Meze 99 Classics Walnut Gold | Wired Over-Ear Headphones with Mic and Self Adjustable Headband | Classic Wooden Closed-Back Headset for Audiophiles

Sound is great, they’re comfortable, and they’re beautiful, but the shorter cord is no longer delivering the sound it did before, had to switch to the longer cord

Listening set up: MacBook / iPhone + Oppo HA-2se + (headphones) Music I tried: 1960 Stravinsky Columbia Recording of Le sacre du printemps / Beach Boys Pet Sounds / Oneohtrix Point Nevers Replica / general hip-hop/dance music Head size: ~ 12 circumference (larger than most) || Listening preferences: Im not a bass head, I do prefer warmer mids Comparable Products I tried alongside: Beyerdynamic DT-1350 [80hms] (5th favorite) / Sennheiser 598 (4th) / Grado 225e (3rd) / Beyerdynamic T51i (2nd) / Meze 99 Classics (1st) *** As hopefully you know, everyone hears music differently (everyones ears are different), and everyone has preferences. Just because I prefer these doesnt mean you will. Overall +/-: + Where do I start, ok basics: comes with detachable headphone cables, package comes with two different length nylon coated cables that are tangle resistant. Comes with 3.5mm/1/4 converter. Long cable is perfect, I never not use it. + Adjustable headband works well with varying head sizes, Ive had multiple friends try it and none of them complained about uncomfortable pressure points, or not fitting well. I have a large head, these were the only ones I tried that fit well enough. + Leather ear cups are comfortable, I can wear these for hours. Its a preference, but I look forward to wearing these. + Wow the mids on these are so pretty. Listening to records like Unknown Mortal Orchestras II, the guitars are so glistening and warm coming across. + Highs arent as shrill or exciting as Sennheiser, but they are still pleasant. Enjoyed Stravinsky greatly on this. Sound stage made me feel present to recording. + Bass is there, but not dominating (as I prefer, not for everyone). Has color, but is reserved to allow rest of recording to shine (unlike Beyerdynamics which were too bass heavy in my opinion for listening to anything other than dance music) + Perfect for offices, very little noise bleed, and isolates you well enough from keyboard/general office noise. - Sub-bass could uses some more color, I tend to use bass boost feature on Oppo HA-2SE sometimes when listening to rap/dance music. - Nothing really, I struggle to complain about these. Sure its no open-back $1000 headphone, but my god I enjoy them. - The headband isnt really convenient for travel, but fine enough for office spaces. These aren’t marketed as portable, so don’t buy them for such purposes. Seriously buy these. Seriously. Wow. ****Note: I didn’t try these without my DAC/Amp, so I have no idea how these without them. I would strongly suggest that if you buy any headphone above $150 you get a dedicated DAC/Amp to drive them properly.

I cant praise these headphones or the company enough. These are fully worth every penny because they are built to last, and have absolutely amazing sound quality with a perfect fit that makes them so incredibly comfortable. The only sad part that would make these headphones even better is the sound stage.. It feels lacking but personally, I have never felt it soured the experience in any way. These dont require a super fancy DAC or amp to fully enjoy them, you can even use your phone to drive these just perfectly. I would highly recommend these to anyone looking to dip their toes into Audiophile equipment.

I have a number of good headphones strewn around, but these Meze are the ones Ive been enjoying most. Are they dramatically better than my Sennheiser HD6xx, or BeyerDynamic 770s? No, but they just seem a tad more lively. Maybe this is totally subjective: the walnut earcups just make me happy. These cans get a tiny bit warm after 45 minutes or so, but Im not sure any worse than the others I own. I was able to find a used pair on Amazon for about half of the new price, so I feel I lucked out. Would I feel as happy if I paid full price? Hmm, dunno, but I was prepared to spring for them and I dont think Id be complaining. I also am happy that the accessories include long and short cables.

SHIPPING: The box came yesterday. No issues. UNBOXING: Used my trusty razor blade knife to open the box. The headphone was in a plastic wrapped box. The box was thick and textured with magnetic clasps to hold it shut. Similar to the packaging I have encountered on 1MORE In-Ear earphones. A hard shell carry case unzipped to reveal the headphone with its beautiful wooden ear cup. I took a moment to admire it. Also in the case was a 1/4 adapter and two braided cords -- one shorter and one longer -- in a zip pouch. FIT: The ear cups slipped over my large ears. The right ear rubbed the inside of the cup. No big deal just something I noticed. My ears did get mildly warm and clammy. My Bose and Kenwood headphones do the same thing. They are light and do not distract me when listening to my music and movie collections. SOUND: Very very good. But not excellent. Just short of audio nirvana. MOBILE DEVICES: Good sound from an Android tablet and an iPod Touch. Pleasantly surprised. No need for an amp. PC: Near excellent sound. I use an amp and DAC fed through an optical cable. The amp and DAC kick the performance up a notch or three. OVERALL: Worthy! I like the sound (especially with an amp!) and looks. I reserve a 5 rating for the best and costlier headphones. Cheers! I hope this helped.

As you can tell from my 5 stars, I love, LOVE these headphones. Where do I start? Look, if you are like me and looking to buy headphones in this price range, Im assuming youve been doing research and probably lots of it. If not just google reviews of these headphones. People more qualified than I can break down these headphones better than I can. What I can say is these headphones just sound right. I was looking to upgrade from my Sennheiser Momentum 2s. Another pair of headphones I really like. However it was lacking in some areas. While the bass with those are quite impressive, it did have a tendency to bleed into or overpower other aspects of the music. Also, the mids where a little bit more recessed. I wanted something that was a bit more balanced but not neutral. I would not consider myself a basshead, but I still like the bass to have some punch and impact to it. So after looking at and trying a bunch of headphones in this price range, I stumbled upon these beauties. Not just the looks, that are absolutely gorgeous. It certainly has a sound to match. These checked pretty much all the boxes i was looking for in a headphone. The bass is there, nice and powerful when called upon. It is controlled very well and knows its place. the mids a bit more forward than the sennheiser, but i would say this is still kind of a V shaped sound signature. with just enough emphasis on the low and hi end to make it fun. Treble might roll off a bit near the top end, but it didnt take anything away from the sound, just made it so its not so fatiguing for long listen sessions. Like I said, they just sound right and natural. I listen to just about every style of music. Everything I threw at these, these headphones could handle. I certainly would recommend these headphones for anybody. They just add so much to whatever you may be listening to. I listen to a lot of extreme metal. So if you are like me and like music like that I highly recommend these. I have not found a better pair of headphones that can handle that type of music without getting muddy. For example, I listened to Wormeds new album with these. I was hearing an amout of detail I hadnt heard before. Normally the drums tend to over power everything and little subtle details get lost in the mix. Not with the 99s. Everything had its place and I was even able to pick up the samples and little keyboards parts that I had no idea was there. I also wanted to mention the comfort with these. I listen to music pretty much all day at work. I had no issues with these on. I wear glasses and normally after a little while the pads start pushing the arms into my head and it can be a little uncomfortable. Not with these. I can barely tell I have these on. I was actually worried that they would be too loose, but they arent. They have just the right amount of clamping force to stay in place and seal properly, without making your head feel like they are in a vice. I was told that these headphones produced a lot of microphonics as well. I didnt really notice that. I mean, yeah, if Im listening to something that is quite or I have something paused, you can hear the cord rubbing. At normal listening volumes, it wasnt a problem however. Already wrote a longer review than I intended too. What can I say though, I do absolutely love these headphones and would recommend them. Cant really explain why I think these are so good, youve just got to hear them.

So after listening to these for a few months, I can say they are as great as they say. I’m using mainly with Tidal and my iFI hip-dac. I’ve used them directly into my iphone(12) and computer(MacBook Pro) with great results. I will say this is the most “high-end” headphone I’ve ever heard or owned. I’m coming from using basic AKG’s and ear buds. These were a quantum leap in audio quality for me. I did some quality tests with different formats: FLAC, MQA, DSD, and Spotify with and without a DAC. The level of detail with DSD files was amazing. These headphones don’t need the help of a DAC but sure shine when you do. Watched a DVD on my computer with them, and it took me a minute to get adjusted to all of the background detail. I can’t compare these to anything comparable or higher end, but if you want to step up from ear buds and basic headphones, just go for it. If you use headphones a few times a week, these are worth the hype and the money. The fit and finish is top notch. No plastic was a big selling point for me. The ability to replace parts means you can have these headphones for as long as you want. They look super cool too!

The sound is fantastic for the money, very comfortable, and nice looking. I hope the earpieces, being faux leather or pleather, will hold up over time. If they were leather, these would be perfect.

I am very pleased with these headphones! The build quality is excellent, the sound is excellent, and they are comfortable to wear for extended periods - The audio itself is similar to the Bose CQ35 though the price is closer to V-Modas Crossfade Wirelsss. I would rank these headphones somewhere in between the two. The Bose are more comfortable due to the deep earcups that fully cover your hear, but they do not sound quite sa good as these. The V-Moda sound a little better, but are significantly less comfortable since they are not fully over-the-ear. The only negative to these headphones is that they use two, mono 3.5mm plugs (one for L and R earcup) instead of a single stereo 3.5mm that plus into only one of them. It prevents using things like boom mics and requires that you manage another cable when listening. That aside, they are an absolutely must have for audiophiles in this price segment.

I love these headphones! I use them for music and tv/video.With music, they faithfully reproduce the engineers mix and mastering. If a recording is poorly done, youll know it, but if its a good production, well, sit back and enjoy! The movie sound is dynamic and captures all the movement and nuances of good theater sound. Not only do they sound amazing, but theyre also attractive. The kevlar cables dont tangle and the hardshell carrying case is a bonus.