Meze 99 Classics Walnut Gold Headphones (Gold & Black)

Product Information

As former InnerFidelity editor Tyll Hertsens noted in his review in February 2016, the 99 Classics are basically screwed together and can easily be taken apart for servicing. Before receiving my review samples from Meze, I'd borrowed a pair from CNET editor and Stereophile contributor Steve Guttenberg, and during that loan the 'phones' earpads came loose from their earcups. Reinserting each pad's narrow collar into its cup's outer seam was easy. Manha De Carnaval" in The Paul Desmond Quartet's Live, the double bass provides good dynamic to support Paul's more forward alto solo. The bass-solo in the middle is quite present and detailed. Sources used during the review of the Meze Audio 99 Classic is listed below but I want to point out a few notes I made along the journey. 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. Wrapping around your ears, the 99 Neos are not only comfortable but isolate you from the outside world – letting you hear even more detail. The memory foam ear pads supply just the right amount of pressure and are finished with PU leather for a luxury feel. The headband is self-adjusting and broad enough for a comfortable fit.

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 I have tried Meze 99 classics with Pixel 3aXL, Asus ROG laptop and it was paired with IFI HIP DAC.I have listened to spotify premium and apple lossless. This review will be divided into my experience with Headphone Zone, accessories, build quality, comfort and sound. The metal suspension seems sturdy and very solid. Although I felt like it was a little bit thin, I understand that the headphone needed to lose all the weight it can, for transportation use. – same as the neo I am about 6 weeks into ownership of these cans now. I have been listening with my iPhone 5S, MacBook Pro headphone output and finally, my headphone amp, the Firestone Fubar 4 amp/dac. If you have any opinions or criticism let me know because i know i have contradict my self when writing this review anyways i have never listen to a flagship headphone like the hd800 so i can't judge really but i have 15-20 headphones costing around about the same as these like hd 650 and the like and these really blow all of them out of the water with the great sound which is impressive and sensational for me anyways.

Cables are "Y" type with 3.5mm mono plugs at the headphone end and a straight 3.5mm plug at the amp end. Though I would have preferred an angled plug at the amp end, I find the cable build very esthetically pleasing; the shape and gold accents of the plug and "Y" junction are very tasteful. Accessory wise you get a nice hard carry case that is just the right size to fit the headphones in, they do however fit better if you remove the cable before putting them in the case. You also get a little fabric pouch that holds the rest of the accessories, like both cables (1.2m with mic/controls + 3m regular), airplane adaptor and 3.5mm to 6.3mm adaptor. Overall the included accessories are brilliant and everything you need to get going.

The only problem I see for some people is that the ear pads are not the deepest, so if you have large ears it could result in some slight problems with fitting your entire ear inside, or you can end up touching the driver cover. Not happening to me, but I have rather small ears and I’ve heard that some users had this kind of problem. It wasn’t a deal breaker in any of this cases, but it’s surely worth mentioning. When I show people the Neo, they don't know they aren't one of my far more expensive headphones. Side by side, the classics are definitely the more premium of the two, but both are beautiful sets of cans from an aesthetical standpoint. Comfort & Isolation For testing the heaphones i used Cavalli Liquid Carbon amp on single ended output with Peachtree daciTx:i have another good amplifier class A -Musical Fidelity m1HPA-also with very low output impedance(<1ohm) but the sinergy between LC and 99's was excelent,it surprised me because warm amp with warm headphones don't look promising,but like i said was v.good.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. They are not titan killers when i say that things like flagship headphones like hd800 etc, but i am rather confident that can stand against headphones costing twice the price of these. 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. Most of this review was performed on a Questyle CMA800 and via my Astell & Kern AK70 and Shanling M6 Pro , but they feel like they will work fine with any high-resolution audio player. At no point did I feel like I was left wanting, and I couldn't have asked for more in terms of performance for the price. Conclusion First of all my sincere thanks to Headphonezone for such excellent service. Within 1 days received the headphone. Raghav is spoiling me day by day. Day by day i am becoming poor.