[alokjuyal]

  So as a conclusion which sounds "better" ?

 
so much a matter of personal taste and music you like to listen to. For me the 99s sound better and given they are cheaper -  by far the winner. Also makes you wonder about the pricing we are seeing on all these new flagship launches $3000 is the new $1000  

 

[Bansaku]

 Also makes you wonder about the pricing we are seeing on all these new flagship launches $3000 is the new $1000  

 
Yes, one thing I have noticed, especially recently, is that headphones tend to go for a premium price. I remember a time when $400 headphones were (with the exception of a few oddballs) considered expensive. An good example is the HD598. MSRP in 2011 was $300, and now they can be had at a sale price for around $150 or less. Comfort and fit aside, I would never pay full MSRP for their sound alone. The 99 Classics at a price of $309 is very fair as their sound, build, and comfort combined is worth it. Actually, based off from sound alone, if the 99's were built like a Grado SR60 but still retailed for $300, I would consider the price fair. In terms of their overall resolve, the 99's best a lot of "well established" headphones costing much much more *coughSony*. 
 

 

[Johnnystuff]

Kinda technical question @MezeTeam for a DIY project. Is there any kind of specs for the size of the 2.5mm plugs? The holes are really tiny and the actual connector/socket is pretty deep inside the casing so for instance these don't look like fitting





These maybe?



Also, since that these cans are one hell of a piece of engineering and are all made of screws, bolts and no glue, it'd be really awesome if you offered some extra *stuff* for the DIY'ers in your shop, like the aforementioned plugs, sleeves, wires and pads.

By the way, I received my cans 3-4 days ago already and I'll surely write some feedback as soon as I'll have time but now I'm too busy wasting every possible minute in listening to all kind of music.

I can tell you something though. Talking about synthetic rating I think they totally deserve the infamous "triple F" coz they're Frackin' Friggin' Flabbergasting!!!

 

[BloodyPenguin]

Kinda technical question @MezeTeam for a DIY project. Is there any kind of specs for the size of the 2.5mm plugs? The holes are really tiny and the actual connector/socket is pretty deep inside the casing so for instance these don't look like fitting

 
BTW, they are 3.5mm.  I know they are so thin you would think they are smaller diameter.  
 
--

 

[MezeTeam]

Kinda technical question @MezeTeam for a DIY project. Is there any kind of specs for the size of the 2.5mm plugs? The holes are really tiny and the actual connector/socket is pretty deep inside the casing so for instance these don't look like fitting





These maybe?



Also, since that these cans are one hell of a piece of engineering and are all made of screws, bolts and no glue, it'd be really awesome if you offered some extra *stuff* for the DIY'ers in your shop, like the aforementioned plugs, sleeves, wires and pads.

By the way, I received my cans 3-4 days ago already and I'll surely write some feedback as soon as I'll have time but now I'm too busy wasting every possible minute in listening to all kind of music.

I can tell you something though. Talking about synthetic rating I think they totally deserve the infamous "triple F" coz they're Frackin' Friggin' Flabbergasting!!!

They are 3.5mm as @BloodyPenguin said and the diameter of the aluminum jack body is 5mm. Nothing bigger will fit into trough the zinc jack hole.

 

[freitz]

   
From what I have heard so far, the new Audeze SINE seems to be better than the EL-8C 

 
 
I find that hard to believe. You sure you are comparing the closed back version of the EL-8 properly driven?

 

[Johnnystuff]

 They are 3.5mm as @BloodyPenguin said and the diameter of the aluminum jack body is 5mm. Nothing bigger will fit into trough the zinc jack hole.

Damn I even thought I've read it somewhere that they were 2.5mm :facepalms:

Alright then, 3.5mm + 5mm external diameter is all I needed to know. Thanks.

 

[freitz]

   
Sorry, only just found time to pull my el-8c out and plug both cans into the Hugo and do some comparing I am glad you asked, because it made me take another good look & listen with the el-8s and realize they are better than what I had remembered them to be, sounds weird I guess.
 
Build quality - both headphones are top notch (remember that the 99s are less than half the price of the el-8s) and that's saying something. I consider the el-8s among the best looking headphones I have crossed paths with. The ear pads on the Audezes are a tad better than those on the 99s.
 
Comfort - the 99s are by far more comfortable than the el-8c. They sit lighter on the head while the el-8 press down at the top somewhat. While the earcups on the 99s are small and this bothers some people, I just don't feel this once the music plays - they sort of get out of the way. However I have used both cans maybe an hour at a stretch tops. The isolation on the 99s is also better than the el8 despite the latter being truly over ear with large sized cups.
 
Driving the cans - the 99s are far easier to drive than the el-8s which is unsurprising I guess. On the Hugo I never get past green on the volume level with the 99s while I start at blue with the el-8. While listening to 192 files of good recordings I found myself occasionally dialing up to purple (yikes) for the el-8 while the 99s still sounded good at green.
 
Sound - I tried out various music played out of my ip6+ via Hugo and using the Onkyo HF player and Spotify. Diana Krall, Amber Rubarth, Massive Attack, Beck, Ane Brun, Robin Schulz The short of it is that the el-8 has bigger sound stage and instrument separation and a more neutral tonality than the 99. This difference is stark with good recordings more than the usual compressed stuff. The 99s on the other hand are warm sounding, slightly cramped sound stage BUT play low frequency notes with authority that the el8s lack. Don't get me wrong, the el-8s do bass too.. but the slam is missing on the el-8s while on the 99s its there. When trying out low freq test tones the 99s showed more authority than the el-8s especially 300hz and below.
 
Hope this helps    

 
Perfectly summed up in that bold paragraph. 

 

[YtseJamer]

   
 
I find that hard to believe. You sure you are comparing the closed back version of the EL-8 properly driven?

 
I didn't have the opportunity to try the SINE but the feedback seems to be good so far.  But you never know with Audeze...

 

[freitz]

   
I didn't have the opportunity to try the SINE but the feedback seems to be good so far.  But you never know with Audeze...

Seems like wishful thinking. They wouldn't make a line for less where performance is better. Maybe better performance with no amp or dac. Or proper scaling who knows.

 

[alokjuyal]

  Seems like wishful thinking. They wouldn't make a line for less where performance is better. Maybe better performance with no amp or dac. Or proper scaling who knows.

My guess fwiw, Audeze raises funding from external investors. Those investors advise them to add more legs to their headphone offering like some of the established players like Sennheiser. So in return for continuing to invest in R&D for planar technology, the investors advise them to expand their product offering to the market segment where the volume is on "good" headphones ie the sub-$300 segment and the $300-$700 segment. The LCD line for the high end audiophiles, the EL line for the aspiring audiophiles and Sine for the 'prosumers' who usually prefer on-ear. The LCD line builds the brand and lines below provide the scale. HiFiMan is doing the same. Given this expansion, it is unlikely that Audeze will cannibalize their own LCD line by offering competitive SQ on the EL and Sine. I bought my EL-8 with this in mind (without even auditioning them) to see how far off would they be from the LCDs. The answer is "quite far"  

 

[jinxy245]

I just posted my review...I love these cans!

http://www.head-fi.org/products/meze-99-classics/reviews/15481

 

[swnger]

I just received the new Meze 99.  The packaging for the product is very well done and I love the semi-hard case.  The first impression on hearing them is they should very nice indeed.  Going to put them on 40 hours of pink noise and I'll let you know what I think of the sound as soon as I can.

 

[Amuro_Rey]

Meze 99 Classic s in my home a couple of days, the 1th impression is very GOOD !
Construction and materials are really well done, also the accessories provided are many and very well made
I use the headset with my Burson Virtuoso
I found the headset so comfortable and light, the only thing is that the PADS ia a little to warm, maybe a different material can provide a little less HOT sensation on the ears
The sound ... the sound change it so much after a burnin, before the bass, for me, was to many over, now it’s more natural but it’s a very surprise
The voice and the middle are very very good it’s what I like most about this headphone
The high is good, not so detailed like others headphone but they are not “irritating” also after many times
In short, this headset it is pleasantly surprising
For the moment the only negative points I found, in addition to the already suggest about the materials of the PADS that is a little to HOT, is the plug cable to the ampli, I will prefer a “normal” size plug not the little one (for mobile phone), may be the customer can decide the size during the purchase
 
Luca

 

[alokjuyal]

So just for the joy of doing it (and very unfairly), I took my Hugo+Meze99 over the headphones store and lined up the He400i, He560, HD700, HD800S, LCD-X to do a compare. All more expensive open back headphones with the cheapest at  1.4X the price (400i) and most expensive at 5.5X (800S, LCD-X). I ran out of time else was also planning to add the LCD 2, 3 and AKG 812.
 
Comfort: from most comfortable to least were HD800s > HD700 > Meze 99 > He560 > He400i > LCD-X. The Senn HDs are just awesomely light and comfy while the LCD feels like a box on the top of your head, cant imagine them holding out in long listening sessions. I liked the ear cups of the 560 but still they were not quite as comfy as the Meze. The Senns had better earcups than the Meze.
 
Ease in driving: from easiest to hardest 99 > HD700 > LCD X > he 400i > HD 800s > He560 . The He560 had me turning up the volumes on the Hugo to levels I did not know existed (white, well I know I could turn it up to white but ...)
 
Sound: On account of being open backs, they all sounded to varying degrees more transparent, with bigger soundstage vs the 99s. I know this isn't helpful, but they were all good headphones and I was surprised by (1) how good the Meze 99 sound in comparison (2) how when you switch between the 99 and any of the open backs the instrument separation and sound stage opens up. Which one you like comes down to how much you want to spend and your preferences on sound. The 800S sound like warmer 800, I really like them and preferred them over the LCD X overall (given comfort). But both would need good amping to really bring out the best, 800S more so than the LCD-X. The he560s were the ones I would buy if I wanted to add an open back. Vs the 400i, they have better defined bass, more detail and a bigger soundstage. They are cheaper than the 800S and LCD X and comfortable. Apart from the sound stage, the other observation for the Meze 99 was how the bass on them is not quite as tightly defined and detailed as on the 560, LCD-X and 800S. 
 
I walked out of the store feeling quite satisfied with the Meze 99s - they are everything and more than I had asked for when I bought them. Also there was no denying the benefits of an open back design and for that, the 560 seems like the value sweetspot.
 
Next time, the TH600, TH900 and some other closed backs