A recent discussion of the Denon AHD7100 / AHD7200 headphones started me off wondering about 'refined' closed-back designs. The new 7200 model features a gorgeous wooden cup and whilst admiring photos on Google I spotted another seriously attractive design from an unknown name - Meze. Build is based around a computer-milled solid Walnut housing.
Further searches revealed that Meze are a small company from Romania who started off by marketing re-badged Chinese headphones but have now moved on to designing and making their own products. Reading some reviews and checking out some high-end dealers websites I discovered two things: 1) The 'Meze 99 Classics' is praised for its rich, warm sound and 2) They aren't as expensive as they look!
My 'perfect headphone' at the moment is the AudioQuest Nighthawk with its huge and immersive sound. BUT it being a semi-open design it gets a bit difficult to enjoy properly if there is a TV blasting away in the same room. So the search for closed-back cans is still on. Several times I came across comments where the NightHawk and Meze 99 were compared for their similar aural character. The suspicion grew that these might be right for me so I have taken the plunge and ordered a pair.
They came in yesterday. They are beautiful. They sound wonderful.
Doing some 'road-testing' and comparison's. More later.
Fretless - Total Headphone Junkie.
