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

I’m rarely surprised by headphones. If anything, most of the time I am slightly let down, I think a headphone is going to sound great, but it then disappoints. With the Meze 99 Classics, it was the complete opposite; I thought they were just going to be another pretty face, a headphone focusing more on looks than sound, but I was SO wrong, so VERY wrong. The Meze 99 is now one of my favorite headphones. I‘m blown away by so many aspects of the 99, let me share those with you. *Accessories* The hard case itself is just awesome, as it is solid and understandingly handsome. Inside the case you will find the 99 Classics sitting snug and safe along with another small, softer case for the cables. It is a fully function and well laid out design. *Build* Over the top, beautiful; that is how I describe the Meze 99 Classics. It is truly an elegant and tough built headphone. This is a headphone that exquisite blends wood and metal. You can tell Meze used very high end materials for this build, that include: “CNC carved wood ear cups, cast zinc alloy hardware with electroplated coating, stamped manganese spring steel headband, memory foam and soft PU leather”. What caught my attention are the two braided cables. One shorter with a microphone and one much longer without a mic (forgive me; I do not have exact lengths of each cable at this time). Both cables are quite beautiful and have a very premium feel. Now, while I am more of a Function over form kind of guy, I feel like as long as it sounds good, it can also look this good. I just hate when companies care about looks and catch phrases over actual sound substance. With the Meze, there is no need to worry in any of those departments though. *Fit* These are clearly an over ear headphone. Comfort and distance around the ears is very good. The only issue some might have is the pads getting a little warm with extended use, though I do love how soft the PU leather is, it is like a pillow around the ear. The headband is very similar to the AKG K 240, with the headphone automatically adjusting to your head with some cleverly placed elastic materials. I wish more headphones were like this as it allows for a perfect and quick fit. *Sound* Bass – Does play a prominent role in the Meze 99 Classics sound signature. There is a lot of warmth and fullness down low. While I would say for the most part the bass stays controlled, it can wander a tad out of hand here and there. Sub-bass kick is wonderful, a lot of force with its bite. Mids – I have a soft spot for the 99’s mids. They are just north of neutral, while also being dynamic and detailed. I think this is why I like these headphones so much, the middle is a great place to be. A lot of speed, action and clarity resonate from here; this is where the magic happens. Highs – While the Meze 99 Classics don’t extend too high, I never feel a loss of detail. A slightly early roll off leads to a smoothness and sophistication not often heard with many other headphones I have heard recently. Isolation – Due to the easy fit and soft leather pads, the Meze 99 Classics can form quite a nice seal. That seal in return leads to a really nice isolating headphone. I just had my friend try these out a few minute ago while I was writing this, he was really impress how well these headphones block off noise. He thought they were even noise canceling, until I quickly corrected him. Soundstage – Here I found the biggest surprise the 99 Classics had to offer, a huge, well-tuned soundstage. It is so wide, yet instrument separation stays so crisp and organized. I honestly can figure out how Meze got this broad feeling from a closed, well isolating headphone, it is remarkable. *Overall Thoughts* As I you will have concluded from my review, I really like the Meze 99 Classics. I think they are extremely fun and energetic, making them an obvious guilty pleasure for me. They are analytical in their approach, yet still stay away from the label of monitoring. They look incredible and have the personality to back it up. I’ve reviewed over 30+ headphones this year alone and the Meze is a bright spot among them. A surprise I honestly did not see coming. The 99 Classics is truly a great overall headphone for those looking for a warm, entertaining and detailed musical experience. ~All photos for this review were taken by me~

I love these headphones! I use them for music and tv/video.With music, they faithfully reproduce the engineers mix and mastering. If a recording is poorly done, youll know it, but if its a good production, well, sit back and enjoy! The movie sound is dynamic and captures all the movement and nuances of good theater sound. Not only do they sound amazing, but theyre also attractive. The kevlar cables dont tangle and the hardshell carrying case is a bonus.

These Meze 99 Classics Headphones work best with 5 Instruments in songs. The Meze 99 Classics Headphones allow Guitar, Piano and Bass to be fully represented. I hope to be able to afford Planar Headphones in the future but I will always hold onto these Meze 99 Classics Headphones.

I got these after watching dankpods. He was right. These have quality sound in bass, mids, and ok high end. I use these with my ipod all the time. Im thinking of getting a Bluetooth amp.

After a year of ownership, I can truly say you get your moneys worth from these headphones. The only reason I rated 4 stars is that the ear pads flattened enough to feel the headphone press against my ear after about 10 months. I have 2 other pairs of headphones that are around this price point from other manufacturers, and although these have the best sound quality, the ear pads on the others has faired well. Even with this, theyre still comfortable for 8+hour days, even with glasses with thick frames. Nonetheless, dont let that one little point deter you from these awesome headphones. The workmanship is admirable and the aesthetics are unquestionably gorgeous.

These are one of the best headphones I own. Very comfy. Beatufyul design. Excellent sound. And for the price for mid price range headphones REALLY REALLY worthy!!

If you look at reviews, people rarely have much bad to say about the Meze 99s. After having them for a few days, I can see why the comments are typically good. Heres my quick take. First, these are really nice looking phones. Fashion cans, as some call them. They seem of excellent build quality and finishing. I havent noticed any flaws out of the box. Uniform wood grain, generally well sorted. Im a sucker for natural wood, so that gets them off on a good foot. These arent very weighty or massive, in terms of full sized headphones. They feel sturdy, though, with everything depending from a spring steel headband. The auto-fit feature works well, making them a breeze to put on. Comfort is good, but not perfect. I find that my ears *just* touch the internal cavity wall of the phones sometimes, and this can build into slight discomfort. But very minor. The ear pads themselves are cushy, and theres a reasonably light clamping force. These wont be good for jogging around or doing parkour. The sound has a strong bass foundation, and goes deep enough to catch the pedal tones of a pipe organ with authority. Nuance is good, but not hyper-critical, as some headphones get. Overall, its a good mix of detail and forgiveness/fun. The 99s are not trying to be perfectly flat in response, but to instead give you a visceral and exciting presentation. Mission accomplished. Nothing is bloated, distorted, or exaggerated. No lack of mids or highs, but not fatiguing levels of either. These are VERY EFFICIENT. Powering them with a portable player or your phone wont be tough. On my Dragonfly Black amp, I am at loud on volume 3/100. Yeah. Concert volume at 5 or 7. Quiet at 1/100. So there you go. Sound isolation is pretty good. Youll notice nearby trench warfare, but the whir of a fan or the clothes dryer will largely fall away. Thus far, worth the money I paid, no question.

Just buy them if they are available. Nevermind all the yakkity yakk. Theyre worth way more than $309. Could be your final stop. Need at least 70 hours of break in for the bass to shine right. But then... Oh yeah, theyre beautiful too. Update 08/14/2021: Purchased an ifi Hipdac and so I wanted a balanced 4.4 cable. Well Meze has their own. Just wow! If you want the bass to tighten up and sound clear, taut, and punchy and on and on and on… Just get the 99 Classics, the Meze balanced cable, ifi’ s Hipdac, an Apple CCK and/or ifi’s USB-C to female USB-A for the iPad Pro and you’ll find instant bliss I promise! For around 7 bills for all of the above you’ll get off the Audiophile Nervosa bus forever! Using an iPhone 12 Pro Max and an iPad Pro 2019 version. Did I say JUST WOW!

The headphones were provided in a high quality carry case and the build quality of the headphones is also of high quality. The headphones had garnered a number of great reviews from various review sources and I can see why. I cant compare them to more expensive headphones, but for the price point, they sound good and I am happy with the purchase.

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!