ABLET 4.4mm Balanced Male 6N OCC Copper Silver Plated Cord 4.4mm Balanced Cable Compatible with Meze 99 Classics, for Meze 99 Neo Headphone Walnut Wood Shell

Can make a dramatic difference to the sound of the meze 99 classic headphones and this suggests its a good quality cable. However my high end Fiio M17 player with this cable completely lost the warm, smooth and seamless character of the Meze and they sounded far better with the unbalanced stock cable. The cable is well made, non-micophonic and stylish. Recommended, but may not be suitable for high end digital players and streamers.ProsWell made, good quality and tight fitting connectors.Easy to fit to the meze.Nicely styled for the meze classic.Shorter than the ridiculously long stock cable. This is a good thing.Not microphonic. Doesn't transmit vibration of the cable into the headphones.Can dramatically improve the sonic capabilities of the meze 99 classic. Generally increases detail; not only in the amount of information but each note becomes more etched in the mix. Instrumental separation is also improved so that the music is coming from a bigger space.ConsNot a good match with the Fiio M17 and possibly other players and amplifiers, but you have to try it to find out.May be cheaper and better cables out there but non are in the Meze Classic style.Why I sent this cable backWhat I like about the meze classic non balanced is that it has a near unique ability to make digital sound more naturally analogue. It's like listening to a DAC through a good valve amplifier. Music effortlessly flows over me and I can either choose to be fully distracted and beguiled by it or let it pass me by; and when I'm working on my laptop this is the perfect headphone.However using the balanced cable attached to my Fiio M17 music player (£1,500) which has a THX certified amplifier the player dominates and all of that smooth, lush and seamlessly integrated sound is lost. Don't get me wrong the balanced cable produces a fantastic big, bold and detailed sound, but it has the more precise presentation that demands you listen to it and the character I like of the meze has gone. As I have other headphones that do the more intense presentation so I prefer the meze classic with the stock cable.

I already had the XLR version of this cable but then bought a digital audio player with a 4.4mm balanced output. Both cables are excellent in terms of build quality and materials. I'm a bit wary of saying how cables "sound", while believing that good ones do make a difference. These are free of any electrical interference and I get the extra volume I'd expect using a balanced signal. The detail in the audio is as good as I'd hope for. The best thing about these cables, though, is that they are a perfect match for my walnut/gold Meze 99 Classics. Recommended.