[bcaulf17]

ATH M50 are on more neutral, slightly bassy, Meze are not neutral, are very bassy with better highs and they are smaller so less comfortable to wear
Considering what you had and have I tend to think again that you would love Philips Fidelio X2, same sound signature of 770 BUT with an excellent soundstage, weaker but more clear bass, exceptionally comfortable to wear and so much better build quality .
I had them and I still feel stupid to have sold them

Heard some good things about those too but a bit too far from my price range and open back. If I were to get an open back phone my target would be the HD600 or HD650 but open back isn't practical for me at the moment.

 

[JediMa70]

Heard some good things about those too but a bit too far from my price range and open back. If I were to get an open back phone my target would be the HD600 or HD650 but open back isn't practical for me at the moment.

In Italy they cost 150 euros vs 200 of meze..

 

[bcaulf17]

In Italy they cost 150 euros vs 200 of meze..

Interesting. I don't think they're sold on Amazon except for third party sellers where they cost $300 here in America.

I notice the price of the MDR1A has gone down to $150, so now I'm even more tempted to bite the bullet on that...

 

[FullBlownEargasam]

Meze 99 Neo: yeah I heard not as balanced as classic but still good. Very good mids, highs and subbass, only negative I’ve heard was mid bass might be a little too boosted. Some claim it bleeds into mids, some claim it doesn’t so probably matter of opinion. They’re $200 on Amazon right now. To me, it looks like they share similar qualities to the MDR 1A.

Damn it. I bought the 99 Neo on Amazon 4 days ago for $250. I am trying to do the math and it might not be worth it to send them back and rebuy them. Since it wasn't sold by amazon but it was shipped from amazon I don't think I can do any kind of price protection. Ok enough about my issues.....

Out of your choices the Neos are the only one I have experience with. There is definitely plenty of bass. I do see differing options on how the bass effects the overall sound. I really believe it depends on the type of music you are listening to. I think the jazz and progressive rock that you listen to would benefit from the Neo's boost. I have heard some songs that sound a bit muddy but it is not often. I know that everyone talks about the Neo's bass but there is plenty of clean and clear mids and highs. If you are listening to music with low grumbly bass its definitely going to sound like that and maybe even exagerated but the bass tightens up when it needs to.

Hope this was at least a little helpful.

 

[bcaulf17]

Damn it. I bought the 99 Neo on Amazon 4 days ago for $250. I am trying to do the math and it might not be worth it to send them back and rebuy them. Since it wasn't sold by amazon but it was shipped from amazon I don't think I can do any kind of price protection. Ok enough about my issues.....

Out of your choices the Neos are the only one I have experience with. There is definitely plenty of bass. I do see differing options on how the bass effects the overall sound. I really believe it depends on the type of music you are listening to. I think the jazz and progressive rock that you listen to would benefit from the Neo's boost. I have heard some songs that sound a bit muddy but it is not often. I know that everyone talks about the Neo's bass but there is plenty of clean and clear mids and highs. If you are listening to music with low grumbly bass its definitely going to sound like that and maybe even exagerated but the bass tightens up when it needs to.

Hope this was at least a little helpful.

Very helpful! I might hold though, as I was enjoying my 770's today, and realized, they are just pretty picky with material. I don't think they're THAT sibilant either and that was my biggest issue. They really do sound great. But if I did decide to get something else instead I'm leaning towards the Meze...