Elevated bass (the part below 200Hz) and warm mids (downwards slope from 200Hz to 4kHz). Sensitivity ... Had these Meze Audio 99 Classics around three weeks now, had them through a Hi Rez player, a Samsung tablet, a Brennan B1 and a Denon PMA-60. Don’t expect the finest nuances to come through. I gave the Meze 99 Classics a listen using my PonoPlayer as source. Foldable: No The measurements of the Meze 99 classics indicate it is anything but a ‘reference’ sound quality headphone. Meze rates the frequency response at 15Hz-25kHz and, at least in the lowest frequencies, you truly hear the depth. Type: Over ear, closed No audiophile has ever said 'NO' to these cans. The Meze 99 Classics are an overwhelmingly pleasant surprise. Note that this headphone was measured at  where unavoidable background noises were present in the demo room. Meze 99 Classics review ... Meze 99 Classic delivered in a large box, made of thick and dense cardboard and a side magnetic lock for easy and quick opening, this gives the box an additional feeling of high qualities. The 99 classics are certainly comfortable even for extended listening sessions, but a set of deep velour or leatherette pads would elevate comfort levels to supremely comfortable status. Below the frequency response of the Meze 99 classics (Left, Right). The Meze 99 classics is a closed dynamic headphone. My usual sources will soon be joined by another item, the aforementioned FiiO M11 Pro. Transducer size: 40mm; Frequency response: 15Hz – 25KHz; Sensitivity: 103dB at 1KHz, 1mW These headphones boast an impressive 103 dB sensitivity, an impedance of 32 Ohms. The beautifully crafted wood cups and is available in various types of wood and with silver or gold colored metal parts. The walnut wood earcups, soft earpads, and the spring steel headband make the 99 Classics an heirloom, rather than just a pair of headphones. The Meze 99 Classics are overall balanced in tonality, though they tend to the warm side with a boost of mid bass that gives sound a stronger punch. Meze 99 Classics. The Meze 99 Classics has been the benchmark of rich and bright audio in the under Rs. It can be driven directly from portable sources such as phones, tablets and DAPs. The latest in the Classics series, the Meze 99 Classics promises to deliver perfect natural sound even to the pickiest of audio lovers. For a normal listening session, you might not … Frequency response: 15Hz - 25KHz; Sensitivity: 103dB at 1KHz, 1mW; Impedance: 26 Ohm; Rated input power: 30mW; Maximum input power: 50mW; Detachable Kevlar OFC cable; Plug: 3.5mm gold plated; Weight: 260 gr (9.2 ounces) without cables; Ear-cups: ABS Plastic 0.5% in the bass area is quite good. However, a kink in the impedance-magnitude trace at 1.5kHz and a couple of discontinuities in the mid-treble imply the presence of some resonances. Meze did not skimp on accessories in the slightest. Below the same plot except shown in percentages. The hump in the middle indicates an midbass boost. When driven from a 120 Ω output resistance amplifier nothing changes. There is no ‘sharpness’ to the sound which many people may find pleasing. Nearly the same, yet they appeal to you differently. The 99 Classics look great, and not just as a whole. This player is capable of wonders, but what really surprised me is that Meze was able to achieve a fantastic audio quality even with worse sources: the 99 Classics don’t need dedicated amplification or crazy expensive DACs to offer an amazing sound quality. Let’s start with the obvious. Meze headphones are very durable, and even when something breaks, it can be fixed or replaced, which is an option that is so rare in the modern consumerist world. The bass is definitely less boomy (but still BIG), the mids are slightly more forward and it feels like the treble might be just a little softer/smoother, though I'd have to swap pads back and forth to be sure about that. Instead, they adjust automati… (Left channel) For those looking for a warm and bassy (not basshead) type of sound with subdued and pleasant/soft treble this may be a viable option. Cable entry: dual Meze 99 Classics is a closed-back dynamic headphone that uses 40mm bio-cellulose drivers. Frequency response (tonal balance) is the most sound-determining aspect of headphones. Touching the metal parts of the headband is quite audible. But listening to DSD64 files of our July 2003 Recording of the Month—violinist Rachel Podger and Arte Dei Suonatori performing Vivaldi's 12 violin concertos Op.4, aka La Stravaganza (Channel Classics CCS 19598)—I heard no untoward brightness in the treble. Below the distortion plots of the Meze 99 classics: (only right channel shown) Distortion levels and spectrum plot performance may thus be better in reality than shown on the plots. The bigger the deviation the stronger the effect. However, I measured the 99 Classics' impedance and electrical phase with the headphones mounted on my head (fig.1. The manual contains only the necessary information: description of headset, control and frequency response graph. This means you can clearly hear it when the cables are touched or rub against clothes. The impedance magnitude was a fairly constant 21 ohms through most of the audioband, but with a slight bump in the midbass centered on 60Hz. In that sense, the Meze and AudioQuest headphones aren't as neutral as the Sennheiser HD 650s—but there is a general preference among headphone users for more bass than is strictly appropriate.—John Atkinson. 120dB When using on portable devices and listening to popular music the described sound is not necesarily a bad thing. ALL measurements are made with a good SEAL on a flatbed measurement rig. As this is a low impedance dynamic headphone the frequency response could be output resistance dependent when certain higher output resistance amplifiers are used. Meze 99 Classics Technical Specifications. The Meze 99 Classics sound overly bassy and ‘fat’. Not everyone wants to hear all warts of the recordings. Advantages MEZE 99 Classics over HIFIMAN Ananda Having an impedance of 32 Ohms and a high sensitivity of 103 dB per 1mW of power, 99 Classics can be considered easy-peasy to drive. The slightly cheaper plastic version (still feels high quality) has a similar sound profile. Treble is smooth and a little subdued compared to the bass/lower mids but still present enough to not get the feeling of it sounding rolled-off in the treble. For those circumstances the 99 classics is a good option. However, I measured the 99 Classics' impedance and electrical phase with the headphones mounted on my head (fig.1. Accessories: 6.3mm adapter, airline adapter, carrying case This is the latest version which has thicker pads. Meze have outlived the first stage of the headphone world where I would consider the “new boys” to be, they have shown they are here to stay and their latest headphone, the 99 Classics that we have here are certainly a reinforcement of that! I hate getting carried away with hype but I will admit I do enjoy the 99 Classics more than my conservative values should really allow me. There are cheaper alternatives that sound equally well or even better but do not have this build quality and feel. I didn't measure the Meze Audio 99 Classics' frequency response; I lack the necessary simulated head and torso, and estimating the optimal response of headphones is far from simple. Then come in the 99 Neo. As the treble is subdued compared to the bass the treble still sounds smooth. Distortion in the mids is low (below 0.1%). (0.2 Ω and 120 Ω of the right channel are superimposed). It has a ‘hollow’ sound to it and upper) mids are recesssed. Below the Right channel. In view of the quality of manufacturing, as well as the quality of the sound, Meze 99 Classic deserves our highest praise. Driver size: 40mm The announced frequency response is 15 Hz – 25 kHz. By lack of oscilloscope shots (not enough time to measure that) below a step response plot of the Meze 99 classics. They are a headphone I've been curious about trying and seeing how they sound, the Meze 99 Classics sounded better than I ever expected. Weight: 260 g. As can be seen the difference is negligible and the tonal balance of this headphone doesn’t change when the source has a higher output resistance. There I said it now excuse me while I sit in a dark cupboard for a while. A horizontal line shows audible neutral response in the plots on this website. Below an aid to help determining the sound character of headphones with relation to the frequency response. Even the packaging and carrying case look amazing. It looks and feels first class and is really nicely made. Though most people seem to love the sound of the near-identical Meze 99 Classics, a few people find it to be really off-putting. This plot too shows small issues. A lot of attention has obviously also been given to the finer details — for example, the cables are made from kevlar, not plastic, and as such are much stronger than your typical headphone cable. Based on our rating, 99 Classics has a total rating of 7 out of 10 vs 8 out of 10 for Ananda. Deviations in different severities at different frequency bands have an effect on the sound character. Before any serious listening the 99 Classics were given more than the Meze recommended 60 hours of burn in time. Treble quality itself is quite good. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons flat’ sharp peaks and ‘wiggles’. Right channel only, driven from 0.2Ω and 120Ω amplifier. Frequency response: 15Hz - 25KHz; Sensitivity: 103dB at 1KHz, 1mW; Impedance: 32 Ohm; Rated input power: 30mW; Maximum input power: 50mW; Detachable Kevlar OFC cable; Plug: 3.5mm gold plated; Weight: 260 gr (9.2 ounces) without cables; Ear-cups: walnut wood This isn’t a bad thing though as many people prefer a headphone with a ‘warm’ and bassy character over ‘neutral’ sound. Impressions of the headphone are based on a week of use. This is described HERE in more detail. The shape of your head, bone structure, pad size, pad ‘softness,  (compliance), hair or no hair and or wearing glasses may (drastically) change the frequency response of some headphones, so… your personal experience may differ substantially from these plots. Meze is an interesting newcomer to the headphone and IEM market, a company set up in London in 2009 that wants to change the opinion that you have to spend a fortune to get a good sound. Everything is screwed and can easily be (dis)assembled. A ‘horizontal‘ frequency response curve on the shown frequency response plots on this website thus indicates a perceived ‘flat’ tonal signature. back to measurements However, the double basses and cellos on this album sounded much richer than I'd expected, as did the bass guitar in "Heart Like a Drum," from Beck's Morning Phase (24/96 ALAC file, Capitol/HDtracks). Also the cable is quite microphonic. And this is what it sounds like as well. The Meze 99 Classics are shipped in an elegant carton package which contains the headphones in a hard carry case. The electrical phase angle was close to 0° up to 6kHz, suggesting that the drive-unit behaves as a pure resistor up to that frequency; the slightly positive angle that increases above 6kHz is due to the driver's residual inductance. Clamping force: Medium. Usually this indicates somewhat reduced treble quality. Distortion in that frequency band is more audible. To compensate for this the amplifier is cranked up to the same level (at 1kHz) as the low impedance amplifier. The 99 Classics have a relatively low impedance; they'll need to be driven by an output stage capable of delivering enough current into this load. I do not use smoothing because some info about sound quality is lost when plots are smoothed. It's the Meze 99 Classics vs the Meze 99 Neo. The UE6000’s somewhat elevated bass response came at the cost of its ability to reproduce fine, mid focused acoustic details, something that the 99 Classics don’t struggle with. For € 250.- you can buy the Meze 99 neo but the nice wood is black plastic instead. It is quite colored in sound (as in opposed to realistic/neutral). Smooth would be a good description. The differences are quite small so in practice it will be hard to tell these apart. The 5kHz peak is really there though and not caused by ambient sounds. 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