[swspiers]

So how did you proceed ? Just playing music or pink/white noise, sweeps etc ? For how long ?

None of the above.

The most I did was let them play while at work through my Burson rig. Pink or white noise is not something I would do.

Mostly, over time, I noticed the bass getting clearer, drums more impactful. At the end of the day, it could be brain burn-in as much as mechanical. All I'm stating is that it's the first time, ever, that a transducer apparently changed sonic characteristics over time as I listened to them. The closest thing to it that I've ever experienced is changing toe-in or other placement variables with speakers.

Mostly, I'm totally agnostic when it comes to burn in. I've experienced it now, but I can't account for it.

 

[Mayth]

Glad you're enjoying them over time then

I reckon they can be addictive. I let my parents listen to my Momentum M2, then the Neos and they both said "the sound is much clearer and detailed".

 

[Bansaku]

Hello guys,

The 99 classic does not have that damper for example.t ...

It sure the heck does! Well, at least mine came with dampers.

 

[Howlin Fester]

Thank you very much for letting me be a part of the 99 Neo Review tour.
My review is up.
Let me know what you think. Good or bad.
Howlin' Fester...

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/meze-99-neo.22329/reviews

 

[mbwilson111]

Thank you very much for letting me be a part of the 99 Neo Review tour.
My review is up.
Let me know what you think. Good or bad.
Howlin' Fester...

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/meze-99-neo.22329/reviews

Nice review. You said that the cable is too long for you. Earlier review units apparently came with the two cables that ship with the Classic:

• Audio cable with remote and microphone (1.2m)
• Audio cable (3m)

The retail Neo only comes with the shorter one. I did not know this when I ordered mine because the dealers website said it came with the two cables. When mine did not, I contacted them and was sent the longer cable. I have uses for both. The site still says two cables. The box itself only lists the shorter one. If I had ordered from Amazon they would have just wanted me to exchange the whole thing which would not have done any good. It is not difficult to find various after-market cables if needed. I am happy with the two Meze ones that I have.

Listening right now using the shorter one connected to my Cayin N3. You are right about how it helps make older recordings sound really good.

Anyway, whichever one you decide to buy will include the shorter length that you prefer.

 

[L8MDL]

Regarding the cable, I ordered a balanced one from Surf Cables and had it "cut to length", which for me was 36". Phones sound great on my Pono, although I'm now spending most of my time with my new Sennheiser HD660's, also balanced.

 

[mbwilson111]

Regarding the cable, I ordered a balanced one from Surf Cables and had it "cut to length", which for me was 36". Phones sound great on my Pono, although I'm now spending most of my time with my new Sennheiser HD660's.

...and I have to confess that I have been spending time with my new Sennheiser HD630vb. But the Neo will still have its place.

 

[Howlin Fester]

Nice review. You said that the cable is too long for you. Earlier review units apparently came with the two cables that ship with the Classic:

• Audio cable with remote and microphone (1.2m)
• Audio cable (3m)

The retail Neo only comes with the shorter one. I did not know this when I ordered mine because the dealers website said it came with the two cables. When mine did not, I contacted them and was sent the longer cable. I have uses for both. The site still says two cables. The box itself only lists the shorter one. If I had ordered from Amazon they would have just wanted me to exchange the whole thing which would not have done any good. It is not difficult to find various after-market cables if needed. I am happy with the two Meze ones that I have.

Listening right now using the shorter one connected to my Cayin N3. You are right about how it helps make older recordings sound really good.

Anyway, whichever one you decide to buy will include the shorter length that you prefer.

Thanks mbwilson.
I neglected to mention that the review pair came with the cable with the sort remote cable, AND the longer cable without remote. As I don't like (read detest) microphone/remote cables, I never use them. So I was referencing the longer, sans-remote cable.

I've been looking for good deals on the Classics and Neos. While doing that, I've come across some cables on ebay and amazon that should fit me just fine. Or can fit me fine with some soldering.

I remember (now that you kindly remind me) reading that the Neo only comes with the short/remote cable now. But I had forgotten.

I was stretching to find "Cons". I really do like them a lot.

 

[Mayth]

Sooooo after receiving the MSR7 pads, I listened to 5-6 songs that I know by heart and I immediately switched back from the Neo's pads. I noticed that I lost so much "punch" and bass. I couldn't handle it lol.

But I get why @Mark Up like them. The sound becomes brighter and maybe more detailed, but I enjoy a funny and punchy sound better.

The only thing that could annoy me with the 99 Neo is the isolation performance. I love being in a bubbl while listening. With these, I can still notice the bus engine. It is not a big deal, but well be aware.

 

[Mark Up]

Interesting. I found in my experience that the punch was similar, but we all have different tastes and ear shapes. I felt like it didn't lose bass, just that low mid muddiness.

 

[mbwilson111]

Interesting. I found in my experience that the punch was similar, but we all have different tastes and ear shapes. I felt like it didn't lose bass, just that low mid muddiness.

What about brightness? I really don't care for too bright headphones...

 

[Mark Up]

What about brightness? I really don't care for too bright headphones...

I hate bright headphones too. For example, the famously warm Sennheiser HD650 and Sony MDR Z7 has nearly perfect treble levels for me, when many think they're too dull. That said, these pads do slightly increase the detail. The Meze 99 Neo are already warm so it's not putting them in bright territory for my sensitive ears with these pads. I find the way they clean up midrange and high bass resonance clears up the sound in general, and makes them seem brighter, but to me, the pads didn't increase the actual amount of treble, just clarity and space.

 

[nmatheis]

Hello fellow HeadFi'ers. I've got some history with Meze, participating in the 99 Classics, 12 Classics, and 11 Neo review tours. When I reviewed the original 99 Classics they were a new product, and I (amongst other reviewers and customers, I'm sure) provided suggestions for improvement. I wasn't a fan of either the black/gold or white/silver versions available at the time, so I suggested they bring out a black/silver version. I wasn't a fan of the shallow earpads and suggested that Meze provide deeper earpads, providing a roomier, more comfortable fit. The cable had the nylon sheath above the y-splitter which resulted in scratchy microphonics, so I suggested leaving the lower cable covered in the nylon sheath but remove it above the y-splitter to reduce microphonics. The team at Meze not only listened, they eventually implemented each and every suggestion for improvement. To say I was seriously impressed with their response to feedback is an understatement. Simply fantastic!

Despite being on the 99 Classics tour and really enjoying their sound, I wasn't sold on buying a pair due to the reasons I mentioned above (aesthetics, shallow pads, and microphonics). Skip forward to just over a year ago when I took a trip to Denver to visit some of my wife's college friends and attend CanJam RMAF 2016. While wandering around the show, I stumbled on the Meze booth, met Antonio and Mircea, chatted them up, and discovered that they'd implemented almost all of the suggestions I'd made in my review. The only issue remaining was the nylon sheath above the y-splitter. I decided that the cable wasn't a dealbreaker and pulled the trigger. Needless to say, 99 Classics were one of the headphones I brought home from the show (along with AudioQuest Nighthawks). I've been a happy 99 Classics user since. At the show, I also got a sneak peek listen of a 99 Neo (and AudioQuest NightOwl) prototype.

Now let's skip forward to the present. After a long wait, I got a chance to listen to the final production model of the 99 Neo on the review tour. The packaging was almost identical to the packaging Meze used for 99 Classics. The supplied headphone case was also basically the same except for the materials. 99 Classics had more of a synthetic leather feel to the case, whereas 99 Neo had a hard-formed fabric mesh case. When it comes to headphone materials, the main difference is that 99 Classics have wood cups whereas 99 Neo have soft-touch synthetic cups. Design is a classy black with silver highlights, and I was delighted to see that 99 Neo retained the deep pads and also made the switch to cables with no nylon sheath above the y-splitter to help minimize microphonics. So far, so good!

Being pleasantly surprised so far, let's move on to sound which is where things got really interesting for me. Using my trusty Revamp Acoustics Nuansa P1 DAP, I played several songs I've been enjoying recently in the Classic Rock, Electronic, and Metal genres. I didn't use a switcher or anything, instead simply swapping back and forth between 99 Classics and 99 Neo, enjoying the music, and noting the differences. Going into my listening sessions, I was certain that I was going to prefer 99 Classics. However, 99 Neo was such a strong performer and nailed my sound preferences so well, that I came out preferring 99 Neo pretty handily over 99 Classics and that shocked me.

Here's the low-down... 99 Classics have what I'd call a warmed-up sound. They're not truly flat, but they don't add too much color to the music. I'm sure some of you will disagree with that statement, but I'm calling it as I see it according to my personal experience and preferences. In comparison, 99 Neo sounds warmer and more spacious. Listening to the recent Sean McGee high dynamic range remaster of Rush's Tom Sawyer, 99 Classics sounded a bit flat and dull while 99 Neo really brought the track to life, brought a smile to my face got my toes tapping, and my head nodding. For me, that's really what it's about. I'm not out to try and hear every last detail. I'm out to connect emotionally with the music I enjoy, and 99 Neo did that for me. Despite loving my 99 Classics, I'm strongly considering putting them up for trade for a pair of 99 Neo. I think that says a lot, don't you?

Heading over to Meze's website, I saw that 99 Neo is $50 off over the holidays for a final sale price of $199. If you've been considering picking up a pair, I'd recommend taking advantage of the deal and hitting the buy button now. Highly recommended!

Cheers,
Nikolaus

 

[Mark Up]

I got a chance to listen to the final production model of the 99 Neo on the review tour.

I was on both tours. I'd tried the early small earpad Classic and it lacked sub bass & comfort. I liked the Neo tour model better but the brand new Neo pair I bought seems every so slightly better. It could just be continuing improvement in quality control, stock pads on it. I think ATH-MSR7 pads are a great option for those who will desire less mid bass and low mids, while keeping the other qualities. I'm more of a mild bass-head, so I do prefer the stock pads on these, at least for now. They definitely are my favorite all around headphone.

Pad Update. Burned in the Meze 99 Neo for 5 straight days with modest full range pink noise. They are unchanged except the mid bass bump, causing a bit too much of it on some songs is back. I notice ears touching the drivers a bit more often now. I was so enthralled by the return of the amazing highs and mids of these that I may have overlooked that. It is not terribly uncomfortable, I just prefer that not happening. So I'll probably be putting the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 pads back on for more space and to tame the mid bass bloom.

 

[SelloutHipster]

*I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but since I got no answers on the Help and Recommendations forum I'm going to post it here. Sorry if I'm causing any inconvenience.

Hi everyone,
So I've been wanting to buy a pair of full-size over-ear headphones for a while, because right now I own the 1More Triple Driver IEM's, and though they're great, I've come to the conclusion I just don't like IEM's.

I was looking at the Sennheiser HD 598 since right now they're on sale on Amazon for 99€. This is supposed to be my budget price, however, knowing myself it's possible that in the future I'll end up upgrading them to something better, like the Meze 99 Neo, which right now are on sale for 199€ on the official website, still a relatively affordable price. On top of that, the HD 598 would only serve as home headphones, since they're open-backed, while I could use the Meze 99 Neo as portable headphones as well and then sell my IEM's (though I'm always lazy about re-selling stuff, so I might end up not doing it anyway, eh).

Just to make it clear, I'm no audiophile, I don't plan on collecting more headphones than I need, I just want some more than decent quality ones so I can listen to my music properly. Do you think it's worth it to spend a bit more and get the Meze 99 Neo? Is the sound quality all that better? I've heard they're more fun to listen to, and also though I'm not a basshead I do listen to a lot of modern music, and for that purpose maybe the HD 598 are not the best. I'm also worried about Tyll's comment (from InnerFidelity) on the Meze 99 Neo earpads affecting sound quality, I'd like to get a sound signature that's as similar to the 99 Classics as possible, do you think I'll have to change the earpads for that, or did Meze already solve this issue?

Anyway, hope you can help me with this, and thanks a lot in advance.