Meze 99 Classics Wired Wooden Closed Back Over Ear Headphones with Microphone (Walnut/Black)

The build style of these suits my eye nicely, different than anything I've had before. The build does feel a little weak, I'll hope they hold up well, but they look very nice. Headband for my obscenely oversized melon adjusts just enough thank god & sits very lightly and comfortably. Pads can get warm, I have to air out every 20-30 minutes. Headphones come with two sets of cables, I'm not up to speed on the connector type names, but with two connection types & an adaptor, it's very likely they come with what you need & won't need an additional purchase. No balanced connection though, but for this price that's just not an option. Comes nicely packed and with a fairly hard sided case. Impressed with that as well. As for sound, holy mighty lord. I was shocked with the sound, you'd think these were $1k+ headphones. Very easy to power them compared to my Focal Clears. The mids & highs are unbeatable. I'm not pulling your leg, mids & highs cannot be beat, & again, this price? Wow. Bass is loud & full. Only drawback I can put on these is the bass though. It's muddy, lacks detail for sure & you'll notice that right away. I EQ my phones & I've had to pull back the bass just because of the muddiness. I love me my bass but when it's this muddy, I conceded & had to pull it back. However, pulling the bass back just leaves the sound amazing, you will appreciate it very much if you're pushing them with a good source. I use a Topping DAC & amp, eq'd with a Schitt. I might explore, experiment with different cables with hopes of clearing up the bass somehow, maybe a burn in will help as well. If successful, these will beat my Focal Clears by a mile. For audiophiles, I'd say the soundstage is rather narrow & closed in. Typical of closed backs I know. I actually prefer that sound myself. Separation is easily noticeable though.. If you're looking for a cheap, great value addition to your collection like I was, these are it. I'd venture to guess EQ'ing them is probably a need, you'll want the ability to adjust the damned bass.

Great headphones if you can afford them. I prefer wired headphones as I listen to High Resolution recording. Bluetooth won’t cut it for me. They are comfortable although being closed back you may experience sweating in warmer environments. I have these for in home use. Currently use connected to my home stereo unit equipped with a separate headphone amplifier. If connected to phone or iPad with I use a DAC amp. Nice design, lightweight, comfortable and above all great resolution of music detail with good soundstage. Lows, mids, and highs all reproduced with warm to neutral resolution. The next step after these would be audiophile quality costing $500 or more. Would buy again.

I don't normally write reviews. Not an "audiophile", just a person who got few decades of experience with audio equipment and knows what he likes. When it came to headphones lately I use wireless, for convenience. Bose for the buds, Sony for over ear. I don't like active noise canceling because it distorts music to my ears, and only needed on a noisy plane ride or if you live in squalor. My solution to plane ride is a pair of silicone plugs and over ear headphones with a good seal, obviously closed back, and if you can't hear your stuff too well - crank up the volume. This isn't a review, this is a set up to give an idea why I bought Meze 99 Classic model. I was really looking into a good quality set for... GAMING. Yes. Something easily driven if wired without an amp, or a wireless set, because my Sony's omnidirectional mic picked up my desk fan, AC, and everything in between, and you don't want to be THAT GUY on Discord who gets ignored when you talk in a voice channel, because everyone lowered your volume. I watched countless reviews on a few sets and realized I might have to settle for a wired set, due to a list of specific qualities I was looking for. I tried multiple sets and was not satisfied for various reasons, latest one from Logitech, which came simply physically broken, with cracked plastic out of a brand new sealed box. I was tired, gaming was pure frustration, wife was nagging me to buy something because she wanted to give me money for it, since she was out of ideas for my birthday gift. I decided to get a separate USB table mic (I did and I might just write a review on it), and a pair of good quality headphones. I went to couple of stores in Manhattan, including B&H and Audio46, to listen to some AGAIN. After hours of listening of various models and watching countless YouTube videos I suddenly was suggested Meze. I listened to Meze Neo but something was off. Maybe the plastic cups sounded too harsh or fake, maybe its just me. Also I wanted that longer wire that came with 99 Classics and the look. More mature, more refined. I thought the gold accents were gaudy, but when in Rome... or Romania. You know. I ordered a pair. Sure, the company is not widely known. Sure, gold and walnut has that 1970s vibe. But, they hit some of my many bullet points: easily replaceable and repairable parts, none of that glue/hot glue mess, replaceable ear pads, light construction and comfy feel, super smooth wooden ear cups, removable non-kinky cable of right thickness and length. When I listened to music on my phone I discovered the Meze had excellent mic for calls, built into the wire. All this came in an attractive box with accessories and a very nice storage case with a Meze badge. Finally, the sound. They obviously have a slight U signature on the EQ, warm, not overly bassy, nor trebly. You don't look at 500$ + expensive sets if you just want some gaming/music/Tv apparatus. Most of them have studio like tuning which is FLAT, because they're made for critical listening and not "I just want to melt into my chair after work" situations. Most have higher impedance requiring DACs and external amps and equalizers, making you tethered to one spot and feeling like another chore. Not these Meze 99 Classics. I normally listen to soundtracks, movie or games, don't matter, classical music, electronic, classic rock and metal to the extreme. Remember, the better and more expensive your headset is - the better quality files or original source of recording you would require, because they will uncover every hiss and dip, every rough moment will be heard. On most of my old timey punk, thrash and death metal records the level of original recording is crap, so the better your headphones are - the better you'll identify the problems and whole experience will become less joyful. But I digress. Meze has a warm, U shaped signature, as I mentioned, decent seal on the cups and it hides the ugly moments in my crappy old mp3 vinyl and CD rips quality, allowing me to sink into the rhythm and nevermind the bullocks. Meze emailed me soon after I received these asking for a review, but I considered 300$+ set a sizable investment, so I've waited about 2 months before writing this. I use these phones every day for gaming, TV and music consumption. I wipe the cups and headband every night with a damp paper towel to get rid of my skin oils. I love the looks, feel and touch, I love the sound and looks of jealousy in my wife's eyes every time I'm handling them, because I LOVE THEM. Could I afford something more expensive? Yes. Did I find something that better suited my needs and discriminating taste? No, and wouldn't waste any more of my time looking. They're here and hope they last... MY PRECIOUS-S-S!!!!!!

First, a few things that are important to mention. I am not an audiophile at all. I do not pretend that I know more about anyone else when it comes to headphones. I have tried a few different headphones and can afford any headphone set inside the higher price range on the market. All I want, is a simple, excellent sounding, extremely attractive looking set of over ear headphones. But also something people notice, while probably never seeing it before. I like having things people will most likely not have. So I didn't want a Bose or Sony. When I have 30 minutes to 2hrs to relax, I want to slip into a comfortable music bubble and enjoy what I'm hearing. I had never heard of Meze before. No one I know has either. You probably haven't either. After doing a history check, this headphone set has been around since 2015. Internally, there has probably been some engineering changes to the headphones since then. (Read recent reviews instead of the original ones. I have read they changed the product since the ones from 2015) Any product that can stay around that long, (from a small company in Romania) as well as have incredible reviews (across many websites and youtube), was worth me trying. So I bought a pair. A few more things that are important to mention. The 99 Classics and 99 Neo are both made in China. There is no sound cancelling. They are not wireless. There are no bass buttons or switches on the earcups. There is a microphone on the short cable, which I don't care about, haven't used and never will. I'm not taking calls with these. The paper booklet included does say to use them for 40hrs of burn-in time to reach optimal performing state. After already burning my wallet. The cables are very nice. 10ft and 4ft. You can switch them easily. There's no left and right labels on the earcups. The cables have the labels L and R. The case is the perfect size and shape. It feels good to grab with your hand. Outside feels okay. I think it could be better on the inside. (Basic fuzz that holds velcro nicely, but looks cheap). Some fabric would make it feel more like a luxury item. The logo emblem should be metal for the price. Overall, the case is classy looking. The look. Straight up sexy. The walnut and gold with steel frame look so different from anything else you see people wearing. And they look expensive. Wore them in the office. Turned heads. Questions were asked. Many people liked them. You say "CNC Machined Walnut" and people know, these aren't standard headphones. The feel. The best headphones I have ever felt on my ears. That will be the experience for most people who try them on. I have standard size ears, that don't angle or cup outwards. The cups fit perfectly over my ears. The inside face of the cup does just barely lay on my ears. Just a slight touch. I know for some people this is a deal breaker and downside. It isn't for me. The ear pads are memory foam that feel like wonderful marshmallows that seal extremely well. They feel excellent. My ears got warm in 30 mins. The headband has some stretchy thing in it that allows adjusting instead of the way you do with most headphones. I have a slightly larger than average male head and it worked well and was comfortable for me. I have a set of Status Audio CB-1 headphones, which have been really good for video editing and general use, but after 1.5hrs, they do start to give me a headache. I've read this is actually really common for many people (over ear headphone use) and had no idea. I thought it was just me. The Classics 99 do not do this for myself and I don't know why. However, I do find sweat gathers at the ear pads in most situations where there is no air conditioning in the room (after 30 mins or so). It's a very tight seal. Others have mentioned the PU peels off the ear pads after months of use. Since they are not leather, this is definitely going to happen at some point. But there are after market ear pads I have seen from a variety of sellers. These headphones are actually designed with replacement parts in mind. Which is good because the thought of throwing out good high priced headphones because of PU peeling off earpads is not cool. I wish more headphone companies would do this. The sound. After giving them 40 hrs of use, this is what I experienced. Warm sounding music. Close, tight sound. A small soundstage. For the first time, I can really tell the difference between low quality mp3's and high quality ones. Everything I listen to sounds better (in my very inexperienced opinion) than what I paid for. And that's all I really wanted. When I have the music going, (kind of loud) a coffee grinder can be used 15ft from me and I don't hear it unless I really try. Impressive, but it's probably only because the earcup memory foam seals good. So then I figured, if they sound this good, will they sound better with an amp? They don't need one at all, but a few people had written on different sites, that they actual do sound slightly better with an amp. Again, I'm not an audiophile, and don't know if an amp will do anything worthwhile so I didn't want to spend a lot. So I found a cheap amp on Amazon called MYPIN HA.0290. Super cheap with good reviews. And it actually did make the sound just a bit little bit better. I don't know how to describe the change. Obviously I could drive volume louder with no distortion. The sound was a bit brighter and warmer. Not by much, but it still was very cool, that a cheap amp.. did anything at all. So I kept it. After falling in love with this new combination of toys, I decided it would be nice, to have an mp3 player and amp together in one unit with a short cable linking them. Found dual 90 degree short headphone cable on Amazon called Sinloon. Then got my old iPhone 6 and designed a 3D printed case holding the phone and amp together. One day I'll get something better, but I'm new to all of this and it does the job perfectly as is. Now I just grab the headphones and the player/amp whenever I want to escape into a nice music nap. Anyone I have let listen to these headphones love them. But none of them are headphone snobs or audiophiles, so they may be just as pleased with anything else in this price range. But the comfort and the looks are next level to me. I took some pictures in my photo booth with my iPhone. Enjoy! Update: Four months in and these headphones still work perfectly. Everyone that has tried them likes them a lot. I decided that it was time to design a very good 3D printed case with rubber cushions to keep them safe. I also don't have to unplug the cables from the earcups to put them away each time. All the files are free to download and print for anyone. Just search Thingiverse for Meze 99 Classics.

I have 5 pairs of headphones topping out at £750 grados and if I had to pick only one pair it would be the classic. They produce a wonderfully natural musicality without losing anything significant over my more expensive cans. The classic is not a neutral headphone but given a digital input they retain the advantages of digital with a more seamless and natural sound and extremely deep, controlled and palpable bass. Difficult to explain but I always feel that my brain is working harder when I listen to high quality digital, whereas these headphones make sound seem easier to process and this just adds to the enjoyment. Highly recommended Go for it if: You want a pair of home based headphones under £700. You have a good quality (not mp3) based digital system. You have a high quality analogue input with a solid state amplifier. You are finding your current headphones too brash, tiring and mushy at the bass end. You have an external headphone amp. Listen for many hours at a time. You want to listen at lower volumes. May be better options if you Connect them directly to a phone or portable player. Truth is the amplifier in the device just won't be good enough to let them sing, although it will drive them. Listen to low quality digital such as mp3 or free Spotify. The bass becomes overblown and vague. Looking for portability. You need very high level of noise isolation. You want a monitor like accuracy and balance. Neutral they are not. You have larger than average ears. Still worth trying but may not fit. You will use them in a warm environment. You are using a less that top quality valve amplifier. May be overly warm sounding. Pros Musicality. I know there are better headphones out there but when I listen through the classics I just forget about being analytical and get lost in the musicality. I initially thought that they lacked detail but I then realised that it is there. What the classic does is to remove the characteristic of digital replay to focus you on continually changing aspects of the music. Instead I just let the music flow over me and it was my decision as to what, if any specific aspect of the music that I wanted to turn my mind to. Don't think this made the music less emotional or musical, in fact it does just the opposite. They have a fantastic bass response that is tight, fast and very deep. However the bass is never overblown like the sennheiser momentum. The main characteristic is a seemless integrated flow of sound that is incredibly natural, the likes of which I have never before heard from a headphone. The sound stage has good but not exceptional width but the produce a great sense of depth putting you on the stage and this leads to a very intimate feel to the music. Sorry but I just can't fault the design compromises of the classic. Good at lower volume. Subjectively I find that I don't have to up the volume to get a sense of realism or additional musicality so I can listen at lower and safer volumes than with my other cans. Fatigue free. There is no sense of fatigue even after several hours of listening. VERY comfortable to wear for hours. They fit over the ears with soft ear cups and no excessive feeling of pressure from the head band. They are also comfortable if you wear glasses. Look pretty good. Detachable and good length cable. In fact they come with two cables, one with in-line controls. Cons Build quality is ok and matches their price and I can't say they look more expensive than they. They also feel a little fragile, although I expect they are more robust than I give credit. Warm. The ears can get a warm, but not uncomfortably so in hotter environments. Not portable. Too large and fragile to carry around. Average to below average noise isolation.

The clarity of sound, the depth of audio. This is the best headphones I have ever had. They look amazing fit perfectly and are lightweight as well. I recommend these headphones.

Aggiorno la recensione a distanza di anni. Ho acquistato l'anno scorso i pads Dekoni Elite sheepskin appositi per questo modello. Sono il risultato di una stretta collaborazione tra Dekoni e Meze che ha coinvolto i relativi ingegneri. Consiglio decisamente l'acquisto di tali pads, sebbene siano costosi perché a mio avviso migliorano molto le prestazioni sonore già ottime della cuffia. La qualità costruttiva di queste cuffie è eccezionale, basta prenderle in mano per rendersene conto, niente plastica e niente colla. L'estetica dal gusto classico e accattivante è curata in ogni dettaglio, non per niente sono state classificate da alcuni siti tra le cuffie più belle di sempre. Le cuffie risultano eccezionalmente comode grazie all'archetto autoregolante la clamping force è sempre ottimale e le cuffie non risultano affatto pesanti sulla testa, dando quasi la sensazione di non averle neanche addosso. Unico neo, nel mio caso, il fatto che quando porto gli occhiali le punte delle orecchie mi tocchino il fondo dei pads (problema non presente con i pads Dekoni sopra citati). Uso queste cuffie con un lettore FiiO M11 che dispone di uscite bilanciate, avrei quindi gradito che ci fosse un cavo bilanciato in dotazione invece del cavo più lungo che personalmente trovo poco utile, mentre avrei gradito che i comandi del cavo più corto con microfono includessero anche una regolazione per il volume. Acquisterò sicuramente un cavo bilanciato in futuro per sfruttare a pieno la combinazione FiiO M11 e Meze 99 Classic. Per quanto riguarda il suono, la timbrica di queste cuffie è molto naturale, tendente a un suono caldo e rilassante. Mi ha stupito molto positivamente la resa della chitarra acustica e dei fiati. Ottima anche la resa delle voci e dei cori. Sicuramente il punto di forza delle Meze 99 Classics è la gamma media eccezionale. Gli alti hanno il pregio di non essere mai fastidiosi ma non sono dettagliatissimi. La gamma bassa è ben presente e migliora dopo qualche decina di ore di rodaggio. Aggiornamento: la gamma bassa migliora notevolmente con i pads Dekoni sopra citati, il basso è decisamente più controllato. A mio avviso i pads Dekoni migliorano anche dettaglio complessivo e scena sonora. Alcune tracce usate per i test di ascolto - Chitarra acustica: Kiitos da Anaxanum di Andrea Castelfranato. - Oboe: Gabriel's Oboe da The Mission del maestro Ennio Morricone. - Sassofono: Blue Prelude da Sonny Stitt Blows the Blues di Sonny Stitt - Voce femminile e cori: (You Make Me Feel) A Natural Woman da Aretha's Gold di Aretha Franklin - Voce maschile: Lover, You Should've Come Over da Grace di Jeff Buckley - Batteria: The Drum Thunder Suite da Moanin' di Art Blakey & The Jazz Messangers

Brilliant headphones, they are bit more bassy and bit sharp out of the box, but they settled down slightly after few days of use, they are now exactly what I wanted, no eq or dsp needed like with many others I’ve tried. They are light so it’s easy to forgot you wear them, build quality is very good and they looking really nice. They definetly worth the money