Hello, I just joined, primarily for the audiophile products. Looking at purchasing the NHT C3 speakers for our new living room. Space is about 15 feet wide by 33 long and they will fire long ways. Space is just for general listening, music room with all equipment is downstairs, so hoping they will fill it with sound nicely. Cheers.
Mar 18, 2024
Build: The ebony wood is exquisite. I like that its subtle. The wood grain is visible on closer inspection, and appears glossy black from a distance. Some may prefer to have a more prevalent wood grain, but to me, it's perfect. The metal construction is done well. It is premium. All the materials used are high quality and it is a very solid pair of cans. There are no rattles or squeaks as you adjust them on your head or head bang to your favourite tracks.
Comfort / Ergonomics: Calliper pressure is descent. It provides a secure fit and feels very comfortable. The oddly shaped ear pads are surprisingly nice and not awkward around the ears. It's weight hasn't been an issue with me. This is one of my lighter, HiFi headphones. They're lighter than a pair of Beyerdynamic T1. Its lightness has a lot to do with the headband design and its ability to balance the weight on your crown without any uncomfortable pressure points. The cable is a bit long for my listening situation. Thankfully, it's easy to mod and use the excess cable as an extension. I would've wished some form of removable cabling.
Style: These are big, as with most HiFi headphones. Proportionally, they look great. Their size is apparent once you put them on. I can't foresee many people using these on the go.
Sound: These sound amazing. It has a very approachable sound signature. It's not for reference, although it has the flattest response out of the three versions of the X00. The bass and high frequency extension is pretty impressive. It renders sub frequencies with ease and clarity. Bass is tight, fast, and clean with no perceivable bleed. Mids are tuned nicely to form a little bit of that smiley face EQ that make these really pleasant to listen to. Highs are present, airy, and sibilant free. It's a really clean, crisp, and enjoyable sound signature. This is one of my favourite headphones in my collection. It easily sits in my top 3.
Additional: I decided to try out some Dekoni pads with these. I took a stab at a pair of Dekoni fenestrated pads, and I immediately realised how crucial the stock ear pad design is to the sound signature. Opening the area where the pinna sits introduces a lot of piercing highs and sibilance. Dekoni makes attenuation rings to combat this and bring the tuning closer to stock sound, but I found that it doesn't do enough to the highs to really make a difference. I'm going to stay using the stock pads.
The Beyerdynamic T1 has bass but it delivers a reference sound signature that isn’t as exciting to listen to. The Philips Fidelio X2 is better in that regard. It’s made for great listening if you don’t mind looking like Megaman. (Great soundstage too)