We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-07 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a wired, wood-built, no-battery pair that will still be on your desk years from now for studying, choose MEZE AUDIO; if you need adaptive noise cancelling, Bluetooth freedom and long battery life for studying in noisy places, choose Bowers & Wilkins FP39691.
• MEZE AUDIO — biggest strength: a genuinely repairable, glue-free design with replaceable ear cups, headband, cables and drivers, plus a self-adjusting headband meant for long sessions.
• MEZE AUDIO — biggest trade-off: it is wired only, and the noise control is passive sound isolation, not active cancellation.
• Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 — biggest strength: adaptive active noise cancellation with a sensor-driven interface that pauses audio when you lift an ear cup or set the headphones down.
• Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 — biggest trade-off: it leans on a rechargeable battery and an app for firmware and controls, so it is a more complex product to live with.
• Pick MEZE AUDIO if you want a wired, low-impedance over-ear that needs no amplification and is built to be repaired rather than replaced.
• Pick Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 if you want wireless convenience, adaptive ANC and long battery life in one over-ear package.
The Meze 99 Classics is a closed-back, over-ear headphone built around a 40 mm dynamic driver with a 15 Hz to 25,000 Hz frequency range, 32 ohm impedance and 103 dB sensitivity. That low impedance is the important number for a student: it means the headphones are power-efficient enough to run straight from a laptop, a phone or a cheap USB dongle without a separate amplifier. You plug in and it works.
The design language is the other half of the story. The ear cups are genuine walnut wood, so no two pairs share the same grain, and the self-adjusting headband uses a manganese spring steel outer band over vegan leather to spread weight and pressure across most head shapes. Everything is held together with fasteners instead of glue, and ear cups, headband, cables and drivers are all replaceable. In my opinion, that is the single most underrated feature here — a headphone you can keep alive for years instead of throwing away.
Bowers & Wilkins FP39691: Who It's For
The Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 PX is a wireless, over-ear active noise cancelling headphone. Its headline feature is adaptive noise cancellation that the brand describes as customizable to your preference — the idea being that you can tune how much outside world you let in on a plane, a street or in an office. For a student, that is the difference between hearing your lecture recording and hearing the person next to you on the phone.
The acoustics come from 40 mm full-range drivers derived from the brand's P9 Signature headphones, with the drivers subtly angled for a more natural stereo perspective. Frequency response is listed as 20 Hz to 20 kHz with 22 ohm impedance in passive mode, and the connection is Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX-HD for hi-res streaming, plus a 3.5 mm jack for wired listening. There is also a USB-C cable for connectivity, charging and firmware updates, and a companion app for firmware and control.
The smart part is the interface. Built-in sensors handle functions like pausing playback when you lift an ear cup, sleeping when you set the headphones down and resuming when you pick them up. Power comes from an 850 mAh lithium-polymer battery rated for up to 22 hours with Bluetooth and ANC, up to 29 hours with Bluetooth and no ANC, up to 33 hours with ANC and wired, and up to 50 hours wired with no ANC. That is a lot of flexibility for a long library day. The trade-offs are real, though: an app and firmware updates are part of ownership, and a battery is a wear item. Skip it if you want zero charging and zero software. Buy it if wireless convenience and quiet matter more.
• Best for silent focus in a noisy room → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Adaptive ANC is the whole point of this model; the Meze relies on passive isolation alone.
• Best for a no-charging, no-app setup → MEZE AUDIO. Wired only, 32 ohm, no battery to manage and no firmware to install.
• Best for longevity and repairability → MEZE AUDIO. Replaceable ear cups, headband, cables and drivers, assembled with fasteners rather than glue.
• Best for long battery life away from a desk → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. The battery ratings scale from 22 hours with Bluetooth and ANC up to 50 hours wired without ANC.
• Best for plug-into-anything simplicity → MEZE AUDIO. Low impedance and high sensitivity mean it runs from a laptop or phone without amplification.
• Best for wireless freedom and hi-res streaming → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX-HD and a 3.5 mm jack gives you both modes.
• Best as a durable object you enjoy owning → MEZE AUDIO. Genuine walnut ear cups mean each pair has its own grain, and the self-adjusting headband is built for long listening sessions.
• Best for a smart, sensor-driven interface → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Lift an ear cup to pause, set them down to sleep, pick them up to resume.
For studying, I would buy the MEZE AUDIO 99 Classics. My reasoning is simple: a student's headphones get plugged into a laptop, left on a desk and used for hours at a time, and a wired, 32 ohm, repairable over-ear with a self-adjusting headband fits that life with the least friction. No charging, no app, no battery to degrade. If your study space is genuinely loud — a shared dorm, a café, a commuting library run — then I would take the Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 instead, because adaptive noise cancellation is the one thing the Meze cannot give you. Everything else points to the wood.
No. At 32 ohm impedance and 103 dB sensitivity, the Meze is power-efficient enough to run from a typical laptop or phone headphone jack without extra amplification.
Yes. It uses adaptive active noise cancellation that the brand says is customizable to your preference, and it also works passively over the included 3.5 mm cable.
Wired means no battery anxiety and no charging routine, which suits long desk sessions. Wireless with ANC is better if you study in noisy places and need to move around. That is the real dividing line between these two.
The rated figures are up to 22 hours with Bluetooth and ANC, up to 29 hours with Bluetooth and no ANC, up to 33 hours with ANC and wired, and up to 50 hours wired with no ANC.
Prices change over time, so check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page rather than relying on any figure you have seen elsewhere.
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