[diamondears]

What a shame. I'm sure it'll make someone else happy though. I really started appreciating the HP50 after 1.5 half weeks of listening.
YMMV and if CAL suits you better have fun with it.
Sounds like there's not much except for CAL that will make you happy. 

The CAL is very bright. That is clear in the FR graphs. I'd surmise his ears are very insensitive to treble.

 

[Jeff Y]

The CAL is very bright. That is clear in the FR graphs. I'd surmise his ears are very insensitive to treble.

That is true. CAL is far from being neutral but people conceive sound differently when they're used to it. Also something that has to be taken into consideration is the rest of his set-up or music.

 

[dakanao]

The CAL is very bright. That is clear in the FR graphs. I'd surmise his ears are very insensitive to treble.

 
 

  That is true. CAL is far from being neutral but people conceive sound differently when they're used to it. Also something that has to be taken into consideration is the rest of his set-up or music.

I'm pretty sensitive to treble. For instance: I found the Shure SRH-840 (considered a smooth headphone by most people) a bit harsh in the treble.
 
And the same thing with the HP50s and Focal Spirit Pro, with those synth like instruments.
 
And the CAL is indeed noticably brighter than those 3 headphones, but they're by far the smoothest sounding of those 3 headphones.
 
I think that that's because the treble quality is very high. Definitely higher quality than those 3 headphones (Shure SRH-840, Focal Spirit Pro, NAD Viso HP50)
 
When I tried to EQ the HP50s and Focal Spirit Pro to have the same treble quantity as the CAL, they became very harsh and sibilant.

 

[bgentry]

Your descriptions of sound consistently make no sense to me. The HP50s "aren't smooth" ? What does that mean? You hear big spikes in the frequency response? What is "harsh"? Normally that means a big spike in the mids or highs that make things sound unnatural. The HP50s don't seem this way to me.

You say that synthesized snare drum sounds wrong to you also. But it's synthesized. ...and you didn't know it was a snare drum, you thought it was a clap.

Not to be mean, but anyone reading these descriptions should probably not use them as being an accurate depiction of how the HP50s sound.

Brian.

 

[dakanao]

Your descriptions of sound consistently make no sense to me. The HP50s "aren't smooth" ? What does that mean? You hear big spikes in the frequency response? What is "harsh"? Normally that means a big spike in the mids or highs that make things sound unnatural. The HP50s don't seem this way to me.

You say that synthesized snare drum sounds wrong to you also. But it's synthesized. ...and you didn't know it was a snare drum, you thought it was a clap.

Not to be mean, but anyone reading these descriptions should probably not use them as being an accurate depiction of how the HP50s sound.

Brian.

The HP50s are very smooth in the treble when not EQ'ed, it's just that they're not smooth with those synthesized like instruments (which my CAL is while still sounding very convincing/realistic)
 
If I TRY to EQ the HP50s to have a similar treble emphasis as the CAL, that's when they're starting to sound harsh, while the CAL with that same treble emphasis the treble EQ'ed HP50s have, is not harsh at all.
 
And that's where the CAL kicks the HP50s ass in treble/upper mids quality.

 

[cel4145]

You say that synthesized snare drum sounds wrong to you also. But it's synthesized. ...and you didn't know it was a snare drum, you thought it was a clap.

I have never heard the CAL's, but it's also possible that he's not hearing those sounds as they are supposed to sound with the CAL. It' could be a difference in better clarity with the HP50s. People find all of a sudden that they can hear imperfections in recordings more with better headphones, and they think it's the headphone as the problem. This also happens with other audio components. I used to hang out on the AVS subwoofer forum, and occasionally someone would get an enthusiast class sub that is highly resolving with a neutral frequency response and say it didn't sound good, just to find out that they missed the boom and bloated bass of a cheap sub (lol).

 

[dakanao]

I have never heard the CAL's, but it's also possible that he's not hearing those sounds as they are supposed to sound with the CAL. It' could be a difference in better clarity with the HP50s. People find all of a sudden that they can hear imperfections in recordings more with better headphones, and they think it's the headphone as the problem. This also happens with other audio components. I used to hang out on the AVS subwoofer forum, and occasionally someone would get an enthusiast class sub that is highly resolving with a neutral frequency response and say it didn't sound good, just to find out that they missed the boom and bloated bass of a cheap sub (lol).

Yeah honestly I think that the HP50s are doing that what you described.

However, the cal is realistic enough sounding to my ears to not be bothered by it at all, especially coupled with that uber smoothness and high clarity.

But the real reason I'm selling the HP50s is because the vocals are just too recessed for my liking.

 

[mandrake50]

Interesting how differently we hear things. I have thought that the extreme naturalness of the HP50 on vocals is one of its great strengths. I have compared them to headphones at double and triple their cost. While thos do some things better than the HP 50, I still think vocals on the HP 50 are hard to beat. Of course this is only my preference being expressed.
I have always looked for a system that presents music to me as closely as possible to what it would sound live. Having spent lots of time at live venues over the last 40 years, I know what that sound is.
Now folks can develop sound preferences that have no relationship to reality. That is quite OK, but when it is obvious to me that this is where they are coming from, I entirely discount their opinions when looking for gear that pleases me.
 
No one is going to change your mind. So you do what is best for you and be happy. For anyone else looking at buying the HP 50, it would be good to be very careful about basing their decision on the kind of assessment that you have made.
Just my thoughts...

 

[diamondears]

Interesting how differently we hear things. I have thought that the extreme naturalness of the HP50 on vocals is one of its great strengths. I have compared them to headphones at double and triple their cost. While thos do some things better than the HP 50, I still think vocals on the HP 50 are hard to beat. Of course this is only my preference being expressed.
I have always looked for a system that presents music to me as closely as possible to what it would sound live. Having spent lots of time at live venues over the last 40 years, I know what that sound is.
Now folks can develop sound preferences that have no relationship to reality. That is quite OK, but when it is obvious to me that this is where they are coming from, I entirely discount their opinions when looking for gear that pleases me.

No one is going to change your mind. So you do what is best for you and be happy. For anyone else looking at buying the HP 50, it would be good to be very careful about basing their decision on the kind of assessment that you have made.
Just my thoughts...

+1 exactly. Especially on HP50 being very transparent.

And I find odd that without EQ the HP50 sounds recessed, but with EQ it sounds too bright. EQ could be set to get the middle ground.

 

[reiserFS]

Did anyone ever compare these to the Brainwavz HM5?

 

[Liu Junyuan]

So I have had some really really awful luck with these as a gift to my brother. I mean no offense to those who have been enjoying this headphone, nor do I think that this is necessarily the driver's fault.
 
I originally bought them as a gift for him as his first decent headphone, and he needed a sealed back. Apparently, the cables that ship with these are even worse than his previous Skullcandy headphones, according to him. Looking at some of the posts here seems to confirm this. What was Tyll thinking in the Innerfidelity review (which I otherwise trust) when he said these have a nice feature-set? My brother was furious with the quality of cables sent with this headphone, and I definitely heard about it, feeling guilty for even recommending it. 
 
Next, based on some advice on his thread and the thread devoted to after-market cables, we got the V-Moda coiled cable for it. This turned out to be a disaster. Not only does it not fit in to the headphone without immediately coming out but it also required him to take off the case of his phone to drive it. He then stupidly dropped his phone on the floor, shattering the screen. Talk about bad luck, and now he is irrationally blaming me and the headphone for releasing awful cables and those who recommended this aftermarket cable. The amount of stress that I am feeling for simply trying to buy him a nice headhone is ridiculous. 
 
I did remember reading that the locking mechanism with the V-Moda cable did not work, but noone said outright that it would not stay in at all. If it will not stay in at all, that means it is completely worthless and unusable. I need to be doubly careful about the garbage I read in some of these threads, it seems. Yes, I am very angry because I am being blamed for this. What a nightmare.
 
He has ordered the V-Moda audio only cable at the same time, for a shorter option. Some people I trust have recommended this as a solution. I actually own one myself for my portables, and it works very well for me. But why would this V-Moda work and not the other one? 
 
So is he doing something wrong? I asked him to try to plug the cable in more forcefully. 
 
In the end, we are about done with trying to make the headphone work. It's unfortunate that such a nice driver can come with such an awful feature set (again, according to my brother; I cannot see it myself) and that this was not underscored here. I am personally not going to be able to trust anything I read here unless I physically test out the headphones and the accessories myself. We did look at the KableDirect option, but how do I know that this would work either? 
 
Does anyone have any solutions? He plays the guitar and wants to plug the headphone in his amp, so he needs a longer cable than the  V-Moda audio only. That's why he got the coiled cable in the first place. Is it really as bad as my brother is making it sound? 
 
Thanks. I am very unhappy about this purchase atm.

 

[dakanao]

  So I have had some really really awful luck with these as a gift to my brother. I mean no offense to those who have been enjoying this headphone, nor do I think that this is necessarily the driver's fault.
 
I originally bought them as a gift for him as his first decent headphone, and he needed a sealed back. Apparently, the cables that ship with these are even worse than his previous Skullcandy headphones, according to him. Looking at some of the posts here seems to confirm this. What was Tyll thinking in the Innerfidelity review (which I otherwise trust) when he said these have a nice feature-set? My brother was furious with the quality of cables sent with this headphone, and I definitely heard about it, feeling guilty for even recommending it. 
 
Next, based on some advice on his thread and the thread devoted to after-market cables, we got the V-Moda coiled cable for it. This turned out to be a disaster. Not only does it not fit in to the headphone without immediately coming out but it also required him to take off the case of his phone to drive it. He then stupidly dropped his phone on the floor, shattering the screen. Talk about bad luck, and now he is irrationally blaming me and the headphone for releasing awful cables and those who recommended this aftermarket cable. The amount of stress that I am feeling for simply trying to buy him a nice headhone is ridiculous. 
 
I did remember reading that the locking mechanism with the V-Moda cable did not work, but noone said outright that it would not stay in at all. If it will not stay in at all, that means it is completely worthless and unusable. I need to be doubly careful about the garbage I read in some of these threads, it seems. Yes, I am very angry because I am being blamed for this. What a nightmare.
 
He has ordered the V-Moda audio only cable at the same time, for a shorter option. Some people I trust have recommended this as a solution. I actually own one myself for my portables, and it works very well for me. But why would this V-Moda work and not the other one? 
 
So is he doing something wrong? I asked him to try to plug the cable in more forcefully. 
 
In the end, we are about done with trying to make the headphone work. It's unfortunate that such a nice driver can come with such an awful feature set (again, according to my brother; I cannot see it myself) and that this was not underscored here. I am personally not going to be able to trust anything I read here unless I physically test out the headphones and the accessories myself. We did look at the KableDirect option, but how do I know that this would work either? 
 
Does anyone have any solutions? He plays the guitar and wants to plug the headphone in his amp, so he needs a longer cable than the  V-Moda audio only. That's why he got the coiled cable in the first place. Is it really as bad as my brother is making it sound? 
 
Thanks. I am very unhappy about this purchase atm.

The cable didn't bother me at all. I mean sure, for a $300 headphone it is a bit on the fragile side, but I'm always very careful with my stuff, so that was no problem for me.

 

[Captain Howdy]

  So I have had some really really awful luck with these as a gift to my brother. I mean no offense to those who have been enjoying this headphone, nor do I think that this is necessarily the driver's fault.
 
I originally bought them as a gift for him as his first decent headphone, and he needed a sealed back. Apparently, the cables that ship with these are even worse than his previous Skullcandy headphones, according to him. Looking at some of the posts here seems to confirm this. What was Tyll thinking in the Innerfidelity review (which I otherwise trust) when he said these have a nice feature-set? My brother was furious with the quality of cables sent with this headphone, and I definitely heard about it, feeling guilty for even recommending it. 
 
Next, based on some advice on his thread and the thread devoted to after-market cables, we got the V-Moda coiled cable for it. This turned out to be a disaster. Not only does it not fit in to the headphone without immediately coming out but it also required him to take off the case of his phone to drive it. He then stupidly dropped his phone on the floor, shattering the screen. Talk about bad luck, and now he is irrationally blaming me and the headphone for releasing awful cables and those who recommended this aftermarket cable. The amount of stress that I am feeling for simply trying to buy him a nice headhone is ridiculous. 
 
I did remember reading that the locking mechanism with the V-Moda cable did not work, but noone said outright that it would not stay in at all. If it will not stay in at all, that means it is completely worthless and unusable. I need to be doubly careful about the garbage I read in some of these threads, it seems. Yes, I am very angry because I am being blamed for this. What a nightmare.
 
He has ordered the V-Moda audio only cable at the same time, for a shorter option. Some people I trust have recommended this as a solution. I actually own one myself for my portables, and it works very well for me. But why would this V-Moda work and not the other one? 
 
So is he doing something wrong? I asked him to try to plug the cable in more forcefully. 
 
In the end, we are about done with trying to make the headphone work. It's unfortunate that such a nice driver can come with such an awful feature set (again, according to my brother; I cannot see it myself) and that this was not underscored here. I am personally not going to be able to trust anything I read here unless I physically test out the headphones and the accessories myself. We did look at the KableDirect option, but how do I know that this would work either? 
 
Does anyone have any solutions? He plays the guitar and wants to plug the headphone in his amp, so he needs a longer cable than the  V-Moda audio only. That's why he got the coiled cable in the first place. Is it really as bad as my brother is making it sound? 
 
Thanks. I am very unhappy about this purchase atm.

 
Could be that the jack on the coiled cable is shorter, but more likely the fat jacket is preventing the jack from plugging all the way into the cans. Also, the weight and tension of the coiled cable is probably pulling it out. I don't like the stock NAD cable either, but I think your bro is exaggerating. I think NAD expected this can to be used as a portable so they designed the cable to be thin and light. I do wish they had provided a heavier cable for home use. I've been looking for a third-party replacement, but so far haven't bought one. I'll probably wind up with the V-Moda audio only.

 

[YamaVega]

  So I have had some really really awful luck with these as a gift to my brother. I mean no offense to those who have been enjoying this headphone, nor do I think that this is necessarily the driver's fault.
 
I originally bought them as a gift for him as his first decent headphone, and he needed a sealed back. Apparently, the cables that ship with these are even worse than his previous Skullcandy headphones, according to him. Looking at some of the posts here seems to confirm this. What was Tyll thinking in the Innerfidelity review (which I otherwise trust) when he said these have a nice feature-set? My brother was furious with the quality of cables sent with this headphone, and I definitely heard about it, feeling guilty for even recommending it. 
 
Next, based on some advice on his thread and the thread devoted to after-market cables, we got the V-Moda coiled cable for it. This turned out to be a disaster. Not only does it not fit in to the headphone without immediately coming out but it also required him to take off the case of his phone to drive it. He then stupidly dropped his phone on the floor, shattering the screen. Talk about bad luck, and now he is irrationally blaming me and the headphone for releasing awful cables and those who recommended this aftermarket cable. The amount of stress that I am feeling for simply trying to buy him a nice headhone is ridiculous. 
 
I did remember reading that the locking mechanism with the V-Moda cable did not work, but noone said outright that it would not stay in at all. If it will not stay in at all, that means it is completely worthless and unusable. I need to be doubly careful about the garbage I read in some of these threads, it seems. Yes, I am very angry because I am being blamed for this. What a nightmare.
 
He has ordered the V-Moda audio only cable at the same time, for a shorter option. Some people I trust have recommended this as a solution. I actually own one myself for my portables, and it works very well for me. But why would this V-Moda work and not the other one? 
 
So is he doing something wrong? I asked him to try to plug the cable in more forcefully. 
 
In the end, we are about done with trying to make the headphone work. It's unfortunate that such a nice driver can come with such an awful feature set (again, according to my brother; I cannot see it myself) and that this was not underscored here. I am personally not going to be able to trust anything I read here unless I physically test out the headphones and the accessories myself. We did look at the KableDirect option, but how do I know that this would work either? 
 
Does anyone have any solutions? He plays the guitar and wants to plug the headphone in his amp, so he needs a longer cable than the  V-Moda audio only. That's why he got the coiled cable in the first place. Is it really as bad as my brother is making it sound? 
 
Thanks. I am very unhappy about this purchase atm.

 
I agree the cable is not so great, but how does your brother find the sound, I mean, coming from skullcandies?  I forgave the cable issue coz the NADs sound great, and they are replaceable after all.  

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Thanks guys. I have to admit I was caught by surprise by his comments that focused solely on the cable and not the sound. I am guessing he may not have the ears or recordings to make a difference, as this is his first taste of a decent headphone.

He also is not using any amp or source gear.

Since most of my personal experience is with open-backed headphones for home and desktop usage, I personally struggled to martial a recommendation. The NAD HP50 seemed to be highly competitive at this price-point, and I tend to trust Tyll's reviews.

What I didnt want to do is offer the standard recommendation of the Audio Technica M50, but I cant help but wonder if my brother would have been happier even though I highly suspect the HP50 is superior sonically.

I was also at first considering the Shure 840 and ATH MSR7. Again, I felt fairly confident in spending more for the NAD.

Buying gear for those unacquainted with audio fidelity is challenging. I guess there is a place for the Apple i-buds and Skullcandies (no offense).

I think he will be just returning them for something cheaper. He certainly is not very happy with any step of the process so far.

Thanks everyone for the help. I hope you continue to enjoy these.