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NAD Viso HP50 Review (headphone)

LightninBoy

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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.

While these have small pads, they are still "over-the-ear" rather than "on-ear" headphones.
 

RedCometZero

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Had the HP50 for years as my daily driver portable starting in 2014. LOVED the sound without EQ, but after 3 years, one of the drivers started to play at a much lower volume (regardless of which entry port is used). They replaced it with a refurb at no cost, which was awesome customer service. Unfortunately the refurb developed the same issue after 6 months, and since they were still near MSRP of $250 at the time, I wasn't going to get another pair to have them failed.

Tried the HP70 (which are a wireless headphone) as a replacement, but I hated the background hiss when using the "Room Feel" active wired mode or wireless mode. Passive mode sounded absolutely terrible. I get why they'd include an active mode with corrective EQ, but I have no idea why they didn't use the same acoustic tuning as the HP50 for passive use.

So because of that, I got the Sennheiser HD1 wired version, which I didn't like quite as much, but they did the job for portable use, and they were a LOT more comfortable than the HP50. Now I use the Drop Panda as my portables, and I love them. Sound is somewhat reminiscent of the HP50.



BTW re the headband discussion: Both the refurb HP50 and original had the flat headband, unlike the curved I'm seeing in recent images. I got a lot of negative comments about the looks of the headphone due to the headband, but it was comfortable, and easily got a seal on the earcups. I think the round headband will have a harder time sealing the earpads. At least that was the case on the HP70, which did have a round headband.
 

jhaider

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Amir, do you still have these? If so, would you be willing to remeasure with AKG K371 pads? I did a test (fit only, no focused listening) and they fit much better than the “Brainwavz” pads touted as replacements. Those look oafish on HP50.

Also, I don’t know that NAD even sells replacement pads.
 

MikeJ

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"Strange" review which doesn't correlate with what I'm hearing. Bought these circa four years ago (with flat headband), never ever needed to EQ them, they still sound pretty neutral and very clean to me out of the box, just like @mitchco reported. Had to buy split cable though because the original one in the headband just failed. Also bought two spare pairs of earpads for the years to come.
 

Robbo99999

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"Strange" review which doesn't correlate with what I'm hearing. Bought these circa four years ago (with flat headband), never ever needed to EQ them, they still sound pretty neutral and very clean to me out of the box, just like @mitchco reported. Had to buy split cable though because the original one in the headband just failed. Also bought two spare pairs of earpads for the years to come.
Try my EQ if you like, it's to the Harman Curve and I have the flat headband version too, it's based on measurements from Oratory, but with a few different decisions in the EQ approach, I think it's great with this EQ:
NAD HP50 Oratory my own EQ.jpg
 

marv

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Hi all. Chanced upon this thread, I still have mine and would like to give my inputs on the HP50. Like many others, the original pads have disintegrated, wrote to Nad a number of times for replacement pads info but to no avail. Tried numerous aftermarket ones but changed the sound signature which i didnt like. What i did was i carefully cut out the original filter on the stock pads as i couldnt find any raw material in my area resembling the stock ones. i then inserted the stock filter between the aftermarket pads and the driver... im not a pro but the mod preserved the original sound signature. I also had an issue with the shaft of the headphone when extended tends to revert back to its original position. What i did was to wrap a piece of velcro to the shaft to prevent the shaft from sliding back. The HP50 remains in my collection as i like how it sounds...but im curious to try Amir's EQ : )

here are pics :
nad mod.jpg

nad mod 2.jpg
 
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marv

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Hi all, I tried amir's EQ.... is it just me or amir's EQ setting made the HP50 bassier?

before EQ Amir said this:
."....After a few seconds of adjustment, you notice the closed, bass heavy sound. So let's not waste more time and apply some judicious correction based on frequency response:..."

But after applying the EQ settings the amount of of bass increased substantially....

Am i doing something wrong? This is my first time using Equalizer APO BTW...pls help

thanks all

marv

here is the setting i loaded:

1612206508825.png
 
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andreasmaaan

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Hi all, I tried amir's EQ.... is it just me or amir's EQ setting made the HP50 bassier?

before EQ Amir said this:
."....After a few seconds of adjustment, you notice the closed, bass heavy sound. So let's not waste more time and apply some judicious correction based on frequency response:..."

But after applying the EQ settings the amount of of bass increased substantially....

Am i doing something wrong? This is my first time using Equalizer APO BTW...pls help

thanks all

marv

here is the setting i loaded:

View attachment 109913

Yes, Amir shelved up the low bass significantly. It's already quite a bass-heavy headphone IMO, so I'd expect it to really be booming with that shelf in place if you have a proper seal between the cup and your head/ear (which I don't think Amir did in the measurement upon which he based that bass boost).

You could try a few things:
  • Keep Amir's EQ but disable or reduce the bass shelf.
  • Try the Oratory EQ.
  • Try one of the other EQs various members have posted in the above pages.
Also note, it seems like there is higher than average unit-to-unit variation with this headphone. What Amir (or anyone else measured) may not be what you happen to be getting...
 

LightninBoy

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Hi all, I tried amir's EQ.... is it just me or amir's EQ setting made the HP50 bassier?
before EQ Amir said this:
."....After a few seconds of adjustment, you notice the closed, bass heavy sound. So let's not waste more time and apply some judicious correction based on frequency response:..."

But after applying the EQ settings the amount of of bass increased substantially....

Am i doing something wrong? This is my first time using Equalizer APO BTW...pls help

I believe the bold part was referencing the lack of energy in the presence region, which relatively speaking made the sound bass heavy, particularly in the mid bass. Boosting the presence region addressed that. Amir's bass eq settings end up affecting 80hz and below and particularly brings out the sub bass.

It was a little much for me so I nudged that down a bit. However, before you dismiss it outright and shelve it way down, try living with it for a bit. Good, strong, accurate sub bass is rare in some audiophile circles - particularly headphones, so it may just be something to get used to.
 

marv

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Yes, Amir shelved up the low bass significantly. It's already quite a bass-heavy headphone IMO, so I'd expect it to really be booming with that shelf in place if you have a proper seal between the cup and your head/ear (which I don't think Amir did in the measurement upon which he based that bass boost).

You could try a few things:
  • Keep Amir's EQ but disable or reduce the bass shelf.
  • Try the Oratory EQ.
  • Try one of the other EQs various members have posted in the above pages.
Also note, it seems like there is higher than average unit-to-unit variation with this headphone. What Amir (or anyone else measured) may not be what you happen to be getting...

Thank you for the suggestion : )
 

marv

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particularly brings out the sub bass

This is exactly what i noticed.

Amir's EQ settings didnt make the sound bad, in fact i never thought that the HP50 could produce such low frequencies. i was just curious if what i was hearing was the same as what others heard after applying the EQ.

before you dismiss it outright and shelve it way down, try living with it for a bit. Good, strong, accurate sub bass is rare in some audiophile circles - particularly headphones, so it may just be something to get used to.

True, that's why i kept the EQ settings for now.

Thanks again

cheers
 
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Robbo99999

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Hi all, I tried amir's EQ.... is it just me or amir's EQ setting made the HP50 bassier?

before EQ Amir said this:
."....After a few seconds of adjustment, you notice the closed, bass heavy sound. So let's not waste more time and apply some judicious correction based on frequency response:..."

But after applying the EQ settings the amount of of bass increased substantially....

Am i doing something wrong? This is my first time using Equalizer APO BTW...pls help

thanks all

marv

here is the setting i loaded:

View attachment 109913
If you don't like Amir's EQ, try mine if you like, it's quite different, especially in the bass (no bass boost required)....it's to the Harman Curve too, and based on the Oratory measurement, you can import the attached text file which holds the EQ into your Equaliser APO. I think it's a great headphone with this EQ.
NAD HP50 Oratory my own EQ.jpg
 

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  • NAD HP50 my EQ.txt
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marv

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If you don't like Amir's EQ, try mine if you like, it's quite different, especially in the bass (no bass boost required)....it's to the Harman Curve too, and based on the Oratory measurement, you can import the attached text file which holds the EQ into your Equaliser APO. I think it's a great headphone with this EQ.
View attachment 110057
is the last filter for 10370 Hz turned off by default? when i loaded the settings, the last filter is turned off by default
 
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Robbo99999

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is the last filter for 10370 Hz turned off by default? when i loaded the settings, the last filter is turned off by default
Yup, that's right, that last filter should remain turned off. I was experimenting trying to give it a bit more air, which would also correspond to what we see in the measurement, but I found it just made it sound thinner, even at just 1dB increase. But you can of course try with or without that last filter turned on. (Be aware that the more you increase that Gain on that last filter then it will also reduce the frequency response around 8-9kHz (and even earlier) as the Q value is 1 (over the 0.707 value), so therefore you get a slight inverse reaction below the High Shelf Filter. I would think experimenting with 1-2dB would be fine, but anything over that might start having noticeable effects on the frequency response behind it.....I'd have to load it up in REW to see the exact effects).
 
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Robbo99999

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I agree, i tried turning it on and it became a little thin and slightly piercing at the upper end rather than airy.. its smoother turned off : )
How you finding the EQ generally?
 

marv

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How you finding the EQ generally?
sounds great.. i like the the lower frequencies better, but the higher frequencies are a bit thinner than Amir's

my ideal sound would be the mids and upper freq from amir's and the lower freq of your eq.. something like that

i like a very clear sound signature with just the right sparkle in the upper end, (i dislike rolled off highs) and a fuller sound with tight accurate bass

EQ APO just rekindled my liking for the HP50, hence i gave my Elegia some rest

i just bought a dekoni blue last week, while the emphasized bass was a welcome change, but the highs were harsh FOR ME at higher volumes and the mids were a bit too recessed for me... im returning them... mentioned it to give an idea of the sound i like

my iem is a se535 but im not a fan of the rolled of highs in them... have been toying with the idea of trying ER4SR or ER4XR
 
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Robbo99999

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sounds great.. i like the the lower frequencies better, but the higher frequencies are a bit thinner than Amir's

my ideal sound would be the mids and upper freq from amir's and the lower freq of your eq.. something like that

i like a very clear sound signature with just the right sparkle in the upper end, (i dislike rolled off highs) and a fuller sound with tight accurate bass

EQ APO just rekindled my liking for the HP50, hence i gave my Elegia some rest

i just bought a dekoni blue last week, while the emphasized bass was a welcome change, but the highs were harsh FOR ME at higher volumes and the mids were a bit too recessed for me... im returning them... mentioned it to give an idea of the sound i like

my iem is a se535 but im not a fan of the rolled of highs in them... have been toying with the idea of trying ER4SR or ER4XR
Cool, well it's good that it's an improvement for you in the bass.....I was gonna suggest combining my filters for the bass with Amir's treble filters, but he's chosen to align the target curve in a different place on the measurement, therefore it's not that simple (it wouldn't be valid just stitching the two filter sets together). I do have an idea of what you could with my EQ to tailor it to your liking though. Add a High Shelf Filter at 1khz with a Q of 0.707.......then play with positive or negative Gain Values a dB at a time, or maybe half a dB at a time. From your description I wasn't sure if you want more treble or less treble, but by adding this High Shelf Filter you can tailor the general treble level to your taste whilst retaining the clear bass of my EQ.
 
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