Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones at DVinfo.net

Andrew Smith · August 13th, 2022, 12:31 AM

I'd already tried these at an audio store when I'd gone in to buy something else (why, another microphone, you needed to ask?) and they were absolutely stunning. Then a flash sale came on at another seller which was impossible to ignore. So I got myself a pair. Still getting used to them compared to the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO headphones I normally wear. Can't believe how light these things are and the cooling effect of the material in the ear pads is just amazing.

So, here we have an unboxing to show and tell.

Andrew

Andrew Smith · August 13th, 2022, 12:33 AM

And here's our good friend Mr Judd with his review of the headphones.

Allan Black · August 13th, 2022, 04:07 AM

Thanks Andrew. Rode make good affordable gear since the 1970s and they would have spent many months designing the features, costing and testing their first set of headphones in an already huge market. One clever feature missed by reviewers is the braille lettering for ‘left’ seen on headphone in your video.

As usual a nice review by Curtis Judd and as he says, headphones have to be auditioned before buying any.
Cheers.

Allan Black · August 27th, 2022, 06:46 PM

Andrew, what do you think of your new Rode cans now? Are you hearing 5Hz-35Khz? It’s interesting that Rode released ‘over ear’ headphones first, they’re probably working on the features for their ‘open ear’ version as we speak. Hard cases for them are likely on their list as well.

Another product I thought they would have released by now, is a 3 or 4 channel audio video mixer/recorder, no I’m not referring to their RODECaster Pro.

We know market research is big time, so that’s probably what’s holding Rodes up, but when they do release theirs, it’ll have some new features at a price, not seen before. Now what could they be?

One feature for me is the variable led light metering on each rotary fader on Sound Devices MixPre mixer/recorders, love ‘em, if I had one I couldn’t get enough.

Maybe Rodes will have sliding faders that light up?
Cheers.

Andrew Smith · August 28th, 2022, 09:07 PM

Short of running a diagnostic test, I have no idea if I am hearing 5Hz-35Khz. I'm not just that techy. :-)

What I do notice is the stunning clarity of audio through these headphones. (I'm used to the Sennheiser HD280 Pro which I use with the camera when filming, and elsewhere.) I did initially hook them into my laptop and thought the sound was a bit lacking in oomph, but I can tell you that it's the headphone driver on the laptop which just isn't up to it. I've since had them plugged into the RodeCaster mixer unit and they perform superbly.

From some of their announcement materials, Rode had been working on these for 10 years. Glad they did, and true to nature everything that Rode puts out is just awesome. Rode simply does things well.

All things being equal, I'd choose these headphones just for the "cooltech" gel material that instantly cools your ears and continues to dissipate heat away, making for a more comfortable working day. You really feel it as soon as you put them on.

The most resounding thing that stays with me as I listen with the headphones is the clarity of what you are hearing. This might sound strange, but it's like having a pair of Event 20/20 (or other make) reference speakers strapped to your head, but in the handy form factor of a set of lightweight headphones.

Andrew

Allan Black · August 29th, 2022, 03:01 AM

Andrew as you’d know 5Hz-35Khz is well outside the auditory sense of humans, well it is mine :-) All the headphone manufacturers list their own similar results, which make good advertising.

Years ago when I was associated with RODE they wanted to keep reminding everyone that providing the original sales docket can be produced, all their products have a 12 month warranty.

But even back then, Rode buyers could register their new products serial numbers with the Rode site for a 10year warranty. This is still not well known.
Cheers.

Andrew Smith · August 30th, 2022, 06:28 AM

Here's an audiophile level review of the headphones. Not perfect as a headphone could possibly be for a frequency response curve, but otherwise quite complimentary for the build quality and what you get for the price. Bear in mind that these guys are audio engineers and they'll be far more nuanced in their assessments and opinions than we mere video guys will.

Andrew

Andrew Smith · August 30th, 2022, 06:34 AM

Some have found that the headphone connection adjustment component has broken on them, and there are a few who have commented that they too have had the issue. There is a possible design flaw that didn't get noticed through testing and I wouldn't be surprised if Rode are actively working on the solution already. It may have even been an issue in early manufacturing batches.

The reviewer openly admits that he flexes his headphones (one on ear and one off ear for the room sound) and this may be the root cause for his pair.

In the larger scheme of things, this will be a minor hiccup in what will be an awesome product. Sometimes these things just happen and you don't get to solve everything before a new product is released.

Andrew

Andrew Smith · August 30th, 2022, 07:29 AM

This video is a lot more positive, and all its points are valid for the use of headphones. There are so many aspects to headphones and how you would design them.

One thing I hadn't previously realised is just how strong the supplied (and user replaceable) headphone cord is, and that the connector plug is deliberately made from a softer plastic than the headphone body it attaches to. So if you get a massive yank force on the cable, the replaceable cable is what cops it and not the headphones themselves. Further, having a choice of which side you connect the cable to also means you have a backup connection point.

"The most feature rich studio monitors that I have this price point" he says whilst noting how a lot of thought has gone into making them reliable for a long time in addition to being very usable.

Andrew

Allan Black · August 30th, 2022, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Smith

Some have found that the headphone connection adjustment component has broken on them, and there are a few who have commented that they too have had the issue. There is a possible design flaw that didn't get noticed through testing and I wouldn't be surprised if Rode are actively working on the solution already. It may have even been an issue in early manufacturing batches.

The reviewer openly admits that he flexes his headphones (one on ear and one off ear for the room sound) and this may be the root cause for his pair.

RODE would have designed and tested the NTH-100 quick lock system so that users could listen with one earphone only and the other positioned behind the ear. A lot of folk do that so this would have been high on their list of tests, which makes me think that set of NTH-100s got more harsh treatment than they’re capable of handling. But if RODE is getting a lot more complaints of this nature, then they’ll be looking at redesigning the system and doing a recall - and that’s expensive.

If there isn’t a RODE serial number on the NTH-100s, then the warranty is likely to be only 12 months.

Cheers.

Andrew Smith · August 31st, 2022, 07:13 AM

Serial number if on a sicker on the box it comes in. Registered mine and the warranty is two years. That ought to cover it. :-)

Andrew

Allan Black · August 31st, 2022, 03:44 PM

Yep Andrew, just take care with the quick lock system. We should keep our ears open, no pun, for any further news about it breaking, and what RODE is doing about it.

This reviewer likes his NTH-100 cans but mentions it along with another QC problem he found … https://den-fi.com/rode-nth-100/

Cheers.

Paul R Johnson · September 2nd, 2022, 05:28 AM

Rode are marketing these to recordists and DJs from what I can see - the various ways of wearing them are pretty typical of a work environment not a domestic hi-fi one. Headphones will have the cable stood on. They will get pulled off by the cable. They will be put on and off with one hand, because the other may have something even more expensive in it. My DT100s have survived unbroken for years and even the headset versions have stood being trodden on and genuinely accidentally abused. For a two month old pair, this is not good. Could be a fluke - maybe a bubble in the plastic or some other manufacturing fault, but something that brakes like this rules them out for me. This video is exactly what people need to know. One would assume another pair is flying to him this very moment, if he hasn't got them already, because one fault like this in 100 is unacceptable for a professional product. They should be musician proof. If they need care and attention, then they're not suitable. A good case would be colleges and students. If a product is not student proof, then it is a bad one for anyone to buy, because it's like buying tools. Buy decent tools and you rarely replace them. They have the word 'professional' in the title. This means they don't snap. End of.

Allan Black · September 2nd, 2022, 08:07 PM

RODE make excellent products at good prices for the audio enthusiast and professional. But these new professional NTH-100 headphones are not marketed in the high end audiophile range and the price reflects that. But they have new features which will be the envy of other professional headphone manufacturers, who are now wondering why they never though of them. Clever RODE who will now be working on their open ear version with new features.

I spent some time reading NTH-100 reviews, many with graphs, measurements, details and comments beyond my knowledge and other puzzled readers. The only thing to do is read the summary at the end of each review, and if you’re still interested take your reference CD, go to a friendly sound shop, and audition a pair. Then if you buy them, treat them with the same respect you’d treat anything else you spent your hard earned money on.

Cheers.

Paul R Johnson · September 4th, 2022, 01:53 AM

No. If you use your own money to buy kit, you treat things very differently. Is a product suitable for hire stock, or for giving to a bunch of musicians, that is the test of a professional piece of equipment. If you record an orchestra or choir and have to provide 30 pairs of headphones, you know they will yank cables, sit and bend the headset band in boredom period, put them on and off dozens of times. Your choice is cheap and cheerful that you throw away when they break or cut out, or expensive ones you can repeater and fix as all the parts are available? Are these professional quality or not? The fact a reviewer broke a pair suggests they’re consumer products dressed up as pro ones. This is enough for me to discount these. You stand on the cable and they rip off your head ….. and break? Really? If they cannot cope with this they are consumer products. My very expensive mics have wear and tear on the housings, exactly as they should have. If you see the boom arm slowly accelerating towards the ground when somebody trips on the cable, that is life sadly. In over 45 years I’ve never damaged a proper pro product in this way. They’re built properly and if they fail on the first accident, they were not up to it.

August 13th, 2022, 12:31 AM	#1
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,016	Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones I'd already tried these at an audio store when I'd gone in to buy something else (why, another microphone, you needed to ask?) and they were absolutely stunning. Then a flash sale came on at another seller which was impossible to ignore. So I got myself a pair. Still getting used to them compared to the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO headphones I normally wear. Can't believe how light these things are and the cooling effect of the material in the ear pads is just amazing. So, here we have an unboxing to show and tell. Andrew Attached Thumbnails

August 13th, 2022, 12:33 AM	#2
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,016	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones And here's our good friend Mr Judd with his review of the headphones. RODE NTH-100 Headphones Review - YouTube

August 13th, 2022, 04:07 AM	#3
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones Thanks Andrew. Rode make good affordable gear since the 1970s and they would have spent many months designing the features, costing and testing their first set of headphones in an already huge market. One clever feature missed by reviewers is the braille lettering for ‘left’ seen on headphone in your video. As usual a nice review by Curtis Judd and as he says, headphones have to be auditioned before buying any. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

August 27th, 2022, 06:46 PM	#4
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones Andrew, what do you think of your new Rode cans now? Are you hearing 5Hz-35Khz? It’s interesting that Rode released ‘over ear’ headphones first, they’re probably working on the features for their ‘open ear’ version as we speak. Hard cases for them are likely on their list as well. Another product I thought they would have released by now, is a 3 or 4 channel audio video mixer/recorder, no I’m not referring to their RODECaster Pro. We know market research is big time, so that’s probably what’s holding Rodes up, but when they do release theirs, it’ll have some new features at a price, not seen before. Now what could they be? One feature for me is the variable led light metering on each rotary fader on Sound Devices MixPre mixer/recorders, love ‘em, if I had one I couldn’t get enough. Maybe Rodes will have sliding faders that light up? Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

August 28th, 2022, 09:07 PM	#5
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,016	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones Short of running a diagnostic test, I have no idea if I am hearing 5Hz-35Khz. I'm not just that techy. :-) What I do notice is the stunning clarity of audio through these headphones. (I'm used to the Sennheiser HD280 Pro which I use with the camera when filming, and elsewhere.) I did initially hook them into my laptop and thought the sound was a bit lacking in oomph, but I can tell you that it's the headphone driver on the laptop which just isn't up to it. I've since had them plugged into the RodeCaster mixer unit and they perform superbly. From some of their announcement materials, Rode had been working on these for 10 years. Glad they did, and true to nature everything that Rode puts out is just awesome. Rode simply does things well. All things being equal, I'd choose these headphones just for the "cooltech" gel material that instantly cools your ears and continues to dissipate heat away, making for a more comfortable working day. You really feel it as soon as you put them on. The most resounding thing that stays with me as I listen with the headphones is the clarity of what you are hearing. This might sound strange, but it's like having a pair of Event 20/20 (or other make) reference speakers strapped to your head, but in the handy form factor of a set of lightweight headphones. Andrew

August 29th, 2022, 03:01 AM	#6
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones Andrew as you’d know 5Hz-35Khz is well outside the auditory sense of humans, well it is mine :-) All the headphone manufacturers list their own similar results, which make good advertising. Years ago when I was associated with RODE they wanted to keep reminding everyone that providing the original sales docket can be produced, all their products have a 12 month warranty. But even back then, Rode buyers could register their new products serial numbers with the Rode site for a 10year warranty. This is still not well known. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

August 30th, 2022, 06:28 AM	#7
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,016	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones Here's an audiophile level review of the headphones. Not perfect as a headphone could possibly be for a frequency response curve, but otherwise quite complimentary for the build quality and what you get for the price. Bear in mind that these guys are audio engineers and they'll be far more nuanced in their assessments and opinions than we mere video guys will. Andrew RODE NTH-100 - Good enough for an audiophile? - YouTube

August 30th, 2022, 06:34 AM	#8
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,016	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones Some have found that the headphone connection adjustment component has broken on them, and there are a few who have commented that they too have had the issue. There is a possible design flaw that didn't get noticed through testing and I wouldn't be surprised if Rode are actively working on the solution already. It may have even been an issue in early manufacturing batches. The reviewer openly admits that he flexes his headphones (one on ear and one off ear for the room sound) and this may be the root cause for his pair. In the larger scheme of things, this will be a minor hiccup in what will be an awesome product. Sometimes these things just happen and you don't get to solve everything before a new product is released. Andrew My Rode NTH-100 Headphones Snapped On The Locking Connector After Two Months Use!!!! - YouTube

August 30th, 2022, 07:29 AM	#9
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,016	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones This video is a lot more positive, and all its points are valid for the use of headphones. There are so many aspects to headphones and how you would design them. One thing I hadn't previously realised is just how strong the supplied (and user replaceable) headphone cord is, and that the connector plug is deliberately made from a softer plastic than the headphone body it attaches to. So if you get a massive yank force on the cable, the replaceable cable is what cops it and not the headphones themselves. Further, having a choice of which side you connect the cable to also means you have a backup connection point. "The most feature rich studio monitors that I have this price point" he says whilst noting how a lot of thought has gone into making them reliable for a long time in addition to being very usable. Andrew RODE NTH-100 - The PERFECT headphones for Voiceover?? \| Booth Junkie - YouTube

August 31st, 2022, 07:13 AM	#11
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,016	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones Serial number if on a sicker on the box it comes in. Registered mine and the warranty is two years. That ought to cover it. :-) Andrew

August 31st, 2022, 03:44 PM	#12
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones Yep Andrew, just take care with the quick lock system. We should keep our ears open, no pun, for any further news about it breaking, and what RODE is doing about it. This reviewer likes his NTH-100 cans but mentions it along with another QC problem he found … https://den-fi.com/rode-nth-100/ Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

September 2nd, 2022, 05:28 AM	#13
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,016	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones Rode are marketing these to recordists and DJs from what I can see - the various ways of wearing them are pretty typical of a work environment not a domestic hi-fi one. Headphones will have the cable stood on. They will get pulled off by the cable. They will be put on and off with one hand, because the other may have something even more expensive in it. My DT100s have survived unbroken for years and even the headset versions have stood being trodden on and genuinely accidentally abused. For a two month old pair, this is not good. Could be a fluke - maybe a bubble in the plastic or some other manufacturing fault, but something that brakes like this rules them out for me. This video is exactly what people need to know. One would assume another pair is flying to him this very moment, if he hasn't got them already, because one fault like this in 100 is unacceptable for a professional product. They should be musician proof. If they need care and attention, then they're not suitable. A good case would be colleges and students. If a product is not student proof, then it is a bad one for anyone to buy, because it's like buying tools. Buy decent tools and you rarely replace them. They have the word 'professional' in the title. This means they don't snap. End of.

September 2nd, 2022, 08:07 PM	#14
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones RODE make excellent products at good prices for the audio enthusiast and professional. But these new professional NTH-100 headphones are not marketed in the high end audiophile range and the price reflects that. But they have new features which will be the envy of other professional headphone manufacturers, who are now wondering why they never though of them. Clever RODE who will now be working on their open ear version with new features. I spent some time reading NTH-100 reviews, many with graphs, measurements, details and comments beyond my knowledge and other puzzled readers. The only thing to do is read the summary at the end of each review, and if you’re still interested take your reference CD, go to a friendly sound shop, and audition a pair. Then if you buy them, treat them with the same respect you’d treat anything else you spent your hard earned money on. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

September 4th, 2022, 01:53 AM	#15
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,016	Re: Unboxing the RØDE NTH-100 Professional Over-Ear Headphones No. If you use your own money to buy kit, you treat things very differently. Is a product suitable for hire stock, or for giving to a bunch of musicians, that is the test of a professional piece of equipment. If you record an orchestra or choir and have to provide 30 pairs of headphones, you know they will yank cables, sit and bend the headset band in boredom period, put them on and off dozens of times. Your choice is cheap and cheerful that you throw away when they break or cut out, or expensive ones you can repeater and fix as all the parts are available? Are these professional quality or not? The fact a reviewer broke a pair suggests they’re consumer products dressed up as pro ones. This is enough for me to discount these. You stand on the cable and they rip off your head ….. and break? Really? If they cannot cope with this they are consumer products. My very expensive mics have wear and tear on the housings, exactly as they should have. If you see the boom arm slowly accelerating towards the ground when somebody trips on the cable, that is life sadly. In over 45 years I’ve never damaged a proper pro product in this way. They’re built properly and if they fail on the first accident, they were not up to it.