very interesting review! was ready to buy a pair of Neumanns as a second pair of cans for mixing and mastering, but your review stopped me completely! i wonder how you compare the Neumanns to the Focal Clears you also reviewed. Which one did you like more and which one, do you think, would present a more honest neutral picture of the music being listened to... again, my use would be mixing and mastering. thanks for your review!
In terms of frequency response, they're not too far from each other. I'd give the edge to the Clear still because of better detail retrieval but I also think it's significantly more expensive (not sure of its street price now). The NDH30's biggest flaw for mixing and mastering imho is the overly polite mid to upper treble. In terms of music listening, it lacks the liveliness and engaging factor which I understand is not really a requirement for the application
For everyone seeing this question: The ndh-30 is not as good as the clear in terms of transient response and physical comfort (my subjective impression) but on all other terms they are equal but differently tuned. Clear is a bit brighter in the top end but to my ears not as reveiling in the lows. The ndh-30 is all in all top 10 mixing headphones out there imo. Clear, ldc-x, dt1990, and a few others are in the same league, but ndh-30 is half the price of the competition and twice as well built. It’s a tank!
Thank you for this honest review! As a musician and audiophile, I think we need to take the "labels and names" aside and listen for what the headphone actually is offering. Thank you!
@richpryor9650 homosapiens are extraordinary different specie ,it's like they can not agree with something that's good. Everyone seems to be so damn different ,and there is always complaints about some products ,or in this case headphones. There is always someone who will bash it while others are super satisfied. So contradictory. I hate headphones world ,its a rabbit hole without end
This pair of headphones is a utilitary one made for mixing and mastering that's why the freq is flat. If you are not a sound engineer like us you won't be able to really judge it in my opinion. Mixing a few songs and work on tracks with them will only be the method to test them and compare them with hd400 with the translating results to other system you d get on your final mixes ...
So I’m tryna record vocals but I want some great noise cancellation so I can’t even hear my normal whatsoever like super extreme I jsut want to hear the song basically lol and my processed vocals. I also have ear issues so I would like to hear my processed vocals as much as possible at the lowest level possible bc of my ear issues. Really tryna make this workout and not hurt my ears from loud sounds. I do make beats but I rather record vocals over making beats.
Your review is as valuble as me reviewing a power drill for baking bread… the ndh-30 is very flat, great transient response, accurate ”soundstage”, accurate representation of the audio = translates mixes very well to other playback devices. It is build for a purpose and if it even closely resembled any of your comparison cans i would steer away at once since they are really colored, with a big smileyface eq curve, and an exhaggerated soundstage. It competes very well with a lot of headphones twice its price and half its build quality. This is a tank that is ready for work!
You're one of the few reviews that has criticism of the treble. I would 100% agree with you. Too dark and lacks detail. Your comment of a cloth over the treble is perfect. How I felt as well. Sadly, I thought the other ares of the 30's were great. Curious, do you think I'd be happy with the LCD-X?
I assume you refer to the 2021 LCD-X cause the earlier versions sound a bit muted unless you'd EQ. The LCD-X is a much better headphone for music listening though it has subdued 2-5khz. Not too bad sound-wise though cause that's an area that usually has harshness. But overall, I wouldnt call it a dark sounding headphone. Honestly I dont know if you'd be happy with it but I'd say it has plenty more treble frequencies than the NDH-30.
I bought the Neuman NDH-30 and they sound very good and are built well. I have the Senheiser HD 400Pros and the HD660S and for me they sound much better. The Neumans are good you dont get orders of magnitude above the Seinheisers in sound. If they were more realistically priced I would keep them but their not worth the asking price. Sorry Neuman try again.
This is a very, seemingly, biased opinion you have here. Your review seems to be based on everyday listening (contoured) headphones instead of mix/mastering (flat) headphones. Using these type of headphones will take time to adjust to the flat frequency response and the clarity these headphones will bring. A well-trained ear will find these headphones to be exactly what is needed in the studio. If you immediately have a response that says they don't sound as bright, dull, boomy, mid high/low as (insert other brand) then you are completely missing out on what these are actually achieving and you would do your mixes a favor by having a better trained ear. You're expecting others to take your word for how you perceive frequency when your ears listen to it. If you want to comment on build quality, fine. But, when it comes to what they sound like, measurement is the only thing you can do to validate whether or not they're in fact as flat as they say they are.
I think that might actually be a good thing. He’s not just repeating what he’s heard others say, like a sheep. But telling the truth based on his own objective experience. I’ve not heard them so i can’t tell you if he’s right or wrong.
@@INeedsMoneys there can't be wrong or right opinions when it comes to the sound. All of us have different ears and sound perception. Therefore it is up to the person. If some headphones are sounding good for you, it doesn't mean they will be as good for somebody else and vice versa.
I think it's because it's not amplified properly. These headphones need a good amplifier to sound really good and if they do not lose extension in the bass and other features, it seems that this is the problem that this person has.
It's not bad, it's just expensive for the sound. If I'm asked to use the headphone for 1 week straight without knowing its price, I won't have a problem using it
The HD660s is without a doubt much better. It's been a while since I last heard the DT1990 but that one is brighter and more metallic sounding than the NDH 30. They're different sounding but I'd pick the NDH 30.
Clearly biased review. You like the sparkly sound of Senns and Audeze. I mix audio. I don't want to hear sparkly highs that don't actually exist in the source audio. If i wanted that, i'd buy some HD 650's.
When longer lasting is the reason to not go for pleather is just SMH. Acoustics is the reason. Passive noise isolation on a headphone which colours the outside noise less than HD600. Is a studio loud? It is a studio not a record room. LMAO bass is bad? You have not even declared your audio setup! Warm? It might be dark, if you know the word! OH GOOD WHAT COMPARSONS! PLEASE NEVER DO AN OTHER REVIEW OR SHOW IT TO REDDIT TO GET TORCHED
Sound like artificial intelligence sounding Beyerdynamic fan guy, which is way too harsh when mixing, the flat sound that comes from the NDH-30 is better than the DT’s.
Nah, I don't like Beyer. NDH30 is flat relative to what target curve? If Harman, it's not flat as you can see from the measurements here: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/int3km7qs4uyt0569azqo/Neumann-NDH-30.pdf?rlkey=srzrh9jd8j74nzwetfxam33qd&e=1&dl=0
They’re for mixing not for every day listening, they’re suppose to be flat sounding and not hyped
very interesting review! was ready to buy a pair of Neumanns as a second pair of cans for mixing and mastering, but your review stopped me completely! i wonder how you compare the Neumanns to the Focal Clears you also reviewed. Which one did you like more and which one, do you think, would present a more honest neutral picture of the music being listened to...
again, my use would be mixing and mastering. thanks for your review!
In terms of frequency response, they're not too far from each other. I'd give the edge to the Clear still because of better detail retrieval but I also think it's significantly more expensive (not sure of its street price now).
The NDH30's biggest flaw for mixing and mastering imho is the overly polite mid to upper treble. In terms of music listening, it lacks the liveliness and engaging factor which I understand is not really a requirement for the application
@@HeadphonePH thanks much for your response. really appreciate it!
For everyone seeing this question: The ndh-30 is not as good as the clear in terms of transient response and physical comfort (my subjective impression) but on all other terms they are equal but differently tuned. Clear is a bit brighter in the top end but to my ears not as reveiling in the lows.
The ndh-30 is all in all top 10 mixing headphones out there imo. Clear, ldc-x, dt1990, and a few others are in the same league, but ndh-30 is half the price of the competition and twice as well built. It’s a tank!
Thank you for this honest review! As a musician and audiophile, I think we need to take the "labels and names" aside and listen for what the headphone actually is offering. Thank you!
How many songs have you mixed or mastered on NDH30? It’s a great tool
NDH30 shows you the truth of the music your listening. That’s all..
Okay, something's up, other reviews say that the sub-bass extension is great or that it has plenty of thump. So, who's right here?
@richpryor9650 homosapiens are extraordinary different specie ,it's like they can not agree with something that's good. Everyone seems to be so damn different ,and there is always complaints about some products ,or in this case headphones. There is always someone who will bash it while others are super satisfied. So contradictory. I hate headphones world ,its a rabbit hole without end
This pair of headphones is a utilitary one made for mixing and mastering that's why the freq is flat. If you are not a sound engineer like us you won't be able to really judge it in my opinion. Mixing a few songs and work on tracks with them will only be the method to test them and compare them with hd400 with the translating results to other system you d get on your final mixes ...
What is the best headphones for mixing hip hop R&B for your experience?
Anything that's punchy and has good dynamics. I'd say look into Focals or Audeze full-size headphones
@@HeadphonePH so you will advise me more Focal or for example Audeze MM-500 instead Neumann NDH 30?
@@TANKSINATRA289 I have not heard the MM500 unfortunately so I would say go with Focal. In particular, the Clear
So I’m tryna record vocals but I want some great noise cancellation so I can’t even hear my normal whatsoever like super extreme I jsut want to hear the song basically lol and my processed vocals. I also have ear issues so I would like to hear my processed vocals as much as possible at the lowest level possible bc of my ear issues. Really tryna make this workout and not hurt my ears from loud sounds. I do make beats but I rather record vocals over making beats.
You described a bunch of features that engineers, producers and mastering engineers require :-)
Your review is as valuble as me reviewing a power drill for baking bread… the ndh-30 is very flat, great transient response, accurate ”soundstage”, accurate representation of the audio = translates mixes very well to other playback devices. It is build for a purpose and if it even closely resembled any of your comparison cans i would steer away at once since they are really colored, with a big smileyface eq curve, and an exhaggerated soundstage.
It competes very well with a lot of headphones twice its price and half its build quality. This is a tank that is ready for work!
You're one of the few reviews that has criticism of the treble. I would 100% agree with you. Too dark and lacks detail. Your comment of a cloth over the treble is perfect. How I felt as well. Sadly, I thought the other ares of the 30's were great. Curious, do you think I'd be happy with the LCD-X?
I assume you refer to the 2021 LCD-X cause the earlier versions sound a bit muted unless you'd EQ. The LCD-X is a much better headphone for music listening though it has subdued 2-5khz. Not too bad sound-wise though cause that's an area that usually has harshness. But overall, I wouldnt call it a dark sounding headphone.
Honestly I dont know if you'd be happy with it but I'd say it has plenty more treble frequencies than the NDH-30.
@@HeadphonePH Perfect. Thanks for your feedback. Will be testing them this week.
Long term Sz 600's user .Neauman's are noticeably better and worth the extra bucks... especially for detailed classical music.
You don't know what your talking about these headphones give you excellent sound stage 👌
I bought the Neuman NDH-30 and they sound very good and are built well. I have the Senheiser HD 400Pros and the HD660S and for me they sound much better. The Neumans are good you dont get orders of magnitude above the Seinheisers in sound. If they were more realistically priced I would keep them but their not worth the asking price. Sorry Neuman try again.
Yeah I really think it's expensive. But to its advantage is the build quality and more premium materials I suppose.
@@HeadphonePHfor that money better get beyerdynamic dt 1990 pro with realphones correction
This is a very, seemingly, biased opinion you have here. Your review seems to be based on everyday listening (contoured) headphones instead of mix/mastering (flat) headphones. Using these type of headphones will take time to adjust to the flat frequency response and the clarity these headphones will bring. A well-trained ear will find these headphones to be exactly what is needed in the studio. If you immediately have a response that says they don't sound as bright, dull, boomy, mid high/low as (insert other brand) then you are completely missing out on what these are actually achieving and you would do your mixes a favor by having a better trained ear. You're expecting others to take your word for how you perceive frequency when your ears listen to it. If you want to comment on build quality, fine. But, when it comes to what they sound like, measurement is the only thing you can do to validate whether or not they're in fact as flat as they say they are.
You are the only person who reviewed this negatively
I think that might actually be a good thing. He’s not just repeating what he’s heard others say, like a sheep. But telling the truth based on his own objective experience. I’ve not heard them so i can’t tell you if he’s right or wrong.
@@INeedsMoneys there can't be wrong or right opinions when it comes to the sound. All of us have different ears and sound perception. Therefore it is up to the person. If some headphones are sounding good for you, it doesn't mean they will be as good for somebody else and vice versa.
@@fedotov79 that's my point tho.
I think it's because it's not amplified properly. These headphones need a good amplifier to sound really good and if they do not lose extension in the bass and other features, it seems that this is the problem that this person has.
@@joanayrton6133 these work fine on my Smartphone and on my pc.
I don't think ndh 30 is that bad
It's not bad, it's just expensive for the sound. If I'm asked to use the headphone for 1 week straight without knowing its price, I won't have a problem using it
@@HeadphonePH is it not better than dt 1990 or hd 660s ? in frequency response detail bass and soundstage ?
The HD660s is without a doubt much better. It's been a while since I last heard the DT1990 but that one is brighter and more metallic sounding than the NDH 30. They're different sounding but I'd pick the NDH 30.
Clearly biased review. You like the sparkly sound of Senns and Audeze. I mix audio. I don't want to hear sparkly highs that don't actually exist in the source audio. If i wanted that, i'd buy some HD 650's.
When longer lasting is the reason to not go for pleather is just SMH. Acoustics is the reason. Passive noise isolation on a headphone which colours the outside noise less than HD600. Is a studio loud? It is a studio not a record room. LMAO bass is bad? You have not even declared your audio setup! Warm? It might be dark, if you know the word! OH GOOD WHAT COMPARSONS! PLEASE NEVER DO AN OTHER REVIEW OR SHOW IT TO REDDIT TO GET TORCHED
Come on man, relax! 😂😂
Sound like artificial intelligence sounding Beyerdynamic fan guy, which is way too harsh when mixing, the flat sound that comes from the NDH-30 is better than the DT’s.
Nah, I don't like Beyer. NDH30 is flat relative to what target curve? If Harman, it's not flat as you can see from the measurements here: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/int3km7qs4uyt0569azqo/Neumann-NDH-30.pdf?rlkey=srzrh9jd8j74nzwetfxam33qd&e=1&dl=0