[HurricaneBob01]

Get a Garage1217 Project Ember 2.1. You’ll thank me later on the new tube rolling rabbit hole adventure. It’s also a hybrid, so it’s gorgeous with Planar Magnetics.

My Fiio amp decided to stop working today, so I think I'm going to order the Ember amp.

 

[mblain]

I own a pair of the Meze 99 classics as well (bought in December 2018, so I assume I have the larger ear pads). I also bought a balanced cable to try with the FiiO Q1 Mark II but it didn’t make much of a difference to me compared to the stock cable and no use of a DAC at all (of course I tried several high-res files). So I returned the FiiO in the end. However I am thinking about enhancing my experience a bit now. From what I learned there is a possibility to upgrade the cable (original silver upgrade cable by Meze, which is supposed to enhance or balance the sound a lot) and/or change the ear pads to the smaller originals from Meze or the Brainwavz. What would you suggest? Start with the upgrade cable or going all in with the new cable plus the Brainwavz ear pads? I must add that I listen to music with my iPhone most of the time (2/3 256kbps streams from Apple Music and 1/3 high-res) where there is no Poweramp EQ, only in stock non-customisable EQ settings which also only apply to Apple Music and hence the sound of Ultra HD tracks from e.g. Amazon Music HD cannot be tweaked with EQ settings. Thanks for any advice!

From my experience. When I first got the Meze 99 a year ago I felt it sounded congested and the bass bloated and boomy. I really didn’t know what the hype was about. This was listening on a micro idsd BL. I heard a ton about how the meze silver cable cleans up the sound and tightens the bass which good silver cables normally do. So I ordered them in balanced 2.5mm and the sound was night and day for me. I then understood the hype around why they’re so fun and good. The cable did everything anyone said about them. Cleaner, wider soundstage, tightened bass. No boomy bass. I’ve also changed the pads to yaxi’s but those had less of an affect. The source really does make a difference too. If you have an amp that’s super clinical then the silver cable could be too harsh. Ifi amps/dacs are on the warmer side so the silver cable really helps.

 

[AlexCross]

From my experience. When I first got the Meze 99 a year ago I felt it sounded congested and the bass bloated and boomy. I really didn’t know what the hype was about. This was listening on a micro idsd BL. I heard a ton about how the meze silver cable cleans up the sound and tightens the bass which good silver cables normally do. So I ordered them in balanced 2.5mm and the sound was night and day for me. I then understood the hype around why they’re so fun and good. The cable did everything anyone said about them. Cleaner, wider soundstage, tightened bass. No boomy bass. I’ve also changed the pads to yaxi’s but those had less of an affect. The source really does make a difference too. If you have an amp that’s super clinical then the silver cable could be too harsh. Ifi amps/dacs are on the warmer side so the silver cable really helps.

Would you recommend a DAC for the 99C‘s at all? I thought the sound quality is so good out of the box that there is not much more to add... especially given my source files (2/3 256kbps Apple Music stream and 1/3 high-res) and the fact that the FiiO Q1 Mark II made not much of a difference to me.

 

[mblain]

Would you recommend a DAC for the 99C‘s at all? I thought the sound quality is so good out of the box that there is not much more to add... especially given my source files (2/3 256kbps Apple Music stream and 1/3 high-res) and the fact that the FiiO Q1 Mark II made not much of a difference to me.

That's a slippy slope. If you feel they sound good now and are happy with them, then I would just leave it. I'm surprised you didn't hear much of a difference with the FiiO Q1. They do scale really well with a proper amp/dac which is great if you want to see how good they can get. I'm running them off an ifi iDSD signature which is more power than they need.

I would say, if you are getting the silver balanced cable to try it with the Q1 since it has balanced 2.5mm and enough power for them. I'm sure you'll hear a difference over directly plugging them in. The dynamic range should increase and you should hear more air between instruments along with a wider sound stage.

 

[AlexCross]

From my experience. When I first got the Meze 99 a year ago I felt it sounded congested and the bass bloated and boomy. I really didn’t know what the hype was about. This was listening on a micro idsd BL. I heard a ton about how the meze silver cable cleans up the sound and tightens the bass which good silver cables normally do. So I ordered them in balanced 2.5mm and the sound was night and day for me. I then understood the hype around why they’re so fun and good. The cable did everything anyone said about them. Cleaner, wider soundstage, tightened bass. No boomy bass. I’ve also changed the pads to yaxi’s but those had less of an affect. The source really does make a difference too. If you have an amp that’s super clinical then the silver cable could be too harsh. Ifi amps/dacs are on the warmer side so the silver cable really helps.

Thanks, the ifi micro idsd BL seems to be a bit over my budget. And it does not have a balanced output. So how do you use the Meze with the balanced silver cable with the DAC?

 

[mblain]

Thanks, the ifi micro idsd BL seems to be a bit over my budget. And it does not have a balanced output. So how do you use the Meze with the balanced silver cable with the DAC?

Yeah the BL is overkill for those headphones. If you have the FiiO Q1 mark II, it already has the balance 2.5mm input along with the standard 3.5mm SE. All you need to do is get the cable and plug it into the 2.5mm hole. I wouldn’t buy a new dac/amp until you try the upgraded cable.

If you do get the cable, any new device you get you’ll want to make sure it has a 2.5mm input or get an adapter. I have a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter which I use on the BL since it doesn’t have balanced.

 

[pk4425]

Yeah the BL is overkill for those headphones. If you have the FiiO Q1 mark II, it already has the balance 2.5mm input along with the standard 3.5mm SE. All you need to do is get the cable and plug it into the 2.5mm hole. I wouldn’t buy a new dac/amp until you try the upgraded cable.

If you do get the cable, any new device you get you’ll want to make sure it has a 2.5mm input or get an adapter. I have a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter which I use on the BL since it doesn’t have balanced.

Agree. The Meze 99 Classics is a rare audiophile headphone in its price range that doesn't require amplification for volume purposes. An iPhone 12 can drive them to ear canal-rattling volume with ease.

The extra power only is needed for better fidelity and to tame the bass. I don't have the balanced cable, but it sure sounds like the balanced cable even with an amp of lower power will do the trick. Tons of power sure seem like overkill, especially when you're paying for power you don't need.

Hell, I hooked up my Meze 99 Classics with unbalanced, stock cables to the TempoTec Sonata HD Pro dongle that is a must to drive my Sennheiser HD 560s and HiFiMan HE-400se International edition, and it seemed like overkill at the 2-volt, high-gain setting. Again, that's a dongle, not a nuclear substation like the BL.

 

[AlexCross]

Yeah the BL is overkill for those headphones. If you have the FiiO Q1 mark II, it already has the balance 2.5mm input along with the standard 3.5mm SE. All you need to do is get the cable and plug it into the 2.5mm hole. I wouldn’t buy a new dac/amp until you try the upgraded cable.

If you do get the cable, any new device you get you’ll want to make sure it has a 2.5mm input or get an adapter. I have a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter which I use on the BL since it doesn’t have balanced.

Unfortunately I sold the Q1 Mark II as I was not able to hear any significant difference between listening with and without the Q1. That was without the silver upgraded cable of course. Now I am thinking wether to buy only the cable or also a new DAC and if I buy a new DAC which would be a reasonable choice (which corresponds to the 99‘s and does not cost more than 200€).

 

[mblain]

Unfortunately I sold the Q1 Mark II as I was not able to hear any significant difference between listening with and without the Q1. That was without the silver upgraded cable of course. Now I am thinking wether to buy only the cable or also a new DAC and if I buy a new DAC which would be a reasonable choice (which corresponds to the 99‘s and does not cost more than 200€)

Oh, sorry I thought you still had it. I guess it depends on the sound signature you like. I’m a fan of ifi gear so the ifi Hipdac is in your price range and has 4.4mm balanced input which meze also sells the silver cable in. The nice thing with the hip dac is the xbass boost which is a analog if you feel you want a little more bass. I know the Q1 had it something similar. To me ifi gear tends to lean a little more on the warmer natural sound which I like while still keeping the sounds clean. The hip dac is also pretty portable.

I’m sure they’re other dac amp combos others have recommended in this thread that’ll be in your price range as well.

 

[iFi audio]

not a nuclear substation like the BL.

That's a very nice way to name it

 

[AlexCross]

I think I finally found my „upgrade setup“, except for the pads. Silver upgrade cable and ifi hip DAC. After reading a lot of comments and reviews I decided to go for the Yaxi (however there are also negative comments on these) or the Brainwavz Microsuede pads... what would be a good match to the cable and the DAC? I have the larger stock pads and I don‘t like the stock sound without EQ (which I don‘t want to use as I don‘t have a customizable EQ an my iPhone).

 

[mblain]

I think I finally found my „upgrade setup“, except for the pads. Silver upgrade cable and ifi hip DAC. After reading a lot of comments and reviews I decided to go for the Yaxi (however there are also negative comments on these) or the Brainwavz Microsuede pads... what would be a good match to the cable and the DAC? I have the larger stock pads and I don‘t like the stock sound without EQ (which I don‘t want to use as I don‘t have a customizable EQ an my iPhone).

Good choices on the silver cable and hip dac. As for the pads I currently have the yaxi pads abs found they didn’t make as much difference as the cable did. Although some owners have said the opposite and the yaxi pads did the biggest change. Also, I might recommend you wait until you get the cable and hip dac to hear how they sound before getting new pads to see what kind of sound you want out of them. Or if you find a seller you can buy to test them and return them if you don’t like them do that.

I’m curious you mentioned you don’t like the stock sound and EQ them, what about the sound you don’t like that you apply a EQ to them?

 

[AlexCross]

Good choices on the silver cable and hip dac. As for the pads I currently have the yaxi pads abs found they didn’t make as much difference as the cable did. Although some owners have said the opposite and the yaxi pads did the biggest change. Also, I might recommend you wait until you get the cable and hip dac to hear how they sound before getting new pads to see what kind of sound you want out of them. Or if you find a seller you can buy to test them and return them if you don’t like them do that.

I’m curious you mentioned you don’t like the stock sound and EQ them, what about the sound you don’t like that you apply a EQ to them?

Thanks, I found the sound without EQ loud and tinny, less separation, not really enjoyable. Listening to a master file was better though. However without EQ it not really the sound I want and the sound the 99's are capable of in my opinion. Hence I thought about upgrading with cable, DAC and pads.

 

[iFi audio]

Silver upgrade cable and ifi hip DAC.

Both make sense considering your cans

Enjoy!

 

[mblain]

Thanks, I found the sound without EQ loud and tinny, less separation, not really enjoyable. Listening to a master file was better though. However without EQ it not really the sound I want and the sound the 99's are capable of in my opinion. Hence I thought about upgrading with cable, DAC and pads.

Got it. The silver cable will definitely provide more separation for you and in combination with the hipdac it should balance the overall sound so it won't be tinny since ifi gear generally leans towards the warmer/natural side. 99s are generally warmer, to begin with so it's interesting you find them tinny but you could be getting that directly from the source if you're using them from your phone or laptop.

Well I hope after these upgrades you finally enjoy the 99s and get the proper sound you're looking for.