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Meze 99 Classic over-the-ear headphones: walnut silver and gold, radiating natural musicality

Brands are like glamorous girls: if someone shows off his or her bare belly in the street, the whole city and then the whole country will erotically flash to the delight of the other half of humanity. Here come the brands don’t want to concede anything to each other. As a rule, vendors are following fashion and copying the most catchy marketing tricks from their competitors, often overlooking the most important thing – in our case, sound.

But it happens the opposite: the producer puts considerable investments into the development, in a natural sound quality, and on the “make-up” and marketing there is no money and no forces left. The prices eventually skyrocket, confusing the minds and desires of the listening public. Our brother, an audiophile, with hunger threw himself at first on painted products at which the music and did not sleep – were issued only sounds. And in course of time musical brotherhood learned to recognize behind every modest girl “the girl from Turgenev” with a deep and extraordinary inner world, where there is no place for a single false note!

Thank you to Meze for providing us with a sample to listen to

Headphones
Audio equipment
Meze
Meze

Today we have a guest model, beautiful in every way. And it doesn’t matter whether you like it or not, this is the case when it’s pleasant to look at and pleasant to hold. I reverently placed it on my head. And how nice to listen! Anyway, today we’re going to talk about the Meze 99 Classic overhead headphones.

Including a test composition, I will notice that Company Meze – the young, dynamically developing firm which specializes on release of ear-phones. “The port of call was Romania. Company slogan: “Quality, style, sound! Only natural materials, screws, nuts and no glue!”

Specifications

Range of playable frequencies:

15Hz – 25KHz

Type of headphones:

dynamic/enclosed

Sensitivity:

103dB 1KHz, 1mW

Impedance:

32Ohm

Cable:

removable/two

plug:

Jack 3.5 + adapter 6.3 mm

Weight:

260g without cable

Audio equipment

Appearance and ergonomics

A little more and I would have started listening to the box. The whole kit is beyond praise. The headphones from the packaging look like the model from the glossy cover, one word – Meze 99 Classic. And the slogan is like a declaration of love for music, of course ! – “perfect natural sound – perfect natural fit”.

Inside the box is even more interesting: there is a branded black, almost leather, convexly shaped pill-case radiating a sense of real buzz. I take the tablet case, a couple of seconds and the music poured out, like poetry by Pushkin. So good!

Yes, from the black tablet fell another dark “matryoshka”, smaller, also round, stuffed with an adapter plug for music for 10,000 km above the ground, an adapter 3.5/6.3 mm and two removable cables: for pairing with mobile devices and stationary equipment. Everything you need to enjoy with a great model. Seriously, these are great ears. I twist and turn, but still can’t find the flaw. Metal, wood, leather and imposing screws and bolts. Aesthetic!

Headphones
Meze
Meze

Headphones are available in four colors. WALNUT GOLD in walnut, WALNUT SILVER in walnut, and MAPLE SILVER in maple. I chose the “silver with maple”, I do not know why, but at that moment I was drawn to the “light side of power” remember the white stripe in the review of German MAESTRO GMP 435 S? . And I don’t regret it. The removable wires “flash” predictably: the dark models are black, the light models are white.

It’s known that everyone has his own head, but the Meze 99 Classic fit my head so softly and comfortably that I wish the same for the other head. At the very least, the soft adjustment will help, which also glides quite gracefully.

Perhaps in the heat, my own ears will be a little hot from such closed ears. I did a ruthless experiment: I sat in headphones for several hours in the summer heat. And heard nothing but comfort and favorite songs. Though behind us the air conditioner was on “to Vivaldi music”, but we won’t tell anyone about it… Let him listen to the air conditioner too, there was a real melting heat outside the window, but the music sounded not worse.

Audio equipment

Sound

The main listening was done with MyST DAC 1866OCU V.2, Lotoo PAW Gold, QLS qa-360, Colorfly C200 and iBasso DX80, and the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge smartphone.

With all sources headphones played at the appropriate level, including even a smartphone. Although there are some subtleties, but all in all very good. My introduction to the Meze 99 Classic was in three stages.

First. I took them out of the box, gave them a quick listen, realized I liked them, and since I had a relationship with another review, put the pretty model on hold.

On the second stage, I decided to listen to the sub for a longer time the night is long , going through various musical genres. At night I have some questions to some tracks – about midbass aggressiveness just a soccer hooligan of some kind . In the end, I had to put the headphones on “warm-up” for about 50-70 hours.

And finally, the third phase, when I really sat down and merged with the headphones in absolute ecstasy.

I would describe the sound of Meze 99 Classic as neutral, a little bit warm with very clear and firm bass, or even a little boost in the midbass area.

Headphones have good speed characteristics. Among the earpieces based on the dynamic driver they are one of the fastest planar models and armature in-canal headphones are not taken into account .

Meze 99 Classic is very natural and musical. You can follow in my footsteps: I’ve included such tracks as Megadeth – Dystopia, Megadeth – Symphony of Destruction, Pantera – 5 Minutes Alone and Slipknot – Psychosocial. Although I’m not a big fan of this kind of music, when I heard this, I knew the depth of my soul. the drum kit’s rolls – fast, clear, you feel the tension of the membrane on the drum, the vibrating force of its beat, the bass drum doesn’t just breathe, it breathes right in your face. Mesmerizing from the first bars..

The guitar riffs are very natural and virtuosic. The bass is clearly worked out – amazing! The vocals are served beautifully, they are clear, smooth, expressive. And what an iron! I mean the cymbals and the hi-hat. It’s rare to hear such a clear and precise spark in the tweeter. After hearing this I ordered the Megadeth – “Countdown to Extinction” CD from Amazon. You know what I mean? This is how you become a metalhead.

It’s amazing how these headphones play off heavy genres. And my favorite New Wave sounded very catchy too. The Pretenders entire album “Get Close” flew by in the same breath, so I could feel all the charm of the 80′s music again, along with the voice of the great Chrissie Hynde. Reread my favorite Buzzcocks – “Singles Going Steady”.

Great Meze 99 Classic and Leftfield – “Leftism”. That’s something! Original, which they did with the Curve’s lead singer Toni Halliday, it really blows your mind. And then there’s Open Up with John Lydon…

But there are spots in the sun, too. Some poorly mixed and slow tracks sounded a bit muddy. Either the midbass was drank out of place or something else… Or maybe I wasn’t in the mood: then I searched and searched for the wrong track, poking and prodding, and it couldn’t find it… Finally I played a rarity Architectural Abdabs record – “Lucy Lea In Blue Tight “, you know? In case you’re not in the know, I’ll tell you: this is a very young Syd Barrett, the first title of the legendary Pink Floyd. It’s hard not to complain: the sound is terrible, but the song is good.

There were some questionable moments, in both feelgay and indie-rock, but the flaws depend more on the track and its synths than on the genre in general. There are cases when the bass seems too aggressive, like a fighter bull terrier.

Headphones
Meze

So:

Bass – Crisp, fast, collected, a little aggressive in the midbass area. The headphones can play back everything very clearly, multitone, even the sub bass area. The momentum of the rise and fall of the sound is worked out very well.

Mids – the middle is very detailed, natural, with good elaboration of details, the overall presentation is smooth. Cool!

The tweeter is crisp, without excessive aggression, precise, smooth.

The overall delivery is a little warm and bassy, but it will still depend on your sound source. They have their own certain charm and that powerful accurate punch, punch, detailed smooth middle and clear delicate high frequencies. Some will like it, some won’t, but if the sound of the Meze 99 Classic hooks you, it’s going to last.

Conclusions

The headphones are tasteful but very interesting, I do not hesitate to recommend them for purchase. Especially for those who listen to heavy genres, although not only for metal lovers. Of course, it’s always better to listen to everything yourself before buying. But these headphones are pleasing to the eye, very pretty, sleek, comfortable, and most importantly, with good sound. The price on the official website of the manufacturer is listed at 309.00 USD. I think the price tag is as good as the sound of the ears. I hope that soon Meze 99 Classic will appear in our online stores.

Pros

Sound, design, quality of materials and workmanship, price.

Cons

Not everyone might like the somewhat aggressive delivery around the midbass.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 5
  1. Finley

    Are the Meze 99 Classic headphones known for their exceptional sound quality and craftsmanship?

    Reply
  2. Harper

    What is the sound quality like on the Meze 99 Classic headphones? Are they comfortable to wear for extended periods of time? And how would you compare the walnut silver and gold options in terms of aesthetics?

    Reply
  3. Clementine

    Are the Meze 99 Classic headphones available in other color options apart from walnut silver and gold?

    Reply
  4. Avalon

    These Meze 99 Classic headphones sound intriguing with their walnut silver and gold design. However, I’m curious to know more about their performance. Can someone please share their experience using these headphones? How is the sound quality and comfort level? Any drawbacks or issues to be aware of? Would appreciate any insights before considering a purchase.

    Reply
  5. Ella Henderson

    Can anyone share their experience with Meze 99 Classic over-the-ear headphones? I’m particularly interested in the walnut silver and gold options. Are these headphones truly able to deliver a natural musicality, as claimed? Your insights would be greatly appreciated.

    Reply
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