RODE NTH-100 studio headphone design review
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- In my effort to design some headphones from scratch, I am trying to get some different models in to understand how they are built and see what I can learn from them.
The Rode NTH-100 is supposed to be incredibly comfortable so I am particularly interested in the headband and pad design on these
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I love my NTH 100, having such an easily swappable mic is a brilliant feature. They are known for snapping unfortunately, there's definitely some wisdom to be learned from this design
They looked good but having seen the comments, they may not be as solid as I thought ... I do like the one sided hinge though
@CustomCans It's a great design, pretty good sound for closed back standards and very easy to swap pads/ headband when they need replacing, lot of lessons applicable to the custom cans headphone prototypes you and the team are working on. Biggest thing is the adjustment, what good is a comfy headband if the earcups break off?
Thank you so much. I love my Rode NTH100, the sound is amazing on them. But the build quality leaves a lot to be desired. I've had mine for a little over a year now and both plastic clamps, which hold the the shells on the headrest, have broken clean off. Also the right speakers keep going off and on, so I suppose there is a lose connection somewhere (which is why I'm glad with your video, because now I can repair it myself!)
Glad it was helpful
Thanks for sharing on how to open these. As it was fairly easy it got me going into playing around with my set. I ended up changing the felt to a thinner one. Put some cotton in the cups and drilled a bass port hole in the cup. They respond well to the changes and I'm very happy with the result
Good luck
I don't know if this has been mentioned yet: put in that little rubber doodad (contained in the goodie bag) into the side without the cable. It's for balancing the sound. forgetting about it makes that that side rather boomy
Ah .. No I did not realise that... I should have read the instructins
Good vid Jason. Lots of reviews mark these down on build quality, esp where that plastic part is and the plastic used - a common point of failure for owners sadly...
Yep.. Looking at the comments... I was wrong ;) they look chunky but seems a lot of them break
I don't know if you did this, but the rubber bung (in with the coloured rings) needs to be inserted into the earcup without the cable connected. If a mic is used, you remove the bung, and use that connector for the mic.
Love the channel by the way.
Ah.. cool no I did not know that
Without foam, they’re actually my favorite pairs of headphones and Rode gives lifetime warranty on em also
Yeh... I will have to have a listen without the foam in
@@CustomCans did u have it?
dual entry; balanced option? i appreciate these videos; nice to see gear on the inside + the grammar used was more betterer tooo ✌😎👍
Thanks...Yes with a bit of re-wiring it would be easy to make them dual entry balanced but we have no plans to mod them unless someone wants to send some in for conversion
14:20 oh they do break quite easily at the fitlok mount, the whole weight of the earbud or however they're called exerts force on this little piece of plastic, the mount is indeed made in metal and sturdy but they should have attached it more seriously to the profile, they were going for the flexibility there, they left the room in the small piece of plastic and its shaped in a way allowing movement, this could have been easily avoided, guys are making separate videos about this crucial flaw of their design and selling 3d printed unofficial replacements, that's how common it is and how unbelievably quick they break (one guy said after 2 months, LOL) mine after about 6 months, but i haven't use them daily.
I have used my original nth100s almost daily since I bought them in Jan of 2023. After receiving them I heard about the hinge issues so I have been EXTREMELY gentle with them and mine broke last night.
@@theripper121 😂
I recommend looking at the Audioquest nighthawk / nightowl. They are tuned weird but the mechanical design is top notch!
I will see if I can get my hands on some
Those plastic adjustment brackets break very easily. Even with very gentle use. To the point Rode put a lifetime warranty on them, which was a good move. Would be much better if they just fixed the issue with the brackets instead, but it's better than being stuck with a dud.
After posting this video, a lot of people have pointed out that they are not quite as robust as they look.... I should have read the reviews before opening them ;)
Overall they're pretty well made for a mass produced product but I've gone through 2 pairs now, the locking hinges is/was a bit flimsy on early models, plastic gives up near the screw and cracks. It's the only one flaw they have if you disregard the sound. Also triangle shape ear pads aren't for everyone ears as far as comfort goes, your mileage may vary.
Yes, a few people have mentioned that part disassembling itself unexpectedly.
Unfortunately these can brake very easily ☹️
That was my experience.
Looking at the comments, I was wrong :( perhaps they are not as solid as they look
I'd really love to see you trying to fix the audioquest nighthawk -headphone frequency response. Have you seen the graph ? Those are quite horryfying in stock setup and no-one seems to have tuning set available.
If you want to study headphone comfort, try a pair of Takstar PRO82's if you can. I have a pair of Cooler Master MH751's (PRO82s rebranded as a gaming headset, but they're discontinued), and they basically melt onto your head when you wear them
I may give them a go... looks like they are in my price range
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I test NDH-100 they have great builf, looks amazing the pads with the cooling gel are very very comfortable BUT the sound was not good. Ι tested them with my gryphon and it was like there is a veil in all the frequencies and definitely they dont have good resolution clarity and detail. I was very disappointed because they looks and feel great. I think these headphones are only good for podcasting.
Yes, the sound was not to my tastes either
Sadly my pair have an issue with the cable into the socket on the left side. The connection is obviously loose as the sound come and goes if the cable is knocked or wiggled. It's a real shame, and looking at this video it doesn't seem to easy to get into without damaging them a bit
Fun vid, have considered these myself but couldn't really find a place for them. Any good stuff coming up in the shop?
We won't be making any mods for these as we have too may other things in the pipeline. This month it is all about gearing up for the launch of our aluminium sennheiser HD25 range. Next month I will be trying to make some fancy grills for the hifiman edition XS and maybe a headband mod for them as well
@@CustomCans Sorry, didn’t express myself clear. Fully aware you don’t mod the Rode. In the vid you were talking about new headbands and so on. I have some headset who needs your input lol
Are you familiar with Dan Clark aeon series of headphones? I have a pair of aeon Noire and their headband structure is amazing! Feels extremely sturdy and solid, exceptionally comfortable and they're foldable which is great in my opinion.
They are a bit out of my price range but I will have a play if I can get my hands on a dead pair off ebay or something
@@CustomCans really hope you can cover them, especially because the option to have after market accessories (pads, cables) for them would be great. By the way are there any plans on making it easier for us fellow Europeans to purchase from you? Would love to get a few things but don't like dealing with customs
We already make cables for them. At the moment it is probably easiest to order through our eBay store if you are in europe and then ebay charge you the taxes up front and it goes through the IOSS system...
@@CustomCans good to know, huge thanks, best wishes for the future, keep it up!
I really did like these headphones until the plastic adjustment mechanism broke on both sides. This all happened in less than 6mo. I was the only user and only used the adjustment mechanism ten times or less. This problem is well documented on the net now. Rode was such a PIA to deal with for the warranty return, I gave up and threw them away. Buyer beware.
Thanks for the info.. really helpful to know how they actually hold up in the wild
Drives me crazy the got the ear shaped pads but put them backwards lol
;) They could definitely have made them bigger for people with big ears like me
Nice video👌
Thanks ;)
I wish you would have listened to them with the damper removed to see what your thoughts were. What are your preferred closed back headphones in this price range?
Yeh sorry - it was about 6:30 am when I filmed it and I may not have been fully awake ;) I will have to have a listen next time I am in the office
amazing videos! question so I have a pair of focal spirit pro. the sides broke I was wondering if I should transfer the drivers to another headphone. or make a headband. which would you recommend? or what would you recomend?
I Would reccomend making a new headband - the enclosure makes a lot of difference to the sound so putting that driver in a different housing will change the sound quite a lot
I see thanks for the help! your channel is awesome! I sub! @@CustomCans
Whats up jason! The website i order the custom headsets are jfunk, right?
Yes, www.jfunk.org/wpc/ or now you can also order through www.customcans.co.uk/shop/ both go to the same place
@@CustomCans thanks
As someone who has owned nth-100’s since the week they dropped, they do NOT sound better over time. Definitely wouldn’t recommend for anything critical, or any mixing.
The band locks also snapped within two months
Shame... they look really nice
learning for the xs ?
I am going to try to make a leather head strap add-on for the XS in the next couple of weeks. I am thinking about designing my own headphones from scratch so that is why I am testing loads of headband designs at the moment. The headband seems to be that hardest bit to get right... or the area I have least experience in
Hmmm, so just the back of the driver and then the plastic back of the shell. Anyway, I was interested in trying them for work but SO many reports of them falling apart in a few months..shame :/ And no comment or call backs or responsibility from Rode - Shameful
Looking at that frequency graph Im glad I didn't buy them :) Thanks as always for your content.
I wonder if they making these headphones for so called 'content creators' . . . people with not much clue or interest in quality audio :D Just like Sennheiser
sennheiser make some of the best cans & have been doing so for a long time
@@frederf69 Sennheiser makes some good headphones for a premium price. If you go into a store and demo whats out there now you find it difficult to surpass what they currently offer. I think they made some legendary headphones in the 1990's but since then....
Yeh... I think they may be aimed more at "consumer" rather than "pro" use. I like the design though
comfortable headband? Meze Empyrean/Elite look no further. People don't need 2 kidneys.
I was a DJ for over a decade starting in 1996 so I doubt my organs are still worth as much as some Empyrean/Elite any more ;)
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why would you go with that peasantly Empyrean? You want the biggestest, brain melting comfyness, that makes EVERY other headphone a pedestrian? Go for the king, go for HE-1.
And when you go for some high-end fair to sample this glorious headphone, make a video of how they react, when you start taking it apart.
on a serious note, the folding headband by Dan Clark is suberbly well made, pretty nifty and - in combination with their big ear shaped cups - very comfy. Plus they are the only ones doing that. So maybe that would be interesting. And it is , while not cheap, not on kidney selling level.
@@Sporting1210 is the HE-1 actually comfortable?
@@arielext YES! 1. it is super, super, super light 2. The earcups are really big = it kinda disappears on your head.
I'd reckon that headphone alone makes it worth going to a high end fair, where it is displayed in a listening room.
If you ever get the chance-do it. It#s a baffling experience, not kidding.