[RockStar2005]

That's fine after all, so many choices of headphone out there. i will read you review there. Judging from many audio store selling Meze 99, i know it must be an incredible headphone!

Okay! i will buy one but i dont have any right now, i'm planning to buy Xduoo XD-05 or FiiO E18. Which one is better do you think? Some people say Xduoo have better sound than FiiO. i prefer to play my music through smartphone and my laptop cause it more than enough for me.

Yes there are a lot of choices, almost too many! lol

Awesome! Definitely read my review then for more details and for the custom EQ I came up with that made it go from really good to INCREDIBLE! Yeah some high end stores around me sell it as well. Though I bought mine off Amazon.

Honestly, neither. Both of those are great DACs. But they're both gonna require you to carry them around with you. I would instead suggest you check out the VERY portable but arguably superior (and highly-rated) AudioQuest DragonFly Red amp/DAC. The pros are the arguably better sound quality, portability, and ease of use. The cons would be higher price, no extra features, and it uses your smartphone battery to power it where your choices have their own battery. There's also the cheaper Black version, but I can't say if it's gonna sound better than or equal to your 2 choices. I HAVE tried out the Black a while back and it did sound pretty good.

Ok so phone AND laptop. Then you will need an amp/DAC for sure. With phone I could suggest you get my HTC 10, or upcoming LG V30 (or even LG V20 from last year), as they all have FANTASTIC amp/DACs built into them (where normally smartphones DON'T). But I guess it doesn't matter for you then since u play on both phone and laptop.

So let me ask you.............1) What EXACT model phone do you have? (make & model) 2) Do you prefer portability more than having an amp/DAC that powers itself?

Answer these questions then we can pinpoint what amp/DAC you should get with your Meze 99 Classics. (I got the silver walnut version.)

 

[fr2l]

Yes there are a lot of choices, almost too many! lol

Awesome! Definitely read my review then for more details and for the custom EQ I came up with that made it go from really good to INCREDIBLE! Yeah some high end stores around me sell it as well. Though I bought mine off Amazon.

Honestly, neither. Both of those are great DACs. But they're both gonna require you to carry them around with you. I would instead suggest you check out the VERY portable but arguably superior (and highly-rated) AudioQuest DragonFly Red amp/DAC. The pros are the arguably better sound quality, portability, and ease of use. The cons would be higher price, no extra features, and it uses your smartphone battery to power it where your choices have their own battery. There's also the cheaper Black version, but I can't say if it's gonna sound better than or equal to your 2 choices. I HAVE tried out the Black a while back and it did sound pretty good.

Ok so phone AND laptop. Then you will need an amp/DAC for sure. With phone I could suggest you get my HTC 10, or upcoming LG V30 (or even LG V20 from last year), as they all have FANTASTIC amp/DACs built into them (where normally smartphones DON'T). But I guess it doesn't matter for you then since u play on both phone and laptop.

So let me ask you.............1) What EXACT model phone do you have? (make & model) 2) Do you prefer portability more than having an amp/DAC that powers itself?

Answer these questions then we can pinpoint what amp/DAC you should get with your Meze 99 Classics. (I got the silver walnut version.)

the price of Dragonfly Red is between XD-05 and E18, so i have to consider it as well with great quality or even better! my choice is it doesn't have to be really portable dac/amp because i prefer to enjoy my music at home, except for listening to radio with my cheap earbuds when i going somewhere.

my phone is Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro.

 

[RockStar2005]

the price of Dragonfly Red is between XD-05 and E18, so i have to consider it as well with great quality or even better! my choice is it doesn't have to be really portable dac/amp because i prefer to enjoy my music at home, except for listening to radio with my cheap earbuds when i going somewhere.

my phone is Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro.

Yes you should STRONGLY consider it. Well for the most part I'm the same way, but even at home I'd rather have a smaller "in-between device" to deal with than a larger one. I don't really need the extra features that the bigger devices offer (i.e. Bass Boost, battery pack option, Low/High Gain, etc.) either. So UNLESS you do, then I'm going to again strongly suggest you buy the DragonFly Red.

What you'll need then is to buy the Red, and also an OTG adapter cable. Your phone uses a MicroUSB port, so in your case you'd need to also buy this adapter, or one just like it. The key is that it's labeled OTG (On-The-Go), and is MicroUSB on the smaller side. Whenever you upgrade to your next phone however, you will very likely have a MicroUSB-C port on it (assuming it's Android). So when that time comes, you'll need a compatible adapter or adapter cable like this one (I would open that link up, and bookmark it for easy access later on). Then you'll be all set, on hardware anyway.

For software, I HIGHLY recommend getting Poweramp as your main player app. It's the one I use, and it's the BEST IMO. Also, since you said you were gonna buy the Meze 99 Classics, then in order to most easily utilize my custom EQ (for BEST sound), you'll want Poweramp since my EQ screenshots are all from Poweramp. Just match up the EQ in Poweramp to my main custom EQ (or the other 2, though I don't use those as much), and then save it as a custom EQ and select it afterwards. If you need help doing that, let me know. Note that the Preamp is dipped a little below "0" on my EQ, which I did to give it an extra bit of control over the high end.

Lastly, in order to get THE BEST sound, you'll want to start investing in CD-Quality or especially Hi-Res tracks. If interested, let me know, and I'll give you some info there on where to find these kinds of tracks, how to store them, and how to make them as TINY as possible w/o losing any quality. It's pretty easy actually after you get a few tracks/albums. I've gotten albums in Hi-Res that I had on CD or mp3 for YEARS (decades even in the case of CDs), and they honestly sound like new FRESH albums again. I hear details I NEVER heard before, which makes them even better. So lemme know if interested. They do cost a bit more, but I think it's worth it. And most of those sites have sales going on all the time too.

 

[bencherian]

Nice review @rockstar. I should say thanks to you actually. Everywhere k553 is criticized for its fit actually and telling like just ok headphone for 200 dollar budget.
You build up my confidence again.
I have a kinda medium to large head. I needed warm sound signature with bit rolled off or balanced Not peaking highs as it triggers my headache.
Am using my LG G6 Quad Ess Sabre dac for music playing.
There's another portable dac costing around same as Xduoo Xd5 but more portable, battery powered, warm sounded even though ess sabre dac(guess amp has role in warm sound) more slim dac that you can stack with phone and put in pocket of trouser. It's Opus#11. @fr2l . Check out that too. There's a dedicated thread of same in head fi.

As for headphone shall i go with Akg K553pro ? @RockStar2005

 

[RockStar2005]

Nice review @rockstar. I should say thanks to you actually. Everywhere k553 is criticized for its fit actually and telling like just ok headphone for 200 dollar budget.
You build up my confidence again.
I have a kinda medium to large head. I needed warm sound signature with bit rolled off or balanced Not peaking highs as it triggers my headache.
Am using my LG G6 Quad Ess Sabre dac for music playing.
There's another portable dac costing around same as Xduoo Xd5 but more portable, battery powered, warm sounded even though ess sabre dac(guess amp has role in warm sound) more slim dac that you can stack with phone and put in pocket of trouser. It's Opus#11. @fr2l . Check out that too. There's a dedicated thread of same in head fi.

As for headphone shall i go with Akg K553pro ? @RockStar2005

Thanks bencherian!

To be honest, if you are really set on the AKG K55X series, I would recommend one of the other ones over the K553. This is because they are typically cheaper and/or the fact that the K553 has slightly less headband padding the other ones in that series do. The other ones include the: K550, K550 MK II (UK version of the K550), and the K551. I've had all 3 at one time or another. The K553 is simply the the "U.S. Only" edition of the K550 IMO. The variances b/t the 3 are minimal to none. This thread of mine explains all that further.

Also, A LOT'S changed for me since I wrote that review. A few mos ago I tried out the Meze 99 Classics (from Romania) based on a friend on here's (who knows a lot more than I do lol) advice, and I was BLOWN away by them. I compared them to my now former AKG K551s, and they were just better in every respect. I would say comfort-wise they are great too, although lately, even though I upgraded the ear pads to the Brainwavz sheepskin leather ear pads for extra comfort, I still feel the clamp can sometimes be a bit tight on the 99s. But not everyone will agree with me on that. And I have been trying to stretch them out to loosen them up, and that SEEMS to slowly be working too. So that's just something to keep in mind. But see my review here for all the details. I also included custom EQs for people to try out to get the best sound as initially I wasn't impressed, but the EQs put the 99s over the AKG, which I did NOT see coming. The custom EQs also account for all frequencies/bands, including the treble, as I made sure to keep them under control in how I EQ'd them. I also brought the Pre-Amp EQ down a bit as well in order to help keep that treble range under control. I think you will find the EQs MOST helpful if you decide to get the 99s, and esp if you get the Brainwavz pads with them! The headband on them is self-adjusting, which means it adjust to your head. Worst comes to worse, you can always return them if you don't like them.

NICE on the LG G6 with Quad DAC! Excellent choice! I JUST got the LG V30 which of course also has the Quad DAC on it. The sound quality is SUPERB!

Honestly, I think if you have the G6, you don't need to use an external amp/DAC device. I feel like LG and HTC are including fantastic amp/DACs on their phones anyway, so why carry around an extra device? I'm sure SOME ppl will disagree with me on that, but that's how I feel about it.

So to recap, either go with the AKG K550, K550 MK II (my fav of the 3 for looks), or the K551 (has the shorter cable which is nice) if AKG is what you want to stick with. If you are open to spending a bit more on something else, you should most certainly consider the Meze headphones (which are also available on Amazon).

Hope this helps!

 

[bencherian]

Thanks bencherian!

To be honest, if you are really set on the AKG K55X series, I would recommend one of the other ones over the K553. This is because they are typically cheaper and/or the fact that the K553 has slightly less headband padding the other ones in that series do. The other ones include the: K550, K550 MK II (UK version of the K550), and the K551. I've had all 3 at one time or another. The K553 is simply the the "U.S. Only" edition of the K550 IMO. The variances b/t the 3 are minimal to none. This thread of mine explains all that further.

Also, A LOT'S changed for me since I wrote that review. A few mos ago I tried out the Meze 99 Classics (from Romania) based on a friend on here's (who knows a lot more than I do lol) advice, and I was BLOWN away by them. I compared them to my now former AKG K551s, and they were just better in every respect. I would say comfort-wise they are great too, although lately, even though I upgraded the ear pads to the Brainwavz sheepskin leather ear pads for extra comfort, I still feel the clamp can sometimes be a bit tight on the 99s. But not everyone will agree with me on that. And I have been trying to stretch them out to loosen them up, and that SEEMS to slowly be working too. So that's just something to keep in mind. But see my review here for all the details. I also included custom EQs for people to try out to get the best sound as initially I wasn't impressed, but the EQs put the 99s over the AKG, which I did NOT see coming. The custom EQs also account for all frequencies/bands, including the treble, as I made sure to keep them under control in how I EQ'd them. I also brought the Pre-Amp EQ down a bit as well in order to help keep that treble range under control. I think you will find the EQs MOST helpful if you decide to get the 99s, and esp if you get the Brainwavz pads with them! The headband on them is self-adjusting, which means it adjust to your head. Worst comes to worse, you can always return them if you don't like them.

NICE on the LG G6 with Quad DAC! Excellent choice! I JUST got the LG V30 which of course also has the Quad DAC on it. The sound quality is SUPERB!

Honestly, I think if you have the G6, you don't need to use an external amp/DAC device. I feel like LG and HTC are including fantastic amp/DACs on their phones anyway, so why carry around an extra device? I'm sure SOME ppl will disagree with me on that, but that's how I feel about it.

So to recap, either go with the AKG K550, K550 MK II (my fav of the 3 for looks), or the K551 (has the shorter cable which is nice) if AKG is what you want to stick with. If you are open to spending a bit more on something else, you should most certainly consider the Meze headphones (which are also available on Amazon).

Hope this helps!

Actually am a budding audiophile only. And my budget is limited now.
Reason why i choose K553 over K550 is i hate that slight sharp highs which are seen in K550. I dono whether it is there in present unit but the reviews all say there is a spike at highs. Well if you have another headphones worth under 200 dollars which is Closed cans, Warm sounding, doesn't have that spiky treble please share(other than Nad headphones )

 

[bencherian]

If you any other warm sounding headphones in 200 dollar budget please tell.
What about B&O H6 comparing to Akg K553pro ?

 

[bencherian]

You have V30 right ? How does it sound ? I mean can it compete against those portable dacs easily ?
I was thinking of dacs mainly if i change the phone.

 

[RockStar2005]

Actually am a budding audiophile only. And my budget is limited now.
Reason why i choose K553 over K550 is i hate that slight sharp highs which are seen in K550. I dono whether it is there in present unit but the reviews all say there is a spike at highs. Well if you have another headphones worth under 200 dollars which is Closed cans, Warm sounding, doesn't have that spiky treble please share(other than Nad headphones )

Hmm. As you saw in my last post, I concluded that the differences were minimal to non-existent between the K55X headphones. But I guess there will be always be those who disagree. lol

But if your budget is limited, then yeah, let me offer a few other ones:

The Meze 99 Neo: These headphones are basically identical to my Meze 99 Classics, with the differences being minimal at best from what I've read. And I actually know at least one person on here who actually PREFERS the Neo's sound to the 99 C's sound! And although these were $250, I just noticed right now that Amazon dropped the price to $199, making them a much more worthy consideration! (Review)

The Koss Pro4S: Like the Neo, I've heard people say these are AS good and a couple said these EVEN BETTER than the 99 Cs as well! The D-shaped ear cups are an interesting choice for conforming to the shape of our ears too. (Review) I believe these are slightly more neutral than the Meze headphones as well.

Other than those, I would also look into the $124 Sony MDR-7510 and the $109 Brainwavz HM5, which a friend here on Head-Fi who I trust immensely says are a "200% upgrade to the AKG K551". (Check reviews for each on Amazon and Google.) The HM5s do look a bit huge, but some people like that, others don't. Up to you.

Hope this helps!

 

[RockStar2005]

If you any other warm sounding headphones in 200 dollar budget please tell.
What about B&O H6 comparing to Akg K553pro ?

I can offer you to CLOSE reviews to that one............one EXTREMELY close.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/akg...ion-a-longstanding-favorite-dethroned.819769/

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ban...newer-more-powerful-sith-lord-emerges.826179/

I LOVED the 2nd Gen H6s (which have a bit more bass than the 1st Gen), but their comfort was not so great. Some have no issue with it, but both me and a friend I hang out with bought them and not long after we both decided they weren't very comfortable. They are listed as over-ear headphones, but IMO they are on-ear. Plus the headband's bottom side is ribbed, which kinda dug into my skull. But up to you. If they fixed the comfort, I'd maybe reconsider them for me.

 

[RockStar2005]

You have V30 right ? How does it sound ? I mean can it compete against those portable dacs easily ?
I was thinking of dacs mainly if i change the phone.

See the recent posts on this page (start at the post the link takes you to and then go down from there) from one of my ongoing threads for more info on the V30. They are all very recent, with the last few being from this morning.

In short, it's INCREDIBLE and YES it most certainly can compete with the many portable DAC/amp or DAP devices, esp if they are not the really pricey ones (like maybe over $500?). For sure they can compete with anything up to and around the $300-$400 range.

 

[bencherian]

@RockStar2005 ok i have to add one more thing . i mostly listen to modern music like coldplay, one republic, Edms,
rarely rock like Audioslave, Nickelback, 3 doors down.

 

[RockStar2005]

@RockStar2005 ok i have to add one more thing . i mostly listen to modern music like coldplay, one republic, Edms,
rarely rock like Audioslave, Nickelback, 3 doors down.

Well all I can say is the headphones I recommend sound great with everything! Though I mostly listen to rock, I also have a good number of folk and softer music as well as some "techno rock" albums too. Like Garbage for example, and U2's "Achtung Baby", which was one of the first techno/rock albums of its time (early 90s), AND my all-time favorite U2 album too.

 

[bencherian]

Well all I can say is the headphones I recommend sound great with everything! Though I mostly listen to rock, I also have a good number of folk and softer music as well as some "techno rock" albums too. Like Garbage for example, and U2's "Achtung Baby", which was one of the first techno/rock albums of its time (early 90s), AND my all-time favorite U2 album too.

yeah.. U2 band is kinda unique

 

[RockStar2005]

yeah.. U2 band is kinda unique

Yes, they are! I've seen them live TWICE now, and they were fantastic both times!

Lemme know which headphones you end up buying and keeping.