I’ve always been a huge enthusiast of underdog brands, and the Romanian headphone manufacturer Meze undoubtedly falls into this category. The company has been making quite a splash among audiophiles. Today, we’re here to review their most budget-friendly headphones – the £185/$199 Meze 99 Neos. Despite the relatively high price of these headphones, when compared to the top-end of Meze’s range that reaches €4000, they are still considered relatively affordable!
As one would expect, the Meze 99 Neo exudes an air of authority with its black textured plastic earcups and zinc alloy headband. They actually appear more costly than they are, and the combination of high-quality metals and plastics somewhat justifies the price. Of course, they don’t look or feel as premium as the wooden earcups of the Meze 99 Classic. These headphones are sturdily built, held together entirely by screws and metal fixings, ensuring complete repairability. I haven’t felt the need to test this, but reports from elsewhere suggest that they are easy to disassemble.
What makes the 99 Neos particularly fascinating is their suspension-style self-adjusting headband. I’ve never been a big fan of this design in the past, but the 99 Neos are incredibly comfortable to wear. This is aided by the extremely deep earcups and only a moderate clamping force. These design features mean that they outshine other headsets I’ve tested in recent months, such as the Grado SR325x and Sennheiser HD 660S2, in terms of comfort for me. The thick cushions also provide excellent passive noise isolation. This makes the 99 Neos an ideal set of travel headphones and also enhances the experience of extended listening sessions.
I also want to give a big shoutout to the amazing hard case that Meze provides with the 99 Neos. It’s one of the best hard cases I’ve ever received with a pair of headphones, and it even rivals the one that comes with the Focal Bathys – a set of wireless headphones that are four times the price of these Mezes. It also comes with some useful accessories, including adapters for different-sized headphone jacks to ensure broad compatibility, including an airplane adapter. This means you won’t be deprived of excellent audio when you’re on a flight to a sunny destination.
Meze claims that the 99 Neos offer a warm and balanced sound profile, and I generally agree with this assessment. They provide a crisp, clear, and detailed listening experience with a good amount of warmth, making it an absolute delight to listen to my regular playlist. A listen to a live version of James Taylor’s “Walking Man” perfectly exemplifies this, with a generally smooth and refined sound that is not harsh or sharp in any way. This is particularly true for the presentation of the mid-range, with a warm and clear quality to the vocals that makes everything from JT to Porcupine Tree’s “Herd Culling” a joy to listen to. Even in the midst of intense rock music, Steven Wilson’s vocals remain distinct.
With this in mind, the 99 Neos also have a well-rounded low end with a considerable amount of weight. Rush’s “YYZ” showcases a great deal of nuance and refinement for a song that is heavy on lower-end frequencies and based entirely on Geddy Lee’s strong, pounding bass runs. The bass is not distorted at all, and while these headphones are not bass-heavy monsters like some others I’ve used and that some may prefer, they still offer an authoritative listening experience with many appealing aspects. They may be a bit darker than other headphones I’ve tested, with a more pronounced low end, but this authoritative low end provides an excellent foundation for the rest of the music.
“YYZ” also reveals the excellent stereo imaging and soundstage provided by the 99 Neos, with plenty of space for the instruments and a sense of sound coming from all directions. A listen to The Style Council’s “Headstart for Happiness” also showcases the marvellous soundstage, with the distant handclaps and clicks on the far left combining with the centrality of Paul Weller’s acoustic guitar strums and vocals to make the 99 Neos sound fantastic. This great soundstage also proves that they are a great set of gaming headphones, with accurate positioning of enemies and gunfire in games like CS:GO. The soundstage is wide, although as closed-back headphones, there is inherently less space compared to open-back headphones like the Grado SR325xs I’ve tested.
Given the overall tendency of the 99 Neos to offer a warm, detailed, and smooth listening experience, it makes sense that this extends to their high-end as well. Sometimes with headphones, the treble can be a bit too harsh, causing discomfort, but that is not the case with the 99 Neos. A listen to the new mix of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe” from “Dark Side Of The Moon” perfectly demonstrates this, with the clarity of Nick Mason’s cymbal work. Similarly, the intricate twelve-string guitar sounds on The Eagles’ “Hotel California” are presented with finesse, and the same smoothness is present in the wider song when listened to through the 99 Neos. The same applies to the percussion and harsher synths on Gloria Estefan’s “Get On Your Feet” during the song’s instrumental break.
The fact is that, with an impedance of just 26 ohms, the 99 Neos will sound great through almost any device. I plugged them directly into my MacBook, and they worked perfectly. However, you can truly get the most out of the 99 Neos when pairing them with a high-quality DAC. It simply makes everything even more rich and engaging to listen to.
All in all, the £185/$199 price tag for the Meze 99 Neos is actually a reasonable deal. If you’re looking for a set of headphones that are stylish, well-constructed, and offer a warm, detailed, and reassuring sound profile, then these are an excellent choice. They’ve been a staple in Meze’s range for at least the past six years, and now that I’ve had the opportunity to test them, it’s easy to understand why.
