Røde NTH-100M

Recently, Røde surprised us with their debut headphones and the manufacturer from Sydney, Australia, has already introduced an extended version with a microphone boom. This means that the NTH-100 is no longer just for use in the field of audio production and content creation, they are also intended to appeal to gamers in their NTH-100M iteration, and they can also be useful for applications such as video conferencing. We tested how this might work in practice.

Røde NTH-100M – package

In terms of attractive sales packaging, the NTH-100M is in no way inferior to the NTH-100. But I was surprised when I opened the outer box. Underneath is an inner box with the inscription NTH-100 and a sticker on it that says: “Headset Microphone for NTH-100 included”. This makes it immediately clear how these headset headphones are constructed. And indeed, the package is identical to that of the NTH-100 except for two things. In addition to the (microphone-less) headphones, a carrying pouch is included, and here you can also find the 240cm long detachable cable with a 3.5mm jack plug, as well as the enclosed 6.35mm jack adapter. Four pairs of identification rings and a rubber plug that can close off one of the feed sockets on the underside of the ear cups are also included. Additionally, the NTH-Mic clip-on microphone arm is included with this model. So this means we are dealing with a modular system.

Design, material and technology of the Røde NTH-100M

The Røde NTH-100M’s core is the NTH-100 headphones, which have ear-enclosing closed ear cups with partially exposed wiring. Their construction comes without gimmicks. The design has a simple, timeless shape and comes in matt black with glossy black lettering. The headband is made of spring steel, and the exterior is not susceptible to scratches, which makes an impression of robust durability. In my view, the look and feel of these headphones make them a professional tool. The NTH-100M’s 40mm drivers, hand-picked in pairs, house neodymium magnets and phase-plug Mylar diaphragms. These headphones output audio in a wide range from 5 Hz to 35 kHz, capable of reproducing deep sub-basses well into the super high-frequency range. A low output voltage from headphone outputs, as is common with smart devices and laptops, presents no problems for the NTH-100M with an impedance of 33 ohms. They can also effortlessly output at higher volumes. The distortion-free maximum sound pressure of 99.15 dBSPL puts them in the mid-table in terms of volume. Let’s also say a word about the microphone’s technology. A pre-polarised condenser capsule with a flat frequency response that ranges from 20 Hz to 20 kHz operates in the beautifully designed NTH-Mic.

Røde NTH-100M – handling

The jack plug at the connection end of the cable can be securely screwed into the NTH-100M using a bayonet catch. And the boom arm of the NTH-Mic is also attached to the headphones via a bayonet connector. At only five grams, the microphone hardly weighs anything and therefore does not interfere with the comfortable fit of the headphones. Last but not least, the 6.35mm jack adapter has a screw thread and promises increased operational safety. If several headsets are used simultaneously, they can be marked with the enclosed different-coloured identification rings for better differentiation. The pink, green, blue and orange colour rings correspond to the colour scheme of the channels on the Rødecaster Pro and the Røde Connect software. And, of course, the NTH Mic is also compatible with these.

While the NTH-100M’s cable can be attached to either the right or left ear cup, the BTH-Mic can only be attached on the right due to the shape of its horizontally swivelling microphone arm. The NTH-100M’s stepless size adjustment has a FitLok lock that is operated by a twist mechanism. The size adjustment is quite stiff; I needed a hand on each side to adjust it. Accordingly, I could only adjust the headband size gradually on the right and left. This was a little awkward.

In practice, the NTH-100M’s ear-enclosing pads are aimed at those with small to medium-sized ears. The soft and breathable Alcantara of the ear pads ensures high wearing comfort, as does its pleasant contact pressure. Cool-Tech gel in the pads keeps the ears from sweating unpleasantly even when the headphones are used for long periods.

The sound of the Røde NTH-100M

The NTH-100M’s microphone sounds warm and smooth. The position of the swivelling microphone did not affect the sound in our practical test, either in terms of sound or volume. However, the signal it emitted was surprisingly quiet in our test. Since it was also low-noise, the signal could be amplified without any problems. However, this presupposes that the hardware and/or software with which the user is working also offers the possibility to adjust the microphone volume. For me, the microphone was, therefore, not really suitable for use with smartphones. On PCs and podcast systems with separate volume controls for playback and microphone, on the other hand, it performed convincingly.

The NTH 100 can output audio right into the sub-bass. However, the bass range above was somewhat obscured by it. Voices were reproduced with presence and without lisping. The upper mids tended to distort at higher volumes. The treble range gave out some tonal details, and the NTH-100 was no stranger to openness in the upper treble. The sound resolution was sufficiently precise and differentiated for professional content creation. Compared to higher-quality closed headphones, however, the sound was very direct. For critical signal assessment, there are more specialised alternatives on the market. Nevertheless, their sound profile makes these headphones a good all-rounder. And last but not least, with their closed design, they are also well suited for recording and monitoring purposes across Content Creation.