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

These headphones came in second in a review by a trusted site. Their backstory was so unique and their promise of a totally different experience so appealing to me, I decided to take the plunge. Wow! Am I glad I did. These headphones are very comfortable and so well made! The wood ear cups definitely add a smoother dimension to the sound. The bass is rich, yet, the highs are still very pronounced. I have had three sets of headphones and none of them came close to this quality. Frankly, this is a stunning edition to the headphones field and should seriously be considered by the shopper. I told my son they were “life-changing.” If you love music, you just might agree.

Did anyone else come here from DankPods youtube videos? ;)

I’ve had many pairs of headphones over the years, but this pair may be pricey, but is easily the best I’ve ever had. The audio quality is beyond excellent, they’re incredibly comfortable, so much so that you almost forget you’re wearing headphones. And despite not being advertised as noise canceling, they cancel out a surprising amount of noise. (I typically have a fan going and have my PCs fans blasting and I haven’t noticed any sound from either source) so I would wholeheartedly recommend this pair of headphones.

So first things first this is going to be a bit long in the tooth but the TLDR version is as follows: For someone just starting to develop their ear for audiophile peripherals and devices who also happens to be leaning towards luxury stylings, this is an unbeatable package (that also doubles as an investment). These deliver a detailed and non fatiguing listening experience and damn do they look good doing it! Im going to begin by explaining a brief background on my listening habits and what devices I have experience with. First and foremost I am by no means an audiophile, but I am becoming more interested in HIFI audio as time has gone on. My very first pair of headphones I ever purchased were the Auvio 33-290 (A very apt direct comparison to the Meze 99s if only looking at the contents of the boxes haha!). I seriously thought they were the coolest headphones ever what with the ANC (powered by two AAA batteries as was the fashion at the time) and a hard case as well as two cable attachments 1 for a hifi stereo and another for an airplane audio port (the perfect set up for an angsty teen whos family moved around as often as mine did). I used these as my daily drivers for years and I never even considered there being a better alternative. So you could imagine my surprise the first time I tried on a pair of first generation Bose QuietComfort QC1s. Before then I never realized a pair of headphones could simultaneously be quiet (the Auvios being all plastic and rather cheaply made rattled like crazy), comfortable (the plush memory foam on the Bose was a treat to my head after the abuse the earcups and headband padding had taken on my Auvios), and actually make music sound better (the first time listening to a pair of high end headphones after only ever listening to a set of cans from radio shack is really only something you can experience for yourself). Now all that being said I never did buy that set of Bose headphones because I didnt really care much about the difference in quality once I saw how much more expensive they were than my Auvios. Even though I didnt buy them, that first experience with a luxury headphone still stuck with me and eventually lead me to the Meze 99 Classics over a decade later. I can safely say listening to the Mezes for the first time took me right back to that same feeling I got with the QC1s! For starters calling Meze headphones high end or luxury is to almost understate the actual beauty of the headphones themselves and the overall presentation. From the logo on the form fitting hard case to the gold accents and walnut ear cups, everything on these exudes confidence and quality craftsmanship (hell even the zippers are satisfying). Im going to break everything down to those three key areas I mentioned before: Quietness: These headphones have a spring steel headband which means theyre extremely solid (no rattle to be found here). You also wont find any plastic on these headphones and every piece is secured with screws so all you hobbyists out there can tear them down and replace components as needed with very little fuss! The cord also is part woven kevlar and part rubber coated which also contributes to a nearly noiseless headphone (the most noise Ive heard from them has been the earpads adjusting after slipping the headphones on, something that will change once theyre broken in of course). This cable can of course be upgraded to a balanced cable should you aim for a more audiophile focused listening experience. Comfort: The first thing I noticed when I picked up the box was just how light the entire package was, something that was a great indicator of just how comfortable these were going to be for extended listening. You couldnt imagine my face once I was actually holding the headphones solo, it was like some sort of antigrav technology (hyperbole I know, but theyre seriously light!). Then once I actually got them on I immediately knew I could never go back to a standard headphone band. Having a self adjusting memory foam headband coated in PLU with the lush earcups was a total treat! Again I have to express how weightless the package feels due to how comfortable it is! The fact that they dont majorly squeeze your head is a major plus as well. This is still yet another area that can still be improved further with the wide availability of differing earpads (I am honestly smitten with these ones though, the comfort and noise isolation is perfect for my tastes and I havent noticed the pads contributing to any sort of increased base presence as Ive seen mentioned in other reviews). Music Enjoyment: Again, I cant stress enough that Im not an audiophile but that I do thoroughly enjoy music and have a pretty decent ear for it (dont worry though, Im not about to go on about frequency response and things of that nature, better to leave that to the pros). So when I say that these improve the listening experience what does that mean exactly? Aside from the obvious comfort of the headphones themselves (a must for extended listening sessions) you also get a far more full bodied 3D audio experience from your music. This is a headphone that will seriously give you moments of amazement and joy as youre able to hear elements of your favorite songs that you might never have noticed before. If you pay attention you may even start to get this spatial awareness of where the different elements composing a particular song are coming from. Its really one of those experiences that will stand out to you the more time you spend with these headphones. That being said, you may be wondering if theres a particular genre that these excell at and so far I havent found one that stands apart from the rest. I listen to A LOT of music encompassing many genes (Id say my comfort zone is somewhere between punk and prog rock with a lot of new age jazz for some variety) and these headphones have truly improved the listening experience with every song Ive tried them with. They can even take some crunchier punk recordings and still pump some extra depth into them without really making you notice that lowfi quality in a bad way. Theyre just really great all around headphones delivering depth that you would normally need open backed headphones to even scratch the surface. They handle these different elements all while delivering a really fun listening experience that isnt going to fatigue your ears and doesnt require anything more than the device of your choice to achieve. Final Verdict: Given that my most recent pair of headphones prior to purchasing these was not my old Auvios I must admit my world was not turned upside down in the exact same way with my first listening session, my enjoyment more so built over time. These days I use a pair of Sony WH-CH510s for music and a pair of Skullcandy Hesh 3s for gaming and travel. Neither of these are particularly high quality headphones, but they can still deliver a pleasurable listening experience without being overly expensive or fussy. The 99 Classics, on the other hand, are in a class all their own in terms of the quality and engineering in comparison to their cost. Not only do they look the part of a premium headphone but they sound incredible to boot and are fully serviceable. This all boils down to these being more of an investment for me personally as Ill be able to keep these operating for years to come and even upgrade certain components as my needs change. The fact that these headphones can hit so many marks at the $300 price point is truly a remarkable feat and something to be admired (especially in the wake of planned obsolescence). All in all, Im overjoyed to own these headphones and if you find yourself looking to invest in a quality pair of headphones, I think these could fit your needs just fine!

For the price these are fantastic headphones. Fantastic sound at low to upper level volume, very comfortable and light, and the wood cups are icing on the cake. Full range sound with pretty good bass. If you like your music loud these aren’t for you, but at moderate levels they can’t be beat especially for walking around listening from your phone.

I am very pleased with these headphones! The build quality is excellent, the sound is excellent, and they are comfortable to wear for extended periods - The audio itself is similar to the Bose CQ35 though the price is closer to V-Modas Crossfade Wirelsss. I would rank these headphones somewhere in between the two. The Bose are more comfortable due to the deep earcups that fully cover your hear, but they do not sound quite sa good as these. The V-Moda sound a little better, but are significantly less comfortable since they are not fully over-the-ear. The only negative to these headphones is that they use two, mono 3.5mm plugs (one for L and R earcup) instead of a single stereo 3.5mm that plus into only one of them. It prevents using things like boom mics and requires that you manage another cable when listening. That aside, they are an absolutely must have for audiophiles in this price segment.

I have a number of good headphones strewn around, but these Meze are the ones Ive been enjoying most. Are they dramatically better than my Sennheiser HD6xx, or BeyerDynamic 770s? No, but they just seem a tad more lively. Maybe this is totally subjective: the walnut earcups just make me happy. These cans get a tiny bit warm after 45 minutes or so, but Im not sure any worse than the others I own. I was able to find a used pair on Amazon for about half of the new price, so I feel I lucked out. Would I feel as happy if I paid full price? Hmm, dunno, but I was prepared to spring for them and I dont think Id be complaining. I also am happy that the accessories include long and short cables.

Best headphones I’ve tried by far. You can hear every detail in the music. It’s a great addition to my home studio and has completely changed my practice routine!

I bought these and the AKG 712 Pros and the Beyerdynamic DT880s headphones. The AKG 712s won the contest. The Beyerdynamic DT 880 came in second. These MEZE headphones are beautiful and come with 2 sets of cords and have the cords divide into the right and left inputs on the ear pieces. To be clear - these are quality headphones. However, I could not pull myself away from the spaciousness and reality of the AKGs. Also, to be clear, I am 65 years old and my hearing is a bit compromised. But, I had my wife ( who hears everything ) take a listen and she agreed. I listened to Billie Eilish, electronic EDM A sides and stuff like JP Saxe and Julia Pruitt. All of these are modern, high quality audio pieces. I listen through my iMac which feeds into the a Musicstream DAC and then into the Schiit Audio Magni amp. This also feeds my JBL Pro 5 powered speakers and a Jamo 8 sub. The sound I get with this without headphones is amazing. It is important to me that the headphones equal or surpass this. Sadly, the Meze dont quite reach this.

Its amazing. I honestly was thinking that headphones are headphones and these are just nicer build quality, but ohhh I was wrong. The 99 classics sound phenomenal. I was using a 75$ pair of Bluetooth ones before and I thought that they sounded good, but the 99s out pace my 75$ pair by miles. The only thing that I think could be added is active noise canceling, but is still really good at blocking noise out with the full over ear, Im not sayi3ng dont buy these. You shouldnt use these if your in really loud spaces, but any other place these are perfect. These are definitely the most functional headphones Ive ever used. Also very durable with the steel and little plastic.