[Deaj]

I've received yesterday my Nhoord Red V2 Drivers + my Geekly L-Cush cups. So I was able to finish my cheap build inside the cups from a very old SR325 pair (this involved a broken scalpel, a bread knife and a freaking hammer). I'm really happy with the results, they sound absolutely amazing right from the box.
My only complaint is with the Geekly L-Cush cups, as I had to wash them off as they smelled of chemicals, and one of the cups started to unravel, so I had to glue it back together with the same glue I've used on mouting the drivers in the plastic cups. Now the left cup feels rough on my ear, because the glue made the outer edge hardened
Never buy off brand folks - except for the Nhoord Drivers of course heheheh

Nice job! I'd wager you'll like them more with a set of Grado L-cushions.

I have a build using those same SR325 cups and Magnum V8 drivers (poorly pictured in my avatar). The buttons had been removed and aftermarket drivers had been installed before I purchased the headphone. I think these cups are nicer looking than the current SR325 cups. The finished headphone is one of the best sounding headphones I've ever heard.

 

[capnjack]

ShipiboAudio rodblocks and cups, rholupat headband and Nhoord red v2 drivers with a generic G cush earpad.
ShipiboAudio are absolutely top quality, and Przem is a pleasure to deal with.

 

[Deaj]

ShipiboAudio rodblocks and cups, rholupat headband and Nhoord red v2 drivers with a generic G cush earpad.
ShipiboAudio are absolutely top quality, and Przem is a pleasure to deal with.

Truth.

Beautiful headphone BTW! Are the cups mahogany?

 

[capnjack]

Truth.

Beautiful headphone BTW! Are the cups mahogany?

No Walnut actually, but I had to check back to be certain!

 

[Deaj]

Thanks

No Walnut actually, but I had to check back to be certain!

Thank you

 

[gehrmo]

I have. I recently built a headphone using Shipibo cups (Korina wood), as well as their slim rod blocks and gimbals. The cups were exceptionally well made! This was a welcome change from the Rholupat cups (all of which have sounded great but various dimensions weren't consistent between the two cups in any of the cup sets I've ordered from Rholupat). In contrast the driver sets were cut to the proper depth, the inside diameter of the seat were a snug fit to the drivers, the gimbal holes were properly drilled on both cups, the finish was beautifully done. I can't recommend them enough. I hope to use more of their cups in the future.

I should note that the Rholupat cups aren't really as bad as my comments would seem to indicate. Comparatively though they are not latched or finish to the same standard as are the Shipibo cups.

Thanks Deaj.

 

[Konstantin690]

Yeah, I recently read through Spirit's marketing copy on their site and it was an odd read. Their prices are ridiculously high as well.

It's not just an odd read, it's proof of complete ignorance of basics electro-acoustics, plain and simple.

 

[Deaj]

It's not just an odd read, it's proof of complete ignorance of basics electro-acoustics, plain and simple.

Not at all surprising. Their marketing copy has a 'snake oil salesman' vibe.

 

[Hazi59]

So I recently built a custom set of cans using the Nhoord Red drivers. The headband and cups are from turbulent labs, the cable from venus audio. My aluminum rodblocks and gimbals have yet to arrive. I did need to sand the cups a tad for the drivers to fit properly. I used my dremel sanding drum and took my time (45 minutes). Soldering was a piece of cake. Then I used some double sided tape for a friction fit. I am using the L cush, but the g cush also sounded good.

The sound is truly amazing. It sounds like an HD650 without the veil in the treble. Songs I've tested with :

Nirvana - In Bloom
The texture if the guitars is amazing. No longer are the vocals and guitar artificial sounding, nor are the 2 fighting to be the focal point. The separation between the 2 is phenomenal. The percussion and bass is actually audible, and pleasantly so.

It Ain't Hard to Tell - Nas
Holy cow, bass! This was a great test song because it was something I couldn't previously listen to with my SR80e. Hip hop just doesn't sound great on the Grado. That has changed in a big way. The bass is thick but textured. The only downside was the keyboard sample during the verses sounded distant...but the SR80e made them a focal point. This is a great example of a big difference in sound between the drivers.

Cry to Me - Solomon Burke
The vocals are thick but not shouty. The percussion is muffled, but that is the way the song was recorded, so no problems. The Piano sounds great and you can hear the details without the ringing. SR80e always made piano almost brutal to listen to. The backing vocals are stepped up a tad as well.

Breakdown - Tantric
Wow, acoustic guitar sounded better on the SR80e, but not by much. The nhoords held their own. The percussion is a bit forward, but once again that is because of the way the song was recorded. The vocals again sound forward without being offensive. The bass guitar is audible, unlike the SR80e. The strings all have great detail, but there is a thickness with the nhoords that didn't exist with the SR80e. The nhoords have great separation and way better imaging. Soundstage is too close to call.

Only 8 hours in after 10 hour burn-in. The verdict...totally worth it. These sound much better than the SR80e, as one would expect when looking at the price tag. That being said, I'd advise anybody interested to weigh out the pros and cons. Do you have the funds to do this? Do you have the tools and technical skills to do this? If so, it is a no brainer!

 

[wormsdriver]

So I recently built a custom set of cans using the Nhoord Red drivers. The headband and cups are from turbulent labs, the cable from venus audio. My aluminum rodblocks and gimbals have yet to arrive. I did need to sand the cups a tad for the drivers to fit properly. I used my dremel sanding drum and took my time (45 minutes). Soldering was a piece of cake. Then I used some double sided tape for a friction fit. I am using the L cush, but the g cush also sounded good.

The sound is truly amazing. It sounds like an HD650 without the veil in the treble. Songs I've tested with :

Nirvana - In Bloom
The texture if the guitars is amazing. No longer are the vocals and guitar artificial sounding, nor are the 2 fighting to be the focal point. The separation between the 2 is phenomenal. The percussion and bass is actually audible, and pleasantly so.

It Ain't Hard to Tell - Nas
Holy cow, bass! This was a great test song because it was something I couldn't previously listen to with my SR80e. Hip hop just doesn't sound great on the Grado. That has changed in a big way. The bass is thick but textured. The only downside was the keyboard sample during the verses sounded distant...but the SR80e made them a focal point. This is a great example of a big difference in sound between the drivers.

Cry to Me - Solomon Burke
The vocals are thick but not shouty. The percussion is muffled, but that is the way the song was recorded, so no problems. The Piano sounds great and you can hear the details without the ringing. SR80e always made piano almost brutal to listen to. The backing vocals are stepped up a tad as well.

Breakdown - Tantric
Wow, acoustic guitar sounded better on the SR80e, but not by much. The nhoords held their own. The percussion is a bit forward, but once again that is because of the way the song was recorded. The vocals again sound forward without being offensive. The bass guitar is audible, unlike the SR80e. The strings all have great detail, but there is a thickness with the nhoords that didn't exist with the SR80e. The nhoords have great separation and way better imaging. Soundstage is too close to call.

Only 8 hours in after 10 hour burn-in. The verdict...totally worth it. These sound much better than the SR80e, as one would expect when looking at the price tag. That being said, I'd advise anybody interested to weigh out the pros and cons. Do you have the funds to do this? Do you have the tools and technical skills to do this? If so, it is a no brainer!

Very nice impressions and comparison to the sr80e.
Would you mind doing a comparison vs the hd6xx if time permits? I'd be interested in your results.

 

[Hazi59]

Very nice impressions and comparison to the sr80e.
Would you mind doing a comparison vs the hd6xx if time permits? I'd be interested in your results.

Honestly, the best way I can put it is that it is like an on-ear version of the HD6xx, but has no veil on the treble from 5 to 12 kHz. The HD6xx has more soundstage, but only marginally so. The HD6xx may be more linear in the mids, where the Nhoord are more etched out. This is neither a good, nor bad statement. It basically means the HD6xx mids are more linear whereas the Nhoords a bit more pronounced due the a very small rise from 1khz to 2khz (much less of a peak than any Grado other than PS500). They are very similar sounding until we get to the upper mids/treble. That is where it comes to preference. Do you like a boost in the treble or do you like your treble more tame? If you enjoy the boost, the Nhoords are for you. If you want polite treble, the HD6xx are for you.

There is something very enjoyable about the Nhoord drivers, but I am having a hard time putting my finger on it. I am very surprised I am enjoying them so much. I am treble sensitive, but not to boosted/enhanced treble...but only to very large peaks from one frequency range to the next (example of this is the ATH-M50x where there is an 8 decibel increase from 9 kHz to 10 kHz). I have seen some frequency response graphs for the Nhoords and I can say that those should be taken with a grain of salt. Other variables such as the cups, material of the cups, pads, and other possible damping can change that. This is why even if something looks great on a frequency response graph, you still have to listen for yourself. The best example of this for me was the Mr. Speakers Aeon Flow Closed. They have a very neutral, but well extended frequency response. The FR Graph looks amazing...but then I heard them at a meet and I thought they sounded pretty bad. Other factors such as timbre, tone, amp/dac pairing and source can always make the FR Graph look completely inaccurate versus what you are hearing.

 

[azazell86]

The Nhoord Drivers are amazing!!! How the hell can a pair of heaphones that I've put together with wood glue and a cheap soldering iron, can sound so amazing.
It has it all:
- fast and heavy bass
- clear and crispy mids and highs
- amazing detailed soundstage

Since I've made them, they are my go to headphones. They've exceeded my expectations in every way.

 

[Harry Manback]

So I recently built a custom set of cans using the Nhoord Red drivers. The headband and cups are from turbulent labs, the cable from venus audio. My aluminum rodblocks and gimbals have yet to arrive. I did need to sand the cups a tad for the drivers to fit properly. I used my dremel sanding drum and took my time (45 minutes). Soldering was a piece of cake. Then I used some double sided tape for a friction fit. I am using the L cush, but the g cush also sounded good.

The sound is truly amazing. It sounds like an HD650 without the veil in the treble. Songs I've tested with :

Nirvana - In Bloom
The texture if the guitars is amazing. No longer are the vocals and guitar artificial sounding, nor are the 2 fighting to be the focal point. The separation between the 2 is phenomenal. The percussion and bass is actually audible, and pleasantly so.

It Ain't Hard to Tell - Nas
Holy cow, bass! This was a great test song because it was something I couldn't previously listen to with my SR80e. Hip hop just doesn't sound great on the Grado. That has changed in a big way. The bass is thick but textured. The only downside was the keyboard sample during the verses sounded distant...but the SR80e made them a focal point. This is a great example of a big difference in sound between the drivers.

Cry to Me - Solomon Burke
The vocals are thick but not shouty. The percussion is muffled, but that is the way the song was recorded, so no problems. The Piano sounds great and you can hear the details without the ringing. SR80e always made piano almost brutal to listen to. The backing vocals are stepped up a tad as well.

Breakdown - Tantric
Wow, acoustic guitar sounded better on the SR80e, but not by much. The nhoords held their own. The percussion is a bit forward, but once again that is because of the way the song was recorded. The vocals again sound forward without being offensive. The bass guitar is audible, unlike the SR80e. The strings all have great detail, but there is a thickness with the nhoords that didn't exist with the SR80e. The nhoords have great separation and way better imaging. Soundstage is too close to call.

Only 8 hours in after 10 hour burn-in. The verdict...totally worth it. These sound much better than the SR80e, as one would expect when looking at the price tag. That being said, I'd advise anybody interested to weigh out the pros and cons. Do you have the funds to do this? Do you have the tools and technical skills to do this? If so, it is a no brainer!

I love it when impressions include the music that was used. It adds a reference point that is useful for comparison. Nice job!

 

[gehrmo]

Just finished my nhoord build,very pleased with the results at this early stage.Will compare them with my RS2e when I have more hours on them but very promising already.

 

[capnjack]

not strictly Nhoord/Grado related, but im waiting on these to build a set of Maple 'other' cans