NAD Electronics VISO HP50 Noise-Isolating Over-Ear Headphones

These headphones have the perfect sound signature IMO. Mostly Neutral with some emphasis in the right places to liven up the sound (in the mid bass). Compared to my Sennheiser HD600s, the NAD Viso HP50 I think are better sounding for all subgenres of electronic music, hip-hop, and metal. The bass is punchier and has better extension. And the HP50's are closed, which makes them way more useful than open headphones for me. It comes with a nice zippered carrying bag and lots of accesories like 2 diffent cables, one with and one without a microphone.

Their are a few downsides though.

• The ear cups are small and so they can be uncomfortable unless you have small ears. If you have ears like Barack Obama, you're gonna have problems. There are some mods you can do to alleviate this (by adding foam weather stripping underneath the pads), but be careful to not damage the serial number if you have the warranty available.
• The 'creak' from plastic-on-plastic friction in the ear cups. You can again alleviate this with mods (lubricating the hinge adding felt etc. to the inside where it rubs against the housing). This is a much bigger problem on the early version of the headphone compared to the other
• The pleather on the ear pads almost immediately starts flaking off (see attached picture). This is mostly aesthetic since underneath the pleather is just a weaved textile material.
• They aren't very durable. The cable that connects left and right drivers can inexplicably break. This happened on the early version of the headphone so maybe they fixed it.
• The early version looks especially goofy with its more 'square' headband (see picture)

It's been over a year since I last wrote a review here on Head-Fi. This is because few headphones that i've owned since then have impressed me lol. I had my eyes on the NAD HP50's for a couple of years now and finally decided to purchase a pair this november (2016).  I was aware that NAD made higher-end audio equipment and it's safe to say that the HP50's reflect this. I always use the excellent Oehlbach XXL DAC ULTRA headphone amp to test new headphones with and that is what I used for the HP50's. I gotta say they are terrific value for money!... clean, crisp highs, smooth mids and very accurate bass. Maybe too accurate bass!..upon my first listen I thought - "where is the bass"...but after a while I realised that it was recording-dependant. Which I like...but if you are a basshead then you will probably hate these headphones. If I where to compare them to another headphone in the same price category i'd say they where quite similar to B&O H6's. They have a similar sound signature except the  H6's have a bit more bass. The HP50's are better value and they sound better, overall IMO. The only negative thing about the HP50's is the comfort. The earpads are too small! and I don't have large ears...I'm not the only one who has comfort issues with these headphones, many people do. However, It's the only negative thing. The HP50's are exceptional headphones. 9/10 for me!

The NAD VISO HP50 could have been a truly outstanding headphone.  They produced a set with great sound, with a marvelous midrange, bass when it is called for in the music and highs that do not sound shrill, glaring or in any way harsh to the ear.  And for a closed back headphone, it has decent sound stage, though I don't think the "Room Sound" technology is superior to that of open back headphones I've tried in the same price range, or even some open backed headphones that are much less expensive.
 
If anyone has seen the review from the Wirecutter that said these headphones couldn't reproduce sound under 90hz, I can tell you that is a load of horse****.  Going to the online tone generator, I was able to hear tones from 90hz on down to 20hz, though with the 20hz tone, you feel it as much as hear it with these headphones.
 
No, the problems with the VISO HP50 is its physical design, and choice of materials.  The plastic cups look and feel cheap, and their glossy surface does nothing to dispel this impression.  The hinge on the cups has horizontal slop that I'm afraid will only get worse with use.  Though the headband adjustment stays in place where you put it, it also has slight popping or creaking noises that transmit directly into the cup and will annoy you if you move around very much. 
 
And now on to the pads.  There is no space within the pads for average to larger than average sized ears, so these headphones are more like an on-ear design for me.  The material used in the pads is soft and makes a good seal, there is very good isolation with these headphones, but the pads squash down with use and you'll be pressed against the material covering the driver in no time, since there isn't much space in there.
 
I left the worst part for the end, the look of the headphone.  While its on a stand, its tolerable.  While being worn, it looks ridiculous.  Truly, you look like you've attached a handle to the top of your head.
 
I have a difficult time recommending these to anyone, just because of the deficiencies in the build, but I have no issues with their sound, and use them when I want a more discerning presentation than my other sets.