RØDE’s NTH-50 headphones are $100, but sound like twice the price£99, rode.com
In 2022, RØDE debuted the NTH-100, an incredible pair of over-ear headphones with a $150 price tag, and which we scored a 10/10 in our review. Now, the brand’s brought another model to the series: the NTH-50.
Designed for “DJs, sound engineers and content creators” according to RØDE, the NTH-50s cover a lot of ground, and at around $100, they’re certainly at the more affordable end of the pro headphone market. RØDE generously offers a lifetime guarantee, and both the earpads and headband are user-replaceable meaning that any running repairs down the line should be cheaper than wholesale replacement of the headphones.

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The NTH-50 comes with a semi-coiled 1.7m cable that allows you leeway to move around a little during use and generally lowers the risk of straining or jerking the connection. At 220g, the lightweight headphones are constructed in various plastics and aluminium, but still feel pretty solid. Unusually, the headband is actually static while the cups can be moved up and down using a stepped system.
It’s easy enough to find the correct fit, though the on-ear design is going to divide opinion among some people — some can find them less comfortable to wear over long sessions than over-ear models, putting pressure on the ears. The counterargument is that they are generally smaller and lighter, which may be important to you. The fit here is snug, and the headphones don’t move around or slip even while you’re nodding along to music, but the pressure on the outer part of your ears can indeed become apparent over longer sessions.
This is by and large a characteristic of on-ear models and not unique to these headphones, but it’s worth bearing in mind if your ears are prone to becoming sore or overheating when wearing headphones for several hours. This model doesn’t fold down for transport, unfortunately, though they do come with a carrying bag.
Image: Press
Speaking of sound, the headphones use 40mm dynamic drivers with an impressive frequency response of 5 Hz – 35 kHz and a low impedance of 32 Ohms. This moderate power requirement makes them usable with a wide range of sources from smartphones and laptops to DJ mixers and beyond. A maximum SPL of 124 dB means they can handle plenty of volume. RØDE says it uses a “revolutionary” resonant chamber that helps the headphones achieve deep bass while maintaining midrange and treble clarity. That bottom figure of 5Hz is outside the scope of human hearing which generally stops around 20Hz but it’s good to know that you are not being denied those particularly low frequencies in the playback.
In use, the NTH-50s sound impressive, especially considering their compact size compared to over-ear models like the Audio Technica ATH-M40x or the Beyerdynamic DT770s. The compact nature of the cups combined with the on-ear design does affect the character of the playback a little in a way that isn’t apparent with, say, a pair of open-backed over-ears, although that’s fundamentally a different kind of design and less useful for tracking, for example. It’s not the case that they colour the sound in a significant way, just that a larger model would sound more open.
Low end is rich but not boomy; those resonant chambers are evidently doing their job in allowing the drivers to move enough air. Meanwhile, the mids and top end are crisp, detailed and well-defined, never jumping out or sounding unduly harsh or over-emphasised. Like all quality headphones, they show up the variations between different productions (rather than smoothing tracks together sonically), so things like limiting, stereo width and EQ are apparent where they have been handled differently on different tracks.
To name just a few of the tracks auditioned, Nils Frahm’s Spells buzzes and bleeps with visceral live energy, Leftfield’s Dusted sounds positively massive, digital bass thundering along, while a selection of jazz recordings reveals the cans to be equally adept with acoustic material. The design is closed back, which means you won’t get sound leakage at reasonable volume levels – this is crucial for recording during monitoring without bleed-through. At higher levels, some sound will be audible in the room, though we are really talking about volumes higher than most people would be using when recording anything through a microphone.
Image: Press
Many headphones are described by their designers as ‘ideal’ for a wide range of tasks, but it’s sometimes true and sometimes not. In the case of the NTH-50s, though, I’d say it largely is. They’re fun and punchy for DJs, pleasurable for general listening, podcasting or movie work and suitably accurate for monitoring, arranging and mixing. Are you going to entrust your final mixes and masters to a £100 pair of headphones? Well, maybe not without checking them on some other systems too. As good as they are, you will want to test any potential mixes on a decent pair of speakers and ideally a good pair of open headphones too, to judge the soundstage in a way that’s harder to do accurately on compact cans.
You can’t overlook the price point either, especially given that they come with a lifetime guarantee and that the earpads and headband are user-replaceable. The more accomplished NTH-100s are available with a street price just slightly higher at $115, though they are larger and don’t come with a coiled cable. Both headphone sets can be transformed into a headset with the optional NTH-Mic module (around £50).
The NTH-50s are excellent value, suitable for a wide range of pro audio as well as leisure listening tasks and sound better than their size or price would suggest. The only minor quibbles are potential comfort issues when wearing for long periods, but this can vary from person to person. And, the smaller on-ear design doesn’t offer as wide and neutral a soundstage as a pair of open backs.
For many producers, though, the NTH-50s punch above their weight and whether you’re a DJ, you’re tracking audio, or even just listening on your commute, they will more than pay you back for your modest investment.
Image: Press
Key features

Closed-back, on-ear design
40mm dynamic drivers
32 Ohms impedance
3.5mm wired connection with 1.7m cable
Frequency response of 5 Hz – 35 kHz
Special resonant chamber
Locking plug
6.3mm adaptor, carry case
User-replaceable parts
Lifetime guarantee
220g weight

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