Replacement NS1000s arrived...

Auraomega · 10 Jan 2011 at 10:14

...and I said I'd give an update seeing as there have been various issues cropping up with these lately.

I returned my original pair due to a crack appearing in the headband which eventually snapped, considering I'd only had my cans about 3 months it couldn't be chalked up to wear and tear, they haven't even had that much use really, not when compared to my DR150s.

Recently I've read quite a few people here who've bought them and had various issues, usually with the ANR creating either a really loud hiss or having non-uniform cancellation. First thing I did when I unboxed my new ones was to test the ANR switch and I can confirm what I've been reading, these things are horrendous! My previous pair used to only get used with the ANR on so I have enough experience of the hiss that it produces, the pair I received today have not only an incredibly loud hiss to them it is also significantly louder in the left cup.

I really wanted these to turn out great but I honestly can't recommend them to anyone if these issues keep cropping up, I'll be returning these ASAP and this time get a refund, maybe these and my previous pair came in bad batches, but at the end of the day I can't be bothered to keep getting replacements in the hopes that one pair will be built properly. I'll be seeing how much money I can scrape together and I'll probably end up with a 'spec me' thread here soon!

Marsman · 10 Jan 2011 at 11:44

Oh dear, my suspicions are confirmed, unless they are also from a bad batch, or there have been subsequent bad batches, that quality has dropped.

Maybe corners are cut now, which means more chance of getting a lower quality pair. Sort of reminds me of BenQ's EW2420, which apparently, quality is not consistent. Someone may receive a great one, whereas someone else may receive a lesser quality one.

I suppose if there is still a good chance of getting a pair that are as good as they should be, then they can be recommended, but with caution. If the majority of pairs are like this from now, can these even be recommended, if this is now the norm?

A sad day.

Auraomega · 10 Jan 2011 at 12:23

Well I've just had a look at the 'freebies', and the quality has dropped there too; the case before had a nice quality feel to it internally, the 'aeroplane adaptor' is now made from cheap hollow sounding and flimsy feeling plastic where the previous one felt sturdy, and finally the 6.3mm jack feels slightly 'cheaper' than before (I can't really explain it). The headphones themselves don't feel any different but the fact that they've obviously cut on the accessories means they may well have done so on internal components.

For the record I haven't checked the audio cable because it's still sealed and I found no reason to open it when they'll be returned in the next couple of days anyway.

Angel_Rex · 10 Jan 2011 at 13:21

I would be interested to see if a £100 pair from a different etailer are also suffering this problem....

Uriel · 10 Jan 2011 at 13:29

Oh dear. Very disappointing.

Marsman · 10 Jan 2011 at 13:46

Angel_Rex said:
I would be interested to see if a £100 pair from a different etailer are also suffering this problem....

Yes, very good point. I also wondered that. If £50-£60 was universal, then you can bet your boots, that production costs will have been cut. You can't produce headphones that would normally sell for £100-£150, for the same cost if they are selling for £50. If that is still possible, then that shows what astronomical mark up there is.

If indeed the one's got from the Jersey site are now to a lower quality, than one's bought from sites still charging £100, here is a thought. What if the Jersey site is getting hold of lower quality stock? and thus, can sell them so cheap. At least compared to other sites.

Quite frankly, I don't think anyone is brave enough to pay £100 to get them from another site, if there is a risk they turn out to be lower quality as well.

rickh · 10 Jan 2011 at 14:55

Other than the hiss, do they sound much different?

alex24 · 10 Jan 2011 at 14:58

I got mine over a year ago now for £50 from the same place and they're brilliant. I wonder if we can pin this down to a certain time? Has anyone bought a set from elsewhere?

Auraomega · 10 Jan 2011 at 15:28

rickh said:
Other than the hiss, do they sound much different?

Haven't even checked, at the end of the day I bought these for use when travelling and so I'll be using the ANR, if it's faulty then there is no point in me having them unfortunately. Either way they will sound worse than those I returned as these won't have been burned in yet.

C64 · 10 Jan 2011 at 17:12

If this is true it's a damn shame now I wish I had bought a backup set or two ages ago.

And if it is true then who are they trying to fool and how dare they quite frankly.

It should be illegal to do things like this like samsung did with their 226bw release with superior parts for great reviews then swap out internal parts to inferior parts on the quiet hoping nobody notices.

Has anyone emailed goldring and asked about this ?

Marsman · 10 Jan 2011 at 18:26

If lesser quality is to become common, I guess that leaves the DR150's, as the recommendation up to £100. I would like to think that it's just a select few that are for whatever reason, of lesser quality. The fact that Auraomega has noticed poorer quality accessories, shows that corners are being cut now, and that might also apply to the phones themselves.

"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K" to quote Bill & Ted. Are Goldring themselves selling lesser quality NS1000's for £150, when the Jersey site can sell them for a 3rd of that, or are there double standards going on?

Goldring need to be questioned over this.

easyrider · 10 Jan 2011 at 19:59

I was set to get some NS1000's but these reports are putting me off a bit. At the end of the day you get what you pay for.

I really am lost as to what headphones to get now to pair with my incoming Xonar D2

alex24 · 10 Jan 2011 at 20:15

DR150?

C64 · 10 Jan 2011 at 20:21

Can you try them with a headphone amp without the NC on ? maybe just the onboard NC has been changed and the actual drivers are the same ?

Auraomega · 10 Jan 2011 at 20:46

I haven't got an E5 anymore as it became faulty a while back and I used the noise cancelling anyway so just got a refund. I guess we'll be recommending the DR150s a lot more now too.

One thing does bug me though, I've suggested for a while that the 150s were the better of the 2 headphones but chalked it up to being open. Uriel has always said that the sound quality was better with the 1000s but I couldn't personally hear it, so I now wonder if they've been using lower quality components for a while and having got away with it for so long decided to drop the quality again to save more money?

/tinfoil hat

easyrider · 10 Jan 2011 at 21:02

Do the DR150's not suffer this "DROP" In quality?

Auraomega · 10 Jan 2011 at 21:20

Not had anyone noting a drop in quality, a few snapped headbands months ago but otherwise no. They were cheaper originally though and are now the same price as the NS1000s. I guess the only way to tell is if someone who already has a pair got a new pair and tried them out.

alex24 · 10 Jan 2011 at 21:20

That's the question, as C64 was trying to get at - is this new performance a feature of the noise cancelling or of more general poor build.

C64 · 10 Jan 2011 at 22:19

Yea I have a hunch that the drivers inside are the exact same but the NC circuit or whatever it is mini amp etc has been changed or that was merely bad luck and you got two faulty pairs.

Personally I was never that blown away by the NC sound and prefer them through an e5 amp.

altus · 11 Jan 2011 at 00:27

I got mine from the cow island last week with an E5,
absolutely no hiss unless charging at same time[more a noise than hiss tbh] running through a DX2 nr off or on[not tried with a different source yet].
Im really happy with them,best 50 notes ive spent in ages.