Meze 99 Noir _(Z Reviews)_ Massdrop Edition

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[hootsl]

Meze was up at AXPONA this year and I asked them what was different about the Noirs than the Classics. As soon as I asked the question a big grin spead across the guys face and he said, “Literally nothing at all.” They proceeded to tell me that the only changes are cosmetic and that the cups are the same wood just a different stain. Same drivers, same build, same pads, plus you get the extra pads all for $100 less.

[alexpea]

"You've had a rough day at the office. Six people were laid off. You aren't getting your christmas bonus. Someone broke the window on your car and stole your 8 year old ipod. You just need everything to stfu. 99 Noir's." Why I love Zeos <3

[LeDechaine]

14:10 "you'll roll over and die" said in the most soothing way ever, lol.

[MrRasgabriel]

I love the way you described these headphones with the bad day analogy.. That was just great

[DBMorfax]

Just ordered these from Drop. I almost made the mistake of getting the neo's until I got schooled on the Noirs. Great review!

[Phillisteum]

I think I've seen all reviews of the 99 classics and 99 noir on YouTube, this review was what sold them to me! The way you expressed the experience of these headphones was unique and entertaining and informative! I'm going to buy these headphones because of you!
Cheers!

[Schild]

These might be the perfect starter headphones for a lot of people. I'm several open-backs, dacs, amps, planars, and iems in and, if someone handed me these day one, it would be hard for me to move onto to something more expensive. They are cool looking, easy to drive (with a phone I have room to spare), they just sound really fun, and the price is right.

[snake_doc]

"please support me on patreon so my lights don't fall down" 🤣

[daviewavie]

the dark voice is an OTL amp, those are high output impedance and match well with high impedance headphones like the hd6xx hd600 etc. (both 300ohm headphones). the 99 noir is 32ohm, and pairs well with amps that are low output impedance. if you want tubes youd be better off with a hybrid tube amp (tube pre with solidstate power/output section). amps like the little dot 1+ etc. or a solid state amp.

[mncn]

"But after rounds of testing and community feedback, we realized we had lost a lot of what made the 99 Classics special. In the end, we decided not to change the sound signature at all, so the reviews you see of the 99 Classics are representative of what you’ll hear with the 99 Noir. "
-Drop

[darthnoduo]

Could Z do a whole review in the calm voice?? Not sure he could keep it in that long lol

[-STONECYPHER-]

I've had these for a few years now. Just replaced the original pads with BrainWavz leather and memory foam ones as the originals were starting to get gross.

Loved them in stock condition, love them even more with the new pads. I run them out of an iFi ZenDac and it rules.

[DustySquitoNM]

“You just need everything to shut the fuck up…99 Noirs.” Best review tagline ever.

[maxsettings]

The second pair of pads are not the same pads. The second pair are the “OG” pads which are supposed to simulate the pads that were on the Classics before Meze changed the pads halfway through the product cycle. The other pads change the sound a good bit.

[JasonAlexander]

Totally agree with the "they relax you" comment about these calming you down after work. I actually use these at work so that they can help protect me from the mayhem. Great headphones. I would pay the $200 just for the build quality and the case, but they sound great and work exceptionally with lower powered devices. I figured these were better to have at work than a more expensive pair of Audez because you never know if someone might walk off with them. I'm now thinking I need something else that I don't love as much as these and bring them home. Love them. Buy a pair.

[hannahnelson]

This review was literally the most chilled and entertaining review I've ever seen 😂 Thanks so much

[briancaulfield]

I have both the H6 and now these Noirs and damn I can't decide which one I want to crown as my office headphone! The H6 sounds more transparent and pure, detailed and gives me a better idea of how a recording is supposed to sound, slightly better imaging and space imo but they also sound thinner, especially in the mids, with not as much punch or power. Light, but in a good way. These on the other hand are warm as you mentioned, strong bass (a little too much sometimes) that does bleed into the mids a little (some mid-lower note acoustic guitars, keyboards sound deeper than they should, like they fall into the bass region when they shouldn't), a little muddy, not quite as detailed across the board but easier to hear some bass and low mid details (vocal undertones, piano pedals), vocals sound quite a bit better on the Noir, slightly easier treble, more dynamic and powerful and natural. Thick and full, also in a good way. I'd describe it like the Noir are "analog" and the H6 "digital", both are great!

By the way, the extra pads are different, they are smaller and they change the sound. I put those on as soon as I got the Noir as I read they reduced the bass a bit but I still need to try the default, larger pads

[darukaru]

Got a pair of these, stuck Brainwavz oval hybrid pads on them (which takes some work holy hell), listened to some stuff at a volume that would’ve murdered me with my AKG K545s, couldn’t be happier.

[jumbowizard]

I don't always hear the same stuff or want a bass bump like zeos, but this is very accurate. To me it sounds like you're listening to music in a big stone church. They're comfy. They're fairly light. They're a nap on a Sunday afternoon packaged just for your ears. They're easy to drive, easy to listen to and they sound very much like the t50 fostex (I forget the whole name). If you want the fostex but don't want extra equipment to drive them, these are it.

[Riel]

Patiently waiting for an Ether CX review