[grant0317]

Dry sounding ?? They are anything but dry sounding. Very lush on my rigs. Sometimes i find it a bit too lush. Have to think your pair may not be totally representative. Dont recall anyone complaining about dryness.

They sounded dull after comparing with verite C, meze empyrean 2 and lcd2. Preferences are everything, and the ndh30 were just not for me, and it wasn't like I didn't give them a chance (1 year of usage). If you prefer a neutral sound signature, then these are exactly what you're looking for. I personally like more warmth and harder hitting bass than what the ndh30 provides. And as for representative, they sound very similar to my ndh 20 which I still have around, so my set did sound as intended.

 

[Mike F]

They sounded dull after comparing with verite C, meze empyrean 2 and lcd2. Preferences are everything, and the ndh30 were just not for me, and it wasn't like I didn't give them a chance (1 year of usage). If you prefer a neutral sound signature, then these are exactly what you're looking for. I personally like more warmth and harder hitting bass than what the ndh30 provides. And as for representative, they sound very similar to my ndh 20 which I still have around, so my set did sound as intended.

Would you say that you generally prefer to listen to music on the NDH 20 more than the NDH 30? That would be a perfectly valid preference, and it would give context to you letting the NDH 30 go. I also like the NDH 20 a quite a bit (after initially disliking them), but the 20 and 30 really are quite different.

 

[grant0317]

Would you say that you generally prefer to listen to music on the NDH 20 more than the NDH 30? That would be a perfectly valid preference, and it would give context to you letting the NDH 30 go. I also like the NDH 20 a quite a bit (after initially disliking them), but the 20 and 30 really are quite different.

Not really. I only ever use the ndh20 outside for portable use. For the 1 year I used them, the ndh 30 were my daily drivers for home use.

 

[deafLovesMusic]

I know that we should not rely too much on frequency response charts but the similarity between the Neumann NDH 30 and the Sennheiser HD 490 looks very interesting.
Source: kopfhoerer.de

 

[Mike F]

I know that we should not rely too much on frequency response charts but the similarity between the Neumann NDH 30 and the Sennheiser HD 490 looks very interesting.
Source: kopfhoerer.de

From that it's very tempting to assume that they might be using the same driver. That wouldn't be too surprising. FR doesn't say that much about overall sound quality of course....

 

[maegnificant]

I know that we should not rely too much on frequency response charts but the similarity between the Neumann NDH 30 and the Sennheiser HD 490 looks very interesting.
Source: kopfhoerer.de

It's funny how the reviewer touts the 660S as the competitor for the 490 Pro "from the same company". As the Neumann-NDH-30 is actually owned by Sennheiser Pro Audio, not Sennheiser Sonova, that makes the 660S

 

[deafLovesMusic]

It's funny how the reviewer touts the 660S as the competitor for the 490 Pro "from the same company". As the Neumann-NDH-30 is actually owned by Sennheiser Pro Audio, not Sennheiser Sonova, that makes the 660S

Yes, I hesitated here, too!
And I am surprised that there is not a quick comparison with the Neumann NDH 30 what would be more obvious.

 

[deafLovesMusic]

I know that we should not rely too much on frequency response charts but the similarity between the Neumann NDH 30 and the Sennheiser HD 490 looks very interesting.
Source: kopfhoerer.de

The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO may be a sibling to the Neumann NDH 30:

Transducer diameter
38 mm (both)

Transducer magnet
Neodymium (both)

Nominal Impedance

• NDH 30: 120 Ohms
• HD 90 PRO: 130 Ohms

Sensitvity (1kHz)

• NDH 30: 104 dB SPL
• HD 90 PRO: 105 dB SPL

 

[deafLovesMusic]

Here a quote from someone who works for Sennheiser/Neumann (Source: Gearspace):

These are two entirely different headphones. The Neumann NDH 30 is designed to reproduce sound similar to a perfectly calibrated Neumann Loudspeaker system. The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO is designed for eliminating blind spots, putting you in full control of every detail, and ensuring accurate playback beyond the studio

 

[ThEvil0nE]

Here a quote from someone who works for Sennheiser/Neumann (Source: Gearspace):

Looks like they’re just referring to the app/tool it came with which the NDH 30 didn’t bundle with, plain marketing.

 

[maegnificant]

Here a quote from someone who works for Sennheiser/Neumann (Source: Gearspace):

What do you think a perfectly calibrated Neumann Loudspeaker System is for?

 

[ericw]

My first impressions of the NDH-30, as someone who mixes music - it's very flat sounding. From a purely mixing engineer standpoint, I like these better than the higher end HD800 or LCD-X 2021. Are they as pleasing as those headphones? No. But they are honest, possibly the most honest I've heard in headphones. Nothing feels hyped.

 

[chesebert]

My first impressions of the NDH-30, as someone who mixes music - it's very flat sounding. From a purely mixing engineer standpoint, I like these better than the higher end HD800 or LCD-X 2021. Are they as pleasing as the former headphones? No. But they are honest, possibly the most honest I've heard in headphones. Nothing feels hyped.

Are you using running these balanced from a reasonably powerful amp?

 

[ThEvil0nE]

My first impressions of the NDH-30, as someone who mixes music - it's very flat sounding. From a purely mixing engineer standpoint, I like these better than the higher end HD800 or LCD-X 2021. Are they as pleasing as the former headphones? No. But they are honest, possibly the most honest I've heard in headphones. Nothing feels hyped.

This is exactly how I feel when I first listened to the NDH 30. Nothing in the frequency spectrum wanted to be the focal point or wanting to grab your attention. It was love at first listen.

 

[Plieb]

I was getting a bit tired of the ndh30 until i listened to the qobuz/ uapp classical playlist that they just put out. Using with singxer amp, Hart 8 core silver cable and newest addition, the Audioquest NRG-3 power cord. Yes the power cord did make a difference which was suprising.
Blown away by the quality of the recordings and what they sounded like on the Neumann's.
Unbeatable in my opinion on well recorded classical.
Neumann's love high res. Many phones sound overly bright and over done. The Neumann's have just the right amount of crispness and sparkle with compatible gear. Not too mention its very natural soundstage.