Mark up - inspired me to write a short review on these lovely headphones
The formating seems to work better here!
Introduction
As other reviewers have already posted pics, company info etc I mainly want to talk about how they sound.
I am a Sound Engineer and Producer by trade, an Audiophile for pleasure and sometimes a Music Lover as well
I listen to all genres but prefer 'Hi Res' 24/96 / Vinyl rips / SACD. May go to DAP is the iBasso DX80
In Brief...
High's
The highs have been wonderfully tuned, no sibilance yet never lacking in clarity or detail. I confess to
being a bit of a 'high head' and not so much a 'bass head' Im also not a huge fan of 'warm sounding' headphones
but I find the silky smooth crisp highs to be SO nice on these headphones.
Listening to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday is simply divine
Mid's
Seem well tuned and sit nicely in their own area without being adversely effected by lows and highs
Look to other reviews for a more detailed analysis in this area! (to be honest, mid's are not my strong point)
Lows
This is where it gets interesting for me. the bass is certainly a part of what this headphone is about. You
wont ever find it lacking! I am no bass head so for me this is perhaps the only thing I would personally like
to see toned down a bit. Another reviewer touched on this adding that 'although it is always there, its not really a
problem'...but can be noticeable.
However, when the bass works, it works Really well.
Classical music is an absolute delight with cello bass for example, sounding warm and natural.
Its important to add though that even when the bass is a tad prominent [for me] the mids and highs still shine and
maintain their presence... a lovely quality of this headphone
The Meze 99's are a good example of a headphone that rewards you with well mixed and mastered audio
Soundstage
I think most reviews have reported the Meze 99's as having a wide sound stage, especially for a closed back headphone
I would agree with this but at times I have noticed that the sound stage has two other qualities that I really enjoy:
1, They have a lovely 3D sound stage. Sometimes with classical you can hear and clearly visualise where the various
instruments where in the auditorium during the recording session. There can therefore be a wonderful sense of space with
each instrument having its own space to shine in - useful if you are a Bach lover!
If the singer or band where recording in an area that had a lot of space these headphones do a delightful job of reproducing this
2, One thing I noticed today was how the sound stage is not only great in the left and right but also does a great job filling in
the middle as well, something I didn't realise other headphones don't always do so well until listening to the Meze 99's!
Due to these points I find these to be something of an 'Audiophile' headphone in that they are great for detail.
Over all sound
Meze claim to have produced a neutral tuned and warm [fun?] sounding headphone. I find this a bit of a contradiction!
not in a bad way although I do find elements of both [neutral & fun]
When I read that these headphones had been tuned neutral I was excited because as an Audiophile I seek neutral headphones
so that I can enjoy music that is well mixed and mastered on a DAP that has the quality, presicion and power to replicate as
close as possible, the sound of the original studio recording
When I read they had a 'warm wood earcup sound' and (did I read 'fun' somewhere?) I was also looking forward to this because sometimes
I just like to listen to and enjoy music ( as oppose to 'critical detail' Audiophile listening!!)
To be fair, it must be difficult to find a balance between tuning a 'neutral' headphone whilst keeping them interesting to listen to as well
I feel Meze has done a very good job here with this although they don't sound to me like how the graph appears
So I find myself very happy and yet a tiny bit dissapointed with these headphones.
A tad dissapointed because... I don't think they could be considered 'Audiophile' headphones BUT if that bass was a tad more balanced . . .
they would start getting into that area.
To be fair though Meze have not sold them as such and I say this, if anything, as a compliment.
I find myself very happy with these headphones though because they are such fun to listen too...for pleasure!
>>> In essence, they have an energy, a life to them which reminds me of that 'live music feeling' you get at concerts.
As soon as I put them for the first time they just seemed to sing, straight out of the box. They seemed so happy and excited to play
some music for me
They are a very endearing headphone and I already find they have a place in my heart
The bad
The cups - I have to agree with other reviewers - I have small ears and the fit is snug so for people with big ears...?
The cable - If i scratch to cable above the cinch it sounds like my fingers are scratching inside the cups themsleves! I tend to listen to headphones
lying down so this is not as issue for me, but the microphonics are not great
The bass - sometimes can be a little intrusive to my tastes but not to the degree that is becomes a problem
Conclusion
In conclusion the only downsides are the cable and the small cups (which may effect some)
I feel they are priced about right.
I think Meze have done a great job, producing a lovingly well made, high quality headphone with an interesting & wonderfully energetic, engaging sound
that when given well mixed and mastered audio will give great delight and a wonderful dynamic experience to the listener
To give a score out of 100 I would probably only take off 10-15 points
thank you Meze! I will be keeping a very close eye out for future headphones
