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NAD Viso HP50 Review (headphone)

tuga

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Has anyone tried different pads yet?
 

solderdude

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I think there is just the flat headband version, that pic you showed was just from some random dude on an internet forum:

You are free to believe that.
Have you looked at the actual product photo Amir took and the one on the NAD site and Rtings ?
 

Robbo99999

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You are free to believe that.
Have you looked at the actual product photo Amir took and the one on the NAD site and Rtings ?
Ha, true, I hadn't actually really looked at Amir's photo in the review! Ok, yep, 2 versions on the market then re headband shape, I've got the less rounded, more square headband shape, even though I bought it new imported from US via Amazon last Summer. Another poster a page or two back posted that he had the squarer/flatter headband shape (like me), and his was relatively newly bought too. I'm not sure if one version is old or one version is new, possibly they were being sold new in different variations all the way till recently (discontinued now). Based on comparing the EQ based on Amir's measurement vs the EQ I did based on Oratory's measurement, I think I have whatever version Oratory tested, if indeed there are frequency response differences between them....although I doubt it because some of the characteristics of the response are the same, so I think it comes down to measurement procedure re the differences (& maybe unit to unit variation, although I doubt the latter).
 

Robbo99999

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Just a follow up on my earlier posts where I was describing the HP50 experience/sound, I've compared it against my HE4XX just now (comparable in as much they can both do clean low bass when EQ'd), and overall the soundstage is more accurately (& larger I think) than the HP50. It's a bit of a strange/unusual way of assessing it, but I've played a couple of sessions of Battlefield 1 multiplayer shooter using Virtual 7.1 surround on each headphone, and I was picking up significantly more directional cues & more accurately for locating players in front of me or behind me and also laterally in terms of identifying the sound cue & spinning accurately to the source of the sound.....so doing this a lot more accurately with the HE4XX. I actually think this is a really good way to identify the size & accuracy of the soundstage of a headphone, and so far it's only my K702 and HE4XX that can do this properly on my gaming tests (& crossover to music listening tests). So the NAD HP50 soundstage is very enjoyable for music listening (and it's a very enjoyable smooth sound after EQ with good detail & great reach into the bass) but I don't think it's a particularly natural or accurate soundstage given that it doesn't perform so well in my gaming tests. My HD600 also performs poorly on these gaming tests.
 

Robbo99999

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@tuga not sure how you chopped up my post there because I never had two "accurately's" one after the other, ha! But no......like I said from my fps gaming, if the soundstage is not accurate then I don't think you can accurately pick out directional sound cues in gaming (& virtual 7.1 surrround sound gaming). For instance I can spin to a sound almost instantly & accurately using my K702 or HE4XX, but I can't do this as reliably with the HP50 and HD600. I determine the accuracy based on the amount of confusion I hear in the sound cues in terms of whether I can instantly feel where the sound is coming from or if I find I'm confused by the sound cues and are not sure of their location. I've noticed the pattern during long 1 hour plus gaming sessions where I consistently gain more situational awareness from sound cues when using my K702 or HE4XX vs my NAD HP50 or HD600. So it's not something you can notice just from playing one game, but over the period of an hour or two then you can easily experience trends in how easily you're pinpointing sound cues as well as noticing them and being able to immediately picture where they're coming from in relation to a 360 degree arc around your head (Virtual 7.1 surround, Soundblaster). So I'm theorising that this gaming ability lies in soundstage capabilities of each headphone, which has crossover to soundstage perception during music listening.....so I'm theorising & drawing a comparison.
 

Guermantes

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Has anyone tried different pads yet?
Yes, my original pads had deteriorated to the point of shedding bits into my hair, so I ordered some cheap replacements from a seller on Amazon. They are reasonable considering the price and slightly larger than the original pads which might be a good thing for fit. I haven't noticed a dramatic change in sound but they still don't fix the ergonomic issues I have which are probably related to the headband (I appear to have the flatter style that @solderdude has shown).
https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Repl...P50+NAD+HP50+Headphones&qid=1610058708&sr=8-1
 

tuga

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Yes, my original pads had deteriorated to the point of shedding bits into my hair, so I ordered some cheap replacements from a seller on Amazon. They are reasonable considering the price and slightly larger than the original pads which might be a good thing for fit. I haven't noticed a dramatic change in sound but they still don't fix the ergonomic issues I have which are probably related to the headband (I appear to have the flatter style that @solderdude has shown).
https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Repl...P50+NAD+HP50+Headphones&qid=1610058708&sr=8-1

Thanks. I have the flatter headband too and apparently overly big ears.
 

manoy385

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Yes, my original pads had deteriorated to the point of shedding bits into my hair, so I ordered some cheap replacements from a seller on Amazon. They are reasonable considering the price and slightly larger than the original pads which might be a good thing for fit. I haven't noticed a dramatic change in sound but they still don't fix the ergonomic issues I have which are probably related to the headband (I appear to have the flatter style that @solderdude has shown).
https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Repl...P50+NAD+HP50+Headphones&qid=1610058708&sr=8-1

Had the exact same problem and bought the same pads. I would actually recommend buying replacement pads right away if you ever get these headphones as the original ones were too shallow and crack/flake within a year of use. This is how mine looks like now:

lXJvPuh.jpg
 

desutruction

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visohp50.png


Brought mine out.. I didn't know there were multiple variations. Mine's from around 2015 (but secondhand, and I live in Asia so probably older stock as these weren't too popular here), definitely not lacking in bass quantity.
 

desutruction

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The stock pads have pretty much disintegrated completely :( The ones installed are from Brainwavz (velour) so the sound signature is probably fairly different from original now, but definitely less bass than stock pads so could be interesting. I'll try listening w/ the eq when I get the chance.
 

andreasmaaan

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The stock pads have pretty much disintegrated completely :( The ones installed are from Brainwavz (velour) so the sound signature is probably fairly different from original now, but definitely less bass than stock pads so could be interesting. I'll try listening w/ the eq when I get the chance.

Is the fit better/seal tighter with the new pads? They look a lot bigger and chunkier than the stock pads (which seems like a good thing).
 

desutruction

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I didn't have an issue with the seal of the old pads, but (purely basing on memory) these new pads do seal pretty well. They've been stashed a long time outside the case and there's a ton of dust (and ants for some reason...) so I don't wanna put them on right now.
 

Jazmanaut

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Its the same fault mine had. It probably is not the driver but the internal wiring in the headband.



Look at reviews on the day of introduction. They all have the flat headband.
Look at the current NAD offerings. They all have the round headband.

It's a crappy design with poor fit issues and crappy internal and non replaceable headband cable.
Nope. Actual drivers are dead.
 

solderdude

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20mW driver is easy to blow.
I had blown a driver with a (continuous) squarewave-test at just over 92dB SPL within 1 minute.
 

dark lake

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Hi all - long time lurker but this is my fist post here. I've had these headphones for a few years now and want to get the best from them. Thank you for the pad replacement recommendation. I've got through two stock replacement pads! Ordered the amazons and will report back.

Could someone kindly show me how to find the adjusted EQ profile for a Mac? I've searched around but I think I'm missing something.
 

riker1384

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Yes, my original pads had deteriorated to the point of shedding bits into my hair, so I ordered some cheap replacements from a seller on Amazon. They are reasonable considering the price and slightly larger than the original pads which might be a good thing for fit. I haven't noticed a dramatic change in sound but they still don't fix the ergonomic issues I have which are probably related to the headband (I appear to have the flatter style that @solderdude has shown).
https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Repl...P50+NAD+HP50+Headphones&qid=1610058708&sr=8-1

How are they replaced exactly? The originals seem to be firmly attached and I wasn't sure if they're even replaceable at all.

It is possible to remove them without destroying them? I do find the originals too shallow to the point of making the headphones supraaural rather than circumaural. (I was also thinking of trying a mod I saw where someone cut foam rings and stuffed them under the pads in order in create more depth.) I'd like to try some deeper pads, but I want to be able to switch back to the originals in case the new ones hurt the sound or comfort, or if I ever sell the cans.
 

Coffee_fan

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Thanks for the review and they seem to sound great. Problem I have with on-ear cans is that after a while the make my ears physically hurt. IOW, I cannot wear them for 3 hours straight.
 
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