I’ve always been a fan of failed brands, and Romanian headphone maker Meze is definitely one of them. The company has been making waves among audiophiles, and today we’re reviewing their most affordable headphones yet – the £185/$199 Meze 99 Neos. At this price, these headphones are far from cheap, but when the other end of the Meze range reaches 4000 dollars, they are still relatively modest!
As you’d hope, the Meze 99 Neo’s black textured plastic ear cups and zinc alloy headband still carry a certain air of authority. They actually look more expensive than they are, and they’re made from high-quality metal and plastic, which goes some way to justifying the price – although they certainly don’t look or feel as good as the wooden earcups of the Meze 99 Classic So high quality. . The headset is also very well built and is held together entirely by screws and metal fasteners to ensure full repairability. I don’t see the need to test this, but reports elsewhere suggest they can be easily removed.
Particularly interesting about the 99 Neos is its suspended, self-adjusting headband. I’ve never been a big fan of the design, but the 99 Neo are effortless to wear – thanks to some very deep earcups and a modest clamping force. These design features mean they’re better in terms of comfort than other headphones I’ve tested in recent months, such as the Grado SR325x and Sennheiser HD 660S2. Thick mats also provide good passive noise isolation. This makes the 99 Neos a great travel headphone and also good for extended listening time.
I would also like to express my appreciation for the excellent hard case provided by Meze for the 99 Neos. This is one of the best hard cases for headphones I’ve ever used, rivaling even the ones on Focal Bathys – a set of wireless headphones that cost four times the price of these Mezes. It also comes with some handy accessories, including adapters for different sized headphone jacks to ensure wide compatibility, including an aircraft adapter so you’re never short of top-notch audio when flying somewhere hot and sunny .
Meze says the 99 Neos offer a warm, balanced sound profile, and I generally agree. They’re crisp, clear, detailed, and full of warmth, making listening to tracks from my go-to pl aylist an absolute pleasure. Listening to a live cut of James Taylor’s “Walking Man” illustrates this perfectly, with an overall smooth and refined sound that’s not harsh or sharp in any sense. This applies especially to the mid-range presentation, which sounds warm and clear, making everything from JT to Porcupine Tree’s harsh Herd Culling a pleasure. Even amid a sea of heavy rock, Steven Wilson’s voice remains clear. This warm, balanced sound signature certainly helps make the 99 Neos suitable for a variety of genres.
With that nuance in mind, the 99 Neos also has a well-rounded and well-weighted low end. Rush’s “YYZ” displays rich low-frequency detail and sophistication, with the song built entirely on Geddy Lee’s punchy bass run. The bass doesn’t distort at all, and while these aren’t quite as bass-heavy monsters as other headphones I’ve used, which some may prefer, it’s still a definitive way to listen with a lot to like. They may be a little darker and have a m ore pronounced bass end than other headphones I’ve tested, but the authoritative bass end provides excellent cushioning for the rest of the music to carry over. This is exemplified beautifully on Fish’s “Jumpsuit City” from the Suits album – its bass line carries throughout the song, and 99 Neos delivers a reassuring charm without being It will appear too strong.
YYZ also demonstrated the excellent stereo imaging and soundstage provided by the 99 Neos, giving instruments plenty of breathing room and a sense of sound coming from all directions. When listening to The Style Council’s “Headstart for Happiness”, a wonderful soundstage was also displayed. The claps and clicks in the distance on the far left, combined with Paul Weller’s acoustic guitar playing and vocals, made the 99 Neos listen It tastes great. This excellent soundstage also proved to be a great gaming headset, able to accurately pinpoint enemies and gunshots during rounds of CS:GO. The soundstage here is wide, although being a closed back, there’s not essentially as much room as an open back like the Grado SR325xs I tested.
The general trend with the 99 Neos is to provide a warm, detailed, and smooth listening experience, so it makes sense that this transitions to its high end as well. Sometimes when using headphones, the treble can feel a bit harsh or even frowned upon, but that’s not the case with the 99 Neos. Listen to the new remix of “Breathe” from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, paired with the perfect clarity of Nick Mason’s cymbal work This is evident throughout, and the intricate twelve-string guitar sounds of The Eagles’ “Hotel California” are delivered with refinement and smoothness. Appears in a wider range of songs by 99 Neos. The same goes for the percussion and harsher synths in the instrumental section of Gloria Estefan’s “Get On Your Feet.”
In fact, with an impedance of only 26 ohms, the 99 Neos sound great in almost any situation. I plug them directly into my MacBook and they are an absolute joy to work with. However, you can really get the best out of the 99 Neo when paired with a high-quality DAC. It makes everything richer and makes 99 Neos sound so engaging.
With all that in mind, the Meze 99 Neos at £185/$199 is actually a reasonable deal. If you want a set of headphones that look stylish, are well built, and have a warm, detailed and almost reassuring sound profile, these are an excellent choice. They’ve been a mainstay in the Meze range for at least the past six years, and now that I’ve had the chance to test them out, it’s easy to see why.
