Meze 99 Classics Walnut Gold Headphones (Gold & Black)

Product Information

Listening to my usual treble test songs, Radiohead’s “Creep”, “Paranoid Android” and “No Surprises” and Elton John’s “Rocket Man”, and the 99 Neo’s produced one of the better performances among my portable headphone collection. The bass is presented well in this headphone with good sub bass extension and the background details can be heard since the track is not a busy one. The accessories are simple enough; there is, after all, not much you can do with a set of headphones. Audiophile On is dedicated to bringing reviews of high-end portable audio products with an easy-to-understand format. The box is pretty big with the image of the headphone printed on the front with the specs mentioned on the back.

Besides the usual warranty everybody is offering, we guarantee that the 99’s are serviceable if any parts would ever need to be replaced because we built these headphones to last. Even though I am very sensitive especially with the padding of the ear cups, for example, if my ear bumps against the inside or the pads do not completely enclose my ear, I have no major problems with the NEO even after hours, except for a slight feeling of pressure.Instruments such as acoustic guitar really benefit from this, sounding rich and lush without coming across as bloated and the headphones retain enough resolution to flatter piano and string instruments. But strip away the initial “wow factor” of these headphones and the 99 Neo retains its charm through its well-rounded sound while the P7 and H6 come off as somewhat unnatural. They actually pick up a surprising amount of hiss from my noisier sources but even modestly noisy sources such as my Oppo HA-2 had no issue.

Treble notes were actually quite clear despite the thicker nature of the 99 Neo’s sound and the slightly boosted treble crispness does well to balance out the more relaxed nature of the headphones. SOUNDSTAGE have something special for a closed back, its very wide and around your head with great imaging capabilities that have extra realist decay to it depending of number of instruments. And as the piano, then the violins and cello take over from Einar, this reviewer is stilled by the beauty and forced, simply, to listen. As well, because I own the AKG K-400 in the past, I know what it is to not being free to shake your head when a song posess you, beleive me these 99 NEO will never fall from your head even if you are a headbanger listening to death metal, they are THAT well soldered to you. Using the same driver as the award winning 99 Classics, the Meze 99 Neo strives for precision in every component just as much as its counterpart.The Neo is more U shape even if far from mid centric, with perfectly clear source like X20 the soundstage feel more airy and instrument separation are more natural. Being a dual entry headphone, the 99 Neo also isn’t compatible with any kind of Bluetooth adaptor meaning that the headphone is not viable for usage with the iPhone 7 or other jack-less smartphones unless you can find a third party lightning cable. Its attractive packaging and as such, they are perfect for giving as a gift for birthdays and holidays. With and without glasses on, we spend hours listening to the Mezes during testing, and their design is light and comfortable enough to do so without feeling burdened. Every aspect is incredibly well thought out and far more pragmatic than the vast majority of portable headphones that struggle with at-home usage due to over-emphasis on portability.

The wooden components are carefully inspected and no flaws are permitted to reach the final assembly. High notes were missing that last bit of air and openness that the P7’s provided though treble notes sounded less rolled off than both the PM3 and MM-400’s. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Okay, so for all those who weren’t quite sure whether or not the 99 Classics could do bass and do it well and without the “Buick Boom,” that would be a yes.With a slightly darker tone, the 99 Neo’s aren’t the clearest sounding headphone though they don’t lack clarity per say. Well, I guess because they are adequate to be drive by smarthphone as they are 26ohm and easy to drive, forgive me to never even care to plug it into a phone, i mean, i’m on headfi aren’t I?