Meze Audio didn't enter the headphone business until 2009, when founder and designer Antonio Meze "was searching for a pair of headphones that he could connect to in the same way that he felt connected to his Fender Stratocaster guitar"—this according to Raluca Vontea, who works as the company's brand manager. Vontea adds that Meze, who has experience designing products for a number of different industries, wanted to create "an object to pour his passion for music in, an object that is full of personality and life and that has its own story." Meze Classic headphones are designed and engineered in Romania and manufactured and assembled (including drivers) to Meze's specifications in Zhuhai, China. The Zhuhai factory, with a workforce 1000 strong, also makes headphones for other audiophile brands; Meze's headquarters, in Baia Mare, Romania, has a staff of 15. Meze Audio's 99 Classics, which are in the middle of the company's headphone line, arrived in a zippered hard-shell case that also contained two lightweight, detachable, Kevlar-sheathed cables: one 4' long with a one-button remote control for portable use, and a 9' cable for home use. At the headphone ends of these cables are dual 3.5mm gold-plated TS plugs—these, rather than the earcups themselves, are marked L and R—with a single 3.5mm TRRS plug at the amplifier ends. Also included are 3.5mm-to-¼" and dual 3.5mm airplane adapters. All plugs and cables can be kept in a small, resealable, faux-velvet pouch (provided).

The flimsy-looking skeletal frame is surprisingly rigid, while their large padded headband does well to prevent pressure from building on the head. With and without glasses on, we spend hours listening to the Mezes during testing, and their design is light and comfortable enough to do so without feeling burdened. Music files streamed from Tidal and Qobuz through AudioQuest's DragonFly Red DAC included: "I'm Not Doing This for You," from the self-titled album by electronic beatmeisters Awefekt (24-bit/44.1kHz, 37d03d); trip-hop from Dido in "Hurricanes," from Still On My Mind (16/44.1, BMG); Deep South beats in the hip-hop subgenre trap in "Red Room," from Offset's Father of 4 (24/96, Motown); Frank Zappa's The Yellow Shark, performed by Ensemble Modern (16/44.1, Zappa Records); and dance/R&B from Solange in "Things I Imagined," from her When I Get Home (24/44.1, Columbia). Vinyl included two very dissimilar albums: the popping jazz of Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne's Poll Winners Three! (Contemporary S7576), and the urban dread of Fink's Resurgam (R'Coup'd RCPD015). That solidity extends to the bass frequencies too, with lows impressively deep and well defined, whether they’re anchoring the droning bassline underpinning Billie Eilish's Therefore I Am or the sombre heaviness of James Blake's Atmosphere cover. Those who like their bass fat but not overbearing will be pleased with the Mezes’ low-frequency handling. There is, however, slight evidence of the wood lacquer being worn on the bottom edge of the ear cups by the end of our time testing them – something you should perhaps expect to happen over time if they’re constantly placed on a desk.I was immediately taken with the 99 Classics' top-to-bottom coherence: a generally even tonal spread, with no part of the audioband dominating the rest. Spatial performance was good for sealed headphones, with generously sized images focused at the center of my cranium. Even at loud volumes the 99s kept their cool, never sounding shouty, edgy, boxy, or otherwise criminal in the treble. Midrange to lower frequencies were also evenly distributed. Generally, all frequencies were reproduced with well-proportioned weight. The 99s were neutral in the best sense of the word.

Meze aimed for perfection in every component designed for the 99 Classics. CNC carved wood ear cups, cast zinc alloy hardware with electroplated coating, stamped manganese spring steel headband, memory foam and soft PU leather are the materials your hands and eyes will get to enjoy. No plastic here for you to see. As former InnerFidelity editor Tyll Hertsens noted in his review in February 2016, the 99 Classics are basically screwed together and can easily be taken apart for servicing. Before receiving my review samples from Meze, I'd borrowed a pair from CNET editor and Stereophile contributor Steve Guttenberg, and during that loan the 'phones' earpads came loose from their earcups. Reinserting each pad's narrow collar into its cup's outer seam was easy. We're taking headphone design to a new level by combining modern with handcrafted design, using natural materials and focusing on delivering the best premium sound Not long ago, you'd never have caught me lugging around a pair of big, cranium-crushing headphones. But ever since I reviewed Pro-Ject Audio Systems' tiny Pre Box S2 Digital DAC and headphone amplifier, I've become almost a headphones fanboy. When my job saps my will to live, my new addictions to headphones, Tidal, and Qobuz provide salvation. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 27th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.)

The dwindling number of wired over-ears compared to a decade ago means there aren't many models around today that we’d recommend at this price point. But the 99 Classics are one of them. Instead of using plastic, the 99 Classics feature solid walnut ear-cups. These hand-finished ear-cups not only look luxurious but are also hardwearing and improve the sound quality. Matched to a steel headband with gold accents the style is premium luxury all the way. The choice of wood is an inherently difficult one. The rich colours of walnut require the use of air drying, a long and expensive procedure. The process of shaping just a single pair of earcups takes up to 8 hours. The whole process of sanding, lacquering and finishing the last 45 days. The wooden components are carefully inspected and no flaws are permitted to reach the final assembly.

It is worth mentioning that all the wood that we use in our headphones is strictly harvested from sources with a certificate of origin. That is, mature trees that have reached the end of their life cycle. This way, we are helping the environment and we're giving the old trees a chance to shine one more time in the shape of Meze headphones. Compared to the class leaders at this level, they aren’t as crystal clear or technically precise as the leaner-sounding Austrian Audio Hi-X55, which are more analytical in the way they surface detail and express themselves dynamically. Verdict Wrapping around your ear, the 99 Classics are not only comfortable but isolate you from the outside world – letting you hear even more detail. The memory foam ear pads supply just the right amount of pressure and are finished with PU leather for a luxury feel. The headband is self-adjusting and broad enough for a comfortable fit.

We aimed for perfection in every component we designed. CNC carved wood ear cups, cast zinc alloy hardware with an electroplated coating, stamped manganese spring steel headband, memory foam and soft PU leather are the materials your hands and eyes will get to enjoy. No plastic here for you to see. Simply more enjoyable than headphones usually sound. A gem of a pair.” ‘Hi-Fi Choice – 5-stars – Group Test Winner’. With a sonic character that’s easy to love at first listen, the 99 Classics are pleasingly even-handed and bask in full-bodied lusciousness and clarity from top to bottom. There’s a natural warmth to the midrange that laps up Chris Stapleton's country crooning as we play Whiskey And You, with the Mezes keen to throw his vocal under the spotlight.