At the moment i have a pair of seinheiser running headphones (omx 70), a pair of sure se110, and a pair of (broken- stereo jack is broken) medusa 5.1 headphones, the latter 2 being reasonably dissapointing. I also have a set of teufel concept b usb speakers. I'm wandering however, if at £50 the NS1000 are worth getting just for the hell of it? - I don't do much travelling so the noise canelling isnt essential for me, but for £50 are these too good to miss?
NS1000 worth it?
- Thread starter ojrules
- Start date
At £50 they are a superb buy. I have some Goldring DR150's, which are superb, and depending on who you speak to, the NS1000's sound even better. You would have to get an extension lead aswell, as they only have a 1m lead. Just incase you don't know, they use a battery to power the NC circuitry. With the NC off they do require additional amplification. Quite a few people use FiiO E5 headphone amp. You could just use them with the NC on, but you would need to change the battery every so often, not sure how long it lasts.
ok, thanks very much for the info.. yeh i saw that they needed a battery, from a brief scan of reviews quotas range from 40 to 100 hours. My teufel speakers run off their own amp, so i'm wandering if the headphone output would be powerful enough to run without batteries.. methinks it may well be. Unless there is something specific about a headphone amp, apart from its power capabilities?.... but yes i may well have to justify buying them...
It will run the NS1000's, but headphone sockets found on speaker amplifiers are not usually connected to a dedicated headphone amplifier inside. They are usually just an added feature, which are fine for easy to drive phones. I did see another forum user use the NS1000's with a NAD stereo amplifier, which could not provide enough juice to run the headphones effectively with the NC turned off.
NS1000s at £50 are quite simply the best value for money headphones I know of.
You can spend more to get better headphones but nothing I've heard for less than twice the price is a significant improvement.
In passive mode they do usually need additional amplification though. They aren't much good straight out of most soundcards, speaker amps or AV receivers I've heard. Thankfully the very affordable FiiO e5 does a good job of driving them, although it lacks transparency and control compared to some amps.
You can spend more to get better headphones but nothing I've heard for less than twice the price is a significant improvement.
In passive mode they do usually need additional amplification though. They aren't much good straight out of most soundcards, speaker amps or AV receivers I've heard. Thankfully the very affordable FiiO e5 does a good job of driving them, although it lacks transparency and control compared to some amps.
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I think some other people have found this aswell, but when I have mine with noise cancelling ON, it makes a very slight hissing sound. It's unaudible if you are playing music but if you are watching TV through them or something and there is a quiet scene, you can hear it and it is very annoying for me. I normally always use them with noise cancelling OFF now.
Not sure if an added amp fixes this though because I use them plugged straight into my speakers.
Not sure if an added amp fixes this though because I use them plugged straight into my speakers.
I've never noticed any hissing from mine with NC turned on (i've just sat there with them on for a minute in silence and couldn't hear anything).
I use to run mine un amped with NC turned on, but the sound stage is a little tight and the trebles a little harsh.
But now I have them amped via a DIY Chu-Moy (I have tried the E5 aswell) they sound excellent with NC turned off. Can't get better for £50
I use to run mine un amped with NC turned on, but the sound stage is a little tight and the trebles a little harsh.
But now I have them amped via a DIY Chu-Moy (I have tried the E5 aswell) they sound excellent with NC turned off. Can't get better for £50
It's a matter of taste really. They work with E5 and ANR on. It's kind of bi-amping them in parallel. You can set the e5 to bass boost, which some may find preferable. It's been a while since I tried it. Just crack on with what sounds good to you I say...
I still prefer ANR on for the most part, due to the extra high end detail. If you like more bass, the e5 with ANR off does the job and is a significant improvement compared to most soundcards and PMPs driving them.
Seriously? Either they've changed the electronics since I got mine, or you need your high frequency hearing tested.
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yes it fixes it and you aren't getting the full benefit if you are plugging them in to a speaker headphone out
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Actually had my hearing tested 4months back as part of the job, and my hearing by all accounts was very good.
I can hear the noice cancellation working, but i wouldn't describe it as a hissing sound, not all all.
Its more like sticking your fingers in your ears type of sound, where the outside is isolated.
I can hear the noice cancellation working, but i wouldn't describe it as a hissing sound, not all all.
Its more like sticking your fingers in your ears type of sound, where the outside is isolated.
Hmm, it's fairly high pitched, I think it's definitely more of a hiss than a hum, but it's totally inaudible when listening to anything. It's really quiet and nothing to worry about at all.
I'm actually using mine as I type this, and for £50 they're a bargain, really.
I'm actually using mine as I type this, and for £50 they're a bargain, really.
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Just ordered a pair myself and a fiio E5, hoping they sound good on my Asus Xonar D2X
If they don't I'll eat my hat. The DR150's I think are superb, and if what people say is true, that the NS1000's sound better, then it will be money well spent. Also Goldring phones work very well with Dolby Headphone. I watched LoTR:FotR not so long back. I was eager to try out DH using my DR150's. LoTR + DR150's + Xonar and Dolby Headphone = 
No, but her definition of good sound quality is "loud"
I'm trying to show her what she's missing.