my exp with the mezee 99 classics after 4 months

[sand87ch]

I bought the mezee 99 classics after thinking a lot first because of the price and also i was looking for a good headphone in that price range and i didnt want to be paying that much for something which i would later regret.
I am a novice listener and have mostly been on the lookout for good headphones or earphones.i have used senheisser momentums and the audio technica which i sold before getting the mezee.

After listening to the mezee for this long i feel that these headphones are worth the cost in terms of the build and probably looks but the main aspect which is the sound didnt impress me a lot.The thing is it mostly sounds like a normal headphone to me.it has good bass(muddy)but the highs are rolled off too much and the mids arent revealing and are recessed.even the bass isnt punchy or tight but seems a bit muddy.

I mainly used apple lossless,tidal and quobuz to listen to various songs and each time i have felt that my senheisser
momentums wired earphones sound a lot better than the mezee.

i am somebody who likes the spaciousness,tight bass,good mids and not so shrieky highs.However the mezee 99 classics seem to serve a totally different crowd altogether.

I would like to hear the inputs of other fellow music listeners who have heard this headphone.

 

[Yogesh]

I also auditioned this at HPZ. After 650, this just didn't cut any mustard for me. The demo for me at the time was very lackluster.

if you talk of looks, it's altogether another matter though.

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

I have absolutely zero experience with headphones, except some small BT buds that I use for my morning runs.

Did you try them with a phone or laptop 3.5mm jack or a proper headphone amp. Though they seem to be high sensitivity with a low impedance, might be worth a try with some powerful headphone amp just to see.

 

[sand87ch]

I have absolutely zero experience with headphones, except some small BT buds that I use for my morning runs.

Did you try them with a phone or laptop 3.5mm jack or a proper headphone amp. Though they seem to be high sensitivity with a low impedance, might be worth a try with some powerful headphone amp just to see.

not with a headphone amp though.but since they have low impedance i think thay may not be the issue here

 

[manek]

I also auditioned this at HPZ. After 650, this just didn't cut any mustard for me. The demo for me at the time was very lackluster.

if you talk of looks, it's altogether another matter though.

Same here. According to me they suck big time with a V shaped frequency response which is not so great at the extremes. They were being sold to me like gods own headphones. I walked away with ATH-m50x. Much much better in every way. I am not surprised that the Sennheiser momentum’s sounded much better because they just are.
I remember taking my Sennheiser hd-580 as reference to compare and i made the HPZ sales person hear them on my phone and on their amp and compared it to the 99 classics. His face fell immediately.

 

[sand87ch]

Same here. According to me they suck big time with a V shaped frequency response which is not so great at the extremes. They were being sold to me like gods own headphones. I walked away with ATH-m50x. Much much better in every way. I am not surprised that the Sennheiser momentum’s sounded much better because they just are.
I remember taking my Sennheiser hd-580 as reference to compare and i made the HPZ sales person hear them on my phone and on their amp and compared it to the 99 classics. His face fell immediately.

yes.the ath m50x was good but for the sibilance or too much brightnes at the top end.i gave them away because it always used to bug me that i didnt go for the mezees as every reviewer was singing paens abt it.However initially wen i heard it i was like wth.thought burn in would make it better but now i can say that i could have gone for better.i put this out here to understand if its only my ears and to also help others make a decision if they are torn brw this and something else.Thing is mezee 99 classics arent worth the asking price.what baffles me is how do reviewers find it great??

 

[Yogesh]

I have absolutely zero experience with headphones, except some small BT buds that I use for my morning runs.

Did you try them with a phone or laptop 3.5mm jack or a proper headphone amp. Though they seem to be high sensitivity with a low impedance, might be worth a try with some powerful headphone amp just to see.

Checked them with HipDac 2. For my preferences, it didn't even come close to 650. Hence, didn't bother to check with DeskTop Amps. I also checked out Sundara, Ananda, LCD2, Senn 800, Focal-Exact model I am not sure. My Pick was LCD closely followed by Sundara.

 

[manek]

Thing is mezee 99 classics arent worth the asking price.what baffles me is how do reviewers find it great??

Take a guess ???? There is nothing baffling about it.

Another question to ask is why out of so many headphones excellent headphone choices would a dealer push the meze ????

For both the above points your guess is as good as mine

yes.the ath m50x was good but for the sibilance or too much brightnes at the top end.

Really ? I have lived with mine for years now and no such complaint. Every studio has a pair of these which they use for recording or monitoring functions.

Yes they are a bit forward in the upper midrange and thats how they are.
The mentioned sibilance and brightness could have been managed with just a swap of the headphone cable that is detachable. A good flexible OFC cable would have possibly done the trick. I swapped my original cable with a good quality Aftermarket one and the smoothness of the presentation all round is very noticable. For me the Ath-m50x are daily use headphones for all genre's of music. Especially post the cable swap It doesn't disappoint at all.

 

[alladinkachirag]

The mentioned sibilance and brightness could have been managed with just a swap of the headphone cable that is detachable. A good flexible OFC cable would have possibly done the trick. I swapped my original cable with a good quality Aftermarket one and the smoothness of the presentation all round is very noticable. For me the Ath-m50x are daily use headphones for all genre's of music. Especially post the cable swap It doesn't disappoint at all.

Which cable you swapped with? Interested to know....my m50x's have their earpads gone very bad, need to replace those as well - any suggestions.

 

[arj]

I bought the mezee 99 classics after thinking a lot first because of the price and also i was looking for a good headphone in that price range and i didnt want to be paying that much for something which i would later regret.
I am a novice listener and have mostly been on the lookout for good headphones or earphones.i have used senheisser momentums and the audio technica which i sold before getting the mezee.

After listening to the mezee for this long i feel that these headphones are worth the cost in terms of the build and probably looks but the main aspect which is the sound didnt impress me a lot.The thing is it mostly sounds like a normal headphone to me.it has good bass(muddy)but the highs are rolled off too much and the mids arent revealing and are recessed.even the bass isnt punchy or tight but seems a bit muddy.

I mainly used apple lossless,tidal and quobuz to listen to various songs and each time i have felt that my senheisser
momentums wired earphones sound a lot better than the mezee.

i am somebody who likes the spaciousness,tight bass,good mids and not so shrieky highs.However the mezee 99 classics seem to serve a totally different crowd altogether.

I would like to hear the inputs of other fellow music listeners who have heard this headphone.

you got it spot on. I heard it during the headphone zone show and the mid and bass was wooly. perhaps will be good listening to Mp3 as it adds thickness.

 

[manek]

Which cable you swapped with? Interested to know....my m50x's have their earpads gone very bad, need to replace those as well - any suggestions.

I used a custom cable from headgear audio. A occ braided extremely flexible cable white colour. Its still there on their website methinks. Neutrik connectors at both ends. Listening to the ath-m50x right now as I type and smiling ear to ear . Btw cable costs as much as the headphone. For me it was an experiment to be used with ATH, Focal, and other headphones that I may get later and I wanted to get a good quality wire once and for all.

For ear pads mine also wore out and I used the Brainwavz hybrid ones. Thicker than the original and gives a more spacious presentation. Some like it some hate it. Mind you changing earpads will change the sonic signature of the headphone drastically. I also used the Brainwavz pro hybrid which is not as thick but somewhere in-between the original and the thicker ones and sound signature is somewhat closer to the original. Then there is wicked cushions. I use those with my focal and i can hear the slight brightness/harshness from time to time. Also the headphones clamp on the ears very tightly as they are new. They probably need some “burn/bedding in” . And yes the overall sonic performance is more to my liking. Will tweak them further. You will have to check the dimensions of the aftermarket cushions v/s the original first before buying it. You will be surprised at the number cushions from one headphone fit another.

You will be shocked by how different the headphone sounds with different pads and is one the most important things that the designer uses to voice the headphones apart from drivers and enclosures. I have also used a small piece of very thin speaker cloth material on the headphone drivers without the original thin sponge dust covers. Some headphones have two layers or one thick layer of the of dust cover material. Experiment, have a nice time doing so.

 

[sand87ch]

Take a guess ???? There is nothing baffling about it.

Another question to ask is why out of so many headphones excellent headphone choices would a dealer push the meze ????

For both the above points your guess is as good as mine


Really ? I have lived with mine for years now and no such complaint. Every studio has a pair of these which they use for recording or monitoring functions.

Yes they are a bit forward in the upper midrange and thats how they are.
The mentioned sibilance and brightness could have been managed with just a swap of the headphone cable that is detachable. A good flexible OFC cable would have possibly done the trick. I swapped my original cable with a good quality Aftermarket one and the smoothness of the presentation all round is very noticable. For me the Ath-m50x are daily use headphones for all genre's of music. Especially post the cable swap It doesn't disappoint at all.

yes thats the reason i had initially bought the ath m50 and i liked the sound signature minus the ones on the highs.i felt that the ath m50 sounds more like the yamaha amplifiers.but the mezees are more like marantz but worse than the marantz sound signature.i dont know how else to define it.yesterday i got to hear the ath again at one of the shops here that had it on display.yeah its good but inguess the highs are a bit more sharper or the "ssss" sound in the higher end comes a lot more pronounced which feels fatiguing.if thts not there then the ath is really good in that price range.

 

[manek]

yes thats the reason i had initially bought the ath m50 and i liked the sound signature minus the ones on the highs.i felt that the ath m50 sounds more like the yamaha amplifiers.but the mezees are more like marantz but worse than the marantz sound signature.i dont know how else to define it.yesterday i got to hear the ath again at one of the shops here that had it on display.yeah its good but inguess the highs are a bit more sharper or the "ssss" sound in the higher end comes a lot more pronounced which feels fatiguing.if thts not there then the ath is really good in that price range.

Try the m70x then.

 

[mbhangui]

yes thats the reason i had initially bought the ath m50 and i liked the sound signature minus the ones on the highs.i felt that the ath m50 sounds more like the yamaha amplifiers.but the mezees are more like marantz but worse than the marantz sound signature.i dont know how else to define it.yesterday i got to hear the ath again at one of the shops here that had it on display.yeah its good but inguess the highs are a bit more sharper or the "ssss" sound in the higher end comes a lot more pronounced which feels fatiguing.if thts not there then the ath is really good in that price range.

You can get a valve headphone amp or an headphone that has lower high frequency response or use equalization to reduce the HF.

The "ssss" sound is what I covet and my entire life becomes meaningless without that and the reason I don't like the valve amps. I have always found when the high frequency reproduction is good and sharp, you get the 'ssss' sound. For me that is so important to get the right bass and the right amount of 'sssss' that I have come up with this portable headphone rig which has a graphic equalizer. I turn up the bass for AKG and turn up the HF for senheisers. For the ATH m50x I keep all controls at level.

Each headphone is different and has a different sound signature. You have to equalize it. Most people use some kind of software equalizer. I have come up with this contraption. It is much easier to use mechanical controls. I'm using a 12 years old O2 headphone amp which even today beats my iFi Hip Dac2. Read this too about the O2 amp.

 

[chillumphile]

Which cable you swapped with? Interested to know....my m50x's have their earpads gone very bad, need to replace those as well - any suggestions.

I also find my m50x sibilant.

I used Wavelet android equalizer app ehich has pre saved presets for different cans, sound great along with that.

 

[manek]

You can get a valve headphone amp or an headphone that has lower high frequency response or use equalization to reduce the HF.

The "ssss" sound is what I covet and my entire life becomes meaningless without that and the reason I don't like the valve amps. I have always found when the high frequency reproduction is good and sharp, you get the 'ssss' sound. For me that is so important to get the right bass and the right amount of 'sssss' that I have come up with this portable headphone rig which has a graphic equalizer. I turn up the bass for AKG and turn up the HF for senheisers. For the ATH m50x I keep all controls at level.

Each headphone is different and has a different sound signature. You have to equalize it. Most people use some kind of software equalizer. I have come up with this contraption. It is much easier to use mechanical controls. I'm using a 12 years old O2 headphone amp which even today beats my iFi Hip Dac2. Read this too about the O2 amp.

View attachment 80633

Wasnt the O2 the one where multiple jrc/njm/njr 4556 opamps were paralleled to get the desired highish output current ?

 

[mbhangui]

Wasnt the O2 the one where multiple jrc/njm/njr 4556 opamps were paralleled to get the desired highish output current ?

Yes and an article was published by nwavguy on op amps http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/op-amps-myths-facts.html

He got banned from Head-Fi for showing how Schiit Audio Asgard has the ability to destroy headphones.

Banned at Head-Fi!

MOVING UP! I’m moving up in the world. First I found a number of inconsistencies with the AMB Mini3’s claimed specs, but rather than have a...

nwavguy.blogspot.com

 

[manek]

Yes and an article was published by nwavguy on op amps http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/op-amps-myths-facts.html

He got banned from Head-Fi for showing how Schiit Audio Asgard has the ability to destroy headphones.

Banned at Head-Fi!

MOVING UP! I’m moving up in the world. First I found a number of inconsistencies with the AMB Mini3’s claimed specs, but rather than have a...

nwavguy.blogspot.com

Well rumour has it he also was sued into submission for a design that broke the myths of the esoteric equipment.
I have seen the schematic once of twice and always wanted to DIY one example for myself. Maybe one day. I seem to have all the parts except the 4556 opamps but those can be easily bought. Very unique dual opamp in-terms of current delivery.

 

[sand87ch]

i think the issue is we dont have places to try out headphones and on top of that no shop or site even headphonezone loans one out like a demo to test mostly due to unavailability and then return.if they do that then i guess it will be awsome.

 

[DB1989]

i think the issue is we dont have places to try out headphones and on top of that no shop or site even headphonezone loans one out like a demo to test mostly due to unavailability and then return.if they do that then i guess it will be awsome.

HPZ used to have a try and buy program. Dunno about whether they still do it but i did try a loaner unit of the Chord Mojo first before placing an order with HPZ.