[CTR640]

I went to buy the ATH WP900 today but almost ended up with a Meze.
Getting the WP900 was something i had planned for some time already.
So, I'm holding off for a day or two to think this through, i was really impressed by the Meze.

The sales person also recommended the Audeze Sine and Sony MDR-ZR1, when I told him that i was looking for a portable headphone.
But the Meze stood out the most.

I suppose the silver cable upgrade would be necessary to tighten up the bass?
I generally like bassy headphones, but i did find it a little boomy.

The Meze 99C is €299 and the sales person recommended the Sony MDR-ZR1 which is...€1999..? Lol, that sounds sketchy.
If you want a portable headphone, the Meze 99 is the way to go because it's the most efficient headphone ever out there. It doesn't need any amp too.

Regarding the silver cable, some users have explained in detail about the silver upgrade cablesa few pages back. It's recommended to read them.

And the boomy bass, that can be changed by getting the smaller pads.

 

[mblain]

I went to buy the ATH WP900 today but almost ended up with a Meze.
Getting the WP900 was something i had planned for some time already.
So, I'm holding off for a day or two to think this through, i was really impressed by the Meze.

The sales person also recommended the Audeze Sine and Sony MDR-ZR1, when I told him that i was looking for a portable headphone.
But the Meze stood out the most.

I suppose the silver cable upgrade would be necessary to tighten up the bass?
I generally like bassy headphones, but i did find it a little boomy.

I have the Audeze Sine and the Meze with the silver cable. It's no contest the Meze's are in a league above the Sines. Also, the Sine's are more on-ear and not the most comfortable unless you switch out the pads to make them over-ear.

If the place has the silver cables as well I would ask to test them. When I initially got the Meze's I thought they were bloomy and the detail wasn't as good as some other headphones I have. The silver cable helped in both areas. Cleaning up the bloomy bass and opening up the clarity and detail. it's amazing how it transforms these headphones.

If you like bassy headphones I can definitely say between the Sine's and the Meze's, the Meze's are the better headphone for bass reach. The sub-bass is wonderful if you have the right source.

 

[Peter19500]

I just ordered. I have. I'll give you the first impressions from listening.

 

[Tuneslover]

I went to buy the ATH WP900 today but almost ended up with a Meze.
Getting the WP900 was something i had planned for some time already.
So, I'm holding off for a day or two to think this through, i was really impressed by the Meze.

The sales person also recommended the Audeze Sine and Sony MDR-ZR1, when I told him that i was looking for a portable headphone.
But the Meze stood out the most.

I suppose the silver cable upgrade would be necessary to tighten up the bass?
I generally like bassy headphones, but i did find it a little boomy.

I was interested in a headphone that has some bass, however my Noir 99 was simply tooooo bassy. I switched to the small pads that came with the headphone and the bass was a bit more subdued buy still too bassy for me. A Head-fier recommended the Yaxi pads so I thought I'd give them a try. MUCH BETTER sounding!! There's till ample bass but now I actually hear the midrange and high frequencies. These pads have 2 different inner ridge material (leather or material) that you can simply spin around on the cups (no removal of pads required) providing even more opportunity to tailor the sound. The Yaxi pads have removed my initial impulse to sell these phones.

 

[mblain]

I was interested in a headphone that has some bass, however my Noir 99 was simply tooooo bassy. I switched to the small pads that came with the headphone and the bass was a bit more subdued buy still too bassy for me. A Head-fier recommended the Yaxi pads so I thought I'd give them a try. MUCH BETTER sounding!! There's till ample bass but now I actually hear the midrange and high frequencies. These pads have 2 different inner ridge material (leather or material) that you can simply spin around on the cups (no removal of pads required) providing even more opportunity to tailor the sound. The Yaxi pads have removed my initial impulse to sell these phones.

I got the Yaxi pads too. Still trying to see which inner ridge direction I prefer facing the front. Which direction do you prefer and what differences in sound are you noticing between the leather and material? I feel the vocals are a little more recessed with the leather in the front but just got them so I'll need more time to hear the differences.

 

[tropicana]

Thanks, i'll put the Yaxi Pads in mind.

Yes, it is a little odd that they introduced the MDR-Z1R, said that it is very light, hence portable, but the size of it suggest otherwise. It sounded a little darker than I like. It can produce very impressive sub-bass, but the issue is it is totally detached from the other frequencies. Just comes on and off randomly and i can't even tell which instrument it is attached to. And while the headphones are a little dark for my taste, there is very pronounced sibilance. I just can't figure this headphone for the price. Maybe it needs a good source and amp to sound right.

Good bass is generally hard to reproduce in speakers and in headphones. And poor bass stands out very quickly and easily.
The only time i heard really good bass is in a FM Acoustic system, probably cost six figures.

Audeze Sine is the least comfortable and planars don't go well for me. I tested a high res 8D track, it does little in terms of soundstage and positioning.
I had the LCD2 once and didn't really like the sound.

The WP900 is nice, but it sounded similar to my main headphones TH900. V shaped and mids are a little recessed.
This is why i listen to my TH900 exclusively with a tube amp. I had three AT headphones, ESW9, W1000, W3000ANV, none lasted more than a year. But they all look gorgeous with the wooden cups, and no different from WP900.
There is this upper mid-range oddity with the ATs and is present with the WP900 as well. I suppose that's what people call the AT house sound, which i could not get used to. Having said that, WP900 still a great headphone for anyone looking for a closed back with a spatial sound.

I'm looking for a headphone for casual listening, 30 mins before meal or bed time. To power up the tube amp for the TH900 is just too much hassle, it takes 5 mins to warm up and another 5 mins to sound best. Meze seems to fit the bill, and they provide a good contrast to my TH900 with its lush mids. The soundstage is quite impressive, did well in the 8D track test. This headphones reminds me of Harbeth speakers, smooth at the top, great mid-range and upper bass.

 

[TrollDragon]

Which Yaxi pads are you using on the 99C?

 

[kalibur]

These are the ones - STpad2

 

[TrollDragon]

These are the ones - STpad2

Cheers!

 

[Moak]

Are there differences between the Meze 99 Classic, Meze 99 noir (from Drop) and the Meze 99 Neo?
I owned the Meze 99 noir. That was a beautiful headphone but the bass was to big/heavy for me. Are the others similar to the 99 noir?
..and with the STpad2 it should be a lesser bass?!
Thanks.

 

[mblain]

I have the Noir's and from what I've read they're exactly the same as the Classics except for the color and both use solid walnut ear cups. As for the Neo's they use ABS plastic ear cups. There are tons of reviews that compare the Neo's to the Classic if you do a google search but from what I've read they're not at the same level as the Classics or Noir.

I also have the Yaxi StPad2's and it definitely helps tighten up the bass. I guess the question for you is whether you find they're too bassy or the bass is too bloomy and all over the place. These do still have really good bass with the pads but I find they're more controlled.

 

[tret]

I spend about 4-8 hours a day w/ my Meze Empyreans but decided to pick up a pair of closed headphones for when I need isolation from general household noise. It took a good hour or so to adjust to the 99 Classics bass and I'd definitely call it boomy compared to my Empys (and my HD6xx). I've gotten used to it a bit but I would like a bit more control so I just ordered the Yaxi StPad2 pads to see if that helps, seems they are highly recommended here. Other than that, I very much like the sound presentation - amazing for the price.

 

[Mhog55]

I spend about 4-8 hours a day w/ my Meze Empyreans but decided to pick up a pair of closed headphones for when I need isolation from general household noise. It took a good hour or so to adjust to the 99 Classics bass and I'd definitely call it boomy compared to my Empys (and my HD6xx). I've gotten used to it a bit but I would like a bit more control so I just ordered the Yaxi StPad2 pads to see if that helps, seems they are highly recommended here. Other than that, I very much like the sound presentation - amazing for the price.

Lower 250khz 3 decibels if you haven't already.

 

[tret]

Lower 250khz 3 decibels if you haven't already.

Haven't done this yet, I guess I have the perfect excuse now to dive into Roon's DSP feature. Thanks!

 

[PopZeus]

I think the mid bass bloom is worse at 125Hz, myself. I tend to take that band down more than the 250Hz band. That cleaned up the bass bloat more effectively for me.