A regular fixture on InnerFidelity’s Wall of Fame, PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice section, and award lists around the world, the 99 Classics get a dark new look in the 99 Noir. Made in collaboration with Meze Audio, these headphones update the original medium-brown finish with a deep matte espresso and swap the gold hardware for more understated black Read More
Honestly, I was a little disappointed in these. Too small for my ears, high bass, muddy mids, and drowned highs. Also, it's plastic and not wood so another bummer. Have to return, unfortunately.
Warm Sound. Feel well-built. Look great. Great value.
These have been on my radar for about a year, and I finally picked them up as a daily driver after my he400i died on me. These are the equivalent of a hot chocolate on a cold winter evening. Not very technical but the sound is so forgiving and smooth, it's addicting. They come with a set of smaller pads, I tried both and the smaller ones clean up the highs a little, to my ears at least. These match up to most reviews online, so be aware of that when going into the purchase. I can't speak to the long term build quality, but my first impression is positive. They feel overall solid. You will either love them or hate them, and I really love them. Especially at this price.
heavy bass. makes it sound a bit muddy. its farly clear and looks great wouldnt recommend if you like something more proffesional. similar to beats headphones just not my thing
I know Crinacle doesn't like Meze and thinks these are merely sourced from China and rebadged enough to claim it's Romanian made. Don't know if that's true, but whatever it is, these are beautiful on the outside and sound very good (not great) as well.
Bass is a bit boomy, and complex, textured tracks will struggle here. Think Happier than ever from Billie Eilish. Treble is smooth and tamed well, without feeling muddied. Vocals come through clearly as well. Male vocals seem more prominent to me, however.
Build is wonderful and artistic. The only thing I don't like is the headband strap as my hair catches on it. No wonder more women don't use headphones. Too many men designing listening equipment.
Overall, the drivers could do with an update to make the bass tighter and add more texture to the treble, but a good product at this price point, nonetheless. I suspect the 99 Classics would sound a bit better...a bit like the HD6XX vs HD650 difference (HD650 is better by about 20%)
The fit and finish is excellent, the sound, while not the most accurate is very enjoyable when it comes to media consumption.
But as some other people mentioned, using them with glasses does diminish the sound quality a bit.
For the first eight months (approx.), I loved the Meze 99 Noir headphones. Good isolation, good bass, and very enjoyable sound (I have owned Klipsch Heresy speakers since 1979; but, I have had little experience with high quality headphones). Late June 2022, the right ear cup simply fell off as I was placing the 'phones on my head. I was able to "snap" the ear cup back on, but it would not stay on; so, I purchased some blister prevention tape at CVS which is keeping the ear cup in place with some flexibility. It doesn't do much for the appearance, though. I keep very good care of my equipment (musical instruments, cameras, stereo equipment, etc.), and the Meze have their home safely perched on the ADV. DUAL STAND HEADPHONE HANGER. I would say the problem is simply low quality plastic parts. I would have rated these 'phones 5 stars were it not for the cheap build. Alas, you get what you pay for. Drop has great customer service, though. They alerted me after ordering that there could be a problem with mold, and offered to refund my money if my 'phones arrived with mold. There may have been some white mold on the carrying case, but not enough to matter, since these live on my desk. At least they still work, and I still enjoy the sound connected to my iMac via the Schiit Asgard 3 amp/preamp/DAC.
The polarising reviews online now make sense. Is the quality amazing and are they comfy? - Yes! Are they bass heavy? - Yes! Do they image well? - Yes!
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Are they great choice for listening to music after a busy day (not analysing frequencies)? - Yes! Are they good for every genre of music? - No (subjective). I am using them with the smaller pads (they def reduce bass boominess and bleed to mids, and they r comfy for me) and I have also invested in the 4.4mm balanced Silver plated cable from Meze. For me this combo is magical for almost all kinds of music! I'm using them w Qudelix 5k when on the go primarily and occasionaly via my A/D30 Pro stack. Def recommended!