[Kammerat Rebekka]

I had a really interesting experience with mine also hearing too much warmth in the low end BUT when I played through iBasso DX90 DAP - the warmth dissapeared!! and I was left with a really smooth neutral balanced signature
I suspect these headphones are super revealing of low end - Not sure BUT they CAN be a very neutral headphone

I think it will entail some fancy eq’ing to get this can to sound neutral
I’ve never actually come across an amp that didn’t sound perfectly neutral, but many folks on here claim they either own them or have heard them.

 

[jon parker]

I think it will entail some fancy eq’ing to get this can to sound neutral
I’ve never actually come across an amp that didn’t sound perfectly neutral, but many folks on here claim they either own them or have heard them.

I wouldn't say perfectly neutral but a very different sounding headphone appeared. About as neutral as you could hope - Cant really stress enough what a different sound it was - I was ver surprised! Ive yet to test them on my Objective 2 Amp - an amp that is about as black and neutral as you could hope for
My point being though is that this headphone may well be quite the chameleon
Always interesting when people have different experiences

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

It’s all good. I really dig this headphone as well - even if I think it is a huge mistake by Neumann to market this as a neutral can for mixing. The majority of Neumann customers are sound engineers. They work with sound professionally and neutral gear is paramount in order to produce a proper end product. If you can’t hear the mix in all of it’s glory - warts and all - then you end up fumbling in the dark.
That kind of marketing is perfectly alright for the audiophile crowd because...well all it takes is one guy with a good rep to say that it’s neutral when listened to in Sweden or paired up with a flux capacitor..and fairly quickly Bob becomes your uncle
...but not really all that smart marketing for folks expecting a precise work-tool.

Anyway as I don’t plan on becoming a sound engineer any time soon, I will most likely get one for myself. I love the fact that it’s 150 ohms yet incredibly easy to drive. Means I can use it with a tube amp and a phone to great results.
...but first and foremost I’d get it because it sounds absolutely brilliant

 

[jon parker]

I haven't really tested the NDH20 at work yet but I think the mids presentation may be good enough (I work many with vocals)

I have a couple of Award winning Mastering engineering buddies visiting in a few weeks.
really looking forward to their feedback !

 

[kdoof]

Interesting, thanks for the honest and critical comments. Always more interesting to read these than the generic "ooh-aaah, best thing since sliced bread" comments.

Can you tell what is your current headphone reference for neutrality as you see it?

I sold it awhile ago but the 40x’es may be the most neutral headphones I’ve owned. The HP50 are also fairly neutral. (Both are warmer than most people consider neutral but I think a neutral sound should still have bass.) Everything more expensive (so far) seems to lean quite a bit in one direction or another (or on the mids, like the 600’s). I do think the Hd800’s are more neutral than they are given credit for. The Ether C Flow v1’s I had for a few months are probably close as well, but have some really goofy hollowed out upper mids.

Of course it always becomes a semantic argument when people talk about this stuff. Is neutral bass-light? Harmon response curve? Accentuated mids?

 

[Bern2]

Here is the short review.

Got them today, listened to them.

I used as musical criteria :

1. Sarah Jarosz - Album - "Build Me Up From Bones".

2. Kandace Springs - Album - " Soul Eyes "

3. Steely Dan - Album - " Aja "

4. Omnia - Album - "Reflexions"

5. Azam Ali - Album - "Elysium for the Brave"

6. Corinne Bailey Ray - Album - "Corinne Bailey Ray"

7. Marketa Irglova - Album - "Muna"


Ok, let me get right to it.

The Box is one piece, shrink wrapped, and it opens like a suitcase.
There is no box in a box.
There is not case for the Headphones as an additional offering.
The cables are decent +, and are rubberized, and click in the RIGHT Headphone and not the left.

The comfort of this headphone, is a 7.5.
Its not heavy and the pads are smaller then i expected, but not uncomfortable.
The Headphones sound nothing like the 630VB.

These headphones offer something unique.......it presents a very flat - neutral presentation with a lot of clarity and resolution.
This is quite a design trick, as usually, you have more of a cloudy/veiled presentation when you have a very neutral presentation.
In the case of these headphones, you have a very (perceived) flat response, yet, the clarity is almost hyped.

Let me now take care of this part of the opinion piece as this will be the answers to what most of us want to know.

Bass response..... Neutral, but not lacking, ( as you find with Aeon C). Its very clear in its presentation, while being very flat in its tonality.
Treble response.... Neutral, without sounding rolled off., and its in this area of the Neumann's sound that is a bit of a mystery, as to have very flat treble response YET such stark clarity......is impressive
Mids...........Musical & Neutral.

Overall Tone of this headphone? > Flat and very clear with ample resolution and a nice soundstage for a closed set of headphones.

Final Thoughts :

In my opinion, this headphone is exactly what its designed to be.........a studio monitor on your head, first and foremost, and an Audiophile tool for those who prefer flat and clear, vs sweet, or rich, or overly extended.

Playing the "Aja" album by Steely Dan is a "go to" to discern if any cans are able to dig out the bass response, as this album does not have an overly projected bass, its quite neutral....nd many headphones are lost trying to find it.
Not so with the Neumann's, as the bass is crystal clear, yet small, as that is the sound of this Album, regarding the bass.

The Neumann's are Interesting headphones that will appeal more to the professional recording musician, first and foremost, and also to the discriminating Audiophile who can appreciate the idea that each (Model) of (good sounding) headphones is a unique experience that is not like any other.
These do sound good, but they have their own unique tone and appeal.
I'd love to hear these also as an open set.
Maybe in 2020.

Does it use the same driver as the 630vb? The reason I didn't keep the 630 was the lack of sub bass (non existent) and it didn't respond to EQ. (possibly because of the variable bass function..just a guess).

The 630vb is built like a tank.

 

[jon parker]

Does it use the same driver as the 630vb? The reason I didn't keep the 630 was the lack of sub bass (non existent) and it didn't respond to EQ. (possibly because of the variable bass function..just a guess).

The 630vb is built like a tank.

Goo lord no - Its errm built / made by Neumann
Sennheiser gave them some parts - headband i think

 

[ervin192]

Goo lord no - Its errm built / made by Neumann
Sennheiser gave them some parts - headband i think

I'm afraid no. Even the membrane is Senn's Duofol, that basically means where the driver is from. But I also don't think it's the same as the 630's. Just another driver from Sennheiser, and remember tuning makes huge differences in the final outcome. So it makes sense Neumann is responsible for the tuning.

 

[jon parker]

Interesting - where did you gt your info from? From what I understood - Neumann had newly designed their own drivers. The only parts used from Senn. where a few external [un relevant parts] Of course Neumann did the tuning!

 

[ervin192]

just read post #1 and watch its attached video. the official neumann guy simply say it's 'under the Sennhei... I'm sorry Neumann' and also, 'with our knowledge for what is Neumann (this means - tuning) ... from the Sennheiser group.', I think this is just enough.

 

[jon parker]

Hardly 'Proof' that it is 'just' a Sennheiser Headphone with a different tuning
Anyway, Ive written to them. Let s see what comes form that

 

[Blinxat]

anyone know how it compares to focal elegia?

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Got to try the nuemann yesterday at work. Didnt like the fitment, they felt small and more shallow than my DT1990

 

[jon parker]

@ervin192 - I asked Neumann about the drivers for their NDH 20:

Q:
Could you please kindly confirm a question about your new Headphone NDH 20 - Did you completely redesign the driver or is it a new tuning of an already existing Sennheiser driver ? Thank you
A:
Yes, the NDH 20 uses newly designed drivers (38 mm/1.5”) with high-gauss neodymium magnets to ensure high sensitivity and minimized distortion. You can find additional info here: https://en-de.neumann.com/ndh-20.

So please check carefully before 'assuming' something which may well effect how people [may incorrectly] view this headphone
https://en-de.neumann.com/ndh-20?fb...fpwRDEi6eg_58cpre8ysLlcH9Nb6_Y-6dp621a_INj9hA

 

[AxelCloris]

Hey everyone, to keep the thread on-track, we've removed some posts that didn't meet the guidelines. Thank you to everyone who kept the thread on-topic. We appreciate it.