Ten years ago, Meze released their now-famous Meze 99 Classics Headphones to overwhelming accolades. A previous business partner of mine was their first U.S. distributor, and everyone he showed them to instantly fell in love. There was simply no headphone in its price range that compared aesthetically, either in look or sound, and their build quality was exemplary. Now, for its 10th anniversary, Meze has released the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen.
The Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen
What hasn’t change is the appearance, the same Walnut CNC-machined, then hand-finished, stained, and polished earcups, the same comfortable and reliable headband design crafted from cast zinc alloy with a rich gold tone finish and vertically self-adjusting vegan leather headband, in combination with a spring steel band with a large active area, the same simplicity of construction making it both elegant and sturdy.
Detachable Ear Pads crafted from medium-density foam and soft vegan leather, now feature a secure clip-in system with six clips per pad, making them easier to attach, remove, and replace, for long-term comfort and serviceability. In a nod towards sustainable design, all pieces are replaceable, including ear cups, headband, cables, or driver.
What has changed, is, as Meze put it themselves 10 years, 10 improvements:
“
- TUNING DIRECTION
The 2nd Gen 99 Classics moves the signature closer to a balanced, neutral target. Bass remains engaging yet slightly more restrained, allowing midrange and treble details to emerge with greater clarity. The result is a more versatile headphone that retains the musical warmth of the original while offering improved overall balance and detail retrieval.
- DRIVER MATCHING
A refined matching process, using a mixed cosine function combined with level-adjustment algorithms, reduces inter-driver variance in the mid and high frequencies. The result is improved stereo image stability and a more consistent listening experience across pairs.
- EAR CUP VOLUME
The internal cup volume has been subtly increased. A larger volume shifts cavity resonances downward and reduces standing-wave interactions, enhancing control in the low-frequency region and aligning with the new tuning goals.
- ACOUSTIC SEALING AND BASS PORT
The 2nd Gen introduces precision sealing at all key junctions. This improved sealing enables the use of a dedicated bass vent integrated into the jack shell, providing better control over lower frequencies, improved left–right consistency, and higher unit-to-unit reproducibility.
- BAFFLE ARCHITECTURE
The baffle has been re-engineered with acoustic transparency in mind. A more open grille and streamlined structural beams reduce diffraction and acoustic impedance in front of the driver, minimizing high-frequency artifacts.
- EAR PAD REDESIGN
The ear pads have been reshaped to adjust the front cavity volume, refining the midrange balance toward the intended target. The attachment system has evolved from a stretch-skirt to a clip-in mechanism, ensuring fixed orientation, reducing variability, and simplifying replacement for the user.
- SOUND TECHNICALITIES
The rebalanced tuning, enhanced acoustic consistency, and optimized internal geometry work together to improve stereo imaging and instrument separation, while also providing a more open and spacious soundstage.
- INPUT SOCKET
The input socket shell has been enlarged to 7 millimeters in diameter. The larger shell maintains secure connection integrity while ensuring compatibility with both slim-profile and larger-bodied 3.5 mm plugs. This ensures compatibility with a wider range of cables, including our premium hand-braided copper and silver ones.
- HIGH-QUALITY CABLE
The stock cable now uses a dual-twisted, Kevlar-sheathed OFC conductor. This maintains excellent electrical performance while improving tangle resistance, mechanical durability, and flexibility.
- MODERN PORTABILITY
Reflecting today’s usage patterns, a compact USB-C DAC/AMP is now included to ensure optimal performance with modern devices that lack dedicated headphone outputs.”
In addition, the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen provide a set of acoustic absorbers to offer a warmer sound signature more similar to the original 99 Classics.
Living with the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen
I burned in the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen for a couple of weeks while I worked on the dCS Bartók APEX DAC with Headphone Amplifier review, and since that is now my reference DAC/Amp I will be using that for the bulk of this review bolstered by my Black Dragon USB Cable, and Black Dragon Power Cables, and Core Power Technologies A/V Equi=Core 1000.
Using the built-in Qobuz, I selected “OVER the MOONs” by Yuhan Su (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz) and immediately lowered the gain to “-30bB”. There was quite a bit of resonance to the acoustic bass, but it retained clarity, while the timbre of the piano and sax were pretty much neutral. Given the relative volumes of the different instruments, I would guess the recording was done as a live take, rather than individual tracks mixed together. The piano had a Yamaha feel to it. The soundstage was small studio with the drums and bass in the back, and the vibes up front, the piano was off to the left, and the sax was back with the bass.
Next up was Tame Impala and their new album “Deadbeat” (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz). Again, the bass (electronic in this case) was rich and deep. The piano tones reminded me a lot of my own, though the bass keys weren’t as strong as mine. There was a certain bathroom feel to the soundstage, which was probably intentional; the electronic keyboards sounded as if they were plugged direct into the mixer lacking any atmosphere, where the piano had a definite “room” aura to it.
With Chrissie Hynde & Pals’ fabulous “Duets Special” (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz), the 99 Classics 2nd Gen began to establish a trend with the bass being deep and heavy, while the mid-range and vocal were extremely natural.
Randy Newman (“Trouble in Paradise (Expanded Edition)” – 24-bit/192kHz – Qobuz) bucked the tide with a more controlled bass track. The tonal balance isn’t what I would call warm, but there is a definite emphasis in the low bass.
Switching to my regular playlist, I selected “What A Wonderful World (Single Version)” and while the bass, guitar, vibes, and drums were intimate, the vocal and orchestra gave a larger sense of space.
At this point, I felt it was time to test the 99 Classics 2nd Gen with something more in keeping with their price, so I fired up my Schiit Audio VALI 2++ Tube Hybrid Headphone Amp/Preamp using my HIFIMAN EF600 R2R DAC & Headphone Amp as DAC, at $150, I felt the VALI2++ was a good match. Cuing up Robert Shaw and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s performance of “The Firebird Suite” (“ Stravinsky: The Firebird; Borodin: Music from Prince Igor” – 24-bit/96kHz vinyl rip) and I was astonished at how well the 99 Classics 2nd Gen danced to the music, giving real authority to the opening strains of Celli creating a resonant underpinning to the horns and woodwinds. With the help of tube airiness, the Meze represented a huge soundstage, and the tonal balance and timbre of instruments were breathtaking. The dynamics were beyond excellent, and the timpani whacks were palpable.
I decided to end my session as spectacularly as I started and chose the live version of “Godzilla” by Blue Öyster Cult (“Extraterrestrial Live” – 24-bit/96kHz) and was transported back to the Long Beach Arena 1976, where I had 13th row floor seats. Dynamic and musical, this was simply more sound than one should expect from a $350 headphone.
As a final test I plugged the 99 Classics 2nd Gen into my smartphone using the Meze compact USB-C DAC/AMP and opened up Bandcamp selecting my “The Next Album” (Gary Alan Barker – 24-bit/96kHz – Bandcamp) and was pleasantly greeted with good volume, good dynamics, and good tonal balance, if a little loose on the bottom end, though you couldn’t complain of and lack of bass.
Conclusions on the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen
Like its predecessor, the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen was a best-of-class effort combining quality sound with comfort and beauty. The extreme efficiency makes it a great pairing with portable players, even phones or tablets that have headphone outputs. Yet, they do seem to scale up beautifully with higher resolution sources.
Bass heads will love the 99 Classics 2nd Gen, especially if they are looking for those lower two octaves, though I admit I enjoyed them most with classical and live music. The dynamics and bass extension make the 99 Classics 2nd Gen perfect for reproducing the sound of arena sound systems.
All in all, the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen is a winner and receives a whole-hearted recommendation.
Price: $349
Manufacturer’s Website: https://mezeaudio.com/
SPECIFICATIONS
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Input Connector | Dual 3.5 mm TS Jack |
| Driver Size | 40 mm | Total Harmonic Distortion | <0.1% at 1 kHz |
| Frequency Range | 15 Hz – 25 kHz | Ear Cups | Walnut Wood |
| Impedance | 16 Ω | Weight | 290 g (10.23 oz) |
| Sensitivity | 103 dB SPL/mW at 1 kHz | – | – |
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