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

Id like to start off with the packaging and accessories. Simply amazing. Once I opened the plastic wrapping, the smell that emanated from the box reminds me of the smell of a new piano, which is weird out of a box of headphones. That being said, it is not unpleasant. Its a pleasant surprise. It comes with a case, 2 length of cords, a 1/4 adapter and the included in most headphones airline adapter (not too many US airlines use them any more). The case is very nice, and the cords are great as well. Also, for those of you who like stickers, it comes with 2 stickers with their brand name on it. Enough about the accessories. Lets talk about the sound. Without using all the silly words and tags people use in headphone and audiophile forums, all I can say is: Amazing. The sound characteristics compare with headphones costing significantly more. I own quite a few headphones and IEMs, so thats saying something. Most of my headphones are priced under $300, but I own a handful that are significantly over $309 price I paid for this headphones. I have a pair of headphones costing nearly 5x as much as the Meze 99 Classics, and the difference is ever so subtle that I cant justify $1200 difference in the two headsets. Is the $1500 headset better? Yes, but not by much, at least not by $1200 much. You can definitely hear every instrument, breath of the vocalist between passages, the separation and sound stage is definitely clear in a good way. It is not bass heavy, but the bass is very clear and full of energy without conflicting with the lower mid range and mid range as most of the bass heavy headphones do. I listened to softer, more gently recorded songs, as well as classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, EDM, Hip Hop, Country, Vocals, and even watched movies. I can clearly hear everything without any weird harshness or a lack of space, nor did I notice any boosting or cutting of frequencies. I never had the urge to EQ something. Simply put, if you are looking for an improvement to your sub-$300 headphone, do yourself a favor and try one of these. I tried this headphone directly into an iPhone and Android device, as well as through multiple DAC/Amp combos, and of course the latter sounded better, but it was still a pleasant listening experience sans the DAC/Amp. Check out this headphone as it is probably the best headphones I have heard (and yes, I have more headphones than fingers and toes) that are under $1000, and can get close to ones costing more. Caveat: Your mileage my vary, as everyones ears are unique (shape, size, canal depth/shape, previous damage from loud music at concerts, etc.) and how you perceive music or audio in your ears are completely different from mine. I would love to listen to the Meze Empyrean. If youre seeing these reviews, Meze, Id be happy to do a full write up for online sites, and be happy to clean/disinfect/dehumidify, and return them after my review. Would love to compare the Meze Empyreans with some of my top priced headphones. Cheers!

Im no audiophile. I just wanted good headphones to game with and listen to music. I used an equalizer and an apple usbc to 3.5mm adapter as an amp. To me, these sounds amazing. The bass can be headache inducing honestly if you arent careful with the equalizer. Soundstage seems pretty good for gaming. Ive always had issues with headphones being comfy for an hour or two and then you start to feel it. These are the most comfortable pair of headphones Ive ever worm. At first, it doesnt feel like you are wearing anything. Build quality is fantastic, I love how they look and the style. Im not sure I would use these for outdoor/outside use, they seem a tad flimsy and fragile? I havent tested it but that is just my 2 cents.

SHIPPING: The box came yesterday. No issues. UNBOXING: Used my trusty razor blade knife to open the box. The headphone was in a plastic wrapped box. The box was thick and textured with magnetic clasps to hold it shut. Similar to the packaging I have encountered on 1MORE In-Ear earphones. A hard shell carry case unzipped to reveal the headphone with its beautiful wooden ear cup. I took a moment to admire it. Also in the case was a 1/4 adapter and two braided cords -- one shorter and one longer -- in a zip pouch. FIT: The ear cups slipped over my large ears. The right ear rubbed the inside of the cup. No big deal just something I noticed. My ears did get mildly warm and clammy. My Bose and Kenwood headphones do the same thing. They are light and do not distract me when listening to my music and movie collections. SOUND: Very very good. But not excellent. Just short of audio nirvana. MOBILE DEVICES: Good sound from an Android tablet and an iPod Touch. Pleasantly surprised. No need for an amp. PC: Near excellent sound. I use an amp and DAC fed through an optical cable. The amp and DAC kick the performance up a notch or three. OVERALL: Worthy! I like the sound (especially with an amp!) and looks. I reserve a 5 rating for the best and costlier headphones. Cheers! I hope this helped.

Since I bought these as a gift, I can only speak on behalf of the feedback I have heard from who I got them for. This person is not an audiophile, but he can still hear the difference between cheaper headphones and great headphones. The thing that he loved most was the comfort, followed by the sound quality. He uses them for meetings online, games, and listening to music, and he says it is great for all three. The included mic is also great, and I can confirm that personally from being in meetings where these headphones are used. Overall, I would definitely buy these again, for myself or again as a gift. The design of the walnut and gold is amazing in my opinion, and looks great in real life

Im using the headphones with a Schitt Asgard Amp/DAC combo and these are my first quality headphones (more that $100), lol. The only complaint is that I had to replace the ear pads, but I do that on all headphones Guess I have giant ears. I upgraded to some Brainwavz Sheepskin ear pads. Ears no longer touch the driver or the edges of the ear pad. Anyway, love the headphones, would recommend or buy again.

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!

This will be a quick and dirty review as I just received these headphones 7/26. I currently own sennheiser 598s, audio technica ath-m50x, and bose qc25s (strictly for noise cancelling on airplanes). Im not an audiophile, just listing my other headphones so you know what Im comparing to. The Meze 99 Classics sound incredible on everything Ive listened to. Ive listened to country, pop, rock, and jazz through a DAC hooked up to my PC. Ive listened on my cell phone (nexus 6p), tablet etc... Ive listened to cd quality audio and google play music (320kbps) quality and it all sounds great. As Im not an audiophile, I cant use a bunch of fancy adjectives to describe them, but overall they sound clearer than my other headphones. The base / low end is great - tighter than the m50s and stronger than the 598s. The 598s are a great headphone but the classics just sound better in every way to my ears. Obviously, the bose sound terrible when compared with the 99s. The sound is amazing, the build quality is great, but I do have a problem with the ear cups. They are too small in my opinion and put too much pressure on your ears, especially the top of your ears. Im extra biased as Ive had pain in my left ear ever since wrestling as a kid which is irritated by long headphone sessions. I have this problem with the m50s but NOT the 598s. I listened to them for about 2 hours and my left ear was sore the next morning but my right ear was fine. So, this may be nitpicking but the ear cups and drivers will press against your ear depending on the size of your ear. The ear cups on the 99s are smaller than all the other headphones listed above. They are oval shaped instead of being more tall than wide like the shape of your ear. They are padded well but IMO not thick enough as youll feel the driver against your ear. The head band is pretty comfortable and didnt bother me at all over 2 hours. These definitely are not uncomfortable headphones, but if you have large ears or are sensitive to pressure on your ears these may not be the best headphones for you. Im not 100% sure Im going to keep them, but they sound SO good, I might just deal with the discomfort. Im getting in the b&o h6s and sony mdr-1as this weekend and will also add those for comparison in my review. Im trying to find the perfect balance of comfort and sound quality in a closed back headphone. The Mezes definitely meet the sound quality requirements.

The sound quality of the Meze Audio 99 Classics is amazing! When one compares to a similar foreign over the ears headphones brand, one can hear all of the subtleties in the music. The comfort of these headphones is thrilling. They rest comfortably over the ears and feel like one is handling a delicate yet fine working piece of electronics. Highly recommend the Meze Audio 99 Classics. I get compliments on these headphones. The volume paired with an iPhone can get very loud. Reasons why disfavored diverse Americans like my pair.

Caught these on prime day for $247 for that price these are beyond amazing! To start I don’t have oodles experience with high end hp’s, these are warm sounding with exciting, fun sound. They aren’t going to be the most analytical hp out there but for 80%-90% of people these will be all you’ll ever need. I run these with a ifi nano black label amp/dac and it does improve the sound quit a bit. Ppl say these are bass cannons I disagree and find them to have great bass, they are tuned very well and just sound great. You won’t be disappointed.

For the money fit and finish are exemplary The wood improves the sound It is comfortable and the headband is self adjusting There is a slight ear sweat in prolonged listening sessions do not necessarily recommend them for use Jin the rain I replaced the cable and earpads O am an audiophile The one negate thing for me is the earpads are not snap on. And the cable is designed to release under pressure. You might like that Highly recommended.