NeumannNDH 20 Closed-Back Studio Headphones

Okay, I was looking for a good high end closed back set of cans. Was shopping around and ordered this, the fostex 610 and Audeze LCD2 closed. I didn't even consider the beyer 1990 because I do not like bright/sharp cans, and the beyer sound is all about that bright V shape, and the 1990s are no exception. Ultimate I chose the ndh 20 over the other 2, and since there is not a lot of information about these headphones, let me give a little insight. So I am an audiophile from a musician background (elec guitar, sax, clarinet ~ 18 years) and I was looking for a nice set of closed backs with a warm/neutral sound (if that makes sense to you) with good bass extension. Now all 3 headphones are very amazing headphones. Clearly the LCD2 sounded the best to my ears, but I really did not think it was worth double the ndh 20s. I would have gotten them if they were $700 (and I personally don't like to buy used speakers or headphones). So it was between the fostex and the neumanns. Let me be upfront with you, the neumanns are very good at reproducing natural sound of instruments, for instrumental tracks. But when I started listening to electro or dubstep music, the neumanns are VERY critical of poorly recorded/mastered tracks. These cans made me stop listening to Californication by the chilli peppers.That being said, these are amazing cans. Words alone cannot describe the full extent of the presence these cans have. Depth is bottomless with even decent amp/dac setups (I also tested with the more budget-friendly fiio K5 pro vs thx 789) and clarity is exceptional...perhaps too exceptional that it reveals the incompetency of the recording artists and audio engineers of the songs when they are present. Why did I choose these over the fostex? It really just boiled down to the looks. The silver machined finish is just beautiful.FYI these are definitely NOT for studio use if you are pursuing neutrality at its highest. They are ever so slightly colored, but imo are less colored than other studio powerhouses like mdr7506 or ath m50x.Finally the comfort. Minus 1 star for comfort. I definitely have a larger than average head size going by my hat and helmet sizes. But my head is not very wide, sort of like a reverse football-head arnold, and my ears are on the smaller side. My ears do NOT reach the drivers, and I have no comfort issues. I can still consciously feel the weight of the cans on my head, but it's not too bad especially if you get additional headband or padding. As for the earpads, again my ears are more round than oval, and are on the smaller side. The cans are not uncomfortable, but are not as comfortable as say hd6xx or he4xx. But the isolation that the pads provide really, (and I stress this part) REALLY adds to the sound.

First I would like to say Amazon gave me hell ordering this item. First two debit cards kept declining with money on there and lastly the Driver delivered the package to the wrong house! After $533 dollars spent and a long headache I finally got to burn in these headphones for a few hours. The Soundstage and seal on these are so immersive to the point that I feel I am escaping reality. Sounds pan across from left to right and you hear details in records you've never heard before. I hear every mistake and I can actually hear mixes not just the song itself. Each Record does not sound the same where in my old AKG Cans every mix sounds like they mesh together. I actually prefer the AKG sound signature because they reveal things that are either good or bad in a more basic and I am not overwhelmed by every detail when I am mixing. I can't really hear the reverb trails and delays that I do but that is because if the engineer blended the mix correctly it sounds perfectly balanced on the Neumanns. These cans are like a movie experience very high quality the bass hits you in the face but is not overblown (if its there) and everything just sounds so warm and like velvet. Vocals kind of sit back in the mix and insturments POP out the mix for an exciting experience. These cans teleport you to an different place where you can enjoy your music and relax. I don't think I would track or mix mainly with these but use them as a final mix reference and for movies and when I want to enjoy music.. The only cons I have is that the price which is expensive and the comfort level isn't that great. The band at the top hugs your head and the speakers are very heavy on your ears...I guess this is intended for engineers to take breaks between sessions to avoid listening fatigue.

Fell in love with Neumann microphones 40 years ago... Not at all disappointed with the sound of these “cans” out of the box. During my first couple of hours of listening, I tried some of my own self-produced electronic music (“am0eba” and “epiphany algorithm”), as well as commercial recordings from artists including Garbage, Soul Coughing, old and new King Crimson, BT, Imogen Heap, Alanis Morrisette, Mike Doughty, Mike Oldfield, Yes, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, Pop Will Eat Itself, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Jesus Jones, and others, as well as excerpts from classical recordings including: Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov (yeah, I like Russian symphonic stuff), Glass, and Hovahness... In almost every case, I was able to play at higher amplitude without discomfort or ear fatigue, and lower amplitude without losing the sounstage or coherence in a complex piece. I also was able to isolate individual instrumental lines and hear the individual elements of composite sounds - also without losing the sense of ensemble - and these are all extremely familiar recordings to me... The headphones are heavier than I’m used to (my other frequent-use headphones are Audio Technica ATH M50’s, Grado Sr80i’s, Yamaha HPH MT8’s and Sony MDR 7506’s. I also own a pair of KRK 8400’s, but really dislike them), but again, were not uncomfortable at all. One review that I saw mentioned microphonics from the cable, but I certainly have not noticed this when using the coily cord (haven’t yet tried the straight cord), although I have been annoyed by this with my KRK’s... I also haven’t yet tried running the NDH20’s directly from my iPhone, but I note that from my JBL M-Patch Active-1 monitor control’s headphone output, the sensitivity doesn’t seem far off from my Sony’s or Yamaha’s... Will update my review after more hours of use, in case there is a substantial burn-in effect... Will also try them direct from my phone. So far, not in any way disappointed, despite the high price!Took away 1 star due to price.Update: 2 days later...Have continued to use these headphones in multi-hour listening sessions without fatigue or discomfort. Have run them from my iPhone 6+ without feeling like I ran out of volume... I note Amazon “recommends” use of a dedicated headphone amp with these, probably due to the slightly higher than usual impedance of 150 ohms, but for casual (even loud) listening, they are plenty sensitive enough to make use of the phone’s built-in audio... An external headphone amp might make them sound better, but is certainly not necessary. I have noticed some mechanical noise from touching the outer structure of the headphones while monitoring at lower volumes, but still nothing like the mechanical cable noise from my KRK’s. Will update again after more listening and break-in, but I’m very happy with these headphones. (Now just drop the price by $100, and you’ll get my 5th star!)2nd update (1 week later): Finally found a couple of weaknesses: Mechanical noise from moving the cable... Yep, if you wear them in such a way as to allow the cord to brush up against other objects and you move around while listening, you may hear mechanical noise transmitted into the phones... So far, it seems easy to avoid. Second thing is I had them on for an extended listening session last night and finally noticed a little discomfort - I had not placed the earpieces carefully enough and allowed one cushion to press against the outer part of my pinnae - it hurt a little. I readjusted the cushion so that my ear was entirely enclosed and the pain subsided. Still feel as though the sound is burning in, but I'm not convinced that's really a thing... I think I'm just getting used to listening through them and so I'm noticing different things... Definitely my favorite pair of headphones!3rd update: Just shy of five years later - These have seen frequent use by me over the years, and they are showing signs of wear: the black fabric covers over the earpiece foam inserts have split at the seams, exposing the bright orange foam inside. I haven't noticed any degradation in sound quality or comfort, but I would love to know where I could find replacements. I stand by my earlier comments, although I did find a pair of cans that I also use on a daily basis: the beyerdynamics DT 700 PRO X, which cost a LOT less and feature similar construction quality and materials, but have - to my ears anyway - a much more balanced sound. The Neumann's get fairly HOT over longer listening sessions and they are notably HEAVY on my head. Otherwise, they sound great - although not as efficient as other headphones, so I do need to crank up lower-powered devices like my iPhone to get a decent listening level. Still return to them daily to hear some of the upper bass that gets lost in the DT 700's... [See my updated review for those!]4th Update, a couple of weeks later: I found replacement earpads made by Neumann (just do a web search, if you need 'em) and although they were extremely tricky/fussy to get installed, they fit and feel great. Glad to have been able to extend the life of these wonderful "cans"!