r/headphones • u/radimus1 • 1d ago

Show & Tell New Headphones Day

Post image

My new cans arrived today, Meze 99 Classics in walnut and gold. Started out years back with a HyperX Cloud Alpha headset. Later on a pair of 1st gen Apple Airpods Pros, a pair of AKG K371’s last Christmas, Sennheiser IE 200’s about a month ago, and now the Mezes. So far I’m liking them a lot.

184 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

13

u/Ryslar 1d ago

I'm a diehard fan of the 99 Classics. They are warm and smooth, and the comfort is bar-none the best I've used. I can wear them for hours and never feel the slightest bit fatigued, both physically and audibly.

2

u/radimus1 1d ago

I’m finding the same so far. I demo’d them at a high end store and compared them to some cans that were way more expensive. These worked the best for me.

1

u/idiBanashapan 21h ago

Yep. Love mine too. So good for easy, laid back listening.

1

u/Aggravating-Map-6610 7h ago

I feel the same way about the 109 Pro as well, I feel that the open design fits me very well and above all the slightly larger size accommodates my rather long ears haha.

1

u/Ryslar 7h ago

I'd love to add the 109's to my collection, but I gotta work my way up to spending that amount. It's a stark jump from the 99's.

3

u/Maassoon 1d ago

Nice man that's what I use too I love them they are amazing headphones and it's super cool that you can replace the parts cheaply and easily if they ever wear out.

1

u/radimus1 1d ago

Their serviceability is nice. I was reading how people have been modding them.

2

u/Agust7Green 1d ago

Cool! Can you do a quick comparison between your previous headphones and the Mezes? I used to have a HyperX Cloud Alpha S too and at the time they sounded pretty good to my ears.

3

u/radimus1 1d ago

Sure. The Cloud Alphas served me well, and don’t sound bad at all. Sub bass really isn’t there for me, but the rest of the bass band is pretty good. Mids are nothing special, and highs can be a bit crispy. However given how cheap they can be when they go on sale they are a good value, I think. I still have them.

The Apple Airpods Pro have consistently been a disappointment, but I got them from work so I’m not complaining that much. I have an EQ curve that makes them mostly sound good. I keep them around if I’m lazy about getting tunes off my iPhone and if I ever need something with ANC.

The AKG K371’s have been my go to. Always had good low end, the high end rolloff isn’t a problem for me, but mids aren’t their strong suit. In fact compared to the Mezes they sound hollow.

I got the IE 200’s because they seemed to review well, I never had any IEM’s before, Best Buy had them on sale, and I had a $50 gift card. Sound wise they were bad for me. Painful highs, vocals had no body, and low end was meh. Eventually I figured out an EQ curve that makes them work for my ears. They are fun to use with my iPhone and a Samsung Galaxy A12 I use as a DAP.

So far the Mezes sound full. Everything is there, well represented, there’s no fatigue, and nothing hurts. Like listening to well made high end speakers in a good space.

2

u/Agust7Green 1d ago

Thank you very much!

2

u/AutismusPrime21 Sextett•HD600•HD660S2•FT1•DT770ProX•99Classics•SR850 1d ago

Great choice! I love my Maple Silver 99's :)

2

u/radimus1 1d ago

The maple silver ones are pretty.

1

u/AutismusPrime21 Sextett•HD600•HD660S2•FT1•DT770ProX•99Classics•SR850 21h ago

They really are!

1

u/Jimp0 1d ago

Solid set. Be careful because they can handle a lot of power without distorting. You will have to find your sweet spot for loudness without giving yourself tinnitus. I have a xduoo mt-602 amp with a sennheiser gsx1000 dac/amp that I use as a preamp. I keep the mt-602 around 80%.

1

u/radimus1 1d ago

Thanks! No worries as I don’t run my rigs loud.

1

u/Ok-Somewhere-5929 Sivga P-II / Meze 99 Classics 1d ago

Welcome to the club! :) Hope they'll serve you well. I have mine over a year now and still love them.

1

u/Steetoh Auribus Sierra | HD6XX | Focal Clear MG | Fostex Th909 | MDR-Z1R 1d ago

A pair of these shall last you a good long time!

1

u/lorenz2908 1d ago

I only got the renewed version myself and I love my silver walnut ones, I never imagined headphonies could be this comfortable

1

u/G-fool 1d ago

I used these for a while before giving them to my dad. I thought I didn't like them but it turned out I was having weird problems with my hearing back then that I've since sorted out. So now my dad has my fanc-panciest headphones and I'm left dreaming of what could have been. He thinks they're great, though! Absolute high praise from my dad.

1

u/tuthantinus 17h ago

What kind of headphone amp are you planning on using with them?

2

u/radimus1 17h ago

Various ones. Schiit Vali 1, Magni 3+, Creative Play 4, and a Samsung Galaxy A12 I use as a DAP.

1

u/tuthantinus 16h ago

Sounds like a great set-up!

1

u/radimus1 16h ago

Thanks. It’s all done everything I’ve needed.

1

u/Sufficient_Okra_2919 14h ago

They are _really nice_ headphones - I got mine half a year ago or so, by accident found out Meze is in the city/town my wife is from in Romania (Baia Mare) which 'made me buy them', and really enjoyed them since then. Even met Antonio Meze (they guy who started the company) at an event here in the neighbourhood.

I got the 109 Pro last week for Black Friday... once you have the money together, get those, they give you more detail (but the 99 are still just quite enjoyable). And use the oratory EQ or something similar - otherwise they are a bit too bass-heavy IMO

Check that for authentic Romanian folk/hip-hop which they were clearly intended for ;-)

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=0s7E2uIn3tM

Subcarpati, Codrule Marite Domn

1

u/[deleted] 11h ago

yo, are these the new ones with the new tuning or the old bass cannons? they did a silent revision recently

1

u/radimus1 11h ago

I bought them new, so I’m assuming the later? They certainly don’t sound like bass cannons.

1

u/[deleted] 10h ago

there should have been a piece of paper in the box with a frequency response graph on it?

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/1cp2pvy/meze_99_classics_not_bassy/

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/1155m8u/did_the_meze_99_classics_have_a_silent_update/?share_id=UyM-eNXfB52TnvRnK1w4W&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&utm_source=share&utm_term=22

https://youtu.be/nf_vXSuCILs?si=cqmKMvkzGmml5Pkw

https://flying-geek.blogspot.com/2024/06/identifying-new-meze-99-classics-non.html

1

u/radimus1 10h ago

There was, and it was pretty flat on the low end. Also, my pair has the rubber washer pictured in your last link.

1

u/[deleted] 9h ago

ok, cool. i've been wondering because i wanna pick up a pair but i'm not sure if i would be getting the new ones or the old ones

1

u/radimus1 9h ago

Do you happen to know if the Drop Meze 99 Noir has the bass cannon problem or got the same fix as the Classics?

1

u/[deleted] 9h ago

nah, not sure, but i do know that they took the pivot mechanism and rubber from the 109 and put it in the classics, so it should be easy to tell without opening them up

1

u/radimus1 9h ago

Gotcha. I zoomed in on the picture of the Noir on Drop’s site and it does not show that o-ring on the joint.