NAD Viso HP50 review

Feature-packed headphones

  • £229
  • €299
  • $299
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You can attach a cord to either side of the HP50s, and the cables for iPhone are included

MusicRadar Verdict

A comfortable fit, attention to detail and a surprisingly clear sound stage. We suggest you get your hands on some NADs.

Pros

  • +

    Clean, clear mids and highs. Tight bass. Comfortable. Good features.

Cons

  • -

    Price may deter some.

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The HP50 is a surprisingly stylish full-featured over-ear phone that cuts a dash between bulky over-ears and the rising tide of less capable (but more elegant) on-ears. They're well built, very sci-fi and make you feel like a Cyberman with them on.

"The HP50s sound bigger and wider than you might expect."

While it's not in the serious sonic league of anti-social open-backed beauties like the recently reviewed AKG K712 Pro-, the HP50's Room Feel technology clearly do some pretty clever crosstalk trickery and as a result sound bigger and wider than you might expect.

We were delighted by the unhyped and crystal clear sound stage with real pro mid and high clarity and some lovely tight bass. There's not the boom and 'warmth' that typically overpower consumer phones. Instead the sound is powerful but in check and we genuinely notice (and enjoy) new detail in familiar tracks when listening on the HP50 while we happily wear them for hours.

Final attention to detail touches, such as the ability to attach a cord to the left or right side and the inclusion of both (flat profile and tangle- resistant) cords for iPhone (with volume, and mic controls) and straight-up vanilla leads, only serve to hype this further in our affections.

Daniel Griffiths
Daniel Griffiths

Daniel Griffiths is a veteran journalist who has worked on some of the biggest entertainment, tech and home brands in the world. He's interviewed countless big names, and covered countless new releases in the fields of music, videogames, movies, tech, gadgets, home improvement, self build, interiors and garden design. He’s the ex-Editor of Future Music and ex-Group Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Musician, Guitarist, Guitar World, Computer Music and more. He renovates property and writes for MusicRadar.com.