We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-04 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a tough, studio-grade wired workhorse that folds down and survives daily abuse, choose Austrian Audio Hi-X55; if you need a warm, wood-and-metal headphone you can repair yourself and run from a phone with no headphone jack, choose MEZE AUDIO. That is the short version for anyone comparing Austrian Audio Hi-X55 vs MEZE AUDIO, and it holds even if you mainly care about finding the best Bluetooth over-ear headphones for side sleepers — though neither of these is actually Bluetooth, so read on before you commit.
• Austrian Audio Hi-X55 — biggest strength: a closed circumaural studio design with all-metal hinges and headband, a folding build, and a 44 mm High Excursion driver paired with a 25 ohm impedance, so it is easy to drive and built to take a beating.
• Austrian Audio Hi-X55 — biggest trade-off: it is strictly wired, comes with a single 3 m cable, and its noise control is sound isolation rather than any active processing. There is no wireless mode and no USB-C path.
• MEZE AUDIO — biggest strength: genuine walnut earcups, a self-adjusting manganese spring steel headband, snap-fit earpads, and a fully screwed-together construction that can be serviced part by part. It also includes a compact USB-C DAC/AMP and a 3.5 mm to USB-C adapter.
• MEZE AUDIO — biggest trade-off: it has no noise control at all, and the wood cups make each pair visually different, which is charming for some buyers and a lottery for others. It also leans on the included DAC/AMP for phones without a jack.
• Who each pick is for: the Hi-X55 suits recording, mixing, monitoring and anyone who wants one durable wired pair for everything. The MEZE AUDIO suits listeners who want a warmer, more musical closed-back they can keep alive for years and repair instead of replace.
The Hi-X55 is a professional tool first. It is a closed, circumaural (over-ear) headphone with round earpieces in black, a metal enclosure, and a metal carrying case. The hinges and headband are all metal, and the whole thing folds, which matters if you are throwing it in a bag between sessions. The 3 m removable 3.5 mm jack cable with a 6.3 mm adapter tells you exactly who this is aimed at: someone plugging into an interface, a mixer or a headphone amp, not someone wandering around the house.
The driver story is the interesting part. Austrian Audio developed a 44 mm Hi-X driver from scratch, and the "High Excursion" technology is about airflow and a strong magnetic field. The ring magnet system with a copper-coated aluminium voice coil reduces the moving mass, which allows faster movement and direction changes, and that in turn improves transient reproduction. In plain terms, this is a headphone designed to show you what is actually in a mix — sharp attacks, quick decays, detail you can act on.
Who should buy it: producers, engineers, podcasters, gamers who want a wired, low-latency closed-back, and anyone who wants one sturdy pair that does not need charging. The 25 ohm impedance means it does not demand a powerful amp to get loud. Who should skip it: anyone who wants wireless freedom, anyone who needs a mic for crystal clear calls, and anyone who wants active noise cancellation — because the Hi-X55 offers sound isolation, not noise cancellation. And if you specifically want a spatial audio gaming headset for side sleepers, this is not that product. It is a wired stereo studio headphone, nothing more.
The MEZE AUDIO 99 Classics Second Gen is a very different proposition. The earcups are solid walnut, CNC-machined and then hand-finished, stained and polished, with the cups slowly air-dried and inspected. The result is that age, color, texture and grain make every pair visually unique. If you like the idea of owning something that looks like yours and nobody else's, that is a genuine draw. The frame is resilient manganese spring steel and the headband self-adjusts, distributing pressure evenly rather than asking you to fiddle with a slider.
The Second Gen is also a tuning revision. It keeps the original silhouette but moves closer to a balanced, neutral target, with bass a little more controlled so midrange and treble detail comes through more clearly. There is a clever twist: acoustic absorbers are included so you can shift the balance toward a warmer presentation, giving you two voicings in one headphone. Internally, the cup volume has been increased to push cavity resonances downward and reduce standing-wave interaction, and the baffle was re-engineered to reduce diffraction and acoustic impedance in front of the driver.
Then there is the ownership experience. It is built with screws instead of glue, so earcups, earpads, cables and the headband can all be replaced or serviced, and the new snap-fit earpads come off and go on in seconds. The stock cable is dual-twisted and Kevlar-sheathed OFC for durability, the 7 mm input socket accepts a wider range of 3.5 mm plugs, and a compact USB-C DAC/AMP is included for devices without a headphone jack. Impedance is 32 ohm, so it is also easy to drive. Who should buy it: audiophiles, long-session listeners, and anyone who wants a closed-back they can keep running for years. Who should skip it: anyone who needs noise cancellation, a built-in mic for calls, or a fully wireless setup.
• Best for studio and monitoring work → Austrian Audio Hi-X55. The closed circumaural shell, metal build and transient-focused driver are aimed squarely at critical listening.
• Best for long, relaxed listening sessions → MEZE AUDIO. The self-adjusting headband and redesigned earpads are tuned for extended comfort, and the two voicings let you dial in warmth.
• Best durability under abuse → Austrian Audio Hi-X55. All-metal hinges and headband, plus a folding design and a metal case.
• Best long-term ownership → MEZE AUDIO. A screwed-together, fully serviceable design with snap-fit earpads and replaceable cables beats a sealed build for repairability.
• Best for phones without a headphone jack → MEZE AUDIO. The included USB-C DAC/AMP and 3.5 mm to USB-C adapter cover that case; the Hi-X55 is analog 3.5 mm and 6.3 mm only.
• Best for plug-and-play simplicity → Austrian Audio Hi-X55. One cable, no adapter chain, no charging.
• Best for a warmer, more musical signature → MEZE AUDIO. The 2nd Gen tuning plus the acoustic absorbers give you a warmer option the Hi-X55 does not offer.
• Best for a wireless or noise-cancelling setup → neither. Both are wired, and the Hi-X55's "noise control" is sound isolation while the MEZE AUDIO lists none at all. If wireless is a hard requirement, look elsewhere.
In my opinion, the MEZE AUDIO 99 Classics Second Gen is the more interesting buy for most people who are not working in a studio. The serviceable, screwed-together construction, the snap-fit earpads, the two voicings and the USB-C DAC/AMP make it a headphone you grow with rather than replace, and the self-adjusting headband suits long sessions. I would pick the Austrian Audio Hi-X55 instead if my priority is durability and an uncolored, transient-focused sound for recording and mixing. One caveat for side sleepers: neither of these is designed for sleeping on your side, so if that is your main use case, treat both as daytime listening headphones and look for a flatter, low-profile design for bed.
Not universally. The Hi-X55 is better for studio monitoring thanks to its all-metal folding build and 44 mm High Excursion driver. The MEZE AUDIO is better for musical listening, repairability and phone-friendly connectivity via its included USB-C DAC/AMP.
No. Both are wired headphones. The Hi-X55 lists sound isolation as its noise control approach, and the MEZE AUDIO lists no noise control at all. If you need wireless or active noise cancellation, neither fits.
Yes. The box includes a compact USB-C DAC/AMP and a 3.5 mm to USB-C adapter, so it works with jackless devices. The Hi-X55 is a 3.5 mm wired headphone with a 6.3 mm adapter, so it needs an analog output or a separate dongle.
The MEZE AUDIO. It is assembled with screws rather than glue, and its earcups, earpads, cables and headband can all be replaced or serviced, with snap-fit earpads that swap in seconds. The Hi-X55 is built for durability, but it is not presented as a user-serviceable design.
I am not quoting any figures here. Both are wired over-ear headphones at different positions in the market, so check the current price on Amazon for each and weigh that against the features above before you decide.
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