The Classics v2 arrived as part of a tour, as with most things Meze I ended up buying them so I’ll call this a review of my experience with the Classics v2 from an owner’s perspective, rather than a loaner review. Either way, as always, you’ll get my honest thoughts.
The Classics v2 arrive in standard Meze packaging, you get a box; inside the box is a case which has the headphones (surprise!), a cable terminated in 3.5mm with a 6.3mm adapter, and a USB C adapter. The inclusion of the USB adapter is nice and makes it a simple package for anyone who doesn’t have a dongle/dap/source to plug them into. I mainly use these directly out of my MacBook Air and they sound great, the sound improves when plugged into my desktop setup, but I have other headphones which I prefer if I’m sitting down with my desktop setup.
The v2 is a lovely looking headphone, the wood isn’t super polished, it has a nice understated kind of look. The headband and connectors are black and gold. All up it’s a very classy looking headphone.
They’re an exceptionally comfortable headphone and I can wear them for pretty much any amount of time. I’ve had them on my head for over four hours at work with no concerns whatsoever.
The original Meze 99 Classics have always occupied an interesting place in the headphone world and within my collection. It’s a beautifully made, comfortable, easy to drive, and above all else fun headphone. Its generous bass and warm presentation give it a personality that makes it easy to recommend to someone stepping into higher-end headphones without wanting to dissect every recording. I’ve had many of my friends start with the 99 classics, some staying there and some progressing further into the hobby / down the rabbit hole.
For me the question is has Meze improved the 99 Classics, or simply made it different? I’ll try to unpack that here through my impressions 🙂 These impressions are based on the stock sound and not with the acoustic absorber installed. The acoustic absorber brings them much closer to the originals which I’ll note a few times where I think it’s worthwhile.
Bass:
Starting with the biggest difference from the originals, and the part which makes me think that perhaps Meze should have called these something else, is the bass.
Compared with the original, there is considerably less bass quantity and you don’t have the same impact and feel that you get with the originals. This gives the v2 a cleaner and more controlled low end, particularly on busy recordings where the original could become bloated/messy sometimes.
I’ve been on a bit of a Placebo binge, so this review will have a few of their tracks sprinkled through it. Special K has an amazing bass line that really pulls the track forward. It doesn’t hit like the v1 does, but overall the track sounds more cohesive than on the v1.
Pure Morning also has a nice bass line in the track which I love on the v2. It doesn’t have the same weight or impact as the v1, but I find the cleaner presentation makes it easier to follow what’s going on in the track.
Brian’s vocals on both of the tracks are clearer than on the v1, so while the bass isn’t as forward as on the v1, I think it’s a better experience overall. The v1 gives you more bass and more of that physical feeling, but the v2 feels more controlled and lets you hear more of the rest of the track. Very different approaches!
Mids:
Male vocals are very well done – they sound natural in tone and weight to my ears. Female vocals fall into two categories for me, someone like Sienna Spiro on her track Pure sounds magical, with natural tone, weight, and all of the emotion from the writing delivered to my ears. Moving on to Celine Dion’s ‘It’s All Coming Back to Me Now’ her vocals come across a little thin and shouty to my ears. It’s a shame as it’s so close to perfect for vocals at this price point. In the end, the male vocals and the lower female ones were more than enough, I just need to avoid certain artists when I’m listening on the v2s. (Note: The acoustic absorbers can assist here if you don’t have multiple headphones.)
Placebo’s ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ is a great mid-focused track. Brian’s vocals sound amazing here, with the guitars building up throughout the track. A real highlight for me.
They also work well with Jazz, listening to Dave Brubeck – Take Five, you hear everything going on while maintaining a cohesive performance. I find myself exploring a lot of instrumental tracks when I’m listening to the v2s.
Treble:
I found the v2 to generally be smooth and detailed in the treble space. I’m not particularly treble sensitive, with the acoustic absorber installed I thought they were a little dull, but for some people it may be what you want!
System of a Down – Chop Suey is detailed and crisp on the v2, you hear a lot more of the track than you do on the v1s.
Running through some metal tracks you get a lot of detail extracted by the v2s. For the most part tracks sound well rounded and enjoyable. Slipknot’s Duality is playing right now, I could use a little more weight to the sound but overall it’s very enjoyable, vocals are nice and clear, and it sounds cohesive.
Overall the v2s do treble very well at their price point!
Technicalities:
Technically, the v2 is a clear improvement over the original.
Detail retrieval is very good without the sound becoming overly analytical. Instrument separation is one of its strengths, and imaging is generally precise. It handles busy tracks extremely well, Eraser by Nine Inch Nails is nicely layered, with all of the individual components of the track coming through clearly, but never making it sound disjointed.
Soundstage is respectable for a closed back but it isn’t going to be challenging open backs.
While they’re very easy to drive, I recommend at least a decent source but the included USB adapter can be used without too much of a loss in sound quality.
Subjective Thoughts:
I struggled with the v2s to begin with. I went in expecting something like the v1 which these really aren’t. I think Meze knew this, and it’s why they included the acoustic absorber, but in my opinion you’re better off leaving that out and spending some time with the v2 to understand it.
My listening impressions went something like this:
Day 1: What has Meze done
Day 2: OK, you need this absorber thing in
Day 3: Well, they sound kinda like v1s
Day 4: Let me try without the absorber again
Day 5: OK, I see what they’re trying to do here
Day 6: I like these
Day 7: I really like these with certain male and female vocalists
Day 8: I think I need a pair of these
I don’t expect that everyone would have the same journey, but I would recommend giving the v2s some time if they don’t immediately click for you. At their price point they’re a very nice headphone which excels with certain vocalists. For most other tracks you’ll get something enjoyable but potentially unremarkable. They are a set that I can easily pop on while working and as long as I avoid a handful of artists I’ll enjoy everything that gets played. The stage is nice for a closed back. They come to work with me usually one or two days a week and get played directly from my MacBook Air.
Overall:
The Meze 99 Classics v2 is a beautifully built and exceptionally comfortable closed-back headphone that is a very different beast to the originals.
The bass is cleaner and better controlled. Separation and detail are noticeably improved. The presentation is less congested, the isolation is excellent, the headphone is incredibly easy to drive and the overall package gives you everything you need to enjoy them.
I think they would have been better positioned as a new headphone rather than a v2, the v1 is known for its bass predominantly (at least in my head) and the v2 is altogether different.
For my money, the most important listening test isn’t a frequency sweep or a familiar audiophile recording. It’s finding something you love, putting it on, and seeing if the headphone brings you joy.
For me, the point where I decided I needed them was this. I had a glass of Shiraz, I sat down with my MacBook Air, plugged the v2s in while I was doing some coding, and put on Deftones’ White Pony album. I loved everything about how the v2 presents that album and needed to have a set.
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