Headphone Reviews

Physical Description
The NAD VISO HP50 is a full-size, circumaural, sealed headphone. The overall look of these headphones is very nice, in my opinion, and the integration of ergonomics, comfort, and styling is very well executed.

Synthetic materials are used broadly, and appear to be of high quality. Ear-pads and headband pad are ample and use high quality protein leather coverings. Ear-cushions are memory foam, and, though a bit snug, were quite comfortable for me. On first view I thought the headband pad might be a bit under padded, but found the HP50 quite light, and comfort was good for long listening sessions.

I like the contrast of the gloss black outer portion of the ear capsules with the matte finish on the remaining portion of the capsule housing and ear-pad, but the gloss black finish does pick up finger prints very easily.

The headband does look a little squarish on the head, but the shape allows for the headband extensions to come directly out of the headband in a good position. Ear-capsules simply rotate at the ends of the headband extension, and tilt up and down on a nicely designed, cast-metal rocker that pivots at the center of the ear-capsule. This gimbal mechanism appears very well designed and does provide good adjustment and ease of fit. Though there is no folding mechanism, the ear-pads do rotate flat for fairly compact storage in the included pouch.

The NAD VISO HP50 comes with two 47" long flat cables (one plain and one with Apple remote), both have a straight 3.5mm TRRS (tip-ring-ring-sleeve) plug on the headphone end, and a 90 degree angle 3.5mm TRRS plug on the player end. The soft, pleather pouch has a quilted interior and while it's fairly large in height and width, it is also quite flat when carrying the headphones and should easily slip into a briefcase for transport. Also included is a small oval container for the spare cable, 1/4" to 1/8" adapter, and airline adaptor.

On my somewhat larger than average male head, the NAD VISO HP50 had a snug fit. Caliper pressure was moderate, and isolation and ear-pad seal performance seemed quite good. Because these headphones are fairly light, the snug fit seemed very secure on my noggin; I see no problem using these headphones in mobile applications while moderately active.

Internally these headphone seem to be nicely designed, and appear to be easily repairable. There are two acoustic chambers behind the driver, the first is a cavity in which a small piece of damping material foam is placed. Behind that is the capsule housing enclosure, in which the tilt mechanism and earpiece connector are mounted. I'd reckon these headphones would make a good platform for headphone DIYers to play with.

Sound Quality
In a word: Fabulous! I keep on wanting to write that these are a warm and punchy sounding headphone, but it's just not quite true...well, they're warm and punchy when the music is, and the bass is well extended and very tight, but they're also articulate and clear in the treble, and well balanced throughout the mids. They're as open sounding and coherent as any sealed headphone I've heard, delivering fairly good depth and imaging; and they do a great job of delivering a very balanced transition from upper-mids through the mid-treble, which gives vocals and acoustic instruments a lively and natural voice.

And maybe that's the benefit of the whole "make headphones sound like good speakers in a good room" thing: it makes the music as a whole sound compelling. Remember that the studies done long ago by Floyd Toole at NRC were all about finding a speaker target response curve that was particularly pleasing—it wasn't about being flat or neutral. So yes, the NAD VISO HP50 is somewhat warmer than the average headphone, and yes, the jury is still out as to whether or not this is the scientifically provable most satisfying sonic signature for headphones, but I have to say, I thought they sounded really, really good.

Criticisms? Well, they're not as open and airy sounding as good open headphones, so they're a bit constricted and close sounding. The very top octave could use a slight boost, possibly, and the mid-treble is ever so slightly bright for my taste—which means that most folks will likely find it right on the money.

I keep trying to dig up a circumaural sealed headphone that I think sounds better...but I can't. My Denon D5000 is a bit more refined sounding in the highs, but their bass is a bit too loose. The AKG K550 and K267 Tiesto are a bit artificial sounding in the treble. And my previous favorite, the Sennheiser Momentum, may have the edge in upper-treble air, but sound somewhat loose and bloomy in the bass relative to the HP50.

Additionally, all the above mentioned headphones have some other fit or use issues that have them falling behind in some ways. The Denon D5000 doesn't isolate well; the K550 has some fit issues below the ear; the K267 Tiesto is a bit polarizing in the styling department; and the Momentum has some odd fit issues, as well as being a bit hit-or-miss regarding isolation because of the fit.

The really great thing about the HP50 is it seems to hit the nail on the head in so many ways. Not only does it sound great, but it also fits comfortably, isolates well, looks good, and is nicely priced.

Summary
Simply put: The NAD VISO HP50 is my favorite sealed headphone to date for general purpose use. Paul Barton's "Room Feel" headphone response curve intended to make a headphone sound tonally similar to good speakers in a good room seems to do exactly that; these headphones have a very pleasing, somewhat warm sound that doesn't get in the way of the details. Bass is deep and tight, midrange is well tonally balanced, and the treble is nicely articulated without being harsh—though the top octave might benefit from a slight lift. These are sealed headphones however, and are not quite as coherent and airy sounding as some open headphones.

Sound quality alone would get these headphones onto the "Wall of Fame", but the real strength of these cans is that they perform so very well in so many ways. The look is elegant and clean without any pretention; they're light, comfortable, and secure on the head; isolation is quite good and will make for a relatively quiet commute; they pack away in the included carry case in a remarkably thin size; and last but not least, they're very fairly priced in my opinion. Yup, "Wall of Fame" bound, they'll knock off the Sennheiser Momentum largely due to ergonomics, but I also like the sound a bit better.

Something a bit different for the video this time. I had the chance to interview Paul Barton at this year's Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, and had him talk about the development of these very fine headphones.

Resources
NAD home page and VISO HP50 product page.
Head-Fi.org thread here.