[Luckyleo]

I'm sure that all headphones.com associated reviewers would greatly disagree with your approach to solving the riddle of why no review. Not to mention that they have reviewed headphones not sold by Headphones.com. Also, DMS had many reviews before becoming part of the headphones.com team. I'm guessing that If they had written glowing reviews or vids of this phone, I'm sure no one would be showing screen prints showing that Headphones.com doesn't sell the NDH-30.

Seems silly to me. Whether they give a good review, bad review, or no review, it's always up to an individual to decide whether or not a headphone is for them.

Or you can be offended

 

[audiocroissant]

I'm sure that all headphones.com associated reviewers would greatly disagree with your approach to solving the riddle of why no review.

..

That settles it then!

 

[jbarrentine]

Given the 30 and Senns 490 Pro are both using at least parts of the 560S driver, which is the better implementation? Is the 30 worth considerably more money?

 

[TaronL]

Do you know why DMS/Golden Sound/Resolve/Chrono/Josh have never reviewed the NDH 30?
On the big-tier list, the first 3 guys only give it a note, without further comment. I also remember that Zeos in his video mentioned that DMS brought his attention to those headphones. Considering how many people liked NDH 30 it's... strange.

Some of the reviews our content team does are from units sent from the manufacturer. Those units either go back to the manufacturer or join our CanJam demo pile. The majority of gear reviews done on our channel are pulled from our BNIB retail inventory which we are then able to re-sell as open-box on our website.

Some gear is purchased directly by us for review. However, that gear does not get returned nor can it be re-sold on Headphones.com. Which means if we are purchasing a piece of gear it needs to be for a purpose outside of just putting another review out there (getting measurements, attracting a new audience to The HEADPHONE Show, extremely popular, etc...).

When the NDH 30 were first announced we did try to get one in for Resolve to review but availability was extremely limited in Canada and the price was $900. The interest died down quite a bit and both Resolve and DMS listened to the NDH 30 and decided it was not a priority for coverage any more. And even if they did, people online would still make up weird things with no basis in reality based on their opinions.

 

[FritzS]

I'm sure that all headphones.com associated reviewers would greatly disagree with your approach to solving the riddle of why no review. Not to mention that they have reviewed headphones not sold by Headphones.com. Also, DMS had many reviews before becoming part of the headphones.com team. I'm guessing that If they had written glowing reviews or vids of this phone, I'm sure no one would be showing screen prints showing that Headphones.com doesn't sell the NDH-30.

Seems silly to me. Whether they give a good review, bad review, or no review, it's always up to an individual to decide whether or not a headphone is for them.

Or you can be offended

Look here, for oversea please call.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/neumann_ndh_30_black_edition.htm
https://www.thomann.de/gb/neumann_ndh_30.htm

 

[Resolve]

Ahh yes, the grand conspiracy to suppress information about a headphone because it's SO much better than everything else that telling the truth about it would render us jobless/homeless...


I'm not sure if people actually believe this or are just trolling us at this point.



In case it's the former, let me just say that headphone ownership is a hell of a drug. People get deeply attached to the headphones they own, and it makes perfect sense that this would happen, given these are essentially enjoyment delivery devices in terms of how they portray your favorite music. So it's a very personal thing. However, sometimes the personal attachments people have to the products they own or even the brands of products they own lead to unhealthy relationships with reality, as they struggle to cope with the idea that someone else doesn't have the same experience with their favorite enjoyment delivery device. Or maybe that someone else has a different context for what constitutes 'good'.

Then you get people running to the forums, which function essentially as support groups for product owners, and this is where these sorts of conspiratorial ideas tend to propagate.

I will say, while this behavior is a common, observable trend, I don't think it's always a bad one. There's nothing wrong with people discussing stuff they enjoy, and sharing those experiences. I just think people may need to be a bit more self-aware in these situations, because the copium treadmill can lead to some dark places.


Now as to the NDH-30, when I heard it, it wasn't particularly memorable. But that doesn't mean it's not good - I'd love to get one in for review at some point. It just hasn't exactly been a priority given the mountain of other stuff that's on my plate.

 

[Mike F]

In case it's the former, let me just say that headphone ownership is a hell of a drug...........

I think most of us here are guilty of the above to some extent - some more than others.

Now as to the NDH-30, when I heard it, it wasn't particularly memorable. But that doesn't mean it's not good - I'd love to get one in for review at some point. It just hasn't exactly been a priority given the mountain of other stuff that's on my plate.

'It wasn't particularly memorable' could be high praise for a studio monitoring headphone that is designed to be as true to the source (and a true reference) as possible. They are quite different aims than those of most audiophile headphones. Whether you think they sound good is just a matter of preference...... However, a review from you would be interesting and welcome!

 

[Resolve]

'It wasn't particularly memorable' could be high praise for a studio monitoring headphone that is designed to be as true to the source (and a true reference) as possible

Agreed - sometimes the stuff that doesn't wow you is the stuff you appreciate over time.

 

[maegnificant]

Agreed - sometimes the stuff that doesn't wow you is the stuff you appreciate over time.

I enjoy it quite a lot for gaming + mixing and mastering music. Recently tried the Sennheiser HD 600 and for music I like that one a lot more, even though the bass response is a lot weaker. A strong midrange can be quite soothing for listening to music. And I feel like the NDH-30 doesn't have that, which is probably good.

*edit* I find it very interesting that the 560S, the NDH-30 and the 490 Pro all use this driver. Only the NDH-30 is a very strictly binned version.

 

[feank]

I enjoy it quite a lot for gaming + mixing and mastering music. Recently tried the Sennheiser HD 600 and for music I like that one a lot more, even though the bass response is a lot weaker. A strong midrange can be quite soothing for listening to music. And I feel like the NDH-30 doesn't have that, which is probably good.

*edit* I find it very interesting that the 560S, the NDH-30 and the 490 Pro all use this driver. Only the NDH-30 is a very strictly binned version.

About 560s, it has same soundstage and image stereo than Neumann?

 

[maegnificant]

About 560s, it has same soundstage and image stereo than Neumann?

I don't know about that, but I found the bass to be really muddy and undefined and the treble quite sharp in comparison.

 

[audiocroissant]

It doesn't have to be a big conspiracy. If it is not sold on certain websites like headphones dot com, it won't be available so easily to measure and be reviewed to affiliated reviewers like other models. They will have to make an extra effort to get them somehow and also probably review them on their private channel. If NDH was sold on the website, the probability of it being reviewed and included in comparisons gets much higher.

 

[Resolve]

It doesn't have to be a big conspiracy. If it is not sold on certain websites like headphones dot com, it won't be available so easily to measure and be reviewed to affiliated reviewers like other models. They will have to make an extra effort to get them somehow and also probably review them on their private channel. If NDH was sold on the website, the probability of it being reviewed and included in comparisons gets much higher.

We'll review it on the channel if there's sufficient interest or if there's any particular reason to cover it - for example, something that satisfies a given topic that's of interest to the community. This is generally what determines coverage, but it's also true that certain things are easier to acquire than others. Despite me having made noises about wanting to measure the NDH-30 in the past, we haven't been able to get a unit in for that yet.

 

[Rainblind]

Thanks, @Resolve & @TaronL for the answer.
I still think that many people are waiting for the review of NDH 30 (especially yours and DMS's thoughts would be appreciated).
The black version of it is something I would call "new" still.

 

[ThEvil0nE]

If I’m not mistaken, Neumann do not send out their products to reviewers. If they do send products out they send it to studios and sound engineers to get direct input and not for the purpose of publication.

NDH 30 being an un-memorable experience isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As has already been a topic on this thread, there is nothing in the NDH 30’s sound signature will grab or compete for your attention. To some that could be a bad thing or just plain boring but there are some who see that as its biggest strength.

To me the NDH 30 conveys room size accurately with very good staging and placement making the music presentation cohesive and not disconnected. It sound proper and correct, a true pro audio studio phone in it’s sense that can accurately mix,track and even master.

For fun entertaining bass, head turning horizon size stage and laser focused details there’s way more better phones, very good phones that will make you feel the NDH 30 to sound lack luster.