Bloggers need gear. But are RODE headphones the best choice?

As a well-established manufacturer of microphones and podcasting equipment, RODE has built a strong reputation. It was therefore only natural that they would also want to become active in the headphone market. Since they prefer to develop their products entirely in-house, unfortunately they did not pursue the project together with us.

This decision cost RODE both time and effort. When they finally entered the market in March 2022, two years later than originally planned, the response was mixed. As can be seen from various reports, they were unable to establish themselves against the dominant players in the market and remained far below RODE’s expectations in terms of sales. The price of 179 euros was actually well positioned, but the subsequent price development clearly shows that sales have not been strong.

In Germany, the NTH-100 is now available from various retailers at prices starting from around 117.81 euros—a slap in the face for those who purchased it at the original price.

ULTRASONE offers an attractive portfolio for these applications with the Signature Series, consisting of the Signature X starting at 99 euros, the PURE White for 189 euros, the FUSION and FUSION Open Back for 399 euros each, and the MASTER MkII for 699 euros, covering a wide price range from 169 to 699 euros.

When comparing prices, it should also be noted that the Signature X allows customers to enter the range at a very affordable price and purchase accessories separately, while the other models include a complete package of accessoriesas standard.

Unlike the RODE model, however, every ULTRASONE headphone can be operated in symmetrical balanced mode, which elevates the sound to an entirely new level. None of the prominent competitors offer this feature as standard.

My opinion on this:

RODE would have done themselves a favor by collaborating with us. Many other manufacturers have done so—or are doing so right now. Our technology is superior, especially in professional applications, and offers invaluable advantages through S-Logic technology: reduced listener fatigue, improved signal transmission, more precise reproduction, and hearing protection.

Professionals should ideally always use better technology than their customers will later use. Otherwise, sooner or later customers will tell the studios that the quality is not good enough.

With ULTRASONE, that won’t happen.