[Havre]

 
Wondered about the ear fit myself....I mean, would tissue stuffing to raise the pads affect the sound signature that much ?
I wonder if any NAD designers even follow the issues with the headband and earpads users are having...HifiMAN certainly keep their eye on this forum to improve their cans, that much is sure.

 
I would assume it would affect both the sound signature and comfort (I guess I would have had pinching issues if the pads where "stiffer").
 
I hope they do. Can't see myself replacing the P7 for quite awhile, but the HP50 with slightly bigger cups and something like a Momentum headband would have been amazing.

 

[AngryGoldfish]

   
I eventually returned my K545 because the pressure on my ears became painful when I wore them for more than about 30 minutes. The HP50 is far more comfortable. Still, I wear them only when I know I'm going to be fairly still. The HP50 have such low clamping force that they need constant adjustment when I move my head a lot, for example at work. I finally settled on the K550, which are comfortable and sound almost as good as the K545 - and for me, at least, were $50 cheaper.

 
The K550's are even cheaper over here. They're €140 roughly while the K545's are €240, 100 Euro more.
 

   
Got similar sized ears as you.
 
Tested the Momentum, DT 770 and HP50 myself.
 
Momentum were out right away due to the awkward fit. I'm not sure if they are supposed to be on or over ear. Loved the sound and design, but just can't wear them.
 
HP50 fits much better than the Momentum and I think I could have lived with them being slightly too small to properly cover my ears, but my right ear touches the "driver". The pads are soft enough not to make the "pinching" on the parts of my ear "sticking out" painful. I went through several listening sessions and even after an hour of listening they didn't feel uncomfortable. The headband is another issue, but got nothing to do with the ears.
 
Ended up with the P7 myself. In terms of fit with "big" ears they are by far the best in my opinion. Do prefer the sound of the HP50 though.

 
That's good to hear, actually. If folks with bigger ears still seem to find the HP50's at least reasonably comfortable for a couple of hours, and I do need a portable headphone as well, I could pick up the K550's now and then later this year pick up a pair of HP50's for a more portable pair on the go.
 
The P7's are out of my budget. The only prices I can find in the UK from a quick search were the RRP, which is a good chunk over £300. I really only wanted to pay a maximum of £250. I just didn't want to limit myself by saying £250 when I COULD manage that much if I waited a few more weeks and if it was the perfect headphone.
 
 

   
I would assume it would affect both the sound signature and comfort (I guess I would have had pinching issues if the pads where "stiffer").
 
I hope they do. Can't see myself replacing the P7 for quite awhile, but the HP50 with slightly bigger cups and something like a Momentum headband would have been amazing.

 
Definitely.

 

[SlinkyDink]

Hi everyone, I'm new to both the forum and to "higher-end" headphones.  I've only ever been exposed to Klipsch Reference S4's and a set of Bose QC15's (please don't flame me, but this was my baseline for good sound quality headphones of any sort). 
 
So I recently bought the NAD HP50's and they have been glued to my head ever since. I had the headphones shipped directly to my dorm, so I've only listened to them through my MacBook Pro.  I'm back home for spring break which started today, and the first thing I did when I got home was plug the headphones into the Pioneer Elite VSX-50 receiver in our living room, something I wish I did not do, because now I'm on the market again to spend more money towards a portable amp for these babies. I'm sorry, I know there is a dedicated portion of the forum for this question, but I also have a few more and did not want to post in multiple threads.  So what is a portable amp that a college kid can afford after forking $300 bucks for the HP50's.  Bang for the buck is the most important thing to me, just like the headphones themselves (in my opinion).
 
Second question, does anyone have an issue with placement of the headphones on their head/around their ears (not seal related but sound source location issue)?  Reason I ask is because I seem to have to place the headphones a very specific way in order for me to get the best sound out of them, either that or my head is awkwardly shaped.
 
Third question, the pads on the headphones are comfortable and I wear them for hours on end while studying, but I am having trouble with creating a good seal for optimal noise isolation, has anyone done any mods, or any tips on what I could do?
 
Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[AngryGoldfish]

  Hi everyone, I'm new to both the forum and to "higher-end" headphones.  I've only ever been exposed to Klipsch Reference S4's and a set of Bose QC15's (please don't flame me, but this was my baseline for good sound quality headphones of any sort). 
 
So I recently bought the NAD HP50's and they have been glued to my head ever since. I had the headphones shipped directly to my dorm, so I've only listened to them through my MacBook Pro.  I'm back home for spring break which started today, and the first thing I did when I got home was plug the headphones into the Pioneer Elite VSX-50 receiver in our living room, something I wish I did not do, because now I'm on the market again to spend more money towards a portable amp for these babies. I'm sorry, I know there is a dedicated portion of the forum for this question, but I also have a few more and did not want to post in multiple threads.  So what is a portable amp that a college kid can afford after forking $300 bucks for the HP50's.  Bang for the buck is the most important thing to me, just like the headphones themselves (in my opinion).
 
Second question, does anyone have an issue with placement of the headphones on their head/around their ears (not seal related but sound source location issue)?  Reason I ask is because I seem to have to place the headphones a very specific way in order for me to get the best sound out of them, either that or my head is awkwardly shaped.
 
Third question, the pads on the headphones are comfortable and I wear them for hours on end while studying, but I am having trouble with creating a good seal for optimal noise isolation, has anyone done any mods, or any tips on what I could do?
 
Thanks in advance for any help!

 
I'm looking for a portable amplifier/DAC for on-the-go, too, and discovered the Audioengine D3 in my searches. It's the smallest and most favourably reviewed unit I've come across. The price is around $180. If you want cheaper than that, I think the Dragonfly by Audioquest might be cheaper. Also, FiiO make cheaper stuff, but it's apparently not as good sounding. I imagine your home Pioneer will be more impressive sonically than any FiiO. But they are cheap, affordable, compact and readily available.

 

[bixby]

another very good dac/amp is the HRT Microstreamer

 

[Kendoji]

You could consider the FiiO X5 when it comes out. It's actually a DAP, but doubles up as a USB DAC/amp. With the NAD being a portable headphone, it could be a handy solution.

 

[jonbernard]

  Second question, does anyone have an issue with placement of the headphones on their head/around their ears (not seal related but sound source location issue)?  Reason I ask is because I seem to have to place the headphones a very specific way in order for me to get the best sound out of them, either that or my head is awkwardly shaped.

 
Yes, I have the same issue. I think the sound when I do have them positioned correctly is enough reason to keep them, but I don't treat them as portables - too much work.

 

[SlinkyDink]

You could consider the FiiO X5 when it comes out. It's actually a DAP, but doubles up as a USB DAC/amp. With the NAD being a portable headphone, it could be a handy solution.

DAP - Does that stand for Digital to Analog Amp?  Also I should be clear that I am most definitely not using them as portable headphones, the area of my school had the mentality of, "if it's shiny it's worth stealing." I just wanted portable because my laptop stays on my lab for hours on end while I sit on my bed, the last thing I want is multiple wires and multiple failing points.
 

   
Yes, I have the same issue. I think the sound when I do have them positioned correctly is enough reason to keep them, but I don't treat them as portables - too much work.

That was exactly my thoughts, I love sound quality so much compared to what I was listening with before, I don't mind the few extra seconds of fidgeting with placement.

 

[BucketInABucket]

DAP. Digital Audio Player. Just fyi

 

[SlinkyDink]

DAP. Digital Audio Player. Just fyi

I knew that...I was just making sure I ask that so others who read will find out...hahaha. Thank you for that, I'm just a little new to this.

 

[BucketInABucket]

 
I knew that...I was just making sure I ask that so others who read will find out...hahaha. Thank you for that, I'm just a little new to this.

I'm sure you knew that 

 
You're welcome btw. Welcome to head-fi, and sorry about your wallet!

 

[Havre]

You could consider the FiiO X5 when it comes out. It's actually a DAP, but doubles up as a USB DAC/amp. With the NAD being a portable headphone, it could be a handy solution.

 
This.
 
I got the X3 with my P7 and in terms of value for money and portability it can't be beaten in my opinion - well - until the X5 maybe.
 
Not sure how the user interface will be/is on the X5. Not very good on the X3, but I'm used to it now so not really a big issue.

 

[Lohb]

  Yes, thats a good design and I got it made at the shop. So instead of  having stereo signal going to either side, he made me a Y-shaped connector that connects to both sides in mono. The end is terminated with 6 pin hirose. He used a red tape to indicate the right channel. If I put it in the wrong cup, there is no sound. In order to stay on topic, this cable will immediately let you listen to the balance end of ibasso balance amp!
 
 

 
Then if I wish to connect to single ended amp or hifiman balance DAP, I just use one of these adapters:
 

 
Going balance on these cans will give you immediate SQ improvement, but as I said you can only stretch so much because the driver is not high end.
 
I am sorry I cannot go into too much technical detail as my mind goes blank when my DIY friend talks about what he will do...
 
also, terribly sorry for being off topic...

This was an interesting alternate cabling solution for the NAD's from over in the IBasso DX50 thread.

 

[wakeride74]

Well I got these today and am pretty bummed. I was hoping these would be a win for me but I found them uncomfortable and unengaging. Not sure what I will try next, may just go back to the 940's, here's my amazon review:

Good sound spoiled by a terrible design.

I sold my Shure SRH 940’s to try something different and was intrigued by all the positive reviews and praise these have received. I was hoping it would be an upgrade and it some ways it was but more of a downgrade for my sonic and fit preferences. The HP50 does have a very liquid and effortless sonic character with nice dark space between the notes and instruments. The highs are a bit rolled off but the overall presentation offers enough clarity that it’s only a minor annoyance. My only real complaint with the sound is that they seem somewhat lacking in dynamics. Going through a variety of genres including artists such as Pink Martini, Brad Paisley, Hilary Hahn, Eilen Jewell, Lorde, Rob Zombie, Ella Fitzgerald, Merle Haggard, Imelda May, and many others, I found the HP50 to be unexciting or somewhat flat in rendering the dynamic crescendo’s, decrescendo’s, that is typical of the tracks I used to demo and am familiar with in other headphones and speakers.

The deal killer here is the fit and design. Like the Shure SRH940’s NAD has this terrible flat headband design that instead of following the natural curve of a human head was clearly created for Frankenstein’s square shaped head. The result is preasure unevenly distributed and centered on your heads high point. The HP50's even being lighter than the 940's are actually more uncomfortable probably because of the thinner headband. Additionally the insufficient clamping design that impacts the bottom of each ear cup creates a terrible seal that regardless of adjustments I’ve made has significant changes to the SQ every time I turn my head.

At the end of the day I found the HP50 to be a neutral headphone with an enjoyable sound signature albeit uninvolving, with design issues that impact sound and comfort to the point of defeat. These are heading back unfortunately and I will continue my search.

In the past I have owned the Denon D7000 (enjoyed but mids were a bit recessed and lows were too bloated), HD800 (too picky on source and amp), LCD-3 (loads of fun with the right tubes, very few complaints), and many others I won’t bore readers with listing but to say that cost to fun factor the Grado PS500 (with reversed bowls) was the most fun and engaging to listen to. Unfortunately I need something sealed for a very quiet office environment.

 

[amigomatt]

If I had to describe the sound of these headphones in one word, it would be 'luxurious'. They are a great contrast to my other cans and quickly becoming my favourites ever.