Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
lumberjoc
6
May 4, 2020
Just ordered these bad boys today and awaiting delivery. It was a tough choice between these and the 6XX's, but my current and future environments were inevitably the deciding factor. Currently, I'm working from home with 3 other roommates, a dog, paper thin walls, a workspace positioned near a washer/dryer, front door, and kitchen. In the future I plan on working in coffee shops, which comes with another laundry list of external sound factors that would pollute the open back experience. As much as I would have loved to buy the 6XX's and bask in their notoriously detailed sounds, the additive effect of my environmental sounds lead me down the closed back route. 

What other factors lead me to the Meze 99 Noir? 
(Quick background feel free to skip to next paragraph) I consider myself an Amateur Audiophile, who's just begun his journey about 3 days ago. I've recently upgraded my desk top monitors from Logitech Z313's to the Kanto YU2's and I swear to you guys that I cried a little because I had never experienced audio quality of this caliber. In the realm of headphones, I've been rockin' some cheap Taotronic noise cancelling headphones, but after being exposed to the Kanto's I have a thirst for audio products with higher fidelity that needs quenching. 

The price. I read through the comments and yes these were previously listed at $160 dollars US and are now $200 at the time of this post; however, I urge you to read the Sennheiser 6XX's story, which gives a glimpse into how much time and effort is put into making products like the Meze's and 6XX's more "affordable" and available. Hopefully it will show you that although 200 dollars is not cheap it is still certainly a steal for what you're getting. Let's not be greedy and support this amazing company ;)

The sound. Various articles and Youtube reviews educated me about the sound and the versatility that can be achieved with modifications to the pads and use of amp systems. I recommend doing some research from someone more experienced than I and reading @mindhead1 post in this discussion. Something that drew me to this particular pair of audio angels is the impedance (32 ohms), which gives the ability to drive without amp/dac systems (some of this ties back into price). If you're new to the Audiophile community like me, I recommend reading these articles on headphone impedance and DAC's. The ability to drive without peripherals affords me two things: money and portability. Again, this purchase is my initiation into the wonderful world of over ear audiophilia and I don't own any fancy peripherals. After researching the cost of what a decent amp would be, I'm rather happy that this can be driven without and am even more thankful for the price point. Also, since I intend to work at coffee shops in the future it's nice that I don't need to lug around any extra gear. I'm refraining from talking about the actual sound since I have not personally used the headphones yet.

The design. Polished + Minimalist = Wow! I actually prefer this design to the Meze 99 Classics since they feel a little more low-key and I'm not a flashy guy. I've read that the larger pads are great for listening marathons, which is great because I listen to music all day. I will try to post again after I have received the headphones so I can give my personal opinion on the design's comfort, durability, and the fatigue they may or may not induce. 

Well, this is about everything that guided my decision in purchasing the Meze 99's. For the price and quality, these seem like a more than adequate pair of entry level Audiophile headphones. I hope this comment helps some random comment scrollers like many of the other posts helped me. If you're an experienced Audiophile, please feel free to critique or correct any of my assertions in a constructive manner. Also, thanks @Drop for the great deal!


mindhead1
599
May 9, 2020
lumberjocI think you made a good choice. I’m really enjoying my 99s. They are a great place to start of your just getting into headphones. They are a nice set for any level headphone enthusiast. The fact that they don’t need a powerful amp to get the most out of them are a big plus over the 6xx or 4xx IMO.
PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE
Trending Posts in Audiophile