[Dramlin]

In my opinion these are reasonably priced at $300-$350 (USD). I have headphones in the $200 range that don't sound nearly as good, and others in the $400-$500 range that sound marginally but noticeably better. I'm talking sound alone though. All things considered (comfort, looks, durability) the Meze's are a solid choice in their price tier.

 

[chupacabra314]

If you guys just stop comparing the sound signature of the latest earpads iteration of this headphone with its previous 'better' one, how much would the sound worth at its current price? Under? Over?

With either set of pads the Noirs at $200 are worth it if you're not looking for a "reference" sound sig. Personally I wouldn't pay $300 for the 99 Classics with the large pads if the signature is the same as the Noirs.
But again, that is just preference. Most people agree these are damn good headphones, even if some don't like their signature.

A side note: Not many headphones in this price range have this build quality and easy repairability and modability. Heck, on many you can't even swap pads.

 

[Dramlin]

I'd agree with not paying $300 again myself, but that's only because I'm one of the vocal few that doesn't like the bass on the headphones. If you don't mind the bass or are ok with equalizing them, then the detail extraction is definitely priced correctly at the full asking price. All in my current version of these headphones has set me back over $400 (normal base price+balanced cable+Yaxi pads). The headphones sound great to me, but if I did it all over again I would just skip these and go up a price tier immediately knowing that I was looking for a non compromising sound. If you are just looking for the best bang for your buck though (taking out diminishing returns), then the 99C's are a great choice in their normal price tier, and especially so at a $200 Noir price.

 

[trevinthefionaapplefan]

If you guys just stop comparing the sound signature of the latest earpads iteration of this headphone with its previous 'better' one, how much would the sound worth at its current price? Under? Over?

There are multiple answers to the question because of the different earpad iterations. That's just how it is. Earpads change the sound and therefore could change if the price is worth it to you.

Pricewise, it's worth it for the build/comfort/durability, etc., for sure.

Regarding sound-to-price ratio, it depends what you like. If you want neutral/professional, these are not for you. But you have to have personally heard them to know if the sound is worth the money, because sound interpretation is so subjective.

Also, there is about a $100 price difference between the classics and the noir, so you have multiple options regarding price. But i'm not sure if you are referring to the Classics or Noir.

 

[HungryPanda]

I bought my 99 Classics around the same time as the PSB M4U1's. The PSB's were more neutral and very relaxing but the Meze's had that energy that made you tap your foot

 

[iFi audio]

In my opinion these are reasonably priced at $300-$350 (USD)

We won't argue with this. Pricing is a spot on for what they are.

 

[PopZeus]

Yeah, surprised to say I'm very happy with my set of the 99 Noir. Turns out I'm more of a music-first audiophile than an analytical one.

 

[Mhog55]

Yeah, surprised to say I'm very happy with my set of the 99 Noir. Turns out I'm more of a music-first audiophile than an analytical one.

100%

 

[bcaulf17]

Yeah, surprised to say I'm very happy with my set of the 99 Noir. Turns out I'm more of a music-first audiophile than an analytical one.

 

[Moak]

I got the Meze 99 Noir and heard about 20 hours. I like it better than the 99 Classics. He looks wonderful. Nice that you can swap the ear pads. I had sold the Meze 99 Classics because I did not like the sound signature. The Meze 99 Noir sounds much better to me. But I think that the bass is unbearably strong in some songs. I'm afraid that I can not keep it either. Does anyone have similar experiences?

 

[dafos58]

I got the Meze 99 Noir and heard about 20 hours. I like it better than the 99 Classics. He looks wonderful. Nice that you can swap the ear pads. I had sold the Meze 99 Classics because I did not like the sound signature. The Meze 99 Noir sounds much better to me. But I think that the bass is unbearably strong in some songs. I'm afraid that I can not keep it either. Does anyone have similar experiences?

I was irritated by this also. Look at this message at this thread: Post #5568 of 5590. After applying these settings the sound is just much more natural, still punchy, great bass, but without the irritating booming effect.. After this it became one of my favorite headphones.

 

[Moak]

I was irritated by this also. Look at this message at this thread: Post #5568 of 5590. After applying these settings the sound is just much more natural, still punchy, great bass, but without the irritating booming effect.. After this it became one of my favorite headphones.

Ah, ok, thanks for the info.
It could be if I changed with help from a EQ the sound of the Meze works better as before but I hate it to change the sound of an headphone manually.
I buy a headphone and I expect that this headphone is so good if he is. Otherwise I don‘t like him.
Could it be that he isn‘t played in enough after 20 hours?
I have other headphones, like Grados, Audioquest, Takstar...and the Meze 99 Noir is very beautiful in mid-/highrange but sometimes I‘m becoming earache, because the bass hammered so hard in my ears.

 

[dafos58]

Ah, ok, thanks for the info.
It could be if I changed with help from a EQ the sound of the Meze works better as before but I hate it to change the sound of an headphone manually.
I buy a headphone and I expect that this headphone is so good if he is. Otherwise I don‘t like him.
Could it be that he isn‘t played in enough after 20 hours?
I have other headphones, like Grados, Audioquest, Takstar...and the Meze 99 Noir is very beautiful in mid-/highrange but sometimes I‘m becoming earache, because the bass hammered so hard in my ears.

For my ears, the bass hamering doesn't change a lot over time. I understand and agree your point about not wanting to apply EQ. But the change is really large, without making it an artificial sound. This headphone can handle different and large EQ settings without any problem.

 

[PopZeus]

Personally, I’ve found that most too-bassy headphones overemphasize the 125 Hz band, so cutting that down with EQ really cleans up the bass to mid transition. In the case of the 99 Noir, I dropped that by 4dB and then took 2dB off the 60 Hz band to let the sub-bass rumble cut through. And that simple tweak worked without altering the overall sound too much. Cutting that 125 Hz band allows the mids to sound more forward and shaving a bit off the 60 Hz band tames the slam. It’s still warm and fun but now has more clarity overall and sounds more “audiophile fun”. I also took a bit off the 8k band but that’s because it can be fatiguing. Ymmv there.

 

[iFi audio]

Personally, I’ve found that most too-bassy headphones overemphasize the 125 Hz band, so cutting that down with EQ really cleans up the bass to mid transition. In the case of the 99 Noir, I dropped that by 4dB and then took 2dB off the 60 Hz band to let the sub-bass rumble cut through. And that simple tweak worked without altering the overall sound too much. Cutting that 125 Hz band allows the mids to sound more forward and shaving a bit off the 60 Hz band tames the slam. It’s still warm and fun but now has more clarity overall and sounds more “audiophile fun”. I also took a bit off the 8k band but that’s because it can be fatiguing. Ymmv there.

A spot on what you did there. Boom gone.