I received my Noirs this morning (glad they came in the morning so I can spend the whole day with them
)Very early first impressions...
I immediately swapped out the pads that came on them with the extra set. They are comfortable to me. Actually I redact my first statement, I did briefly put them on my head with the stock pads just to see how they felt. They do look nice and smaller in person which is nice. And I like the way the headband adjusts automatically.
Sound, through my Q1 Mk II...I think these really sound great, even after just an hour. I can tell these fit a little better into my sonic preferences, I think. The bass is a little bit strong I feel but it still sounds pretty well balanced to me. Only on the bassiest tracks it sounds like too much and muddy. I do also detect a bit of bleed into the mids but just a bit, and also a bit of subbass rolloff. I love the midrange though. Vocals, guitars, electric pianos and keyboards all sound fantastic. Now I can tell the H6 was lacking a bit there. Everything just sounds fuller which is a big plus. The treble also sounds very nice but I think I prefer the H6 treble as it has more air that I like; when I put the H6 on right after the Meze it feels like a veil has been removed. But then the H6 doesn't have the same body or thickness so there's that, and the treble can also sound a little more fatiguing on the H6. The Meze also sounds more intimate and closed in. So I guess to summarize I really like what I hear so far. Burn in will probably make things even better later on. More rich and full than the H6, better mids, more natural sound, but lacking a little more in extension both ways and soundstage. I guess the H6 might have more detail in the treble than the Meze but I haven't really been able to tell as the Meze still brings out details well. I will try to compare more throughout the week, but the Meze 99 Noir sounds great. I will have to experiment with the larger pads at some point because I am curious to hear what they sound like.
My biggest complaint though, and honestly I feel like this could be a deal breaker. I don't like the way these look on my head, like at all; the metal headband is tall and wide and the ear cups stick out too much too. The idea is for these to be my work companion but honestly I think I'd feel a little self conscious wearing these at work
But we'll see. Maybe I'll need to grow the confidence to not care what others think lol. Because I really like these.