[PL4Y3R 0N3]

I'm really interested in these due to the reviews I've read but they are almost double the other headphones I am interested in purchasing. $309+tax on amazon vs $185 shipped on ebay.
Can I ask what DAP is recommended to drive these and to scale the best sound out of these? I have a budget of $800 total for phones, dap, and dac/amp if necessary.

The 99 Classics sound good out of anything, but I really love the sound I get out of the Astell & Kern AK Jr. And at $300 that leaves you $190 under budget. 

 

[Audacity]

Thank you for all the suggestions! I will do some reading and will hopefully figure out if these are right for me.

 

[donwhee]

All the above-mentioned DAPs are great.  I'm using the TEAC HA-P90SD and am completely smitten.  The UI is quite 90ish, but if you want a great DAP with focus on the music/audio qualit and at under $300, it's excellent.  
 
The A&K Jr. is very good.  Doesn't extract details as well as the Teac, but I liked the UI.  Would love to audition the X5III and see how it compares to the Teac. 
 
Nevertheless good luck with your DAP selection and enjoy the Meze.

 

[Nrocket]

Hi, I'm gonna say now that I am part of the 99 Classic club. Just received mine and I'll give you my initial impressions. I'll start off with the build and comfort. The first thing I'll say is these cans are sexy and light. I heard in reviews that these are light, but I didn't expect them to be this light and don't remember them being this light at CanJam. It's like nothing is on your head weight wise. What I did notice though, is these do get a little warm on my ears, I believe I have the largest earcups, due to the fact that the dealer I bought them from said they bought these a month ago. Build and comfort is a big aside from the small tad of warmness that doesn't bother me much. Sound Quality is the reason I am in love with these and listening to these is a sensual experience. Lows: the weakest of the frequencies. I'll say that the amount of bass and fullness is definitely right where I want it to be, but I did find it to be a little loose and slow. I'm sure I will get used to the small amount of looseness after listening more, but I am sure this is the weakest area of the headphone for me. Mids: Holy fricking jank these mids. I don't know what to say about these. I would say they are perfect, but I can't. In the song The Only Exception by Paramore, I found the female vocal to be grainy. That one song is the reason I can't call them perfect. I did listen to the same song on my brother's Master and Dynamic MH40's and that grain wasn't there. That grain was only apparent on that song though and it is the only thing holding these mids back from perfection. High: the highs on these are the reason I bought these headphones over my brothers MH40's. I found my brothers MH40's to not have enough high's, even though they are pretty crystal clear. The Meze's highs match the clarity of the MH40's, but simply provide more substance. I can say these are the perfect amount and most clear non straining highs I have listened to. Overall really great headphones. The best build quality I have seen in a headphone, along with a pleasing sound signature, though the bass can improve slightly.

 

[peter123]

I can recommend the Opus #1. It's within your budget, and sounds WAY beyond its pricing.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/audio-opus-opus-1/reviews/17923

I agree with you that this is a great pairing.

The Aune M1s is also great but its fw is still a work in progress and it doesn't show album art, soundwise it's a very good pairing to the 99's though.

I've had the 99's for some days now and for portable usage they're very very nice imo. Their non-fatiguing and warm presentation (while still remaining a good amount of details) is very relaxing and enjoyable.

Yesterday I hooked them up to my Burson Conductor V2+ and man does this combination sounds good. For the first time I felt as if I could also really enjoy them for home listening. Although supereasy to drive there's no doubt in my mind that they are revealing enough (despite their generally forgiving nature) to show differences between sources.

I'm going to do a full review of them in due time but my initial impressions are very good.

 

[sabloke]

LG V20 does a wonderful job driving the Classics, especially when high impedance mode is triggered. I'm still amazed how good this phone is a a DAP!

 

[hung031086]

Will this one work with 99C ?
http://www.head-fi.org/t/836312/zmf-ori-and-eikon-pad-sale-on-massdrop#post_13263841

 

[leaky74]

Just opened my brand new 99's - DOA! Only getting sound through one channel; tried both cables to be sure.

 

[subguy812]

I will also tell you the Opus #2 pairs real well with the Meze 99 Classics and even though the Cayin i5 is a little warm at first listen it pairs really well with the Meze also.

 

[Audacity]

  All the above-mentioned DAPs are great.  I'm using the TEAC HA-P90SD and am completely smitten.  The UI is quite 90ish, but if you want a great DAP with focus on the music/audio qualit and at under $300, it's excellent.  
 
The A&K Jr. is very good.  Doesn't extract details as well as the Teac, but I liked the UI.  Would love to audition the X5III and see how it compares to the Teac. 
 
Nevertheless good luck with your DAP selection and enjoy the Meze.

The teac looks very promising in sound quality for the price.  Have you compared it to the opus#1?
 

  I will also tell you the Opus #2 pairs real well with the Meze 99 Classics and even though the Cayin i5 is a little warm at first listen it pairs really well with the Meze also.

The #2 is a bit out of my price range.  I would be getting the opus#1 if I had to choose between the 3.

 

[donwhee]

Since I never had a chance to audition the Opus #1, can't really say. I'm not a fan of Cirrus Logic and I believe the Opus #1 uses the CS4398 DAC. If I remember correctly, Cirrus tends to have a more analytical sound.
The Teac uses a Burr Brown chip and is musical and I'm enjoying the level of detail from the Teac. Also, the Teac implementation is done very well and it shows when you listen to it. Finally, the Teac can also run headphones from 8 - 600ohm. There aren't many DAPS that can handle higher ohm rated headphones...Downside, battery life...I think 5-6 hours continuous playtime...

Just remember, whichever DAP you may end up purchasing, needs a burn-in period of at least 150 hours....with the Teac, it took over 50 hours before the bass response came alive...I'm at around 100 hours and I'm really loving this DAP player. I do look forward to purchasing a DAP in the future with the newer ESS DAC.

 

[WILLDQ]

Do any of the larger pads come with a deeper measurement that will keep a persons ears from touching the drivers? If you don't are you considering making some to purchase?

 

[Jack-A]

My Lenovo laptop's on-board audio sounds much better than my Lumia 950XL. Would a E17K produce as good sound as my laptop? Can I make my smartphone sound better for ~120 bucks?

 

[PinkyPowers]

My Lenovo laptop's on-board audio sounds much better than my Lumia 950XL. Would a E17K produce as good sound as my laptop? Can I make my smartphone sound better for ~120 bucks?

The Dragonfly by AudioQuest is a good option.

 

[leaky74]

Just opened my brand new 99's - DOA! Only getting sound through one channel; tried both cables to be sure.

Gave these a second chance; received a replacement pair yesterday (walnut/gold this time!). I'm glad I did; they're a pleasure to listen to and comfort that I feel is on a par with the AQ Nighthawks.