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RODE NTH-100 HEADPHONES £149/$149 rode.com The high-end headphone market has boomed in recent years, but the vast majority of these are meant to make music from your phone sound as bassy as possible. They are definitely not ideal for editing video, where you want something more neutral. The editing market is legendary mic maker Rode’s target for its first headphones, the £149/$149 NTH- 100 professional over-ear cans. They have lots of nice touches, such as ergonomic ear cups with memory- foam cushions that have CoolTech gel for reducing fatigue in long sessions. The ear cup and headband cushions are made from Alcantara for comfort, and the fully adjustable headband has a locking system for a custom length. The fit is very good and the locking system easy to use. They adapted well to my XL-sized head and on the medium-sized noggin of my wife. The top of the headband is heavily padded, which definitely aids comfort. At 350g/0.77lb, they are not particularly heavy, but you do feel the weight after many hours of use. Plug the lead into either left or right ear cups, so the cable can be positioned where it is most comfortable or best fits in with your editing station – which is a cool feature. The cable has a solid twist-lock fitting. It’s a high- quality, 240cm/7.9ft straight, black rubberised lead, that’s long enough to reach either a camera
“Built for detail and clarity, rather than drum and bass”
for monitoring on set or an editing station. If you want a shorter lead for use with your phone, Rode offers an optional 120cm/3.95ft cable in pink, green, orange or blue. The headphones also come with a soft storage pouch, a 3.5mm to 1/4-inch adapter for use with professional audio equipment, and a set of coloured ID rings for cable identification on set. Naturally, the sound is the most important feature. The official info says they have custom-matched 40mm dynamic drivers and a custom voice coil, with a four-layer, ultra- high-tension, aluminium alloy core, coupled to an ultra-stiff triple-layer diaphragm. Everything is geared towards an accurate frequency response and low distortion.
WIRED FOR SOUND The Rode cans come with a long lead and have a novel adjustment lock (right)
They are built for detail and clarity, rather than boosting up drum and bass music – and certainly deliver. The audio is clear and well- defined, allowing you to really hear what’s going on. When using them to monitor audio that’s being recorded out in the field, the sound is crisp. The large earphone cups give very good isolation from ambient noise, so you can actually concentrate on the audio itself. At a price that undercuts both high-end boutique brands and many specialist audio monitoring cans, the Rode NTH-100s are a great buy and a sensible step to improving your audio recording and editing. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 Time to bin your Beats and buy some proper editing headphones Pros: Comfortable, natural sound Cons: Any colour you like, as long as it’s black
SPECIFICATIONS Type: Over ear, closed back Driver type: Dynamic Driver size: 40mm/1.6in Diaphragm: Mylar
Magnet: Neodymium Impedance: 32 Ohms Frequency response: 5Hz-35kHz Sensitivity: 110dB Max power: 1700mW Connection:
IN THE BOX A full-size lead adapter and coloured cable clips are included
3.5mm TRS male straight Cable length: 240cm/7.9ft Weight: 350g/0.77lb
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