Meze 99 Classics Walnut Silver Headphones (Silver & Black)

Product Information

I like these for almost everything regarding Genre pairing, except EDM, where I prefer having a planar headphone with more aggressive speed and impact. For everything else, though, it would be hard not to reach for the Meze 99 Classic if they were at hand. I was interested to see if the Liric would unseat the XC as my go-to closed can, so this review will be based on that question. Compared to the class leaders at this level, they aren’t as crystal clear or technically precise as the leaner-sounding Austrian Audio Hi-X55, which are more analytical in the way they surface detail and express themselves dynamically. Verdict The other distinct difference is the soundstage. The 1540’s are closer and less wide. With the Liric you get a much more precise instrument and sense of the space.

Meze Audio 99 Classics - Reviews - Head-Fi.org Meze Audio 99 Classics - Reviews - Head-Fi.org

There is not a hint of crappy plastics on these cans as far as I can see and looking into their design information and this does seem to be confirmed.

Design, Build and Comfort​

The midrange is highly impressive and certainly the star of the show. The vocals sound incredible in these headphones and oh so natural. The AWAS has the best resolution and detail retrieval I’ve heard in a headphone but then I haven’t heard what are considered the heavy hitters in this regard. Honestly, I’ve wondered whether more would actually detract from the musical enjoyment or if I’ve hit the sweet spot for my preferences. The Liric doesn’t quite get to the level of the AWAS, but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything until directly compared. Introduction: I’ve been a happy listener to Meze’s Rai Penta and Rai Solo IEMs for two or three years. I really love the sound of both IEMs. I’ve enjoyed the sound of planar head phones for much longer, but have not yet heard the Meze Empyrean, so I was really happy to be included in Meze’s tour for Liric. Now As my scalp is very sensitive, I find it hard to keep most full-size headphones on my head for more than half an hour – but that’s not true for the Meze 99 Classics. Thanks to the suspension system and its softness, I can keep using them for even three or four hours at a time. Comfort is a very subjective matter, but if my experience is of any indication the 99 Classics are really comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. That’s mostly due to the fact that the adjustable headband is large and relatively soft, thus distributing the headphones’ weight on a larger surface and easing the pressure on the scalp, though the weight of just 260 g surely have an impact, too. Well done, Meze!

Meze 99 Neo Review: Over Ear Headphones — Audiophile ON Meze 99 Neo Review: Over Ear Headphones — Audiophile ON

I needn't have been worried about the headband’s comfort. This design is outstanding. It pretty much just disappeared from the top of my head. Absolutely brilliant! I wish my AWAS had this type of design. This audition/review didn’t go quite how I expected. Prior to hearing the Liric, I wondered if they might be able to dethrone the AWAS in my setup. In the end though, I found the Liric to be more of a complement to the AWAS. They definitely did a great job on those albums where I felt the AWAS falls short and they did it more as a peer to the AWAS than something like the Shure 1540’s. The driver from the Liric is a planar Magnetic dual Array system dubbed the Rinaro/MEZ4 system, which is easy to drive at 30-Ohms and capable of 20Hz to 92kHz frequency response. In my experkence they are fairly easy to drive nut if you want to feel the rumbly bass vibes you must use a powerfuk source. Accessories included are two 3.5mm cables, one is 1.5m while the other is 3m. There is also a screw on 6.3mm adapter, an airline adapter and cable pouch.It is encapsulated in grandeur but doesn’t boom. These are the kind of headphones where you don't want a visceral, sharp bass but a smoother one that compliments the midrange's slightly warm tones. There is extension up above 10khz, but my hearing is spotty at best in that area due to age & job related hearing loss, so I won’t be commenting there. Meze Liric has great design, an amazing look, and a lot of interesting tech inside so I just want to play with it, but at the same time I want to keep it on my head, but at the end of the day what’s most important in the high-end headphones is the sound.