[DeliriumCordia]

My pair has large pads. After break in , will the bass become tighter? it's very loose, boomy and all over the place atm. Even the treble is harsh. I have used them for 6 hours so far. Not much has changed

Forget break in. You have a few options. You can search around for the original, smaller pads. Or, you can buy Brainwavz oval sheepskin leather pads. Both of these should remove the mid bass bloat you're hearing.

Edit: You could also cut 250 hz by a few notches to cut the mid bass bloat.
As an aside, I would recommend giving them more time before writing them off completely. They're pretty fun and can handle any EQ'ng you throw at them.

 

[Lurk650]

You're not wrong. I do find the treble harsh with the original pads though.

To be fair, I got mine used so they were already very burned in and I didn't care for the pads that came with them (which were apparently the original small pads as I sold them to another member) since my ears touched due to lack of depth. Been through many pads but have settled with the Yaxi pads.

 

[bzippy]

I just received my pair. I am listening to them while I type. They sound very dark and kinda v shaped atm. The bass is bloomy, the mids are sucked out, and the treble is almost muted. Do these require break in? I am not impressed.

There is plenty on criticism in this thread about various aspects of the 99's character, but I think you're the first I've heard report scooped mids and dark tonality. I hate to question your impressions and I mean no disrespect, but that's pretty much the opposite of how I'd describe mine. Are you really saying you're finding the 99 darker than your 650?

I know everyone hears things a bit differently, but i wonder whether something odd is going on. If I may ask, what does the rest of your chain look like?

 

[PopZeus]

Meze sells a revised original pads that is smaller, but brings up the mids and lower treble. and it's worth the roll.

 

[addicted2music]

There is plenty on criticism in this thread about various aspects of the 99's character, but I think you're the first I've heard report scooped mids and dark tonality. I hate to question your impressions and I mean no disrespect, but that's pretty much the opposite of how I'd describe mine. Are you really saying you're finding the 99 darker than your 650?

I know everyone hears things a bit differently, but i wonder whether something odd is going on. If I may ask, what does the rest of your chain look like?

yes, they sounded very dark out of the box. They don't sound as dark anymore. Mids have also shown their presence. Regarding the bass, the bloom has reduced, but it is still there. The treble is inoffensive , but there is some distortion that makes the vocals sound slightly sandpapery. It is only noticable when you compare them against the HD 650s or the DT 150s or else I don't think people would notice it much, but it is definitely audible. The sound is not liquid as people mentioned in their reviews. Also, to answer your question, I use a simple dap, FiiO X1 1st gen. I am still hoping the treble would get smoother and actually sound liquid after some more break in.

 

[DeliriumCordia]

yes, they sounded very dark out of the box. They don't sound as dark anymore. Mids have also shown their presence. Regarding the bass, the bloom has reduced, but it is still there. The treble is inoffensive , but there is some distortion that makes the vocals sound slightly sandpapery. It is only noticable when you compare them against the HD 650s or the DT 150s or else I don't think people would notice it much, but it is definitely audible. The sound is not liquid as people mentioned in their reviews. Also, to answer your question, I use a simple dap, FiiO X1 1st gen. I am still hoping the treble would get smoother and actually sound liquid after some more break in.

Which songs are you listening to where this is noticeable? Have you tested with different sources and/or volumes? I use them from a Samsung A50 and I've not come across that issue.

 

[addicted2music]

Which songs are you listening to where this is noticeable? Have you tested with different sources and/or volumes? I use them from a Samsung A50 and I've not come across that issue.

It's an inherent thing that you notice on all songs. I have tried different sources. I think the treble on the meze is not as refined as my 650's treble. I have read about this issue in a couple of reviews too. In one review, one guy did the testing and found the 5khz to be slightly distorted. Now I think most people wouldnt notice it, but when you compare them against higher end headphones(HD 650), you do hear it.

 

[bcaulf17]

It's an inherent thing that you notice on all songs. I have tried different sources. I think the treble on the meze is not as refined as my 650's treble. I have read about this issue in a couple of reviews too. In one review, one guy did the testing and found the 5khz to be slightly distorted. Now I think most people wouldnt notice it, but when you compare them against higher end headphones(HD 650), you do hear it.

This can be the case. Despite being slightly rolled off, the HD6XX is very resolving and detailed. That grainy quality you hear in the treble is pretty common amongst many headphones, it’s just that some project it more than others and I think it has almost as much to do with the recordings as it does the headphones. My 177X has that quality sometimes as well but on most of my music I don’t notice it. The HD6XX doesn’t have it at all but it’s super smooth in the treble.

 

[addicted2music]

This can be the case. Despite being slightly rolled off, the HD6XX is very resolving and detailed. That grainy quality you hear in the treble is pretty common amongst many headphones, it’s just that some project it more than others and I think it has almost as much to do with the recordings as it does the headphones. My 177X has that quality sometimes as well but on most of my music I don’t notice it. The HD6XX doesn’t have it at all but it’s super smooth in the treble.

It is refinement to me. That is why I consider the HD 650s one of the best refined headphones ever even though it lacks some upper end air and detail. They have a beautiful tonality and are very refined and detailed. Perfect for a non analytical listener. You can enjoy any recording on it with sufficient details.

 

[Tuneslover]

This can be the case. Despite being slightly rolled off, the HD6XX is very resolving and detailed. That grainy quality you hear in the treble is pretty common amongst many headphones, it’s just that some project it more than others and I think it has almost as much to do with the recordings as it does the headphones. My 177X has that quality sometimes as well but on most of my music I don’t notice it. The HD6XX doesn’t have it at all but it’s super smooth in the treble.

Please help me understand what GRAIN is when talking about headphones. I have read that some on the HD58X thread talk about grain but I have never understood what it is. I'm not hearing anything unusual, probably because I don't know what to listen for.

 

[bcaulf17]

Please help me understand what GRAIN is when talking about headphones. I have read that some on the HD58X thread talk about grain but I have never understood what it is. I'm not hearing anything unusual, probably because I don't know what to listen for.

I personally think the term grain gets thrown around too much and while it does exist as a description of texture, I believe it’s not entirely the fault of the headphone.

The HD58X might have some but not a lot. Basically it’s described as having a bit of a rough or sandpaper like quality, a little dirty, not entirely clean or liquid. You might notice it in some upper register vocals, where there might be a bit of distorted noise behind the notes; same with cymbals, sounding a bit rough instead of liquid and clean. Basically, it lives in the treble.

I’ve seen some people claim it’s not related to frequency response. If that’s the case, then why do I only hear this kind of texture on some songs? If it were entirely the fault of the headphone, wouldn’t I hear it all the time? That’s my theory behind it at least. I feel like it might have to do with a peak, large or small, in between two dips on each side. But what do I know. If you don’t hear it, don’t worry about it.

 

[Tuneslover]

I personally think the term grain gets thrown around too much and while it does exist as a description of texture, I believe it’s not entirely the fault of the headphone.

The HD58X might have some but not a lot. Basically it’s described as having a bit of a rough or sandpaper like quality, a little dirty, not entirely clean or liquid. You might notice it in some upper register vocals, where there might be a bit of distorted noise behind the notes; same with cymbals, sounding a bit rough instead of liquid and clean. Basically, it lives in the treble.

I’ve seen some people claim it’s not related to frequency response. If that’s the case, then why do I only hear this kind of texture on some songs? If it were entirely the fault of the headphone, wouldn’t I hear it all the time? That’s my theory behind it at least. I feel like it might have to do with a peak, large or small, in between two dips on each side. But what do I know.

Thanks for your interpretation. I think I know what you're referencing. I'm in agreement with you that if it's a headphone problem then I'd hear it all the time but I don't, rarely in fact. Whenever I heard this sort of scratchy distortion I always (rightly or wrongly) attributed it to the recording or poor QC in the production of the CD.

 

[bcaulf17]

Thanks for your interpretation. I think I know what you're referencing. I'm in agreement with you that if it's a headphone problem then I'd hear it all the time but I don't, rarely in fact. Whenever I heard this sort of scratchy distortion I always (rightly or wrongly) attributed it to the recording or poor QC in the production of the CD.

Yeah that’s what I thought too. I do hear it more in some headphones than others. To test it, I picked a couple tracks where it was very noticeable in the vocals. On my other headphones it sounded smoother, but I could still hear the traces of its existence. It just sounded more glossed over and less exposed. So yeah even if it isn’t related to frequency response, the recording is likely the first part of the error.

 

[addicted2music]

I personally think the term grain gets thrown around too much and while it does exist as a description of texture, I believe it’s not entirely the fault of the headphone.

The HD58X might have some but not a lot. Basically it’s described as having a bit of a rough or sandpaper like quality, a little dirty, not entirely clean or liquid. You might notice it in some upper register vocals, where there might be a bit of distorted noise behind the notes; same with cymbals, sounding a bit rough instead of liquid and clean. Basically, it lives in the treble.

I’ve seen some people claim it’s not related to frequency response. If that’s the case, then why do I only hear this kind of texture on some songs? If it were entirely the fault of the headphone, wouldn’t I hear it all the time? That’s my theory behind it at least. I feel like it might have to do with a peak, large or small, in between two dips on each side. But what do I know. If you don’t hear it, don’t worry about it.

I think the reason you don't hear this texture all the time is because many recordings hide it well while others expose it. My theory is it is the headphone's fault. It depends on how distorted the treble is. If it is bad, you would hear it on many recordings than usual. If it is not, you would only hear it on a few recordings. If it is as refined as something like the HD 650's treble, it would show on almost none.
I think the grainy treble on the meze is related to the diaphragm being mylar. I read mylar diaphragms have this inherent distortion in the treble.

 

[bcaulf17]

I think the reason you don't hear this texture all the time is because many recordings hide it well while others expose it. My theory is it is the headphone's fault. It depends on how distorted the treble is. If it is bad, you would hear it on many recordings than usual. If it is not, you would only hear it on a few recordings. If it is as refined as something like the HD 650's treble, it would show on almost none.
I think the grainy treble on the meze is related to the diaphragm being mylar. I read mylar diaphragms have this inherent distortion in the treble.

This is the theory most seem to adhere to; that it is more of a quality thing, which I can see making sense. I’ve read some forms of damping and speed can cause it too, which might be the case of the 177X (since they reduced the impedance and added some foam damping).