Neumann NDH 30 Black Edition

/This review is as a consumer of music, not a producer, sound engineer or musician./
These are some serious headphones. I actually don't like headphones. I much prefer the open sound of monitor speakers. But as we all know, at times we need them. Like to sanity check something weird in a recording or when it's late and you just wanna crank it up.
These are by far the best headphones I've tried. I've tried a lot, but don't own that many.
My main listening rig is a pair of KH120II and these complement those excellent. At first I thought they might have been a bit to harsh or forward on some recordings, but then I switched to a more powerful amp and also realized, that they sound so clean that I was playing way too loud. So yeah, these are end game I believe. They are not by any means forgiving if there is any harshness in upper mids.
That said I also ordered the NDH 20 for the times I might have background noise and actually want a bit bass boosted experience. They haven't arrived yet so I might come back and revisit this review to compare them.
Anyways, to me, they sound flat, at least the flattest I've tried.
They seem very all-rounders.
They can, with recordings as say Enya - Orinoco flow, give that 3d, spacious sound you expect to mostly experience with speakers.
They can (semi) slam on stuff like ASYS and Daniel Deluxe. Perhaps not as hard as I wish but way better than any other open or semi-open design I've heard. They have no problems what so ever with very complex stuff like Meshuggah. You can hear all the attacks and dampenings happening. They don't ever seem to be in over their head. They have the rhythm, the "feel" to most music I've put them through, so no weird timing problems. They are really good at showcasing all the emotions the singer has. The fit on the head and ears are good, they weigh quite a lot but I don't really feel it. Well designed fit and comfort.

My background for reference: 25+ years of professional mixing experience.

I've had plenty of headphones and a few sets of monitors over the years, and well, the NDH30's just blew me away. My initial test was with multiple Orchestral instruments across Violin, Viola's, Tuba, Horn section etc. The detail in the sound across dynamic ranges was phenomenal. Very delicate and nuanced aspects were exposed. The depth and width of the sound stage had clarity for making appropriate placement choices. I was most delighted to hear the headphone respond well enough I could easily make the critical choices with confidence.

The next test was with the Moog Mariana plugin. Woah...I had no idea just how fat that plugin actually is until now....but back to headphones. The deep bass was present and not at all diminished like other headphones I've owned. A big plus here for low end response. The details of additional aftertouch material across many presets were crystal clear indeed. Like headphones of this calibre, information always present, but seldom heard were clear and discernible.

I read a lot of reviews on these headphones before purchase, and came across one that compared them to AKG K702, having mixed with those for probably 15 years, I can say this is very very much not the case. The low end response of the NDH30s is significantly better.

I bought these headphones to compliment a purchase of KH120 II / KH750 DSP setup for a new studio, but perhaps the NDH30 are competent enough, I might not rush to buy them just yet.

NDH30 are very much worth the money, I would be very surprised to hear anyone not happy with them for mixing duties.

For me personally, the Neumann NDH 30 headphones are a game-changer for both production and mixing and mastering. Not only do they look sleek, but they also feel incredibly comfortable during long studio sessions.

The accuracy and clarity they offer make them my go to cans from now on, especially in combination with Sonarworks to flatten out the frequency response for precise audio work.