RØDE NTH-100 Professional Studio Headphones & PodMic Cardioid Dynamic Microphone Kit - Perfect for Podcasting, Streaming, Voice Recording & Home Studio Setup

I’ve trusted Rode Products for over 20 years + & Have A Masters Degree In Audio Engineering, Music Major in Drums & Business Admin…..And have never been let down by rode…..even now! THESE HEADPHONES ARE AWESOME!!!!! Couldn’t be happier! Of course things tend to break or manufactures defect over time or right out the box THATS WHY YOU BUY A WARRANTY FOR ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS!! So, to those…..QUIT COMPLAINING! The sound quality is excellent not to much on the bright side which accurately lets me mix efficiently, frequency range is nice! NO MORE FATIGUE IN THE STUDIO WITH CRAPPY CHEAP MADE HEADPHONES….They are very comfortable and light weight….Highly recommend….with all honesty It you’re expecting Something out of these like BEATS headphones with all the glits and glamour Elevated Eq Non-Flat, bass heavy, etc., THEN YOU ARE NO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER, WE DON’T MIX AND MASTER LOUD! EVER!…..So if that’s what you’re expecting maybe another COMMERCIALIZED CONSUMER HEADPHONES ARE FOR YOU! Take that route instead of complaining about things you think you know about audio engineering when you definitely don’t, this is a serious craft/job….real engineers don’t take this lightly as if it were a hobby….it’s our whole life! Great Job Rode!! VERY VERY VERY SATISFIED!!!!These ‘phones sound true. Nothing seems to be boosted or recessed compared to the rest of the sonic spectrum. Are there more engaging, more fun, more magical headphones out there? Of course, I have some of them. However, when I had my wife do a voiceover for a cheesy video project I was working on, these were the ones that sounded the most like her actual voice.The build seems solid for being mostly plastic. The adjustment works for my weird head(my ears are too far up on my head so I have to adjust it all the way up). The ear cups are comfy and the cooling gel works for about the first twenty mins or so. The tension in the headband (the “clamp” as some call it)holds them on as long as I don’t rock out too hard.Quibbles, well the ear cups are just barely large enough to fit around my ears. The cable is a bit long and transmits vibration up to the cup when it rubs on things(I think this has to do with the tight lock on the connection to the ear cup). That’s pretty much it.If you are looking for a closed back headphone that is fairly neutral and accurate, I’d put these up at the top of your short list.I’ve bounced around to several sets of headphones for recording (podcasting) and audio mixing. And, there’s a lot of good to say about the Rode NTH-100’s! I haven’t touched my Sennheiser’s, Sony’s or my Beyerdynamic’s sense I got my Rode’s. Great flat sound for mixing and audio editing and they’re very comfortable to wear for long periods. And, the ability to lock the adjustments down, once you get them sized correctly for your head, means no fidgeting with them every time you put them on. Remember that these are closed back headphones, so if you have a long recording session, they can cause your ears to get a little warm. However, the gel padding does help a little with this. Absolutely recommend you buy them! ??This is the best kind of neutral headphone, in that it will reveal whatever the artist wanted to emphasize in the music. Strings? Vibrant and well separated. Electronic? Instruments will lack depth unless the artist chose to work on them. Lots of male vocals? You can pick out who's singing. Both good and bad shine through these headphones. They're monitors, and good at it, but definitely aren't smoothing over any mistakes made.The build is very well thought out, with a combo of metal and plastic. The cups are plastic because they're should be light, but the twisting brackets are metal because they're way sturdier. The pads and headband are Alcantera (suede) but are filled with cooling gel to counteract how hot suede gets on the head. The R and L labels on the inside of the ear-shaped cups glow in the dark. Unfortunately, the cable is microphonic, but it's coated in rubber so it never tangles. There are little colored clips to show different people's headphones in a studio. The set-and-forget sizing clamps can crack though, so it really is meant to be set once and never touched again. And the included bag sucks. But I always love picking these up to see all the little design elements these headphones have, like a treasure trove of sketches. One of the most rewarding builds I've ever seen.For those worried about the cup size: I have a large head and large ears and I wear glasses, so I was concerned too. While these are ear-shaped and they do touch my earlobe, they fit perfectly around the rim and don't hurt over time. As always, you can manually stretch the headband out for less pressure, but I didn't find that necessary with these.I ordered these based off a recommendation from someone online because it had been several years since I owned a set of really good headphones. I couldn't be more happy with the sound quality and how they feel on my head. I love that they are corded (weird, I know), and I also like how you can choose which side of you the cord goes on. The sound quality is so much better than the earbuds I had been using, and I feel like I can keep the audio lower and still get everything I need to out of them. Something I had about wireless or blue tooth head phones is I always feel like I notice the lag, so I love having wired head phones.You’ve possibly not heard of Rode because they are microphone people. They are known in the video world for producing excellent value microphones and most people that make YouTube videos like myself have more than one Rode microphone in their collection. I have many of them and they’re all really solid performers.Rode is an Australian company.The NTH-100 is their first headphone. It’s aimed at producers and videographers. For most video people, monitoring of audio is likely to be done on a Sony 7506 or Beyer DT770. Not because they’re the best headphone, but because they can both be brutal in highlight audio flaws. The 7506 isn’t that great for long listening sessions because of its tonal balance but it is excellent for monitoring.The NTH-100 sounds to me like a middle ground between the dt770 and the 7506. It has good slam but not as fat as the DT770. It has a clean treble, but doesn’t pierce through your head like the 7506 sound.It’s an unusual headphone. Shaped to closely fit your ears so no space in the cups for resonances. (Triangular) The pads are memory foam with cooling gel. Also…. Alcantara. The pads are frankly …. Plush as hell.The cups, once fitted to your head are locked into place, so they never move again. The lead can be connected on left or right side and is extremely flexible. It doesn’t have ‘spring’ in it.It’s quite heavy as far as headphones go, but because of the way it fits, it feels much lighter on your head.I’m not kidding when I say that these are a BARGAIN. Around £130. The sound is really balanced and they sound pretty flat to me. There is perhaps a slight lift in the upper bass but actually, it’s not a lot and I think as far as monitoring headphones go, that’s what makes these headphones useable for music listening as well as monitoring. I did a mix with them, and the mix sounded great on speakers afterwards. That’s a sign that they have a really balanced frequency response. I have to be very careful with the DT770 because of its bass and the 7506 with its treble. This one is way more flat and it shows big time in the mixing.Imaging is extremely good. It’s a closed headphone, but it images like a semi-open headphone. The drivers are closely matched and placement is spot on. I can move people talking in my videos literally by inches with these and clearly hear it. Music listening puts vocalists firmly in centre and sometimes, it seems to put them in their own ‘space’ in the mic. You get a feeling of front to back depth and on some recordings, singers are placed further back in the stage. Really obvious with these.Treble is clear. Not piercing in any way. Fantastic mids but the bass ….. it doesn’t dominate but can really growl at you.You can listen loud if you want. No trouble. 32ohms so driven easily by phones.They make me think of the Sennheiser HD600 but with a better bass response and no ‘veiling’ or ‘harshness’Rode are an excellent company and their design team took a long time designing this headphone. It’s their first and boy, is it a cracker. It looks good. Feels good and sounds good.One thing…. Without being rude, if you have large ears, the cups might be a problem. My ears fit fine. They made this close fit on purpose to avoid cup resonances.I own a pair of Sennheiser HD-25's and a pair of Sony MDR-7506's - both generally considered 'reference' headphones. Both of them I find awkward to wear - the Sennheiser feel cheap and press on your ears leading to fatigue, aimed at DJ's with the strange adjustable ear cup on one side. The Sony's aim of being exceptionally portable makes putting them on/off annoying. Both are great for field recording due to their lower weight compared to the Rode NTH-100 - so for that purpose, they have their purpose covered.The Rode's primary purpose is not field recording, and the build quality reflects that. The arm connecting the ear cup to the head band is metal, as is the arching headband itself. The adjustment points appear well made, so it would be accurate to say that these are built to take abuse and long term usage. They wouldn't be out of place in a studio or for anyone working with audio at their desk. The connector from the cable to the headphone is plastic - as I presume that it is meant to break under excessive strain - preserving the headphones.Sound wise, I found the Rode to be natural, neutral and exceptionally clear. They are very comfortable to wear for long periods. I like that the cable can be switched from one side to the other since my Scarlett audio interface is on my right side. I wouldn't be surprised if Rode later introduces the ability to use a microphone with this headphone, since there's an empty connector that could be used for that purpose.Packaging is well thought out - nothing but cardboard and a bare minimum of documentation (Rode printed some of the necessary documentation on the cardboard itself to cut down waste!)Highly recommended.They say buying patterns are about comfort, quality and convenience.These tick all three boxes.Convenient because of how you can attach the headphone cable on either side to suit how you work, which means the cable (often the bit that breaks) can be replaced along with the headband and ear cushions.Comfort because they have memory foam ear cushions which are the most comfortable I've ever worn, along with adjustable headband which locks in position meaning I don't have to keep repositioning it.And quality because, so far, the build, the materials and (of course) the sound are all exceptional for the price.I've had significantly more expensive headphones in the past. Based on price alone I'd assume this were mid-range. However they feel significantly better than mid-range and on the whole I'm more please with these as I have been with any other pair cans.These are not headphones to purchase if you like that overhyped bass and treble that so many big brand products feature.These headphones are like very high end speakers e.v Kef, b&w etc where the voicing is absolutely neutral. If you are a classical or jazz aficionado or you like to hear music absolutely uncoloured, with unparalled detail and clarity, then for the price these are exceptional value.They are solidly made and very comfortable, and the locking adjustment is a great feature as you can get them fitting how you like, twist the locks and now you can just pick them up and put them on anytime.They will deliver adequate but not earsplitting volume powered by a phone, but driven from a headphone amp or audio mixer they can deliver huge amounts of volume.Don't forget to fit the little rubber plug supplied into the socket on the side you don't choose to use to fit the cable ( a nice touch by the way to be able to choose left or right) as this ensures the sound is balanced correctly.Rode are a well established company with an excellent reputation so I expect spares to be available for a long time for these. Destined to be a classic, I think.These headphones were great for the 3 weeks that they were actually usable.About the sound quality you would expect from headphones in this price range that aren't massively price hiked for a fashion name, and very comfortable to wear.Unfortunately with light (1-2 hours) daily use a small part of plastic shattered along moulding lines in the regular process of taking the headphones off, in just over 3 weeks since purchase.The entire construction of the headphones is metal EXCEPT for the tension locks that hold the earcups at their set position, a part which you would expect to experience some degree of pressure and tension, which are made from what feels like cheap recycled plastic, I've had studier feeling parts come off my 3d printer!I'm unfortunately not the only user that has experienced this issue as you can see from images on reviews, mine has broken in an absolutely identical fashion. A bit of googling about this specific issue produces more than a few results that were not initially visible when just searching for the product.As far as I can tell this seems to be a manufacturing flaw, you can see clear lines in the moulding of the plastic that the part seems to have exactly split down. It could be that lots are like this, could be a one off batch, who knows. Do yourself a favour and take a look at one of the many competitors in a similar price range with good reviews since you may be dropping 130 quid for something that will last you less than a month.I'll update this review when I hear back from the seller and/or the manufacturer regarding RMA.