You get what you pay for…Neumann NDH 20 Review

In VoiceOver, many folks spend a lot of time shopping microphones. I get it. They’re fun, sexy, cool to mess around with, the list goes on. Headphones for VoiceOver artists and audiobook narrators aren’t given as much consideration. So when I came across a discounted pair of Neumann NDH 20s on Reverb.com, I figured, “what the heck. I’ll see what the fuss is about, and if I’m not into it I’ll send them back.”

Long story short, I was into them.

Neumann describes them as “linear,” “transparent,” “with excellent isolation” and “high long-term comfort.” They aren’t pulling punches on any of those.

In the video below, I discuss my experience with the headphones and why, for me as a VoiceOver artist and audiobook narrator, they’ve been worth the investment.

If you’re in a rush, here’s a summary:

• Comfort

  • Sometimes I forget I’m wearing headphones. After a brief break-in period that could be the headphones getting used to my head, OR my head getting used to something besides the Beyerdynamic 770s, the Neumann NDH 20s are among the most comfortable I’ve experienced. They aren’t hot to wear, they don’t make my glasses pinch my skull, they just feel good.

• Sound

  • Again, sometimes I forget I’m wearing headphones. The monitoring experience is of such fidelity that my performances aren't affected by hearing myself.

  • Furthermore, because the reproduction is so linear and transparent, I was able to pinpoint resonances in my recording space with more accuracy than I had in the past, making my recordings and mixes cleaner overall.

• Isolation

  • Yup. This too is top-notch. It just makes the recording experience good overall.

At the end of the day, are they worth the some $550 new or however much you can find them used (I snagged mine for ~$300)? That depends.

Do you need them? No.

Will you be happy with them? I can’t see a world where you wouldn’t be.

All to say, there are many more affordable options—like the Beyerdymanic DT 770 Pros—that will do a bang-up job for working VOs and Narrators for a fraction of the cost of the NDH 20s. However, if you want to up your studio and have the cash to spare, you can’t go wrong here.

Check them out for yourself here:
https://geni.us/AEsVm8