Meze Audio 99 Classics On-Ear Headphones REVIEW | Mac Sources9.7

Amazing listening experience for all users.

As much as I enjoy wireless headphones, I have to admit that sometimes wired ones provide a superior listening experience. I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up the 99 Classics from Meze Audio, but my experience won’t soon be forgotten.

DETAILS & FEATURES

The Meze 99 Classics are designed to deliver perfect sound. The ear cups are made with walnut and feature soft ear pads along with a spring steel headband. The headphones are fully serviceable and Meze includes their standard warranty with the product. The wood ear cups are CNC carved and the hardware is made with zinc alloy. The headband is stamped manganese and memory foam is used to ensure it’s as comfortable as it can possibly be. Because the headphones are designed as ‘over-ear’ they provide sound isolation with their medium density memory foam padding. Meze does not use any glue in the construction of the 99 Classics — only nuts and bolts.

SPECS

• Transducer size: 40mm
• Frequency response: 15Hz — 25KHz
• Sensitivity: 103dB at 1KHz, 1mW
• Impedance: 32 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: walnut wood

In the Box

• Case: Hard EVA carrying pouch
• Cable: 1.2m thread Kevlar OFC with Mic and remote
• Cable: 3m thread Kevlar OFC
• Adapter: 6.3mm gold-plated jack
• Airplane jack adapter
• Cable pouch
• Weight: 260g

USER IMPRESSIONS

The packaging of the 99 Classics is pretty impressive. As noted in the list above, the headphones ship with a hard EVA carrying case. Meze actually packed all the accessories and the headphones inside the case and then placed the case inside the retail box. I personally think this is a genius idea because it keeps all the parts safe from any impacts that might occur during transport. The box is visually appealing with a classy image of the product on the front and plenty of information on the product on the back and sides of the box.

I was thrilled to find that the headphones came with a hardshell case because their design doesn’t lend itself to traveling well without a case. There is plenty of room in the case for the accessories and it’s very easy to pack and unpack it. It has dual zippers and a small loop at the top of it so that users can attach it to bags. I love that Meze included so many different options for connecting with the headphones. I primarily used the single 3.5mm stereo cable. I think it’s great that an airplane adapter and a 6.3 mm stereo plug is included. These headphones scream for use with a premium stereo system and using them for monitoring purposes when recording or editing music tracks would make all the sense in the world to me.

I honestly wasn’t sure how well I would like the 99 Classics given that they are wired headphones. It has more to do with practicality than sound quality because I adore experiencing the intense full sound you get with wired headphones. I just hate dealing with cables. At first, I was reluctant to enjoy them simply because they had wires. Once I tried them on my head/ears, all the doubt went away. The 99 Classics are easily the most comfortable on-ear headphones I’ve ever worn. The earpads are so soft and luxurious that I almost forgot I was wearing headphones. The headband is flexible and very lightweight.

As far as sound quality and isolation go, I was impressed with these areas as well. The sound quality was far superior to any wireless headphones I have. That could be due to the direct connection with my phone, or it could simply be the quality of the headphones. The sound isolation that they offer by being over-ear headphones was quite nice. We have a young dog at home that has a high-pitched bark. It’s really hard on my ears. One night, he was barking as he was trying to settle into his bed for the evening and I popped the 99 Classics on my head and while I could still hear him, the headphones helped greatly reduce the amount of reverberation I felt in my ears, which made it tolerable until he settled down.

CONCLUSION

The Meze 99 Classics are premium, on-ear, wired headphones that all types of users can enjoy. I even feel that audiophiles would really like using these. They have a very classic look to them and are super comfortable to wear — even for long periods of time. The 99 Classic headphones provide an amazing listening experience.

For more information, visit mezeaudio.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Originally published at https://macsources.com on December 6, 2019.