This and That:
Comes with a sturdy case (headphone fits in even when the cable is attached) that looks good.
Two cables are included - a short one with mic/remote unit, and a longer one. Both have a 3.5 mm plug. Last but not least, a 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter, airplane adapter and zipped bag (for one of the cables) are included as well.
There are no side indicators on the headphone (Meze handed that job to the cable).
Build quality and design are good, however ultimately the headphone doesn't appear as premium appearing as most people say. Still very good (A- grade).
I really like the wood grain. Beautiful.
Self-adjusting height adjustment mechanism (somewhat comparable to that of my AKG K701). Likes to pull my hair out, though.
Headband bracket made of metal; very unpleasantly microphonic and ringing when touched.
I don't like the cable. It's fabric-coated everywhere, even above the y-splitter. Quite microphonic as well. Will show signs of wear fairly quickly due to that fabric, as it will fray over time (mine already does a little in some places).
Fairly small and shallow ear pads. Still manage to seal well though. Good noise isolation.
Sound:
Tonality:
Big, bassy, smooth, natural, dark.
Really strong bass with only moderate roll-off towards the sub-bass. Lots of impact and punch.
Warm fundamental range into the upper fundamentals; therefore warm, lush lower mids without becoming muddy or muffled sounding.
Treble generally evenly in the background, even already in the lower treble. Therefore on the darker side but relaxed and smooth instead of lacking. Natural kind of relaxed. Not fatiguing.
Pleasantly lacking any noticeable dips or peaks.
Resolution:
Good midrange and treble resolution; nothing to criticise here.
Unfortunately the bass doesn't really blend in with the rest. Appears somewhat dull and also a bit loose, lacking some differentiation; doesn't have the details of the mids and highs. Also shows some already slightly audible distortion even at quiet listening levels.
The bass isn't bad but I'd expect better for the price. That's the bass performance I'd expect from a $150 headphone. I'd rate my Sennheiser Amperior's, Shure SEH440's, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro's (250 Ohm) and the 1More Mk801's bass quality above that of the 99 Classics. Solely the Mee audio Air-Fi Matrix² (wired use) and Brainwavz HM2 are about comparable to the Meze in terms of bass quality.
Nope, I'd expect better bass performance for the price.
Soundstage:
Average for a closed-back headphone in terms of dimensions.
Not too much width but good localisation and decent layering. Instrument separation could be a little better, just like the separation (it's not foggy but not spot-on sharp and exact either).
Still fairly decent imaging overall.
Conclusion:
Beautiful wood. Microphonic headband arch (rings when touched). Headband likes to pull hair out. Small ear pads. Bassy. Smooth and natural, warm-dark midrange and treble; even and lacking peaks/dips. High midrange and treble resolution. Underwhelming bass quality/details. Decent imaging.