Don’t turn it up too loud. Details in the comments.

Decided to upgrade my audio setup as a treat to myself for my 18th birthday. Still a broke student so I got these both used but paid just about 100 dollars for the two together which I think was a steal. Been running a 30-dollar pair of in ears and third gen airpods for the longest time so pretty big upgrade for me.

Hello guys ! If you have any questions about those headphones please feel free to ask me anything about them ! I will be happy to help you if you are about to bought one of them or if you wonder how they compare!

I got them primarily for gaming, with about 10-20% for music. Not going to lie - I expected to be blown away by the soundstage size and imaging precision, but I wasn’t. With my U12t and IER-Z1R, it already trips me out how so many sounds seem to come from outside my head, even though I have little speakers stuffed into my ear canals. I bought the HD’s blind and have never listened to open back headphones before, so based on all the reviews, I thought these were going to sound like I’m listening to speakers in the room, but the improvement over the IEM’s is just subtle, rather than transformative.

The Z1R’s are my go-to’s for music. They’re known to have one of the largest soundstages of any IEM, and while I do perceive the overall soundstage to be a bit larger with the HD’s, it’s not by much. Granted, the Z1R’s soundstage is so grand, to say anything is even a tiny bit better than them is quite the compliment.

The U12t’s are what I use for gaming, and I’d say those give me a better perception of center image and depth out in front of me, while the HD’s have a mild improvement to my perception of width. My ability to pinpoint the exact location of sounds (footsteps, reload, etc) is maybe a tiny bit better with the HD’s, but again, not by much. All three of these are incredible at revealing every last detail in music.

None of this is meant to be a criticism of the HD800S - I’m just pretty spoiled to have two of the greatest IEM’s of all time as my baseline reference. The HD800S sounds awesome, I enjoy having another new sound signature in the collection.

This might be a weird question, but…

I’m home with him three days a week and I go a bit feral without something in my ears, so I moved to open-ear stuff a while back specifically so I could still hear him. The OpenFit Pro ones hook over the top of the ear, nothing in the canal, so I can hear what’s going on. Him, the kitchen, the dog, all of it. Including when he goes quiet in the other room, which is the one that actually matters.
None of which matters to him. As far as he’s concerned, if there is something on my ears then I am Unavailable.
And I don’t think I’m actually missing him. He’ll hold up a dinosaur and tell me it’s the big one, I say yes that’s the big one, and he’ll still go “you’re not listening.” So I take them off, we talk. Which I suspect just teaches him he was right.
My guess is he’s pattern matched it off phone calls. Thing on ear, dad is talking to someone else. Tried letting him hold one. He thought that was great and wanted to put it on me himself. Tried explaining it. He’s three, so......

Does this wear off on its own?

I was looking for something to replace my dying QC45 and after I read a ton of information I ordered the Px8 with their carbon fiber drivers and alleged incredible detail. I read on Reddit how they make you fall in love with music again and how you hear things you never heard in songs. For those people I can only imagine they were upgrading from listening to music on a phone speaker.

Just for background: I have the QC45 which I don’t like the sound of, but they are incredibly comfy so I use them for books and office work. I got the Moondrop Blessing 3 for at home and AirPods Pro 3.

I tried the bowers and on songs where I know where certain instruments are I can’t hear them at all. I have to really struggle on some mixes to hear more than 60% of the song. I tried firmware upgrade, cable, BTD700 dongle, nothing. They are a bloated muddy muddy cans. I tried the incredible 2 band EQ which helped a little but still ew.

This is a warning to not trust glowing reviews all too much. These are skullcandy level sound. I am returning tomorrow.

PS: Build quality is phenomenal and they are sooo beautiful.

Bought these Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones back in April 2026. Just a few weeks ago I noticed this delamination. Contacted Sony, but "physical damage" is not covered under their limited warranty. Is this normal? I've only ever used these under normal wear conditions. Took good care of them but it seems as if there is a defect in the outer coating. Is there anything I can do? I bought these from Best Buy, but I assume they will want me to contact Sony, which has been pointless. Any tips would be appreciated.

Meze Audio 99 Classics V2
1DD
$350USD

Hi everyone, welcome back ! In today’s review, we’ll be talking about a very gorgeous looking closed back headphone. The Meze Audio 99 Classics V2.
Rest assured, as always this review is 100% my own personal opinion.

Unboxing
Here’s what you get inside the box:

• Headphone
• Hard Case
• Cable
• Type C Dongle
• Foam Inserts

Build Quality and Comfort

The 99 Classics V2 build quality is exceptional, it’s made out of walnut wood, it screams high quality and luxury, especially paired with the gold accent of the headband.
Talking about headbands, 99 Classics V2 uses a suspension type headband, which is actually pretty comfortable even for my super big head size.
I believe other individuals are going to be more than happy with the comfort of this headphone.
I cannot stress this enough, I do have a very large head, and this headphone accommodates it without any issues.

Continuing with the comfort of this headphone, it has this snap on earpads, which actually somewhat limits the possibility of earpads swapping, though I do believe this is by design because the 99 Classics V2 comes with acoustic foam inserts, and by doing this snap on design, it is designed to somewhat “installing the inserts easier” and “easier stock earpads replacement”.
The earpads themselves are pretty soft and accommodating for glasses users like me.

Specs

The 99 Classics V2 uses a single 40mm dynamic driver. It is rated at only 16ohms.
As for the dongle, Meze does not publish the specs to the public.

Power Requirement
This headphone is without any surprise, easy to drive.
BUT, obviously if you plug it to a better source it will present you with better technicalities and nicer tonality.

Sound
Setup Used:

• Meze Audio 99 Classics V2, Stock dongle, FIIO QX13, Fosi Audio ZH1, Apple Music + YT Music  (J-POP, EDM, Rap, Metal, Jazz)

My impression with the 99 Classics  V2 without the foam inserts is that it sounded “Harman-esque” with extra mid bass thump and mid treble.

One could argue this tuning could be called a somewhat mild V-Shape.
But, it is closer to harman target rather than V-shape.

And IF you do use the foam inserts, it dampens the mid treble and shifts the tonality to be warmer. Meze said this is for individuals who want a closer tonality to the original 99 Classics V1.

I found myself personally liking the tonality without the foam inserts. It simply sounds a bit more “balanced” for me.
Continuing on, I will describe the tonality without the foam inserts.

Bass : Deep, very good transient response, and thumpy because of the extra mid bass tuning.
I found the bass to be usable for all genres, yes even double pedal music and EDM.
It’s an allrounder bass tuning, and it digs deep.

Midrange : Nice clarity, without being shouty.
I think Meze tuned the midrange quite on point with the 99 Classics V2.
I found vocals presented in a very sweet and musical sounding, especially female vocals.
Granted some male vocals could sound a bit thicker than normal due to the extra mid bass that bleeds slightly to the midrange, but overall, me being a vocal lover approved this midrange tuning.

As for instruments, it sounds really musical yet again.
And not only that, thanks to the spectacular technicalities, instruments such as Violin, Piano, and even drum solo, sounds very realistic and I love it so much.
I literally play Violet Evergarden OST on repeat everyday because of how inviting and musical the midrange of this headphone is.

Treble : This is probably where people are going to debate quite a bit.
I found the treble without foam inserts to be a bit too airy, but on acceptable level, at least on my tolerance level.

But some people actually find this to be a bit too sibilant for them and is fatiguing.
And here is where the foam inserts come to play.
It dampens the treble and shifts the tonality to be warmer, BUT at the cost of some loss in imaging quality and details.
The treble itself, actually on the lower part, has a dip that reminds me of the M20x and Audeze MM100 tuning, but on the 99 Classics V2, after that dips, it has a rise, and this for some people could sound tiring.

I found the treble itself actually not that bright, BUT the tuning because of the dips near the 4k region, and suddenly it rose. What it does, is that it basically emphasises 5k to 9k of the headphones.

Also on the upper treble, it does have a peak around 14k which adds nice airy quality to the sound.

Just in case you don’t like this kind of treble tuning, you can just simply add the foam inserts and call it a day.

Technicalities
For $350USD, the technicalities are excellent

Stage: Large with excellent layering.
Ironically I found the stage to be larger than my HD650.
The Classics 99 V2 stage for closed back headphones, probably the largest that I’ve ever tried.
Imaging: Spectacular
Even plugged just with the included dongle, it sounds holographic. But the imaging does suffer a tiny bit if you do use the foam inserts.
Separation & Positioning: Very good, I actually use this for mixing purposes and I could set panning of certain instruments exactly where I wanted it to be.
Translation for music use case? You could enjoy a very nice panning stereo left right separation with the 99 Classics V2 and locate everything easily.
Detail Retrieval: Very good, you definitely going to enjoy all the textures this headphone offers.

Usually we have to choose between musicality and technical performance, but not with the Meze 99 Classics V2.
It sounds so musical yet it has superb overall technicalities, especially for the price and again for the price you get this superb build quality and luxurious look and very nice accessories.

Conclusion
The Meze Audio 99 Classics V2 in my opinion is definitely worth every penny you spend.
It has excellent craftsmanship, luxurious looks, premium accessories, very comfortable to wear and it has a very inviting musical tuning without sacrificing technicalities.
I could even do mixing work with this, knowing that the 99 Classics V2 sounds close to harman target tuning.

And what does that mean?
Basically the chance your mixes are going to translate well to other sources are high.
Another respectable point that I should mention is that the 99 Classics V2 has excellent passive noise isolation.
I could barely hear anything if I wore the 99 Classics V2 even without any sound playing in the background.

And this also means you could use this for tracking purposes in the context of being in a home studio and POV of a musician and audio engineer.
I’ll catch you in the next one. Bye for now !

• littlenezt

These just give me a musically enjoyment not the 660s2 or even the planar beast fiio ft1 pro can give me..i don't know what it is but they add emotions to music

still havent found a way to use all of them same time... sadly

99 NEO

DT880

K712 PRO (currently most actively used)

IFI Hip-Dac 2

i think i might have gotten carried away when i herd "used audio is a good way to save some money"

Funnily enough i payed basically the same for the 99neos as i did for everything else tho the 99neos have been in heavy use for a few years already.

i also have pair of KZ ZSN PRO iems, If anyone has some good recomendations for iems (under 50e) that would be fun as id like to try some other iems at somepoint.

Just picked up the Dan Clark stealth and the woo audio adjustable headphone stand, rounding out the collection with a closed back. Getting married this month so wanted to make sure I had a closed back ready for adjusting to living together.

I had tried to fill the closed back gap with a meze liric before but male vocals just sounded way too wonky for me to live with.

Was also struggling to find a good headphone stand to pair the stealth with, so glad I found this one. Its not as nice as the stand the yamaha came with, but it keeps up with the D8000 stand and overall matches aesthetics.

These headphones without EQ:

Nothing seems special, too bright, muffled, non-existent lows.

But tuned to one's favorite target (Hifi-Endgame probably being the best ATM), the sound is phenomenal. The driver can absolutely provide exceptionally clean and punchy bass that you could never imagine with factory tuning.

It's just a phenomenally engineered headphone.

You can drive the shit outta the headphone with a proper amp, and it refuses to distort.

Noise isolation is significant while still having great soundstage and imaging.

Exceptionally comfortable, great clamping force, some of the best earpads.

Exceedingly high-quality coiled cable (seriously nice cable).

Super durable.

Online discourse seems to have two boats of people: those saying that this headphone is great and those who say it is trash for the reasons explained above. I would challenge anyone who thinks it performs poorly to relisten with EQ and reevaluate.

Edit: I've been using these headphones for years and they sound better everyday.

Thoughts?

I’ve owned a headphone at one time or another from just about every company - Meze, ZMF, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Focal, Audeze, Hifiman, DCA, you name it. I have my favorites but I usually find they’re not the ones that seem to glean the most popularity or engagement online. Leaving your own personal tastes out of it, which companies do you get the impression are the most popular or successful?

(Not asking support, not technical not shopping, not sure was removed)

After hours try out and read reddit for about an hour, some posts (from months ago) tell the hissing, just wanted to ask if this is something happen on every unit?

Anyone has had hissing on one unit and replaced another one without?

Or still have it on new replaced one?

Please advise, thanks!

Parts:

Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT1770 Pros
Pads: WC Freeze DT770
Mic: Primo EM272Z1
Boom: David Clark Boom Guide H10-30 kit + Black Pilot Communications Wire Hinge Boom
Cable: Audio Technica Unterminated BP-HS2
XLR adapter: Rode VXLR+

Impressions: Extra cabling doesn’t affect the sound on the left cup at all, the primo mic is fantastic for voice and isn’t muddied at all being as close as it is, preforming well enough for me to sell my AT4040. There is a bit of white noise (very minor) from the VXLR+ so going to swap it for a VXLR Pro.

That old boi in the middle will have its 12th birthday on the 18th! Had to cover the headband DIY as it is flaking.

Hi, I bought the DT 770 PRO 80 ohm based on all the recommendations I received, and I was tired of my Hyper X, i wanted a change. The problem is that even at full volume, whether on Windows or even on my LG C1 TV, the sound isn't very loud at all, it's barely there, and it sounds a bit muffled. Maybe it’s just a matter of getting used to it, but in any case, the volume is too low for my taste. So I’ve heard that it depends on the motherboard, whether it has a good sound card or not. Personally, I have a B450 Tomahawk Max, i thought that would be enough, but it’s not great.

First of all, I’d like to know if this is normal? I’m thinking of getting an amplifier to see if there’s really a difference, otherwise, i’ll send it back. What do you recommend? Is the FiiO KA11 enough, or should I get something with better performance? Keep in mind that I mainly use it for listening to music, gaming, and watching movies, the usual stuff. Thanks for your help.

Sharing a free, open source Mac player I built, in case it's useful to anyone here.

The two things this crowd might care about:

• Bit-perfect playback. The output device follows each song's sample rate and the deepest integer format, with optional exclusive access, and the volume slider controls the device's own volume instead of scaling samples. A quality panel shows what the file is and what actually reaches the DAC, so you can confirm nothing's being resampled.
• 15-band parametric EQ. Every band has type (peak, shelves, pass, notch), frequency, gain and Q, a draggable response curve, and automatic preamp to avoid clipping. It imports and exports Equalizer APO / AutoEq ParametricEQ.txt files, so you can load your headphone's correction directly.

Plus FLAC/hi-res/ALAC/APE/WavPack and friends, gapless, ReplayGain-based leveling, and synced lyrics.

https://github.com/irwingbraga/groovelight

I ordered a pair of AFUL P5+2 through HiFiGo and am having some issues with either the 2 pin cable or the left IEM itself. It cuts out entirely very occasionally if the cable/connector gets moved in just the right way. The socket on the iem is extremely tight so the hardware troubleshooter in me is inclined to believe it's just a faulty cable, and have another on the way to test this theory. Received them the day before yesterday so I would think I'm well within an acceptable window for support here. I've reached out and haven't heard back yet.

Curious if anyone has had to deal with their support and your experiences so I know what I'm getting into.

Hifiman is infamous for driver failures and QC issues. And it seems to be amplified with the Unveiled lineup. Drivers failing automatically. Maybe due to dust, humidity, condensation, etc. I don't know how, but they simply give up. Even Late Knight Talk's unit had driver failure in one month. The second unit has creaking sounds.

Are there any long term owners of the unveiled headphones?

1: What kind of environment do you live in? Dusty, Humid. 2: and how do you take care of the headphones?

Pic is just for representation.

I’ve been experimenting with different DACs and headphones lately, trying to find that perfect combination of detail, musicality, soundstage, and instrument separation. I think I’ve finally found something special.

My current setup is the Cayin RU9 paired with the Meze 99 Classics V2, using a balanced 4.4mm connection and streaming from my iPhone.

And wow. I’m genuinely blown away.

The instrument separation is phenomenal. I’m hearing individual instruments with a level of clarity and separation that makes familiar recordings feel completely new. Instead of everything blending together, each instrument seems to occupy its own space. I can follow the bass line, pick out subtle background instruments, and hear little details in recordings that I honestly never noticed before.

The vocals are absolutely amazing. This is probably one of my favorite things about the RU9. Voices sound incredibly natural, rich, intimate, and full of emotion. There’s a beautiful sense of presence, almost as if the singer is performing right in front of me. Nothing sounds overly analytical or artificially sharpened. It’s detailed but wonderfully musical.

The soundstage and imaging are another highlight. There’s a wonderful sense of space, depth, and dimension. Instruments don’t just sound like they’re coming from the left or right. There’s actual layering and placement. Some sounds feel closer, others further away, creating this almost three-dimensional presentation.

And the bass? Deep, controlled, textured, and satisfying without overpowering the midrange. Exactly the kind of bass I enjoy.

What really impresses me is how effortlessly everything comes together. The RU9 delivers a presentation that’s detailed and revealing without becoming fatiguing. I can sit back, close my eyes, and completely disappear into the music.

I’ve tried several DACs recently, including the iBasso DC07 Pro, and to my ears, the Cayin RU9 offers a more enjoyable, natural, and immersive listening experience. There’s something about its presentation that makes me want to keep listening for hours.

Now, one issue worth mentioning:

I’m experiencing some faint static/interference when using the RU9 attached magnetically via MagSafe to my iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Interestingly, when I try the same setup with my wife’s iPhone 16 Pro Max, there’s absolutely no static.

That makes me wonder whether there’s some type of electromagnetic interference or a difference in how the two phones interact with the RU9 when positioned magnetically. I’m not sure what’s causing it yet, but I wanted to mention it for anyone considering this combination.

Aside from that, the sound quality has been nothing short of spectacular.

My final thoughts:

I’ve spent a lot of time chasing better sound, trying different headphones, Bluetooth solutions, and portable DACs. This setup has reminded me why I love wired audio so much.

It’s not just about hearing music louder or getting more bass. It’s about hearing the space between instruments, the texture of a voice, the subtle details buried in a recording, and the emotion behind the performance.

The Cayin RU9 has made listening to music exciting again.

I’m genuinely impressed, and I couldn’t be happier with this purchase.

Anyone else using the Cayin RU9? I’d love to hear your impressions, especially if you’ve experienced any MagSafe-related interference with the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Arya Organics bought in E-Earphone store in Japan and the Jotenhiem 3 as my amp/dac. What an amazing combo, everything is so crystal clear while easy to listen to. This may be the end of the road for me!