grey fabric
Itâs Z. What did you expect? The guy is more of a YouTube entertainer/comedian who likes headphones and pushes monetized purchase links than a serious headphone reviewer.
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Then its the 2020 version, the old ones came in a black case
I just finished sitting down comparing the SV0021 and the RĂDE NTH-100
listening to 10 totally random songs on the IFI zen dac + IFI zen can (i used the SV00 SE, didnt use a balanced cable), switch back and forth after each song
i think i prefer the NTH-100, but its a matter of taste, while the SV0021 is more âexcitingâ with more energy, the NHT-100âs overall more balanced approach, was much more to my liking but i can see arguments for both being very valid.
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EQ below. To Optimum Hifi Target.
Based on DMS, measurements from twitter. The last filter is some anomaly from AutoEQ, as the DMS data only goes to 10k. Not sure whatâs going on, but it is influencing the lower correction, so either leave as, or if removed, you should manually tweak the second last filter.
In any case, to me, without really trying to fully optimise, this is a big improvement.
I guess for a lot of people Optimum Hifi would not be the target of choice (for me itâs a good baseline), but it can be easily converted to Harman.
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Howâs the bass extension? The headphones I own have a lot of sub-bass rolloff.
The SV0021 bass is has more âomphâ but its a double edged sword in this case itâs more muddy, while the NHT-100âs does have some power but is more subdued to leave the bass clean.
Also side note - when switch back and forth between the 2, there was quite a bit of volume differences, if i had a song set to 10-11 oâclock on the SV0021, i would have to raise it to around 1 oâclock
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I am enjoying your EQ settings quite a bit. I like the headphone without EQ a lot but itâs great with EQ.
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Cool, itâs just a start, could certainly be refined.
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Mine arrived today. Donât want to echo what everyone else has already said. They do sound impressive, especially for the current price. No EQ = slightly more bass and not enough highs coming through for me. Using the IFI Black Label and turning on the 3d feature helps get the treble on more equal footing. I too understand about the âwanting to keep turning up the volumeâ thing. The sound is rich and has depth. IE they donât sound cheap.
All that said, have only been listening for a couple hours. Need more time for a real review.
It may be RĂDEâs first headphone, but not their first YouTube community engagement. An interesting difference is that instead of just the usual gang of headphone reviewers, most of the reviews are by creators - particularly ones who have highly visible branded gear. Of course this makes perfect sense given that they are the target audience, but interesting insofar as these folks are not used to reviewing headphones and often have a different perspective.
Iâve assembled a RĂDE NTH-100 playlist which currently has 32 videos including RĂDEâs own NTH-100 playlist featuring the as-required-by-marketing shots of precision engineered pads being put over cascades of lustrous sound-blocking and seal-breaking hair. Most of these are predictable and of limited interest to us, though one valuable recurring observation from the folks who are interesting in monitoring recordings and previously relied on ATH-M[345]0x, MDR and 280 Pro is that these sound more like the actual sound they are recording, i.e. they really are neutral/natural.
After breaking in for over a day with white noise provided by the built-in source in EasyEffects via the Topping E30 and L30 combination which promises to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about my audio collection, my NTH-100, purchased with a nice stand from B&H Photo Video for US$155.99, just finished a second round of my demo playlist and have nothing of substance to add to what youâve heard and read about the headphones: sturdy, comfy, easily driven, undistorted with a long slightly microphonic proprietary cable.
I do have a different interest about which I accidentally teased myself. At first I was perplexed at the amazing bass and sparking highs, but then noticed that in saving my preset, the Bass Enhancer, Exciter, Crossfeed and EQ plugins had turned off the bypass settings. This demonstrated good possibilities for what I want from this headphone: not to always listen to the true true, but have a neutral point from which to add flavour including tubes and op-amps in my pre-amp and DSP rather than trying to EQ the idiosyncrasies of other headphones to neutral or combined Harmon, then try to modify.
I donât have a problem. I can quit any time I like. Photo does not include the Avantree Aria Pro on my head, the other BL-30 and maybe others.
got mine this afternoon spent some time with them listing some initial impressions
build is solid I would rate it as Beyer tier (but with a removable cable on the budget end!)
comfort: clamp enough to stay on your head but not enough to cause discomfort, pads and headband are nice and soft, for me the pads are a bit small one of my ears will always touch the side which while not uncomfortable is annoying/distracting I find myself adjusting them every couple minutes trying to fix it but havenât been able to, if you have smaller ears this shouldnât be an issue
sound: these have a bit more bass than I was expecting from a âprofessionalâ headphone, definitely not basshead level but enough for enjoyment listening seems pretty even with the mids without bleeding into them, vocal focused songs sing (pun probably intended) on these with how intimate they are, people seem to be conflicted on the highs for these? I wasnât sure if to expect lackluster or overwhelming but for me it seems pretty middle ground, enough energy for what needs it but definitely not fatiguing
In my opinion for the $150 these seem to be a pretty good option for a well built solid at everything closed back, however Andorama has a $250 list price for these which gets it into the territory of other companies mid tier offerings and I donât feel like it really belongs there
all in all a great start for Rhode headphones hopefully they improve upon it for future products
EQ MKII Feedback appreciated.
First 2 filter adjust bass. You can modify these to taste.
Preamp: -4.5 dB
Filter: ON PK Fc 37 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 1.14
Filter: ON PK Fc 71 Hz Gain -5.0 dB Q 0.54
Filter: ON PK Fc 425 Hz Gain -1.4 dB Q 1.17
Filter: ON PK Fc 1625 Hz Gain 3.1 dB Q 1
Filter: ON PK Fc 3820 Hz Gain 2.7 dB Q 3.38
Filter: ON PK Fc 4200 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 3.35
Filter: ON PK Fc 6700 Hz Gain -3.9 dB Q 10
Filter: ON PK Fc 7598 Hz Gain 7.5 dB Q 7.16
Filter: ON PK Fc 8500 Hz Gain -3 dB Q 4
Filter: ON PK Fc 15000 Hz Gain -4.4 dB Q 0.5
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swapped between MK1 and MK2 for a bit
MK1 seems airier but feels off on some songs
MK2 seems to be a better well rounded eq and havenât found any issues yet with my playlist on shuffle
thanks for sharing
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Yeah, thanks for the comment. I noticed something similar. Although switching back and forth it seemed Mk1 on some tracks had a bit of a metallic thing going on (in comparison), or at time almost a light whistling. Overall I think Mk2 is more natural.
The challenge with MK2 was trying to keep the treble from getting too hot. Lotâs of tweaking, sine sweeps etc. But different outer-ears or variance between units could mean that it would still be âhotâ for someone else.
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I concur with both of you. Mk2 is better overall but Mk1 is airier but a little off compared to Mk2. I added 1dB to both of the lower bass adjustments.
And thank you for sharing as well. I love this EQ, works for me!
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Man this guy is trying so hard to not be critical.
Great reference tuning, except you canât hear the treble.
Also I donât agree that âflatâ means boring (depending on your definition of flat). The Rode is boring, because itâs treble is attenuated.
I have a pair of monitor speakers on my desk, the rode does not sound like them. They reproduce treble well up to the limit of my hearing (and beyond if you believe available measurements).
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Iâm waiting until I get a âPayPal cash cardâ in the mail so I can use PayPal to fund Amazon payments. Iâd love to try these while theyâre still at this price.
I have an issue with the majority of headphones where they are veiled until I make a yawning shape. Itâs not a pressure issue, just somehow related to my canalsâ narrowness and angle, when the diaphragm is at that distance. It didnât always happen, these would be safe to trial with Amazon and sounds like my preference for a headphone (different to IEM preference) sound if they pass.
Shame about rolled off sub bass though?
EDIT: Although on Amazon, they are not yet sold by Amazon themselves, so a buy-to-try isnât in the cards.
This guy had a hard time mustering much enthusiasm also
