[plakat]

Said debates cannot come to any useful conclusion as long as each side is talking about their own arguments and not seeing that there is a chasm in understanding/hearing/enjoyment...
 
A headphone (or every other audio component) is not its sound alone but a plethora of features, technical, visual, haptic etc. that gives each of us a different impression, based upon our likings, wants and needs. Not the sound signature alone decides whether I like a headphone... it has to fit me, it has to fit the intended use, my technical surroundings, my musical taste... so the final answer may well be different for each of us. And I, for one, will not abstract sound out of that whole impression... to me the thing as it is has to appeal to me. Including, of course, its sound.
 
And to come back to this specific instance, the HP50... I own quite a lot of headphones. Because of that, among other reasons, I did not even listen to the HP50 in the last few days... nevertheless I like it, I know I like its sound, its comfort, that its easily fed by my iPhone... its quite a feat to stand up so well against the many others I own (which also offer some unique combination of features that attract me interest).
 
I can even enjoy a nice cable (not because it sounds better when compared with a technically sufficient cable -- that I can prove by DBT), but because I might happen to like its look, the handling, whatever. That overall may be worth its price to me. A decision that is not easily transferred to the next person though... I can describe the thing and explain my reasoning but will always accept the other persons decision, may it conform to my own feelings or not, as long as this decision includes the same acceptance in reverse (otherwise I might not be interested in continuing the discussion).
 
Yes, its interesting why this discussion once again comes up in this context...

 

[migasson]

Is it me, or, especially in white that it looks like two Apple Magic Mouses strapped together?

 

[plakat]

Now that you said that... yes, the white one looks a bit like that.

 

[pinoyman]

this is my favorite headphone to date, aside from grado.

 

[mandrake50]

  Said debates cannot come to any useful conclusion as long as each side is talking about their own arguments and not seeing that there is a chasm in understanding/hearing/enjoyment...
 
A headphone (or every other audio component) is not its sound alone but a plethora of features, technical, visual, haptic etc. that gives each of us a different impression, based upon our likings, wants and needs. Not the sound signature alone decides whether I like a headphone... it has to fit me, it has to fit the intended use, my technical surroundings, my musical taste... so the final answer may well be different for each of us. And I, for one, will not abstract sound out of that whole impression... to me the thing as it is has to appeal to me. Including, of course, its sound.
 
 

Can I Quote this?
 
It is so true. The pursuit of perfection in sound reproduction, in the end is futile> Somebody will come up with something that gets to be considered "better". Some say that the chase is more important than the results.
I guess that I am over that. If it works  for me and lets me feel happy to be listening, when I use it, it is good, period!
 
For my set of of criteria, the HP50 meets several needs, and it has never made me want to take it off, or equalize it, or compulsively add lots of power to it (just because I had been told that it "needs" it to sound good), as some of the other headphones that I have do. As an overall package for the niche I have for it.. the cost/benefit ratio shows a buy decision. I am real happy to have and use my set!
 
Yeah
IMO.
That is all that I have, after all!

 

[plakat]

Not only futile, but over giving too much attention to technicalities its easy to loose that, what is most important to me at least: having fun listening to music.
The HP50 is a superb offering in that regard, I just pulled it out yesterday for a comparison to answer some questions: its comfortable, its sound is lively end engaging... one could stop there and just have fun, spending only a very moderate amount of money. That would be the end of head-fi of course

 

[LajostheHun]

I like my HP 50 as well, in case my avatar isn't telling enough.  In fact it's my all around favorite, though my AKG Q701 is right up there too, with it's more open sound. Just purchased a FIIO E12 amp, wow what a brute, it easily hangs with my IFI Ican,[ which is something of a legend around these parts it seems], but for half the price.

 

[aprforomindia]

  I got my NAD VISO HP50 after a long time of wait. I really like these headphones. Cups are super comfortable and I could wear these for hours. I have one major problem tho.
 
Headband makes top of my head hurt even after short time. Sometimes I am able to position headphones so that top of my head does not hurt, but most of the time I just can't find that perfect spot. Does anyone else have this problem and if you do have you figured out solution?

The secret to the NAD HP50 is to do a close fit, e.g. - initially it was hurting my ear; so I tried to open it up all the way (probably 6 nothces); then suddenly experimenting over weeks; I found that its fits me quiet snugly on the 3rd notch - such that most of the time I get a fit; which is quiet comfortable; then one day I said let me try the 2nd notch - and bingo - now I dont even feel that I have a headphone on me .
 
Try it, maybe my experience might help

 

[aprforomindia]

I have a DBT with 99% accuracy on Hotel California between Wav & -v2 iTunes AAC (which is apparently better than mp3)
 
I posted it sometime in head fi probaby.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I have a DBT with 99% accuracy on Hotel California between Wav & -v2 iTunes AAC (which is apparently better than mp3)
 
I posted it sometime in head fi probaby.

You would need to do this with any song. How many trials were there? V2 would not sound better than a 320 MP3, there is no technical reason that it would. I would encourage you to replicate your results against a 320 MP3 file and use a song others select and give you no advanced notice of. I imagine that with a bit rate difference that is large enough, such as you described, and using a song you are very familiar with hearing a difference is far more likely, but that doesn't simulate real world listening in which I still contend that people will not hear a difference between lossless and 320.

 

[Armaegis]

Has anyone else here recabled for balanced use? The only reference I could find was this...
http://www.head-fi.org/t/679473/the-ibasso-dx50-thread-latest-firmware-1-5-0/10005#post_10146687
 
But that one doesn't make sense to me since (I think) you'd still have to disconnect the shared ground wire between the cups. I'll probably crack mine open later this week, but just wanted to ask around first.

 

[plakat]

Yes, you would need independent connections to each driver... I guess the cable provided by NAD uses only three connections for audio, therefore you would need to open the cups (both) and separate the ground connections. Not shure its worth it though... might be a rather complex operation.

 

[Armaegis]

I had a few thoughts going...
1) disconnect the wire between the cups, use two TRS plugs (one for each side) but with only the relevant channels connected - this is probably the easiest option
2) yank out the TRS jacks, put in a mini 4pin XLR
2b) if I could find a TRRS jack... I could possibly rig up a system that could work with both balanced and single ended cables in addition to having the miniXLR, but I think this would depart from the TRRS wiring convension (meh, the more I think of it the less appealing this seems)
3) just hardwire the whole thing
 
Meh, I should just open it up and see what I've got to work with.

 

[andyDiamond]

I had a few thoughts going...
1) disconnect the wire between the cups, use two TRS plugs (one for each side) but with only the relevant channels connected - this is probably the easiest option
2) yank out the TRS jacks, put in a mini 4pin XLR
2b) if I could find a TRRS jack... I could possibly rig up a system that could work with both balanced and single ended cables in addition to having the miniXLR, but I think this would depart from the TRRS wiring convension (meh, the more I think of it the less appealing this seems)
3) just hardwire the whole thing

Meh, I should just open it up and see what I've got to work with.

I've opened the cups - it's not a tricky thing and takes just 5 sec.
I've also prepared 2 trrs jacks, a braided canare 4s6 and red/blue heatshrink. But then I got another hp, and decided to keep hp50 in stock variant to be sold easier.

 

[chailee80]

Just my pair today and i'm very impressed, i'm surprised by how musical they sound, they make me want to listen to all my music again! My headphone supplier described them as dull and lifeless, i dont know what he was listening to but it definitely can't have been the HP50 as it is neither of those two things imo. Comfort is pretty good, much better than the Sennheiser Momentums and Focal Spirit Pros. They pair well with my beyer a200p and ibasso dx50 and sound pretty good plugged straight into the latest generation of ipad mini. The hardest thing will be deciding which to keep, these HP50s or my Spirit Pros.