Headphone Recommendations?

the Beyerdynamic are currently discounted on Thomann

Neumann NDH 20

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I see them as available.

@Dfisound Since you like the A7x, you should have a look at the Adam SP5. I just got mine some weeks ago and Iā€™m very happy with it. Had the DT 770 for a long time before and love them, but in terms of transparency the SP5 are better.

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iā€™ve been looking to get some new headphones lately, have done a pretty deep dive today reading stuff and itā€™s melting my brain. i had my eye on some discount beyerdynamic dt 990s but then now iā€™m anxious i wonā€™t be able to drive them hard enough without a headphone amp (a whole other can of worms i was blissfully unaware until today).

iā€™ve seen a few recommendations for them on this forum but i canā€™t keep the negative reviews out of my mind. surely anything could be better than my current AKG K52s right?

Its depends on which you choose. I found them handy to have them around as a second pair to check how a Mix would sound on not so expensive output device.

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Does anyone of you work in the studio with headphones on a regular basis? I usually never do it but the guys next door were building a new rooftop today which made it im possible to work without headphones. My experience was suprisingly good, my mix worked well on all system that I tested it on later when they finished working. My headphones is a Sony noise cancelling, nothing fancy but I am used to the way it sounds from my train rides in the last years.

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Thatā€™s the classic ā€œaccommodation effectā€ my mate (pro engineer) talks about. Even if your speakers or cans are rubbish youā€™re accommodated to the way everything sounds through them, if you always use them for recreational listening, so if you mix with them youā€™ll match your sound to professionally recorded sound as a reference.
(Actually this is why he said I was stupid for buying the Beyer DT1990ā€™s. Because buggerall people use anything in that range)

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I hope someone with experience can help here - With the Analog Heat at the end of my chain, if I want those headphones, do I need a headphone amp? Would they plug into my iPad and would I actually benefit from them compared to the DT990s I have now?

Help appreciated, Thanks in advance!

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No! I have both. The hp are 150 ohms but theyā€™re quite sensitive too

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Thanks for the feedback! Itā€™s strange, I spent some time browsing through some youtube reviews of the Neumann NDH 20 headphones and many people are saying it would be actually waste of your money if you donā€™t use a headphone amp with them. I tried to read the specs for the AH mkII and it says:

  • Headphones out level: +19 dBu peak
  • Headphones output impedance: 36 Ī©

would this be sufficient I have no ideaā€¦
Is there anyone else using the Neumans? Feedback appreciated!

I bought the NDH 20 some months ago. Direct out of a Synth or my Focusrite 18i8 they are definitely loud enough. On my smartphone the level is ok. I never used them with a headphone amp (I dont have one) and to me itā€™s not necessary.

The best way to decide was for me to compare them directly with other headphones with some reference tracks.

One thing that could be annoying on the NDH 20 is that you can hear on lower level some noise when slightly scratching the cable because itā€™s somehow covered with hard plastic and the vibration translate into the headphone. A replacement cable should fix this.

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. It seems that they will be alright, especially coming from the Analog Heat. I just passed by the shop but unfortunately they donā€™t have a pair to try, Iā€™ll have to rely on impressions of others.

How about the sound? Are they really so amazing as people describe them?

I have often wondered the interest of putting the price of a very good analog synth in headphones when you see the wonders that are offered at 100 euros or even less ā€¦
Seriously at this price there are Genelec monitors.

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This is probably very subjective. All i can say is that i have been in a shop for around an hour to test them against DT 770, 880, 990, 1770, 1990 and some AKG (canā€™t remember the model) with tracks Iā€™m familiar with and they gave me the best results. I was able to separate all elements in the mix and nothing sounded too loud or weak. The stereo image is maybe a little narrow. But this is just my subjective view.

Before that I was mixing with DT880 pros and sonarworks reference plugin but i wanted some headphones that i could use without sw.

The guy in the shop mentioned that the people love or hate this cans. I think in the beginning the could sound a little bit unusual but once you get used to it, you can rely on them. At least i do.

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My reasoning is that Iā€™m quite happy with my (modest) setup and I donā€™t need anything. Plus I can afford it, plus I cannot afford to have monitors so thatā€™s precisely why Iā€™m trying to up my listening game.

Once again, appreciate you sharing your experience.

I went to the shop and listened to the Neumanns for 1.5 hours comparing them to my DT 770 and 990 and they are amazing indeed. Maybe just a tad sweet in the lows but there is also a lot of depth and detail down there. The detail is amazing. In comparison, the BDā€™s had super annoying resonating frequencies in the upper-mids and hyped, towards an almost harsh high end. The difference is like night and day. I guess Not the most comfy ones if you have big ears (mine are small) and the headband is kind of hard on the bald spot but Iā€™ll be buying those. And yes, the ohms are alright and they were loud enough without amp! Thanks!

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I like the sennheiser HD650. And sonarworks reference! This made a big improvement on my mixes

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