[Enn Jott]

I've send mine back. They don't do anything wrong, really but they don't excel in anything (other than built quality) either I'd say. One thing that really bugged me was the low end extension. If they went down a bit further they would probably still be here (don't know why some reviewer said that they go down abysmal deep).

That being said I was about to order the AKG K712s again (and keep them) but somehow went for the K275s just to give them a try after reading some interesting stuff (including what @FullBright1 wrote about them).

On a side note: Briefly I had the HPH-MT8 here together with the Neumanns and the Yamahas couldn't keep up at all. I think most people miss the "exagerated" treble they get from other headphones when listening to the Neumanns and sometimes it feels like there ist something missing. But that's actually not true. I'd say it's all there, but not really obvious or in your face/ears ... I'll still follow this thread because it's interesting to read what other people think about them.

 

[liujun050612]

Received them today. I really enjoy them. I can say I finally find the audiophile grade foldable headphone for both portable and home use. They looked pretty nice and small. Not as huge and bulky as akg k712 or srh 1540. They build exquisitely strong, better than sennheiser hd630vb. If they include a carrying case it would be perfect. They are very light and comfortable. Perfect for extended listening. Although they are 150 ohms, they are very easy to drive. They scaled well with amplifiers. Pair with an amplifer will make it shine. Sound wise, They are very flat, but not boring. Which I like a lot, they also have fairly open soundstage compare to other closed back. The bass is not as aggressive as beyer dt1770. But still full of punch. The mids is very detail. Instrument seperation is phenomenal on this headphone. Each instrument can be distinguished clearly. The highs are not super bright and fatiguing. I struggle to sell my audio technica sr9 bought a month ago. From all closed back studio headphones I have tried before, I like this the most. Here is the rank I will categorize the sound of all the studio headphones I have tried: Beyer DT1990 > Neumann NDH 20 > Beyer DT 1770 > Pioneer SEM5 > AKG K712 > Focal spirit pro > Shure srh 1540 > Audio Techinca ath m50.

 

[FullBright1]

I've send mine back. They don't do anything wrong, really but they don't excel in anything (other than built quality) either I'd say.

That being said I was about to order the AKG K712s again (and keep them) but somehow went for the K275s just to give them a try.

The Neumann's sound, is the flavor of Vanilla, so, its not going to please the majority, as the majority want more treble......"give us treble"...."more treble".....
Also, the K275s are a different beast, as compared to the K712s..
Even if they had the same driver and exactly the same headphone cup, with the exception of one being open and one being closed, they will sound nothing alike....nothing.
Closed headphones will never sound like a headphone that is open......so, if you are an open headphone fan, do try to allow the K275 to do what it does...
And if it fails you, then buy the Cooler Master MH752, as its less expensive then the AKG, and has a unexpectedly fine sound for such a budget priced audiophile gear.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi @FullBright1,

Finally had a demo on the Neuman NDH 20, was very enjoyable, so much so I decided to get them...almost as expected...

The flavour of Vanilla, that's definitely one way to put the sound among some of the ways you have articulated before, I'm glad I am not in the majority for this...

Base impressions are as follows (Subject To Change but not much by much) :

- Very good MONITORING headphone, perhaps subjectively & personally among the best I heard in a long time for under $ 1000 USD.
- Does exactly what it says, doesn't highlight any particular frequency but gives as accurate reproduction as listener is capable of hearing (subjective & personal) with smoothness almost unexpected in a monitor throughout.
- Not as hard to drive given the impedance is above 100 ohms which as a general rule, personally not a fan of high impedance though given the right amp, most high impedance headphones can be driven well.
- Looking forward to enjoying synergy with different amps in my collection to see how well it does but doubt there will be any issues.
- Very comfortable & well built.
- Doesn't matter but not used to single entry cable being on the right side.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[Enn Jott]

see below

 

[Enn Jott]

Also, the K275s are a different beast, as compared to the K712s..
Even if they had the same driver and exactly the same headphone cup, with the exception of one being open and one being closed, they will sound nothing alike....nothing.
Closed headphones will never sound like a headphone that is open......so, if you are an open headphone fan, do try to allow the K275 to do what it does...

And if it fails you, then buy the Cooler Master MH752, as its less expensive then the AKG, and has a unexpectedly fine sound for such a budget priced audiophile gear.

Yeah I know about the open vs closed thing. But then again, I'm curious about these cheaper AKGs. I'll maybe even keep an eye on those Master Cooler Headphones too, but they are just too cheap (just kidding). I'm actually tired of searching for new headphones. I had to start again after my Focals broke (expectable). On some days I think I maybe should have kept just the Neumanns. But I was also playing with the thought of buying the Adam Audio SP-5, even though it seems that 550€ is way too much for all plastic headphones. I'll see how the K275s perform and ultimately I could always buy the NDH20 again...

 

[FullBright1]

Hi @FullBright1,

Finally had a demo on the Neuman NDH 20, was very enjoyable, so much so I decided to get them...almost as expected...

The flavour of Vanilla, that's definitely one way to put the sound among some of the ways you have articulated before, I'm glad I am not in the majority for this...

Base impressions are as follows (Subject To Change but not much by much) :

- Very good MONITORING headphone, perhaps subjectively & personally among the best I heard in a long time for under $ 1000 USD.
- Does exactly what it says, doesn't highlight any particular frequency but gives as accurate reproduction as listener is capable of hearing (subjective & personal) with smoothness almost unexpected in a monitor throughout.
- Not as hard to drive given the impedance is above 100 ohms which as a general rule, personally not a fan of high impedance though given the right amp, most high impedance headphones can be driven well.
- Looking forward to enjoying synergy with different amps in my collection to see how well it does but doubt there will be any issues.
- Very comfortable & well built.
- Doesn't matter but not used to single entry cable being on the right side.

Hope you have a great day !

Enjoy your new gear !
Happy listening....

 

[PaganDL]

Enjoy your new gear !
Happy listening....

Of course,

The whole point, isn't it

Using them since I got them, they are so good !

Hope you have a great day !

 

[FullBright1]

Of course,

The whole point, isn't it

Using them since I got them, they are so good !

Hope you have a great day !

Ok, i will assume you have 2 or 3 Stax headphones.
If not, then you might want to try this one...

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/stax-srs-3100.903618/#post-14870087

 

[PaganDL]

Ok, i will assume you have 2 or 3 Stax headphones.
If not, then you might want to try this one...

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/stax-srs-3100.903618/#post-14870087

Hi @FullBright1,

Sadly no, don't have any Stax though I have demo them a lot over the years, keep being tempted by the SR 009 but can't justify for the price in anyway, not to mention it needs a good electrostat amp to have good synergy.
Nor am I going to justify the SRM 007t M2 either.
For that price, especially what it works out for both where I am, it's much more worth it to get the Sonoma One though not crazy to spend on that either any time soon.
But maybe one day...

SR 007 wasn't bad either but like the 009, needs a good amp to drive it well & with good synergy.

Didn't mind the system you recommended & I will write more on that thread but short answer is not really a fan, comfort wise, for the SR L Series though I do agree the sound is really good & as you stated.

I actually have been searching for a while to demo the SRM D50 & D10 as those are the only electrostat amps from Stax haven't tried.

Hope you have a great day!

 

[Roll]

Neumann NDH 20 Studio Headphone Review:

https://sonarworks.com/blog/neumann-ndh20-headphone-review/

How would we evaluate the Neumann NDH 20 out-of-box?

Overall: a very decent tonal response for a closed back headphone, no closed headphone coloration, but too much low end and scooped upper mids stop them from reaching absolute greatness
Pros: a well-engineered headphone driver with class leading THD performance and low-end extension, superb build quality
Cons: too much bass, upper mid scoop is pleasant, but can misguide your mixing decisions, highs a tad too hot

evaluation:7/10

after correction: 9/10

 

[louderup]

Been listening for the past 6 hours (with breaks) since receiving these.

Comfort sorta sucks. Gotta start with that. Bad for big heads and/or big ears. Clamp is tight and the pads are just a really poor shape/material for applying a balanced amount of pressure around your ear.

The other annoying thing about these is the feeling of artificial widening. Like a mastering plug-in where you "increase width" across your entire mix. Saw someone else mention this, either here or on GS. However -- this may not be a bad thing for those who mix exclusively on headphones, and isn't as obnoxious as a plug-in. Time will only tell on that end. I'm also not saying the headphone has DSP. Just something going on that gives that sense.

Frequency response neutrality seems okay. More time needed on that end (judging relative to other headphones, not to flat speakers, which is an unfair comparison). Peakiness in the upper mids seems to scale disproportionately with volume on my RNHP. It's weird.

However, in a "stress-test" situation, these perform well. I like to use the end of "Stay" from the Interstellar score for this. It's incredibly dense and covers the entire frequency spectrum at blaring loudness with a lot of subtle dynamic movement underneath. Headphones poor in dealing with detail & dynamics fall apart on this track. The NDH 20s perform well.

I'll post more thoughts after a few days.

 

[FullBright1]

Yeah I know about the open vs closed thing. But then again, I'm curious about these cheaper AKGs. I'll maybe even keep an eye on those Master Cooler Headphones too, but they are just too cheap (just kidding). I'm actually tired of searching for new headphones. I had to start again after my Focals broke (expectable). On some days I think I maybe should have kept just the Neumanns. But I was also playing with the thought of buying the Adam Audio SP-5, even though it seems that 550€ is way too much for all plastic headphones. I'll see how the K275s perform and ultimately I could always buy the NDH20 again...

Pass on the Adam's and get the Cooler Master, would be a good idea. = cost@performance/value.

 

[louderup]

Looking forward to your thoughts of them, I wasn't a fan of a lot of what I've read as well. Very polarizing

I've spent a good amount of time with these now. I wouldn't recommend these for reference use. Not at all, especially at this price. They sound like they have a pop preset EQ applied to them. That's what the frequency emphasis sounds like. They just don't sound natural. This is impacted further by what I mentioned earlier about the "artificial widening" effect. I don't know what's going on inside these cups. It's something different, but it's not good for reference use. The artificial widening makes things sound far away, even things that are centered. This is terrible for getting a correct idea of your transients.

The best example I can use to describe how and why these are bad for reference is Daft Punk's Tron Legacy track "C.LU." The kick drum that comes in at 2:05 has virtually no presence. Put on a pair of Focals, Senns, or Beyers and this kick creates the sense of front-to-back space that's imo really expertly mixed into the track. The Neumanns present this kick at nearly the same distance as the orchestra, which I think is just really bad. And as far as the frequency response, well the strings and horns have no body. The mid-cut is responsible for this. That's not the way this track sounds on more neutral headphones or flat studio monitors.

I'm not going to comment on how suitable these cans are for audiophile use, as that's way more subjective. I can see people loving the width/space these provide. The "itunes pop" style frequency emphasis may also please a lot of people. I don't find these comfortable after a couple hours, but others might. But for putting $500 towards closed-back reference-class cans, I'd suggest either bumping up a couple hundred for an open box pair of Elegias, finding a pair of Oppo PM-3s in good condition (300-400), or dropping down and going for the Spirit Pros or Listen Pros, comfort-permitting. Even the DT 770 Pros would be better with a moderate amount of Sonarworks (which I don't like for production, due to having to choose between phase issues or high-latency).

 

[UpTo11]

@louderup interesting comment, thanks. Funny but the "artificial widening" on the NDH 20 you are talking about is exactly what I thought listening to the Elegia. Maybe just a hint but it was a bit confusing. To me the Elegia sounds distant, sometimes recessed, like listening from the back seats. Indeed I'm selling the Elegia now. I like a forward and closer presentation, so maybe the NDH 20 are not my cup of tea too. Also the accuracy/realism in reproducing acoustic instruments like violin, piano, cello, harpsichord, etc... is not OK on the Elegia imho. Make me think of peaks and dips in the FR, not sure, but they didn't impress me. Definitely not at that price.

What about details retrieval and timbral accuracy on the Neumann? Would you describe them as distant sounding, recessed or veiled in any way?