The NDH30 released in spring last year, and I've been quite interested in them for some time. They measure reasonably well, they look good, they seem well-built... so I had to get my hands on them. Reviews have been mixed, with some (but not just the usual suspects) calling them excellent and comparing them favorably to Sennheisers 600 series, but with other reviewers finding them somewhat dull or unimpressive.

First thing: I can only praise the build quality on these. They make even the DT 1990 Pro (which is admittedly quite a bit cheaper) feel a bit flimsy in comparison. Everything feels both very robust and yet pleasant to use. They can be folded up and the cups can be rotated a full 90 degrees to lay them flat on the table. Many have commented on the weird choice to have a right-side cable, but I can't really complain, the cable is cloth-covered and pleasant anyways.

However, when it comes to comfort, I have to make a few criticisms. The earcups are deep and large enough for me (better than the HD 600 series), but the earpads are slightly too stiff for my taste (keep in mind that I wear glasses, so YMMV). The biggest problem is the headband cushion though, it is not soft or large enough and they get uncomfortable after prolonged time. Overall, comfort is OK but not as good as my Beyerdynamics.

But the important part which we're all here for is the sound. I'll make comparisons to the HD 650 and the DT 1990 Pro (which I've sold by now). The NDH has a generally slightly warm lower end with a bass that extends well for an open-back headphone. It has enough weight to make drums sound good and properly deliver electronic bass, though it is far from a bass-head headphone. The lower mids are warm, but not warm enough to lose clarity. Beyond the lower end however, vocals seem slightly laid back compared to the HD 650, and the tuning is dark overall. There is absolutely no sibilance or harshness in the highs. I can understand why some have described them as a bit dull, some instruments (cymbals, some guitars etc.) are lacking edge a bit. One point that elevates the NDH for me is the good imaging and reasonable soundstage: it is significantly better than both the DT 1990 and the HD 650. Sounds do not sound "far away" as they do on a HD 800, but they have noticeable space and the positions of instruments and vocals can be heard very well.

There's one big caveat though: the NDH can sound very, very different, depending on where it is positioned relatively to the ears (probably due to the angled drivers). I've described the "natural" position for my head. However, if I push the headphone forward on my head (so that my ears are at the back of the cup), the sound becomes extremely dark and hollow. In contrast, in the opposite position (with my ears at the very front of the cup), they have far less soundstage and noticeable treble (and are even slightly shouty). This can, for some cases, account for the very different impressions reviewers have had of these.

Personally, I was looking at the NDH as a replacement for my DT 1990, which I found too sibilant for prolonged use when not EQed. I've demoed them before, but always just for less than half an hour, and wearing them for a few hours is something entirely different. I particularly enjoyed them for the "harder" subgenres of rock or for metal, as well as for some electronic music. Besides its lack of subbass, the HD 650 sometimes feels a bit blurry and muddy for faster songs, and the lack of soundstage can make it a bit too intimate. The NDH delivers on this very well, since its lower end is less muddy in comparison. However, it's not a solution for everything: a lot of metal sounds disappointingly bad on basically any good headphone, except when played very loud, but the NDH is so far my most enjoyable headphone for these genres. Overall I have to agree with the criticisms of the dark tonality though. A slight bit more upper mids/treble would've really elevated its tonality. The way it is now it is pretty much a slightly improved HD 650.

Sadly, I have to conclude that the NDH 30 offers too little above the HD 650 (slightly better lower end and good soundstage & imaging at the cost of being a bit more dull) to really make it worth the price from a purely sound-based perspective. It probably is the far more suitable headphone for music production, but for simple consumption, it offers little more than the 600 series. It's main upside is the excellent build quality and the (to me) slightly improved comfort.

This leaves my slightly disappointed since it seems more like a side-grade than an upgrade (in sound quality). That said, I've accidentally bought an HD 800S recently, so I'll get some kind of upgrade in any case.

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Damn, and here I am considering the opposite. Selling my HD800S in favour of the NDH 30, crazy how subjective audio can be, though I’ve been listening to professional gear for years now so I’m probably partial to it.

Yeah you know how it is, one wrong click and you’ve bought a kilobuck headphone…

Jk. It was actually an eBay action and my bid was relatively low (compared to earlier auction prices), so I didn’t think it’d go through, but it did.

You know that "professional gear" means nothing, right?

Like the DT 1990 PRO and audeze LCD X are both marketed for "professional use" and have nothing in common with each other and nothing in commong with a "pro" staple like the MDR 7506.

I hope you understand that thats just a buzz word to target a specifc audience, like gaming for example.

You could just as well use a Hifiman Susvara in the studio, if you so desired :)

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Interesting! I think if the NDH had just a tad more treble across the upper spectrum my impression would be far more favorable (since the lower end is excellent). I guess that falls within the margins of subjectivity.

That said, I have some qualms with the HD 800S myself (from memory, haven’t really tried out my set properly), since the tonality is downright unpleasant for some music when unEQd.

Not like a super bargain, but at 810€, the cheapest one I’ve seen within the last 6 months or so, and it even came with extra pads (but I’ll use stock pads instead).

Did you try the Oratory1990’s EQ with the NDH 30, it supposedly fixes some minor dips and makes the treble more prominent? I haven’t tried it myself as the headphone sounds great as is to me.

I did try Oratory1990’s EQ for the HD800S since it can sound so unnatural at times, but it kinda sucks out the sound for my pair, making it kinda muffled and weird sounding in most tracks. A little bass boost and a taming the treble a bit with the stock EQ helps a lot without impacting the overall sound or soundstage.

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Yes, I’ve tried it out (briefly). It’s definitely an improvement in the treble, but I prefer the lower end the way it is naturally. I’ve tried to modify it a bit, but haven’t entirely succeeded yet. One good thing is that the EQ seems to change the soundstage of the NDH very little.

I’ll definitely have to look into EQing the HD 800 as well when I get around to trying it more. Oratory‘s presets are usually a good starting point for me.

Thanks :)

depends on what you're coming from LOL

As long as you buy from reputable and transparent companies you’ll get products that are designed to perform very closely to the Harman curve and minimal distortion/modulation whether that’s the “ideal” curve is debatable ofcourse.

People often argue with “oh but you can EQ other non-professional brands to the harman curve at well”, but you’ll need to take in account the sudden cup resonances and driver limits and air pressure (think lower frequencies) issues you’ll be inevitably running into.

In the end graphs aren’t everything as seal, materials, drivers, angles, damping, pressures, air dissipation, resonances etc. all play a part in it, don’t even get me started on how complex good speakers can be.

"Designed to perform closely to Harman"?

Like the DT 990 pro and the 1770 pro and the HEDDphone or the Neumann NDH20/30? Because they are so close to Harman, right???

Pro headphones have nothing to do with Harman compliance. They all follow a different "target", which depends on the whim of the engineers.

I think you've missed something in your analysis: Headphones, which actually adhere to the Harman target are few and far between.

It sounds to me as though you give to much credit to "pro" audio manufacturers.