I'm still waiting. I was reading the NAD review on innerfidelity
The deal I found for the AKG is up until next monday so I was planning to take my decision this week end.
Here we go @Shaika-Dzari - Bolt Thrower - The Killchain:
Testing setup: Tidal on Macbook Pro > AMB Gamma 2 > Schiit Lyr > NAD Viso HP-50
Off to a good start... Nice energy in the intro. TONS of body on the guitar sound. Very full. Initially, I thought I wouldn't mind a tad more separation of the bass and mids, but a quick check on the HD800 shows that this is a production issue, rather than a headphone issue. Switching back to the NAD really attests to how full their sound is. HD800 sounds thin and bright in comparison... definite speaker-like presentation with the NAD... you know how the treble attenuates as you move away from a speaker and the bass fills out within the room? You get that feeling from the HP-50.
Really nice overall feel for Bolt Thrower. Keeps good pace with the music and lets the sludge come out. The bass guitar comes out really nicely as I'm listening to Granite Wall now. The sound is kinda laid back without overcommitting and sounding sluggish. A/B'ed with Grado Sr225i just to see what something super fast would sound like and you're not losing much of anything... plus you gain tons and tons of body... I really prefer the NAD here.
I'm going to give this a solid A-. The HP-50 is a really great match for Bolt Thrower.
Part 2 of the HP-50 tests with @Shaika-Dzari 's tracks - Be'lakor - Venator:
The intro sounds fantastic with all the fullness and body... just really cool. YMMV on this next point, but I find the headphone a little overly thick sometimes once the rest of the track kicks in... but I listen to mostly open-back headphones, so it's probably a little more subbass than I'm used to. Big, lush lower mids. If I had to complain about something, I'd say that I wish there was a little more emphasis in the upper mids and a little less in the lower mids. I can see why Tyll likes this so much... it's totally his type of sound. Soundstage is really, really good for a closed back hp.
Hard to grade out this track because it is really all about personal preference. If you like you music full and your guitars a little laid back, it's a really good sound.
Part 3 of the HP-50 tests with @Shaika-Dzari 's tracks - Steamboy OST - The Chase
Nice! This really plays to the headphones strengths. Soundstage and imaging on full display here. Violin pulses to the left while other strings and sounds dance all around the stage. Bassier instruments all exude a natural reference quality. Timbre is really great. Very movie theater-like experience! It's hard not to be completely swept away. Actually really stands up to the HD800's presentation on this track. With the HD800, I feel like I'm there watching the orchestra perform the track. With the HP-50, I feel like I'm hearing the track on a cinema sound system in an IMAX theater. Totally different presentation, but it stands up to a headphone that costs 5x as much in a genre that really suits the HD800! Not saying it's better... it's just different, but it impresses next to [what many consider] the king of dynamic headphones.
A couple of final notes on the HP-50 test for @Shaika-Dzari -
- I can't help you much on the Blind Guardian song... they're just not my thing. It's a relaxed presentation - vocals are pretty forward - full sounding, but not super aggressive... though, I don't think it's supposed to be.
- Comfort/style: YMMV - The earpads are very soft and kinda sit on the edge of your ears. Not my favorite for comfort, but if you put them on right they can be pretty darn comfortable. The headband is pretty hard... and it has a weird shape that kinda sticks out from your head. It helps you get a really good seal, but I think it looks a little funky. It's not super fashionable, but shouldn't be a big deal if you are just listening at home. As far as comfort goes, I will say, they don't create any weird sense of pressure in my inner ear. This was always an issue for me with the ATH-M50, so much so that I had to eventually sell them. None of that here with the HP-50. So it's a pretty mixed bag on the comfort front. It depends a lot on the wearer.
Let me know if you have any more questions, and good luck with your purchase!
Here we go @Shaika-Dzari - Bolt Thrower - The Killchain:
Testing setup: Tidal on Macbook Pro > AMB Gamma 2 > Schiit Lyr > NAD Viso HP-50
Switching back to the NAD really attests to how full their sound is. HD800 sounds thin and bright in comparison... definite speaker-like presentation with the NAD... you know how the treble attenuates as you move away from a speaker and the bass fills out within the room? You get that feeling from the HP-50.
Here we go @Shaika-Dzari
- Bolt Thrower - The Killchain:
Testing setup: Tidal on Macbook Pro > AMB Gamma 2 > Schiit Lyr > NAD Viso HP-50
Switching back to the NAD really attests to how full their sound is. HD800 sounds thin and bright in comparison... definite speaker-like presentation with the NAD... you know how the treble attenuates as you move away from a speaker and the bass fills out within the room? You get that feeling from the HP-50.
YMMV, based on your specific speaker system. It was a subjective, stream of consciousness observation. Based on the same raw data, one could say, "The NAD is overly thick and a little dulled-out, compared to the HD800."
Basically, the HP-50 has more bass and less treble than the HD800; and the HP-50 sounds more like speakers in a room, while the HD800 sounds more like a live performance.
Yeah, I figured as much. I know it was hard to find speakers that didn't have a mid-bass hump, so it stands to reason that most people would have speakers with that mid-bass hump and would find it normal
What would you pick between SR 307 and SRM 323S vs HE 400i and a well chosen amp for Heavy Metal (Mostly black sabbath, 'cuz I don't really know other nice bands) and things like them crooked vultures / nirvana.... ?
What would you pick between SR 307 and SRM 323S vs HE 400i and a well chosen amp for Heavy Metal (Mostly black sabbath, 'cuz I don't really know other nice bands) and things like them crooked vultures / nirvana.... ?
I have no experience with 307/400i, but I own SR 407 and HE 500. And I would definitely prefer electrostatic mids of 407 for BS and isodynamic punch of 500 for alternative rock/metal.
@Shaika-Dzari - got ahold of the M50X for a bit so here's a little head to head:
NAD has more bass for sure, and is a little bit more relaxed in the sound. Switching back and forth between the two is interesting. Switching from the NAD to the m50X makes the M50X sound thin and low resolution for a moment until you adjust to the sound. Switching to from the M50X to the NAD makes the NAD sound overly thick and muffled for a moment until you adjust. It's like a little grain on the M50X vs. a little blur on the NAD, with perfect clarity being somewhere in the middle.
NAD definitely brings out the pummeling drums on the Be'Lakor track, where the M50X brings out the guitar more. NAD sounds more full and epic, M50X sounds more driving and aggressive. Really a question of preference on the Be'Lakor and Bolt Thrower tracks.
On the Steamboy OST, it's not even close. The NAD trounces the M50X on this track. The M50X definitely sounds headphone-y here, whereas the NAD puts its monstrous full sound on display. But again, this track really plays to the NAD's strengths.
Comfort between the two is very close. M50X pads are more spacious. NAD pads are softer.
Honestly, these are two very complimentary headphones. I wouldn't mind owning both.
Also, I found a pair of NAD on headphonescanada for 275$ CAN with shipping!
It like having them for 200$ US + shipping, which if I'm not wrong is a very good deal.
They should be here in 5-7 days...probably next Friday.
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