[RockStar2005]

Hello

I have the 99 Classics. I like them. A lot. They are a big step up from my MY2010 B&W P5 and they are run through Modi2/Vali2 stack.
At the moment I'm in the market for an open back set of headphones and have my eyes firmly on the Focal Elear. Anyone has comparisons between the two? Are the Elear considerably better and worth 3x the price (I'm mostly interested in owning an open back pair)

Hey mahrous,

The only open-backs I've ever tried were the Sennheiser HD 598 and 598 SE, but from what I've read and people on here I trust and have talked to about this, for around the same price (cheaper actually), you should look into the open-back AKG Pro Audio K702 headphones. According to this Q&A post, they sound exactly like the AKG Q701s, except they are more comfortable. And "What Hi-Fi?" (who I trust more than any other reviewer site) gave them a 5-star rating 3 years in a row. That says a lot about their sound quality. (You may wanna get this cable for the K702, if you aren't happy with the one it comes with. I had this in my notes so not sure if the stock one is ok but it might be.)

If you're really serious about going open-back, and don't wanna spend more than the 99 Cs, then these would be the best choice per my own personal list of best headphones.

But if you are willing to go above that, then I'd suggest the Sennheiser HD 700 or else the AKG Pro Audio K812 Pro. In my notes I have that the HD 700 outdoes the K702s, but only if you use a custom EQ on them. If not, then the K702s are supposed to be better despite being much much cheaper. I've read by most that the Sennheiser HD 800 (original, 1st gen) is the best of the best (2nd Gen, 800s should be avoided). And now it's actually cheaper than the K812 Pro, but I can't say for sure if HD 800 is actually better. You could just buy 2 of the best you like and compare them, then return the one you like less.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Hello

I have the 99 Classics. I like them. A lot. They are a big step up from my MY2010 B&W P5 and they are run through Modi2/Vali2 stack.
At the moment I'm in the market for an open back set of headphones and have my eyes firmly on the Focal Elear. Anyone has comparisons between the two? Are the Elear considerably better and worth 3x the price (I'm mostly interested in owning an open back pair)

I am also on the lookout for something similar.

I have not heard Elear yet, so cannot say how they sound. But if you want a safe option, HD650 might be worthy to look at!

 

[mbwilson111]

mostly interested in owning an open back pair

You might consider the Beyerdynamic Amiron Home. If I could only keep one of my open headphones, that would probably be the one.

 

[PinkyPowers]

I have the Audeze LCD-2.2Fazor, the Sennheiser HD650 and HD800. To me, only the LCD-2 comes close to the Meze signature. And I would absolutely call it an upgrade in sound quality.

 

[HungryPanda]

I would suggest Fidelio X2 or to save money Sivga SV007 which I'm really enjoying at the moment

 

[Amigozszz]

I have the Audeze LCD-2.2Fazor, the Sennheiser HD650 and HD800. To me, only the LCD-2 comes close to the Meze signature. And I would absolutely call it an upgrade in sound quality.

Pinky, i think strongly to buy cayin i5 but mainly i use Tidal, does it has streaming problems online mode? I heard it has them offline mode, if it is not Tidal friendly will buy blindly fiio x7 2nd gen, with meze 99c , what would you suggest? Thanks

 

[thehamubrglar]

I need more time with them to decide. Right now I'm not loving the changes, but I'm also not hating them. More time is needed.

PS. The bass still doesn't obscure the mids, so I say it's fine.

Ok I will hold off on selling my 99s for now. I'll check back in a week or so!

 

[PinkyPowers]

Pinky, i think strongly to buy cayin i5 but mainly i use Tidal, does it has streaming problems online mode? I heard it has them offline mode, if it is not Tidal friendly will buy blindly fiio x7 2nd gen, with meze 99c , what would you suggest? Thanks

I'm not the best person to ask, since I never use streaming services. I would search the i5 Thread for the latest consensus.

 

[RockStar2005]

I would suggest Fidelio X2 or to save money Sivga SV007 which I'm really enjoying at the moment

That SV007 looks interesting. I don't have any sub-$100 open-backs on my list, but since you liked them and this reviewer put them and the 99 Cs on the same list as "Best Wood Headphones of 2017", I've gone ahead and added them to my list. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[mbwilson111]

I would suggest Fidelio X2 or to save money Sivga SV007 which I'm really enjoying at the moment

That SV007 looks interesting. I don't have any sub-$100 open-backs on my list, but since you liked them and this reviewer put them and the 99 Cs on the same list as "Best Wood Headphones of 2017", I've gone ahead and added them to my list. Thanks for the suggestion!

There have been quite a few posts about the Sivga SV007 in the Chinese/Asian Brand Info Thread (On or Over Ear Headphones). I actually posted that link you gave in that thread the other day. Then I succumbed and ordered them from Amazon UK. They arrived Wednesday and I have to say.... these are amazing! You know from my list that I do have some really good headphones. I am listening to these 007s right now and I don't want to take them off.

 

[Kazz123]

Have heard of these before, and just now read their backstory of fulfilling promises is great haha.

Somehow just realized they have the silver version, previously thought the gold/wood design to be way too flashy but now looks like a good pair of headphones to consider buying.

 

[mbwilson111]

Have heard of these before, and just now read their backstory of fulfilling promises is great haha.

Somehow just realized they have the silver version, previously thought the gold/wood design to be way too flashy but now looks like a good pair of headphones to consider buying.

Yes, the silver/walnut version looks beautiful I have the Meze 99 Neo, not the Classic. That is black with silver accents but is not wood. Same design. Similar but not the exactly the same sound. I chose the Neo partly because of the color and also because of excellent reviews here. The Classic also has excellent reviews.

 

[PinkyPowers]

There have been quite a few posts about the Sivga SV007 in the Chinese/Asian Brand Info Thread (On or Over Ear Headphones). I actually posted that link you gave in that thread the other day. Then I succumbed and ordered them from Amazon UK. They arrived Wednesday and I have to say.... these are amazing! You know from my list that I do have some really good headphones. I am listening to these 007s right now and I don't want to take them off.

I'll admit, those look really nice. Are they built as fine as they appear? For the price, I have a hard time believing it. But with China you never know.

 

[RockStar2005]

There have been quite a few posts about the Sivga SV007 in the Chinese/Asian Brand Info Thread (On or Over Ear Headphones). I actually posted that link you gave in that thread the other day. Then I succumbed and ordered them from Amazon UK. They arrived Wednesday and I have to say.... these are amazing! You know from my list that I do have some really good headphones. I am listening to these 007s right now and I don't want to take them off.

Oh that's cool!

Really? Wow..........and they say too that wood offers better acoustics than metal or plastic, so that's why I'm going to make an effort to stick with headphones that use wooden ear cups from now on. The Meze 12 earphones are supposed to be amazing too (that review says they sound like the 99 Cs, but on a smaller scale), and they also have wooden bodies. The Mitchell and Johnson MJ2 is another one I'd love to see someone on here compare to the 99 Cs. They are about $200 more, but ppl here Head-Fi say though the soundstage isn't AS wide as the 99 C's, they offer a ton of detail. Though whether they can outdo the 99 Cs remains to be seen. lol

Yeah.........your inventory list is INSANE. lol The only other headphones I have are a $25 pair of Sony over-ears that I use on my PC for general listening. Nothin' too special.

 

[RockStar2005]

Have heard of these before, and just now read their backstory of fulfilling promises is great haha.

Somehow just realized they have the silver version, previously thought the gold/wood design to be way too flashy but now looks like a good pair of headphones to consider buying.

Not just good..............INCREDIBLE is more like it. See my review for more info and EQ options.