Meze's walnut-cupped wired headphones impress with a bassy sound, but their headband dings my noggin

Date:
Sat, 20 Dec 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Description:
The Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen wired headphones remain homely, walnut-earcupped beauties but how have they improved from the original?

FULL STORY ======================================================================Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen: Two-minute review

The Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen are some stunners. These walnut-cupped beauties are an upgrade not just on their predecessors, but also on any bona fide entry-level listening headphones in your roster.

Improved earcup and baffle design adds up to better bass control, giving
these headphones a controlled oomph above and beyond most closed-backs. High end is crisp without being sharp, and voices sit gloriously in the top end with all the air and throat you could ever want. The 2nd Gens handle most sources admirably, but shine especially bright with vinyl.

A sometimes-obvious scooped middle and a tendency to distort slightly at high volumes a function of the low impedance, which allows them to work with just about any audio source leads me, unfortunately, to conclude that they look better than they sound. But that doesnt mean that they dont sound good. They sound great. They just look phenomenal .

With the amount of effort that Meze puts into what is, effectively, their step-up set of over-ear headphones, its clear that this is a matter of
passion as opposed to sheer profit. The design principles on display here are so listener-focused that its hard not to be charmed by them, even if basic things such as a tuning-fork headband can sometimes interfere with that listener experience.

In the following paragraphs, I get a bit nitpicky about these things but
it's only because Im working back from a position of absolutely loving them. And theres a lot to love about them. Between their excellent build quality, user-friendly part replaceability and a versatility of sound difficult to
find in some less-expensive listening options, these close-backs are a great prospect and are among the best wired headphones on the market . (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen review: Price & release date Released October 29, 2025 Priced $349 / 319 / AU$649

As the name implies, the 99 Classics 2nd Gen are a redux of Mezes timeless 99 Classics over-ear headphones. Ten years on from the latter's launch, the 2nd Gens arrive on the scene, with a broad smattering of listener-forward tweaks that build on the enormous goodwill already fostered by this particular line of cans.

Hearteningly, the 99 Classics 2nd Gen are on the cheaper end of Mezes price spectrum, too, at $349 / 319 / AU$649 bringing some exceedingly tasteful design (both in sound and aesthetics) in below the brand's mid-range 105 Silvas I reviewed so favourably back in October.

This might be a little on the rich side for wired headphones more generally, unless youre already of a mind to buy some more audiophilically focused big-budget fare. Even so and for what youre getting, the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen are a compelling prospect indeed. Lets find out if theyre a compelling purchase, too! (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen review: Specs

Type

Wired over-ear, closed-back

Drivers

40mm dynamic

Weight

290g

Connectivity

Dual 3.5mm TS output

Frequency response

15Hz - 25kHz

Impedance

16 ohms

Extras

Dual-TS to 3.5mm TRS cable; 3.5mm-to-6.35mm TRS adapter; USB-C DAC/AMP
dongle; carry case (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen review: Features Wired over-ears, dual 3.5mm TS inputs 16
ohm input impedance Mini tweaks for improved balance and performance

The Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen, much like the first-gen model, are a set of wired headphones with little in the way of modern jiggery-pokery. Theres a lot of familiar stuff here, from the closed-back design to that fabled aesthetic thrust. But, as a serious 2nd Gen update, theres been some serious performance-improving changes.

One of their more obvious improvements is the provision of bigger earcups,
for better low-end control. This is part of a general movement towards a more balanced overall frequency response, something also aided by the addition of
a new bass port in each ear cup. Within each earcup, small, iterative changes to shape and construction have made for a wider soundstage, too.

The newly ultra-low 16 ohm impedance of the drivers (down from 32 ohms in the OGs) encourages you to use these with ultra-modern listening devices, like laptop or smartphone outputs, as opposed to hi-fi amps and mixers. Depending on who you ask, this is a genius leveler of a move, enabling these headphones to sing wherever you put them for me, its a bit of a shame, simply for the distortion potential at louder volumes.

The hard-ish case in which these headphones are delivered is trustworthy enough, with a water-resistant inverted zip and some comforting phone-protecting rigidity. Within this case is another, smaller, case a
soft, cylindrical affair, into which the 99 Classics 2nd Gens cable and gubbins safely nestle. Whether you trust yourself to take these out on the daily commute is another thing entirely, of course.

Speaking of gubbins, the 99 Classics 2nd Gen come not just with the requisite wiring, but nice requisite wiring in the form of a hefty, braided dual-core cable. Theres also a 3.5mm-6.35mm jack adapter for mating with phone-plug-toting home hi-fi stuffs, and a new USB-C DAC/AMP dongle, so you plug into smarter, non-jack-plug-toting stuffs (i.e.: your phone, tablet or analog-challenged new computer). Features score: 4.5/5 (Image credit: Future
/ James Grimshaw) Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen review: Sound quality Phenomenal low end; butter-smooth highs Balancing act of volume, soundstage and saturation Excellent passive sound isolation

Meze knows exactly what its doing with the low end in the 99 Classics 2nd
Gen, working with the boomy confines of the closed cup to create some seriously controlled wub. Domenique Dumonts Amants ennemis is a bulging
burlap of bass, helped along by the ported earcups in its delivery of blubbering synth-bass and chicken-picky guitars.

Snapped Ankles Smart World , too, is an abrasive, dancy delight, with deep thrumming bass, urgent live drumming and Numan-esque clarion-call vocals, the latter of which do a phenomenal job of illustrating the 2nd Gens prowess with upper-mid ranges. Ill take this opportunity to mention USB-C DAC/amp dongle with which the 2nd Gen ships, too which is transparent enough to my ears
that I noticed no appreciable difference in sound when trying these same
songs again.

I did start to notice a vague, middish hollowness in these headphones, that threatened to rob guitarry songs like Queens of the Stone Ages Everybody
Knows That Youre Insane , and Foo Fighters Good Grief (forgive me, Father,
for I think the Foos first album is Actually A Bit Underrated Really) of some key propulsive energy.

Fortunately, this lack seems limited to the rocky stuff, and that at the lower-volume end of listening. The same can also be said of the somewhat-narrow soundstage these headphones possess, which can feel corridor-like in the face of usually-quite-expansive tracks like Amant
ennemis . The solution to both is simply to have a little less fear, and
whack them up a bit more. Unfortunately, doing this sometimes crowds the soundstage, and can even result in a little distortion thanks to the low impedance of the drivers. Its a balancing act. (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)

That balancing act, along with the scooped mids, seem a little less obvious when moving over to vinyl, which, as a source, seems a little smoother on the way in. My copy of Alabaster DePlumes GOLD is an undisputed delight any
sense of lack gone altogether, replaced with fulfillingly dense wellsprings
of bassy voices, plucked double-basses, throaty saxophones and more besides.

A Gente Acaba (Vento Em Rosa) soars in profound and fulsome brilliance; The World Is Mine is a Nick-Cave-y, almost Tom-Waits-y exploration of staccato instrumentation and monotone spoken word, syncopated snare rimshots. Turning things up, I encountered some unfortunate oversaturation of voices in The Sound of My Feet on This Earth , a sad reminder of the balancing act in play.

Generally, the 99 Classics 2nd Gen respond well to vinyl records even the rocky stuff, to an extent. Land of Talks Applause Cheer Boo Hiss is a
brighter record than anything QOTSA have made, and scrappy to boot, but still a thrilling joy in these headphones. This is a function of some sharp transients, smooth tissy high end and that excellent vocal-forward representation.

I usually focus on the performance of the audio thingies I review from a technical perspective. Sometimes, though, theres an experiential aspect that muscles its way in. Here, its the headbands, which fetchingly minimal as
they are are quite resonant by nature. Their tuning-fork tendencies mean the slightest of bumps, rubs, taps, or head-nods can set them off. The ringing
can even be triggered by light handling of the wires close to where they connect with your earcups.

Thankfully, this ringing doesnt usually interfere with your listening, provided youre listening at a moderate volume; still, major moves or cable-rubbings in motion can bring some unwanted plunk into your private wig-out sesh.

To make something of a compliment cracker out of my experiential experience, so to speak, I will say that the passive isolation provided by the 2nd Gens
is outstanding; even if sound isnt outright canceled, the sound mitigation
and separation on display here are massive. When somethings playing even slightly cranked, its easy to forget where you are. Sound quality score: 4/5 (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen
review: Design Beautiful walnut earcups Pleasingly minimal design And everythings replaceable!

The first-edition Meze Audio 99 Classics were an unusually stunning prospect at launch: a gleaming lighthouse of wood and brass in an unforgiving ocean of bleak gunmetal and bleaker lightweight plastics. When a pair of decently affordable, excellent-sounding over-ears wear walnut earcups with the fullest sincerity, you know youre looking at something special.

Thankfully, the 2nd Gen 99 Classics have done little to mess with this magic 10 years on. Instead, theres technically even more of it. The bigger earcup designs, engineered for better low-end control, also mean a greater surface area of delicious (and unavoidably unique) walnut on the exterior, against which the electroplated zinc hardware is set off wonderfully.

As far as comfort goes, though, I have no notes. The self-adjusting headband is a delight here just as it is on Meze's 105 AER, with the newly capacious ear cushions an excellent fit for most ears. Wearing these is like receiving
a lightly firm hug, and one youre happy to receive for hours at a time.

With respect to setting up and using the 99 Classics 2nd Gens, the TS connection points on each earcup are firm enough that I nearly started second-guessing the amount of pressure I was applying to the connectors, before that reassuring click told me everything was going to be ok. That is
to say, the wired connection is firm enough youll never need worry about accidental yankage. The 99 Classics Gen 2 have got you. Theyve got you. Its alright now. Shhhh, its ok.

To revisit my aforementioned experiential gripe, the needlessly ringy
headband is a real shame, and something Meze did have an opportunity to fix here. The solution for the user not banging your head against anything,
where possible is a simple one, but a little inconvenient for, even inconsistent with, out-and-about wear. Especially when the solution for Meze put some kind of dampener on each band is even simpler.

More widely with respect to design, though, and to its great credit, Mezes done something rare at least, rare in that ocean of bleak gunmetal and bleaker lightweight plastics. The 99 Classics 2nd Gens construction is such that parts are easily replaceable, allowing you to keep your headphones keen for as long as you are keen to keep them. Design score: 4.5/5 (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen review: Value Great value for great design... though a shame about the resonant headband A truly versatile step-up set of listening headphones

So, should you get them? My vote: yes. Despite being closer to the budget end of the price spectrum, the 99 Classics 2nd Gens $349 / 319 / AU$649 is a fair bit to put away for headphones. But it gets you some of the most versatile wired headphones on the market.

This is because a great deal of versatile wired headphones end up
compromizing quite significantly on something related to build quality, sound fidelity or comfort and, to my mind, the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen dont
really compromize all that much on any of these.

There are arguments to be made against that low impedance, and the resulting distortion you can experience when listening at particularly loud volumes,
but theyre small against the 2nd Gens supreme on-ear comfort, incredible low-end control and general genre versatility. Added versatility from the nicely included USB-C dongle is highly welcomed, as is the
better-than-average case design.

Whether all this literally adds up to a good deal for you is something only you can decide. But altogether, and off the back of both the incredible
design and design journey made by the 99 Classics, its fair to say these are intrinsically worthwhile cans. Value score: 4.5/5 (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Should I buy the Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen?

Section

Notes

Score

Features

Hefty wires and new USB-C dongle for better connectivity among listener-friendly updates

4.5/5

Sound quality

Stunning bass with excellent control; mechanical ring when headband gets dinged is a shame

4/5

Design

Extremely pleasing to look at, and designed so parts can be replaced with extreme ease

4.5/5

Value

Well-built, with unique wood earcups, great versatility and broad sound profile, they're a great prospect for the price

4.5/5 Buy them if...

Youre a sucker for visual stunners
Its hard to say anything against the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen's aesthetic value, because in my opinion theres nothing to say against the aesthetic
value of the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen. Look at em!

You listen widely
Low impedance and great all-round sound profile make these a pair of
listening headphones thatll work with practically anything. Don't buy them if...

Youre a Bluetooth-only household
Theyre wired, duh. You could get a dongle, but maybe you want a decent pair
of wireless headphones instead, eh?

You want to get the most from your well-curated hi-fi rig
Lovely as the 99 Classics 2nd Gen are, the 16 ohm impedance is extremely low a boon for listening across a bunch of devices, but not so much for getting the best out of your expensive hi-fi headphone amp. Meze Audio 99 Classics
2nd Gen review: Also consider

Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen

FiiO FT13

Sennheiser HD-660S2

Price

$349 / 319 / AU$649

$329 / 269 / AU$499 (approx.)

$599 / 499 / AU$949

Type

Closed-back over-ears

Closed-back over-ears

Open-back over-ears

Drivers

40mm dynamic

60mm 'W'-shaped dynamic

38mm

Weight

290g

365g

260g

Impedance

16 ohms

32 ohms

300 ohms

Connectivity

Dual 3.5mm TS output

Dual 3.5mm TS output

Dual 3.5mm TS output

Frequency response

15Hz - 25kHz

7Hz - 40kHz

8Hz 41.5kHz

Extras

Dual TS to 3.5mm TRS cable; 3.5mm-to-6.35mm TRS adapter; USB-C DAC/amp
dongle; carry case

Dual-TS Y-cable; 3.5mm TRS/4.4mm balanced/6.35mm TRS/XLR cable terminators; carry case

Dual TS to 6.35mm TRS cable; Dual TS to 4.4mm balanced cable 6.35mm-to-3.5mm TRS adapter; carry pouch

FiiO FT13
FiiOs FT13 closed-back headphones are relatively new kids on the block, but truck in the same surprisingly cheap magnificence as the much of FiiOs output elsewhere. Similar to the 99 Classics 2nd Gen, these are wood-cupped low-impedance affairs, but with outsized 60mm drivers and some posh cable connectivity. A great budget option.
Read our FiiO FT13 review for the full story

Sennheiser HD-660S2
Though another 2nd Gen upgrade of another set of wired headphones, the Sennheiser HD-660S2 differ from the 99 Classics 2nd Gen in being high-impedance open-backed headphones. If you want something more suited to enjoying your hi-fi stack at home, this could be it.
See our Sennheister HD-660S2 for the full story How I tested the Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen Tested for 3 weeks Used as listening headphones at home Predominantly tested on streaming and digital files, heard through a
Universal Audio Volt 4 audio interface and a HP laptops USB-C port; also tested with vinyl records through a Vestax mixer

Three glorious weeks were spent putting the Meze Audio 99 Classics Gen 2 through their paces at home, as a primary set of listening headphones for
work and leisure.

They spent most of their time in my attic office, delivering audio from Spotify and my digital music library via a Universal Audio Volt 4 audio interface. I gave a little time to listening through the provided USB-C DAC/amp. too, using my laptops USB-C port.

Lastly and for a little while, I used them on my living room vinyl setup as well listening through an old-school Vestax PCV-275 turntable mixer. First reviewed: December 2025 Read more about how we test



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