Meze Audio 99 Neo Review

July 17, 2017 1:33 pm

Meze Audio has got a new sleek headphone for all of us. Learn more about it in MajorHiFi’s Meze Audio 99 Neo Review.

Meze Audio 99 Neo Review

Packaging

Meze 99 Neo headphones are shipped inside of a fabric bound hard-grade carry case that is nestled inside of a foam sponge-lined box. There’s also a small fabric case in which you’ll find the detachable cable complete with an in-line remote and mic.

Design

Meze Audio 99 Neo is very chic, aesthetically speaking. The entire unit, from the headphone to the detachable cable and hard-grade carry case, are matte black with silver trimmings and accents. The overall look is very nice. It’s somewhat retro and makes me feel like I should have it hanging from a regal-style headphone stand next to a phonograph. The headphones are black with silver trim. The vintage vibe headphone consists of a zinc alloy hardware cast with electroplated coating. The leather portion of the floating headband is attached to the headband with silver embossed with the Meze logo. Very nice!

Build

As stylish as the cans may be, I feel their aesthetics leads to a few minor flaws in build. The floating headband, like that of AKG, is one that provides optimal comfort but in doing so takes away from a superior seal. The floating headband is very comfortable, but applies minimal pressure to the sides of the head. By design, the headband pulls from the top and ever-so slightly lifts the bottom and back portion of the ear cups. They still sit against the lower back portion of your neck, but I’d just prefer a tighter seal.

Other than that, the headphones feel pretty durable. The ear cups do not swivel but they do sort-of wobble at the base of the point in which the ear cups and headband meet. I do believe the wobble is on purpose and not a manufacturing error. This allows the headphone to take more of an ergonomic fit against the head. One more thing, if you’ve got a smaller head like me the bottom portion of the ear cup may add pressure along your jaw line.

Sound

The bass line is nice and full regardless of the type of genre you listen to. Meze Audio 99 Neo exhibits a great deal of depth without becoming muddy. I will advise that the overall tone of the music is neutral and doesn’t put any extra emphasis on the bass or any other part of the music. The mids and highs are also quite rich. There could be a tad more detail in the mids, but it’s nothing to complain about if you want a good sounding and great looking headphone. Overall, the sound signature makes for a pleasant listening experience.

One last thing, while I can feel the ear cups against my ears, I can’t deny that my ears feel closer to the music without having to turn the headphones up to excessive volumes – and that feels kinda nice.