[Earbones]

When the hell did this happen?!



Ok, you guys got me interested in these. Dammit, dammit.

Wait, a reviewer on Thomann.de said these are made in China. Can anyone confirm/deny? Thanks.

Just checked... Yes, made in China. Odd for a higher-end-ish Sennheiser product...

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Just checked... Yes, made in China. Odd for a higher-end-ish Sennheiser product...

Thanks for the update!

 

[jajabinker]

So I got my pair of NDH 20s. After much deliberation.

Straight to the sound. 9/10

Comfortable as ever had a few 5 hour mixing sessions already! Pretty much circumaural for me.

It has a Medium Sound stage : For mixing this is amazing. Keeps you from getting lost in the sound stage and separating instruments too easily. Makes translation onto speakers way better.

Bump in low end : I don't hear it! I just don't. The bass is light and nimble and can be punchy depending on the track. Everything sounds natural, maybe a bit rounded.

Fatigue : I don't know how they did it but after a 4 hour mixing session my ears still feel light!

Detail detail detail. You can hear everything. The breathiness on a Kind of Blue. John Frusciantes extended reverbs on stadium arcadium. The kick on American idiot sounds insane! its like you're sitting right in front of the Kick drum (props to CLA on). You can hear distortion extremely easily . You can call out compressor colors, even analog hiss is present.

Focus : If you focus on any part of the frequency spectrum you can aurally zoom into without any effort. The vocals and guitars are a little bit over powering sometimes but I think that's a sonic signature my ears can adjust to with a bit of listening.

Translation : Mixing on the NDH 20s give me a better mix on my bookshelf speakers than if I mixed them on the bookshelf speakers themselves!

Isolation : I can't hear people talking if im listening to something

Complaints :

Could use some separation in the low end. EDIT : low end separation is much better at louder volumes. But I fear damaged ears so I don't listen at loud volumes

Sound-stage is a bit strange to me. Doesn't feel natural

Vocal and guitar heavy, But im not sure yet whether its my ears or the headphones.

Literally cannot use this for YouTube. NPR concerts lose a bit of their charm. You can really hear the character of the shotguns and not in a good way

Very analytical nature of these cans make pleasurable listening a little bit difficult.

You need a headphone amp to drive these! Your laptop or phone or table 3.5mm does not do it justice !

EDIT : Distortion is easily heard especially on vinyl/tape rips. Again takes away from casual listening

Conclusion : Could recommend 110%


Sorry for the crappy review format. Not really good at this.

 

[bellbrass]

^^ Nice review. I am on the fence about these; I'd like to be able to wear them for a couple of hours without my ears hurting....but the majority of reviews I've read here and elsewhere basically say it's worth the minor discomfort.
I would want to use them with my Sony player, which can drive my DT-1990s (barely).
Also - are these for sure made in China, or are they made by Sennheiser in EU?

 

[Earbones]

^^ Nice review. I am on the fence about these; I'd like to be able to wear them for a couple of hours without my ears hurting....but the majority of reviews I've read here and elsewhere basically say it's worth the minor discomfort.
I would want to use them with my Sony player, which can drive my DT-1990s (barely).
Also - are these for sure made in China, or are they made by Sennheiser in EU?

I don’t experience discomfort with the NDH20, but then again, pain from a headphone comes down to the shape of the head and the ears. My rule of thumb is that if I can get a headphone from a place that offers free returns (without restocking fees), I generally roll the dice on comfort, even if everybody is having issues. Sometimes I get lucky. That place usually ends up being Amazon, btw.

What kind of Sony player are you using? I am currently using the ZX507, and it is more than enough juice for the NDH20. That said, often just going by the Ohms is not enough to determine ease or difficulty of drivability. For instance, the NDH20 is 150 Ohms, but it’s turned out to be a fairly easy-to-drive 150 Ohms. If a player topped out at that, well, it wouldn’t be ideal on paper, but I think there would be no issues. On the other hand, your 1990 is 250 Ohms, and it is pretty well known as a particularly difficult 250 Ohms... Personally, I wouldn’t pair it (or any higher-Ohm Beyer, for that matter) with a player that topped out at around the same power... I feel a lot of overhead is needed for Beyers.

Before this post gets any more confusing, I’ll just summarize with this: If whatever you have is pushing the Beyer 1990, albeit just barely, I feel it will probably manage the NDH20 very well.

 

[bellbrass]

I don’t experience discomfort with the NDH20, but then again, pain from a headphone comes down to the shape of the head and the ears. My rule of thumb is that if I can get a headphone from a place that offers free returns (without restocking fees), I generally roll the dice on comfort, even if everybody is having issues. Sometimes I get lucky. That place usually ends up being Amazon, btw.

What kind of Sony player are you using? I am currently using the ZX507, and it is more than enough juice for the NDH20. That said, often just going by the Ohms is not enough to determine ease or difficulty of drivability. For instance, the NDH20 is 150 Ohms, but it’s turned out to be a fairly easy-to-drive 150 Ohms. If a player topped out at that, well, it wouldn’t be ideal on paper, but I think there would be no issues. On the other hand, your 1990 is 250 Ohms, and it is pretty well known as a particularly difficult 250 Ohms... Personally, I wouldn’t pair it (or any higher-Ohm Beyer, for that matter) with a player that topped out at around the same power... I feel a lot of overhead is needed for Beyers.

Before this post gets any more confusing, I’ll just summarize with this: If whatever you have is pushing the Beyer 1990, albeit just barely, I feel it will probably manage the NDH20 very well.

That's what I was thinking....if my Sony NWA-105 can drive my DT-1990s, I figured it would be OK with the Neumanns. And some people are reporting no discomfort at all...the only headphones I found really uncomfortable were Grado SR-225s from years ago. And I'm looking for a sound that will compliment, or at least be somewhat similar to, the Dt-1990s...tried Sennheiser HD-650s years ago, and didn't like the sound, although I loved the looks and build quality.

 

[Earbones]

That's what I was thinking....if my Sony NWA-105 can drive my DT-1990s, I figured it would be OK with the Neumanns. And some people are reporting no discomfort at all...the only headphones I found really uncomfortable were Grado SR-225s from years ago. And I'm looking for a sound that will compliment, or at least be somewhat similar to, the Dt-1990s...tried Sennheiser HD-650s years ago, and didn't like the sound, although I loved the looks and build quality.

Yep. Worth a shot at any rate. Hopefully you’ll feel ‘em.

Oh, and as far as where they are made, I couldn’t find any label on the headphones themselves. The box says ”Made in China”.

Does anyone know where the HD630VB was made? If that was made in China, then I guess it would make sense these are too. But it is strange for a high-(ish) end Sennheiser... As I mentioned earlier, despite the recycled body, Sennheiser themselves certainly regard the NDH20 as sitting upmarket from the 630...

On the other hand, it could be a market-feeler thing. They intro Neumann to the HP world as cheaply as possible, and if they lose, nbd.

If the Neumann IS made in China, and the reaction is enough to warrant another can (or even a line), it will be interesting to see if manufacturing stays in China or goes to Ireland, Romania, or Germany...

 

[gimmeheadroom]

^^ Nice review. I am on the fence about these; I'd like to be able to wear them for a couple of hours without my ears hurting....but the majority of reviews I've read here and elsewhere basically say it's worth the minor discomfort.
I would want to use them with my Sony player, which can drive my DT-1990s (barely).
Also - are these for sure made in China, or are they made by Sennheiser in EU?

I asked upthread and somebody confirmed China.

 

[jajabinker]

^^ Nice review. I am on the fence about these; I'd like to be able to wear them for a couple of hours without my ears hurting....but the majority of reviews I've read here and elsewhere basically say it's worth the minor discomfort.
I would want to use them with my Sony player, which can drive my DT-1990s (barely).
Also - are these for sure made in China, or are they made by Sennheiser in EU?

They are super comfortable for me. Didn't have a comfort problem so far. My MacBook Pro 16 can drive them easy. I listen at 25%-35% volume.

 

[gammarayson]

How do these sound compared with Ollo Audio's S4s? I had these, but they were too dark for my taste. I have seen a review on YouTube which compares the Neumanns with Ultrasones Signature Pro. The latter I own and love.
PS I asked the same question on another thread, but this one seems more relevant

 

[headphonesaddict123]

How do these sound compared with Ollo Audio's S4s? I had these, but they were too dark for my taste. I have seen a review on YouTube which compares the Neumanns with Ultrasones Signature Pro. The latter I own and love.
PS I asked the same question on another thread, but this one seems more relevant

i haven't tried Ollo or any Ultrasone but ndh20 is quite great for a closedback , while to me it's not the best closedback on the market but i haven't heard any other closedback that is totally superior to ndh20 yet.


i can shortly describe ndh20 as neutral or neutral-bright with:
+good punchy bass, clean mid range with a great amount of resolution/clarity.
-average/mediocre quality in technical aspect like layering/separation and soundstage/imaging plus the treble could have been extended better

hope it helps.....

 

[Venture Guy]

IMHO the best way to listen to the NDH 20 is to use Sonarworks EQ. This takes the headphone from good to great

 

[gammarayson]

i haven't tried Ollo or any Ultrasone but ndh20 is quite great for a closedback , while to me it's not the best closedback on the market but i haven't heard any other closedback that is totally superior to ndh20 yet.


i can shortly describe ndh20 as neutral or neutral-bright with:
+good punchy bass, clean mid range with a great amount of resolution/clarity.
-average/mediocre quality in technical aspect like layering/separation and soundstage/imaging plus the treble could have been extended better

hope it helps.....

Many thanks, very helpful!

 

[kranebrain]

I recently received these headphones. I think they sound absolutely phenomenal. Neutral but very detailed. But holy hell are they uncomfortable. Anyone have suggestions to improve comfort?

 

[olinko]

I recently received these headphones. I think they sound absolutely phenomenal. Neutral but very detailed. But holy hell are they uncomfortable. Anyone have suggestions to improve comfort?

Apparently these do the trick
https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-nuggets-headphone-headband-pressure-relief-pads-4-pack/