Demo units courtesy of: Frequency Response measurements and graphs for In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) and earphones. This is the latest version which has thicker pads. Also the cable is quite microphonic. 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. Impedance: 32 Ω It has a ‘hollow’ sound to it and upper) mids are recesssed. A little extra bass and good isolation is important in these circumstances. 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. 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 - … Touching the metal parts of the headband is quite audible. Based on our rating, 99 Classics has a total rating of 7 out of 10 vs 8 out of 10 for Ananda. The measurements of the Meze 99 classics indicate it is anything but a ‘reference’ sound quality headphone. The user manual can be found here: Meze 99 Classics User Manual 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 Janine Elliot takes a listen to their £256 Meze Classic 99 headphones. 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. Nearly the same, yet they appeal to you differently. ), 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. I do not use smoothing because some info about sound quality is lost when plots are smoothed. (website links), Foobar 2000 for Dummies (Part 1) – General Setup, Foobar 2000 for Dummies (Part 2) – Playing DSD – New SACD plugin (0.9.x and 1.x.x Series), power, efficiency, levels, balanced, impedance. I didn't measure the Meze Audio 99 Classics' frequency response; I lack the necessary simulated head and torso, and estimating the optimal response of headphones is far from simple. And this is what it sounds like as well. To compensate for this the amplifier is cranked up to the same level (at 1kHz) as the low impedance amplifier. Usually this indicates somewhat reduced treble quality. Inside each earcup, the 99 Classics use a 40mm Neodymium/Mylar transducer. The Meze 99 Classics has a sensitivity of 103 dB at 1 kHz for 1 mW, 32 Ohms impedance and a frequency response ranging from 15 Hz to 25 kHz. 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. A horizontal line shows audible neutral response in the plots on this website. Cable entry: dual The manual contains only the necessary information: description of headset, control and frequency response graph. Below the spectrum plot of the Meze 99 classics (Left channel). The 5kHz peak is really there though and not caused by ambient sounds. The fact that the rising edge does not reach the 0dB line is evidence of the ‘dark’ sound signature. Below the same plot except shown in percentages. Type: Over ear, closed Accessories: 6.3mm adapter, airline adapter, carrying case The Meze 99 classics is a closed dynamic headphone. Some lingering/coloration at around 1kHz (probably the sealed enclosure) and some small resonances around 4kHz, 8kHz and 16kHz. Enjoy music through headphones on a low budget, Subjectivist, Objectivist or Inbetweenivist ? Driver type: dynamic Therefore, these headphones could be operated using even the most energy-starved devices, but also by using a high-quality music player. 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). 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 99 Classics look great, and not just as a whole. home. Instead, they adjust automati… Efficiency: 103dB / 1mW Meze rates the frequency response at 15Hz-25kHz and, at least in the lowest frequencies, you truly hear the depth. Headphone connector: 3.5mm TS in each cup So, I've just replaced the 'standard' pads on my new 99 Classics with the Meze 'small' pads and it's significantly changed the presentation. No audiophile has ever said 'NO' to these cans. This is described HERE in more detail. 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 height: 60mm, width 40mm oval shaped. Before any serious listening the 99 Classics were given more than the Meze recommended 60 hours of burn in time. 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). On paper, these headphones can be powered by anything, from the least powerful smartphone, to an excellent handheld player or DAC. 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. It looks and feels first class and is really nicely made. Meze 99 Classics is a closed-back dynamic headphone that uses 40mm bio-cellulose drivers. This plot too shows small issues. Frequency Response 15 - 25,000Hz. They sound fantastic on all four. Below the 99 classics and 99 neo overlayed. 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. Note that this headphone was measured at  where unavoidable background noises were present in the demo room. (0.2 Ω and 120 Ω of the right channel are superimposed). Distortion in the mids is low (below 0.1%). The Meze 99 Classics are an overwhelmingly pleasant surprise. 30000 range. The tonal balance (boosted lows) is actually preferable when commuting. 99 Classics entered Top 10 Best closed-back headphones of all time on head-fi forum and received the Wall of Fame on Innerfidelity. Clamping force: Medium. My usual sources will soon be joined by another item, the aforementioned FiiO M11 Pro. Meze rates the frequency response at 15Hz-25kHz and, at least in the lowest frequencies, you truly hear the depth. 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