Thanks to the lightweight construction (260g without the cable) and a great headband construction Meze 99 Classics sits on your head very comfortably and it’s a pleasure to use, even for a long period of time.

Meze 99 Noir Headphones Review - Reviewed Massdrop x Meze 99 Noir Headphones Review - Reviewed

Sound-wise, considering the price, it’s pretty much impossible to criticize the 99 Classic. They offer great value and punch well above their weight.

Can you use the Meze Audio 99 Classics for phone calls?

Things sound tighter in the mids but I wouldn’t call them dry. There was good clarity and no fatigue during my listening. There is a bit of a dip around the 1-2khz region and again in the upper mid/lower treble area. I didn’t find it to be bothersome, however those craving the most linear mids will likely be disappointed. Lows - Certainly where the separation from their predecessors is the low end. The 99 Neo has a fuller bass response thanks partly to an enhanced sub-bass emphasis. I won't say they are bass canons because they are not, but they provide the sufficient quantity to match almost any music genre. Speed in the low end is good for such a big driver, and distortion is almost negligible in this frequency; it remains composed even on challenging and complicated compositions. Conclusion & Summary IER-Z1R IEM: more bass slam and digs deep, lyric is cleaner in the mids. Om highs they are about the same, larger sound stage on the IER-Z1R with better separation. In this competition there is no clear winner, both headphones have their strengths and weaknesses, so you will need to decide what’s more important for you.

Meze 99 Neo Review: Over Ear Headphones — Audiophile ON Meze 99 Neo Review: Over Ear Headphones — Audiophile ON

The next thing I would like to mention is noise isolation. Meze Liric is one of the best passive noise-isolating headphones I’ve ever used. Ok, It’s not the isolation level of custom IEMs, but for noisy places like an open space office, or a house with some dogs and kids inside, it performs awesome, I didn’t need to volume up music too much to be able to hear it. And the last advantage of them is that the music doesn’t leak outside the earcups, so you don’t have to worry if you will wake up your better part while burning the midnight oil while listening to the music, or if your colleague will complain that they have to listen to your music. I bought the Shure’s because over the years I’ve heard good things and I thought they might complement the AWAS. While they're decent headphones, the overall difference in detail and resolution plus too much midbass and a rolled off treble have me ready to let them go. I only kept them around this long to compare to the Liric.Right now Meze is offering two distinct types of wood for the cup, Walnut and Maple adorned with either an accented gold or silver finish on the external metals. The Walnut silver is the latest version to hit the market and the one I am reviewing right now. The cups are of oblong shape and a bit small for my slightly larger than average lobes. This was the Achilles of long-term listening to me, especially on my left side as I have carried an earring since high school. The extra band and slightly larger pads would dissuade me from this pressure, I do believe. I heard good things about the nighthawk carbon headphone, same price as meze, might be worth taking a look at them. Come with a sturdy hard case (headphones fit in even when the cable is attached) that looks good and is very protective. I lean towards the warm side of neutral. Being a bass player, I like some weight and decent transient response to give the music foundation and drive. That and getting the tone right are big factors in my overall enjoyment of the music.

Meze Audio 99 Classics review | What Hi-Fi?

Comfort - The pads feel plush and comfortable around the ear and on the head; the headphone is fairly light-weight, and brings overall strong comfort.Build quality and design are good, however ultimately the headphones don’t appear as premium. Still very good. Once I bought a very used pair of dt770, everything looked genuine (drivers cabling etc) I'm big fan of beyerdynamic but I didn't like them, they hit hard and too dry and in general the sound was dry and mid highs and top highs a bit piercing. I have heard the meze for like 5 minutes in audio show and I liked them better, the sound is warm and more rounded but with good bite. A bit rolled off on the highs but the mids feel more sweeter and soundstage cant recall well but is also more piercing cold and focused on the 770's and more bloomed, expanded and warm in the meze's. The driver from the Liric is a planar Magnetic dual Array system dubbed the Rinaro/MEZ4 system, which is easy to drive at 30-Ohms and capable of 20Hz to 92kHz frequency response. In my experkence they are fairly easy to drive nut if you want to feel the rumbly bass vibes you must use a powerfuk source.

Meze - Audio Sanctuary: The Headphone and Portable Audio Meze - Audio Sanctuary: The Headphone and Portable Audio

Look and Feel - This is an understated, but premium, headphone. Aesthetics are not as striking as the Empyrean, bringing a bit of a "boxy" vibe, but they maintain attractiveness for the form factor, with the bronze trim adding an elegant touch. Build quality is robust, with the headphone emanating quality while in the hand.The Liric’s treble is a little on the odd side. I didn’t find it particularly bright, but it could have a bit of added tizz and emphasis on sibilance. I’ll get a little more into it in the AWAS comparison. Side to side the fit and seal are excellent and fully justify their tag of circumaural. It feels comfy in that respect. Top and bottom, however, do feel a little snug to the point where it does get uncomfortable after an hour or so. There does seem to be some downward pressure developing on the top of the ear and around the ear lobes that a few mm in extra length would make all the difference. Gustard X26pro + Headamp GS-X mini: Like with almost any headphone this combo brings everything to shine and no exeption here with the Liric!