[Bascule]

Brainwavs angled hybrid pads arrived today..



They're quite a lot larger, even than the larger 99C pads..



I'd geared myself up for a fiddly fitting, and rested the phones in one of the existing pads... ...But tbh it was an absolute doddle, probably didn't take even a minute for either side.



They look alarmingly big..



But comfort wise, feel really good to wear! Glad I went for the velour / leather hybrid - I would say comfort is improved (for me at least, I have large ears and there's some 'wiggle room' with these which there wasn't with the standard pads (I have both sizes)
Currently am half way through 'The Wall' - Sonically, I'm not picking up on any fundamental change at all, which is very pleasing. No negative impact on the Meze sound I love. Isolation seems every bit as good, which isn't a surprise.

First impressions are excellent therefore - these may prove to have been a good move indeed!



Thanks must also go to Meze, for producing a fine set of headphones, but ones that can also be modified so very easily in non-destructive and so easily reversible ways!

Ben

 

[mbwilson111]

Brainwavs angled hybrid pads arrived today..

That looks much better than I thought it would. I was surprised you got the angled ones but they do look comfy. I have no problem with the stock pads on my Neos but I do have the flat hybrids on my Fostex t50rp mk3 and my BossHifi B8s. Very happy with the result on the Fostex...both comfort and sound. Not quite sure about the Bosshifi. Comfort yes...sound not sure. I have too many headphones. My brain gets tangled up...lol. Usually I just get lost in the music and forget to compare.

 

[yomer]

just ordered the Hybrid Brainwavz angled pads for my 99Cs..

Should be here Monday! I've gone for the leather/velour combo - I prefer the feel of velour & I'm hoping to find a comfort improvement, my ears get v hot over extended periods with the current pads. Didn't go full velour because of people saying it affected the sound.

Please let me know how it goes. I have the 99Cs with the large pads and my earlobes still rest a bit on the edge of the pad and it tends to get a bit warm over time. I'm on the fence on ordering this leather/velour replacement pads, as long as the SQ doesn't decrease, better if it increases. Has anyone made a comparison between the angled and flat version of the hybrid pads?

 

[matthewh133]

What portable dac and/or amp are people liking with this? I've read it's not the best directly from an iPhone. I live on the road (out of a van) for work, so these would be used mostly plugged into my iPhone streaming 320kbps, or my macbook pro streaming a mixture of 320kpbs and flac. Preferably something small enough to have with me on flights etc.

 

[Liviu Nicolof]

The blue and the red one/

 

[Bascule]

What portable dac and/or amp are people liking with this? I've read it's not the best directly from an iPhone. I live on the road (out of a van) for work, so these would be used mostly plugged into my iPhone streaming 320kbps, or my macbook pro streaming a mixture of 320kpbs and flac. Preferably something small enough to have with me on flights etc.

There's a lot of love for the iDSD BL here with these phones - I plan to audition that against the new Audiolab m-dac mini (i use the desktop M-Dac plus, and am very pleased with it so am really interested to hear the portable) - I suspect though that the iDSD BL will pip it. There's always the Chord kit too!

 

[397324]

+1 on that. I had an iFi iDSD Black with both the 99's and AudioQuest NightOwl's. Sold the NightOwls they were too rolled off in the treble even for me. I then decided that I wanted to go portable only and sold the iDSD as well.

I am starting to regret that decision, as I defy anyone to point to a really good DAP that doesn't have issues. At home, using the iDSD Black with any headphones or IEMs and a laptop with Foobar2000, I've never had a 10th of the issues reported on these forums with TOTL DAP's.

So I'm starting to think I'd be best going back to that setup with my 99's and something cheap-ish for out and about.

 

[397324]

Halfway through typing the above, I decided to get another iFi iDSD Black. Just bought it from www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk. I've bought quite a few things from them. Always a great, speedy service.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Hello Meze fans!

Long time no hear! As you probably know, we're been hard at work lately but all with fruitful results! During the course of the weekend, we'll release some news regarding what we've been working on.

The first announcement is about the Meze Audio balanced cables for the Meze 99 Classics and Meze 99 Neo. You've surely seen it coming and saw them on our website. Here are some photos of them.

The cables can only be purchased directly from Meze Audio for now and they are in low supply. Our question is, would you be interested in testing them out in a tour? Just let us know!

Woah, really nice! I would be quite interested to hear the new cables, especially as I have DX200 with a BALANCED only AMP module now (AMP3)

 

[Dobrescu George]

I really like how this variation looks like! Quite elegant, but edgy at the same time!

 

[bigtim]

What portable dac and/or amp are people liking with this? I've read it's not the best directly from an iPhone. I live on the road (out of a van) for work, so these would be used mostly plugged into my iPhone streaming 320kbps, or my macbook pro streaming a mixture of 320kpbs and flac. Preferably something small enough to have with me on flights etc.

Sounds awesome out of a Cowon P1 with the right EQ settings but it sounds nearly as good out of an 11yr old iPod 5.5 with EQ turned off.

I'd be interested to hear if it goes well with any of the newer DAPs that do streaming as well as handle hi-res files. Thanks for the pics @Bascule - those brainwavz pads look like they may accommodate my giant ears!

 

[superuser1]

That looks much better than I thought it would. I was surprised you got the angled ones but they do look comfy. I have no problem with the stock pads on my Neos but I do have the flat hybrids on my Fostex t50rp mk3 and my BossHifi B8s. Very happy with the result on the Fostex...both comfort and sound. Not quite sure about the Bosshifi. Comfort yes...sound not sure. I have too many headphones. My brain gets tangled up...lol. Usually I just get lost in the music and forget to compare.

I would consider myself lucky on days i get lost like you describe. All this comparison is exhausting at times. Always looking for a better dish rather than enjoying the perfect one in front of you.

The blue and the red one/

you got good taste bro!

+1 on that. I had an iFi iDSD Black with both the 99's and AudioQuest NightOwl's. Sold the NightOwls they were too rolled off in the treble even for me. I then decided that I wanted to go portable only and sold the iDSD as well.

I am starting to regret that decision, as I defy anyone to point to a really good DAP that doesn't have issues. At home, using the iDSD Black with any headphones or IEMs and a laptop with Foobar2000, I've never had a 10th of the issues reported on these forums with TOTL DAP's.

So I'm starting to think I'd be best going back to that setup with my 99's and something cheap-ish for out and about.

I am glad you ordered the BL again. I am really enjoying them too with the 99c

 

[big45-70]

I just ordered myself a pair classics (walnut silver) I've been looking for a set of closed backs that checked all the boxes for a long time.

I do have a concer with the fit. I have a larger head and ears and sometimes these HP's do look quite small. Have they been know to have problems with fit and comfort for those of us with with larger parts?

 

[chungjun]

Thanks for sharing! I'm very tempted to get the sheepskin... oh well, maybe I'll pull the trigger. Someday...

Brainwavs angled hybrid pads arrived today..



They're quite a lot larger, even than the larger 99C pads..



I'd geared myself up for a fiddly fitting, and rested the phones in one of the existing pads... ...But tbh it was an absolute doddle, probably didn't take even a minute for either side.



They look alarmingly big..



But comfort wise, feel really good to wear! Glad I went for the velour / leather hybrid - I would say comfort is improved (for me at least, I have large ears and there's some 'wiggle room' with these which there wasn't with the standard pads (I have both sizes)
Currently am half way through 'The Wall' - Sonically, I'm not picking up on any fundamental change at all, which is very pleasing. No negative impact on the Meze sound I love. Isolation seems every bit as good, which isn't a surprise.

First impressions are excellent therefore - these may prove to have been a good move indeed!



Thanks must also go to Meze, for producing a fine set of headphones, but ones that can also be modified so very easily in non-destructive and so easily reversible ways!

Ben

 

[Dobrescu George]

I would consider myself lucky on days i get lost like you describe. All this comparison is exhausting at times. Always looking for a better dish rather than enjoying the perfect one in front of you.

you got good taste bro!

I am glad you ordered the BL again. I am really enjoying them too with the 99c

Really glad you're enjoying your iDSD BL in there! Quite an amazing DAC/AMP unit! Really brings 99C to another level I'd say