[headstef]

Or perhaps this;-

Speachles!!!

 

[headstef]

Single-segment RLC model for a three-wire system driven by two voltage sources (ie headphones). While you all think wire is a wire, it is actually represented by a RLC circuit in the simplest form and even more complex circuit when you take into account secondary effects. Different cable geometries and materials will affect the different circuit element values. While these values are generally small and can be ignored when you design a circuit for simplicity purposes, there are nevertheless actual effects on the circuit. Just FYI.​

Correct, and well known.
But, all calculations within the audio spectrum for real cables lead to waaaay inaudible effects for the human hearing.
E.g. According to L-R-C calculations a cable can work like a low pass filter, attenuating high frequencies. But -0.1dB at 30kHz or -2dB at 100kHz is totally inaudible.

 

[chesebert]

Gh

Correct, and well known.
But, all calculations within the audio spectrum for real cables lead to waaaay inaudible effects for the human hearing.
E.g. According to L-R-C calculations a cable can work like a low pass filter, attenuating high frequencies. But -0.1dB at 30kHz or -2dB at 100kHz is totally inaudible.

You are only looking at frequency domain and not time domain effects. I said earlier these are small values and you need a high resolution system. In any case, I suppose no amount of words can convince a person who has yet to hear a difference in cables. That’s fine. This is one of those things that you just have to hear it for yourself. I think we are done with cable discussions here.

 

[headstef]

Just now a direct side-to-side comparison of NDH 30 and MM-500
Hi-Res + AUDIRVANA STUDIO + Sound Devices MixPre-6 II = I personally think the NDH 30 sounds better in every way. The sound is more delicate, natural and refined. And most importantly, despite the strong neck, I will not be able to work and enjoy music normally with the weight on my head like the MM-500. NDH 30 - for maximum comfort weight. They just don't feel on the head.
But MM-500 looks very solid, qualitatively, beautiful and professional ! But looks, as many say, can be deceiving)))

The MM-500 was one of the headphones that I thought looked very nice and promising. I really wanted to listen to it but in the meantime I listened to the game changer NDH 30. I too would like to compare the two some day. How do they compare at the bass region?

 

[indigogo]

The MM-500 was one of the headphones that I thought looked very nice and promising. I really wanted to listen to it but in the meantime I listened to the game changer NDH 30. I too would like to compare the two some day. How do they compare at the bass region?

I'm not sure if you can trust my hearing, I have that reputation as a person with a strange opinion)))
But in my personal hearing, the bass of the NDH 30 is more complex and multi-layered, more transparent and has several plans, I would say delicate - which is correct in my opinion.
The MM-500 is also doing well with bass, but simpler than the NDH 30
But that's not even the point, but the difference in weight and price between them!)))
But you can try it yourself of course. But I'm sure that after NDH 30 you won't get anything for $1600 to improve the sound.
No matter how hard you look and from which side you look, the NDH 30 beats all audeze models with the accuracy and naturalness of sound with the highest sound resolution. And of course the price difference closes the coffin lid for audeze, unfortunately)))

 

[PixelSquish]

Gh

You are only looking at frequency domain and not time domain effects. I said earlier these are small values and you need a high resolution system. In any case, I suppose no amount of words can convince a person who has yet to hear a difference in cables. That’s fine. This is one of those things that you just have to hear it for yourself. I think we are done with cable discussions here.

Next time I'm in the Mediterranean I'll grab some rare copper found in some ancient site, and have someone make a cable out of it for you. Want it for $2k?

 

[bagwell359]

Whops!! Thought I was in "Sound Science" for a minute.

ABX style pontification with a major side helping of stridency...

 

[bagwell359]

No matter how hard you look and from which side you look, the NDH 30 beats all audeze models with the accuracy and naturalness of sound with the highest sound resolution.

You've heard every Audeze on suitable equipment? What an amazing font you are.

 

[chesebert]

This thread is semi toxic at this point. See ya.

 

[Not so fat head]

Naw, don't take anything personal. It's all good,

 

[bagwell359]

Naw, don't take anything personal. It's all good,

It's not a matter of personal. It's a matter of everyone has an opinion, but in this thread we have absolutism. Advocacy is no sin. But the stridency is beyond off putting. I will hear these shortly, and I will come back to report.

 

[maegnificant]

It's not a matter of personal. It's a matter of everyone has an opinion, but in this thread we have absolutism. Advocacy is no sin. But the stridency is beyond off putting. I will hear these shortly, and I will come back to report.

I can only repeat myself, they are just a good pair of headphones. They could have been cheaper for what they probably cost to make and they could have been more expensive for what they offer. In the end the build quality is pretty good (has some crackling material while adjusting them on the head) and they sound very nice and full.

They are not the second coming of our *Edit* Lord.
Dodged a bullet there, thanks @Mike F

 

[Mike F]

I can only repeat myself, they are just a good pair of headphones. They could have been cheaper for what they probably cost to make and they could have been more expensive for what they offer. In the end the build quality is pretty good (has some crackling material while adjusting them on the head) and they sound very nice and full.

They are not the second coming of our lord.

I think you mean Lord.

I think there’re always those who will, for whatever reason, become over enthusiastic about any new headphone. I remember the fuss when the LCD2 came out. And what about the HD800! However, it’s hard to ignore the price performance achievement of the NDH 30. It is remarkable, perhaps even unique, for that aspect alone. FWIW I’ve tried several pairs and as is usually the case with sample variation, some were better than others. I didn’t notice any creaking on any of them though.

 

[erics75]

but in this thread we have absolutism

amen! opinions are not facts, but that's lost on a select few viral posters. the overall contentious tone here is making me want to unwatch, but i am genuinely interested in user's impressions and feedback. one thing i've learned quickly with the ndh 30 is it's a bit quirky, and a few members here thankfully gave some excellent info that helped me navigate it. the info on which side the cable sits, and how the headphone is made to change sonically with head positioning was invaluable.

 

[erics75]

I'm almost a week in with the ndh 30 and what really stands out to me about them more than anything is how engaging they are. i generally dislike very neutral sound signatures, as they come across as boring to me. but these are anything but boring. they have excellent dynamic range, and excellent impact. they're honest in that they don't add any omnipresent coloration (like my beloved Atticus does), but when bass is called for they deliver. i was listening to Rush's YYZ, which is a bit lean sounding of a recording IMO, and after that Andrew Combs' Anna Please came on, with a really strong opening bass beat. the bass on Anna Please made me flinch, after being acclimated to the leanness of YYZ. that led to many hours of me searching my playlists for the best dynamic recordings i have to experience them on the 30. if there's any complaints so far it would be lower treble, where a lot of female vocals rest. i'm treble sensitive and the 30 has excellent presence there. its not sibilant or strident, just maybe a bit too much presence for my tastes. grain of salt though as i like rolled off treble in general, so very much a preference thing.

I did test the 30 for a few hours on my Jot 2 to gauge it without tube amp coloration. it was a tighter, more responsive listen vs tubes, but also a touch leaner, which I did not like. bass impact was hard and forceful, but lacked the more natural decay and linger tubes provide. upper mids and treble were also a touch cooler sounding, though thankfully still not sibilant or strident. soundstage was a bit more intimate on the Jot 2 as well, though that's a fate all solid state amps share when compared to a good tube amp. overall it was a more technical presentation, but lacking a bit of the engagement factor i find so irresistible on tubes. but the tonal difference wasn't that that big. if i had to sell my tube gear i could live with the Jot 2 and still be happy.

another thing i'm finding with the 30 is it's very sensitive to output impedance, much like the 300ohm Sennheiser models. all my solid state gear runs ultra low output impedance (less than 1), giving a very high dampening factor. but my tube gear varies significantly in regards to their output impedance. my Stratus runs 8ohm and 120ohm (or maybe 150, i forget), whereas my Kenzie OG2 runs 32ohm and 300ohm. finally my MicroMZ2 runs 2ohm. the 30 changes noticeably on all of those amps, and oddly at times as well. what i mean is sometimes what "should" be underdampening actually sounds excellent, with no performance trade offs. for example the 120ohm output impedance option on my Stratus matches the impedance of the 30 exactly, resulting in a 1:1 dampening factor. normally a general rule of thumb is keep your dampening factor at 1:8 or 1:10. anything closer to 1:1 results in underdampening, which normally degrades the sound quality. underdampened headphones tend to sound slow, bloated, brittle, and distorted. but the 30 and Stratus running a 1:1 dampening factor sounds tight, forceful, and dynamic. i get no hint of underdampening at all, and so far feel the 30 sounds best there of all my amps. Justin of Ampsandsound did tell me once dampening factor rules sometimes go out the window when running transformer coupled tube amps. something about the transformers that affect dampening factor. i believe that might be the case here, as Donald uses a very high quality transformer in the Stratus. but IMO the 30 just rocks on the Stratus 120ohm output. i love the warmth that combo brings, while not affecting the technical performance.