Treble notes were actually quite clear despite the thicker nature of the 99 Neo’s sound and the slightly boosted treble crispness does well to balance out the more relaxed nature of the headphones. The 99 Neo’s also have pretty great detail retrieval even if their more natural, darker sound favours smoothness over aggressive detail and clarity. I won't say they are bass canons because they are not, but they provide the sufficient quantity to match almost any music genre. Okay, so for all those who weren’t quite sure whether or not the 99 Classics could do bass and do it well and without the “Buick Boom,” that would be a yes.

The flimsy-looking skeletal frame is surprisingly rigid, while their large padded headband does well to prevent pressure from building on the head. The remaining three sides—top, bottom, back—are matte black in color and only the back panel is spot printed in gold, with a raised line drawing of the 99 Classics, that surrounds the print.

That being said, the thick, plush earpads disperse the pressure and clamp force is quite even throughout its range so they won’t clamp too hard on those with larger head sizes. They actually pick up a surprising amount of hiss from my noisier sources but even modestly noisy sources such as my Oppo HA-2 had no issue. Using the same driver as the award winning 99 Classics, the Meze 99 Neo strives for precision in every component just as much as its counterpart. With 103 dB at 26 ohms, the 99 NEO plays extremely effectively and also without problems on the smartphone.

It’s designed to accommodate the headphones accurately and can withstand some shock when dropped on the floor. As the Meze Neo shares the DNA of the Classics, we guarantee that the Meze 99's are serviceable if any parts ever need to be replaced.

SOUND quality is another time night and day, or let’s say, cold dry night with agressive neon street lamp and colourfull sunny day with fresh air from the Meze ocean. The accessories are simple enough; there is, after all, not much you can do with a set of headphones.

There is an openness, generally, associated with far more costly audio equipment and a naturalness that owes itself to the analog old school. What they will not do is to trap you in the mind contemplating this mid-bass elevation or the shape of its frequency curve or midrange dips, etc.The 99 Classic, unlike a number of other headphones/IEMs, is not a surgical scalpel intent on dissecting the music and cleaving it of heart and soul—via a bright or analytical tuning. There’s a natural warmth to the midrange that laps up Chris Stapleton's country crooning as we play Whiskey And You, with the Mezes keen to throw his vocal under the spotlight.