[Makiah S]

  POSTED A MINI REVIEW

looking forward to getting these
 
I've gotten my self a AH A100 and a heavy modded ES10 [wood] so I'm curious to see how teh stock Meze 99 compares to these two super rare and heavy modded portables ^^ [each was around $300 ish] 

 

[newdoughboy]

Here's my review
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/meze-99-classics/reviews/15169

 

[nmatheis]

Here are my thoughts on the 99 Classics: LINK.
 
Thanks to @MezeTeam for letting me participate in the tour. These are some really nice headphones with a sound signature that pushes a lot of the right buttons for me. I just need some roomier cups, and I'm on bard to join TEAM MEZE!!!

 

[Mark Up]

My review is up - http://www.head-fi.org/products/meze-99-classics/reviews/15244

 

[dweaver]

The Maze have landed . Being sick I happened to be home when they arrived, a rarity. (will make sure I use alcohol swabs on the ear pads before sending these on to the next person). I can see the complaints about the ear cup size. But in Maze defense I am finding these quite comfortable despite not completely fitting over my ears. I will post back after wearing these for an hour or two if my ears start to hurt.

The looks and build quality of this headphone is top notch. Just a beautifully made headphone! I actually like this model and don't think it is to blingy but can see some will prefer the other models more.

Sonically it is brighter than what I am used to and it sounds a bit smaller and less 3D than I have grown accustomed to. But I can see it being more appealing than my prefered signature for a lot of people as not everyone appeciates my darker tastes. The bass is a bit less than my M100 and my Z5/Z7 But has a nice rumble to it reaching quite low. The midrange is nice and detailed but possibly lacking in dynamics. Treble is detailed and bright but not fatguing so far. I will see how the midrange sounds over the week as my brain grows accustomed to the signature.

 

[nmatheis]

You've been seduced by the dark side dweaver. Compared to other, brighter cans I've listened to, the Meze are relatively laid-back. Give a listen to the AKG K55X series cans sometime. I bet you'll run away shrieking in pain.
:wink_face:

BTW, I'm selling my K553 in the FS forum...

P.S., I'm curious to hear your take on these vs. Z7. Those are on my radar!

 

[dweaver]

Just to tell how far I have been seduced. I used to own the K550, Q701, K712 and still own the K545 LOL. The Meze is definitely not as bright as any of those with the K712 being the brightest. It all started when I reviewed the T10 back a couple of years ago. While it was too dark it showed me a side of bass I missed. The Z5/7 just took that darker signature and added enough midrange and treble detail to make it "right" for my ears.

Having said that I am listening to the Meze now and only switched to the M100 for a couple of quick comparisons and find I might like it a bit more than the M100. They appear to have a bit of a mid-bass hump and a small peak in the upper midrange which makes bass instruments sound off compared to what I am used to. The upper midrange peak gives female vocals a higher pitch making them sound more delicate than the M100 which gives female vocals a bit of a husky quality. The upper peak also gives brass percussion a bit more brightness on the initial strike.

 

[nmatheis]

I hear you. I'm moving from brighter to darker recently, as well.

Smoother eeez better!!!

 

[dweaver]

Ok interesting about the cables. I used the smartphone cable and noticed the running noise but as I played around it became obvious the noise was only in the 1 side that didn't have the Mic. So it appears the Mic killed off the microphonics. So if Maze wants to stick with the cloth cable which I do like from an esthetic feel they might want to incorporate a break in the cable near the cups almost like a fake mic. This would then eliminate noise on the smartphone cable and since the cable is already "compromised" on the left side anyway it would ensure a similar balnce of sound on both sides.

 

[kman1211]

The Maze have landed . Being sick I happened to be home when they arrived, a rarity. (will make sure I use alcohol swabs on the ear pads before sending these on to the next person). I can see the complaints about the ear cup size. But in Maze defense I am finding these quite comfortable despite not completely fitting over my ears. I will post back after wearing these for an hour or two if my ears start to hurt.

The looks and build quality of this headphone is top notch. Just a beautifully made headphone! I actually like this model and don't think it is to blingy but can see some will prefer the other models more.

Sonically it is brighter than what I am used to and it sounds a bit smaller and less 3D than I have grown accustomed to. But I can see it being more appealing than my prefered signature for a lot of people as not everyone appeciates my darker tastes. The bass is a bit less than my M100 and my Z5/Z7 But has a nice rumble to it reaching quite low. The midrange is nice and detailed but possibly lacking in dynamics. Treble is detailed and bright but not fatguing so far. I will see how the midrange sounds over the week as my brain grows accustomed to the signature.

I prefer the dark side with headphones myself. But I didn't find them annoying in their treble, brighter than what I'm used to but they aren't sibilant or harsh and sound strangely good straight out of my iPad. But then again I find the HD 650 brighter than I like. Nighthawks have spoiled me making me love darkness. I wonder how I can even stand my DT 990 LE Pro(which is brighter than the normal pro) for over an hour of listening despite my preference for dark and warm headphones. I recently grabbed a vintage DT 480, the thing is dark, darker than the Nighthawk and Z7, had to throw on different pads to get the resonance under control though.

 

[dweaver]

Agreed, they are far from annoying. I am actually enjoying their signature.

I have heard the Nighthawks, a glorious dark signature! The Meze offer a nice change up without going to far in the bright direction.

 

[jinxy245]

Agreed, they are far from annoying. I am actually enjoying their signature.



I have heard the Nighthawks, a glorious dark signature! The Meze offer a nice change up without going to far in the bright direction.

 


It sounds like they struck somewhat of a happy medium... I think that may be what I'm looking for.... I'll just have to wait for my turn in the cue.

Waiting...

waiting...

waiting...

lol thx!

 

[dweaver]

Yup I think they have a good balance that will work for a lot of people. Actually I am starting to think they sound like the PSB M4U4 IEM, I will have to do some comparing to be sure though.

 

[Bansaku]

Yup I think they have a good balance that will work for a lot of people. Actually I am starting to think they sound like the PSB M4U4 IEM, I will have to do some comparing to be sure though.

I find they actually have a very similar sound sig to the M4U 1 (and to a slightly lesser degree, Momentums), just warmer with a tad more sub-bass (and lacking the ethereal magic). I place the sound quality somewhere between the Momentums and M4U 1. But overall, the 99 Classics fit my preferred 'Harmon Curve' sound sig.
 
P.S. If you have received the tour pair, I suppose I am next. I just have to find someone locally who wants to do a swap for 1 week as I am rocking out on my prize pair!
 

 

[Currawong]

My review, including a video, is here: Meze 99 Classics