mainstream headphones like the Beats by Dre Studio3 Wireless.
The Meze Audio 99 Classics uses a dynamic 40mm driver at the heart of its closed-ear design. With a sensitivity of 103 dB and an impedance of 32 ohms, the 99 Classics can easily be driven by the integrated headphone amplifier of a smartphone. Unlike many headsets that use charred plastic or cast aluminum for their housings, the 99 Classic uses real walnut, and according to Meze, “The process of shaping a single pair of headphones takes up to at eight o’clock. The whole process of sanding, lacquering and finishing takes 45 days. “But even with all that real wood, the 99 Classics only weigh 260g.
Instead of a click-stop headband with size adjustments, the 99 Classics headband uses a stamped manganese spring tension arrangement designed to accommodate a wide variety of head sizes without any adjustment. necessary and without major changes in apparent lateral pressure. The hanging leather headband that sits underneath the spring loaded metal frame is also spring loaded and wide enough to distribute the weight of the helmet evenly over your head. In fact, balance is the key word here. No matter what genre we were listening to, nothing felt overwritten, no frequencies felt overhyped or left out. Bass had weight, but never dominated, working in the background as a skilled chef in a five-star restaurant. The low end of these headphones remains one of the most engaging and exciting sounds we’ve ever encountered.
The 99 Classics interesting and that they come with the box which is actively useful after removing the helmet. It’s a simple cardboard number, with a hinged cover that you pull up using a fabric tab. The interior is foam lined, and if you keep the box handy, it’s great for storing things. Your correspondent uses it to hold their wallet, keys, sunglasses and ben-wa balls and everything in between. The other accessories are phenomenal too – much better than you would expect at this price point. The two cables (the 9’10 “without microphone and the 3’11” with) are housed in a very elegant small felt carrying case, secured with a zipper. You will also find a 6.3mm adapter inside, as well as an airplane adapter. And by the way, did we mention that it all comes in a beautiful, hard case? This is truly one of the coolest cases we have come across
The second distinctive feature of the Classic 99 revolves around its rubber “gimbal”, which allows flexible movement in a 360 degree vertical plane to optimize the angle of fit. When you combine the headband and gimbal with the medium density memory foam pads from the 99 Classics, the results for me were an extremely comfortable, well-sealed around-the-ear fit. If my ears were a little bigger, the 99 Classics would have been more of an over-the-ear fit than over-the-ear. So if you have larger sized ears paired with glasses, the fit might be less than ideal.
The 99 Classics have a detachable cable connection and come with two cables: a 1.2m cable with microphone and remote control and a longer, single 3m cable. Other included accessories include a nice hard EVA carrying pouch, 6.3mm gold-plated adapter, and cable pouch. The cable connection at the end of the headphones is a stereo mini plug recessed into the bowalnut housings. While you can certainly use high-end third-party cables with the 99 Classics, special attention should be paid to the size of the cable connector barrels, as many may not fit into the narrow diameter opening. One gripe about the supplied cable: although it is marked R and L, the markings are in white ink on silver, which is difficult to read in anything other than bright light. Too bad the R side is not printed in red. This is the Best Meze Headphones in 2023.
Meze 99 Neo over-ear headphones
- A fresh take on the 99 series for the uptown audiophile, 99 NEO closed-back headphone brings together Meze Audio’s sound signature and design style....
- POWER EFFICIENT WITH ANY DEVICE due to low impedance (26 Ohm). No need for amplification making them suitable for gaming, home office, studio...
- SELF-ADJUSTING PU Leather HEADBAND that spreads the weight out and fits all head sizes, making the Meze 99 Classics a comfortable premium high-end...
Meze is very clear on who they want to buy the 99 Neo as opposed to the 99 Classic finished in wood. This is a “darker, bolder” finish aimed at the hip subway dudes who want something a little more “timeless” but still very fashionable. This is the same on-ear design of the 40mm speaker, but the materials and finish have been changed along with the pads. This is now designed for better comfort but less ostentatious in its aesthetics and something that could sit casually next to a laptop in Starbucks. The phrase “contemporary style” has been used and it is and more, but it is still unmistakably Meze.
Because while the Classics had absolutely beautiful walnut-wrapped cases, the Neos are made of hard, rigid plastic. And this is where our first problem lies. The design might be nearly identical, but there’s no denying that plastic just isn’t as cool as wood – and, as we’ll briefly explain, doesn’t do amazing things for sound either.
Beyond that, there’s very little to write about the design that we haven’t covered in our review of the classics. It’s still very, very good, eye-catching enough that people will ask you where you got them (the headphones are from Romania, in case you were wondering) while still maintaining a level of functionality that smaller headphones do. just can’t match. We still love the metal band’s almost spider-like design, and we love the little details, like the name of the helmet embossed on the bottom band.
Like the Classics, the Neos have two recessed ports in each case, so you can connect the included cable. The company includes a one-year warranty, and in addition, the parts – including cables, headband, and pads – are fully replaceable, which means you can replace them if anything is damaged without having to send the helmet for repair, or if you go out of warranty.
The Meze 99 Neo bass is punchy and deep with an energetic tuning style that will make people very happy enjoying the engaging low frequencies. Their bass response is capable of covering any genre of music without ever falling short of sub-bass or mid-bass. Yet despite their fun sound, they’re not too loud – expect rich, full-bodied lows with deep sub-bass. Overall, their bass is very powerful and lively, but doesn’t turn into headphones that sound only bass. Applying an EQ is a crazy deepening of their sub-bass and a substantial extra punch in the mids is added.
The Meze 99 Neo midrange sounds very warm and comfortable, with masculine vocals that don’t sound distant. Due to their heat set mids, there is bleeding that spreads to the lower mids but to the right point. The higher mids are smooth and fatigue-free, but sufficiently crisp and clear. Those looking for headphones with a nice midrange that never gets harsh and provide very warm vocals / midrange will be delighted with the Meze 99 Neo. By using an EQ, there is an impressive cleanup of their lower mids with a huge reduction in low-midrange bleeding. Additionally, the upper mids can be pushed for more sharpness and they will respond greatly, still without getting harsh.
The overall highs of the Meze 99 Neo resolves good detail and provides nice brightness to become a headphone that doesn’t sound dark or strain – the piercing peaks aren’t usually present on the Meze 99 Neo. Overall, their highs provide a nice balance that doesn’t turn into a dark or aggressive sound. With an EQ, their highs gain additional brightness and become noticeably more open, with the only drawbacks of louder sibilance.
The 99 Neos are an absolute pleasure to wear – just like the Classics were. They are the same weight (9.2 oz without cables) and are light enough to wear happily for hours. We love the concept of the hanging headband, where a flexible band is held by rubber bands under a more rigid band that holds the cups and body together, and we wonder why more manufacturers aren’t using it.
The Meze 99 Neo are great, fun-sounding headphones that have inherited many sonic advantages from the 99 Classics, but with a more user-friendly price and a more urban design thanks to the all-black and silver color. In addition, the Meze 99 Neo has won numerous.
The Meze 99 Neo ican be safely recommended to any listener who appreciates a very warm, inviting, comfortable and pleasant sound, but whose audio standards require a sound signature that is not too recessed nor in brightness, detail and range female vocals. Do the Meze 99 Neo and Meze 99 Classics sound the same? No, they don’t. They share their mellow sound style but have different personalities, mostly when it comes to the upper bass and lower midrange. For more precise / cleaner bass go for the 99 Classics and for warmer mids go for the 99 Neo.
