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

These aint cheep, rather most would call these priced in enthusiast mid range area, but Ill be honest when I say, these sound like 1,000 dollar cans. Durable too! I drag these everywhere! they look so good Im gonna wear them at the park when the plague feels like its let up. (soon!) But if your reading this, on the fence, get them. These are amazing. If you have the extra, drop it on the silver cable and the recommended dac+amp to power it. (the silver cable has a smaller plug for more direct sound, as I understand it the left and right channels are their own thing with a good dac and have next to zero cross talk. in laymans terms your right ear hears things you left ear wont PLUS the cable is stronger and more snag resistant)

Everyone that has reviewed these headphones as having too much bass is absolutely correct: they are monstrously out of balance. To the point that the lower midrange and midrange are practically inaccessible. Which means the high end is left to fend for itself, somehow. Its truly startling that any reputable company would produce such a product with such an obvious problem and have the temerity -- the Temerity I say! -- to claim superior, balanced sound. While being comfortable to wear and lovely to the eye and touch, they are impossible to use for listening. My own application was for monitoring field recording. Sadly they muffled the signal as expertly as they muffled any external noise. Do yourself a favor and listen elsewhere...

The balanced tonal quality of these headphones is the first thing that stands out. Add clarity, definition, range, great imaging, and terrific dynamics. These cans are efficient too! I pulled them out of the box - seriously, these are the best sounding out of the box headphones I’ve ever listened to - with my portable Oppo ha2 amp ready to go - - didn’t need it. My A&K 70 sounded just fine without the amp meaning: the 99s are super efficient. If I have to choose a word to paint a picture: Spectacular! And I own 15 pairs of headphones including all the past and present Sennheiser line, LCD-X and Focal Clear. I’m telling you, these cans are bad to the bone (props to George T for the line). Need more proof? My wife grabbed these, wouldn’t put them down and I just ordered a second pair. Best 309 I ever spent.

The best headphones that I’ve ever owned, but the head strap took some getting used to because it became uncomfortable after long us. I have a bald head so that is probably why. Also, the overhead metal support bars makes an annoying tinging sound when hit by accident while listening to music. Sound quality is top notch no matter what music I play through them.

Great pair of headphones for when youre on the go. A really good amount of detail and clarity, similar to M50x. But much better bass thump. Great vocals. Like many warmer, thumpier headphones between $150-$500, these are very forgiving of whatever source/dac/amp you use, so I never feel the need to use a specialized dac/amp with these. It does improve with the H2, of course, but the difference is not as dramatic as it is for the m50x, Utopias, HD800, T1. The Meze 99 Classics are as forgiving as the tr80/250. I also think the Meze 99 Classics have struck a really fun, musical balance between the different frequency ranges. Not flat by any means, but foot tapping fun. The sound profile and forgiving nature of the sound and the lightness of the Meze 99 Classics are ideal when out and about town, but not needing noise cancellation. The original headphones I used for being out and about, but not needing noise cancellation was the tr80/250. It has a nice thumpy sound, isolates okay, gets in a good amount of detail and clarity, is very forgiving of the source, but somehow lacks the toe tapping fun of the Meze 99 Classics. The only thing I wish is that these had the fold flat capability of the m50x (the analytical headphones I reserve for audio recording). Fold flat is useful for both getting into my thin iPad bag, and also when I want the headphones around my neck and out of the way.

Meze has a solid performer in the Classic 99’s. I’ve worn them for hours and they are comfortable even on my 8 1/4 hat size cranium. Headphone sound reproduction analysis is a subjective topic. For me, the Meze phones are warm with good bass, distinct tonal separation and a comfortable high end that lacks shrillness. The Meze 99’s are physically “noise cancelling” because they are sealed over the ear models, not open headphones like many of the Grado Headphones. They do NOT have specific noise canceling technology but they are far quieter than any noise canceling headphones I currently own including Bluetooth noise canceling earbuds. The Meze 99 phones come with a two cords. A shorter cord for phone and general audio use and a longer cord that lacks the integrated phone functionality. The build quality and overall appearance are superb. The walnut exterior is as warm as the tonal qualities. I use a circa 2006 McIntosh MVP-861 CD player with an IFi Zen Air Can MZ-99 headphone amp that is purpose built for these Meze 99 phones and adds to the balance and warmth of the Meze 99’s. I bought the Meze 99’s refurbed and they were a great value and looked brand new on arrival. That reduced the list price by more than 1/3 making the Meze 99’s as good a value as they are a headphone. The Meze 99’s are ideal for a weekend or rainy day listening session. I’ve grown to like them very quickly and see no “cons”, especially when purchased refurbished. Hope that helps! PS - I had an issue with one of the short headphone cords, it was cutting in and out. I contacted the seller, Audio Exchange, and they quickly sent me a new cable. Outstanding service!

Good looks, great fit, great sound.

The looks of this headphones is simply stunning with the walnut and the metal frame. To be honest, that why I bought them. And the fact that theyre closed ear cups so that you dont other people when you listen to them. They come with a very nice zippered black hardcover storage case which is very practical and quite pretty too. The sound quality is decent with pronounced bass and good clarity on the top end, however it isnt very tight or very well balanced throughout the frequency spectrum, so I do not consider this to be audiophile quality. But hey, its $99... The metal frame and self adjusting headband work well, look good and the headphones are light and comfortable in an upright position. If you want to lie down in bed or on the sofa the bulkiness of the ear cups and the metal frame sticking out cause the headphones to shift on your head at a weird angle, which makes it less comfortable. Also the ear cups/muffs could be a little bit bigger. I do not have huge ears but they do touch the sides. Furthermore the metal frame rings (metal clunky sound) when to touch it or when you bump into something, or shift around on your pillow. I upgraded to a nicer cable but the included cables are not bad. All in all for the $99 this is a stunning piece of headgear with pretty decent cables and a very nice storage container!

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.

The headphones are amazing, the only reason I havent given them 5 stars is because my chord came with some very annoying split ends in the threading. It doesnt impact the sound, it just hurts aesthetically.