RØDE NTH-100M Over-Ear Headphones
design
It won’t come as a surprise that RØDE have nailed it with the design of the NTH-100, these are possibly the most thoughtful pair of headphones you’ll ever lay hands on. Everywhere you look you find a new little detail that just polishes off the experience that little bit more.
Build quality is super strong across the board, as you’d expect from RØDE gear. The black metal headband frame gives off the distinct impression that this is a grown up pair of headphones. Like most over ear headphones you can adjust the sizing by extending the headstrap, unlike most however the RØDE NTH-100 introduces FitLok, a clever twist locking mechanism to avoid messing up your fit when taking them on and off. Nifty, really nifty and amazing it isn’t more common.
The ear cups are a uniquely triangular shape, because funnily enough that’s the shape of ears, and RØDE seem to be one of the first brands to realise that. This means they offer a particularly comfortable fit with no need for shuffling about to find the sweet spot. They’re not overbearingly large and the Ø logo and signature gold dot on the side are a nice touch of branding, you can be proud of using RØDE gear after all.
The NTH-100 ear cup cushions are made of CoolTech gel coated in Alcantara flocked fabric and the experience is frankly magical. The pads are super soft and comfortable and do actually have a pleasant cold sensation against your head when you first put them on. While that does fade pretty quickly, they don’t heat up much over time so are perfect for long streams or recording sessions. My only complaint is the same gel isn’t also in the padding of the head strap, but you can’t have everything I guess.
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There’s a few really thoughtful design touches on the RØDE NTH-100 headphones that highlight the R&D time that went into their creation. These are little things that make a difference day to day, like the tiny bit of cable trim being red on the right ear cup and black on the left. There’s big, bold L and R letters printed inside the earcups, easily visible at a glance, but run your fingers along the top of each ear cup to discover L and R represented in braille too. It’s a tiny but impactful choice when it comes to inclusivity and one I really applaud.
The aux cable can be connected to either ear cup, whatever works best for your setup, and it features a built-in locking mechanism to stop the 3.5mm connector being accidentally yanked out. A shoutout for the quality of the included cable too, it feels incredibly premium. The soft-touch rubberised cable seems almost resistant to tangling, which is handy given it’s a very generous 2.4 metres long.
performance
I’m not a music producer and I’ve never set foot in a professional studio, so I can’t tell you how the RØDE NTH-100 headphones perform in that situation. What I can tell you confidently however, is that as a pair of headphones they sound phenomenal.
Listening to music with the NTH-100 headphones was a pleasure and they delivered a vibrant and detailed overall sound. No matter the track, each element of the song was clearly defined and played its role in the overall piece. The left and right channels were strongly independent which made it feel a surprisingly immersive experience.
The RØDE NTH-100 also performed brilliantly as headphones for watching movies and TV shows. Like with the musical experience, the NTH-100 seemed to have infinite room for individual elements to stand out. They delivered an incredibly immersive soundscape while watching The Expanse on Prime Video, with every little background detail as clear as the dialogue which felt nicely separated from background music or dominant sound effects like explosions or gunfire.
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Anyone looking for the best headphones for streaming or podcasting will struggle to look past the RØDE NTH-100. They deliver deep, clear vocals with tremendous clarity and a really neutral overall tone that. This combined with how comfortable they are to wear for extended periods make them a great choice for Twitch streams spanning multiple hours.
It’s far from their intended use but the NTH-100 are also a great mid-range pick for gaming headphones too. The fiercely independent left and right channels make tracking footsteps surprisingly immersive, though there’s nothing like Dolby Atmos or spatial audio at play here. The clear definition between different elements of the soundscape was also really evident here, with each sound clearly lifted away from each other and not falling into one muddy pool of noise.
summed up
The NTH-100 over-ear headphones have been a long time coming from RØDE but they are more than worth the wait. Pitched as a professional option, they deliver results worthy of that tag and yet they’ll find they’ll find an excellent spot in most homes too.
Loaded with clever quality of life touches, they’re some of the best headphones for creators you’ll find and bring the added value of being an excellent day to day headphone option as well. The £149 RRP is comfortably mid range and the results outperform most of the competition at this price point.
