Meze 99 Classics Walnut Gold | Wired Over-Ear Headphones with Mic and Self Adjustable Headband | Classic Wooden Closed-Back Headset for Audiophiles

Updated review at the end - leaving the original first: Comfort: I have a fairly large head and it fits well. It is soft on the ears. It is warmer than other headphones I have used in the past, but not enough to make me think badly of them. All in all, very comfortable. Sound Leakage: When playing music, I cant hear any outside noise. When playing at medium levels, nobody else can hear the music I am listening too. I have not played them with really loud music to know if anyone can hear them besides the listener or not in that situation. Sound quality: I am not good at describing this, but I will try my best. I do hear details in the music in the mid and highs, but at the same time it sounds a little dull or muffled. It has a good amount of bass (more than many other headphones I have tried), but I cant hear as much details in the low end as I can with the mids and highs. I had high hopes for this based on all the audiophile reviews, but it surprises me that so many people like this type of sound profile. I expect headphones (or any speaker system for that matter) to sound as if the music and vocals are right in front of me. The Meze 99 Classics do not sound like that to me. The best example I can give is that it seems like the highs and mids (especially the vocals), are too far a way - like you are listening to someone else playing music through the wall of an apartment. I can hear each and every word and various subtleties in the music, but it doesnt sound vibrant or rich and certainly not sounding like it is being played right in front of me - like it does when you see a band live. I guess I would describe the sound I prefer as more open, vibrant or airy sounds and with good clarity and detail at all levels (mids, highs and lows). In summary, the Meze 99 Classics are comfortable, although warm, have good clarity at mids & highs - not the best I have heard, but really good for the price. I dont find the lows to have enough detail for my tastes. But the part that kills these headphones for me is what I mentioned above - the sound signature they produce overall feels muffled or fake to me. It must sound like the music is being played live right in front of me and Meze 99 Classics fails in that regard. And since that is the number 1 thing I look for, these headphones are not for me - even with their great clarify for the price. ***Update March 19th 2018*** I have been asked to specify what setup I was using to test these headphones to help people understand the context of my review. Also, since I have been using these headphones for a while now, I wanted to provide an update. To answer the question first. I bought these headphones for use with portable devices (tablets, laptops, cell phones, etc...). I had no intention of getting something that required an amp to get acceptable volume levels or require an EQ to produce the sound signature that I like. I already have a high quality setup for just pure home use for something like that. So I purchased the Meze 99 Classic to be directly plugged into and used with portable devices. That means I needed headphones that had a low ohm rating. The Meze 99 Classics, rated at 32 ohms, fit the bill for these types of source devices. Now after trying the Meze 99 Classics out on multiple source devices for weeks now, I found that some devices are adding a lot more color (not a good thing for my tastes) than others. However, the Meze 99 Classics sound colored & recessed to some level on all the source devices I have tried. Lets cut to the chase. Will you like these headphones for use with portable devices? I think that for most people, they will say yes. Because I think a lot of people in the market for better than average headphones will like the clarity of the mids and highs that these headphones bring. And I think most of them will be happy with the extra bass and most people won’t be bothered that these headphones sound “bass colored” at all frequency levels and somewhat recessed. However, there will be some audio enthusiast, like me, that having the sound colored is not acceptable. The bass should be there, I love bass. But for my tastes and others like me it is not ok that the bass bleeds into the mids or highs, nor is ok to us that it makes them sound recessed (muffled, in the background, closed, or however you want to describe that sound). If you fit into this category of listener, you will be disappointed by these headphones. To give a better analogy than when I said the Meze 99 Classics sounds like good music being played behind a wall, let me say this instead: At one time, I put a good audio system into my car, including an amp in the trunk and an EQ. I carefully selected speakers to get the clarity I was looking for and I made sure I had good woofers for clear bass with the punch that I wanted. I could hear details at all frequency levels and I could feel the vibration of that bass punch through the back of my seat (without any of that distorted rattling you hear in some bad setups) and without drowning out the mids an highs. Picture the mids and highs mostly coming from the speakers in the front of my car – where I was sitting - and the bass mostly from the back. It was in perfect balance. I can hear everything without anything overwhelming and drowning out other sounds. With the Meze 99 classics, the sounds is like the opposite car speaker setup – meaning like the bass is coming from speakers up in front of the car - closer to your ears - and all the mids and highs coming from the speakers in the back – making them sound recessed (in the background). Again this is more notable on some sources than others and maybe if you ran it through an amp and an EQ, you can fix that. But for the use I have intended – plugged directly into portable devices, the recessed and colored sound is there and that is not what I am after.

Best headphones I’ve tried by far. You can hear every detail in the music. It’s a great addition to my home studio and has completely changed my practice routine!

I bought these headphones (used) on Amazon a few years ago after considering the Oppo and Fidelio X2. While these arent end-game headphones, these are excellent well rounders. Comfort- 4/5; Not as good as the Philips 9500, but pretty good for upright listening. Leaning back, these slide a bit. A bit of compromise due to the weight and materials. Sound Unamped- These are low impedence headphones that you plug it straight into your phone or computer. At first, I was not really impressed. These werent as good as the Philips 9500, but isolated better and looked nicer. Sound Amped- With a good amplifier/DAC- (I used the Massdrop Grace DAC and Cavalli tube hybrid), this headphone sounds significantly better. It sounds uncannily like the Sennheiser 6XX. Excellent musicality and texture. Fairly wide soundstage *for a closed headphone*, but not as much as a good open headphone. Excellent bass. Nice, textured trebles. Liquid mids (with the right source). Isolation- These are not as isolating as the excellent Sony soundblocking headphones. These block sound about as well as the ATHM50 (if Im not mistaken). All in all, they can take the edge off things. While there are better headphones (at higher cost), these headphones are just good enough that I can hold off on getting new ones. In a sense, these headphones have probably saved me several grand in headphone envy. -Matt ps. I can highly recommend the audioengine D3 to power this amp. Its not as creamy or black as the Cavalli CTH, but is noticeably better than plugging directly into a laptop headphone out.

Ive had these headphones for about a month, and have really enjoyed using them. They sound very clear, and its incredibly easy to separate different instruments and notes. Lower noises sound punchy (again sounding distinct and not muddled together), and higher notes dont sound too sharp. Listening to music on these headphones sounds very full and rich. These headphones replicate sound very well. In my opinion, listening to instruments sounds like they were being played right in your head (obviously this also depends on the quality of the recording). The wood on the pair I received was a lighter color than in the pictures. Not nearly as light as the maple, but more of a tan color. The grain circles around where the band attaches (not sure if that really every differs). The ability to plug in different lengths of cable is pretty handy. Though I wish it was possible to put the headphones in the case without having to take them out (they stick out the bottom a bit too much). The biggest complaint I have about these headphones (which I dont think is a deal breaker keeping in mind the other positives), is that the automatic sizing of the band feels like it squeezes or pulls up just a bit too much. So wearing them for a few hours then taking them off feels like like taking your shoes off wearing them all day, in that you could probably wear them longer, but its nice to take them off. I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking for a pair of good headphones. I would say if these are in your budget, theyre well worth the cost.

For the money fit and finish are exemplary The wood improves the sound It is comfortable and the headband is self adjusting There is a slight ear sweat in prolonged listening sessions do not necessarily recommend them for use Jin the rain I replaced the cable and earpads O am an audiophile The one negate thing for me is the earpads are not snap on. And the cable is designed to release under pressure. You might like that Highly recommended.

OMG -- these are without a doubt the most beautiful sounding headphones I have ever listened to; and, Ive listened to plenty. A firm believer in Sennheiser, I thought I would have to wait until I could afford around $1,600.00 to hear the ultimate headphone, even though I own two pairs of Sennheisers already. These cost me over $100.00 more than the 99s each!!! When I read the reviews that ultimately led to their purchase, I was expecting a very mellow, perhaps dark, sounding headphone. Not at all -- this headset needs only two adjectives -- perfectly musical. As a trumpet player, musician, and audiophile I honestly cant believe the accuracy of these cans. The cymbal crashes demonstrate harmonics and tone quality! Yes, thats right, not toneless splashes. Further, the bass is strong, clean and there is no coloration of tone quality in other instrumentation using those same frequencies. This review has been written after first listen out of the box. No break in. Lastly, I flattened the EQ in foobar to make sure I wasnt hearing boosted bass or lowered treble frequencies. Well, I wasnt. These Meze 99 Classics simply sound gorgeous!! You will not find a better sounding pair of cans on the planet for $300.00.

Its amazing. I honestly was thinking that headphones are headphones and these are just nicer build quality, but ohhh I was wrong. The 99 classics sound phenomenal. I was using a 75$ pair of Bluetooth ones before and I thought that they sounded good, but the 99s out pace my 75$ pair by miles. The only thing that I think could be added is active noise canceling, but is still really good at blocking noise out with the full over ear, Im not sayi3ng dont buy these. You shouldnt use these if your in really loud spaces, but any other place these are perfect. These are definitely the most functional headphones Ive ever used. Also very durable with the steel and little plastic.

These are my first pair from Meze and I absolutely love these headphones. I got them primarily for travel, as I was very excited about these having good sound regardless of how much (or little) audio set-up you have. Its awesome to be able to plug these into any device and see them produce with the included plug adapters (including one for airplanes) being a nice touch. What I wasnt expecting was how much I enjoy using them around the house and in both sound and aesthetics they happily stack up with headphones that are double or triple (or more) of the cost. The build quality is great, they sound amazing, they look even better, and these Classics are seriously making me consider trying the Empyreans. Very pleased with Meze!

I’m not much an audiophile yet, but I’ll just give you my opinion of the sound: The Meze 99 Classics do some things better than I’ve ever heard, and I think they’re super fun, but some things are just ehh and I wish everything were as elevated as what they stand out in. IMO They shine in: Electronic music Older music/stuff that’s been remastered Modern Jazz and Acid Jazz City Pop Jungle Hip hop (specifically if very bassy) ^^ all of these have such huggable and round sound. The soundstage is nice but still feels close. Worst: Newer rock and all of its subgenres Anything with a crowded mix Anything kind of noisy and jangly Metal Punk and all its subgenres Stuff with just a lot of highs Anything lo-fi ^^ Not as balanced of a sound across all regions in these instances which makes me sad. Sounds kind of distant from me and also sort of blank. I still really do love them, and would recommend them :) If you like your music to be warm, big, and round, these are for you.

I bought these and the AKG 712 Pros and the Beyerdynamic DT880s headphones. The AKG 712s won the contest. The Beyerdynamic DT 880 came in second. These MEZE headphones are beautiful and come with 2 sets of cords and have the cords divide into the right and left inputs on the ear pieces. To be clear - these are quality headphones. However, I could not pull myself away from the spaciousness and reality of the AKGs. Also, to be clear, I am 65 years old and my hearing is a bit compromised. But, I had my wife ( who hears everything ) take a listen and she agreed. I listened to Billie Eilish, electronic EDM A sides and stuff like JP Saxe and Julia Pruitt. All of these are modern, high quality audio pieces. I listen through my iMac which feeds into the a Musicstream DAC and then into the Schiit Audio Magni amp. This also feeds my JBL Pro 5 powered speakers and a Jamo 8 sub. The sound I get with this without headphones is amazing. It is important to me that the headphones equal or surpass this. Sadly, the Meze dont quite reach this.