[Loquah]

  The mod reduced the hum, but it's still audible through the Nighthawks. 

 
Great. Thanks - you've saved me the time and effort of adding the resistors given how little I currently use my SEX (which is a shame because it's an awesome amp!!!)

 

[audiofrk]

Here is my take on the Nighthawk. Quick version: The recessed mids and over emphasized bass make them almost unlistenable  - they sound like somebody put a wool blanket over everything. This together with the semi-closed nature of the headphones lead to a cramped/dark tonality with a lot of oomph. So why am i keeping them? First, they are supremely comfortable - the new suspension mechanism is a fantastic innovation. In fact they are the most comfortable HP in their weight class and even more comfortable than a lot of HPs weighing a lot less. Second,  i suspect that the driver - without any proof -  is OEMed by Fostex and is identical/nearly identical to the TH600, TH-X00, Teac etc.This means low-distortion (see innerfidelities measurements), great sub-bass extention (negliable less than the fostex cans due less pressure from the suspension mechanism for sealing the ears) and possibility for insane SPL levels. This makes them very good for equalisation. And low-and-behold once you raise the presence range to more conventional (HK curve or Sennheisers House Curve) levels and reduce the bass a little - they sound great. They are still semi-closed, so a little (10%) crossfeed takes the edge of studio recordings where instruments are placed in exactly one channel. One could also equalise the Fostex Family of HP but i found the Audioquest much more comfortable to wear. I have measures a number of rooms (including the AIX studios) with the realiser A8. This allows me to compare tonality of a virtualised room with the pure headphone sound, both over headphones. I find that the classical tunings (HK, Senn) sound much more than real loudspeakers (decent ones) in real rooms than audioquests nighthawk. This was consistent over a number of PRIRs i testet. On a plus side they make music from the 70s and also some of the dreaded 80s CDs listenable without any fatigue.

Bottom line - the bad:
very dark, bass heavy headphones with extremely recessed mids (to much for almost any taste i would dare to say),

Bottom line - the good:
supremely comfortable with innovative suspension mechanism,
low distortion, good sub-bass ->  very good for equalizing

I kept them, because after equalization they are fantastic, comfortable headphones and i prefer them to the Fostex TH-XXX (which are likely based on the same driver). For people who do not want to equalize i would say AVOID, except if you want to posess a real differently tuned headphone that gives you that muffled, small jazz club from the 60s kind of sound.

Curious what was your upstream gear? And wjT music did you use?

 

[dmhenley]

   
Great. Thanks - you've saved me the time and effort of adding the resistors given how little I currently use my SEX (which is a shame because it's an awesome amp!!!)

Yep
Though, there's the last mod he did to reduce the hum. Adding the chokes. I haven't done it, but may be worth a look.
http://bottlehead.com/smf/index.php?topic=6924.15

 

[Loquah]

  Yep
Though, there's the last mod he did to reduce the hum. Adding the chokes. I haven't done it, but may be worth a look.
http://bottlehead.com/smf/index.php?topic=6924.15

 
Nah, as much as I love the SEX I don't think it will ever compete with the Mainline and installing chokes is a bigger hassle than I can be bothered with at the moment. I might finally pull the trigger on selling it, but that's always tough when there's so much of your own heart and soul in an amp.
 
Thanks for the link though - I appreciate the thought!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Wondering if I'm the only one whose entire lineup of audio products changed after getting these. XD
 
Previously, I was moving away from "warm" audio. My over-ears were the K712, I had Shure SE846 but I modded them to remove bass. My desktop speakers were some Bose C20s.
 
Fast forward to now and I've got the Hawks. Nuforce ne800ms for IEMs, Momentum bluetooth, and a set of desktop speakers with a sub again. I'm back to enjoying audio.

 

[Krutsch]

  Wondering if I'm the only one whose entire lineup of audio products changed after getting these. XD
 
Previously, I was moving away from "warm" audio. My over-ears were the K712, I had Shure SE846 but I modded them to remove bass. My desktop speakers were some Bose C20s.
 
Fast forward to now and I've got the Hawks. Nuforce ne800ms for IEMs, Momentum bluetooth, and a set of desktop speakers with a sub again. I'm back to enjoying audio.

 
Not entire line-up, but I have been favoring the SS amp I purchased to go with the NHs, which have become my daily driver 'phones. After purchasing the Lehmann Rhinelander, I decided to add a preamp (NAD C 162 from eBay) to use the Tape Out ports for easy switching between sources and head amps.
 
I am blown away by the pairing of the Lehmann and the NighHawks - very clean, detailed, speaker-like sound - especially with my current digital playback chain.
 
That said, when I am in the mood for vinyl, I do switch back to the OTL tube amp and HD-650s - just seems to be more pleasing with older records on the 'table.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Man, Skylar. If you guys made computer speakers...

 

[CZinATL]

I've heard that Audioquest is working on velour earpads for the Nighthawks. Anyone have info on this?

 

[inthere]

  I've heard that Audioquest is working on velour earpads for the Nighthawks. Anyone have info on this?

Where did you hear this?

 

[SkylarGray]

  I've heard that Audioquest is working on velour earpads for the Nighthawks. Anyone have info on this?

We are working on 2 types of alternative earpads that will be available soon. One of these is our take on velour, but we're actually using a microsuede that we think is much more comfortable, durable, and overall higher quality. The effect is the same...better ventilation and controlled leakage for about 1–2dB less bass.
 
The other earpad type is what we call a "boost" pad. Take a look at your stock pads. Notice that the inner ring is a microfiber material. This is used to help control reflections in the presence region. Our "boost" pads replace this inner ring with the same protein leather as the rest of the pad. The result is about 1–2dB boost in presence. It's very subtle, but we have found some of our testers prefer it to the stock pads.
 
So by the fall, we will have our microsuede and boost pads available. We'll send out an email to our warranty registrants and mailing list subscribers when the time comes. And I can announce here as well if that is helpful and acceptable.

 

[nicdub]

We are working on 2 types of alternative earpads that will be available soon. One of these is our take on velour, but we're actually using a microsuede that we think is much more comfortable, durable, and overall higher quality. The effect is the same...better ventilation and controlled leakage for about 1–2dB less bass.

The other earpad type is what we call a "boost" pad. Take a look at your stock pads. Notice that the inner ring is a microfiber material. This is used to help control reflections in the presence region. Our "boost" pads replace this inner ring with the same protein leather as the rest of the pad. The result is about 1–2dB boost in presence. It's very subtle, but we have found some of our testers prefer it to the stock pads.

So by the fall, we will have our microsuede and boost pads available. We'll send out an email to our warranty registrants and mailing list subscribers when the time comes. And I can announce here as well if that is helpful and acceptable.

Very exciting! Thanks for the knowledge!

 

[Hapster]

We are working on 2 types of alternative earpads that will be available soon. One of these is our take on velour, but we're actually using a microsuede that we think is much more comfortable, durable, and overall higher quality. The effect is the same...better ventilation and controlled leakage for about 1–2dB less bass.

The other earpad type is what we call a "boost" pad. Take a look at your stock pads. Notice that the inner ring is a microfiber material. This is used to help control reflections in the presence region. Our "boost" pads replace this inner ring with the same protein leather as the rest of the pad. The result is about 1–2dB boost in presence. It's very subtle, but we have found some of our testers prefer it to the stock pads.

So by the fall, we will have our microsuede and boost pads available. We'll send out an email to our warranty registrants and mailing list subscribers when the time comes. And I can announce here as well if that is helpful and acceptable.

What exactly is "presence", loudness?

 

[SkylarGray]

What exactly is "presence", loudness?

In audio, "presence" is a frequency range within the treble region. There will always be some variation in everyone's definition of where exactly this presence range lies.
 
But loosely speaking, it's about 2kHz to 8kHz. Again, some might say the presence region is lower or higher or broader or narrower. But that's my general definition.

 

[SearchOfSub]

I think for my taste, the treble is fine with the NH as it is but i think with the new velour pads which will reduce the bass 1-2 dB as Skylar said, the treble will be emphasized a bit more making it perfect. Definable picking it up when it comes out.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  In audio, "presence" is a frequency range within the treble region. There will always be some variation in everyone's definition of where exactly this presence range lies.
 
But loosely speaking, it's about 2kHz to 8kHz. Again, some might say the presence region is lower or higher or broader or narrower. But that's my general definition.

 
Well great, now I gotta buy all of the pads to see which I like best. XD