[erics75]

Well i'm off to a bad start with my ndh 30 trial! Got the package from amazon yesterday, excitedly opened it up to go give a listen. The shipping box was in fine condition, but the ndh box looked bad. no major dents, tears or holes, but it was scuffed up and looked like it had been slid around a dirty floor. ok...no biggie...just a box. open up the box...used headphone! dandruff on the pads, grease on the handband. cable balled up and TAPED to stay in position. and whatever tape they used is sticky!!!! damn

Not the ndh's fault, i know. thank you amazon for putting a used and returned unit back into new inventory. ugh back to amazon it goes. i didn't even listen, the dandruff and grease was seriously grossing me out. gotta wait for amazon to receive the return then they'll send me another.

to stay on track i was impressed with the build quality of the unit. no way it was going on my head. but i did wipe it down a bit and just inspected the build and cable. that part did impress me. i love the hinges and ability to fold the unit. the cable was decent, though i despise the locking connector. but not a big deal i'll grab a Hart cable if i like the sound. man i'm disappointed i couldn't listen! but that grease...ugh so nasty!

 

[indigogo]

Well i'm off to a bad start with my ndh 30 trial! Got the package from amazon yesterday, excitedly opened it up to go give a listen. The shipping box was in fine condition, but the ndh box looked bad. no major dents, tears or holes, but it was scuffed up and looked like it had been slid around a dirty floor. ok...no biggie...just a box. open up the box...used headphone! dandruff on the pads, grease on the handband. cable balled up and TAPED to stay in position. and whatever tape they used is sticky!!!! damn

Not the ndh's fault, i know. thank you amazon for putting a used and returned unit back into new inventory. ugh back to amazon it goes. i didn't even listen, the dandruff and grease was seriously grossing me out. gotta wait for amazon to receive the return then they'll send me another.

to stay on track i was impressed with the build quality of the unit. no way it was going on my head. but i did wipe it down a bit and just inspected the build and cable. that part did impress me. i love the hinges and ability to fold the unit. the cable was decent, though i despise the locking connector. but not a big deal i'll grab a Hart cable if i like the sound. man i'm disappointed i couldn't listen! but that grease...ugh so nasty!

These were probably my headphones that I actively used for two weeks and then returned. Sorry, I forgot to wipe off the fat and remove the dandruff from the pads ...))))))
By the way, I forgot to ask - is everyone here very bad with a sense of humor, or is it just me?)))

 

[jonathan c]

Well i'm off to a bad start with my ndh 30 trial! Got the package from amazon yesterday, excitedly opened it up to go give a listen. The shipping box was in fine condition, but the ndh box looked bad. no major dents, tears or holes, but it was scuffed up and looked like it had been slid around a dirty floor. ok...no biggie...just a box. open up the box...used headphone! dandruff on the pads, grease on the handband. cable balled up and TAPED to stay in position. and whatever tape they used is sticky!!!! damn

Not the ndh's fault, i know. thank you amazon for putting a used and returned unit back into new inventory. ugh back to amazon it goes. i didn't even listen, the dandruff and grease was seriously grossing me out. gotta wait for amazon to receive the return then they'll send me another.

to stay on track i was impressed with the build quality of the unit. no way it was going on my head. but i did wipe it down a bit and just inspected the build and cable. that part did impress me. i love the hinges and ability to fold the unit. the cable was decent, though i despise the locking connector. but not a big deal i'll grab a Hart cable if i like the sound. man i'm disappointed i couldn't listen! but that grease...ugh so nasty!

…Nasty Dirty Headphone …

 

[headstef]

Well i'm off to a bad start with my ndh 30 trial! Got the package from amazon yesterday, excitedly opened it up to go give a listen. The shipping box was in fine condition, but the ndh box looked bad. no major dents, tears or holes, but it was scuffed up and looked like it had been slid around a dirty floor. ok...no biggie...just a box. open up the box...used headphone! dandruff on the pads, grease on the handband. cable balled up and TAPED to stay in position. and whatever tape they used is sticky!!!! damn

Not the ndh's fault, i know. thank you amazon for putting a used and returned unit back into new inventory. ugh back to amazon it goes. i didn't even listen, the dandruff and grease was seriously grossing me out. gotta wait for amazon to receive the return then they'll send me another.

to stay on track i was impressed with the build quality of the unit. no way it was going on my head. but i did wipe it down a bit and just inspected the build and cable. that part did impress me. i love the hinges and ability to fold the unit. the cable was decent, though i despise the locking connector. but not a big deal i'll grab a Hart cable if i like the sound. man i'm disappointed i couldn't listen! but that grease...ugh so nasty!

What a bad experience! But waiting again is even worse!

 

[Mike F]

…Nasty Dirty Headphone …

that’s naughty!

 

[erics75]

What a bad experience! But waiting again is even worse!

it is frustrating for sure. but i have a few new items i'm trying to get to know and sort out (especially tubes) so it might be good for me to have a bit more time to deal with them before introducing another new item. it was more the initial irritation that got me good yesterday. i wanted to punt the box so bad haha. i'm a temperamental twit...

speaking of tubes i'm hoping the ndh 30 likes tube amps. i listen for engagement vs accuracy/production so i like to color my sets with tube amps. all the 300ohm headphones i've used on tubes have worked well, but once you start dipping down closer to 100ohm and below it's hit and miss. for example i don't like the hd560s on my tube amps as much as solid state, and that's i think 120ohm or 150? i also briefly had an hd660s (not the newer s2) that was also like 120 or 150ohm and it was ok on tubes, also kept going to solid state in the end. excited to give it a try!

 

[headstef]

…Nasty Dirty Headphone …

that’s naughty!

But I'm sure it is on the lips of many!

 

[Mike F]

Well i'm off to a bad start with my ndh 30 trial! Got the package from amazon yesterday, excitedly opened it up to go give a listen. The shipping box was in fine condition, but the ndh box looked bad. no major dents, tears or holes, but it was scuffed up and looked like it had been slid around a dirty floor. ok...no biggie...just a box. open up the box...used headphone! dandruff on the pads, grease on the handband. cable balled up and TAPED to stay in position. and whatever tape they used is sticky!!!! damn

Not the ndh's fault, i know. thank you amazon for putting a used and returned unit back into new inventory. ugh back to amazon it goes. i didn't even listen, the dandruff and grease was seriously grossing me out. gotta wait for amazon to receive the return then they'll send me another.

to stay on track i was impressed with the build quality of the unit. no way it was going on my head. but i did wipe it down a bit and just inspected the build and cable. that part did impress me. i love the hinges and ability to fold the unit. the cable was decent, though i despise the locking connector. but not a big deal i'll grab a Hart cable if i like the sound. man i'm disappointed i couldn't listen! but that grease...ugh so nasty!

That’s so annoying! Sorry you had such a bad introduction, but at least you already appreciate the build quality! The sound is even better!

 

[headstef]

That’s so annoying! Sorry you had such a bad introduction, but at least you already appreciate the build quality! The sound is even better!

So true! The build quality is really impressive but thankfully it is not the strongest point of this headphone!

 

[plyr]

How does this compare to the 800S? The Sennheiser is 2 times the price. Do I lose the low end that much? Does the Neumann really piss on 800S territory? I'm afraid to spend that much on a 800S and not place it on a throne...

 

[bagwell359]

Goodness....spare me from the man of one book, or one headphone....

 

[bagwell359]

Absolutely not. I have already said that the thing which makes the NDH 30 special in my opinion is that manages to be very accurate and musically engaging at the same time. Not something which many headphones can do!

OK, but that wasn't clear from that post and I don't chain read every thread, in particular ones full of so much fervency (not you).

 

[bagwell359]

For brevity - all headphones are interchangeable, except NDH 30)

LOL..... wish that it was a mirthful laugh.... instead of a sardonic one....

 

[headstef]

For me, the thing about the NDH 30 is that it, as far as it seems possible with any transducer, doesn’t favour any one kind of music or presentation. Ultimately of course, like any headphone or monitor, it has its limitations. It surely will not extend flat to 20Hz like many plannars, but for the reproduction of most music it gives as neutral and detailed a presentation as I’ve heard. I’m not nearly as much of a headphone expert as many here, but all I can say is that the NDH 30 sounds far closer to my ATC100ASL monitors (which don’t extend flat to 20Hz either!) than anything else I’ve heard.

I think it’s also worth reiterating that they were designed for sound engineers as a practical substitute for near field monitors for mixing and mastering. The sonic demands and design goals of such a headphone can be very different from a high end audiophile headphone which was designed for music listening pleasure. In the first scenario any colouration of the sound is undesirable, but in the second it can be very much desired. Then the customer is free to choose which particular presentation and colouration they prefer based on genre and personal preference.

When I am at a live musical event with unamplified instruments/voices, I never think "I would like more bass here or less treble there", etc. (though bad room acoustics can introduce annoying selective resonances). The sound comes very natural and complete. Quality recordings are usually very well balanced as any corrections needed are applied during mixing/mastering. Engineers are not thoughtless and very often do their job exhaustively, taking into account any possible unbalances of their systems. Appreciating and enjoying all this preceding work is easier with accurate and balanced transducers. Neutrality is not just a "medium" flavor, it is the means that gives the highest possibility to have the most natural and pleasing listening experience. It may not win short term in the listening room of a shop, but it will be the most impressive and successful "balance" in the long term, especially if the musical tastes of the listener vary. Also, a listener can be educated how to have the best listening experience and an unfatiguing one. Live, unamplified music can do that too. Preferences of course vary but not as widely as we like to think among experienced or "educated" listeners. (A quick examble: almost all users of the HD-6## or HD-800S would like it to have more sub-bass weight to become better balanced, not at the expense of loosing other virtues, of course, but as naturally as possible.) I believe that a neutral headphone/listening, neutral before or after EQing, can serve most "audiophiles" better and offer the most pleasant sessions.
This is what serious manufacturers are generally trying to achieve with their most advanced headphones, but sometimes winning more sales demands a more "impressive" or "fun" first listening.

 

[Mike F]

OK, but that wasn't clear from that post and I don't chain read every thread, in particular ones full of so much fervency (not you).

Yes, I understand that. It’s hard to repeat everything in every post though…..