Features
Bundle Overview: The Meze Audio / iFi Audio Bundle contains a pair of beautiful, over-ear headphones and a desktop headphone amplifier, specifically tuned for those headphones. The iFi Audio ZEN CAN Signature MZ99 is custom tuned for the Meze Audio 99 Classics to get the best possible sound from your favorite music.
99 Classics Headphones: The Meze Audio 99 Classics over-ear headphones are hand-crafted with natural materials and metal hardware to create a product that looks as good as it sounds. The headphones feature luxurious wood ear cups, soft memory foam ear pads, and a strong manganese spring steel headband. Many of the components of the 99 Classics are replaceable, if needed. The 99 Classics come with two cables, one with an in-line remote and microphone for music playback and phone calls. The headphones also include a 1/4" adapter, airline adapter, and a hard, zippered black vinyl storage case.
Wood Ear Cups: The stylish ear cups of the 99 Classics headphones are made of walnut with a grain that makes them as unique as fingerprints. The wood is harvested from mature trees, then precision carved on a CNC machine, then hand finished and polished. The shaping process takes up to 8 hours for each pair of ear cups, while the sanding, lacquering, and finishing process takes another 45 days. Each wooden component is carefully inspected for zero flaws in order to reach final assembly. The natural wood ear cups provide a warm, clear sound signature without coloring the music.
Other Components: The 99 Classics are manufactured with components that are well-made, but replaceable if needed. The headphones are put together using quality cast zinc alloy hardware instead of glue. The stamped manganese spring steel frame and soft, self-adjusting headband deliver even pressure for a comfortable fit for any user. The ear pads are made with medium density memory foam, covered with soft, comfortable PU leather for excellent sound isolation.
Drivers: The 99 Classics headphones feature dynamic 40mm neodymium and Mylar transducers that deliver crisp, clear audio with minimal distortion.
Cables: Two OFC (oxygen-free copper) cables are included with the 99 Classics. Both cables feature a Kevlar fabric sheath to prevent tangles and reduce contact noise, and gold-plated 3.5mm terminals at each end (including dual-sided plugs on the headphone side). The headphones are symmetrical, so there is no designated left or right ear cup. The left and right channel markings on the cable terminals determine the left-right orientation of the headphones. The left channel plug has a tactile dot to enable you to identify the channels without looking. One cable is nearly 10 feet in length, while the other cable is 47" with an Android and Apple-compatible in-line remote and microphone for controlling music playback and phone calls. It does not have a volume control. In addition, a snap-on 3.5mm-to-1/4" adapter is included for use with your home components and pro audio gear, and an airline adapter for enjoying in-flight entertainment. The 99 Classics include a soft, zippered pouch for storing your cables and adapters.
99 Classics Specifications:
- Frequency Response: 15Hz - 25kHz
- Rated Impedance: 32Ω
- Sensitivity: 103dB (+/- 3dB) 1mW @ 1 kHz
- Rated Input Power: 30mW
- Maximum Input Power: 50mW
- Dimensions: Width 3.396", Height 3.993", Depth 2.098"
- Weight: 10.7 ounces (with 47" cable), 9.2 ounces (without cable)
ZEN CAN Signature MZ99: The iFi Audio ZEN CAN Signature MZ99 is a fully analog desktop headphone amplifier designed to drive your headphones to higher levels than most of your music sources alone. It features balanced and unbalanced headphone outputs, with 4.4mm and 6.3mm (1/4") jacks, respectively, with an adapter for your 3.5mm connected headphones. This "MZ99" version has a selectable ActivEQ setting that is specifically designed for the Meze Audio 99 Classic and 99 Neo headphones.
MZ99: iFi-Audio engineers recognize the sonic qualities of the Meze 99 Classic headphones. When updating the original ZEN CAN, they set out to create a specific EQ curve for a particular set of headphones. The MZ99 setting of the ActivEQ is designed to adjust the treble and enhance the mid-low bass to match the dynamic expression of the 99 Classic and 99 Neo headphones.
Inputs: The ZEN CAN Signature MZ99 features three total inputs, including balanced and unbalanced (single-ended) inputs. The balanced input has a 4.4mm Pentacon connector. Two single-ended inputs are provided, with 3.5mm and stereo RCA jacks. On the front panel, you can select the input by cycling through the RCA, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm inputs, numbered 1, 2, 3, respectively.
Outputs: The ZEN CAN Signature MZ99 has two headphone outputs on the front panel, with a 1/4" (6.3mm) single-ended jack, and a 4.4mm balanced jack. A 3.5mm-to-6.3mm adapter is included for connecting headphones with a 3.5mm plug. In addition, a 4.4mm balanced output on the rear panel lets you connect an active speaker with a 4.4mm-to-XLR or other balanced interconnect.
PowerMatch Switch: The headphone amplifier's PowerMatch switch lets you adjust the gain in four steps of +6dB to match your headphones. Starting with the switch at 0dB, you should increase the gain level until the volume level is comfortable and enjoyable. The 0dB setting is desirable for sensitive in-ear monitors, while the higher gain settings are recommended for higher impedance headphones where you can expand the dynamic headroom. The push-button switch cycles through the gain settings: 0dB, +6dB, +12dB, and +18dB.
ActivEQ: The ActivEQ "MZ99" setting is specifically designed for use with Meze Audio's 99 Classic headphones. When the setting is selected, the ZEN CAN Signature MZ99 calibrates its signal to complement the headphone's response characteristics throughout the frequency range, then makes a couple of adjustments to enhance the 99 Classic's performance. The ideal curve was derived by measurements, as well as feedback from listener tests. Since the Meze 99s are a little light in the mid-low bass, ActivEQ raises the bass level between 20Hz and 200Hz. The MZ99 setting also adds a little "sparkle" in the 5kHz-10kHz band. The adjustments are made completely in the analog domain, using both active and passive components, without adding noise or distortion. Even with ActivEQ turned off, the ZEN CAN Signature MZ99 can bring out the best in all other headphones and IEMs.
XSpace Matrix: The XSpace Matrix setting uses a purely analog signal processing circuit to recreate a holographic soundfield that simulates listening to a pair of speakers. It compensates for the "music inside the head" sensation that occurs when listening to music that was mixed using a pair of speakers, which can sometimes be unsettling to the listener. XSpace Matrix widens the headphone soundstage, making the sound more spacious as if listening to a pair of speakers.
Power Supply: The ZEN CAN Signature MZ99 comes with iFi-Audio's ultra-quiet iPower2 DC power supply. With Active Noise Cancellation II, iPower2 eliminates all incoming EMI (electromagnetic interference) and RFI (radio-frequency interference) noise, making it 10 times quieter than power supplies that are typically included with high-end audio components. The iPower2 has a 2-meter (79") DC output cable, and has the following ratings:
- Input: AC 100-240VAC 50/60Hz
- Output: DC 5V / 2.5A
ZEN CAN Signature MZ99 Specifications:
- Input Voltage: DC 5V/2.5A (from included iPower2 power supply)
- Max Output:
- Balanced:
- > 15.1V / 385mW (@ 600 Ohm)
- > 11.0V / 1890mW (@ 64 Ohm)
- > 6.2V / 1200mW (@ 32 Ohm)
- S-E:
- > 7.6V / 98mW (@ 600 Ohm)
- > 7.4V / 870mW (@64 Ohm)
- > 7.2V / 1600mW (@ 32 Ohm)
- Balanced:
- THD+N:
- Balanced: < 0.006% (@ 360mW/2.4V 16 Ohm)
- S-E: < 0.005% (@ 100mW/1.27V 16 Ohm)
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio:
- Balanced: >121 dBA (@ 15.2V)
- S-E: > 120 dBA (@ 7.6V)
- Max. Input:
- Balanced: 7.4V RMS
- RCA: 3.8V RMS
- 3.5mm: 1.92V RMS
- Gain: 0dB, 6dB, 12dB, 18dB
- Frequency Response: 10 Hz - 200 kHz (-3dB)
- Power Consumption: ~12 watts (max signal); ~5 watts (no signal)
- Dimensions: Width 6.217", Height 1.37", Depth 4.632"
- Weight: 19.36 ounces
