NAD Viso HP50 : Another superb headphone from Paul Barton?
Dec 6, 2013 at 3:24 PM Post #377 of 3,345
Guys, I have been considering these for a while , only the headband being a bit `Stewie` has put me off.
I was reading January's hifi news and they really did not like them, too bassy , but also they are saying the headband is causing resonance between cups muddying the sound.
Any truth to this?
 
Dec 6, 2013 at 3:57 PM Post #378 of 3,345
The pads aren't replaceable so it'd be nice to know if it's not unusual.

 
Now that's a bummer.... Is this 100% for sure?
These cans are on their way to me and I rejected the Philips Fidelio X1 for exactly this reason. And because I don't live in the US sending back is just too much of a pain in the A**.
 
Dec 6, 2013 at 4:12 PM Post #380 of 3,345
Guys, I have been considering these for a while , only the headband being a bit `Stewie` has put me off.
I was reading January's hifi news and they really did not like them, too bassy , but also they are saying the headband is causing resonance between cups muddying the sound.
Any truth to this?

Believe me, I've read a lot about these cans. Everything rates somewhere between warm praise and adulation. This is phooey. I don't have much headphone experience, but these kick my 598's to the curb . (Don't really miss the wider sound-stage all that much.)
 
Dec 6, 2013 at 5:17 PM Post #381 of 3,345
The pads ARE replaceable, I have taken them off myself a couple times. The problem is whether spare pads are available to purchase...
 
Dec 6, 2013 at 5:37 PM Post #383 of 3,345
The pads ARE replaceable, I have taken them off myself a couple times. The problem is whether spare pads are available to purchase...

They're not 'officially' user-replaceable. I took a look at one of the picture's from Innerfidelity's review and the back looks pretty deformed from removal. Then again I never tried it. 


I have actually tried it a couple times. The pads are held on by a plastic lip and nothing else so I'm sure they are supposed to be user-replaceable.
 
Dec 6, 2013 at 5:59 PM Post #385 of 3,345
I found out completely by accident though, pulled on the left pad a little too hard...and it came off :eek: I quickly figured out that I just took off the pad and hadn't broken a £249 pair of cans. Judging by how easy it was, the pads have to be designed to be user-replaceable though.
 
Dec 7, 2013 at 3:19 AM Post #387 of 3,345
  Nonsense!

 
 
  Believe me, I've read a lot about these cans. Everything rates somewhere between warm praise and adulation. This is phooey. I don't have much headphone experience, but these kick my 598's to the curb . (Don't really miss the wider sound-stage all that much.)


I think they're pretty good headphones but at their price point the competition is very strong.
 
Back and forth with the Momentum's for a week or so,
ultimately decided I like the Momentum's more.
 
And, I noticed the Sony MDR-7520's selling on Amazon yesterday for $348.00 -
if the HP50's are still locked at $299.00, IMO going for the Sony's over them
for that small difference is a no-brainer.
 
Dec 7, 2013 at 5:59 PM Post #388 of 3,345
Guys, I have been considering these for a while , only the headband being a bit `Stewie` has put me off.
I was reading January's hifi news and they really did not like them, too bassy , but also they are saying the headband is causing resonance between cups muddying the sound.
Any truth to this?

 
Rubbish!
 
Dec 9, 2013 at 12:37 AM Post #389 of 3,345
I've been comparing these with the P7 and Momentum for the past week, few thoughts below:

The HP50 are the most neutral sounding of the three, the P7 are the most fun sounding and the Momentum is somewhere in between but with a much smaller soundstage than the other two. If I had to have only one as my only headphone I would go with the HP50 for its neutral sound, but I actually enjoy the P7 more, if that makes sense.

In terms of comfort the P7 work the best for me, but the HP50 are very good as well. In comparison the Momentum are smaller but still comfortable for my ears.

In terms of looks the Momentum are my favorite with a very slim profile. The P7 are chunkier but still look great, they don't really look chunky once you have them on. This is where the hP50 falls on its face IMO, they're absurdly ugly on the head, maybe it's just worse for me because I have a somewhat narrow noggin and keep very short hair if any at all. I'm not terribly worried about my image and what others think of me, but I do have a healthy level of self awareness and there's not a chance in hell I'd wear the HP50 in public. It may sound silly, but for me the looks are a deal breaker for these being a portable can.

In terms of build quality and materials the P7 has that in spades. The other two are well built and the Momentum in particular feels like a premium product, but the P7 just exudes quality and luxury.

Right now my inclination is to keep all three but we'll see how much time the Momentum gets. I'll be using the P7 for portability and at the office, which is where I do a lot of my listening. The plan is to use the HP50 at home but with the other gear here we'll see how much use those actually get.
 
Dec 9, 2013 at 6:22 AM Post #390 of 3,345
Thanks for the insightful comparison.
 
To me, the Momentum's sound clearer and more detailed than the HP50's.
I find the soundstage to be about the same between the two.
Both are very comfortable.
The Senn build quality seems a bit better, with higher quality materials.
 
 
 

 

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