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.

Unbelievably accurate, neither warm or dark. What's recorded on the source material is what you get! That being said, decent source material (I have a particular fondness for electric blues of all sub-genres, jazz, classical and of course rock!)…is the key {and the FIRST in the chain} to exceptional sound with all headphones and speakers. The reason I state this is because the great thing about these "Monitors," (if you will; though I would NOT just put them in that category as many have,) is that they are, amazingly enough, fold-up portable and can be used on the run, on the plane, in the subway (though a tad heavy and perhaps a bit OSTENTATIOUS for the NYC subway) or MORE IMPORTANTLY, at HOME for long term, relaxed or serious listening sessions or in the studio whilst recording, mixing, et. al.! I've a very expensive set of Massdrop/Mr. Speakers Ether-Cx's at almost twice the price and the Neumann's quite frankly, put them to shame in EVERY category!The NDH-20's are somewhat heavy being machined from aluminum but not enough to make them uncomfortable! For the life of me, I cannot seem to find an aftermarket cable for them (though the proprietary cables are OK- one straight rubberized and the other coiled both at 10 foot length.) I guess it ist "naturlich" das Neumann wants these to be used in the studio "or else!" Pardon my poor attempt at humour however, it would be great to have a 4 foot option for the plane or a nice, cloth-covered, thicker 10-12 foot option maybe made out of OFC to plug into the HP tube amp. Mine sound delicious out of my Cavalli Liquid Platinum and I can imagine a nice aftermarket Periapt cable or some such goodie might make them sound!I have a large collec tion of headphones that I use (due to the fact that I live in a 3 family Brooklyn Brownstone rowhouse and my "full throated stereo rig SOUND of pre-marriage and pre-RENT PAYING tenant days") are no longer a practical or "peaceful" option!But, as is oft the case, I digress. The NDH-20's come with a nice, heavy, printed cardboard presentation box with the phones, wires and carrying bag all neatly laid out in the appropriate, precise, Teutonic order und discipline!BTW,...the old adage about "burn-in" for these is true! Take it from one who has been forced to pursue peace and tranquility within the "homestead," by the acquisition of quite a few high-end examples of the headphone arts and sciences that, the more burn-in,...the BETTER! I KNOW MANY BELIEVE THIS TO BE HORSE-PUCKY (and on lesser sets of cans, quite possibly so) however, there is NOT a set of high-end cans that I have owned or used that I have not found this to be the case. If you wish to rush the process a bit, just use an old receiver (odds are, if you are reading this, you or someone you know, already own one of these and MOST, if not all had a headphone jack. Just plug any source (even an AM channel IF you have to) on medium volume (if you have less than stellar reception like me, just tune to the best possible AM or FM channel and right as it starts to distort (gets fuzzy) and annoying sounding back off the volume knob,) and put under and/or in between a pillow/s for a couple of days! Trust me, NOT the most scientific method but it works and cuts down on monitoring your burn-in period.....sort of like "set it and forget it!" Don't buy into all the pink/white noise pyschobable B.S.! Just put some electric current through those voice coils or planar magnets and it will dramatically reduce the time needed to do serious listening.I highly recommend these headphones! I find them delightfully enjoyable (about as musically enjoyable a "flat response curve" as you're ever going to hear! Not one spectrum is favored. All are represented with as much accuracy as is possible! Quite frankly with decently recorded music, these put the Mr. Speakers Aeon Flow, and C flow closed backs to shame! Being of closed back design the soundstage is somewhat limited in width and depth however, accuracy is fantastic and again, very musical for what this set of headphones was originally designed to do. Then again, maybe that's what Neumann (studio microphone builders extraordinaire since 1927) set out to do in the first place; give a tool to studio engineers to monitor their mixes and recordings w/o boring them to death with dry and lifeless sound.I personally love them for electric blues of every color and stripe!Hey folks,..I spend a small fortune in time, energy, and moola on all things stereo here on amazon so, if this review was HELPFUL,...well you know what to do! Many thanks fellow consumer!