Meze 99 Classics Walnut Gold Headphones (Gold & Black)

Product Information

I would like a little more room to keep the cable attached to the headphones while in the case though the design of the 99 Neo’s does not permit the cable to be easily wrapped up anyway. Despite the odd break for hot ears, I found no fatigue from clamping pressure or the self-adjusting headband's compression.

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. This will not give you as much joy as the DX90 in term of extra clarity but will certainly take to next level Meze potential compared to average phone audio out. Put them on, sit back, and enjoy your favourite sound of plucked strings, upbeat grooves or thumping beats, with stylish good looks to boot. AMPING power need is just non benificial with this 26ohm headphone, they are extremely easy to drive wich is a very welcome aspect and underline the fact that Meze make the Neo for portable use.CONSTRUCTION of Takstar PRO82 is more targeted for worryfree outside portability, while the Meze even if ligh enough as well as beautifull to wear, is more adequate for small walk or inside portability, like school, work or train. They did achieve some improvements with a slightly tauter bass performance and clearer midrange from my HA-2 though they will play happily from any decent smartphone or standalone DAP. Positioning, layering, and separation are very good and will together provide many “you are there moments. They lack a bit of bite and certainly some brilliance, but they still don't necessarily lack liveliness. Meze Audio is a high-end audio company based in Baia Mare, Rome, producing a wide range of audiophile grade headphones and earphones with high precision engineering.

One of my favorite tracks Árbakkinn from Olafur Arnalds’ Island Songs (Island Songs, Mercury (Universal France)) begins as Icelandic poet, Einar Georg Einarsson, recites one of his poems in his native language. Being a dual entry headphone, the 99 Neo also isn’t compatible with any kind of Bluetooth adaptor meaning that the headphone is not viable for usage with the iPhone 7 or other jack-less smartphones unless you can find a third party lightning cable. They actually pick up a surprising amount of hiss from my noisier sources but even modestly noisy sources such as my Oppo HA-2 had no issue. The bass is presented well in this headphone with good sub bass extension and the background details can be heard since the track is not a busy one. In this way Meze Audio embodies a renaissance philosophy and ethic, and eye, that has, seemingly, all but passed from the world.

If I use a different eartip/pad/cover during the review I will note that and describe the sound changes. This is a quick review and some ways that I worked around the issues I had with comfort out of the box. Mid punch have more finess with the NEO, HE-300 being open lacking in this region even more than lower end. In my opinion, that's a perfect thing as they managed to create such an excellent design in the first place. Their appealing combination of natural warmth and good insight, all-day comfort and classic looks make them an appetising option.

Their products are known for its warm sound with their handmade craftsmanship which brings the exquisite design language and premium feel to their audio gears. Our aim is to change the perception of headphones as technical devices or as cheap plastic accessories and create a mature product to fall in love with. However, the fit on these headphones is not nearly so developed and a lot of these manufacturers have struggled to adopt an over-ear form factor, many coming from a rich heritage of speaker design over portable gear. Know then, that the Meze 99 Classics will provide bass across Hip-Hop, Rap, Stravinsky, Bruckner, the 1812 Overture (with cannons), etc.Lower end dig very deep, so you will have no difficulties hearing clearly sub bass line and it will be well separated from pumped up mid bass, this type of presentation make it as nicely enjoyable for cello centered classical music than synth bass plus digital kick in electronic, but here, better will be the mastering better will be the final result. The Meze 99 Classics have a relatively low impedance (32Ω -Ohms) and a relatively high sensitivity (103dB). High-hats had nice sparkle without sounding overly thin while cymbals had shimmer and realistic texture.

And the duo of the Meze 99 Classics and the DragonFly Cobalt don’t miss a beat in conveying every scintilla of emotion, every word beautifully captured, as well as the air and space around both Joan Shelly and guitarist Nathan Salsburg.The ear cups has the black textured finish which is very soft to touch and the all black theme with the hint of silver trim gives the sense of premium feel to the headphones. I mention in the classic review that this is one of the best headphone designs of the past few years.