Neumann NDH 20 Studio Headphone
$ 580.82
- Description
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- Reviews (2)
Description
NEUMANN NDH 20 STUDIO HEADPHONE
STUDIO GRADE MONITORING – WHEREVER YOU GO
The Neumann NDH 20 is a closed-back headphone combining excellent isolation with the carefully balanced sound image and outstanding resolution you’d expect from a Neumann product. The NDH 20 is thus ideally suited to monitoring and mixing tasks, even in loud and noisy environments. Circumaural memory foam ear pads offer high long-term comfort.
CRITICAL LISTENING AND MIXING – IN THE STUDIO, AT HOME, ON THE ROAD
While many other closed-back headphones are marred by nasty resonances in the midband, making it difficult to come to reliable mix decisions, the NDH 20 offers an astonishingly detailed, well-balanced sound image, similar to Neumann’s acclaimed studio loudspeakers. Superior sonics along with large memory foam ear pads make the NDH 20 a pleasure to wear for long periods without fatigue.
Features
- Studio quality sound with outstanding resolution
- High sound isolation in loud environments
- Excellent comfort for extended listening sessions
- High quality metal construction
- Foldable design for easy transportation
- Two detachable cables (straight/coiled)
Specification
Wearing Style ： Headband
Foldable ： Yes
Ear Coupling ： Circumaural
Acoustic Principle ： Dynamic Closed
Transducer Diameter ：38 mm (1 1/2″)
Transducer Magnet ： Neodymium
Diaphragm Material ： Duofol
Transducer Protection ： Cloth covered grille
Nominal Impedance ： 150 Ohms
Frequency Response ： 5 … 30,000 Hz
Sensitivity at 1 kHz/1 Vrms ： 114 dB SPL (1 kHz, 1 Vrms)
Max Input Power Handling ： 1000 mW
Continuous Input Power Handling ： 200 mW
THD at 1 kHz and 100 dB SPL : <0.10%
Sound Isolation ： >34 dB (>4 kHz)
Cable Entry ： Single sided, right ear cup
Connectivity ： 3.5 mm (1/8″) TRS jack plug (straight), adapter for 6.3 mm (1/4″)
Cable Length ： Spiraled 1.5 – 3.0 m (5′ – 10′), Straight 3.0 m (10′)
Cable Weight ： Spiraled 100 g (3.5 oz), Straight 60 g (2.1 oz)
Ear Cup Contact Pressure ： 5.5-6.8 N
Weight Excluding Cable ： 390 g (13 3/4 oz)
Detachable Cable ： Yes
Replaceable Earpads ： Yes
Colours – Headband ： RAL 9006 White Aluminium / RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey
Colours – Ear cups ： RAL 9006 White Aluminium
Colours – Ear pads ： RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey / RAL 2011 Deep orange
Colours – Cable ： RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey
Materials – Headband ： Spring steel strip, aluminium and plastic fittings, plastic trimming
Materials – Ear cups ： Aluminium
Materials – Ear pads ： Cloth covered memory foam
Operating Conditions ： +10° C to +40° C (+50° F to +104° F); <90% RH, non-condensing
Transport/storage Conditions ： -25° C to +70° C (-13° F to 158° F); <90% RH; non-condensing
Packed Dimensions (height x width x depth), mm (inches) ： 245 x 255 x 85 mm (9 5/8″ x 10″ x 3 3/8″)
Packed Weight ： 1.22 kg (2 lbs 11 oz)
Packed Cube ： 0.005 m³
Mark Nicholl –
Living in a small, rented room with limited acoustic treatment, I bought these headphones to supplement my monitors, particularly in the lower end of the frequency spectrum. When making the purchase, I was weary that the cost wouldn’t justify how useful this tool would be in the studio. I have never been so glad that I was wrong.
First and foremost, it did what I wanted it to do, which was to accurately monitor the low end frequencies when I mix. Bass extension goes well into the sub frequencies, allowing me to do a plethora of things better. From choosing kicks to sidechaining to nailing the timing of syncopated bass lines, the process from sound design to mixing has become a lot less guesswork. Having really small studio monitors, this was impossible before. While my other headphones (Sennheiser Momentums) were great in the bass range for consuming music, they didn’t seem to have the snappiness that these do. The NDH20 responses are quick and amazingly fun to work with in the lower end of the spectrum. Despite the bass being a little bit strong on these, it was relatively easy to adjust to them and mixes never lack the energy when translated on other systems like they do when I mix on my momentums. So far, so good.
But these headphones did a lot more. Let’s talk about saturation first. I honestly can say that distortion and saturation has eluded me for the longest time. It’s something I could sort of ‘feel’ in the music, especially in well recorded tracks, but I’ve always had troubles dialing in the right amount on my own. Working exclusively in the box on my laptop, tracks tend to sound rather ‘flat’, and getting the ‘sparkle’ or ‘warmth’ from saturation plugins has always been difficult, because I just can’t hear what’s going on well unless I’m on the extreme ends of the saturation plugin. While I can’t say that these headphones have magically solved the problem, I can say that it has allowed me to hear saturation and distortion, not just on my track, but the subtleties on well produced tracks as well. I think this has been massive. Spending more time on these, I’m starting to pick apart sound signatures that I like and don’t like while listening to well mixed tracks, in hopes that I too can make these informed decisions in my own work.
Now let’s talk about delays and reverbs. In an untreated room, it’s been a nightmare to dial in reverb dry/wet knobs and pre-delay times. Vocals either sound dry and void of emotions or a soupy mess from excessive reverb. Again, all I can say about the NDH20 are that the reverb just translates so well on other systems, be it a bluetooth speaker in my bathroom or the monitors in my room. Being able to listen to reference tracks and deduce what kind of plate I would like to use or what sort of decay range is best has been, honestly, such a joy.
Disclaimer though, by no means are these headphones perfect. There are a few things to consider if you’re thinking of purchasing these. I was lucky that they fit me really well, but I have a relatively small head so I’m not sure how clamping pressure is on larger heads. So I’m guessing comfort will vary. For me, 4-5hr sessions are comfortable in these. Given that these are for studio use, both cables are insanely long. Completely understandable, but I would love to see extra accessories for these (shorter cables etc.) for travel purposes. Soundstage is not incredibly wide, which I have no issues with. Soundstage is wide enough to pan items precisely in the mix, but if you’re looking for open-back level DT1990-esque soundstage, this isn’t for you.
So who do I think this would benefit? Personally, I think anyone without an acoustically treated room would benefit greatly from these. There’s so much more than just the eq profile of these headphones, the response time and total harmonic distortion across the spectrum for these headphones are in a class of its own. In other words, these headphones are just insanely accurate. It’s hard to explain what they offer through words and charts and specs, but I have to say that Neumann has truly delivered a bedroom producer’s dream with these. If I were to start building a home studio again, I would prioritise these over monitors first. I was sceptical of mixing on closed backs, but I can say that I trust these enough to mix exclusively on them if I had to. While my primary goal for the NDH20 was to aid mixing, it has done impressively well for tracking, casual listening and aiding in learning the properties of other tracks too. Just like any other tool, it won’t make you a great sound engineer overnight, but it does allow you to monitor what you’re doing right and wrong, what you enjoy in your mixes, and what you would change and do better. I think the ability to do that in a small bedroom like mine is invaluable.
Anonymous –
First of all, a quick shout-out to Melvyn from MRH Audio, fantastic shopping experience!
The Neumann NDH-20…Just get one…and be a very proud owner of a Neumann product, one of the best companies to trust when it comes to audio excellence.
I’m an active professional audio system designer with 10 years experience, I am no stranger to legendary companies like Solid State Logic, Genelec, Sennheiser and definitely Neumann.
For the professionals, NDH-20 sounds like listening to a pair of studio monitor at close distance, outperforms even the HD6 in detail retrieval and frequency response accuracy, thanks to the construction borrowed from the HD630VB. Only the HD800 can outperform the NDH-20 for professional use, not even the AKG Q701. HD800 was tuned according to studio monitors placed at a distance, the sound signature is different.
For the audiophiles, the NDH-20 completely outperforms the HD630VB, even though they share the same construction design. Remember to get a very powerful headphone amplifier to experience the full capability of the NDH-20. Even though HD800 outperforms the NDH-20 in almost every aspect, the NDH-20 is easier to enjoy. As Neumann stated, the sound is tuned to be LINEAR, makes it VERY easy to enjoy regardless of the genre. HD800 is VERY not forgiving for bad recordings.
Hope this review gives you the confidence to just go ahead with the purchase, the Neumann NDH-20 is definitely worth the Neumann name!