Meze 12 Classics v2

disclaimer:   I borrowed the Meze 12 Classic V2 from The Contraptionist since I have owned and enjoyed the V1.   If you haven’t checked out the Contraptionist’s blog, be sure to check it out.  He’s got a ton of good content and a lot of models that complement what can be found here.  Well worth a look.     I have no financial interest in Meze Audio, nor have I received any advice or incentive for this review.  I returned the product at completion so had the 12 Classics for a span of roughly 3 weeks.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

The packaging for the 12 Classics makes a lot of use of the Lyrebird that is the Meze Mascot/Logo.  From the positioning of the earpiece and cable graphic on the front cover to the positioning of the actual earpieces, cable and case in the foam surround, the theme is evident.   The package front displays the earpieces while the sides and reverse display the specs in both text and graphics.   In addition to the earphones and case, four sets of tips (3 single flange and 1 dual flange set) are provided with the 12Cs.    The box has a hanger for wall display and looks the part for a premium maker even if this is their entry level option.

 

Build/Fit:

The 12Cs are a barrel shaped, straight into the ear design with a central shell made of walnut and a copper anodized aluminum nose and tail.   Nozzles are fairly short with no rake and a fairly large lip for tip retention.  The single vent sits at the base of the nozzle and is fairly small (pin-head sized) and I found that use of some tip styles can block the vent so be careful when tip rolling to be sure no obstruction occurs.   Cables exit the bottom of the walnut portion of the shell with good strain reliefs and a cloth casing for durability.    Finally the outer cap is a concave with a white lyrebird logo in the center giving the earphone a nice classy, understated style.  All the cable fixtures match the copper anodizing on the earpieces and continue the theme with the lyrebird and Meze shown in white on the splitter as well.    I found the 12Cs to be quite comfortable when paired with medium sized tips and ended up settling on the Shure olives that have worked well for me on so many other models.  (With this being a borrowed in-ear, I didn’t use the stock tips other than to photograph them).    The Shure tip is fairly close in both bore diameter and exterior dimensions to the stock tips so I’d expect listening notes to be fairly accurate comparatively.

 

Internals:

The heart of the Meze 12 remains an 8mm dynamic driver utilizing a titanium coated Mylar diaphragm and a copper clad aluminum voice coil.    The specs also remain the same from the original version with an impedance of 16Ω and a sensitivity of 101 dB/mW (±3dB) at 1kHz.     The previous generation was easy to drive from a phone or tablet and the new version is equally at home paired with a smart phone dongle or tablet but does scale some both qualitatively and quantitatively with better sources.   I found the bass a little loose when using a tablet but tightened up with dongles or more potency.     One thing to note here too is the only vent is on the face just below the nozzle and large tips can overlap it and will impact the bass as well so if you find yourself not liking the clarity of the lows, make sure your tips aren’t blocking the vent when inserted into the ear.  I found that spinfits did this with their large as did Azla tips.

 

Cable:

The one spec I did find that varied from v1 to v2 is the cable.  V1 offered an mic and remote that is no longer an option on v2, and the cable itself is listed as 6N OFC for v2 and was listed as 7N OFC for the first generation version.    Other than that the two remain quite similar with the same jack (3.5mm straight),  same casing (Cloth covered rubber – single strand),   same splitter (barrel), same lack of chin-slider, and same direct attachment to the earpieces.   Strain reliefs are quite good at all junctions which is a plus for an earphone with a non-removable cable.   Unfortunately, the same complaint I have with the 1st generation cable still holds true and that is it has a bad habit of passing any movement of the cable directly into the earpiece.  There is enough distance to wear these tip-up, and if exercising or doing anything particularly strenuous, it is advisable to mitigate microphonics.

 

Sound:

Bass:

Sub-bass is elevated with a center around 70Hz and roll-off becoming notable below about 35Hz where it starts to be more a rumble than individual tones.   Mid-bass begins a gradual decline but is still elevated for most of its range.   Overall rumble and slam have good quantity and moderately good quality although the bass is a little thick and does bleed into the lower mids enough to color them.   The low end adds some needed warmth and helps the 12C mimic its bigger brother the 99C  in overall tonality if not in absolute performance.    Attack is slightly faster than decay which gives the 12c a realistic tone but is subject to some compression as tracks get faster.

 

Mids:

Lower mids have a bit of an elevation compared to the true mid range which helps lift male vocals and gives them a bit more fullness as well.  Here again, there is a nice natural if a bit relaxed tone with a very smooth delivery.  These aren’t going to extract every last minute bit of detail, but what is presented flows without any jagged edges or harshness to the sound.   Guitar growl is good if a little smooth and strings have good tone but could use a touch more energy to sound entirely correct.   Upper mids climb back up from the trough of the true mids and female vocals do cut through the rest of the mix to stand out in front as a result.  Again, no tendency toward sibilance, and a smooth delivery, but perhaps a bit more energy than realistic as it does pull some vocals and instruments forward in the mix.

 

Treble:

The treble tuning is well done in my opinion as lower and true treble are pushed forward to match the bass emphasis but then fall back starting at about 7kHz to keep the tuning from getting too bright or fatiguing.  Final roll-off is above 14kHz but really the range between about 8kHz and 14kHz can be thought of as mildly de-emphasized compared to the rest of the signature.   Treble detail is good with snare rattle being well defined if a little less crisp than perfect, but cymbals so need a touch more energy to be realistic.   The nice thing here again is a smooth delivery with very little grain  in its delivery.

 

Soundstage / Imaging:

Stage is about what one should expect from an in ear in this price bracket.  It has moderate dimensions with more width than depth and some height albeit not quite as much as needed for total realism.   The good news is instrument separation is above average and layering is also fairly good so seating the orchestra leaves no huge gaps or overlaps even in spite a of a wider than deep stage.  Imaging is good as well with movements easily tracked, but here again that smoothness of deliver means that at times positions in space are not as tightly defined as some models.  There is some compression as tracks get busier and some thickening particularly of the low end.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

The original model 12 Classic was aimed at reproducing the 99 Classic in an earphone and it succeeded in some respects and left some room for improvement in others.  The v2 is an iterative step forward as the driver has been updated while leaving the aesthetic intact.   I do like the Copper anodizing as I think the newer version looks a little more high end and the copper helps accentuate the walnut in the barrels better than the previous version.   Sound wise, the two are again largely alike with only iterative differences in the signature.    I find the bass a little cleaner on the V2 and slightly less exaggerated in the mid-bass while the true mids and upper mids have a little more realistic timbre than the previous generation.   Those with an original V12 or V11 Neo will appreciated the upgrades to the v2 and those who haven’t had the opportunity to try the series yet will enjoy an easy-going listen that is more musical than technical most of the time, but offers a very engaging signature that is easy to get lost in while relaxing.