Neumann microphones have been legendary for their quality and performance for decades. Now they are really re-defining headphones with their NDH 30 studio headphones.
Inside the silver finished, and memory foam lined ear cups reside 1.5-inch drivers with high-gauss neodymium magnets featuring a frequency response of 12Hz-34kHz. These are Around the ear design and very comfortable overall, and the head band is fitted with memory foam as well. With a detachable 9.8-foot cable and foldable design, the ergonomics certainly were a point of a focused design.
The open back design is excellent for tracking and playback situations, regardless of the type of music. Hunting down that strange low end on a detuned guitar track was easy to resolve, while maintaining the clarity was one instance of these knocking it out of the park at a first audio glance. Going through a mix of drums was equally easy, as the stereo separation was superb on all counts.
It’s a set that offers up a better perception of the overall sound as a whole but doesn’t seem to dissect it in a nonmusical way. Lows and mids are clearly well-defined, but there is a very slight uptick in the higher mids. Considering that’s where guitars and vocals reside, this can help the user from overstepping into any harsh areas. The overall fullness and dynamics were fantastic, and there was no audio fatigue during long sessions. Comfort from the memory foam lined ear cups and headband made wearing these a pleasure as well for casual listening scenarios.
Using these in tracking a guitar amp, with the player in the same room was also great. Some players go with “one ear on” style to better hear the room, however with these, the room sound came in just enough to not be clinical and allowed the player to feel what the amp was doing in a much more defined way.
It’s a set that when being used makes you think “well yeah, this is how it’s supposed to sound.” A user isn’t fighting any brand’s audio signature or common mid-hump they may have while using them. However, these are serious pieces of audio gear, and really are meant for a true audio professional or music enthusiast, and the street price reflects this. For the home artist or small project studio these may not fit into your budget, but for a true professional doing any kind of audio work from voice overs to soundtrack work, these could be your next (and only) set of headphones.
PROS:
excellent separation, very comfortable, excellent audio quality
CONS:
Somewhat pricey
STREET PRICE:
$649