Meze 99 Neo

swspiers

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Good build quality.
Excellent bass quantity.
Easy to drive.
Cons: Bass bleeds all over the mids.
Far from neutral.
Lacking detail and nuance.
About 25 years ago, I had this horrible set of Pioneer 4-Way speakers. Not the wonderful ones built in Japan with premium drivers and accurate crossovers. Nope, these were the kind of speakers you find at garage sales with cheap the near peeling off the edges, along with Cerwin Vega and old JBL’s. As much as I can criticize them, I can honestly say I have never enjoyed a stereo as much as I enjoyed ‘em hooked up to an early nineties Yamaha stereo receiver. I have since moved on to much more accurate, expensive, and well-built equipment. But to be totally honest, listening with the Pioneers was just flipping fun.

Nowadays my tastes have matured, and my headphone collection includes the Alpha Primes and the Sennheiser HD-800S’s. My search for neutrality has paid dividends, and my music collection is an eclectic blend of Stoner/Doom, Prog, World Music, Jazz and Classical. I have no complaints about my gear. However, I still remember the headbanging fun of those old speakers, and no matter how good my current headphones are, they don’t scratch that particular itch.

Enter the Meze Neo 99’s.

I tried the Classics when they were part of the tour about a year and a half ago, and reading my notes as well as my review clarified my memory of the experience. I loved those headphones, and gave them a solid four-star rating. I recently decided to reward myself with my first set of new headphones in a long, long time. Reading the reviews and thread comments confirmed my suspicion that the Neo 99’s might bring me even closer to the Pioneer experience. To make this review really, really short: I was right.

You may notice that I am rating these headphones with a rather harsh three-stars. They simply do not have the clarity and detail of the Classics, at least not compared to the notes I took. For instance, the bass bleeds all over the mids, obscuring fine details. The most recent album by Argus is a good example of what I mean...

“From Fields of Fire” is one of the best traditional or classic metal albums I’ve heard in years. The recording is exceptional, and the performance by the musicians is pretty strong. When I listen with the Neo 99’s, all of the emotional impact remains in the recording, but the tonal properties of the guitars, and especially the bass guitar, are severely lacking. Comparing the exact same recording on the exact same equipment with my venerable Grado SR-250i’s, the detail embedded in the recording was nothing short of remarkable. The sonic character of the bass as well as the drums were as if from an entirely different recording, and I heard the same thing with every other headphone that I own.

Returning to the Neo’s, the fine detail, my reason for using headphones in the first place, was all but absent. This was also apparent in the vocals, guitars, and cymbal work of the drummer. Even the bass drum presence was limited to a lively ‘thud’. As a transducer, the Neo 99’s are simply not accurate instruments revealing the subtle, and even not-so-subtle, details of the recording. But for that matter, neither were ancient Pioneer 4-Ways sold at Circuit City and the Good Guys in the 80’s and 90’s. And the more I grow in this hobby, the more convinced I am that we should all have some Pioneer/Cerwin Vega/JBL speakers in our lives. Because the truth is, when I listen to anything heavy with my other cans and IEM’s, I always seem to reach for the Neo’s to hear if they give me that extra something I crave, and they usually do. I’m just not fooling myself into believing they are anything but what they are: good headphones at a competitive price that sacrifice detail for impact.

I’m totally okay with that!
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jinxy245

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: easily driven by portables; smooth sound signature; forgiving with poor recordings; addictive bass
Cons: noise prone frame; lack of micro details; mids a bit too thick; overzealous bass
In early 2016, I had the pleasure of participating in the Meze 99 Classic tour. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. A new release from a relatively unknown company that sounded that good was impressive, not just to me but to many of those who had the pleasure of hearing them. When I heard that Meze had planned to release a less expensive version, ($249 USD MSRP, and an advertised $50 discount for Black Friday 2017) I was excited to sign up for the Neo tour. To see how the 99 Neo stacks up to its more famous older brother, read on.

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I found the 99 Classics to be a beautifully designed headphone, and the 99 Neo doesn’t fall far from that mark. Where the Classics had wooden earcups (Walnut is all that is offered on their website currently with either silver or gold trim) the Neo is listed as having “coal black textured earcups” made of ABS plastic, but I personally find them to be solidly built and no less attractive.

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The rest of the build is (from memory) all but identical to the 99 Classics, and the website states “As the Neo shares the DNA of the Classics, we guarantee that the 99's are serviceable if any parts ever need to be replaced.”

Comfort wise, the Neo feels exactly how I remember the Classics to be, which is to say very comfortable (in fact the larger pads provided are even more so). The weight (260 gr or 9.2 ounces without cables) is very well distributed with no hot spots noted and the clamping pressure never caused me any discomfort (larger heads may have different results).

There has been much discussion (here and elsewhere) about the earpads, so I’ll put a bit of my 2 cents in here. When the Classics were 1st released, there was much ado about the size of the earpads. Many felt that they were too small and uncomfortable (I and a minority of others had less of a problem with them). Meze, being the responsive company that they are had issued a couple of different pads to counter this, eventually settling on the size that is offered with the 99 Neo here. Since Tyll from Innerfidelity reviewed the Neo, there has been even more of a kerfuffle around how they affect the sound. I’ll leave my sound impressions for the appropriate section, but comfort wise, these earpads certainly fit the bill for me. Plush, fairly roomy, and made from medium density memory foam, I have no real complaints with the comfort these pads provide (of course YMMV, yadda yadda…).

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Accessories are very good for this price range. 1st off, there is a useful & sturdy carry case which is a decent size for throwing into a backpack without taking up too much room. The case could be smaller, but like the Classics, the Neo doesn’t fold flat. My major criticism is that you have to unplug the cable to fit the Neo into the case. Although the review unit came with a 10ft long cable more suited for desktop or living room listening, the Neo is only shipped with a 4’ cable best used portably, but long enough if you sit close to your computer. That cable has an inline button remote which is said to be compatible with Smartphones and Android capable DAPs, but I didn’t get the chance to test this myself. The headphones themselves are symmetrical, so the only way to tell the left from the right is the white on silver writing on the connections, which I found to be difficult to read without glasses.

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Rounding off the accessories is a 1/8” x ¼” adapter, as well as an airplane adapter.


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Before I offer my listening impressions, I’ll start with a little about myself. I’m 50 years old and have less than perfect hearing. I’ve been a music lover for as long as I can remember, and I learned to listen a little more critically during the few years I sold audio equipment (and I continue to learn the more I listen). My fascination/infatuation with headphones began about 5 years ago, and has only gotten stronger. The majority of my listening was done listening to FLAC, WAV & various MP3s with my Shanling M2 (1st gen), Fiio x3 (1st gen.) or through my HP all in one PC and Audioquest Dragonfly(V1.2). My tastes are fairly eclectic, but my listening centered on classic rock, folk, jazz, classical and some of the genres of EDM. I didn’t bother with burning in the headphones since this is a review pair and probably already have a few hundred hours on them, nor did I hear any difference throughout my evaluation.

Isolation is about average for a closed back headphone, muting outside noise but not totally blocking it out. Even with music playing at reasonable volumes, some sound can intrude .The metal frame I found to be highly microphonic, noisily clanging whenever knocked against just about any object. The cable seems to be improved from the Classics in that regard; I experienced less microphonics than I remember with the Neo’s older brother. The Meze is incredibly easy to drive, reaching deafening volumes with any source I tried, but they did scale up with better sources.

I’d describe the Neo as a lush and warm headphone. It’s not the most resolving headphone by a long shot but it is enjoyable to listen to nonetheless. It throws a fairly wide and deep soundstage for a closed back can, which I find particularly impressive in this price range.

The bass on the Neo is pretty far north of neutral. Since the emphasis is more on the mid bass, I wouldn’t call these basshead cans. In fact there does deem to be bass roll off starting in the neighborhood of 50Hz. The lowest notes are audible, however they aren’t presented with authority. The quantity of bass can be problematic as it does bleed into the lower midrange, and it’s not the most detailed bass either. While not as crude as ‘one note bass’, upright bass can sound smeared and indistinct if the recording isn’t up to snuff. To spite all that, I found the presentation is pleasant, if not downright addictive. I doubt that the lack of nuances would be noticed by the majority of listeners, and most will enjoy the extra boom the Neo brings.

The midrange is present and has good clarity overall. The biggest problem here is a slight ‘cupped hands’ resonance with certain voices, which is further evidence of the pumped up bass. It’s most obvious with male vocals, but it’s not a glaring problem and is fairly track dependent. There is little to no problem with sibilance or other upper midrange anomalies, so guitars and such sound natural with a good amount of bite, without glare or fatigue.

The treble isn’t horribly rolled off, but I wouldn’t call it airy and extended either. There does seem to be a dip between 5 & 8K, but I found that to be pleasant and not ‘sucked out’ but rather smooth. Occasionally some of the more delicate cymbal work and other audio markers can get lost in the mix, but that is track (and age) dependent, I think. If you’re a fan of shimmer and sparkle, these won’t likely scratch your itch, but in the other direction all but the most treble sensitive would likely find these to be a satisfying headphone. The highs can be a tad coarse in ‘texture’ on some recordings, but again it’s never piercing, and it’s not horribly egregious.

As I alluded to before, I feel any review I did would be incomplete without touching a bit more on how the earpads affect the sound. When Tyll from Innerfidelity reviewed the Neo, he concluded that “the sound is more colored and uneven” with the newer pads and that Meze had “gone backwards with these pads”. Anyone who hears the original 99 Classics & the 99 Neo will notice the difference in the bass right away. Even from memory, the difference was pretty stark. Personally, I’m not nearly as critical of the sound of the Neo. Is it a reference quality headphone? No…no it’s not. Nor was it intended to be, unless I miss my guess. Tyll is absolutely correct (IMO) that the Neo comes off as “colored & uneven”. This is a take on a ‘fun’ sound signature, and fun it is. There are always tradeoffs when designing headphones, and Meze made their choices.

I couldn’t help but be curious how much the sound would change with a little pad rolling, so I did experiment a little. The closest pads I have on hand to the original Classics pads would be the stock AT M40X pads.

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The plastic lip on the rear of the pads are a little different in size compared to the Neo, so it was a bit of a PITA to get the pads on properly, but once I did, the Neo did come much closer in sound (from memory) to the original Classics. The Neo retained most of its bass slam, but there was less bass bleed into the mids. Clarity overall was improved, and a bit more air and definition was added to the treble. It didn’t work miracles, no sub bass was gained, and the bass was still on the loose side, but it was very similar from memory to the 99 Classics with the original pads. The other thing it had in common with the original pads was, yes, the comfort. Every complaint lodged against the original pads would apply here as well. It wasn’t unwearable to me, but others with larger (or different shaped) ears would likely have a problem. The newer pads are indeed more plush and roomy, and for many that could be a deal breaker. What a difference a pad makes.

I have to stress that to spite all its flaws I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the 99 Neo. I was fairly critical of the Neo in my review because if you look (or listen) from a ‘reference sound’ perspective, this headphone falls short on several points. However, if you’re looking for a smooth bass enhanced sound signature that’s definitely more on the ‘fun’ side of the audio equation, The Meze 99 Neo is hard to beat. It is like audio candy for me. It's great every now & then, and satisfies a craving but I wouldn't really want it as a steady diet. Imperfect or not, I smiled many times while using the 99 Neo. In the end, that’s what many of listen to music for anyway

peter1480

500+ Head-Fier
Pros: Good looking
Very good build quality
Clean smooth sound
Cons: Bit bas heavy with some music
Sound stage not quite as wide as with the classics
Limited re cable options
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Thank you to Meze for the loan of these headphones.


My ears are 55 years old and so not perfect, I listen to a combination of high res files on portable daps and a high end home system.


I am a Maze Classic owner and was intrigued to see what this cheaper variant had to offer. Comfort is very good and the ear pads are just the right density to give a good fit but keep your ears at the right distance from the speaker. As with all closed back phones your ears will get hot after prolonged use. Isolation is quite good bit loud outside noise can be heard over quite music, there is very little sound leakage.



With classical music they perform well with restrained uppers, clear mids and warm base. With rock music they can be confused by sustained base complex base but vocals work well and treble is sweet with no tinny cymbals. Sound stage is quite wide and has a sense of depth and appears well layered.



With the stock cable on SE out the Fiio x7ii drives them to good volume, switching to balanced adds more volume and a greater sense of depth.

Used with a Schiit Mjolnir 2, they really sing especially with good NOS valves.



In conclusion if you’re looking for a good well-made set of phones for general listening you cannot go far wrong with these. Go out and audition a pair today to see if they suit your hearing and equipment!

My Little Phony

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: - lightweight
- attractive appearance
- good soundquality
- non-fatiguing sound presentation for long listening sessions
Cons: - bass a bit loose
- crackling memory foam
- earpads not comfortable with every earsize
Unboxing / Inside the box:

The headphone comes in a sturdy carton box wrapped into transparent foil. One side of the box is closed by two magnets and it nicely folds open.

Now something i have to mention because of my experience with another headphone. The new box & headphone fragrance. The new scent your nose will notice after opening the box the first time is there but vanishes quickly.

Next you will see a well made pouch containing the headphone itself and the cable. It is a very solid case you can use for save transportation and storage of your headphone and cable and some other small accessories. The pouch can easily be opened and closed using the two smooth running zippers.

In the middle of the pouch, there is a round shaped small pouch hosting the detachable headphone cable and two adapters. The headphone cable is nicely braided with a soft kevlar thread beginning from the 3.5mm TRRS connector going up to the y-splitter of the cable. Outgoing from the cable-splitter the two cables for (L)eft and (R)ight are now covered by soft rubber. Between the splitter and the headphone-plugs there is also a remote with a play/pause function for mobile devices and a build in mic. I really like the slim and well done connectors of the headphone cable. They fit very well. Small thing but worth to mention.

Cable length including connectors is close to 1,45 m. Plugs of the cable are marked L & R.

You will not receive much microphonics while scratching the kevlar braided part of the cable with your fingers and the microphonics when touching the upper rubber part of the cable are also more than acceptable.

Enclosed to the small pouch you will get a 3.5 mm to 6.4 mm adapter and an aeroplane adapter.


Optics & Build Quality:

After opening the carrying pouch i just said „Wow“. Its black and beautiful and there is metal and screws. The Meze Neo just looks desirable in the box. Lets get it out of the box to throw an eye on the details.

Grabbing the cans out of the pouch you will notice how light they are. These phones are showing quality and provide good haptic out of the box. The metal detailes and screws are giving the phones a very reliable touch.

*** Important Note: The headphone is fully servicable in the case any part has to be replaced. ***


Wearing & Comfort:

Lets put the cans on and feel them. But first i have to find out whats the (L)eft and whats the (R)ight earcup. After a couple of minutes i still didn't get it and just plugged in the headphone-cable and played a left and right channel test file. Theres no marking for the (L)eft and (R)ight channel on the headphone.

The 99 NEO is a very lightweight headphone at 260gr.

Earcup size may not fit the larger kinds of ears. I think my ears are about average. After about an hour of wearing the NEOs i felt the earpads pressing unpleasantly against the lower part of my ears. Nevertheless they felt comfortable to wear at first.

The fit of the headphone is self-adjusting and similar to the one used on the Philips Fidelio X2. The clamping force of the headband is ok but a bit too soft for my taste.

If you make funny faces you wont hear any sound coming from the headphone-structure. Only if you nod your head heavily you can hear the headband doing spongy sounds while readjusting. You wont hear it while listening to music at all but i definitely prefer a step by step clickable headphone adjustment without elastic bands.

Overall comfort while wearing the phones it really good. Probably the headphones are wearable for hours without getting annoying if you dont have big ears.

The pleather earpads and inner memory foam are soft and comfy. But the foam material Meze is using for the cutions of the earpads is not a good choice. It makes a light crackling sound when you move your head. I first thought it was some kind of distortion noise (like rustling foil) coming from my player.


Sound:

Testequipment:

- Lake People G100 FE (technically close to Violectric HPA V100)
- JDSL Labs Dac
- Astell & Kern AK70 MK II
- Flac & MP3 files

Highs:

Detailed and not harsh or fatiguing. Not thin or edgy sounding. Highs and Mids play well together.

Mids:

The mids have a good body while being detailed.

Bass:

The bass is elevated. I tested the bass of a Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 32 ohm these days too. That was a no-go experience. Boomy and overshadowing the other frequencies. The bass of the Neo 99 does not bleed too much into the mids and highs. Its a warm presentation. Sometimes it can be a bit too soft and lose sounding. But i found this to be rare. Layered presentation is there but sometimes gets lost a bit.

Soundstage:

Soundstage is good. I could easily hear where the sound of an instrument is coming from.

3d-effekt / Spaciness:

Music tends to sound more 2D than 3D. Average spaciness presentation. I havent heared a closed headphone yet that takes you into mindblowing wide spacious landscapes. The NEO performs good here.

Voices:

Voices are pleasant to the ears and non-fatiguing or thin sounding. High female voices dont let your ears bleed.

Overall presentation:

Non-fatiguing and warm presentation that is predestinated for long listening sessions. High, mid and lower frequencies complement each other well but for my taste the sound could use a bit more refinement of the presented frequencies. I red that there are differences between the classic and the NEO model of the Meze 99.


Support Impressions:

Friendly, helpful and quick answering customer service. I think good support is very important and also a part of the produkt.


Conclusion:

The Neo 99 is a good looking and well crafted headphone. You can easily say its a piece of art.

The fact that its fully servicable is a great thing. The cans are made for long not fatiguing listening sessions. Comfortable and lightweight headphones for people with small ears.

Being realistic and keeping the price range in mind the sound presentation is good. Let your ears decide.

But for me the NEO is missing some of the magic that makes me foot-tapping and enjoying every part of the music plus i always hear the crackling memory foam of the earcups when theres no sound playing. For the next cans Meze should consider using other foam.

In another review someone said:“ I really wanted to love these headphones...“ but they're just not for me. I second this and have to say that I expected more. But i know that Meze got new hardware in progress and maybe there will be something for me in the future.

The Meze 99 series are good debut headphones doing many things right but also some things wrong. If the next models get refinement we will get really awesome headphones.


Visuals:

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Mightygrey

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Versatility; different new look; build and accessories; value; warm engaging sound.
Cons: Heavy mid-bass hump might not be everyone's cup-of-tea; some microphonics; not that portable.
Introduction
Hailing from Romania, Meze are relative new-kids-on-the-block in the world of audiophile headphone manufacturing. Their first full-size offering, the 99 Classics were a “slam-dunk” first attempt at creating a genuine audiophile product, with a focus on aesthetics and quality. They’ve been hailed world-wide for their engaging sound as much as their head-turning looks, and have created quite the niche for themselves in that regard.

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This reviewer’s ears pricked-up at the number of 4-5-star reviews the 99 Classics received from many trusted sources; and I was visually intrigued by the look of the superbly-crafted leather, wood, and metal construction. I pulled the trigger on a pair of Silver/Maple 99 Classics all the way from Australia without having auditioned them in person. Admission: I may have actually bought them for my girlfriend - she’s been taking somewhat of an interest in personal audio, and is a keen music-lover. However, she’d been somewhat put-off by the lack of a good-looking pair of cans that also passed my audiophile criteria (I’m can’t just let her waste her money on any old celebrity-endorsed fashion-cans now can I?). When they arrived she was thrilled with the way they looked, but I was blown-away – because they sounded bloody brilliant. As a result we’ve been tussling for head-time with them with one another ever since.

I’ve found the team at Meze are brilliant to deal with, in terms of communication and customer service. In only a short time, they’ve demonstrated themselves to be an impressive young company. When they announced a new version of the 99’s were coming out, I jumped at the chance to participate on a review tour and see what the “Neos” were all about (Disclaimer: I was sent the 99 Neos for one week in return for my honest and objective unpaid opinion).

Ok, with that out of the way, let’s take a look at the all-new Meze 99 Neos and see (…hear?) what we have on our hands (…head?).

Overview
The Meze 99 Neos are a $249USD pair of circum-aural (around-ear) closed, full-sized headphones. While they’re not advertised as ‘portable’ cans, their form-factor as well as low impedance (26 ohms) lends themselves to on-the-go usage, as well as home hi-fi listening – a little more on this later.


A quick overview of the specifications:

· Transducer size: 40mm
· 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

Packaging, case and accessories
The Neos arrive in the same high-quality packaging as the Classics - a magnetised flip-lid box: It immediately screams “PREMIUM”, and reeks of high-quality from the very first glance.

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Inside the box sits a clamshell case that anyone familiar with the 99 Classics will immediately recognise:

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However, instead of a polished faux-leather exterior, it’s a dense and premium-feeling woven plastic material. For those of you who like to throw your cans into a backpack, take them to work, or bring them abroad as a travelling companion, you’ll be pleased to know this feels a little more scuff-resistant and will keep its appearance if it’s “loved” a little too much.

Unzip the clamshell case, and sitting snugly inside at the Neos themselves, as well as a nice zipped-up carrying pouch containing the following:

- 6.3mm stereo adapter
- Two-pronged airline adapter
- 1.2M cable with mic + play/pause button, 3.5mm termination
- 3M cable, 3.5mm termination

The accessories are all super high-quality, extremely sturdy, and extremely generous for the $249USD asking price.

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So what’s the difference between the ‘Classics’ and the ‘Neos’?
At a glance? The price-tag, and the look. The Neos are $60USD cheaper than their 99 ‘Classic’ predecessors – so what does this mean you’re missing out on? Well, not much really. Instead of the famed unique walnut or maple wooden cups, they are replaced with a black ABS plastic. It’s fairly sturdy and premium to the touch, although it does pick-up fingerprints rather easily.

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Aside from the colour-scheme and plastic cups, the only other obvious physical difference is the material make-up of the cables. Below the Y-splitter is the same fabric-wrapped material, but unlike the Classics, it is now rubberised above the Y-splitter leading up the 2.5mm (proprietary) ear-cup connectors. While the fabric cables were nice to the touch, this led to one of my only major criticisms of the 99 Classics – they are terribly microphonic. It’s good to see that Meze have listened to some real-world feedback on their product which has been reflected in the new model. I’m pleased to note these don’t have the same problem of sending noise of the cables brushing on clothing straight up into your ears. +1 Meze.

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Spec-wise, a quick comparison between spec sheets informs me that the Neos are slightly easier to drive, at 26 ohms versus 32 ohms. The Classics are easily driven by absolutely anything – I wasn’t able to perceive any volume difference with the same amplification, so take this with a grain of salt.

Meze themselves say the Neo represents “A fresh take on the 99 series for the uptown audiophile” that “brings together Meze Audio’s signature sound quality with cutting edge style”. So as far I can tell the decision to release the Neo must be about attempting to appeal to a wider group of potential customers by playing at a more competitive price-range, and offering a subjectively different look to the wood/metal combinations of the Classics.

And speaking of aesthetics, a few thoughts from me:

Look + aesthetics
Ok, so I think the Classics look amazing, yet a little ostentatious. I happily wear my (oops, I mean my girlfriend’s) Maple/Silver pair at home or at the office, although I’ve never wanted to walk around outside wearing a pair of white leather and silver coloured full-sized headphones. On the other hand, the Neos are a completely different subject – they look…cool, for lack of a better word.

Perhaps say, a little more James Dean than Frank Sinatra?

A little more Darth Vader than Obi Wan Kenobi?

A little more Berlin than Paris?

A little more Mustang than 300SL?

They’re altogether a different vibe to the luxurious look of the Classics, with more of an ‘edgy’ scheme that’s likely to appeal to a different (and possibly wider) audience.

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I happily donned them on public transport and walking around outside during my review time. In fact, I think I like the look of them even more than the Classics, and I’d happily integrate a pair into my everyday-carry:

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Oh, and they look more at home on my headphone “stand” than any other cans to-date have:

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Comfort, and portability
Like the Classics, these feel great on my ears, and perched on top of my head. Earlier production runs of the Classics were found wanting in terms of pad size, with some customers feeding-back that they were a bit of a tight squeeze, resulting in pressure and “hot-spots” on their ears. Meze quickly remedied this in subsequent production runs, and my pair of Classics were shipped with the larger diameter pad-size. The pad-size of the Neos appears to be identical, and I’ll wear them for 8 hours at a time without a worry.

The self-adjusting headband is made from elastic and (protein?) leather, and distributes the extremely light weight (260g) of the 99 Neos over my head nicely. I notice this pre-production review pair still has the “99 Classics” moniker embossed on them, but I understand this will be updated to “99 Neos” for the retail release:

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I’d call the 99 Neos one of the more comfortable headphones I’ve spent time with. So comfortable I forget I’m wearing them. Until one of two things happen:

1. I start walking around, or
2. Something touched the manganese yokes that stretch over the top of the headphones

Regarding the first point: the self-adjusting headband, which while it makes for superbly comfortable long-listening sessions at home, tends to shift up/down a bit if you walk with some pace. Meaning that a “creaking” noise is relatively present if you’re using them on-the-go, which is reasonably annoying.

On the subject of portability, these make great portable headphones, if you have the room to stow-away the case and accessories. They’re non-foldable, and that case does take up quite a bit of room in a laptop bag. They isolate reasonably well, but not remarkably. Glasses-wearers may experience some troubles getting them to fit while wearing sunglasses or spectacles, but the main problem hear is the seal. The sounds signature, which I’ll cover later, is very seal-dependent and the bass will be affected noticeably.

In short, more transportable than portable.

And the second criticism: that impressive metal (manganese) structure that dominates the physical appearance of the headphones is highly microphonic. A sure-fire way to interrupt yourself from a relaxing listening session is to bump into anything at all. They RIIIIIIING when touched, much like the Classics. Being a review pair I didn’t want to mess with them, although I have found that I have been able to reduce the level of microphonics on my own pair by tying some heavy-gauge string between the two bars, or squeezing a pencil eraser between them just above the ear-cups. I think the little button between the string on tennis racquets works in a similar way. Microphonics would have to be my only major criticism of the build/form-factor of the Neos.

Ok, so that covers it on the physical side of things – they get a massive ‘TICK’ on build quality, comfort, and looks, so now onto the sound. Which, after all, is where the “rubber meets the road”.

Sound quality
“Enjoy crisp, clean sound – natural, balanced, undistorted.” – Meze website.

So how accurate is this claim? Not entirely. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sounds of the 99 Neos, and I think they are great headphones. But judging these claims depends on which world you’re approaching them from.

On one hand, if you’re very used to reference-style, neutral audiophile cans, you’ll be immediately surprised by the MASSIVE mid-bass hump, and may immediately put them (or dismiss them…) into the “FUN” camp.

If you’re coming from consumer audio-land, the amount of bass will be familiar (but of a higher quality and less distorted than what you’re used to), but the amount of detail in both the mids and treble will be both surprising, and hugely engaging.

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to headphone tuning, and I’m no different. I prefer a more mid-forward presentation, with bright treble and well-extended, but non-boomy bass. My main daily-driver cans are Grado GH-1’s (which I sometimes swap-out for Sennheiser HD650’s driven by a Bottlehead Crack when I want a more laid-back listening session). On-the-go, I use Beyerdynamic DT1350’s. In the office, I tend to use Beyerdynamic DT770’s, mainly for isolation.

With this points of reference in mind, I’ll try and comment of the sonic characteristics of the 99 Neos…according to my ears anyhow.

Source, chain, methodology:
I had a busy week testing on the 99 Neos. I’m not much of a believer in “burn-in” – all the same, given this pair had been to a couple of other reviewers prior to landing on my doorstep in Sydney, I can safely say they’ve had plenty of time to “settle-in”/”open-up”/insert other burn-in phrases here.

I logged around 50 hours of them, throwing every type of music possible at them, including classic rock; metal; folk/acoustic; EDM; hip-hop; and classical.

The rigs I tested them with were as follows:

Mobile: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (FLAC) > Audioquest Dragonfly Red/Black

Desktop: Macbook Pro > iTunes (ALAC) > Schiit Audio Modi 2U > Schiit Audio Asgard 2 / Little Dot 1+

Vinyl: Shure M91ED cartridge; Rega Planar 3; Schiit Mani pre-amp; Asgard 2 / Little Dot 1+

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Bass
The low-end dominates the sound profile of these headphones…depending on the music you’re listening to. With a mid-bass heavy track such as “Show you the Way” by Thundercat, there’s an incredible ‘SLAM’ that’s unlike anything I’ve heard before. If you’re used to reference-oriented cans, it’s enough to put a grin of ‘guilty pleasure’ on your face:



The Neo’s bass extends reasonably well, but isn’t exactly the tightest nor most defined bass. It nearly borders on bloaty/boomy in some tracks, but that’s how it’s been tuned: for colourful, dynamic impact in the low-end. “Produk 29 [101]” is my go-to bass extension track, the Neos did roll-off some and weren’t able to dispatch the sub-bass with as much speed as a good planar (for example the Audeze Sine):



Mids
In addition to the mid-bass emphasis, the lower mids are forward, which creates a “wet”-sounding warmth between 100hz and 1-2000hz. The bass does bleed into the mids in bass-heavy passages, although with instrumental passages (electric guitar especially) there’s an amazing presence and body to the mid range. It works together like a big warm “hug”. Couple of standout tonal tests were the opening guitar passage on “Blood and Thunder” by Mastodon, and “Hummer” by Smashing Pumpkins:





Male and Female vocals sound perfectly natural. “Soothing” by Laura Marling was a particular highlight, with her voice sounding amazingly transparent alongside some remarkably lifelike strings:



Treble
Nothing remarkable or controversial to say here - not because it isn’t good (because it is), but because it’s neither fatiguing, nor rolled-off - it’s well-balanced and detailed. If anything, it’s the least “forward” of the frequencies in the 99 Neos, but plays its part in the overall tuning to create a warm, dynamic tuning.

Soundstage & Imaging
Reasonably good as closed cans go. Their bass-tilt makes it more of an intimate/in-head performance, but a studio binaural test demonstrated they throw a fairly wide soundstage (http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php ). Imaging is again, fairly good for closed cans. Play a track like Mark Eitzel’s “Just Because”, close your eyes, and you’ll be able to point to the location of each band member like you’re sitting in the front row of a small club:

https://open.spotify.com/track/50C10SCxRLz3rXhRh7bX62

Amplification
They sounded honestly pretty good straight out of a phone, but reward you with better separation, PRAT and tighter bass with amplification. Some quick thoughts:

1. Asgard 2 vs. Little Dot 1+

- Slightly richer bass on the tube hybrids; and tighter, cleaner bass on the Asgard 2.
- Overall I tended to use the LD1+ a little more often, as it probably suited their tuning more.
- I didn’t need to go past 9 o’clock on the volume pot for either.

2. Dragonfly Red vs. Dragonfly Black
- Both are able to power them with absolute ease.
- The Black had a drier, airier presentation and sounded a bit faster.
- The Red sounded richer, more layered, with more impactful bass.
- I probably preferred the Black to be honest (maybe also because they also look great together...)

Vinyl
A lot of headphone review time gets spent on DACs and digital audio as a source, but I tend to spend a good portion of my listening time spinning wax. I’m not even going to bother weighing into the digital/analogue debate, although I will say I thoroughly enjoyed listening to LP’s on the 99 Neos. Say what you will about it, but vinyl’s a more emotional experience, no question – we are humans after all.

If you enjoy the sound of a well-mastered album on vinyl, I can highly recommend the Neo 99’s. A couple of notable albums were Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories”, and the self-titled album by grunge supergroup “Temple of the Dog” (with beer shown for scale…of course):

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Overall thoughts on sound
These are versatile cans that are an exciting and dynamic pairing for nearly all genres. They’re “balanced” in that there’s no dips to speak of, but rather it’s a definite ‘L-shape’ with a heavy focus on mid-bass and the lower mids. Without being analytical, they’re great headphones to simply pop on your head, and enjoy your music (which is what it’s meant to all be about, right?), as opposed to say mixing, mastering, or analytically testing other parts of your audio chain.

Some comparisons
I’ve chosen three pairs of closed cans for the sake of comparison here, because I think they might be relevant or interesting points of reference to someone deciding whether or not to buy a pair.

1. 99 Classics vs 99 Neos

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I’ve chosen to compare the 99 Neos with the 99 Classics for obvious reasons – prospective customers are probably curious as to the sonic differences in addition to the aesthetic when deciding whether or not to spend another $60.

Other reviews have A/B tested these two models far more scientifically than I, but the short version is: they sound almost identical. I’m not sure whether it is due to age of my Classics, the pads, burn-in, or the cycle of the moon, but the Neos had a noticeably boomier, looser bass than my pair of 99 Classics.

I A/B-d them on a number of amps on bassier tracks, and found this to be the case every time. This got me thinking: if the drivers are the same, is it the pads? I did a bit of pad-swapping between the two, and found that it slightly altered the sound somewhat, but confusingly wasn’t the immediate source of the reasoning for the bass-tuning difference.

During this I did notice the pads on the Classics (white leather below) did have a layer of foam padding, whereas the Neos simply had a thin layer of fabric:

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It was fun “cross-dressing” the Neos in the white pads from my Classics. Hey, it might be an interesting choice if you’re looking to swap pads down the track on your Neos, or perhaps an idea for a limited edition down the track from Meze:

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So head-to-head: Is one ‘better’ than the other? It really depends on what’s important to you. Perhaps you prefer like the prospect of real, luxurious wood-grain (and that fact that no two are really alike in that sense) and a more ‘premium’ look. But if I were choosing again between the Classics and the Neos, personally I’d take the $60 change and be happier with the way the black-on-black colour scheme looks.

2. Beyerdynamic DT770 (80 ohm variant) vs 99 Neos

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For many people these are the ‘gateway’ closed-back, full-sized audiophile headphones. Funnily enough, they were for me too. They’re worth comparing in that they’re in a similar price-bracket (although the street-price for the Beyers is often $100 less); form-wise they take-up about the same amount of room in a backpack; and they both offer an amazing sound-to-price ratio…although it is an altogether different sound and product experience.

The DT770’s have a classic ‘V-shape’ tuning, and straight away you notice the mids are very recessed compared to the Neos. This gives them a ‘drier’ sound, which is a little more relaxing, although there is also more pronounced sparkle in the upper treble. A lot of people complain of Beyer “Treble-murder”, but it sounds great to me.

In addition to the less-pronounced mids, one other thing you notice…is what you can’t notice – they isolate passive noise SO well. This is why they’ve been my go-to office cans for a long time. They also have a slight edge when it comes to comfort, the big pillow-y velour pads are just wonderful. People with larger ears will appreciate the extra space inside the cups as well.

The DT770’s are famous for being “bass-y” cans, but it’s a completely different bass experience. There is more sub-bass that is lower and cleaner hitting than the Neos, and it’s altogether more controlled and makes the Neos feel positively bloated in comparison.

The Beyers have the edge in terms of soundstage, in both width and depth. It’s a more open-back experience, with the sound feeling more ‘cavernous’ inside the cups.

Build-wise/accessories-wise, the Neos win by a mile. The cable sucks on the Beyers. It’s long, kinks easily, and is non-detachable. It also comes with a simple nylon thin bag which is almost laughable. But then again, philosophically these cans are like chalk and cheese: One is utilitarian workhorse and built like a tank; the other is a finely-crafted blend of form and function that’s as much an outward expression as it is an internal one.

All-in-all, the DT770’s make for better studio / desktop cans…if you’re not going far from said work-station that is. It’s a very different tuning, with the Neos being a more lively, warm and rich experience.

3. Beyerdynamic DT1350 vs 99 Neos

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Many of you might want to know how these fare against dedicated portable cans, which is why I’ve compared the Neos with my Beyerdynamic DT1350s. I’ve had bad experiences with portables, in that they’re generally a compromise: they either sound compromised; or they’re built in such a way that they’re a) uncomfortable, or b) a bit too unwieldy.

The sound profile for the DT1350’s, to me, is almost perfect. The second I heard these, I sold my Audeze Sines (and pocketed a few hundred bucks too!). They are so balanced, they’re neutral, and the bass extends unbelievably low. How Beyerdynamic managed to squeeze this into such a small package is astonishing.

As you can see, the DT1350’s are simply much smaller headphones. They stow flat, and the cups swivel 90 degrees each way. In their semi-rigid case they take up about half as much room in a briefcase or backpack.

Form-factor wise, they are on-ears. So while they’re far more portable, they inevitably get a bit hurt-y on the pinnae after a couple of hours. Although on the other hand because they a decent clamp, and weigh nearly nothing they are great for strenuous activity – I’ve even managed some full-on road-running with them. They also work well with glasses.

Cable-wise, the DT1350’s have a non-detachable, Kevlar-coated permanently attached cable. It’s permanently kinked into the way it came folded, and tends to be very microphonic. Oh, and it has a laughably HUGE termination at the end – in fact it’s from the same parts bin as the DT770. At least you know it’s not going to break…

Sound-wise these are very different. Being on-ear it’s a fairly intimate experience with the DT1350’s, and being very neutral they have an almost ‘tinny’ quality, at a first listen (especially after some time on the Neos!). Settle into their timbre after a track or two, and it’s you’ll notice that it’s amazingly balanced with almost perfect bass. It’s tight, articulate bass that reaches deeper and hits cleaner than the Neos.

They’re overall better at being portable cans than the Neos, but simply aren’t “do it all” like the Neos are. It’s also a completely different SQ that depends on the user’s preference.

Conclusion
Meze ought to have another hit on their hands here with the 99 Neos. The fact that they’re $60 cheaper than the Classics means that the world of audiophile headphones has become even more accessible. They are an extremely versatile, well-built cans, and very might well be the only pair you might need – they simply have to be my go-to recommendation for a closed pair of headphones under $300. They might still be my recommendation for closed cans even at $500, but that depends on whether you like an all-black vibe, or can't resist the appeal of the unique wooden build of the 99 Classics...

ngoshawk

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Solid deep bass, warm signature, good sound stage. Decent isolation.
Cons: Bass bleed into the mids mixed feelings on new pads, rough around the edges, not much else.
Meze 99 Neo- A conundrum of listening proportions…

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First Impressions:



Playing Trees from twenty one pilots, through my MacBook Pro and iFi iDSD Micro Black Label…oh my…what a sound…such a huge sound stage! No tone fighting, it is as if I am mid-center at a twenty pilots concert, jumping with 5,000 other diehard fans, all in unison while Josh bangs and Tyler souls. Highly impressed…



There is a whole lot of hype going on around the Neo’s. And a couple of early reviews espouse the virtues of this closed-back headphone versus the “original,” the 99 Classic. We shall see how it stacks up against the competition…a little later.

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@B9Scrambler made a comment on another review thread about how he does not like giving a review after only a week, because he feels like he has not had sufficient time to audition properly the device in question. He almost considers it a disservice to the manufacturer in question. I would wholeheartedly agree, but I will add that after about two days, I have a pretty good idea of what the critter sounds like, unless it is a brand new item. Then Brain-Burn or actual burn in is required (aka Audioquest and the Nighthawk/Owl headphones) like some manufacturers ask. I usually use the first two full days to listen exclusively to the device in question. I don’t even vary sources. I like the repetitive nature of the same songs, on the same devices. This gives me a baseline of comparison for the rest of the week. And it is damn fun to hear Trees 21 times in a row, listening for that subtle nuance of difference in tone…difference in stage, or separation that I may have missed the other 20 times (!).

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After about 3 hours, I have determined, that this is one rocking pair of headphones. A completely different character to the one I just left behind. I find myself dancing uncontrollably as I type, so please excuse the missstttakeesss…

th


Coming off another review, where I considered the simplicity of the item to be one of the truest measures of that particular item, I am pleasantly surprised that the Neo follows in that same suit. While the music fairly shouts through the Neo’s, it does so without drawing attention to itself. Those of the old Magnepan speaker days will understand. A simple panel cannot possibly provide such musical quality that it does! It cannot be! But alas, yes it does. So far, the Neo’s are of similar vein. Albeit with the pomp and glitter of the 99 Classics leading the way. This would be the little brother who mimics everything the older does on the futbol pitch, but no one notices. That is until the younger becomes the better player, and simply lets his play show what he can do. So far, the Neo is the quiet little brother, quite happy to watch big brother lead the team, and happily run onto the pitch at halftime dribbling silly and scoring improbable goals. Ones he thinks no one sees or watches. But that proud Papa and Mama see, and they understand what is coming. That there is something to be cherished, something to behold in their second offspring. Both will be great, but in their own different ways. Both understated, letting their play show the way, speaking in reverent tones, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, but once the world sees; there is no taking back the fame.

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This is how I look at Meze. You produced a near-cult-classic in the 99Classic; and knew you had to follow in that same vein. Gladly you did in the Neo. Both are worthy of your moniker. Both are worthy of that high regard, but in very different ways.



I want to thank @MezeTeam for the Neo review tour, and taking me on as part of it. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the unit. The Neo is a very good headphone.


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Specs, from the Meze website https://mezeaudio.eu/products/99-neo:



  • Transducer size: 40mm
  • 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
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A near-flat frequency curve shows a slight bump at about 120htz. This may account for the added bass heard by most.





Fit & Finish:



The build quality of the Neo is quite good, with even seams, good finish and a generally very good overall fit. I can comfortably wear them for a couple of hours, with minimal adjusting. After that, I have to adjust fairly regularly. And to me, the clamp pressure is a bit tight. Compared the Audioquest Nightowl, all else falls behind, so this isn’t really that bad. Everything fits well, and evenly. The rivets holding the drivers to the twin-metal frame are finished evenly, and tastefully. Overall, I would call the Neo an extremely attractive package, with no real failings in the “looker” department. Quite nice.



See my description of the pads later, for how I feel, suffice to say, that they are faux leather, and pretty decent in quality. No qualms here. And, since this is a pre-production model, it came labeled with the “Classic” headband as well as cables. One with mic (which works well), and one without. A smidge short for desktop use to me but, since this is aimed at the portable market, adequate in length.


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The Loaner…



I want to thank @PinkyPowers too, for the “borrowing” of his Meze 99 Classics. It was my initial understanding that he was GIVING me the pair (he led me to believe this, no really…)…until he yelled at me. I cannot repeat what he said, either…for it matches the area of town where we meet to “exchange gear.” There is a fair amount of “miscreant” behavior, which goes on at the McDonalds where we meet, and I always feel kind of shady when we meet, like we should be doing something illegal, to fit in…. Even though we were doing nothing illegal (unlike others at the locale), it feels like we are…really we aren’t…no, really…



As we were parting, I asked his opinion and for a quick comparison of the Neo against the Classics, to which he semi-politely refused (probably still agitated, thinking I was going to run away with his Classics…). I offered to buy him a Happy Meal if he would give me tidbits of a comparison, and he scoffed at me stating fairly agitatedly that, “only if it was a McRib Meal, with extra fries, SUPER-SIZE would I even THINK about doing that!!” It was then I, who politely refused the awful McRib counter, and begged his leave, not turning my back on him. It was an odd encounter, what with the “deals” going down, and the flat refusal of a free meal by both of us, essentially. I don’t like McDonalds anyway, and I’m pretty sure Pinky does not either…It made me hungry.

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In my week, I ran many songs, and many combinations of gear. From Lindsey Stirling to twenty one pilots to Bob Marley to Dave Matthews, Los Lonely Boys, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I pretty much ran the gamut of music through my devices. I played some Ella Fitzgerald on what would have been her 100th birthday, and it really was a treat having that special voice chorus through my gray matter. If I had to choose two females to represent my musical repertoire, it would be Ella and Billy Holiday…wow…Happily the Neo took all in with the tenacity of a teenager, and the wisdom wrought by its elder, the 99 Classic.

th


I thoroughly enjoyed not only the comparisons of driving units, but also headphones. All four listed below (including the Neo) are worthy additions to your stable, and all should be considered for their respective strengths. It may seem like I was not happy with the Neo after you read further, but that would be an erroneous assumption. Taken alone, it is an outstanding example of trickle-down technology. Something that Meze should be quite proud of. Only when compared to big brother, and a much more expensive unit does it fall behind. As for the thinksound ON2? Well I will admit, that I fell in love with that the moment I heard it. I actually took a flyer on it, based upon a couple of reviews, and I could not be happier. That said, if I did not have the ON2 I would seriously consider the Neo for its qualities.


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Comparisons:

thinksound ON2 ($199) v Neo ($250):

My initial reaction is that the ON2 is harder to drive, has better top end, and a more open sound. Bass is superb…controlled, and deep. Fast decay allows for a good portion of the control, and does not bleed into the excellent mids. Vocals are more forward than the Neo. Better treble, too. While it is an over-ear, fit can be tricky. They are eminently comfortable, but with more pressure applied. I do have trouble when I have my glasses on, but this is alleviated, mostly when I wear a hat.

Vocals are more laid back on the Neo’s, but it does seem to have a more open sound than the ON2, which is a positive. Bass is still good, but less controlled. A more rounded sound, if you will. Of the four, the thinksounds have the most bass punch. It is somewhat untidy. A wonderful sound, though. The Neo would come in second in the bass department, and that is not a bad result for the second least expensive model, here. Good reach with that bass, but it tends to bleed a bit into the mids (to me), and because of the slower decay can be a bit boomy. Still quite a pleasant sound, though.


99 Classics ($309) v Neo ($250):

A clear, clean, precise sound from the Classics is hard to beat, here. The Neo’s win the bass “war,” but it is a less-tamed bass than the Classics. Where the Neo would be perfectly at home listening to a beat-heavy sound, or EDM for instance; the Classic is a much more refined solution. I hate to say, “mature” because that would be almost an insult to both. But that is a close comparison. Consider the Neo the semi-wild teenager, to the Classic’s college-aged student. They are similar, but arrive at the end in different manners.

That untamed bass is what can draw you into the Neo. It can be an intoxicating listen indeed. But sooner or later, that untamed nature will make you reach for either the EQ, or a different set. No, that is probably too harsh. I would gladly listen to the Neo all day, and be happy. Very happy. But when you compare that to the Classic, especially with the old pads (to me…), then a rotation would be in order. I could see using the Neo at the office, or on the commute, and come home to the Classics. That combination would be a very good rotation. That added bass on the commute would come in handy on a noisy commute.

Speaking of noise, to me the new pad does isolate much better, so that is a positive. I’m not sure if the wood has something to do with that, but I doubt it, as my ON2’s isolate VERY well from the outside world as well as leakage. So another benefit of the Neo is overall isolation. My wife rightly pointed out that she could hear my music from across the room just now (not happy, she was!), and I did not have the Classics at that high of a volume, either. So score another for the Neo.

Tyll thinks they quite possibly took a step backwards, with both the Neo and the “new” ear pads, according to his review, and after hearing both I would agree somewhat…As I mentioned above, to me the Neo is a very good headphone, in isolation. It is only when you consider others does it fall a bit behind. The Classic led the pack, the Neo tries very hard.

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Audioquest NightOwl ($799) v Neo ($250):

The NO’s are simply put, a superb over ear, closed back with a fantastic laid-back signature. While the trebles are a bit too laid back (yes, even for me), the clear and concise mids hold up the quite adequate bass line. I fall for the NO more each time I hear them. And when AQ means 150hrs burn in, they mean it. They are the hardest to drive of the four, but that doesn’t really mean much, really. Just a stunning example of one company’s vision, they are. The Neo tries very hard to compete, but just cannot. One would not fault writing the Neo off, because of the price difference; but that would be unjust for what the Neo does really well. The Neo excels at providing an “edgy” sound as @DobrescuGeorge states in his review. I would agree, there is definitely some attitude there, calling it “street-wise” in sound. A bass growl, kind of overrides the rest of the signature. But not so much that it overwhelms the sound. The bass provides that foundation, which the mids and treble rest upon. Not bad mind you, just not up to the AQ’s sound. The NO provides that full, endless texture, which many try to pull off and many fail. The NO does it and does it well.


Source comparisons, Neo with: MacBook Pro/iFi iDSD BL & Shanling M1/M5:



My favorite combo was with the MBP/BL. The trio just oozed synergy. Especially what with the multi-abilities of the BL. If one cannot find a decent combination with all of the adjustments, then we have very different tastes. I would wholeheartedly concur with @DobrescuGeorge here, quite a good listen, this is…wow. I found that Normal power and Bass Boost on were where I spent most of my time. I did enjoy the 3D sound as well, but not as much as Bass boost alone. With more than enough power on Normal, I rarely ran the BL above 0930.



The big brother M5 is an outstanding mid-fi portable DAP, which I like very much. There is simply a plethora of choices here, and I think I have a pretty decent one at that. In many ways I prefer this to the Opus #1, which many espouse as THE mid-fi DAP to have. I like both…I like the M5 more…and paired with the Neo, the sound makes up for the harshness that can pervade the other combinations. I can really enjoy the full sound, deep bass (still takes charge, mind you), and the excellent sound stage. This would be a fabulous office/commute combo. And all for less than $600 US. An excellent compliment, where the Neo wants to take charge, but the M5 reigns the youngster in…just enough so that you enjoy the compliments of both. Lush slightly warm from the M5, and that wonderful bass brought back just enough to enjoy without trouble. A grand combo.



Listening the the M1/Neo combination, one would think this would certainly favor the other two more expensive combos…well….you would be mostly wrong. I think the most fun sound came from this combo. The two seem to frolic along swinging side-by-side on the swings, going ever higher, daring the other to go even higher. Not unbridled untamed sound, but a fun, warm bass-rich sound. Los Lonely Boys Nobody Else is an excellent example of that side-by-side cooperation. Soundstage is as good as the other two combos, and this could be my go-to commuter set up…If my commute was longer than the 6 minutes it takes to get to my school…All that does is leave more time in the morning (daughter-unit & I arrive VERY early so that I can work) to listen to all of this fine kit. And I have used the Neo’s with both Shanlings this week, with much enjoyment.

In other words, the Neo pretty much works with all I tried. And I like that versatility.

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Comparison conclusion:


Running all four headphones through a headphone splitter allowed me to switch quite quickly while the same songs were playing. All four should be commended for what they do well. And all four do have their positives. All also have their negatives, albeit few. I would be happy with any of the four, and own two of them. I am thinking one of the other two may join my stable…I will not tell you which, just yet.

From the soothing solid sound of the Nightowl, to the mature full sound of the Classics, to the overwhelmingly excellent bass the ON2 provides, the Neo has a tough battle from the start. That street-wise edge does well to hold it’s own, but to me ultimately falls shy of the other three. I’m not sure if it is the new pad design, or simply the sound, but it does fall slightly behind the other three.

Now that may seem like a dig at a pretty decent headphone…it isn’t meant to be. It is a testament to how excellent, and congested the mid-fi market really is. And the Neo comes into the market with a chip on its shoulder from the get go. It takes that chip and presents itself really well. Darn well, to be honest. Shoving other headphones out of the way, the Neo states rather boldly that it is here, and should be reckoned with…and it means business. But, when one takes a closer look, this is when the rough edges start to show. That good thump of bass, which is slightly untidy. The pushed forward mids (compared to the other three, to me) tend to state rather loudly that the Neo is on the scene. If one is looking for a very good EDM headphone, then the Neo may just be your ticket, and an affordable one, too. What I would suggest is find a pair of Classics, which have the old pads. Or find a set on eBay or Amazon. Purchase those, then switch back and forth (CAREFULLY), until you decide which you like better. I did that, and can say I like the old pads (which are on the borrowed Classics) more. To me, they are more comfortable, and fit my head better. They also provide a really nice listening chamber, and a good tight fit. Trying the new pads on the Classics, had the reverse effect. I did not like the effect. So run both pads, and then decide.

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While I thoroughly enjoyed the Neo, and I really did, it has a very tough act to follow in its big brother the Classic. And it mostly succeeds. With good reach down low of bass, and a good thump to boot; but one that bleeds into the mids can be overlooked by the pretty decent overall character and a good sound stage. The Neo is that little brother who tags along everywhere, insisting that he can play all the games big brother are playing. And mostly, he does but at a different pace. A pace where big brother (and his friends) get a bit agitated, but accept that little brother is trying hard. They do appreciate that. By and large, Meze is trying to bring the Classic’s sound to a different, more affordable level. And they did succeed. These are a very good over- ear headphone, and worth a good hard listen. Just don’t expect it to replace your Classics.


I thank the @MezeTeam for the opportunity to review the Neo. I really did thoroughly enjoy my time, and applaud them for a very good effort at bringing the Classic sound into a different price bracket. It was well worth a deep listen.

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BloodyPenguin

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Great Design, Smooth Sound, Comfortable Fit, Non-Fatiguing
Cons: Plastic Driver Cups Feel a Bit Cheap, Bass Creeps Up to the Mids
--
*Pre-Review*

Before I start my review. I have a treasure hunt for all of you.

Back when the 99 Classics came out, I believe I mentioned that it would be awesome if Meze came out with a Black and Silver version. I've searched for this post, but I have yet to find it (maybe it was a figment of my imagination). However, if it is out there and you do find it, I will give you 10,000 Head-Fi points that can't be used anywhere.


...On to the actual review...

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- All Photos Taken by Me-

[Product Link]: Meze 99 Neo
[Current Price]: $249.00

**Disclaimer, I'd like to thank Meze for the 99 Neo sample unit, so as to complete this honest review**


*Specifications*

Transducer size: 40mm
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


*Packaging*

Meze does a great balancing act of Form and Function with all of their products. That is quickly made clear with just the box the 99 Neo comes in. It is well thought out design and makes the un-boxing experience special.

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*Contents*

- Meze 99 Neo Heaphone
- Carrying Headphone Case
- Case for accessories (cables)
- Longer Non-Microphone Detachable Cable
- Shorter Microphone Detachable Cable
- Airplane Adapter
- 3.5mm to 1/4 Adapter

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*Design/Build*

Carried over from the original 99 Classics, the Neo shares the same basic layout. They share so much, that even the headband of the 99 Neo says: "99 Classics", not sure if this was done on purpose or by mistake. One difference to be seen is the use of black ABS plastic for the housings of the 99 Neo, while the 99 Classics opts for beautiful wood cups. The ABS plastic on the 99 Neo looks nice, though feels a bit on the cheaper side. Though this material difference seems to have allowed Meze to drop $50 off the price of the 99 Classics which is always good for an audiophiles wallet.

The detachable cables got an improvement from the 99 Classic versions. They now have less microphonics due to the braided cable only extending downward from the Y splitter. Above the split, the cable is now a smoother material that is much less noisy. Meze was smart to listen to its users to upgrade the cable with this new design.

Continuing the evolution of the 99 Classics, Meze also read about increasing concerns about the small radius of the ear pads. While they did release a set of new, larger internal diameter pads later, these come standard on the 99 Neo. The reviews of these new pads seem mixed. For me, I like them. Not that I have big ears, but I still find them to be more comfortable and less warming. Sound wise I am not finding them to change the signature much as some others do.

One of the best tweaked designs from the 99 Classics does not even have to do with the headphones at all, instead it is the carrying case. I love the look and tactile feel of the material used. Plus, with the slightly raised surface, it makes it much easier to grip as well.

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*Sound*

- I will note here that I made it a point not to read any of the other 99 Neo reviews that came before mine, as not to influence my own testing. I will be curious to check out other members thoughts on the signature after I have posted this review. It will be interesting to see if they match my own findings or not. -

Lows - Bass comes through as smooth, though a bit on the slower side. Not exactly muddy, but not super controlled either. I wish there was just a little more sub-bass, as there is more of a focus on the mid-bass that creeps up into the mids.

Mids - The smoothness continues in the middle frequencies. Vocals are laid back and lack some energy. Though it must be said that there is something magical about the ease of how the mids are presented, that I have yet to hear in any other headphone. This special sound can only be described as fun and musical, a big reason why these headphones are so popular.

Highs - Roll off comes quick, but not at the expense of details. If anything, this has got to be one of the best headphones for extending listening as the 99 Neo is so easy on the ears. The upper regions are a highlight of the overall sound and tops off the smooth nature of this headphone.

Soundstage - While there is a perception of depth, there is also a feel of reverb as well. This does leave a slightly congested feeling at times when the music speeds up.

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*Driving/Pairing*


With an Impedance: of 26 Ohm, the 99 Neo itself is easy to drive. Though, lower level sources, such as the Benjie S5 or FiiO M3 only seem to add to the almost veiled sound.

My best results came when I used my most powerful and clean desktop setup of the Orb Jade Casa DAC/Amp pairing. This allowed the most detail and best possible sound of the 99 Neo to come through. Though, even with the big guns blazing, the sound was as described above, with a tendency for extended mid-bass and a smoother playback.

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*Overall Thoughts*

Despite a few of my less than enthusiastic descriptions of the sound signature, the 99 Neo is still a fun headphone to use. I'm always very relaxed after long sessions of use. The ease of playback allows there to be little fatigue and that does allow the 99 Neo to be very useful. While not the most analytical headphone out there, it does succeed in putting a smile on your face, as is presentation of music is fun and engaging.

Build and design are matched well, though I would like to see a slightly thicker and less plasticy feel to the cup housings. If I could convay anything to Meze, it would be while I understood why they kept with the same layout as the 99 Classics, though with a smaller price tag, would have been to make the 99 Neo a bit different than its older brother. My advise would be, to build the Neo as a open-backed headphone with velour pads. I think this would allow the sound to be more airy and maybe help with a little of the congestion. Plus, velour pads would add more to the already comfortable fit.

All and all, while I still see improvements to be made in future generations, the 99 Neo is a good headphone that deserves extensive listening time. Those looking for a smooth and engaging sound, look no further than the 99 Neo

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--

Cinder

Formerly known as Res-Reviews
Pros: Light construction, self-adjusting headband, comfortable, natural and detailed sound, good soundstage, good cables
Cons: Can get uncomfortable after three hours of use, bass-light
Meze 99 Neo: Budget and Performance: the Fine Line
Meze, though a relatively young company, is well known in the audiophile world. With a solid IEM range and the famous 99 Classics under its belt, to audiophiles, Meze is a household name. After a brief break in releases, they are back to impress us again with the new 99 Neo, a more wallet-friendly version of the 99 Classics. Did they pull off threading the needle between cost cutting and maintaining performance?

You can find the 99 Neo on pre-order here, on Meze’s official website, for $250.

Disclaimer: This unit was provided to Resonance Reviews free of charge for review purposes. I am not affiliated with Meze beyond this review. These words reflect my true, unaltered, opinion about the product.

Apology: I would like to issue Meze a public and formal apology for my lateness on publishing this review. It’s unprofessional, and is a mark on my reputation.

Preference and Bias: Before reading a review, it is worth mentioning that there is no way for a reviewer to objectively pass judgment on the enjoy-ability of a product: such a thing is inherently subjective. Therefore, I find it necessary for you to read and understand what I take a natural liking to and how that might affect my rating of a product.

My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, mid-bass. The mids should be slightly less pronounced than the treble, but still ahead of the bass. I prefer a more bright upper range.

Source: The 99 Neo was powered like so:

Nexus 6P -> earphones

or

Hidizs AP100 3.5mm out -> FiiO A5 3.5mm out -> earphones

or

HiFiMAN SuperMini -> earphones

or

PC optical out -> HiFiMe SPDIF 9018 Sabre DAC 3.5mm out -> earphones

All music was served as MP3 @320Kbps or as FLAC.

Sound Signature
Initial Impressions:

After being spoiled by the 99 Classics for so long, the 99 Neo was welcomed by my ears. Meze tried quite hard to imbue that magical tonality that the Classics into the 99 Neo, and to a large degree succeeded. The treble is crisp and forward, but not brash and harsh. The mids are clean and sit right behind the treble. The bass is slightly less emphasized than the mids are, making it the more balanced of the two 99-series headphones.

Treble: Songs used: In One Ear, Midnight City, Outlands, Satisfy

Treble is sweet and forward. In both Satisfy and Midnight City, the treble was able to push through the din without being sibilant or sharp. Extension is great, as is the placement of treble-bound instruments.

The treble is very detailed and able to convey minute differences in the tonality of the violins of Outlands well. The litany of treble-bound background elements also come through the song well enabling a decently symphonic experience.

High-hats and cymbals sound great and are easy to pick up in the mix. I never once felt as if they were distorted or overblown. Treble attack and decay speeds are good.

Mids: Songs used: Flagpole Sitta, Jacked Up, I Am The Highway, Dreams

The attack and decay of the 99 Neo is great. Guitars have a wonderful timbre to them. Electric crunch and growl is on point, a favorite feature of mine from the 99 Classics that I’m glad carried over.

Pianos sound full-bodied and dynamic. The 99 Neo’s mids are clean and clear without being boring, a testament to the skilled individuals who tuned it. The lower mids are present and well-toned without being overbearing and thick.

Vocals are above-average in terms of intelligibility and have a fantastic weighting to them, male and female vocals alike. This is really the cherry on top, making the 99 Neo a quite compelling headphone. It’s great mixture of detail retrieval and balanced sound is a big plus for me.

Bass: Songs used: Moth, Gold Dust, In For The Kill (Skream Remix), Leave Me

Bass guitars are clear and dynamic within the mix. While shaping and emphasis were more to my personal tastes with the 99 Classic, the 99 Neo’s more light-handed approach may appeal to those who seek something different.

Bass wetness is more on the dry side, indicating a linear amount of mid and sub-bass. While drops are still satisfying and certifiably “filthy” in electronic music such as Gold Dust, the bass-head in me wants more. Again, that judgement falls under the personal taste category.

In For The Kill really highlights the 99 Neo’s bass extension. I get a pretty good “sub woofer-esque” feeling from the overall bass signature. While sub-bass rumble isn’t quite where I’d like it to be (nor where it was with the 99 Classics), the Neo’s performance is still quite good, and should appeal to those looking for a balanced and natural sound.

Packaging / Unboxing

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The 99 Neo comes in packaging identical in structure to the packaging of the 99 Classic. A nice and sturdy cardboard box with some internal padding surrounds the 99 Neo’s case. Inside the case lies the 99 Neo and its accessories.

Build
Construction Quality
The 99 Neo’s build is as impeccable as the Classic’s was. The ear-cups are made from a very nicely-textured ABS plastic, meaning they will be durable. It appears to be color-injected, meaning color-wear is essentially not a concern. The plastic construction means the 99 Neo’s ear-cups are both low-maintenance and light, an essential feature of any headphones you might want to take with you on a road-trip or in your backpack as you go to class.


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Lining the ear cups is a tasteful metal band. It contrasts wonderfully with the otherwise dark construction of the 99 Neo. More metal can be found in the left and right-channel inputs and on the top of the swivel joint between the headband and the ear-cups.


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The headband assembly is entirely metal as well, and is identical to the assembly found in the 99 Classic. It’s self-adjusting, sturdy, but still flexible. The headband itself is made from leather, or a convincing alternative.


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Note that my version of the 99 Neo is incorrectly styled. Meze is aware, and the production units will have the correct labeling.
Meze prides itself on its fully-serviceable headphones. I am really excited by the notion of a pair of headphones that I can repair in my bedroom that don’t require a heat gun to be opened. While I commend Meze on this, there is still a single sticking point with the headband assembly that I would appreciate changed: the use of Torx screws. While I understand the rational behind them, they are fairly difficult for the average-Joe to remove. Please Meze, just use a small Philips-head.


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The 99 Neo’s cables are different from the Classics inasmuch as the upper-half of the cables are rubber rather than Kevlar. This is a change that was definitely made to cut costs, and I approve of it. It doesn’t compromise the physical integrity of the cable, nor does it significantly impact the enjoyment of the product.

The shorter of the two cables has inline controls, which works well on both iPhones and Android phones. You get the standard pause/play/skip functionality on both platforms.


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Yes, I am aware they say 99 Classics. This is a flaw limited to the pre-release review units.
Here’s some pictures comparing the 99 Neo to the 99 Classics. If there’s anything specific you want me to capture, let me know in the comments.


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Comfort

The 99 Neo is slightly less comfortable on me than the 99 Classics are. While I can wear it for extended periods of time without complaint, I do begin to feel them on my ears after about three hours, a fault not existent in the 99 Classics. This is likely due to the fact that Meze has iterated the earpads again since the second revision of the 99 Classic’s earpads.

Accessories
The 99 Neo comes well-stocked with accessories. Inside the box you will find:


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  • 1x hard carrying case
  • 2x half-Kevlar cables
  • 1x 3.5mm to 1/4in adapter
  • 1x airline adapter
The carrying case is slightly smaller than the one that comes with the 99 Classics, and I see that as a good thing. The less space taken up by the case the better.

The accessories all feel pretty sturdy, but are nothing to write home about. They do the job, and do it reliably.

Summary
The 99 Neo is a great addition to Meze’s lineup. As Meze’s “entry-level” headphones, I find it to have a pretty great value, especially for those who don’t particularly want the extra luxury of wooden ear cups or fully-Kevlar cables. All in all, I can say I recommend the Meze 99 Neo. However, I would still definitely recommend that you check out the 99 Classics if you have the money to spare. In my mind, it’s well worth the extra cash.

Pros: Very comfortable and stylish with an instant, easy fit. Easy to drive. Very good sound for relaxing listening or modern music.
Cons: Less great with acoustic and classical. Non-folding cups make them bulky for portable use. Cable is a bit noisy. Earpads can get a bit sweaty.


A few years ago a company from Romania caught my attention with some wood headphones that had attracted a few members. They quickly spotted that they were a rebrand of some Chinese wood headphones and nothing much came from it. However in the intervening few years after that initial bad start, Antonio Meze was hard at work on making a pair of well-designed, good sounding, and most of all, unique headphones. The result of his toil were the Meze 99 Classics, which are now joined by the black 99 Neo being reviewed here.

The down-side to the design is that the cups don't fold flat, so along with the large arcs, once cased in the simple, but suitably solid included case, they aren't as portable as might be ideal and they are really going to stick out if used on public transport.

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The cables for the headphones are dual-entry using very thin 3.5mm TS plugs.. The standard cable, which is very long, terminates in a 3.5mm plug which can be adapted to 6.5mm with the included adaptor. A 3.5mm 3.5mm TRRS cable with an inline mic and play/pause buttons for smart phones is also included.

Uniquely the headphones themselves don't have left and right cups, but are entirely symmetrical, so it doesn't matter which cup which plug is inserted. To determine left and right, the plugs themselves are marked, the left plug also having a protruding ring, making it easy to feel which side is left simply by touching the plug. This cable, due to the un-damped wooden cups can transmit some noise when rubbed, though I didn't find it a serious problem. Some people with noisy clothes might find it a bit of an issue, however.

Overall, the simplicity of the design has resulted in great ergonomics and a light and comfortable pair of headphones that are also very attractive.

Compared to the 99 Classics, the 99 Neo supports black plastic cups with a leather-like pattern, and silver-colored metal parts in place of those which were gold-colored on the 99 Classics. This naturally makes for a very attractive pair of headphones.

The result of using plastic cups has two consequences: The first is that the 99 Neo are cheaper, Amazon.com showing $249 versus $309 for the 99 Classics. That's a 20% saving.

The second is that a different cup material means different resonances and a possible change in sound. It was this which I wished to investigate.

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By default, both pairs of headphones have something of a warm-of-neutral sound, with a slightly, but not too forgiving treble, and moderately boosted bass. This is something I call a "consumer" tuning, as it mates well with modern, popular music.

It also works well with older pop music that has been mastered in a way that lacks bass somewhat, as it boosts that region. Where it doesn't work as well is with classical and similar acoustic recordings, where the greater "air" of brighter headphones makes for a better match.

While I wouldn't call the 99 Neo detailed, I wouldn't call it congested either, as the bass through to the treble is reasonably precise, with enough detail, even directly out of my iPhone 6, that I was capable of enjoying listening with them using some of the more modern music that I like.

The sense of soundstage and instrument separation is also quite good for this price bracket, with again, only the slightly muted treble taking away from that on acoustic recordings.

That being said, for fun I tried them out of Chord's Hugo 2 after using them out of my iPhone, and while the Hugo 2 sounded more natural, the 99 Neo wasn't going to show anything like how much of a jump in resolution the better hardware was capable of delivering.

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Comparing to the original 99 Classic was a bit trickier. For the most part, they were more similar than different, the sound of the original having a slightly nicer presentation, as sound reverberating off wood does. It wasn't, however, a big difference, and one I don't feel the need to go into detail over.

The biggest difference is that the 99 Neo is cheaper, with Amazon.com showing a price of $249 versus $309 for the Classic. That means for a 20% saving, if you don't mind forgoing the wood, you can get pretty much the same pair of headphones.

I wish these had been available back in 2007 when I started in the hobby, as these would have been the perfect pair of headphones for me at the time. Once again I reckon Antonio Meze has made a good pair of headphones for the average listener who wants something stylish and good-sounding.

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cleg

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: style, build, price, sound
Cons: none for this price
I think it would be pretty fair to call Meze 99 Classics last year's sensation. Appeared early 2016, they quickly prove themselves being an excellent price/quality performer. Meze engineers decided to sustain those achievements and released a more affordable model.

First of all, I'd like to thank Meze for providing me a review sample in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
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Luckily, Meze doesn't have a big marketing department like some other companies do, so instead of "clipping" their flagship to create it's younger sibling, Meze merely tweaked Classics a little bit and released 99 Neo.

As usual, I'll try to make a part with box, accessories and design description as brief as possible.

Box has the same size as Classics one, but polygraphy is done in more "hi-tech" style, representing the shift in Neo's design. Inside there is a hard case with zipper, but this time it's done from nylon. In this case, you'll find headphones, cable, 6.3 mm adapter and "airplane" adapter with dual 3.5 mm mono jacks.
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Design-wise Neos are absolute doppelgängers of Classics: same headband, same stylish casted details, same comfortable earpads, and head pad. The only difference is cups material, in Neo, they're made of qualitative ABS plastic with a pleasant texture. Other truly minor difference — model's name on the head pad. In theory, wooden cups of Classics should look more "luxurious" than plastic ones, but in practice, Neo looks as stylish as it's more expensive brother. Even more, if you're looking for a pair of headphones for street usage, Neo will be a better option as they are less conspicuous.

I must admit that 99 Neo are also comfortable and provide reasonable sound isolation (not superb, but good for almost all circumstances) and they are pretty comfortable (at least for me).

But let's move on to the most exciting — sound. The sound of this version is close to Classic's one, it's not surprising as Meze used same drivers, but cups materials causes a small difference in the form of a more forward upper mids.
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Lows in Neo still has a charming accent in the mid-bass region. Deep bass is present but isn't so noticeable. Low frequencies aren't the fastest ones, but they don't sound bloated and boomy. Instruments separation and textures rendering are at a right level. Bass has a decent body and gives music a solid foundation, causing a bit darkened sounding but without the excesses.

Mids are very musical, and a bit smoothed, giving 99 Neos a hint of warmth. Microcontrast in this headphones is "reduced," so lovers of "hearing any tiny nuance" should look somewhere else, but the actual level of details is right. Simply put — all details of music is here, while different noises, recording imperfections and so on won't bother you. Small upper mids accent in 99 Neo causes a little less relaxed sound, compared with classics and very rare can sound a bit sharp (really, really rare and just a bit!). The imaginary stage is not bad for closed back headphones but can't compete with open models.

Treble range is absolutely the same as the 99 Classics', they are just as well developed concerning quality, but slightly subdued in attacks for general "non-fatiguing" sound. This treble fits well with the overall presentation of the model, providing a good balance of tonality, which is the main advantage of these headphones. The resolution of HF is better than average, but it does not reach the ideal but is magnificent for this price tier.
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Meze 99 Neo sounds pretty good even with smartphones and tablets (besides those which sound totally sick), but they do benefit from good mid-level DAPs. Style-wise, these headphones are pretty universal, but keep in mind that over-compressed recordings will sound miserably with them.

To summarize, in my opinion, Neo is a no way worse then Classics both sonically and aesthetically, so Meze could easily ask for it same $310, but they've selected more affordable $250.

As usual, I've made a video with initial impressions.

betula

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: great price/performance ratio, built quality, accessories
Cons: comfort could be better, too much emphasis on bass
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Thank you very much to Meze for letting me have the new 99 Neo for a week as part of their world-wide loaner program. I wanted to hear the ‘Meze’ sound since the 99 Classics came out however I did not have a chance yet to try the original wood-cup version.

My daily driver is a NightHawk these days, connected to Chord Mojo. The 99 Neo was plugged in to Mojo for most of the time, and I will often refer to NightHawk as comparison even though these headphones are rather different, not playing on the same fields.

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Package:
The 99 Neo is pretty impressive for the price in every sense. Here in the U.K. they cost around £200, and I have to say Meze does deliver for this money. The headphones come with a very nice, semi-hard and good sized carrying case and two non-tangling, good quality cables: a shorter one with built-in play/stop button and a long one for home use.

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The headphones are well-built using good quality materials. I am not a big fan of plastic cups, would happily pay a little more for wooden ones, but they look and feel fine.

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Interestingly there is no left or right sign on the headphones as they are completely symmetrical. The cable determines which cup will be the left and the right one. Unfortunately the L/R signs are hardly visible on the plugs, but you can decide which side is which if you look at the writing on the top of the headband.

Comfort:
Coming from NightHawk I am pretty spoiled regarding comfort. The 99 Neo are not uncomfortable, but I also wouldn’t say they are very comfortable. They are fine, won’t cause you any discomfort, however I couldn’t forget they are on my head and after 30-40 minutes it was a smaller relief to take them off and let my ears breath. (Or change for the NightHawks.)

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I don’t think my head is much bigger than average, however I had to stretch the self-adjusting headband to its maximum. The only other headphones I experienced this small size issue were the HE-400s’s. They are still big enough for me, but someone with a slightly bigger head would struggle. My ears on the other hand are relatively small, and still they were touching the cups inside which I don’t particularly like.
Another small annoyance for me was that occasionally my hair stuck to the small screws on the headband tearing a couple of hairs out as I took the headphones off my head.

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Sound:
The sound of these cans is quite impressive for the money. They sound big, fun and musical with plenty of bass. I have to say, I didn’t expect such a big sound from relatively small plastic cup closed back headphones. They were built for fun listening and probably beat pretty much anything in their category (closed-backs around £200) for this purpose. I definitely like them more than I liked the NAD HP50 or the Momentums.
Bass, especially mid-bass is a bit too much for my taste it is not always in line with mid and treble quantity, more about that later.
Interestingly the sound signature often reminded me for the Fidelio X2s, although those have a much bigger soundstage.

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Being closed-back the soundstage of the 99Neo is not very big. It is quite narrow actually, with a pretty upfront presentation, far from being laid back. Spaciousness is ok for a closed-back, but I did experience a little ‘in the box’ feeling with the mids and treble. They are just not as airy as sound can be on semi-closed or open headphones, but that is not really a surprise.
Imaging is ok again for what it is, an affordable closed-back. Nothing really stands out, but also nothing is really lacking.
In my opinion the biggest difference between Meze 99 Neo and NightHawks is sound resolution. NightHawks being a category higher, offer far better resolution which translates to more details and clarity, much closer to a ‘lifelike’ sound presentation. Again, not a big surprise looking at the price difference and different design (closed back vs. semi-opened).

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The Meze 99 Neo has a very warm sound signature, which I tend to prefer. It is about music and enjoyment rather than analytical detail hunting. Meze Neo was made for easy-listening. As I mentioned before this warm and musical sound comes with a pretty upfront presentation which can be too much after a while if someone prefers a more laid back sound. Not as aggressively 'in your face' as the Fostex X00s for example, but still very ‘bravely’ in the front line.

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Treble is always clear enough, and the 99 Neo being warm sounding headphones are never harsh or piercing.
Mids are slightly recessed and bass is always plenty, occasionally a little bit overshadowing the lower mids. Bass is definitely the strength of these headphones, it is fun and enjoyable, however it is quite far from neutral which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
The 99 Neo is not a detail monster, won’t win hearts with extreme resolution and supremely clean and controlled bass. It is an affordable, musical closed-back headphone for music listening, and for the asking price it does its job pretty well. Overall sound is coherent, nothing is really missing. Mid-bass could be tamed down a bit, as it rules the sound too often, not always giving a chance to mids and treble to be present with the same weight.
Partly this is personal preference, but if someone prefers a more linear and balanced sound which is a bit closer to neutral, they have to look elsewhere.
Bass and treble extension is enough 90% of the time, but if someone is longing for the deepest bass notes to be as audible as the rest of the bass frequencies, they have to spend a little more money for headphones that can deliver that.

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Meze 99 Neo is very easy to drive. It can easily be powered by a smartphone, and will deliver a good enough sound for most people however the improvement what an external DAC/amp like Chord Mojo brings to the picture, is quite significant. With other words, the 99 Neo scales well to its limits.

Finishing words:
I really enjoyed my time with these headphones. It is good to see that good quality (portable) audio is more and more affordable. The Meze 99 Neo is well worth its price, in case someone is looking for a musical closed back headphone. They are not perfect and for 1.5x or 2x of its price there is better sound available, however if your budget is limited to £200, with a very good chance you won't regret buying these.

Kathiravan JLR

New Head-Fier
Meze 99 Neo - Crafty Fun
Pros: 1) L shaped sound with lush mid
2) Beautifully crafted with nice carry pouch
3) Ergonomics
4) Natural Tonality
Cons: 1) Too relaxed treble and lack of brilliance
2) Bass Bleed
INTRODUCTION:

Meze Audio is a high-end audio company based in Baia Mare, Rome, producing a wide range of audiophile grade headphones and earphones with high precision engineering. Their products are known for its warm sound with their handmade craftsmanship which brings the exquisite design language and premium feel to their audio gears. Their flagship product named Empyrean Phoenix is one of a kind and I hope their 99 neo will stand to their brand image.

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SPECIFIACTIONS:

Transducer size: 40mm

Frequency response: 15Hz - 25KHz

Sensitivity: 103dB at 1KHz, 1mW

Impedance: 26 Ω

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

PACKAGING:

The box is pretty big with the image of the headphone printed on the front with the specs mentioned on the back. The box is a slip on package and after opening a big carry case is placed and inside that the headphone is present. Along with the headphone there is a small carry pouch which has the 3.5mm terminated cable and 6.3mm gold plated jack is also present to use it along with high end amplifiers.

The carry case is built very sturdy and is a hard EVA pouch. It’s designed to accommodate the headphones accurately and can withstand some shock when dropped on the floor.

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DESIGN:

Just beautiful! The 99 series are hand built and the design is not common. The headbands are designed in a way that we don’t need to adjust them manually to fit our heads. They get automatically adjusted by the use of elastic bands. Cast zinc alloy hardware with electroplated coating, stamped manganese spring steel headband, memory foam and soft PU leather are premium materials to be found here as well. As the Neo shares the DNA of the Classics, we guarantee that the 99's are serviceable if any parts ever need to be replaced.

The ear cups has the black textured finish which is very soft to touch and the all black theme with the hint of silver trim gives the sense of premium feel to the headphones.

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FIT:

The ear cups are oval shaped and the pads are very soft. Even though they are soft they are shallow and not deep hence some might find the ears to be touching the driver every time. The pressure distribution is done well here where the total 260gm weight is nicely distributed all over the head. Even after wearing for long listening periods they is no sense of discomfort until you use them in a colder environment. With warm surroundings the pads gets warm very quickly and you can literally feel the warmness in your ears.

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SOUND:

Meze is known for its warm sound signature which most people like and is done in this some good way.

Source:

iPhone XR + Apple 3.5mm lightning dongle

Since this is only rated as 26ohms and having higher sensitivity it is very easy to drive via the smart phone.

BASS:

The strong aspect of this headphone is the bass. There is enough quantity of bass with nice sub bass extension. The rumble in the sub bass and the slam in the mid bass region is felt evidently. Though the bass quantity is more the definition and the texture is slightly lacking. The bass some times over shadows the details and sounds muffled

In the bass light tracks they sound nice and good with good low end presence but when the bass heavy tracks starts playing the bass tends to gets muffled and bloated due to excessive mid bass compared to the sub bass. The slam of the bass over powers the rumble hence they feel slightly bloated when comes to busy tracks.

The overall weight is nice and good but the texture is what lacks and that extra refinement in the bass could have made this headphone a notch better.

TRACKS USED:

Anywhere I Am – Mats & Rvmor


The bass is really sweet here. The drums sound deep and can feel the low end rumble. At 2:10 the sub bass presence can be felt nice and very tight. The background instruments sounds muffled since the bass is excessive.

Tron Legacy – Overtune

Tron legacy soundtracks are the best tracks to test out the bass definition and the quantity. The bass is presented well in this headphone with good sub bass extension and the background details can be heard since the track is not a busy one. At 1:38 the sub bass strikes and it sounds sweet.

MIDS:

Since this being L shaped signature the vocals are slightly distant and not forward. Nevertheless they sound smooth and no harshness is felt. Both the male and the female vocals sounds smooth and has that body due to the mid bass presence

Since there is a good amount of mid bass the vocals sounds warm enough and gives the girth and body to the music which is a welcome package. As the track gets busier the excessive mid bass becomes a biggest con where they start to bleed into the mids. As long as the track never gets busier the mids sounds nice and sweet. For most part in my opinion this headphone handles the mids well.

Tracks Used:

Love Story - Taylor Swift


The vocal sounds smooth and well bodied. No peak or harshness is felt during my listening experience. At 1:04 as the track becomes very busier the mid bass struggles to cope up with the vocals, background instruments, they start to get muffled.

As for as the rest of the track goes they sound very nice and smooth. They are very nice for casual listening and fun listening too.

Believe in Life – Eric Clapton

The male vocal sounds nice and smooth with no harshness. They sound as natural as possible.

HIGHS:

The highs definitely smoothed out a lot. They sound fine for casual listening but if you are into analytical listening then this will not suit you. There is a roll off in the treble section and the brilliance in the high region is not good enough. People who are prone to sensitive highs will definitely love this headphone since it’s relaxed and smooth.

Tracks used:

Lonesome Lover – Max Roach


Here the trumpet doesn’t sound rich. They sound smoother but lack brilliance. The sparkle is missing and gives very relaxed listening experience.

Terry’s Song – Bruce Springsteen

The guitar strikes nice and sweet. The smoothness gives the sense of relaxed bed time listen which some people will definitely love it. Overall they sound nice but the bass being the dominant here some lack of details is seen. The harmonica sounds well bodied and smooth which is very nice for casual listening.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING:

The soundstage is average considering the closed back type. Overall a good staging and the background instruments are felt clearly. The deep bass impact creates that sense of expansive soundstage.

The width, depth and the height all are normal and not as big as open back headphones.

Tracks Used:

Hotel California


At the initial part of the track the guitar sounds sweet and the background instruments are separated out clearly. As the track continues they sound a lot sweeter and relaxed.

Hideaway – Jacob Collier

Has the same staging as a budget range in ear monitors. The instruments sound nicer and can be felt separately without any clubbing.

The imaging is also spot on. The object sweeps from extreme left to the extreme right.

Track Used:

Crossing – Yosi Horikawa


The movement of the auto can be felt nice where it moves side to side. Overall they have good imaging.

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VERDICT:

Meze 99 Neo is a good sounding headphone with interesting design and fabulous craftsmanship. From the packaging to the end product they are done with high precision. The sound signature being L shaped will satisfy the needs of a casual bass head. They have nice warm sound with lush mids and average treble.

If you like the warm sound with good bodied vocals and a relaxed treble then this is really a gem considering the build and fit of it. They are well constructed with awesome fit. The retail price is 200 USD which is quite expensive considering the competitors providing planar and open back headphone but if you really admire the craftsmanship and the warm relaxed sound then this is the one to get in this price range.

DallaPo

New Head-Fier
The dark warrior with a soft face
Pros: musical
bass-emphasized
Lightweight
relaxed signature...
Cons: ...which sometimes seems a bit too dark
mids and highs slightly lack bite
bass-emphasized
ear pads a bit thin and small.
Rating: 8
Sound: 7.8

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Intro
MEZE always has the ambition to combine design and sound, so that their products not only functionally provide what they are made for (music playback), but also an aesthetic claim behind it.
Since I rather value the functional aspect, I often complain that this part comes too short with some manufacturers and then you have a headphone sparkling in the sunlight with unique hand paintings of Native Americans, but in the best case can also hold a tin can or a shell to the ear, where then the "sea noise" still sounds more natural than from the extravagant work of art.
For my taste, MEZE usually finds quite a good mix, even if the SOLO (IEM) could not fully convince me sonically, as well as the 99 NEO.
The 99 NEO is the successor of the 99 Classic and enriches the company's portfolio with a warm, bass-heavy and relaxed sound, which, however, brings enough energy to make the L-signature musical and lively.

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Handling
The 99 NEO is not only visually very appealing, it also does not show any weaknesses in terms of workmanship. The only weak point might be the ear cup's attachment to the headband, but that's more of a haptic "weakness" than the materials would give in.
The ear pads could be a bit larger and deeper, but the padding is extraordinarily comfortable, even if it rests slightly on the (large) ear. Other pads (e.g. those of the Brainwavz HM5) provide a remedy here.
Even though I am very sensitive especially with the padding of the ear cups, for example, if my ear bumps against the inside or the pads do not completely enclose my ear, I have no major problems with the NEO even after hours, except for a slight feeling of pressure. The headband automatically adjusts to the shape of the head with rubber grippers and distributes the 260 grams (which also makes the 99 NEO lightweight) evenly across the skull.

The scope of delivery includes a robust, fabric-covered cable with microphone and remote control, which is connected to the left and right of the headphones via mono jack (3.5mm). In addition, there is an airplane as well as 6.3mm adapter and a small fabric box for the cable. All this incl. the 99 NEO is in an attractive hardcover case.

With 103 dB at 26 ohms, the 99 NEO plays extremely effectively and also without problems on the smartphone.
The isolation, on the other hand, could be a bit better, at least in terms of sound emission to the outside world. Direct neighbors can sense music on the bus or train even at moderate volumes and certainly sing along at slightly higher levels if they know the song. However, the isolation to the inside is quite good when the music is playing.

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Sound
Bass

The NEO actually offers me exactly what I expected in advance. A musical and full sound. This is primarily due to the bass, which clearly wears the pants on the NEO. Unfortunately, it sometimes lacks the necessary precision and firmness, so that it sometimes grumbles grumpily instead of hitting hard. Actually, a bit of a pity, since this fact is the only serious point on my list of shortcomings of the NEO, respectively runs like a red thread through the signature, together with the somewhat limited stage dimensioning. Nevertheless, the bass does a good job overall, as it is not outrageously overloaded or overpowering despite the clear elevation.
Somewhat more neutral and colder music sources are recommended here in combination, since warmer ones could thicken the bass even more. However, it is always fun due to its powerful punch and it can also present finer passages without too much exuberance. In addition, it has an appealing sub-bass response if you cut back the upper range a bit with the help of an equalizer.

Mids
The mids are equally relaxed as they are detailed. Musicality is certainly the keyword here as well. However, they are warmed up a bit too much by the bass, especially when music provides a lot of "boomy" upper bass. In general, bass guitars are a bit too fat and boomy. This detracts somewhat from the overall performance of the mids, although it depends on the genre and mastering here. But the problem is more the interaction of the upper bass with the lower mids, which makes some things sound too fat and emphasized. I would wish for a bit more directness and firmness there. Towards the top, the mids clear up well and have a lively character. Voices sound a bit too warm, but still authentic.
If you like very physical mids that can still score with a good range of detail and transparency, especially with less bass-intensive music, you might find what you're looking for here. To me, however, they are a bit "hollow" at times. Garishness or other nasty peaks are not discernible.

Trebles
The treble blends in with the relaxed, warm and softer sound of the 99 NEO. They lack a bit of bite and certainly some brilliance, but they still don't necessarily lack liveliness. They shouldn't pull back much more at all, otherwise the 99 NEO would slip into absolute darkness. So they more or less keep it alive. Sibilants or unpleasant harshness are a foreign word for the NEO. Even if cymbals could like to sound a bit more grippy and it sometimes gets thinner in the treble, I can't complain about the variety of information. However, you have to listen a bit closer so that you don't miss anything.

Stage
The stage won't make you tip backwards from your chair, because it has more of a studio character than live event feeling. On the other hand, it is just as well positioned in terms of depth as it is in terms of width, even if there are limitations in both cases.

Imaging
The imaging can convey a good 3D image due to the good utilization of the individual axes and an appealing breakdown to different layers, if the songs were produced that way. However, the bass ensures that the finest blade is not unpacked in the separation, as it sometimes acts a bit growly. However, instruments and details can be located well, even when things get hectic.

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Outro
Unfortunately, I have no comparison to the MEZE 99 Classic. However, I can deduce from MEZE's own advertising that the 99 NEO will not necessarily meet the taste of those who already found the Classic too bass-heavy. Even if optics and sound are not necessarily connected, the appearance of a headphone can already give an indication of the expected sound, especially if the design is deliberately used as a support by the manufacturer.
The 99 NEO looks robust and powerful to me (especially due to the headband and the silver brackets). Like a warrior that always attacks in the dark.
For me, this is also directly reflected in the warm and rather darker sound, which is nevertheless quite musical and despite its physical character does not seem oppressive.
I would still wish for a bit more bite and firmness, especially in the basement, but the NEO is for me a good example of how a harmonically tuned L-signature can sound, albeit a bit too relaxed for my taste. Despite the bass emphasis, mids as well as highs still have enough room to breathe and the audiophile demand does not come up short. For me, it performs consistently in a good range within the targeted signature over the entire frequency range. However, a few dB less in the bass can work wonders.

MEZE
___________________________________________________________
More reviews: CHI-FIEAR
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C
Coghomelo
Do you recommend this headphone for anyone who likes to listen to metal?

PinkyPowers

Reviewer: The Headphone List
Pros: Rich and detailed. Great soundstage. Comfortable.
Cons: Too much bass, bleeds into the mids.
Neo 06.jpg

~::I first published this review on The Headphone List. Now share it with my Head-Fi fellows::~

:: Disclaimer ::
Meze provided the 99 Neo free of charge in exchange for my honest review, for good or ill.

The Meze 99 Neo sells for $249
www.MezeAudio.com
_________________________________

I received an alert from Joker: Meze had offered The Headphone List a review unit of their newest spawn, the Neo. Did any of us care to tackle it? Quick on the draw, I was. The 99 Classics is currently my preferred portable over-ear. In fact, I wrote such a thorough, flattering review, Meze felt certain I had been part of the original tour. No Meze, I was merely doing what I do, celebrating exceptional equipment. The 99 Classics’ signature resonates perfectly with my tastes, and is one of my favorite things to listen to, at any price range. I simply adore it.

So I was eager to get my hands on their Neo variant. I expected… well, I don’t know what I expected. On paper, it seemed like Neo was nothing more than a plastic-cupped version of the 99C. But I don’t know of any headphone company which does that. When a manufacturer releases a new unit, and gives it a new name, they almost always retune the thing, if for no other reason than to appeal to a new segment. The broader the range of flavor on offer, the broader the potential customer base.

I just didn’t know what the Neo would be. It could go either way.

Everything about the Neo proclaims its new flavor. It isn’t Rocky Road to the 99C’s Neapolitan. Nothing so extreme. Rather, it’s Double Fudge Brownie to 99C’s old-school chocolate. Richer, chewier, and more adolescent.

You can see this even in the carry case. Meze didn’t have to redesign the case. Why would they? But they did it anyway, as a statement: Neo is not Classic. The case is neither better nor worse than the old one. It’s just different. Both are beautifully crafted and a great way to carry these phones about.

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Case Comparison 02.jpg Case Detail Shot.jpg
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Look at the weaving! That crap gives the geek in me a stiffy!
The cable has been redesigned. Though, I think that is for the whole 99 line, not just Neo. The lower-portion of the cable is still covered in a nice cloth, but now, after the Y-split, the cord is sheathed in rubber. I think this is meant to reduce microphonic vibrations. Whatever the reason, the cable was well-made before, and it’s well-made now.

Just as the 99 Classics before it, the Neo is highly comfortable. The clamp force holds them secure, and the pads keep things soft and easy. I have no trouble wearing them for long hours at a time. Due to the plastic cups, Neo is a touch lighter, and will prove even friendlier for those long listening sessions.

Neo & 99C 01.jpg
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Neo is using new pads. When the 99 Classics first released, they had small pads, which garnered more complaints across the web than anything else… by far. So Meze released new pads to go on their next batch. I have those larger pads, they came with my 99C. Yet Neo’s pads are bigger still. They’re wider, and deeper.

Certainly, these new pads play a role in what I hear. How much of a role, is hard to say, so we shall take on this challenge now.

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Let’s not mince words here. The Meze 99 Neo is warm and profoundly bassy. Folk complain about the Classics’ low-end being too exaggerated. Well, crap just got real. The bass dominates everything else about these headphones. Fortunately, the lows are possessed of lovely tonality. There is a textured, chasmal feel about them. It’s huge, it’s thick, and it colors every goddamn thing.

Things like the vocals. I would never have called the mids on the 99C “lush”. But they’ve crossed that line with Neo. They aren’t as clear and vibrant anymore. They are thick, extremely smooth, and mighty warm. Yet there is still more than enough detail and articulation to paint a lifelike image. If you’re a fan of the HD650, you may fall in love with Neo’s vocals. They are a deep, soothing bowl of oatmeal on a cold day.

Neo 05.jpg

After some proper burn-in, the highs have finally come out to play. I no longer believe they’re rolled off, which was my first impression. Indeed, Neo has some lovely sparkle up top, with delightful extension. It’s not quite on the same level as the 99C, but close. I cannot express how paramount this is for Pinky’s enjoyment of these cans. Not because I’m a Treblehead, but rather that indomitable bass threatens to choke the whole presentation, and the treble brings a much-needed balance. It lets in the sun and the air, clearing out some of the stuffiness.

Blessedly, Neo is just as capable in the soundstage as the 99C, being one of the widest and deepest closed-back headphones on the market. Ok, it might have taken a little hit, but not much. These things create a grand sense of space. Instruments are well defined and positioned with good accuracy. Resolution is above average, but not jaw-dropping. What impresses me is how much air and layering there is, given the heavy-handed sub frequencies.

Even though most of this review has been a comparison to the 99 Classics, let’s take a paragraph to condense the differences.

The Meze 99 Classics are clearer. Greater detail comes through. The treble glistens more, giving superior air to the stage. Things don’t sound so excessively thick, as the bass is not trouncing over everything else. Instead of lush, the vocals are transparent and realistic. The soundstage is a hair bigger, though both are excellent.

I have marked a few physical differences, which might account for some of the disparity, beyond the wood/plastic of it all.

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Neo pads on the left, 99C pads on the right.

The earpads are deeper, and wider on the Neo. And as I mentioned earlier, I already have the improved 99C pads.

Pads Compare 01.jpg
99C pads on the left, Neo pads on the right.

Driver 99C.jpg Driver Neo.jpg

While my 99C does not have a damper glued to the front of the driver, it does have thicker material in the pads themselves, which should have much the same effect.

What does it all mean? *** if I know. Meze changed so much it’s hard to track. The bottom line is these two headphones don’t sound the same.

AudioQuest’s NightOwls are nearly three times as much as Neo. But since I don’t have many closed-back headphones, and I’ve really been crushing on these lately, why not do a comparison?

The NOs are cleaner. More liquid. That low-distortion AQ advertises is indeed audible. It’s weird how little grain or blemishes come through. The bass goes into the deepest registers, and can just hold it there, without pounding or booming. Its sub-bass doesn’t sound like drivers generate it, but rather like it simply exists. It’s the most natural low-end I’ve heard outside of the LCD-2. And it’s not too exaggerated, either. More like the 99C instead of Neo.

Those lows don’t bleed, either. While the vocals have a lush flavor, they are brilliantly detailed and clear. You get superior separation and layering than either Meze can manage. A level of refinement is conveyed by the NightOwl which elevates it beyond lesser options. Sweet Jesus, these are an elegant set of transducers.

Even after something like 60-70 hours of burn-in, NO’s treble is not as shimmery as Neo. It takes a little time to adjust to the darker tone. Once you do, the highs show themselves to be well-extended, soft as silk, and without any unnatural peaks. They remind me of the 64Audio U12 in this aspect. You have to sacrifice a little bit of brightness for the magic. If you can accept that, you get to enjoy a special treasure.

Soundstage is grander on all levels. Imaging and resolution don’t get much better than this. As one might infer from the price, NightOwl is on another level.

One of the best comparisons to make is the Sennheiser/Massdrop HD6XX (Special edition of the HD650). Neo has more bass, by a not-insignificant gap, yet the tuning has the same warm/lush quality. In spite of one being open-back, and the other closed, they feel cut from the same cloth. The lows on the HD650 are tighter, with superior texture. Meze goes deeper, though, with real sub-bass. Neo’s treble possesses more bite, whereas HD6XX is an easy, laid-back listen. The mids are alike in so many ways, with detail, prominence, and clarity awfully close. I may have to give it to Neo for soundstage, whereas imaging and separation are of a higher quality on the Senn.

Due to the open nature of the HD6XX, and its balance, you get a sense Sennheiser is a friend who loves you. Neo, on the other hand, is constantly kicking you in the stomach with bass, and flicking your nipples with treble. Only you will know which excites you more. I judge not.

Because of the Neo’s propensity for bass and warmth, I recommend a player that is as neutral as possible, or at least one that does well in the treble and has strong, clear mids.

Neo & Opus2 03.jpg

My Opus#2 makes a great pairing with Neo. On its own, the Opus#2 is just slightly on the warm side. But it has outstanding dynamics and treble presence. There is tremendous body to the notes, and WAY more driving power than you’d ever need for the new Mezes. It’s also the widest sounding DAP I’ve heard, so Neo gets to stretch out to its fullest. You won’t easily find a smoother, more natural renderer than Opus#2, which gives Neo all the ingredients to become its best self. It’s very hard not to fall for these headphones when plugged into this music player.

Cayin’s i5 is a rather warm, thick DAP, with extreme bass presence. While it’s not a disaster for Neo, it does take it even further in the direction I’m trying to avoid. Nonetheless, I found myself digging this pairing. There’s something about rich, powerful musicality that defies prejudice. Is it my favorite signature? No. But I can’t deny it has its charms. And an ample supply, at that.

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Neo & Opus1 01.jpg

The Opus#1 is my choice for best mid-fi audio player. With Neo, it brings in more air, giving a better sense of space and separation. The highs are nice and glistening, the mids are more vivid, and there’s solid kick down low. The Opus#1 is amazingly neutral, without ever being cold or analytical. It’s the best version of neutral, where everything shines, due to exquisite dynamism. I’ve said it before, this DAP brings out the best in every headphone, no matter the profile, and Neo is no exception. Opus does an admirable job balancing this bottom-heavy gorilla.

The new Cayin N3 is currently in my possession for testing. It’s only seen around twenty hours of burn-in. So much might change as the days roll by. Right now, however, it gives Neo a thin, weak sound. Warm, but not much going on at either end of the spectrum. It’s quite lifeless right now, with a tiny, boxed-in stage. Let us hope the N3 will open up with time.

Neo & N3 01.jpg

Even my pathetic Galaxy S6 gave Neo a FAR better spring in its step. Together they sound… okay. Get well-loud. Plenty of energy. But, this is not a great smartphone for audio quality. I suggest you choose a different one, or better yet, a nice DAP.

So that’s the Meze 99 Neo. Pinky is fond of these headphones. They are a terribly fun listen. Too much bass! For sure! Give me the 99C any day of the week. Yet Neo is decidedly sweet nonetheless, and knows how to delight a fellow. There’s no way around it, Neo’s got the goods. Coming from Meze, I’d expect nothing less.

-~::Pinky_Powers::~-

musicday

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: High build quality, comfortable, package, lightweight
Cons: average cup size, a bit bulky, they warm up after a while
Meze 99 Neo headphone review by Musicday



I would like to say a big thank you to Meze Romania, especially to Mr. Lorand that was kind enough to provide me free of charge a review unit of the relatively new 99 Neo headphone in exchange of my honest written review.



Introduction:


Meze Audio is a company from Romania who design and produces high quality headphones and IEMs at affordable prices and they have a great success among audiophiles and anyone who love to listen to music on headphones around the world. Their current flagship Meze 99 Classics was introduced to the market late 2015 and it was a huge success.

Meze 99 Neo is based on the same philosophy and concept of 99 Classics with great build quality while the price was reduced and that make these headphones more affordable for anyone wants a great headphone and have a limited budget.

At the time of writing this review Meze 99 Neo price on Amazon.uk is £220.19



Box and accessories:



The headphones have arrived in a well packed box and their own box feels smooth and doesn't betray the relative affordable price.

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In the box we find 1.2 m long Kevlar reinforced cable for extra durability. The headphones are very well built and will last you a long time.



They can also can make a very nice present to your loved ones.

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Specifications

Transducer size: 40mm

Transducer Type: Dynamic Neodymium / Mylar

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

Ear-cups: ABS Plastic

Weight: 260g (without cable)


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For the retail price of 99 Neo what’s included in the box quite nice. The hard case to store your headphones is nice and offer protection. Also there is a small velvet like pouch to store your cable when not in use.
A 3.5 mm-6.3 mm adaptor is included and an airplane adaptor.



Comfort and usage :



Having a low impedance and high sensitivity makes them very easy to drive, straight from your mobile phone or laptop. But i recommend a powerful music player or a DAC for best results. They weight only 260 gr without cable and they are very comfortable to use, but unfortunately after a long listening time my ears got warm and pause was needed. More likely leather earpads had to be sacrificed to keep the cost down.



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Music players used :



I have used when listening to 99 Neo the Tera Player, Shanling M2s and Chord Hugo 2 DAC paired straight to my laptop.

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Sound impressions:



Tera Player with 99 Neo paired sounds good with warm and detailed texture, with punchy bass. The soundstage is not as opened semi opened headphones but it does a good job for a closed back headphone at this price point. I suppose the high impedance of the Tera Player didn’t help too much in this test.



A better pairing was with Shanling M2s. This player has enough power to drive 99 Neo load and clear. Mids are smooth and clear and both male and female vocals are well reproduced. I find this headphone to be a bit bright for my taste but the treble is detailed and extended. From my understanding Meze Audio recommend that the headphones need to be burned in for around 40 hours for the sound to open up and stabilize.



Foreigner: To know what love is being a good example of male vocals, and the higher mids clarity. Isolation is better than average for this type of headphones and there was no sound leakage when playing music next to someone.

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When using Chord Hugo 2 things started to improve dramatically especially the clarity and the micro details that this headphone is capable of when paired with high quality gear. Is a pair that i have enjoyed using, being listening to music or watching a movie. 99 Neo offers more than one can expect at this price point.

I am glad that Meze Audio came along to decrease the gap between affordable good sounding headphone and expensive headphones.



Final words and conclusion:



Meze Audio created another fine headphone in 99 Neo. Is nearly up there with the 99 Classics flagship at a lower price. Once again has been proved that in the low end headphone market you can still get very good headphones, still affordable that sound more then they cost. You need to give them a try and hear yourself but at the retail price IMHO there is not much to ask for.
Well done Meze Audio !

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ExpatinJapan

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Beautiful with a neutral source, good separation, smooth, smexy
Cons: slight micro phonics with cable and metal head piece
Meze 99 Neo Headphones Review - Expatinjapan

Meze 99 Neo review

Meze 99 Neo and Opus#3 dap

Meze 99 Neo headphones review
-expatinjapan


https://www.mezeaudio.com/collections/all/products/99-neo

`A fresh take on the 99 series for the uptown audiophile, 99 Neo brings together Meze Audio’s signature sound quality with cutting edge style.` - Meze website

Head pie has previously reviewed the Meze 99 Classics:
http://headpie.blogspot.jp/2016/08/meze-99-classic-headphone-review.html

A headphone which we love and has a strong fan base.
let us see how the newer Neo measures up when compared.



Build and unboxing



The Meze 99 Neo packaging echoes the 99 Classic packaging.
The Meze 99 Neo packaging echoes the 99 Classic packaging.
The Meze 99 Neo packaging echoes the 99 Classic packaging.




Meze 99 Neo and CEntrance Hifi-M8


Some specs for that special someone who likes specs and stuff.




Repeating the name so it gets embedded in your consciousness.
99 Neo, 99 Neo, 99 Neo...




99 Neo! By Meze! Designed by Antonio Meze.


Its a box, Jim!


Ooh, nice hard ass case to protect your precious goods whilst commuting or traveling across the world. But we all know you will just hang them around your neck to look cool.


Whats in the soft circular pouch? Is it a tiny cat hat?




Exquisite detailing. Each piece specially designed to be replaceable If the need arises.




Those cups. Smexy styling for the audiophile about town.


As an earlier review unit my headband lacks the 99 Neo logo that the final version will have.
Buuurnn for Head pie *sad face*


Ah there we go, a detachable cable for the 99 Neo.
When you just want to look cool, hang em around your neck without the cable and tell everyone they`re bluetooth.




Bits and pieces of my broken heart, mind and soul.
Oops, my mistake. included bits and bobs of fancy.
*The retail version will not include the longer cable or airplane adapter. Buuurn for you this time.



Sound.

As expected there is the obvious question of what is the difference between the two models?
The 99 Classic and the 99 Neo. Looks, material and sound in a nutshell.
Some will buy based on looks alone, one crowd preferring the natural and smexy wood finish of the 99 Classic, the others perhaps more cyber urban preferring the sleek black look of the modern commuter or inner city cyber punk.
Regardless one can`t be disappointed with either of these headphones by Meze. Like their earphones which echo the headphones look on a smaller scale having both would be ideal to match ones mood on any given day.
As usual I burned in the headphones for a a decent amount of hours before commencing on the review to keep the believers and non believers alike happy.
I used FLAC tracks of 16/44 mostly, and usually on a random shuffle mode. Daps employed for the purpose were the ipod touch 6G, iBasso DX200, Opus#1, Shozy Alien Gold and Opus#3.


Meze 99 Neo and Opus#1 dap.
Can`t got wrong with The Ramones!
Not a fan? GTFO!

The Meze 99 Neo differs from its predecessor in its cup change, from wood to black ABS plastic.
The sound differences happily echo the experiences I had with the 12 Classic and 11 Neo earphones.

Please see the earlier Head pie reviews:
Meze 12 Classics http://headpie.blogspot.jp/2017/03/meze-12-classics-review-expatinjapan.html
Meze 11 Neo http://headpie.blogspot.jp/2016/10/meze-neo-11-gun-metal-review.html
One expects a certain sonic signature difference from wood versus plastic, whilst this is most certainly true with these two headphones the valley between them both isn`t so wide. They share much in common as the general specs reveal.


Meze 99Neo and iBasso DX200. A bit of the sultry Lana del Rey.

Lets take a look back at the Meze 99 Classics
http://headpie.blogspot.jp/2016/08/meze-99-classic-headphone-review.html

`Vocals: Neither too forward nor recessed the vocals on the Meze 99 Classic hit the sweet spot for me.
Bass: A slight slow decay is present, but overall is fast enough to please with most music.
Mids: As with most woodies the mids play an important part in the overall presentation, not overly warm as such, more on the liquid side of things rather than a deep lushness. fairly neutral and dynamic with a quick decay.
Treble: It is clear and offers the detail one expects, it veers away from being extended to the point of harshness or sibilance and is pleasing to the ears. It reaches far enough for a good balance with the bass and the mids, each not over stepping their individual bounds.

Instrument separation: Good separation, not crisp as such with a slight smudging at times. Overall very good.
Sound stage: A decent soundstage that feels larger than my head, good instrument placement.`


The Pixies, one of the groups along with The Smiths who redeemed the 80s.

And now lets look at the Meze 99 Neo
Vocals: nice and balanced with the music, not too forward nor back overall (mens vocals can be slightly forward at times), very smooth and even.
Bass. Is tight and fast. At times deep and with a punch to it.
Mids: Quite lush, present and defined. Very clear and smooth.
Treble: It is not as stretched as I would imagine it might have been. But is more than satisfactory. It has a nice reach. It balances out the overly dark leaning sound signature and is its saving grace.

Separation: Is crisp and well defined. Individual instruments are
are differentiated from each other.
Sound stage: It is above medium. It is a closed headphone so there are some limitations, but this didnt interfere with any enjoyment. Sound stage is more outside ones head, rather than inside it.

It has a bit of a xXx signature at times, a bit of a lil something extra in the mids. at other times a XXx signature depending on what music is being fed to them.


Meze 99 Neo and iBasso DX200
`Laaaana` - ABC Warriors.



Value
Slipping in at a easy to digest US$249 - US$300 the Meze headphones are certainly an affordable entry point to high end sound, and high street looks.
Build quality is immaculate. And If not, If per chance any part fails all the parts are replaceable.


99 Classic versus the 99 Neo visually.


A comparison of the packaging between the Meze 99 Classics and 99 Neo.


Meze gave me a woody.


Old and new pads.
The new pads have a larger circumference and fit more comfortably over a more varied size of ears, also they are slightly thicker/higher.








Simply stunningly gorgeous in looks and sound.


The 99 Neo has some a dampener, the newer 99 Classic also have the dampener over the headphone speaker....mine does not `insert sad face emoji`. So whilst my comparisons may be `close enough`, perhaps they aren`t exact due the lack of dampeners.



Overall
The Meze 99 Neo are a great complement to its older sibling the Meze 99 Classic and both echo the sonics of the earphone series which also match up wood against synthetic materials.

Isolation is very good, so its handy for about town or commuting.

Slight micro phonics with the cable, but not really noticeable unless one is jumping about.

They are very easy to drive at 26ohms which is less than the 99 Classics.

I found the 99 Neo performed well when fed to the Opus#2 , but very much enjoyed them when paired with the more neutral Opus#1 which tamed some of the low end.

There isnt much between the Neo 99 and the 99 Classics being fairly near identical in build.

The 99 Neo has more bass, but not in a bass head sense, and also more mid heavy. Not to mention the obvious cup difference

It seems to handle most genres well, and my usual shuffle test rendered no complains, its a good all rounder as head phone.

I recommend a more neutral dap to pair with the 99 Neo to bring out its best.

I could listen to Mazzy Star for instance for hours with these headphones.

Smexy, stylish, superb lows and super smooth highs and vocals.



Thank you to Meze for sending Head pie the Neo 99 headphones for review

JuanLuis91
JuanLuis91
How interesting that the previous 99 classics do not have that damper on the speaker ... Have you tried to remove the 99 Neo damper?
ExpatinJapan
ExpatinJapan
No, I havent. Sorry

Mark Up

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: Quality Build, Fun & Honest Sound, Amazing Treble
Cons: Still Tight On Large Heads, Ears Can Touch Drivers
Meze 99 Neo
I've reviewed their Classic, and appreciate Meze letting me review this model. Stay tuned for comparisons.

Background
I'm a lifelong musician, live and studio sound engineer, always with heavy duty earplugs. Often the only one in my band wearing them, but then, I've retained my unusually sensitive hearing because of it. I've tried too many headphones and in-ears to list. I'll refer to what I've tried where it's relevant in the review, to keep it simple. I've got some I'm happy with now, but I'm never tired of trying new things, so it brought me to these headphones.

What I Look For
I prefer warmer headphones, full lower mids, flat mids, reduced high mids. More than a moderate mid bass bump bothers me, and sub bass rarely extends low enough in most quality cans I'll try. I'll say "quality" since there are plenty that are explosive down there, but often at the expense of everything else. Some have said you can't have all frequencies well represented, but enough come close to this, so I know this can be done.

Common Issues
Fit has had me reject 80% of what I've tried. I much prefer over-ear. It's hard enough to get an over-ear to go over your ears (Senn. Momentum 1 for example and Momentum 2 isn't much better). My ears are fairly flat but learger around, proportional to being 6'5". My head is also, triple X hat size. Most companies could fit larger heads, with just an inch more band extension, but only some seem to take that into consideration.

Design and Comfort
These arrived well package and designed. Nice solid case and aesthetics. Very light yet sturdy. The plastic replacing the Classic's wood is sturdy, and not inclined to fingerprints. Still, I'm more into the sound aspect (and the fit, naturally). The band auto-fits easily, though like many w/ this style on me, they tend to contract when worn and have to be pulled back down sometimes. The design seems to allow some flex to fit better.

Fully extended they reach my ears but press on the top of my head. The pressure at the top of the cups that I had with the Classic is not there now. You'll see in pictures I slipped the band on top of the metal hoops to make more room. Pads are better, still not quite deep enough. As pictured, I'd put on Audio Technica MSR7 pads, perfect fit perfect, more space for ears, and sound. I'll go into that in more detail further into my review.

Sound Quality and Ideas
A bit warmer vs Classics and I prefer that. That Meze treble magic that no other company has pulled off. Clarity without any lack of detail, yet no audible peaks and no fatigue, even for one as sensitive to treble as me. This is their strongest point. There is still a bit of mid-fi quality, but that's not a bad thing. For their price, they are among the best. Many long for a "closed HD650 (now 660s) with more bass and air" and these are that.

The high mids are just right, blending with the highs perfectly. Another big win. The true mids (roughly 500 hz to 2 khz) are close to flat but with a pleasing bit of low mid warmth the Classic didn't quite have making them enjoyable, without a hard sound, yet you feel like you are missing nothing. Like the highs, they do this better than almost everyone else I've heard. A sound you can trust for accuracy, but is easy on the ears. Nice work.

The lower mids are not lacking, the Classic did a bit. There is a bit of a buildup here, and in the higher bass, evident on some recordings. That bugs me. My headphone earpad swap (to AT MSR7 pads) got rid of that as they added spaciousness, treble detail (without fatigue) and no loss of bass (rare with a pad swap) or maybe even a touch more sub bass. Low mids are a 6-7 stock, and a 9-10 with the MSR7 pads. Yes, it's that good.

Mid bass is nice with the right amount of boost. It has a bit more than the Classic, but till within an ideal range. Not for purists and not the "fastest" thing, but very pleasing. The fun goes lower (to my ear at least) than the Classic that rolled off under 40 hz. These don't roll off until under 30 hz with useful sub info at / below 20 hz. Graphs don't show this improvement though, in fact they show the Classic with the same or more extension.

How They Make This Better
Consider an easily removable pleather padded band vs. what is clamped on, as larger head folk like me can get by with just the outer metal hoop wires. They can be gently bent to fit even better. Their light weight, even lighter without that band, means no padding is no problem when the weight is spread out, with those two flat bands, which could always be wrapped in some thin padding, if needed. That would not be any issue for me.

Meze, please consider buying Audio Technica MSR7 pads. Test them, and develop your next pad based on that. They slip into the groove and fit perfectly. Images show the same depth - but the less rolled off interior means it helps the cups sit a bit farther out to fit ears better. The better stereo depth and width, cleaning up low mids / mid bass, no loss of subs and better treble clarity (with no extra treble level) is a worthwhile goal.

A word on the Audio Technica MSR7 ear pads. These are not as comfortable as the Meze stock pads which are amazingly soft. That firmness allows them to stay a bit farther out, giving you that space. The MSR7 pads ARE still very comfortable, it's just that the stock pads can spoil you, as they are among the most soft and compliant pads I've felt. So you won't feel uncomfortable, you just won't have the super pillow stock pads on them.

Additionally, that firmness can cause the clamp to increase, if you have a large head and the clamp bothers you, you will find it increases with these pads since they don't compress as much. I'm already to where they are a little too small for my head so that did make it worse. If I did a "big head mod" and removed the band to just leave the outer rings, this will not be an issue and I'm considering buying these and doing just that with these.

Meze 1.JPG Meze 2.JPG Meze 3.JPG Meze 4.JPG

Mid December EDIT / Update for Brand New Pair

I need to add an update / edit to my review and on every Meze post, where I had said something in particular. The Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 pads, which worked a miracle on the Sony MDR-1A, did change the sound of these headphones a bit. The test pair I had had a bit of a lower mid to high bass resonance build up that these tamed. I think that's what also bothered Tyll and others. They still do that, and if you want that area cleared up a bit these do it. They don't increase treble or decrease the sub bass, but the mids are every so slightly more recessed (true mids, 500 to 2 khz), the high mids aren't changed. I ordered a brand new pair. Not this may be because of slight quality improvements but these new Meze 99 Neo were best stock. Right out of the box, no burn in. The MSR7 pads had the above minor effect, but it is no longer needed, high bass and low mids had no excess to me, and true mids were full and as accurate, as do I prefer. I can't say these are the best in my collection, as each as a purpose, but they are now my favorite sounding all-rounder. My EMU Teak and my Sony MDR-1A are a bit more extended on both ends of the spectrum but don't have quite the stereo magic and gets a bit fatiguing on some songs with that. My Sony MDR-Z7 has slightly more soundstage / warmth.

My Samson Z55 is a bit more flat / accurate. These still do treble better than any headphone I have ever heard. As easy on the ears as Senn HD650 but not 'veiled'. It you want a closed option - with a bit better imaging, more sub bass and more detail without any harshness, get these. I don't feel I lose any detail v. brighter phones I've heard, all the way up to the brightest and most expensive tested (the Focal Utopia or Sennheiser HSD800 / 700). Mids are absolutely perfect. Nothing missing, but no hot spots in true mids as Sony MDR-Z7 had before it was modded, and still can have occasionally, as some Planars can have. Even very neutral Samson Z55 is slightly north of what I'd like in that area vs. these. Without a high bass, low mid issue, I can't find a frequency area on it I'd want to change even with EQ if I tried to (I mix and master lots of music, I can usually find something). I'd maybe add 1 db at 10-20 hz (yes - I can hear that low), and that is it. Maybe 1/2 db less mid bass. If they did a slight tweak in design or quality control that caused this keep doing it. These are the BEST headphones under $250, period. I'd say even under $500. Open or closed. Being free of resonances and so spacious sounding, you don't need them open to to get that kind of width in their sound.
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dmhenley

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Warm, natural sound. Comfort and a classy style. Fully serviceable!
Cons: Not as natural and linear as I'd like.
I signed on for Meze Audio's Head-Fi tour a few months back, and their latest product arrived for a short visit this month. The Meze 99 Neo (US$249) headphones. Thanks so much to Meze for including me in the tour.

This is my first time sitting down with any of their products, though I did read some reviews of both the Classics and the Neo in advance. I will keep this short, as there are many exhaustive reports already available online. I'll try to get to what I think are the key characteristics before you grow tired of me.

99neo-features-main1.jpg

Photo courtesy of Meze Audio

Design
I love the look of the 99 Neo. The build quality is impressive, and the design is classy. The electroplated zinc alloy hardware combined with the plastic black cups and memory foam ear pads makes for a sleek look. The fact that all parts are serviceable is outstanding. Not many out there today that can make the same claim.

The hard shell carrying case for the 'phones, and the smaller accessory case are high quality. Both have a texture that is pleasing to touch. I assume the 99 Neo are aimed at users who are on the go. I did not have an opportunity to step out with the Neo.

99_Neo_Case2.jpg


Fit
The 99 Neo are 3oz. lighter than my main comparison for this report - the Audioquest Nighthawks. The Nighthawk's ear cups are slightly larger and shaped differently, so for my large melon, they're more comfortable. I've big ears too, so while the 99 Neo are quite comfortable, I've got more room in the Nighthawks stock pads.

Again, the 99 Neo are very comfortable headphones. I had no problem with them over longer sessions. Of course, the closed design is going to be warmer than an open one. Out here in the desert, it is something to consider. Of course, for their target audience, the closed back may not be negotiable.

Meze provide two cables - the short and the long. I used the longer cable the entire time, and appreciate having enough length to move around my office. My DHC cables are short, and keep me tethered to my source.

99Neo_Case.jpg


Both headphones have similar impedance - 26db (99 Neo) vs 25db (Nighthawks). The Neo is rated at 103db sensitivity. That's 4db higher than the Nighthawk. Wow. I'm sticking with my AQ Dragonfly Red paired with an AQ Jitterbug for power. Streaming cd quality tracks via Tidal the entire session. I listened with both a PC source and Android phone.

Listening
These are great sounding headphones. And fun. The bumped mid-bass, or bloom, is readily apparent. That bloom - and, maybe a dip in the upper mid-range - in combination result in a somewhat warm and close presentation. Intimate. Cymbals lack some of the overtones that the Nighthawks present. It's quite subtle, and overall they sound linear and natural. The 99 Neo are an energetic headphone. Dynamic, and driving. Punchy. At times, the shove in the low end brought to mind two channel speakers.

Based on my short time when them, I feel it's less about high frequency extension, and more about the slightly lifted low frequencies - this warmer, shadier tone. I really enjoy the sound. To my ears they are slightly less linear and natural in comparison to the Nighthawks with my Double Helix cable. You know, I would've have tried the DHC cable with the Neo, but the connectors did not fit. The Nighthawks are more relaxed, being a more open design.

DHC_AQNH.jpg


Fiona Apple's voice on "The Idler Wheel..." illustrates my earlier point. Less head, and a tiny bit more throat and chest in vocals. And, cymbals lose some of their overtones. Acoustic drum stick attack and body are highlighted with the overtones slightly diminished. Pianos and other assorted keys on this record reflect this same downward shift of the stage. Again, this is subtle, and not necessarily a mark against the Neo. Just my own observations set down here for your consideration.

As for isolation - I don't have another closed pair available for a comparison. The 99 Neo seemed to isolate well. I was not able to test this in an office or elsewhere it might be needed.

The 99 Neo are a great sounding and stylish headphone. They were easily driven by my OnePlus3 phone streaming Tidal HiFi. Likewise with my pc in combo with the Audioquest Dragonfly Red. I wanted more time to test a more powerful amps affect on these sensitive phones. I am currently without my usual tube amps, so have stuck with the portable rig for the entire session. I think this may be more relevant for folks who are considering the Neo, anyway.

So, they are easy to drive, have a warm, natural voice, and are really comfortable. I think you can't go wrong if you are looking for a closed back and portable headphone in this price range. Add to this that they are stylish and fully serviceable, and they begin to compete outside this range. In a world of primarily recyclable products, one that has a higher probability of outliving me is very attractive.

In my reading I found that Meze has a devoted following, and I now know why. The 99 Neo are an excellent product.

Thanks for listening.
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kman1211

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Attractive styling, good build quality, pleasing non-fatiguing sound, good comfort, and very efficient.
Cons: Sound isn't as smooth and balanced as the Classics. Slight closed-back effect to the sound.
Disclaimer: This is a review of a review unit of the Meze 99 Neo's.

Meze 99 Neo Review

unnamed (1).jpg

The Meze 99 Neo is quite and attractive looking headphone that actually sounds quite nice as well. It's an excellent choice for a portable headphone and is best suited for electronic, energetic, and modern music genres as it has a slightly v-shaped sound in my honest opinion. I had two other headphones to compare the Neo's with, but not going to directly compare them much sound wise as the other two are open-backs and much more expensive than the Neo's but I will draw some comparisons between them. About my sound preferences, I personally lean towards more neutral headphones or slightly warm headphones overall as I have a very eclectic taste in music and like my headphones to play well with most any genre.

The specs of the headphones:
26 Ohm impedance
Sensitivity of 103dB at 1kHz, 1mw
Rated input power of 30mw
Max input power at 50mw
Weight without cable is 260g

Comfort & Build
The Meze 99 Neo is quite a comfortable headphone to my head, the headband mechanism is an auto-adjustable system similar to what is found on AKG headphones and headphones such as the Audioquest Nighthawk/Nightowl. The earpads have been notably changed from the original earpads found in the early Meze 99 Classics, earpads which I found too small and uncomfortable, the larger earpads are definitely a good design change on the Meze teams part even if it does change the sound signature a bit. I can wear the new earpads for hours without much discomfort, though some readjusting at times is needed for me so the Neo's get an B+ rating from me on comfort.

Build quality is something where the Neo's really shine in just like in the Classics, the heavily modular design, large amounts of metal, robust ABS plastic earcups, and a design that feels like it was made with longevity and durability in mind gives this headphone high marks for me. The cable also feels nice and I didn't really have any complaints with it on my usage of the headphone. This headphones gets an A+ in build for me at it's price range. The feel of quality of the build is closer to my Amiron Home and below the DT 1990 Pro. Next I am going to talk about the sound of the headphone. The ABS plastic earcups while not as pretty as the wooden ones on the Classics to my ears I feel they are more durable and make it honestly a more robust portable option overall than the Classics.

unnamed (4).jpg


Sound:
Arguably the most important part of any headphone. So how do the Meze 99 Neo's sound? Quite frankly, they sound very good, they are a slightly more colored and slightly more bassy and sparkly sounding version of the Meze 99 classics which is more smooth sounding. Fidelity between the 99 Neo and 99 Classic's is the same, they seem to use the same transducer so it's more housing differences between the two.

Soundstage & Imaging:
The Meze 99 Neo's soundstage and imaging is honestly quite good, just like with the classics may be the best headphones in their category I have heard in terms of how spacious the soundstage is and how natural the imaging comes across. The 99 Neo's do have a mild chamber effect to their soundstage where you notice it at times but it's not really an notable issue for most tracks. Not sure how much is the new pads and how much is the different housing material compared to the 99 Classics. I'll give the soundstage an imaging a B+ rating overall.

Midrange & Vocals:
The midrange and vocals of the Meze 99 Neo's are overall quite good. There is a bit of a recession in the upper midrange which does take away from the presence of the vocals a bit and part of why I say the headphone is a little v-shaped sounding. The vocals sound natural but do take a bit of a step-back. The midrange overall is quite smooth and without any major issues. I'll give the midrange and vocals a B on the Neo's as I would personally prefer a bit more presence in the vocals and more balance compared to the highs and bass.

Treble:
The treble on the Neo's is quite non-fatiguing, non overly-sibilant, and overall quite pleasant to listen to, but it does have some extra sparkle to it which I feel does detract from it overall at times, but like any headphone with a slightly v-shaped sound this does lend itself well to to certain tracks and genres. The Classics with the original pads didn't have this extra treble energy and were smoother overall. Treble gets a B overall.

Bass:
The bass on the Neo's is quite prominent and strong with good impact, I would say it's a little too accentuated overall. This makes the bass very nice for EDM and some contemporary music but can be a bit of a problem with some other tracks as it can come off as a bit too much and maybe a tad bloated at times. Overall the bass also gets a B rating from me as I personally despite some excess as I found the bass of pretty good quality overall and quite fun with bassier genres.

Conclusion:
The Meze 99 Neo is a solid headphone in my books, while I personally would prefer to own the Classics for their more natural and smooth sound and honestly I'm a bit of a sucker for wood, I would be perfectly content with the 99 Neo's as a portable option and I would be less afraid of damaging them as I would be worrying about nicking the wood of the 99 Classics as I can be a little rough on portable headphones. The Neo's are incredibly easy to drive and can be driven with ease and authority out of most portable devices. If one listens to a lot of contemporary music and wants a nice robust portable closed-back the Neo's are on the top of my suggestions. The Classic's are for those who want a more natural and analog experience. The "Neo" name is quite fitting for these headphones. I do recommend these headphones and a must listen to those looking for a very efficient circumaural closed-back. A nice benefit to both the Neo's and Classics is there is no extra cost in buying an amplifier, etc. Whether one likes the Neo's or Classic's sound more simply comes down to preference.

Bansaku

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: Design/style, comfort, detailed and smooth sound, value
Cons: Bass may be too north of neutral for some
Intro

Meze Headphones is a company with a simple philosophy; Motivation, Values, People. With a passion for art and music, achieved through patience and dedication, Meze design timeless masterpieces. Ignoring current trends that come and go with the seasons, influenced by none, they create headphones as if for themselves. Consisting of passionate specialists, with backgrounds in sound engineering, design, crafting, and music, the team has stood by their company’s values since the beginning.

In late 2015 Meze Audio blindsided the headphone community with their release of the 99 Classics, a full sized headphone built from the ground up that combined a stunning and timeless fusion of wood and metal with an incredibly detailed yet smooth sound. The following year Meze introduced us to the 11 Neo, a balanced sounding IEM sporting an all metal construction, and soon after the IEM brother to the 99 Classics in both aesthetics and sound, the 12 Classics. Meze Audio once again showed us that affordability and style doesn’t have to compromise sonic fidelity. While the full sized Classics have the smaller companion Classics, the 11 Neo sat alone, seemingly longing for a kinship of it’s own. Enter the 99 Neo, a full sized headphone who’s design and sound is based around Meze’s current flagship, the 99 Classics!

99n.jpg


Disclaimer

As part of the Canadian leg of the World wide pre-launch tour, I had 7 days to audition the headphones before shipping them off to the next participant. Besides one week of pure listening enjoyment, I received no compensation or incentives for my words. As always, my review will be objective and free of bias.

About Me

38 years old, I grew up in a family consisting of musicians, broadcaster/sound engineers, and amateur DJs, I always had a deep appreciation and understanding of both music and sound. I was further educated in this self interest after taking courses in both electronics and sound (Electro-Acousto aka The Path to Golden Ears). While I believe a listener’s preference in sound is subjective, the science behind it is not. I am not swayed by buzzwords, hype, trends, brand recognition, or big numbers on charts; I am the nemesis of the commissioned salesperson. Opinionated as I am, my words are not only objective but honest. I view all criticism as constructive, as long as it is sincere.

Specifications
  • Transducer size: 40mm
  • Transducer Type: Dynamic Neodymium / Mylar
  • 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
  • Ear-cups: ABS Plastic
  • Weight: 260g (without cable)
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Accessories

  • 1.2m OFC cable with 1-button control talk module
  • 3m OFC cable
  • Airplane adapter
  • 6.35mm adapter
  • Cable pouch
  • Headphone travel case
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For more information and nice eye candy, head over to the 99 Neo website.
To read up on general discussion and impressions, check out the official thread here.

Design & Ergonomics


Made of high quality and durable black textured ABS plastic, the 99 Neo share an identical design to it’s older sibling the 99 Classics. The metal hardware is a cast zinc alloy with electroplated coating, and are fastened to the spring steel headband with screws and nuts; There is zero adhesives and plastics used in their construction! Both the memory foam ear pads and the headband are made of a soft polyurethane leather.

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Due to the use of ABS plastic in the 99 Neo’s design, the headphones are incredibly light, weighing in at 260 grams. Thanks to the extra wide headband and the double-wishbone style of the spring, wearing the 99 Neo feel almost weightless; The headband extends to a perfect fit every time. Clamping force is extremely tolerable, with very little discomfort coming from the ear pads. Included with the 99 Neo are the new 3rd generation ear-pads. Listening to the community, Meze Audio increased the size of the included ear-pads giving the 99 Neo a more universal fit. This combination of design features ensures for long term wearability.

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The detachable cables are of the Y-design, meaning that the left and right channels connectors are separate. With no cable running through the headband, not only is there less microphonic noise, but less potential for channel imbalance due to unequal cable lengths, all while making the 99 Neo more user serviceable. Listened to community feedback, once again, this time around the 99 Neo’s cables are a hybrid of sorts. The included cables with 99 Classics featured a cloth sleeve that ran the full length, where as the 99 Neo’s cable have only rubber after the Y-split. Because of this change, microphonic noise has been greatly reduced after the split, making it virtually silent when rubbed or knocked. All three of the jack plugs (2.5mm and 3.5mm), as well as the Y-split have silver and black metal housings featuring seamless rubber stress reliefs.

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First Impressions

Like reuniting with an old friend, I was greeted with the familiar well designed mag-latched embossed black box featuring the outlined portrait of the “Classics”. Inside sat the re-skinned moulded hard carry case containing the 99 Neo, featuring a fibre weave design over the hard leather found with the 99 Classics; An unexpected yet nice touch that helps distinguish the two models from one another! I actually couldn’t help but pet the case as it’s texture is extremely pleasant to the touch. So smooth! Once again, Meze presented me with a quality product that radiated elegance!

Much like the box, the contents of the travel case was all too familiar but instead of a stunning pair of wood wrapped headphones sat a pair of Classics all dolled up, ready for a night out on the town! Damn the 99 Neo looked sexy staring back at me. Black textured housings highlighted by a subtle silver band, much like the carry case I couldn’t help but run my fingers across the surface. I didn’t think I would like the ABS plastic on the 99 Neo as much as I do the natural walnut wood of the Classics, but that assumption was quickly removed. While I had seen pictures, nothing compares to viewing in person as natural ambient lighting strikes the surface! This seems to have become my normal response to ALL of Meze Audio’s products; Open box, stare in awe, touch the product, drool, come to senses and place on head!

Since owning the 12 and 99 Classics, I half expected the 99 Neo to have a very similar sound to the 11 Neo, and I wasn’t wrong in my thinking. The 11 Neo offer a very balanced, smooth sound with a slight emphasis on bass whereas the 12 Classics had a little more control and refinement with a warm, crisp, organic sound very reminiscent of the 99 Classics. In other words, the 99 Neo sound like a full sized version of the 11 Neo, and I couldn’t be more pleased! I would have been very disappointed if the 99 Neo were simply a more affordable version of the 99 Classics. In my opinion, from a business point of view it would serve no purpose as it would cannibalize sales of the more expensive model while offering consumers nothing new.

Sound - The Basics

Bass - First and foremost, the 99 Neo are bass heavy cans. Not in the realm of bass-head territory, rather the bass can be described as somewhat omni-present. Mid-bass is fairly tight and quick, with excellent punch and the ability to slam with authority. While overall linear with excellent detail, it does poses a slight hump that does at times walk the line of spilling over into the lower midrange. I wouldn’t describe the mid-bass as boomy or sloppy, however it does somewhat lends a hand to the mids giving certain instruments and vocals an added layer of warmth. Gently rolled off, sub-bass is nicely weighted and has a fair amount of detail. Overall the sub-bass is slower and a tad looser than the mid-bass, but in no way does it overpower the rest of the spectrum nor distort.

Midrange - Warm and detailed with fantastic texture and resolve. The 99 Neo’s midrange ins’t aggressive or hyper-detailed, instead offering a very smooth and relaxed listening experience. Make no mistake, detail and resolution is there it’s simply not in-your-face. Lower mids are slightly elevated over the upper region, accounting for the added warmth to the frequency range. Both male and female vocals sound sublime, possessing excellent body and outstanding resolve, yet at the same time sound incredibly smooth. Likewise instruments sound very natural with great texture and resolve while at the same time posses a velvety smoothness that flows effortlessly within the soundscape.

Treble - Well detailed and extended with a gentle roll-off, treble does it’s job and nothing more. While the 99 Neo’s ability to render the finer details with just the right amount of sparkle and shine is done so with ease, much like the mid-range it does so with added warmth. In other words the top end does lack a bit of air, slightly tilting the 99 Neo’s overall tonal quality more towards dark from neutral. However this contributes to absolutely zero accentuation or peakiness to the sibilance in recordings, and adds to an absolute fatigue-free listening experience.

Soundstage - For a closed back headphone, the 99 Neo’s soundstage is far above average. Left/right and up/down have excellent width and height, giving the listener a good sense of hearing the sound “outside of the head”. Front and rear depth is there and can be described as above average, however it’s only so because it takes a back seat to the width and height. 3D and holographic imaging is spot on with excellent instrument separation; I never got the sense of things sounding congested nor cluttered. Overall, despite it’s hugeness, I found the 99 Neo’s soundstage to be natural sounding and not forced.

Isolation - In terms of passive sound isolation, the 99 Neo are basically average for a headphone of it’s design. Nothing exceptional but nothing garbage either. Wearing the 99 Neo out in public running errands or heading to work on public transit, they fall within the same range as my Sennheiser Momentums; Most sounds were blocked out to a moderate degree (dependant on the track and volume setting) with only the deep rumble of a Diesel engine while riding or passing a city bus being able to really penetrate and annoy my ears. In terms of sound leakage, the 99 Neo has virtually none! Sitting next to my wife while listening to heavy metal at a louder than moderate volume she heard absolutely nothing, which also meant I was not able to hear her! Ha ha, zing!! Of course, wearing glasses/shades and/or a cap of sorts may break the ear pad’s seal, thus causing both sound leakage (in and out) as well as slightly changing the presentation of the sound (i.e. less prominent bass). But like always, this depends on each individual’s head and YMMV.

Sound - Music

Listening to the audiophile classic Spanish Harlem - Rebecca Pidgin is a must for all music lovers. I always turn to this song as a test of a headphone’s dynamics, and the 99 Neo handled this track with ease. Rebecca’s voice was well rendered, with a good sense of naturalness. The sibilance of her voice can pose problems for headphones of all quality, including ones that cost numerous times more that the 99 Neo, but not so here! Every note was pitch perfect with a velvety smooth naturalness. The bass, while a touch more prominent over neutral, had excellent definition and weight yet played perfectly, un-obscuring towards the rest of the sound. Each draw of the bow across the violins had great texture with a silky resolve. Every shake of the rattle sounded unique, and could be easily discerned, never sounding lost in the background. The piano was smoothly rendered without glare or congestion.

Colour to the Moon - Allan Taylor, is another great audiophile classic. Between the deeper octaves of the vocals and the lower registers of the acoustic and electric guitars, this song is a great test of both the male voice as well as separation of bass frequencies. Allan’s voice is beautifully rendered with detail and emotion, trenched with warmth it’s deep sound saturates the sound-space. The delicate picking of the acoustic guitars glistened with great texture and resolve, each pluck sounding clean and distinct. Possessing an almost holographic quality, the bass cleanly resonated from the back with deep, enveloping, and powerful detail, yet never sounding overwhelming nor overshadowing the rest of the spectrum’s sounds. Despite it’s somewhat strong bass, the 99 Neo smoothly rendered this song both truthfully and effortlessly.

Stravinsky’s The Royal March - Soloist New York is an excellent track to demonstrate a headphones ability to handle transients. Between the brass, strings, and percussion, this song features powerful transients. To fully appreciate the 99 Neo ability, (as always) I turned up the volume to above average listening levels. What I was presented with was an awesome sense of excitement! The drums were tight and taut, never sounding dull, sluggish, or lacking definition despite the 99 Neo’s somewhat omni-present bass. The horns sounded smooth yet crisp and clean, well defined with just enough ear-tickling bite! Cymbals splashed with very fast and accurate attack, sustain, decay, and release albeit lacking just a touch of air. The bass-strings resonated deep with both speed and definition, never overshadowing any of the more delicate sounds heard thought the track. Nothing sounded flat or congested rather I was presented with a large, well defined soundscape.

The trance/electronica track ‘Up On You’ from the Audiophile compilation by Audiomatic features both impressive amounts of elevated mid-bass and sub-bass as well as a plethora of 3D sounds. Thanks to the detailed mids and large soundstage, the 99 Neo rendered the computer generated and digitized effects with both speed and clarity. The electronic sounds filled the soundscape with a fantastic texture and a great sense of 3D imaging! The 99 Neo was able to deliver mid-bass punch with authority, yet still revealing the nuanced low frequency textures of the electronica sounds. Though rolled off in the extreme lows, sub-bass possessed impressive amount of weight and energy and was rendered with decent speed; Never did the bass sound too sloppy or sluggish. Simply put, the 99 Neo is more than capable of supplying ample but appropriate bass when needed, but nothing more. Bass-heads should be satisfied with the output quantity while audiophiles will pleased with the quality.

Sound - Movies, Games, and General Use

Movies - Admittedly, I was half expecting the 99 Neo to sound way too bass heavy or perhaps boring given their neutral-warm tonal quality, and thankfully my concerns were short lived! As per usual, 2013’s Pacific Rim, specifically the 15 minute intro, is my go-to movie for critical testing. Nominated and awarded in both audio and visual effects categories, this action packed movie brings to life Guillermo del Toro’s tale of giant robots vs monsters in an against-all-odds rollercoaster ride of humanity’s last chance for survival! Thanks to the slightly elevated bass and exceptional soundstage coupled with their well rendered midrange and detailed yet fatigue free treble, the 99 Neo deliver a theatre-like experience! Both Charlie Hunnam’s narrative overlay as well as general dialogue came across as both well rendered and well centred. From the rain drops pelting the Jaeger’s metal plating, the hydraulics, mechanics, and instrument inside the cockpit, the waves crashing against a massive Godzilla-like Kaiju, every nuance of the background sounds was easily discernible with excellent 3D positioning all while the epic soundtrack pumped excitement into my ears! Normally after the intro and the title credits roll is where I end things, bit I ended up watching the whole movie! From start to finish not only did I have an enjoyable listening experience but did so without any discomfort with either the headband nor ear-pads and I must note, for anything other than music I wear glasses.

YouTube/Podcasts - Lets face it, next to music streaming media would probably rank a very close #2 in terms of the general public’s use for headphones, myself included. As someone who used both public transit and a good set of runners to get around town I see it everywhere, even at work. Two key factors are a must here; Comfort and balanced sound. Combining both comfort and decent passive noise attenuation, the 99 Neo check off the first with ease. For the 7 days I had the headphones I used them as my daily driver. Sitting in my gaming throne watching various YouTube vloggers, both male and female of various ethnicity, in a room that not only has 2 lovebirds and a parrot but a wife watching TV while babbling on the phone, I was able to do so un-bothered by neither outside noise nor discomfort. Thanks to their smooth and balanced sound, the 99 Neo do a remarkable job rendering the human voice. I was worried that, again, the added bass would make certain presenters, especially the ones who like to add a “broadcaster’s” effect to their voice (you know the ones), would sound way too bass heavy and again, the 99 Neo proved me wrong and held their composure! For use as a pair of desk warriors, the 99 Neo do a fantastic job for daily use.

Games - Over the years, up until I took interest in true audiophile headphones (albeit mid-fi), I have owned virtually every top-tiered gaming headsets from Corsair to Sennheiser. I even pop in to my local computer centre and demo the latest offerings, and things haven’t changed much at all. Because of the gamer’s need to hear the most minute of detail, by design their sound signature is always very mid centric with rolled off (yet detailed) bass and treble. In other words, unexciting. Fantastic at hearing footsteps, great at hearing both in-game and chat voices, but there is a reason they all come with a software suit of sorts; To add some pizzaz! Well, I don’t believe in any of that jazz (though I do love jazz!) rather a headphone should be able to render what the game designers intended on their own. The 99 Neo absolutely destroy gaming headsets I have heard in their price range! Whether it be the latest Call of Duty or Battlefield, Forza, Tomb Raider, Witcher 3, Diablo 3, Prey, Doom, or Hitman, not only was I able to hear the minute details needed for pin-point accuracy and survivability, there was an excellent sense of natural 3D positioning as the environments came alive within a large soundscape! DolbyHeadphones or SBX be damned, the 99 Neo did a far greater job at rendering the sound engineer’s model than cheap sounding post processing! Because of the 99 Neo’s well extended low and top end, nothing ever sounded dull or uninspiring. Explosions hit hard but never overpowering, bullets sounded like they whizzed past my hears, spells dazzled and sparkled, the music was as clear and concise as it was dynamic, and voices/dialogue was smooth and clean! And of course, comfort wise, while wearing glasses and spending hours in front of my monitor with few breaks, absolutely zero issues what so ever! If the 99 Neo had an option for a boom-mic, I would argue that we’d have a new top contender in the gaming headset market!

Sound - Summary

Jack of all trades and master of none! What impressed me about the 99 Neo is their ability to handle every genre flawlessly. From Classical to Heavy Metal, Jazz to Electronica, gaming or watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster, I was never let down by their evenhandedness towards the genres; None were fundamentally better suited for the 99 Neo! I would like to point out that if the track is poorly mastered, or an mp3 of a low bit-rate, you will notice the flaws. While not of the ear-screeching-in-your-face here-I-am sort, the 99 Neo will gently point them out. On the plus side, high bit-rate/High-rez music tracks sound fantastic! While not hyper detailed, the 99 Neo are detailed and resolving enough that one will benefit from the tracks taking up more space on their storage device.

Amping and Scaleability

With an impedance of 26 Ohm, the 99 Neo are efficient enough to be driven by virtually any source with a 3.5mm jack. This however doesn’t mean that the 99 Neo will not benefit from a higher end source, quite the opposite in fact. I always say that the quality of a headphone is determined by the user being able to discern the differences between not only higher performing hardware but higher quality recordings. While the 99 Neo sound fantastic straight out of my iPod listening to 256Kbs AAC, they are in a whole different league running out of my iFi stack listening to 24-bit high-res audio! I was easily able to hear a substantial gain in fidelity both in the source file and the hardware, something that simply can not be said about quite a few (over-priced) headphones at this price-point I have owned/heard, even from well established and well regarded competitors.

Burn-in

40 hours is what is recommended by Meze, and I highly encourage anyone to give the 99 Neo at least that amount of time before any critical listening. I am not only referring to driver burn-in but the breaking in of the ear-pads as well. Bass becomes more controlled, less loose and bloomy, and treble detail definitely comes up a few notches. Overall, after burn-in of both the drivers and ear-pads, the sound becomes less stiff, more natural, and balanced.

Value

Sitting at the sweet spot of $249 USD, like all of Meze Audio’s products, the 99 Neo offer great value for the money that won’t break the bank. High quality hard travel case: √! Two high quality 99.99% pure OFC cables: √! Cutting edge style and construction: √! Incredibly smooth and balanced sound that is detailed yet non-fatiguing: √ √ √! At it’s price point, there is a lot going for the 99 Neo that would warrant it’s purchase over it’s competitors, and I would gladly shut up and give Meze my money!

Conclusion

It matters not if you are a headphone junky who wants to add to their ever growing collection, or if you are simply someone in the market looking to find a headphone that offers a detailed, fatigue free, and balanced sound, you can’t go wrong choosing the 99 Neo over the other more established brands. With a price of $249 US, Meze Headphones has another solid contender with the 99 Neo. Combining a smooth and natural listening experience that incorporates a visually striking modern-yet-timeless design while maintaining a comfortable fit, much like the 99 Classics there are few reasons not to fall in love with these headphones! Once again my hat’s off to you, Antonio Meze, and your awesome team; You have made yet another great headphone!

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