Founded in 1972, NAD (originally an acronym for New Acoustic Dimension) is a group of audio industry veterans driven by passion for great sound and by the desire to cut through the marketing hype and overelaboration that had become pervasive in the audio industry, as described on their official website.

One of their latest products are a futuristic-looking over-ear headphones called Viso HP50. Their target is the audiophile with a limited budget but virtually unlimited expectations for sound and build quality. It’s the same customer who might be tempted to purchase the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 or other similar upper-mid-range headphones. But now, with the NAD Viso HP50 Over-Ear Headphones, there’s a good reason to consider going with a lesser-known brand.

Build and Design

The HP 50 are available in black, red, and white. With each color variation, what changes is the plastic housing—the rest of the headphones, including the comfortable memory foam headband and earpads, stays the same. In our opinion, the white version is the most striking out of the three, simply because of its futuristic elegance and minimalistic, clean appearance.

The ample padding ensures long-term comfort, and the fairly lightweight construction (8.0 ounces or 226 grams) won’t make your neck sore after a few hours of continuous listening. The sturdy hinges allow the earcups to swivel in all directions, making it easy to find the right fit and achieve that blissful state when you forget that you are wearing a pair of headphones in the first place.

Sound Quality

Driven with 40mm drivers, NAD engineered the Viso HP50 Over-Ear Headphones for the audiophile market. More specifically, for audiophiles who don’t have the luxury of having their own, noise-isolated listening room where they could listen using open-back headphones without being disturbed by others or without disturbing others.

But despite their closed-back construction, the Viso HP50 feel spacious, natural, and well-balanced across the entire sound spectrum. They isolate ambient noise so well that we can even imagine taking them with us on a train or plane.

What’s in the Box?

The NAD Viso HP50 Over-Ear Headphones come with a high-quality carrying case with a room for a small pouch designed to house the two removable cables that the headphones come with. One cable has an in-line 3-button multi-click remote optimized for Apple devices. It should work fine with Android smartphones and tablets, but there’s no guarantee that it actually will.