[emptymt]

Can't remember who reccomended them to me, but wow am I really glad I ordered them. What a pair of headphones! I am more than very happy with my purchase. Now if only 90% of my music was mastered better.

I think the meze is quite forgiving though..
I think you should be fine unless you listen to poorly mastered recording on some genre (example, black metal).

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

I think the meze is quite forgiving though..
I think you should be fine unless you listen to poorly mastered recording on some genre (example, black metal).

The poorly mastered tracks don't sound bad, just not nearly as good as the well mastered tracks. Like Bitter End by Fit for a King vs Candyman by Zedd & Aloe Blacc (two very different genres but an obvious difference in master quality). The track by Fit for a King sounds muffled, but it is still one of my favorite songs that I own, while Candyman sounds crystal clear.
I know it isn't the fault of the Meze as listening to songs that are well mastered is an absolutely spectacular experience, but it is something I have to live with because of the music I listen to.

 

[MattRG]

That's a great point and good advice for any headphone.  I was listening to a playlist on Amazon Prime last night and some of the tracks were older and noticeably worse in terms of quality, especially in the mid-range where everything just sounded muffled and stuffy on the 99 Classics.  
Now I'm here this morning over a cup of coffee and listening to my own music straight from my collection.  It's a relatively new album recorded in high quality and I'm using a high bitrate file so it sounds fantastic on the 99 Classics.  Source always matters!
 
BTW - related to our discussion of the tube amps from the last page I am now looking at the Feliks Audio Elise to pair with my 99 Classics.  It seems to be getting great reviews and also seems to be a relative value for the quality.  http://feliksaudio.pl/en/products.php
 
I would just use the DAC in my Fostex HP-A4BL for the time being.  Anyway, I'm still in the planning stages at this point.

 

[Sito Lupion]

Incredible sound even from my motorola Nexus 6

 

[Bansaku]

Heyas folks! Been out of the loop lately (and thus silent in the forums) thanks to my Head-fi subscriptions and notifications somehow being disabled. Had about 6 weeks of catching up to do.... Anyway, I do have some impressions to share, both recent and some I have neglected to post, as well as a bit of a downer incident. To make things more digestible, I will break things up into multiple posts. First up:
 
Dr. Singh and his family's experience. 
 
When I first received my prize pair of 99 Classics, they didn't leave my head for 2 days, so naturally when I had to run a few errands including a trip down mid-afternoon to my wife's clinic they were on my head. Being only 4 blocks away, I traveled there by foot. Along the way I passed several young adults, all wearing headphones, which is quite common these days (yay!). It seems if you are under 30 and on foot/public transit, chances are you have a set of cans on your head (especially in winter). Sadly though, 99% of the time it's either Beats or Sony, and in the case of my trek, indeed they were of the two. Needless to say, as I passed each one heads were turning, which brought a smile to my face. Within 2 blocks of my travels 5-6 University students had taken notice. This carried on as entered each business, with a few store clerks inquiring as to what headphones I had on. Gladly I told them they were brand new, probably the only person in the city (or province) that had a pair, what makes them so special (craftsmanship) and how to order a pair of their own. Keep in mind, none had heard the 99 Classics, simply enthralled by their beauty.
 
Eventually I made my way to my wife's clinic where I was greeted by her co-worker, Dr. Singh. Immediately after " Hey Dave, how are you? " followed " What are THOSE?! ".
I barely got out " These... " before my wife came around the corner and gleefully butted in with " Oooh, oooh, show Dr. Singh you new headphones! Let him try them! Parminder, you HAVE to try these! ".
I think my wife was more excited that I had won a pair of 99 Classics than I was! For 2 days she had blathered to everyone she talks to about me winning. Side note: The other half of my prize, the iFi iCAN micro SE, was almost invisible to her.
She followed up with " He also won some silver thingy. " I smiled as I took the 99 Classics off my head and responded with " It's an amplifier..." as I handed him the headphones.
 
I always like to see a person's expression on their face as they try a pair of my headphones for the first time, and I think what I have seen in regards to the 99 Classics seems to garner the best responses compared to both the headphones in my sig, and what they are used to hearing. From the moment Dr. Singh hit play on his phone, a huge silly grin never left his face. After the song finished, his response was " Brilliant! ". I asked him what else he thought and he replied with " These are so comfortable. They are very light and fit perfectly without pinching my head! ".
I told him that they are all hand made, with no glue or plastic. He held them in his hands, examining the finer details of their build quality and said " These are absolutely gorgeous, simply stunning! I bet these cost a fair bit. " I told him $310 US and he nodded, giving a "not too bad" smirk. " Given their sound quality and design, that is a fair price. " Coming from an Indian-Brit, that's high praise!
 
After a few more songs I then prodded further with " So, how do they sound? ". He replied with " I have heard many expensive headphones in boutiques back in England, and have bought my family and myself many pairs of beyerdynamic, Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser, and these sound as good or better! They are so crisp and clear, and powerful without that thumpy and boomy bass. The vocals and instruments are so detailed and smooth, I can hear the background singers and instruments very clearly without any clutter. "
 
He handed the 99 Classics back to me and said I was very fortunate to own them, and that he is envious. I asked him what he currently uses and he replied with $200 Sonys he got at Best Buy. Ugh, poor him. I know what Sonys are sold at Best Buy for $200.... Anyway, I had to go and went about my day. When my wife got home from work she was telling me that the 99 Classics were all Dr. Singh was talking about for the rest of the day. I also learned that his family was flying out from Toronto in the next week, exactly the time the tour pair of 99 Classics were to arrive. So next week I showed up at the clinic with them in hand. Needless to say, Dr. Singh was both surprised and ecstatic when I handed him the case and said " You have 1 week. ".
 
In 1 week's time I showed up to collect the review pair and to gather impressions. It goes without saying that it was hard for him to give up the 99 Classics. I can sympathize; If I hadn't won my pair and had to give them back, I would be more than bummed out and the cans would be greatly missed. So anyway, I asked how'd it go. Dr. Singh smiled as he shocked his head and said " They were a hit! There were fights over who got to use them! ". I laughed and said " Who all got to try them? ". Apparently for the week it was more than his (grown) kids and wife visiting, but several family friends as well. In between dinners and trips to local landmarks, the 99 Classics were always on someone's head. In fact, the headphones were the highlight of their trip! I laughed again and he assured me that he was not exaggerating, and at no waking moment were the 99 Classics not being rocked out to! Fantastic!
 
So how what were their impressions? Exactly like every other positive in the 97 pages of this thread, to which I was not surprised. I even inquired about the fit of the ear-pads, making sure before I handed them off for the week for him to take special note on the subject. Essentially, only positives with not a single ill-word spoken about the fit, even with glasses. Again, fantastic! Before I left the clinic, I was instructed to e-mail him the details as to how to purchase the 99 Classics as several of his family wished to order a pair of their own, to which I gladly obliged! 
 
Next up: My brother, mix-master DJ extraordinaire!
 

 

[Bansaku]

Impressions: My brother, mix-master DJ extraordinaire!
 
I had originally intended to lend off the tour's review pair to my older brother due to the fact that before he became a chef he used to be a DJ/MC/mixmaster, and despite changing professions he still retained his gear and mixes in his downtime. Unfortunately he could not commit the time to demo them for a week (he will get his chance), however our text conversation about the 99 Classics was interesting and humorous. It went something like this:
 
Me: " So, I have a pair of headphones you night be interested in trying out for a week. "
Brother: " Oh yeah, whatchya got!? "
Me: " Something called the 99 Classics. I doubt you have heard of them but... "
Brother: " Are those the wood ones with the metal frames!! "
Me: " Uh, yeah, they are. You have heard of them? "
Brother: " Oh hell ya! In my circle they have been getting quite the attention! A couple of buddies who were touring in Europe actually tried them in England and Germany, they even talked to the guys at the Meze booth who were super nice! You have a pair?! "
Me: " Damn, that's awesome!! Ya, I have two actually. I won one and have a tour pair. "
Brother: " You have TWO!! How'd ya win them? "
Me: " ... don't you see my FaceBook posts? Geesh....long story, but Wookiee and headphones. "
Brother: " Ha ha, will have to check it out. But you have TWO Mezes? They trust you with their headphones that are how much? "
Me: " $310 US. Ya they trust me, because my community rep is on the line. "
Brother: " What if you lend them to me, and say some thugs jump me out side of an ally and steal them? "
Me: " I don't think that will fly... "
Brother: " What if they get lost in shipping?! Eh? "
Me: " You wanna borrow them or not? "
Brother: " I would love to. Like I said, they have been all the talk lately, and you know how I love wood monitors, but I can't devote my time this week. Sorry bud. "
Me: " No prob, I know of others that would love to demo them for a week. "
Brother: " Damn! Why now? "
Me: " It's ok, I still have MY pair! I will lend them to ya when you have the time. "
Brother: " That would be awesome! Damn, I still can't believe you own a pair! Hold on, checking FaceBook... "
Me: " Great... "
A few minutes passed...
Brother: " OMG David! You are such a dork!! "
Me: " 1989, surfer's mullet, pink tank-top and parachute shorts with Converse. " followed by me posting the pict.
Brother: " I was cool back then! "
Me: " No, IT was cool, you were not! "
Brother: " At least I never had mom give a matching perm (with my younger brother)! "
Me: " You win... "
 
So a few months had passed and it was now late summer, family BBQ time! I figured that since the family was getting together it would be the perfect opportunity surprise my brother and bring the 99 Classics for him to try for a while, and surprised he was! He had forgotten that I was going to lend them to him, but he immediately knew what was in my hands as I approached him. His first reaction after he removed them from the case and held them was " Wow, these look amazing! A lot better that the pictures! " and proceeded to excitedly take out his smartphone. He turns to his wife and says " Will be right back, just checking out these beauts'! " and walkaway from the party to a secluded spot under an apple tree. I yelled to him " Watch for apples!!! " and he gave the pfffttt hand motion.
 
Several songs later he walks back over, takes off the 99 Classics handing them to his wife and says " You HAVE to check these out! " and looks at me and says " Wow, David, those are amazing! They put my $300-$400 Pioneers and Technichs to shame! I am hearing things in my mixes I didn't know were there! " I smiled " And man are those comfortable! They fit better and adjust easier than my old AKGs! "
" Yes, their comfort is pretty amazing, and I love the self adjusting band! " I replied.
" The band is wide too, and soft! " he said " I just LOVE that bass! It is powerful and fast, and doesn't bleed into the mids! And I love the quality the wood adds to the bass! Everything else is just so clear! Like I said man, there are things I heard for the first time even compared to my studio monitors which also have a wood enclosure. When do you need these back? "
" Next family get-together. No rush... " Famous last words, so to speak. I was missing the Mezes' the moment I got home.
 
For the next 1 1/2 months an empty spot sat bare on my cupboard where the 99 Classics hung, but I knew at least they would be greatly appreciated, and besides, gave me a chance to actually use my other headphones for a change. When then headphones were returned, unfortunately my brother was not able to make it to the event, but according to my sister-in-law he wore the sh!t out of the 99 Classics! I laughed, and eventually talked to my brother about his impressions a few weeks later. 
" So, how were the Mezes'? " I asked.
" Oh man, thanks for the weeks of eargasms! I did NOT want to give them back. I bet you were missing them, knowing you and your headphones. "
" Yes, yes I was to be honest. So, let me hear your impressions and verdict. "
" Amazing bro! I mixed with them and played a lot of games. Phenomenal sound! I was really impressed! " he replied.
" How would you describe the sound, now that you have had some intimate one-on-one time. " 
" Smooth! I wore them for hours and I did not find the sound fatiguing or them getting too warm. That bass is addicting, so detailed! Everything is detailed! The midrange and highs are very balanced with no peaks. Good soundstage and instrument separation! Like I said man, I was hearing new things with every song I played. And gaming with them is amazing! Love how they sound with Fallout 4! "
 
I was happy my brother enjoyed his time with the 99 Classics, and appreciated his high praise. They are a fantastic headphone! I had to laugh though. When I got home and threw them on for the first time in what seemed like eternity, I noticed the ear pads were a lot more broken in! Wow! 

 
Next up (tomorrow): Christmas Eve!
 

 

[Sito Lupion]

I just ordered the pads 64 mm x 49 mm x 24 mm
After a few weeks of use, the head clip is now much better, but I still have problems with the size of the pads, I hope this solves it.

 

[emptymt]

  I just ordered the pads 64 mm x 49 mm x 24 mm
After a few weeks of use, the head clip is now much better, but I still have problems with the size of the pads, I hope this solves it.

the bigger pads solve the issue for me, it is still kinda small and just barely fit my ears(medium sized), but the comfort is good enough on it.

 

[MattRG]

I have the larger pads also and find them to be comfortable.  They are snug around my medium size ears but not uncomfortable .  

 

[superuser1]

They are finally here!

EDIT: the more i'm listening to them the more i am falling in love with them. This could be a serious relationship! we need more time with each other

 

[MattRG]

Congrats and enjoy them!

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Actually took some time to really look at my 99 Classics yesterday. I really didn't realize just how gorgeous these things really are. Just wow.
Congrats to Meze on creating a pair of headphones with a look that destroys Beats in looks and a sound that offends neither consumer or audiophile alike. You really hit it out of the park with these.

 

[MattRG]

  Actually took some time to really look at my 99 Classics yesterday. I really didn't realize just how gorgeous these things really are. Just wow.
Congrats to Meze on creating a pair of headphones with a look that destroys Beats in looks and a sound that offends neither consumer or audiophile alike. You really hit it out of the park with these.

Very well said!

 

[PinkyPowers]

And they are in!

 

[MattRG]

And they are in!

Sexy picture!  Nicely done.  I'm currently listening to Adele on my 99 Classics while reading a forum post about 99 Classics.  In my totally unbiased opinion (haha) you have chosen well.