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Meze 99 Neo Headphones Review

Sound –

Meze Audio Meze 99 Neo

 

Though Meze’s website states a different impedance of 26ohms on the 99N vs 32ohms on the 99C, to my knowledge, the Neo’s employ the same 40mm dynamic driver as the 99 Classics that came before. As such, they pursue a very similar sound, if not one that is identical due to differences in housing materials affecting acoustics; perhaps the difference in impedance is an attempt to compensate for these changes. But for the most part, the 99 Neo performs quite predictably with a sound that is laid-back, warm and mostly familiar. They aren’t nearly as balanced as the Oppo PM3 nor are they quite as sculpted as the B&W P7, sounding more linear throughout their midrange. They are a very natural, dare I say analogue sounding headphones that retain the organic characters of the wooden 99 Classics despite employing ABS earcups. In fact, they are perhaps even more laid-back and warm to my ear.

 

Tonality –

The Meze 99 Neo’s carry a tasteful L-shaped sound similar to that employed on earphones such as the Klipsch X10’s. However, the 99 Neo’s have no issue with end to end extension and treble prominence imbues the sound with a little extra crispness over smoother portable headphones like the Oppo PM3. The 99 Neo’s actually sound quite similar to the Denon MM-400 overall though they assume a slightly warmer, more laid-back tone with the Denon’s having a little more unevenness in the treble that creates a more aggressive sense of detail. As such, the 99 Neo’s can be described as having a darker tonal tilt with bass possessing the most emphasis.

 

Soundstage, Imaging and Separation –

When I first heard the 99 Classics, the first thing that stood out to me among the closed back portable headphones I had heard, was the exceptionally wide soundstage. The 99 Neo, perhaps due to the differing housing materials, doesn’t quite possess the same level of space though it remains one of the better performers in this price range, more akin to the B&W P7 over the more intimate Oppo PM3 and to a lesser extent, Denon MM-400. And despite having quite a warm, thick sound, the 99 Neo never sounds congested; it’s a nice presentation that flatters almost every genre of music from pop to rock to classical. That being said, while the 99 Neo does sound large, this thicker tuning does prevent the headphones from sounding particularly open or airy, something the B&W P7 and B&O H6’s excel with.

I also found the Neo to have quite a well-rounded soundstage, better rounded than the 99C due to their reduced width, resulting in impressive imaging performance. Though neither the 99C nor the 99 Neo has any issue with instrument placement and imaging, the Neo sounded slightly more coherent to me with precise instrument placement that made the B&W P7 and Sony MDR-1A’s sound vaguer. So overall, the 99 Neo’s are a warm headphone, though their large soundstage prevents congestion and separation remain quite commendable even when compared directly to some of the best headphones within this class.

 

Drivability –

The 99 Neo’s were designed for portable use with a sensitivity of 103dB and an impedance of 26ohm, making them very easy to drive. They aren’t the most sensitive headphone I’ve tested but achieved similar volume to the Denon MM-400’s and Sony MDR-1A’s at the same level. They were also more sensitive than the planar magnetic Oppo PM3’s which I found to be one of the pickiest headphones among those I had on hand. They actually pick up a surprising amount of hiss from my noisier sources but even modestly noisy sources such as my Oppo HA-2 had no issue. The 99 Neo’s didn’t scale spectacularly with the sources I had on hand, sounding relatively similar from my iPod Nano, HTC 10 and Oppo HA-2, where the B&W P7 and Oppo PM3 scaled up considerably with my better sources. They did achieve some improvements with a slightly tauter bass performance and clearer midrange from my HA-2 though they will play happily from any decent smartphone or standalone DAP.

 

Bass –

The 99 Neo’s are one of the bassier audiophile orientated portable headphones, beating out the PM3, H6 and Denon MM-400 in terms of quantity. Luckily, they aren’t nearly as bombastic as the sub-bass boosted B&W P7’s nor are they bloated like the Sony MDR-1A. They are closest to the MM-400 in tuning, with a more linear bass boost that retains pleasing quality and definition with a slight bump in the mid-bass that provides a little extra fullness and punch. There is some midrange spill though lower-mids are never overwhelmed by bass and remain quite clear considering the extent of the bass boost. They also have really great sub-bass extension with rather outstanding definition of sub and lower-bass notes. Rumble is visceral and electronic genres of music have satisfying impact and slam without inducing a bass headache. While I would still prefer slightly more balance, the 99 Neo’s provide a very organic, natural listen that is adequately full when in a noisy environment but remains tasteful enough at home to maintain an enjoyable listen.

Of course, bass isn’t perfect and due to the boosted tuning, the 99 Neo’s do miss out on a bit of texture and definition when compared to more linear sets like the PM3 and MM-400. Bass also suffers from slight bloat and tubbiness, notes aren’t as taught as I would prefer though I’m sure many will enjoy the extra punchiness and fullness provided by the Neo’s bass response. When listening to music with rapidly transitioning basslines like Steve Conti’s “Call Me Call Me” or Toto’s “Roasanna”, the 99 Neo did well to keep up with complex passages without becoming overwhelmed like the looser P7. While bass drums didn’t quite possess the same PRAT as the super snappy PM3 and MM-400, the 99 Neo’s provide a great balance between quantity and quality, sub-bass notes didn’t get too muddy and mid and upper-bass provided a sense of fullness without imbuing a veiling character. So while bass is rather omnipresent due to the headphones accentuated tuning, notes don’t drone and remain articulate. They are an engaging headphone that values dynamics over transparency though they never overstep their boundaries in regards to bass quantity and bass quality will be sure to impress.

 

Midrange –

With a slightly darker tone, the 99 Neo’s aren’t the clearest sounding headphone though they don’t lack clarity per say. On poorly mastered or low bitrate songs, the 99 Neo does tend to sound a little muffled throughout its midrange, especially with genres such as hip-hop. That being said, the headphones also sound surprisingly clear when the track calls for it. For instance, the vocals in Vance Joy’s “Riptide” were appropriately forward and didn’t sound chesty or veiled at all. So rather than veiled, I would argue that the midrange is simply full-bodied, making vocals sound a little thicker. Instruments such as acoustic guitar really benefit from this, sounding rich and lush without coming across as bloated and the headphones retain enough resolution to flatter piano and string instruments. They actually had more clarity than the Denon MM-400’s but still fell short of the Oppo PM3’s and B&O H6’s which are both cleaner and more linear. That being said, the Neo’s had no dips or spikes in their midrange and all notes and vocals sounded natural if more full-bodied than neutral as opposed to the brighter B&W P7’s which had plenty of clarity and detail but also sounded unnatural and uneven with some vocals and instruments such as piano. Meanwhile, the Denon MM-400’s are still more balance throughout their midrange though, as aforementioned, they also had less clarity.

The 99 Neo’s also have pretty great detail retrieval even if their more natural, darker sound favours smoothness over aggressive detail and clarity. This was highlighted during The Cranberries’ “Linger”, where the Neo’s did a fine job picking up the subtle clicking of picks on strings that are easily lost among portable headphones. So while resolution is actually quite impressive overall, they don’t bring details to the fore like the B&W P7 and especially Oppo PM3. I think the Denon’s are probably the closest competitor to the Meze’s, and in terms of midrange performance, it’s a pretty fair trade-off with both being equally enjoyable and tasteful to my ear. These are simply different manufacturer’s twists on the same kind of sound.

 

Treble –

With a somewhat L-shaped tuning, the 99 Neo’s do produce a more laid-back treble response, though they have very good extension for a portable and don’t miss out on the higher details. Listening to my usual treble test songs, Radiohead’s “Creep”, “Paranoid Android” and “No Surprises” and Elton John’s “Rocket Man”, and the 99 Neo’s produced one of the better performances among my portable headphone collection. The B&W P7’s have a really nice treble response with air, sparkle and extension, for lovers of a brighter sound it is one of the strongest performers within this price range. On the opposite end of the scale, the PM3 and MM-400 are more natural and also more in-line with the 99 Neo. High-hats had nice sparkle without sounding overly thin while cymbals had shimmer and realistic texture. High notes were missing that last bit of air and openness that the P7’s provided though treble notes sounded less rolled off than both the PM3 and MM-400’s. Treble notes were actually quite clear despite the thicker nature of the 99 Neo’s sound and the slightly boosted treble crispness does well to balance out the more relaxed nature of the headphones. Again, in terms of tuning, natural is the word I would use to describe the 99 Neo’s treble performance. And though high-notes are still not forward in any way, they are quite even throughout; portable headphones usually have a lower treble spike to add the impression of detail making the 99 Neo quite a rarity. While I still would have preferred slightly more air and quantity, the treble tuning is really well done on the Meze’s with great extension, linearity and texture.

 

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Ryan Soo

Ryan Soo

Avid writer, passionate photographer and sleep-deprived medical student, Ryan has an ongoing desire to bring quality products to the regular reader.

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3 Responses

  1. Hi Juan,

    Unfortunately I don’t have any other pads that fit the Meze’s on me. You can try asking Pinky, I believe he has both the Classics and Neo in addition to some aftermarket pads, he should be able to help you out.

    Cheers,
    Ryan.

  2. Very interesting review. Did you get to try the 99 neo with other pads? If so, is the sound improved?

    Regards!
    Juan Luis.

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