RØDE NTH-100M  Headphones Review

The RØDE NTH-100 are sleek headphones. The ear cups have a black satin finish with a large, glossy printed 'Ø' on each ear cup. The headphones come with colorful ID rings so that you differentiate or decorate your audio cables. You can also purchase additional cables in black, pink, green, orange, or blue. However, the headphones themselves only come in this black colorway.

The RØDE NTH-100 are comfortable headphones. The ear cups have cooling padding to help keep your ears from getting too warm during long listening sessions and don't clamp too tightly on your head. There's also a lock on each side of the adjustable headband to maintain your settings. However, the headphones can feel a little heavy on your head over time. If you have a big head or large ears, your ears may also touch the sides of the cups.

The RØDE NTH-100 aren't very portable, though they aren't for use on the go. They don't fold into a more compact form, and the ear cups can't swivel to lay flat. They come with a soft carrying pouch to protect the headphones when you're not using them.

These over-ears come with a soft pouch. While it won't protect your headphones from impact or water damage, it helps prevent scratches and dust build-up when you're not using them. However, the drawstrings don't close fully, leaving a gap that can expose your headphones to the elements.

The RØDE NTH-100M have a good build quality. They're made out of a mix of plastic and metal. Their headband locking mechanism represents a novel solution to getting the headphones sized just right, but it has been revised since we purchased our set due to user reports of the mechanism cracking on these and the standard version without the microphone. However, our unit hasn't had this issue. While the subsequently revised locking mechanism's screw is apparently an improvement, it still seems like a weak spot in the build, though we haven't reviewed a headset with the updated mechanism. Fortunately, the manufacturer has granted the headphones a lifetime warranty, so if your pair cracks, contact RØDE.

Like the Meze Empyrean, they also have Alcantara padding, which is a patented synthetic microfiber textile that feels soft and plush on the skin. The ear cups have removable memory foam padding and you can connect the audio cable to either the left or right ear cup, depending on your preferences. There's also a rubber cover that's meant to protect the port not in use. In addition to the cracking concern, the headband's a locking mechanism on each side so that you can maintain the same adjustment too. Unfortunately, you may force the locks if you forget to unlock them, and they could be prone to breakage as a result. The plastic part of the ear cups also feels a little cheap, and the glossy print is prone to scuffing over time.

These headphones have fair stability. They're not designed for use during physical activity, so if you wear them while moving around, they can fall off your head. However, they'll stay on your head if you're listening to your audio at your desk.

• RODE NTH-100 headphones
• Carrying pouch
• 1/8" to 1/8" TRS cable
• 1/4" to 1/8" TRS adapter
• Port cover
• Color ID set
• Carrying pouch

With the audio cable connected to the left ear cup and the port cover in place on the right ear cup, the RØDE NTH-100 have an overall warm, round sound profile. They deliver a touch of extra boom to mixes while the rolled-off mids and treble mellow vocals and lead instruments, though this also makes them sound weak and distant. While they lack low bass for closed-back headphones, you may still find their amount of thump and rumble adequate for vocal-centric content. They don't sound as neutral as the AKG K371 or Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. That said, if you're using the NTH-Mic, you can also expect the frequency response to remain the same.

When we originally tested these headphones, we noticed mismatch present between our unit's left and right drivers. After noticing channel imbalance on another pair of headphones was caused by our test rig's silicone ear fixture, we've revisited this product and retested them to see if this was also the case here. However, in this case, the channel imbalance was related to an error in testing. Originally, only three human passes were performed, but they were derived from the same individual. These passes were default (no glasses, short hair), with glasses, and with long hair. As a result, we retested headphones using five passes done on five unique individuals. While the sound profile is still warm, the difference between the left and right driver is a lot less pronounced.

Some users have also expressed concerns regarding the quality control as there has been a report of audio quality differing between units. One user noticed that, when taking off the ear cup padding and putting it back into place, the headphones are prone to deviations in audio delivery. It may suggest a rupture in the seal between the pads' retention mechanism and the housing, even if you correctly connect all the locking pins. If you experience this issue, please let us know in the forums.

These headphones have good frequency response consistency. They're prone to inconsistencies in bass delivery, and you may especially notice a drop in bass if you have thick hair or glasses, as this can break the ear cups' seal on your head. However, if you take the time to ensure a better fit and seal, you'll achieve more consistent audio reproduction.

The RODE NTH-100's bass accuracy is great. While songs with a prominent bassline, like Kavinsky's Nightcall, are light on thump and rumble, the mid and high bass are much more present, which helps bring punch and warmth to mixes. If you're looking for audiophile-grade over-ears with a flatter bass response, check out the AKG K371 instead.

The RØDE NTH-100's mid accuracy is good. The response here is a bit tilted, so vocals and instruments have body but are pushed to the back of the mix. In songs like The Avalanche's Frontier Psychiatry, sample dialogue also sounds weak and distant.

The RODE NTH-100 have decent treble accuracy. Overall, this range is underemphasized, so vocals and instruments are veiled, further weakening detail. Sibilants like hi-hats are dull, too.

The RØDE NTH-100 have an excellent peaks and dips performance, which means they can control their sound profile quite well. Deviations are somewhat minor; there's a little bit of driver mismatch, so the left driver has more of a bump in the high bass than the right, which adds warmth to mixes. The following bump in the low-mid affects the right driver and clutters the mix. There's a bit of deviation in the treble range, so vocals and instruments sound clear, while sibilants like hi-hats are bright in both drivers.

The RØDE NTH-100 are the brand's first pair of headphones, so there's not much to compare them to. That said, for their first try, their imaging performance is great. Our unit's group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. There's a peak from the mid-bass to mid-mid in the phase response, though, which is noticeable with regular content. Audio is louder in the right driver, leaning the audio to the right. There's also some mismatch present in frequency response, which can create slight holes and imbalance in the stereo image. Imaging can vary between units, though, and can indicate a manufacturer's quality control and ergonomics.

The RODE NTH-100 have a sub-par passive soundstage, which is normal for closed-back headphones. The soundstage doesn't feel very wide, and sound seems like it's coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you. It also doesn't feel very spacious, although it sounds more natural and open than the AKG K371, which are similarly designed closed-back headphones.

The RØDE NTH-100 have an okay weighted harmonic distortion performance. Unfortunately, there are a few notable spikes, like the one in the low to mid-bass and throughout the mid range. The bass range peaks are less noticeable as the headphones struggle to reproduce this range. However, the mid-range peaks are audible with regular content and mixes sound impure. However, it's unlikely that most people will listen to audio at such a high volume. At normal listening volumes, distortion won't be noticeable.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The RØDE NTH-100 have poor noise isolation. Although they have a closed-back design, they don't block out the low rumble of bus and plane engines and have a hard time cutting down ambient chatter. That said, they can reduce some of the high-pitched hums of an AC unit.

The RODE NTH-100 have a just okay leakage performance. Leakage is concentrated across the mid to treble range, which sounds fuller than in-ears and earbuds. If you're listening to audio in a shared environment, others around you may hear parts of it.

The original RØDE NTH-100 doesn't come with a mic, but you can purchase the NTH-Mic separately. They also come in an RØDE NTH-100M variant with the NTH-Mic in the box. You can connect the boom mic to the right ear cup and you'll have to twist them into place to lock the headphones into place. Overall, it's very easy to install the mic, and you can adjust it a bit to suit your needs. However, the mic isn't the most flexible.

The boom mic has an excellent recording quality. Your voice sounds clear, accurate, and full-bodied. You'll have no problems being heard clearly.

The boom mic has mediocre noise handling. The mic can capture your voice well if you're in a quiet room, but add in some noise, and the overall audio becomes more congested. The mic struggles to separate speech from noise, and while your voice is never completely lost or drowned out, background noise is always present in the audio, which is annoying.

The original model of these headphones come with a detachable 1/8" to 1/8" TRS cable and a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter. They also come with a couple of color-coded tags that you can use to identify or decorate your audio cable. You can buy colorful audio cables directly from the manufacturer too. They come with a port cover to protect the AUX jack when it's not in use, but it's very small and can be easy to lose.

If you have the '100M' model of these headphones, they come with an additional 8.04 ft (2.45 m) 1/8" TRRS cable and y-splitter.

These headphones can only receive audio when connected to a PC using their 1/8" TRS cable. However, if you're using their NTH-Mic, you'll also have mic support.

The RØDE NTH-100 can connect to your PlayStation console by plugging the audio cable into the controller. If you have the NTH-Mic, you can use it and receive audio.

By default, the RØDE NTH-100 don't have a mic and can only support audio via an analog connection to your Xbox console. However, if you have the '100M' model or purchased the NTH-Mic separately, you'll also gain mic support.