It has been nearly a month now since completing my
Nhoord Red v2 build and I am extremely pleased with the performance of these drivers and most especially by the customer service and camaraderie shown by
Nhoord Audio ( Jaco aka
@javburg ). I am finding them to be rather engaging and lively with excellent detailed timbre... thankfully they are non-fatiguing as well (I am extremely sensitive to harsh/high treble). To me their sound is best described as a warmer, bass'yer Grado-like sound without sibilant shrilling highs that I have found so disturbing across most of the Grado line. These are definitely long-listening ear friendly drivers.
I personally rate their overall sound quality somewhere between a HD600/650 and HD800. Definitely prefer their sound over the HD700 (just yesterday compared with two different pairs of HD700s along with three pairs of HD800 and HD800S that I have listened to many times before and a brand new pair of LCD-4s). As much as I love the HD800 (imaging and timbre is out of this world) my new Nhoord Red v2s actually win overall as they are not in the slightest fatiguing to me... something I unfortunately can not say about the HD800. The LCD-4s do sound better across the board but not remarkably so (as in not thousands of dollars better); are not fatiguing sound-wise; but oh my they are so damn heavy and uncomfortable to wear for any length of time (something I have found with nearly all Audeze cans)!
Though not directly related to the drivers themselves my Nhoord Red v2 build overall is super lightweight and cool wearing... providing a heavenly level of long-term comfort here in the tropics.
Build Hiccups
Not until the near completion of the first build did I notice and realize (to my great horror) that I had inadvertently punctured one of the drivers (barf)... the tragic event (see last pic below) most likely occurred while test fitting the drivers in the wooden cups during the initial installation phase. Yes, I am clumsy dummy
Jaco kindly offered a matching single driver replacement from the same batch (he files test frequency graphs of all his produced drivers) but I decided to play it safe and ordered a completely new pair which he sent out to me promptly.
Second build attempt went without a hitch... thank goodness! Complete build log can be found
here
Driver SPC lead soldered to female SMC jack; ready for cup insertion:
'The Great Tear' during first build attempt (warning: the following picture may be disturbing for some headphone audiophiles to view):
