Goldring NS 1000

[admin_exported]

Hi, anyone know what the Goldring NS 1000 Headphones are like? I'm thinking of buying a pair to go with my ipod. Any other suggestions would also be welcome, Thanks.

 

[idc]

We have a lovely new headphone sub section to the forum in Hifi.

In any case the Goldrings are comfortable, they leak a little sound, isolate you from sound very well, with and without noise reduction on and their actual sound quality is excellent. They have a neutral sound, so there is roughly an equal emphasis on bass, midrange and treble. They do bass, but only when the original recording does bass. They are not tuned like some headphones to give you deep, but artificiat bass. The sound stage is not bad for a closed back headphone, but the sound tend to remain within your head. Clarity and dynamics are very good, so you get a good rhythm and realism to the sound.

They will not work properly out of an ipod on its own as they are not very sensitive. They need an amplifier. Without you have to max the ipods volume and even they thye sound dull, underpowered and tinny. The FiiO E5 amp at £20 will do a great job. There is also the FiiO E1 and E3 to look at, all are on Amazon. If you get the 3 or 5, you should also get a LOD, which is a line out dock. That is a cable that goes from the ipods dock to a minijack to go into the amp. Such cables are very small and short and can be found for under £5 on ebay.

If you dont want to amp the Goldrings, seriously don't bother getting them

 

[Anonymous]

I've owned the NS1000's for just over a year and derived a lot of pleasure from listening to them both on the move and at home using dedicated headphone amps. I agree with most of idc's positive assessment however I disagree that these need a dedicated amp - an ipod or iphone will power them quite comfortably. As idc comments they are quite well balanced with no particular frequency range emphasis. They have a warm character when compared to some phones (e.g. AKG K701) which are far more analytical/neutral in comparison. Perhaps not surprisingly soundstage and clarity of the NS1000's are inferior in this particular comparison. Having said that there are definitely times when I prefer listening to the NS1000 even at home, as the K701's can be a little too cold/analytical with some kinds of music.

Without noise cancelling switched on the NS1000 sound is simply awful ... bass becomes a lot more prominent undoubtedly but they become echoey and dull with a muffled treble and midrange ... akin to listening through several pairs of thick socks while sitting in a box.

Not that practical either when used with an IPhone as the mobile signal tends to interfere with the noise canceling technology. Other than turning N/C off (and suffering the poor SQ!) or putting IPhone into airline mode haven't found a way to avoid this.

Overall though thoroughly recommend them and cant really go wrong with some of the offers currently available on these phones - absolute steal at £50

 

[idc]

I so disagree about amping. All headphones benefit from an amp and the Goldrings in particular. I also prefer the sound with NR off! I find with NR on the sound thins, becomes too bright and it is as if you have been moved to a seat further away from the music.

 

[Binman]

I have a pair. Some comments below:

When listening to my Ipod Classic, they are very quiet (with no amp), but on my wifes Iphone they are very loud and clear (without amp). When I listen to them on my ipod (with a Fiio E5 amp) they sound much better with the noise reduction on, but when connected to my Rotel RA-02, they sound better with the noise reduction off.

From my understanding, with the Noise Reduction ON, the sensitivity of the 'phones increases, which makes them easier to drive, hence sounding better with it on with the Ipod, I guess with the Rotel amp the sensitivity is less of a issue as the amp has a lot of power.

I got mine for £50 and at that price I think they are great, but I was a little underwhelmed TBH, as after reading a lot of very good reviews, I guess I was expecting more.

 

[idc]

Binman:

.....When listening to my Ipod Classic, they are very quiet (with no amp), but on my wifes Iphone they are very loud and clear (without amp).......

Thanks for that. I have not been able to find out what ipods ouput in terms of their own amps. It would appear that the iphones is higher than the Classic from your experience.

 

[Anonymous]

I concur that an amp usually makes a big difference, and in your case I'd also recommend one.

I wouldn't say it's always necessary though. Some players sound so good without an amp that the choice of getting an amp or not depends more on the headphone you're looking at. An amp also adds to the cost and hassle. With Sony's, Cowon's and Iriver's best offerings I'd only get an amp if the headphone I want requires too much power to be driven without one (always check if your player has enough power to drive your headphone of choice, look at the impedance of the headphone).