The 99 Classics have a relatively low impedance; they'll need to be driven by an output stage capable of delivering enough current into this load. It can be driven directly from portable sources such as phones, tablets and DAPs. Pop recordings actually do not sound poor on this headphone and can see why many people are liking the sound. Meze did not skimp on accessories in the slightest. The electrical phase angle was close to 0° up to 6kHz, suggesting that the drive-unit behaves as a pure resistor up to that frequency; the slightly positive angle that increases above 6kHz is due to the driver's residual inductance. Below the Right channel. Meze is an interesting newcomer to the headphone and IEM market, a company set up in London in 2009 that wants to change the opinion that you have to spend a fortune to get a good sound. Do note that some of the distortion ‘spikes’ may well have been caused by ambient sounds in the demo room from ears unlimited when it was measured there. Meze 99 Classics. Weight: 260 g. Very little and reasonable short lived ringing. The first thing I noticed was that the headband produced a metallic ringing sound when I moved my head quickly or the cable rubbed against my clothes. Therefore, these headphones could be operated using even the most energy-starved devices, but also by using a high-quality music player. This is described HERE in more detail. The comfort is high and the sound signature is tuned for usage on the go. Smooth would be a good description. The 99 classics are certainly comfortable even for extended listening sessions, but a set of deep velour or leatherette pads would elevate comfort levels to supremely comfortable status. Accessories: 6.3mm adapter, airline adapter, carrying case To compensate for this the amplifier is cranked up to the same level (at 1kHz) as the low impedance amplifier. 99 Classics entered Top 10 Best closed-back headphones of all time on head-fi forum and received the Wall of Fame on Innerfidelity. I gave the Meze 99 Classics a listen using my PonoPlayer as source. Janine Elliot takes a listen to their £256 Meze Classic 99 headphones. The beautifully crafted wood cups and is available in various types of wood and with silver or gold colored metal parts. However, a kink in the impedance-magnitude trace at 1.5kHz and a couple of discontinuities in the mid-treble imply the presence of some resonances. Right channel only, driven from 0.2Ω and 120Ω amplifier. Don’t expect the finest nuances to come through. Inner pad dimensions: depth: 18mm. For € 250.- you can buy the Meze 99 neo but the nice wood is black plastic instead. For those circumstances the 99 classics is a good option. Max power rating: 50mW Aside from a small correction of the microphone itself also some correction in the lowest frequencies is applied to the plots to compensate for the perceived loss of bass when using headphones. Deviations in different severities at different frequency bands have an effect on the sound character. Meze rates the frequency response at 15Hz-25kHz and, at least in … The treble is subdued compared to the bass but not of poor quality. Frequency response: 15Hz - 25KHz; Sensitivity: 103dB at 1KHz, 1mW; Impedance: 26 Ohm; Rated input power: 30mW; Maximum input power: 50mW; Detachable Kevlar OFC cable; Plug: 3.5mm gold plated; Weight: 260 gr (9.2 ounces) without cables; Ear-cups: ABS Plastic It is lacking somewhat in clarity/presence which is caused by the dip around 4kHz. Below the CSD of the Meze 99 classics (Left and Right channel are superimposed), The 8kHz peak is a resonance, just like the peak around 16kHz. Below the frequency response of the Meze 99 classics (Left, Right). As this is a low impedance dynamic headphone the frequency response could be output resistance dependent when certain higher output resistance amplifiers are used. Performance and Conclusions On tracks with powerful sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the 99 Classics deliver a perfect balance of bass depth and high frequency definition. This isn’t a bad thing though as many people prefer a headphone with a ‘warm’ and bassy character over ‘neutral’ sound. To me it sounds fatty, bassy, hollow and lacks ‘bite’ which are all negative words but many others may find it pleasantly bassy, warm, laid back with pleasant soft highs. Frequency response: 15 – 25,000 Hz: Impedance: 32 Ω: Sensitivity: 103 dB . Note that this headphone was measured at  where unavoidable background noises were present in the demo room. When driven from a 120 Ω output resistance amplifier nothing changes. ALL measurements are made with a good SEAL on a flatbed measurement rig. The wood cups look really nice. Let’s start with the obvious. Although KM noted that the Meze headphones didn't have "too rich bass fundamentals," I do think that, like the NightHawks, these headphones have a somewhat exaggerated low-frequency balance. My usual sources will soon be joined by another item, the aforementioned FiiO M11 Pro. The electrical phase angle was close to 0° up to 6kHz, suggesting that the drive-unit behaves as a pure resistor up to that frequency; the slightly positive angle that increases above 6kHz is due to the driver's residual inductance. It is lacking somewhat in clarity/presence which is caused by the dip around 4kHz. Type: Over ear, closed The 5kHz peak is really there though and not caused by ambient sounds. But listening to DSD64 files of our July 2003 Recording of the Month—violinist Rachel Podger and Arte Dei Suonatori performing Vivaldi's 12 violin concertos Op.4, aka La Stravaganza (Channel Classics CCS 19598)—I heard no untoward brightness in the treble. This suggests that this is the tuning frequency of the diaphragm. In that sense, the Meze and AudioQuest headphones aren't as neutral as the Sennheiser HD 650s—but there is a general preference among headphone users for more bass than is strictly appropriate.—John Atkinson. Meze rates the frequency response at 15Hz-25kHz and, at least in the lowest frequencies, you truly hear the depth. 0.5% in the bass area is quite good. For those that prefer a ‘neutral’ and natural sound it is not the perfect headphone. ), Koss PRO-4, PRO-4A and Pro/4 AAA Plus headphones, Shure Bluetooth 5.0 Earphone Communication Cable, Shure KSE1200SYS electrostatic in-ear headphone system, Skullcandy Crusher Wireless Over-Ear Sealed Headphones with Haptic Bass Drivers, HiFiMAN Sundara Around-Ear Open Planar Magnetic Headphones, PSB M4U 8 Over-Ear Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones, Audeze LCD2 Classic Open Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones, Advanced Alpha Over-Ear Open Planar Magnetic Headphones, Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro Affordable Over-Ear Sealed Headphones, Sennheiser HD 660 S Over-Ear Open Headphones, Revinylization #13: Tone Poet, Analogue Productions, ERC reissues, Analog Corner #290: The Haniwa LP Playback System, Gramophone Dreams #44: Audio-Technica, Goldring, LP Gear phono cartridges, Cambridge Audio CXA81 integrated amplifier, PS Audio Stellar M1200 monoblock power amplifier, Acoustic Geometry Room treatments (before & after), My current and likely the last home audio setup, Fascinating wiev by Verity Audio Sarastro, Recommended Components: Fall 2020 Edition. Below the frequency response of the Meze 99 classics (Left, Right) And this is what it sounds like as well. Impedance: 32 Ω Driver size: 40mm The Meze 99 classics is a closed dynamic headphone. However, I measured the 99 Classics' impedance and electrical phase with the headphones mounted on my head (fig.1. Meze 99 Classics review ... Meze 99 Classic delivered in a large box, made of thick and dense cardboard and a side magnetic lock for easy and quick opening, this gives the box an additional feeling of high qualities. The Meze 99 Classics are overall balanced in tonality, though they tend to the warm side with a boost of mid bass that gives sound a stronger punch. A horizontal line shows audible neutral response in the plots on this website. On the box, there is a rather smooth frequency response graph. However, the double basses and cellos on this album sounded much richer than I'd expected, as did the bass guitar in "Heart Like a Drum," from Beck's Morning Phase (24/96 ALAC file, Capitol/HDtracks). Sensitivity ... Had these Meze Audio 99 Classics around three weeks now, had them through a Hi Rez player, a Samsung tablet, a Brennan B1 and a Denon PMA-60. Max. The bigger the deviation the stronger the effect. For an affordable headphones, MEZE 99 Classics and HIFIMAN Ananda are two comparable choices. At the end of the story, you get: – A hard carrying pouch – The Meze 99 Classics headphones – Two cables: 1 x 3m cable without microphone and 1 x 1.2m cable with microphone and remote control – A 6.3mm gold-plated jack adapter The walnut wood earcups, soft earpads, and the spring steel headband make the 99 Classics an heirloom, rather than just a pair of headphones. Touching the metal parts of the headband is quite audible. home. Meze have outlived the first stage of the headphone world where I would consider the “new boys” to be, they have shown they are here to stay and their latest headphone, the 99 Classics that we have here are certainly a reinforcement of that! Having an impedance of 32 Ohms and a high sensitivity of 103 dB per 1mW of power, 99 Classics can be considered easy-peasy to drive. They are a headphone I've been curious about trying and seeing how they sound, the Meze 99 Classics sounded better than I ever expected. By lack of oscilloscope shots (not enough time to measure that) below a step response plot of the Meze 99 classics. Cable entry: dual The difference could even be down to driver variations. This player is capable of wonders, but what really surprised me is that Meze was able to achieve a fantastic audio quality even with worse sources: the 99 Classics don’t need dedicated amplification or crazy expensive DACs to offer an amazing sound quality. Also the cable is quite microphonic. A lot of attention has obviously also been given to the finer details — for example, the cables are made from kevlar, not plastic, and as such are much stronger than your typical headphone cable. The Meze 99 Classics has been the benchmark of rich and bright audio in the under Rs. Below the 99 classics and 99 neo overlayed. Not everyone wants to hear all warts of the recordings. The differences are quite small so in practice it will be hard to tell these apart. The bass is definitely less boomy (but still BIG), the mids are slightly more forward and it feels like the treble might be just a little softer/smoother, though I'd have to swap pads back and forth to be sure about that. In view of the quality of manufacturing, as well as the quality of the sound, Meze 99 Classic deserves our highest praise. Some lingering/coloration at around 1kHz (probably the sealed enclosure) and some small resonances around 4kHz, 8kHz and 16kHz. back to Meze Audio Demo units courtesy of: Frequency Response measurements and graphs for In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) and earphones. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons flat’ sharp peaks and ‘wiggles’. This way the plots are overlay-ed and it is easy to see how the tonal balance changes. Meze 99 Classics Review The Meze 99 Classics was sent to me as part of the review tour. In other words, the 99 Classics come pretty close to nailing what I consider to be the ideal “metal approved” response of a gentle downward arc from bass to mids to highs, as opposed to the typical “U” or “V” shaped response. 30000 range. I do not use smoothing because some info about sound quality is lost when plots are smoothed. (the one pictured/tested here has silver colored metal parts) The shape of your head, bone structure, pad size, pad ‘softness,  (compliance), hair or no hair and or wearing glasses may (drastically) change the frequency response of some headphones, so… your personal experience may differ substantially from these plots. The slightly cheaper plastic version (still feels high quality) has a similar sound profile. No audiophile has ever said 'NO' to these cans. I could hear a slight mid-treble emphasis with the pink-noise track from Editor's Choice (16/44.1 ALAC file, Stereophile STPH016-2) and with Robert Silverman's album of 23 Beethoven piano sonatas (nondecoded MQA-encoded 24/88.2 FLAC files, Silver Lining/Audio High). Frequency Response 15 - 25,000Hz. The latest in the Classics series, the Meze 99 Classics promises to deliver perfect natural sound even to the pickiest of audio lovers. Measurements for all the headphones mentioned in this review, including Meze 99 Classics are available on Inner/Fidelity website :-) ......... Fig.1 Meze Audio 99 Classic, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed) (5 ohms/vertical div. Distortion in that frequency band is more audible. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. A ‘horizontal‘ frequency response curve on the shown frequency response plots on this website thus indicates a perceived ‘flat’ tonal signature. Usage: Home/office/portable (not for sport activities) The price puts it in the € 300.- range which isn’t cheap but also not very expensive when looking at the headphone market today. Usually this indicates somewhat reduced treble quality. Cable: Kevlar 3m with 3.5mm TRS plug and a 1.2m cable with inline mic/remote They sound fantastic on all four. On paper, these headphones can be powered by anything, from the least powerful smartphone, to an excellent handheld player or DAC. Great to be able to hear everything clear through low, mid to high frequency's. An extra amp is not needed. To me this is at a level that would annoy me. S.P.L. This plot too shows small issues. The 99 neo has slightly more lows and is even slightly warmer sounding. Below the spectrum plot of the Meze 99 classics (Left channel). Based on our rating, 99 Classics has a total rating of 7 out of 10 vs 8 out of 10 for Ananda. Meze rates the frequency response at 15Hz-25kHz and, at least in the lowest frequencies, you truly hear the depth. Frequency range: 15 Hz - 25 KHz, Impedance: 32 Ohm, Sensitivity 103 Db 1kHz/1mW POWER EFFICIENT WITH ANY DEVICE due to low impedance (32 Ohm). The hump in the middle indicates an midbass boost. Let's check out how the two brothers turn out when compared. Meze rates the frequency response at 15Hz-25kHz and, at least in the lowest frequencies, you truly hear the depth. And this is what it sounds like as well. The impedance magnitude was a fairly constant 21 ohms through most of the audioband, but with a slight bump in the midbass centered on 60Hz. These headphones boast an impressive 103 dB sensitivity, an impedance of 32 Ohms. Driver type: dynamic On a higher output resistance amplifier the output level will be considerably lower. (Left channel) Nearly the same, yet they appeal to you differently. As the treble is subdued compared to the bass the treble still sounds smooth. The measurements of the Meze 99 classics indicate it is anything but a ‘reference’ sound quality headphone. Clamping force: Medium. Ken Micallef reported that "even at loud volumes the 99s kept their cool, never sounding shouty, edgy, boxy, or otherwise criminal in the treble." The user manual can be found here: Meze 99 Classics User Manual What an incredible feeling it must have been for Meze Audio in 2015, after years of development, the 99 Classics were finally on the market. The distortion products are shown in dB. Elevated bass (the part below 200Hz) and warm mids (downwards slope from 200Hz to 4kHz). Instead, they adjust automati… The 99 Classics look great, and not just as a whole. Advantages MEZE 99 Classics over HIFIMAN Ananda For those looking for finest details and a more realistic and ‘neutral’ sound quality while enjoying music at home this is not the ideal headphone. Meze 99 Classics is a closed-back dynamic headphone that uses 40mm bio-cellulose drivers. Impressions of the headphone are based on a week of use. NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. When using on portable devices and listening to popular music the described sound is not necesarily a bad thing. Pads: pleather (replaceable) That’s right, 99 Classics are not linear, there isn’t a straight line over the frequency response, bass has some blossom, midrange some sweetness, treble is more or less untouched by the muddiness. Interestingly enough, you don’t have to adjust the headphones for differently sized heads. It is quite colored in sound (as in opposed to realistic/neutral). The UE6000’s somewhat elevated bass response came at the cost of its ability to reproduce fine, mid focused acoustic details, something that the 99 Classics don’t struggle with. Below the same plot except shown in percentages. The mids also have a ‘thick’ signature, as in lacking clarity/presence, and is way too ‘laid back’ for me. Speaking of frequency response, Sennheiser HD 600 works in a range of 12 Hz - 40 kHz which is incredibly wide compared to the range of MEZE 99 Classics — 15 Hz - … The driver is mechanically fully damped and thus does not need electrical damping. Foldable: No This is the latest version which has thicker pads. Though most people seem to love the sound of the near-identical Meze 99 Classics, a few people find it to be really off-putting. The distinction between the levels of sensitivity is less noticeable as the first appliance has 97 dB and the second one has 103 dB. The announced frequency response is 15 Hz – 25 kHz. The Meze 99 Classics are shipped in an elegant carton package which contains the headphones in a hard carry case. The Meze 99 Classics sound overly bassy and ‘fat’. This ringing was at a lower frequency than the wrinkles in the impedance traces, and was more audible than the similar headband ringing of the AudioQuest NightHawks. For a normal listening session, you might not … However, I measured the 99 Classics' impedance and electrical phase with the headphones mounted on my head (fig.1. Treble is smooth and a little subdued compared to the bass/lower mids but still present enough to not get the feeling of it sounding rolled-off in the treble. The tonal balance (boosted lows) is actually preferable when commuting. Inside each earcup, the 99 Classics use a 40mm Neodymium/Mylar transducer. This means you can clearly hear it when the cables are touched or rub against clothes. 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