[BramblexD]

Been enjoying the 99C with Opus #1 very much, its probably the best "fun" headphone I've heard.
Isolation isnt that great though, even indoors with mild conversations going on I still prefer to use iems.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Been enjoying the 99C with Opus #1 very much, its probably the best "fun" headphone I've heard.
Isolation isnt that great though, even indoors with mild conversations going on I still prefer to use iems.

Maybe I listen louder than you, but I can't hear most environmental noises. When the music is off, that's another story.

 

[prasri92]

Hi Meze team,

I am looking for a good deal on a 99 classics walnut gold this Black Friday 2017 or/and trade ins on this website!! I am here because of the raving reviews from Tyll of Innerfidelity, who I have trusted in the past. However, he and many others have made it clear that some sound quality is compromised for comfort in the larger pads (new batch). Will you guys be doing sales of the 99 classics on the older pads. If not, could you recommend aftermarket pad replacements and EQs for an acoustically superior experience? It would also be clear if you guys can clarify the iterations on the classics pads. Hoping to hear back from you folks and wishing you all a happy holiday season!!

 

[RockStar2005]

Hi Meze team,

I am looking for a good deal on a 99 classics walnut gold this Black Friday 2017 or/and trade ins on this website!! I am here because of the raving reviews from Tyll of Innerfidelity, who I have trusted in the past. However, he and many others have made it clear that some sound quality is compromised for comfort in the larger pads (new batch). Will you guys be doing sales of the 99 classics on the older pads. If not, could you recommend aftermarket pad replacements and EQs for an acoustically superior experience? It would also be clear if you guys can clarify the iterations on the classics pads. Hoping to hear back from you folks and wishing you all a happy holiday season!!

Hi prasri92,

Even though I think he's a great reviewer, I don't agree with Tyll on this one. When I switched from the stock (larger) ear pads that came with my 99 Cs to the Brainwavz non-angled sheepskin leather ones (which I HIGHLY recommend btw), I felt that not only did the comfort level improve, but so did both clarity and the soundstage. I believe the increased clarity came as a direct result of the expanded soundstage. I detail my thoughts in my review of the 99 Cs which you can check out here. My review also includes custom EQs on both the stock (larger) pads as well as the Brainwavz ones. The EQs are pulled from Poweramp, which I also highly suggest you get if you aren't using it already.

Of course, not everyone will agree with me on this. In the end, each person has to make up their own mind regarding how they feel about the sound. But I stand by my reviews, and I've had others agree with me as well regarding the Brainwavz pads and EQs. Meze themselves have even shown their support by kindly posting my EQs on their media pages (with my full permission). (Note: No one here is an employee of Meze btw unless specifically noted in their profile. We are all just fans of these fantastic and incredible headphones!)

Hope this helps!

 

[emptymt]

Hi prasri92,

Even though I think he's a great reviewer, I don't agree with Tyll on this one. When I switched from the stock (larger) ear pads that came with my 99 Cs to the Brainwavz non-angled sheepskin leather ones (which I HIGHLY recommend btw), I felt that not only did the comfort level improve, but so did both clarity and the soundstage. I believe the increased clarity came as a direct result of the expanded soundstage. I detail my thoughts in my review of the 99 Cs which you can check out here. My review also includes custom EQs on both the stock (larger) pads as well as the Brainwavz ones. The EQs are pulled from Poweramp, which I also highly suggest you get if you aren't using it already.

Of course, not everyone will agree with me on this. In the end, each person has to make up their own mind regarding how they feel about the sound. But I stand by my reviews, and I've had others agree with me as well regarding the Brainwavz pads and EQs. Meze themselves have even shown their support by kindly posting my EQs on their media pages (with my full permission). (Note: No one here is an employee of Meze btw unless specifically noted in their profile. We are all just fans of these fantastic and incredible headphones!)

Hope this helps!

I second this regarding any reviewer either him or not, you should only care about what you hear, It's good to keep an open mind but if it sounds good to you what other people says shouldn't sway you away.

regarding the bigger pads, I have both the old and the bigger pads, there are some sound changes to it, the bigger one like other people say has more bass and is not as controlled compared to the smaller pads, but it's not too bad, you gain soundstage just a bit and better comfort.

I don't know if my bigger pads is the same as the one on sale today, from what I know the story goes like this:
1. Meze came out with a good headphone that sounds nice but not so good in comfort, unless you have small ears.
2. people complain about it.
3. they experiment with bigger pads, however the driver itself has no change to it.
4. Meze lets everyone know about their intent, and recent purchases around that time will be sent the new bigger pads, but the unit on sale still does not have the bigger pads yet.
5. after a while, the old units got flushed out and all new one comes with the bigger one.

we don't know what happen between 4 and 5, if they make more changes or not regarding the pads, but people who got the new pads at that time were happy about it as it is much more comfortable unless your ear fits the old pads well enough already.

Other than the size, the black cloth cover is also a bit thinner compared to the smaller ones, the leather is also slightly different I feel.

@prasri92
just audition first if you can, then depending on how you feel at that time, you can make the best decision.

 

[DShim]

Hi prasri92,

Even though I think he's a great reviewer, I don't agree with Tyll on this one. When I switched from the stock (larger) ear pads that came with my 99 Cs to the Brainwavz non-angled sheepskin leather ones (which I HIGHLY recommend btw), I felt that not only did the comfort level improve, but so did both clarity and the soundstage. I believe the increased clarity came as a direct result of the expanded soundstage. I detail my thoughts in my review of the 99 Cs which you can check out here. My review also includes custom EQs on both the stock (larger) pads as well as the Brainwavz ones. The EQs are pulled from Poweramp, which I also highly suggest you get if you aren't using it already.

Of course, not everyone will agree with me on this. In the end, each person has to make up their own mind regarding how they feel about the sound. But I stand by my reviews, and I've had others agree with me as well regarding the Brainwavz pads and EQs. Meze themselves have even shown their support by kindly posting my EQs on their media pages (with my full permission). (Note: No one here is an employee of Meze btw unless specifically noted in their profile. We are all just fans of these fantastic and incredible headphones!)

Hope this helps!

Hi @RockStar2005 I too have the older pads and brainwavz as well as the newer larger ones in-transit. Very keen on your EQ settings, having trouble to find it though. If you could so kindly point me in the right direction or share the link that would be great. Cheers.

 

[RockStar2005]

Hi @RockStar2005 I too have the older pads and brainwavz as well as the newer larger ones in-transit. Very keen on your EQ settings, having trouble to find it though. If you could so kindly point me in the right direction or share the link that would be great. Cheers.

Yeah sure. Here you go! Everything you need to know is in that starting post.

Let me know what you think of them in that thread as well.

 

[prasri92]

I second this regarding any reviewer either him or not, you should only care about what you hear, It's good to keep an open mind but if it sounds good to you what other people says shouldn't sway you away.

regarding the bigger pads, I have both the old and the bigger pads, there are some sound changes to it, the bigger one like other people say has more bass and is not as controlled compared to the smaller pads, but it's not too bad, you gain soundstage just a bit and better comfort.

I don't know if my bigger pads is the same as the one on sale today, from what I know the story goes like this:
1. Meze came out with a good headphone that sounds nice but not so good in comfort, unless you have small ears.
2. people complain about it.
3. they experiment with bigger pads, however the driver itself has no change to it.
4. Meze lets everyone know about their intent, and recent purchases around that time will be sent the new bigger pads, but the unit on sale still does not have the bigger pads yet.
5. after a while, the old units got flushed out and all new one comes with the bigger one.

we don't know what happen between 4 and 5, if they make more changes or not regarding the pads, but people who got the new pads at that time were happy about it as it is much more comfortable unless your ear fits the old pads well enough already.

Other than the size, the black cloth cover is also a bit thinner compared to the smaller ones, the leather is also slightly different I feel.

@prasri92
just audition first if you can, then depending on how you feel at that time, you can make the best decision.

 

[prasri92]

I second this regarding any reviewer either him or not, you should only care about what you hear, It's good to keep an open mind but if it sounds good to you what other people says shouldn't sway you away.

regarding the bigger pads, I have both the old and the bigger pads, there are some sound changes to it, the bigger one like other people say has more bass and is not as controlled compared to the smaller pads, but it's not too bad, you gain soundstage just a bit and better comfort.

I don't know if my bigger pads is the same as the one on sale today, from what I know the story goes like this:
1. Meze came out with a good headphone that sounds nice but not so good in comfort, unless you have small ears.
2. people complain about it.
3. they experiment with bigger pads, however the driver itself has no change to it.
4. Meze lets everyone know about their intent, and recent purchases around that time will be sent the new bigger pads, but the unit on sale still does not have the bigger pads yet.
5. after a while, the old units got flushed out and all new one comes with the bigger one.

we don't know what happen between 4 and 5, if they make more changes or not regarding the pads, but people who got the new pads at that time were happy about it as it is much more comfortable unless your ear fits the old pads well enough already.

Other than the size, the black cloth cover is also a bit thinner compared to the smaller ones, the leather is also slightly different I feel.

@prasri92
just audition first if you can, then depending on how you feel at that time, you can make the best decision.

 

[prasri92]

I second this regarding any reviewer either him or not, you should only care about what you hear, It's good to keep an open mind but if it sounds good to you what other people says shouldn't sway you away.

regarding the bigger pads, I have both the old and the bigger pads, there are some sound changes to it, the bigger one like other people say has more bass and is not as controlled compared to the smaller pads, but it's not too bad, you gain soundstage just a bit and better comfort.

I don't know if my bigger pads is the same as the one on sale today, from what I know the story goes like this:
1. Meze came out with a good headphone that sounds nice but not so good in comfort, unless you have small ears.
2. people complain about it.
3. they experiment with bigger pads, however the driver itself has no change to it.
4. Meze lets everyone know about their intent, and recent purchases around that time will be sent the new bigger pads, but the unit on sale still does not have the bigger pads yet.
5. after a while, the old units got flushed out and all new one comes with the bigger one.

we don't know what happen between 4 and 5, if they make more changes or not regarding the pads, but people who got the new pads at that time were happy about it as it is much more comfortable unless your ear fits the old pads well enough already.

Other than the size, the black cloth cover is also a bit thinner compared to the smaller ones, the leather is also slightly different I feel.

@prasri92
just audition first if you can, then depending on how you feel at that time, you can make the best decision.

HI @emptymt

I have auditioned the Meze in an audio shop with the small ear pads, some time back and decided on my purchase long time back. While I too am a proponent of auditioning cans before buying, Its fair and relatively possible for me to get a perspective on how the stock (larger) pads sound by objectively comparing it to the smaller ones. Its stock small vs stock large for me.. and I cannot travel out of town just to audition a pair with larger ear pads. I loved the sound of the Meze for emphasizing its deep bass extension without sounding boomy, and not overwhelming the rest of the sound, same said with the treble. Also that relative upper base punch on the percussions, was a wow factor. The sound stage was on a whole another level, I've not heard a close back headphones so good. Hence, I am trying so desperately now to picture what has changed, before I put my money on it.

Thank you for the reply,
PS

 

[hifi808]

I second this regarding any reviewer either him or not, you should only care about what you hear, It's good to keep an open mind but if it sounds good to you what other people says shouldn't sway you away.

regarding the bigger pads, I have both the old and the bigger pads, there are some sound changes to it, the bigger one like other people say has more bass and is not as controlled compared to the smaller pads, but it's not too bad, you gain soundstage just a bit and better comfort.

I don't know if my bigger pads is the same as the one on sale today, from what I know the story goes like this:
1. Meze came out with a good headphone that sounds nice but not so good in comfort, unless you have small ears.
2. people complain about it.
3. they experiment with bigger pads, however the driver itself has no change to it.
4. Meze lets everyone know about their intent, and recent purchases around that time will be sent the new bigger pads, but the unit on sale still does not have the bigger pads yet.
5. after a while, the old units got flushed out and all new one comes with the bigger one.

we don't know what happen between 4 and 5, if they make more changes or not regarding the pads, but people who got the new pads at that time were happy about it as it is much more comfortable unless your ear fits the old pads well enough already.

Other than the size, the black cloth cover is also a bit thinner compared to the smaller ones, the leather is also slightly different I feel.

@prasri92
just audition first if you can, then depending on how you feel at that time, you can make the best decision.

AFAICT, there have been 3 sizes of earpads.
The original release of the 99's had 40mm x 55mm earpads.
Then as of April 16,2016, they came with 50mm x 60mm earpads.
(see post #411)
Sometime in early in 2017 they started shipping with 48mm x 64mm x 24mm earpads (see post #1524). AFAIK, this is the current shipping size and the size that can be purchased directly from Meze (that's what I got anyway).

I would imagine that most big resellers would only have the 48x64 for sale now, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were still a few straggler sets of the 50x60 headphones still sitting on the shelves of resellers that don't move much product.

 

[RockStar2005]

AFAICT, there have been 3 sizes of earpads.
The original release of the 99's had 40mm x 55mm earpads.
Then as of April 16,2016, they came with 50mm x 60mm earpads.
(see post #411)
Sometime in early in 2017 they started shipping with 48mm x 64mm x 24mm earpads (see post #1524). AFAIK, this is the current shipping size and the size that can be purchased directly from Meze (that's what I got anyway).

I would imagine that most big resellers would only have the 48x64 for sale now, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were still a few straggler sets of the 50x60 headphones still sitting on the shelves of resellers that don't move much product.

Wow...........this is also news to me! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Preachy1]

Just received my replacement Brainwavz (standard non-angled) for my Maple/Silver pair. they certainly are bigger, that's for sure! Not sure the sound is affected much if at all, but that's fine with me as I really dig these cans to begin with!!!!

 

[thehamubrglar]

Just received my replacement Brainwavz (standard non-angled) for my Maple/Silver pair. they certainly are bigger, that's for sure! Not sure the sound is affected much if at all, but that's fine with me as I really dig these cans to begin with!!!!

I'm a bit shocked that people are reporting positive results with the Brainwavz sheepskins. I had to return the pads because I thought they made the 99s sound very dull due to the increased distance of the drivers from the ears. Even more so I'm shocked that people are reporting NO change in sound. I can understand if you don't mind the difference but to hear no difference in the pads at all - this makes me question my sanity (or rather, my hearing ) But I'm glad to see other people are finding solutions to the Meze ear pads, as they really are great sounding headphones - just happens that all the Meze pads are too small for me!

Also - to RockStar2005, I still haven't sold my Meze 99s (they are collecting dust though!) and I still plan on trying the PSB M4U ear pads we discussed a while back. I've just been busy with life the last month or so and haven't gotten around to contacting that international seller. Cheers all

 

[Bansaku]

I'm a bit shocked that people are reporting positive results with the Brainwavz sheepskins. I had to return the pads because I thought they made the 99s sound very dull due to the increased distance of the drivers from the ears. Even more so I'm shocked that people are reporting NO change in sound.Cheers all

No worries as I clearly hear a change in sound with the Brainwavz; You are not alone. For me, the treble became too brittle, mids were a touch too distant, and the bass became too overbearing, hence why I thought they made the 99C sound like a beyerdynamic DT 770.