Closer Examination

The cable included with the Meze 99 Neo is adequate, and has an addition that make it more appealing to the broader audience, too. It starts with a single-ended 3.5 mm TRS connector to the source for compatibility with more portable options, although Meze includes an adapter to pair it with more substantial sources that provide a 1/4" (6.35 mm) output, too. The connectors are plastic and in a black and silver color scheme to match the headphones themselves. Not much is known about the cable composition other than that the conductor is oxygen-free copper, which bodes well for a high-purity conductor with low resistance and impedance alike. The insulation is also strong Kevlar most of the way, making for a relatively thin cable that does not kink easily. The cable minder strap has the Meze name on it, and we see the logo on the splitter, too. This then leads to two thinner wires without the Kevlar housing, and the left-marked cable has in-line microphone and media playback controls. Both connectors going to the headphones use the same, somewhat uncommon 3.5 mm TS connector. There is also an extra ring on the left-channel housing to readily physically distinguish the two just in case that large microphone/remote extension was not enough. All the plugs are gold-plated for added oxidation resistance.


The cable might have only been adequate, but the build quality of the Meze 99 Neo headphones is easily better than adequate. In fact, it's one of the best-feeling sets of cans I have used in this price range, and bests several priced higher from the likes of HIFIMAN and even Sennheiser. These do weigh more than the typical set of headphones targeting the mainstream market, coming in at just over 250 g without the cable. Much of this has to do with the manganese/steel alloy head band and yokes, and there are more metal components strewn around the ABS plastic used in the ear cups. Meze Audio has gone with a suspension-style support for the head band, with two strips of steel at the top going around the top of the head and further support coming from a faux-leather suspension strap that has "99 NEO" embossed into it. It's quite subtle on the black strap, and the entire thing looks and feels good, which extends to the stitching as well.


The stitching ends on either side, where the head band meets the ear cups, and the yokes are a defining feature of the Meze 99 Neo. So distinctive in fact that I can identify these among a sea of similar headphones just by the cast zinc alloy given that lustrous electroplated coating on the body, which in turn has the Meze Audio logo and two arms and feet securing the suspension band to the steel head band. Placing these over your head allows for the suspension band to travel up, exposing the inner plastic band itself.


The ear cups are quite conical in form factor and secured to the head band via what I can best describe as a ball-and-socket joint. There is ~15–20° of movement up and down, and slightly less to the left or right. I would have preferred more leeway horizontally, but it does work well enough for most head shapes. The ABS plastic gets a textured finish and is almost soft-touched to, well, the touch. There is more of the zinc alloy as a ring around the ear cup at the mating point with the ear pads themselves, and these too are in a silver color to keep with the ongoing black and silver colorway.


The Meze 99 Neo is a set of closed-back headphones, so sound isolation is key to the user experience. This means the ear pads are all the more important, and Meze Audio chose medium-density memory foam pads with a similar polyurathane faux-leather surface as the suspension band, albeit of a smoother finish. These pads are installed in a manner typical of most such implementations, squeezed between a thin groove between the driver support plate and ear cup. Removal is easy enough, but installing them can be a chore if unfamiliar with the process. Good thing then that Meze Audio has a tutorial video, even if it is for the more premium 99 Classic that goes the same route with ear pads. There are several replacement ear pad options for the 99 Neo from Meze, and third-party options from the likes of Dekoni. Noting that ear pads can impact the overall sound signature of headphones, I'd recommend sticking with first-party options if you wish to retain the factory tuning.


In fact, this is as good a time as any to mention that the Meze 99 Neo is a strong supporter of the Right to Repair movement. Pretty much every part can easily be taken out and replaced by an available spare part, even the drivers themselves. For the rare driver failure within the warranty period, or even afterward, I would not be surprised if Meze Audio has the option of simply shipping replacement drivers that are held in place inside the plastic ear cups via screws as seen above. I disassembled the Meze 99 Neo after all testing was finished, which also gives us a closer look at the 40 mm dynamic drivers. Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to the diaphragm and rest of the dynamic driver setup, although the solder job on the connectors could certainly be better! The one-year warranty is also not industry leading by any means, being less than the average two years I associate with European brands.


At this point, only the cable connectors we already spoke about are left to be examined. The detachable cable comes separately packaged, and there are cutouts with more of the same silver-colored accent rings on each ear cup. The cable has two ends that connect to the two channels, and the ear cups are not marked. These are interchangeable thus, with the cable deciding which is the left channel with the accompanying microphone/remote and which the right channel. Both cable connectors are mono in nature thus, which means the Meze 99 Neo may be run in mono mode, too. At 1.5 m long, the cable is quite short for headphones, which is another indicator that these are designed with portable audio in mind, with the 3.5 mm source termination the other. That said, you do have the option to go with a single-ended 1/4" adapter as seen above.