With straightforward availability of high-resolution audio in India by means of Apple Music, many customers at the moment are selecting to return to wired headphones or earphones, and a few are even investing in high-end choices. It is doable to place collectively an honest audiophile package on a finances, however the extra you spend, the higher the general expertise. In fact, the center of any audiophile setup is a pair of headphones, and the Meze 99 Classics that I am reviewing right here is extremely regarded in its worth section.
Priced at Rs. 24,999, the Meze 99 Classics is a pair of wired over-ear headphones centered on design and sound high quality. All the things within the package deal is undeniably premium, from the wooden casings and gold accents to the plush padding and high-quality wiring. Does the Meze 99 Classics dwell as much as expectations relating to sound? Discover out on this evaluate.
Meze Audio is a headphone producer primarily based in Romania, and was based in 2011
The Meze 99 Classics is strikingly engaging
Well-known amongst individuals who observe the high-end audio house keenly, Meze Audio was based in Romania in 2011, and has rapidly grown to turn out to be one of the crucial revered names within the section. The Meze 99 Classics was the corporate’s first mainstream product, and continues to be amongst its top-selling headsets. Lots of that has to do with its design and specs.
The over-ear Meze 99 Classics is spectacular to take a look at. It feels strong and well-built, and is not too heavy even with wood driver casings. The body is metallic with gold accents on some parts, whereas the scarf is lined with synthetic leather-based and is versatile sufficient to regulate to the pinnacle of the wearer. There’s thick padding across the ears, and all of this makes this pair of headphones each look and really feel nice.
Apparently, the 2 sides of this pair of headphones aren’t linked to one another in any means, and function independently with their very own 2.5mm enter sockets. Certainly, it does not even matter the way you put on these headphones; both facet can function because the left or proper channel with out affecting match or consolation.
The gross sales package deal features a onerous carry case, a 1.2m cable with an in-line microphone, a 3m cable with out a microphone, a 6.3mm adapter, an airline adapter, and a small pouch for the additional cables that matches throughout the carry case. Aftermarket cables are additionally out there, reminiscent of the two.5mm balanced improve cable that I used for a lot of my evaluate.
The Meze 99 Classics headphones match equally nicely no matter which means you place them on
The Meze 99 Classics has 40mm dynamic drivers, and a frequency response vary of 15-25,000Hz. The impedance is 32 Ohms, and so it will possibly be pushed simply sufficient by even a smartphone or laptop computer with out the necessity for an amplifier. As talked about, you should use the Meze 99 Classics for voice calls when you use the 1.2m cable that comes with it, however that is primarily an audiophile-grade headset that’s meant for music, above all else.
Simple strategy to sound on the Meze 99 Classics
With the mainstream section for audio having nearly totally moved to Bluetooth connectivity, merchandise such because the Meze 99 Classics are so much much less widespread than they have been only a few years in the past. Nevertheless, you may discover that wired headphones ship a much better sonic expertise than wi-fi ones, and the Meze 99 Classics is a type of that prioritises sound high quality over all else.
I used the Meze 99 Classics with my MacBook Air and a Shanling UA2 digital-analogue converter to bridge the connection. For music, I relied totally on my Apple Music playlist, listening to varied tracks in resolutions starting from 16-bit/ 44.1kHz to 24-bit/ 96kHz. Throughout genres and resolutions, the Meze headphones delivered a constantly clear and detailed listening expertise each time.
Beginning with Subways by The Avalanches, I needed to flip the amount down a good bit on my setup due to how loud the headphones can get. Even at across the 40 p.c quantity mark, I discovered the listening expertise to be participating and cohesive. The sonic signature was pure, but removed from the flat sound that many audiophiles search in headphones; as an alternative, the Meze 99 Classics made for a enjoyable sound that appeared to intuitively adapt to the monitor and style.
The wood-grain end on the Meze 99 Classics appears to be like stunning, and the sound high quality is fairly good too
There was a mild thump to this sample-based monitor, and the headphones additionally drew out a whole lot of element and rapidly adjusted to its quickly altering nature. Though detailed, the Meze 99 Classics weren’t as revealing as I might have appreciated; the separation and circulation appeared to be lacking a little bit of oomph. A few of this appeared to be misplaced within the heat of the sonic signature, so these headphones undoubtedly appear to be sacrificing some nuance in favour of a extra pleasing and gratifying sonic signature.
With Kamasi Washington’s Reality, a 13-minute jazz ‘saga’ of kinds, the Meze 99 Classics have been way more of their factor, serving up element and cohesiveness in good measure when not held again by the tempo of the monitor. The light, soothing nature of the monitor gelled nicely with the 99 Classics, giving me loads of alternative to hearken to the finer facets within the devices and vocals.
This implies that the Meze 99 Classics’ largest weak spot is tempo, and it tends to surrender element in favour of sustaining the texture and heat that type the core of its expertise, when confronted with fast-paced tracks. Nevertheless, that really feel and heat all the time retained a mild and composed character; the Meze 99 Classics by no means felt too aggressive or exuberant, as an alternative protecting the tone of the sound calm and coherent.
Whereas I did check out the microphone cable for a number of calls utilizing my laptop computer and WhatsApp, and the expertise wasn’t horrible, I might advocate avoiding this. The Meze 99 Classics is a music-focused headset that performs nicely when it comes to its core listening expertise, and I usually most well-liked utilizing a wi-fi headset when taking telephone calls.
Verdict
Though the premium wired headphones section sees far fewer launches on this new age of widespread wi-fi connectivity, choices such because the Meze 99 Classics maintain its spirit alive and nicely. That is a fully stunning and well-made pair of headphones, and it sounds fairly good too, even when it does not fairly match the audiophile invoice. The sound is enjoyable, detailed, and fairly full of life, working nicely with high-resolution audio and a very good private audio setup.
With all the things you want to get began within the field itself, the Meze 99 Classics is an easy-going, enjoyable pair of premium headphones with a heat and gratifying sound. Though choosy listeners may discover the tempo a bit too laid-back, and its incapability to seize the finer parts in tracks is a bit disappointing, that is nonetheless among the many most entertaining headphones I’ve used of late. It is luxurious in each means, and I adore it.
