Massdrop x Meze 99 Noir Closed-Back Headphones Reviews | Drop

Apr 19, 2019

Verified Buyer

Meze 99 Noir are smooth and fun headphones with elevation in bass. For closed headphones, the staging is wide. Having heard the comments about the "Revised" original pads vs the new pads, I have decided to use the revised pads from the start. Inside the earpads it is a bit congested but acceptable. I use a 8 core OFC 7N balanced cable with DP-X1A. Compared with the stock cable, I feel the vocal is a tad more forward. The bass is more impactful. Some Impressions (All songs were listened thru the Revised Original (RO) pads. Some songs were also auditioned thru the new pads (and the impressions were denoted as "(NP)" below):

It is a bliss to listen to the titled track of Ondekoza's Fujiyama (鬼太鼓座富嶽百景)- the drumming is just oh so powerful.
(RO) Listening to "Uh Uh" Thundercat's Drunk, I could hear the details in the bass solo quite clearly. (NP) The bass is less boomy here and less detailed.
(RO) For Norah Jones' "Burn" in Day Breaks, the separation is good that I could hear Wayne Shorter's pure sax clearly even when Norah sings (also the good separation between piano + double bass + sax in the outro). (NP) Wayne Shorter's sax is less prominent here. His sax is less detailed when Norah sings at the same time.
(RO) On the titled track + "Cure" of Moonchild's Voyager. the vocal of Amber Narvan is as intimate as ever against the good dynamic syn-bass. (NP) The bass is far less present and less dynamic and Amber's vocal has less sparkle.
(RO) On Queen's "Dragon Attack" in The Game, the bass solo is more present (but Brian May's guitar solo in the middle is somewhat recessed). John's bassline is more detailed even when Freddie sings. You can feel how groovy John is here. (NP) The bass solo is less forward and less detailed.
"Manha De Carnaval" in The Paul Desmond Quartet's Live, the double bass provides good dynamic to support Paul's more forward alto solo. The bass-solo in the middle is quite present and detailed.
I have some problem with "Capicornus" in Austin Peralta's Endless Planets, the double bass is so overwhelming. But I guess it is about the problem of the recording.
Marina and the Diamonds' "I'm a Ruin" in Froot is a song with strong bass and sweet vocal. The separation is good that the punchy bass does not veil Marina’s vocal.

On James Gang's "The Bomber" in Rides Again, the guitar and bass solo both manifest themselves in a nice balance way. Having said that, the bass is detailed and with slow decay.
Black Sabbath's songs like "Sabbra Cadabra" of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, or "Neon Knight" in Heaven and Hell, these phones help reproduce the signature wall of sound (Tony's guitar and Geezer's bassline).
On Judas Priest's "Painkiller" of The Essential, I am somehow surprised (in a nice way) by how detailed yet impactful the drum-kicking is in the background.
On The Dave Brubeck Quartet's "Sounds of the Loop" in Jazz Impressions of the U.S.A., each note of the double bass, again, is detailed in the background. The imaging of the instruments is quite clear - Desmond's Alto and Dave's piano is the front and Joe's drum set is a bit farther and Gene's double bass is in the back. Joe Morello's lengthy drum solo is quite present here.
(RO) It is so fun to listen to Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" from the soundtrack of Pulp Fiction, especially the bassline. wow. You can hear Tommy Cogbill is walking his funky bassline here! (NP) Dusty's vocal is less forward here and the bigger disappointment is that the bass is more laid back
(RO) On 陳潔麗 Lily Chan's live rendition "非走不可/男朋友/祝君安好" from her Purely For You 2013 Concert, the vocal is sweet. (NP) The vocal has less sparkle here and bass is quieter.
The titled track of Michael Franks' Tiger in the Rain (WARNING: 2015 Remastered Version) is badly remastered and the the bass is unnecessarily elevated. The song has almost reached the point of unlistenable thru the Noir.
On Agnes Obel's "Familiar" from Citizen of Glass, the double bass here is very clear and dynamic.
BADBADNOTGOOD's "Kaleidoscope" from the III Album, the epic bass solo is impactful but it seems the decay is a tad too slow.

(Edited)

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Apr 21, 2019

cheapladDid you manage to try both pads and compare? I'm asking because I tried the Meze 99 Classic at a local store and I'm assuming it's probably the "new" pad and I find treble to be a bit shy. Was wondering if the "original" pad has more energetic treble (according to the graph provided I think it should). EDIT: ops I realized I said "new" pad twice meant to say "new" vs "original" lol.

(Edited)

Apr 21, 2019

Apr 21, 2019

HydeHey @Hyde, I have supplemented the impressions using the new pads above. To me, in terms of my sound preference, the Revised Original pads are far superior to the new ones. The vocal (especially the female one) is more forward and has more sparkle. The bass is more prominent and more detailed. I guess the smaller holes of the Revised Original Pads provide a better sealing? The only redeemable feature of the new pads is that they have a bigger fit, and thus more comfortable.

Apr 21, 2019

Apr 21, 2019

cheapladAwesome! I listen to a lot of female vocals so that's really good to know lol. Though for the most part I still really enjoyed the "new" pad sound anyway so it's reassurring to hear the "original" is even better. Thanks!!! EDIT: ops I re-read your review and saw the comparison, my bad and thanks again for the great review!

(Edited)

Apr 21, 2019

Apr 21, 2019

HydeI bet if they sell the "Revised Original" pads here, the pads would be sold like cake to some 99 Classic/Neo owners. @CEE_TEE, will it happen?

Apr 21, 2019

CEE_TEE

3481

Apr 21, 2019

cheapladIf we have enough requests, this may be possible!

Apr 21, 2019

kevinboyer

Apr 22, 2019

cheapladcheaplad, where did you purchase the cable you referenced in your post? Is there a manufacturer's name for it? Thanks, Kevin Boyer

Apr 22, 2019

Vote

Apr 22, 2019

kevinboyerOriginally I wanted to buy the one sold on Meze’s site but it was (and still is) sold out. So I ordered a handcrafted one from a Taobao seller^ in China early this month. However I’m not sure about whether they would accept orders from the west and I do not aware this seller sells them on Aliexpress. (The seller claims that the cable materials come from Germany. From some Mittelstand perhaps?) ^ https://m.intl.taobao.com/detail/detail.html?ut_sk=1.WOx9UKH4asADAFhj00Est522_21380790_1555503675427.Copy.1&id=581924513137&sourceType=item&price=400&origin_price=490&suid=3C32D50B-2233-46F0-ABD4-FE53300F608D&un=6009f2de380e4657d707d2abce2ca380&share_crt_v=1&sp_tk=77+lMjBvVFlaWHJwYULvv6U=&cpp=1&shareurl=true&spm=a313p.22.a7.1026400368793&short_name=h.e0Jj2s6&sm=31af1c&app=macos_safari

(Edited)

Apr 22, 2019

cumanzor

Apr 22, 2019

HydeSorry for the dumb question haha, but which ones are the ones that already come in the headset, and which ones are the replacement ones?

Apr 22, 2019

Vote

Apr 22, 2019

cumanzorLol I actually don't own this (but is considering buying). But from what I gathered is that Meze 99 Classic had the small pad (henforth original pad) originally then later on changed to the large pad (henforth new pad). So the Massdrop 99 Noir actually included both but by default it's the larger "new pad" that's on the headphone, while also having the smaller "original pad" in the box (you can change yourself). Hope this clarifies it. :)

(Edited)

Apr 22, 2019

Apr 22, 2019

HydeYou are correct, Sir!

Apr 22, 2019

Apr 23, 2019

HydeTwo photos showing the Revised Original (“RO”) pads and new pads (“NP”):

Apr 23, 2019

Apr 23, 2019

cheapladDamnnnnn cheaplad you're the MVP!!! Is it me or they looked a bit angled (thinner on one side and fatter on other side), or is it just the camera lens?

(Edited)

Apr 23, 2019

Vote

Apr 23, 2019

HydeNo. Just the angle of photo-taking. The thickness is the same around the ring.

Apr 23, 2019

kevinboyer

Apr 24, 2019

cheapladThank-you cheaplad. That is a fine looking cable set. I'll have to do some searching online to see if I can locate this.

Apr 24, 2019