AudioQuest NightHawk Impressions and Discussion Thread
Aug 27, 2016 at 4:57 PM Post #3,406 of 10,189
I'm sorry to hear that you had trouble with two of the Nighthawk cables! We don't know that this cable has been a big issue for AQ as far as having a higher failure rate than any other cable. I have no doubt that it feels like it from a customer's perspective that has had issues with two separate cables themselves. 
 
I would imagine (could be wrong) that the ends are cold-welded on versus soldered, but AudioQuest and other cable companies crimp/cold-weld ends on some of their cables all the time. This was their first headphone cable and it's possible that there have been some issues that they've had to learn from if they're coming out with a new version for their closed back headphone and as a replacement for future NightHawks. Any time I've spoken to anyone at AudioQuest they've been extremely helpful and courteous so I hope that they're able to help you ASAP. I assume that your setup doesn't  put any more stress on the connector/cable than what would be considered normal.
 
Good luck! Please let us know how things work out for you. 
 
Aug 27, 2016 at 5:11 PM Post #3,407 of 10,189
I'm sorry if this has been a documented issue that I was unaware of. The only thing I've seen here is a few having issues with the cable twisting on them, as it is two separate cables running side by side within the weave. 
 
The wire AQ used for this headphone cable is actually of extremely high quality...of course, that doesn't help much if there's an issue with the plugs being terminated at the cables end. I'm certain that AudioQuest felt by making a miniature version of their Castle Rock speaker cable ($1500 per 6-8' pair) for the NightHawks main cable that they would be eliminating their customers desire to upgrade the headphone cable. If this cable has had a high failure rate I have no doubt that AQ will take another look at that way plugs are terminated to the cable and make any improvements needed.   Again, best of luck! 
 
Aug 28, 2016 at 8:21 AM Post #3,408 of 10,189
As Soundizer stated, the issue with the cable is well known by Audioquest. At CanJam London the Audioquest reps stated that they were developing a new cable for the NightOwl, which would also ship with the revised version of the NightQuest, due to the large number and high costs associated with warranty claims on the existing cable, and also the affect on customer satisfaction.
 
Aug 28, 2016 at 9:43 AM Post #3,409 of 10,189
Apart from the connector issues the actual cable itself is brilliant. It is based on an Audioquest Speaker Cable that is reassuringly expensive. Not sure how much you would have to spend on a third party cable that matches it, if it can match. Just an opinion.

I think it is worth chasing Audioquest for the updated cable, be it the second iteration or that which ships with the Nightowls.

Dealers may not have it in stock, so go direct to Audioquest they are very nice people.
 
Aug 28, 2016 at 11:28 AM Post #3,410 of 10,189
I'm sorry to hear that some are experiencing problems with the cable. You can count me in that group unfortunately. I did reach out to AQ via email today and will wait and see what they have to say. In the meantime I remembered that I have a pm-1 cable which was pin compatible. Plugged it in and it sounds great. Very comparable to the stock cable. Plus my oppo cable was balanced which IMO is a plus as the NH seems to benefit with the balanced out on my mjo2. 
 
So for those looking for an alternative the pm-1 cable is VERY well built and shipping now from Oppo's website. 
 
Aug 28, 2016 at 11:41 AM Post #3,411 of 10,189
I'm sorry to hear that some are experiencing problems with the cable. You can count me in that group unfortunately. I did reach out to AQ via email today and will wait and see what they have to say. In the meantime I remembered that I have a pm-1 cable which was pin compatible. Plugged it in and it sounds great. Very comparable to the stock cable. Plus my oppo cable was balanced which IMO is a plus as the NH seems to benefit was the balanced out on my mjo2. 

So for those looking for an alternative the pm-1 is VERY well built and shipping now from Oppo's website. 


I was one of the first to complain about the cables on this thread and I have two Oppo PM-1 cables, one balanced and one 1/4; both are top notch. I use them on my PM-1 AND my Nighthawk.
 
Aug 28, 2016 at 12:13 PM Post #3,412 of 10,189
I had this issue with the first cable that came with my NightHawks. Plug (where it connected to the amp), drop outs and such. AQ quickly (and I do mean quickly) replaced it, and I've had no further issues. Makes me wonder if there is a bad run of cables out there that are failing, and replacements are being made better???
 
Aug 28, 2016 at 1:33 PM Post #3,413 of 10,189
I'm sorry to hear that some are experiencing problems with the cable. You can count me in that group unfortunately. I did reach out to AQ via email today and will wait and see what they have to say. In the meantime I remembered that I have a pm-1 cable which was pin compatible. Plugged it in and it sounds great. Very comparable to the stock cable. Plus my oppo cable was balanced which IMO is a plus as the NH seems to benefit with the balanced out on my mjo2. 

So for those looking for an alternative the pm-1 cable is VERY well built and shipping now from Oppo's website. 


Hi Matt,

May i ask how you connected the cable into your Mojo as Mojo only has standard 3.5mm input?. I also have the Mojo and Nighthawks. Thank you.
 
Aug 29, 2016 at 7:09 AM Post #3,416 of 10,189
Just wanted to share that after I sent in a request about the broken cable yesterday, I had a response from AQ with an offer to replace it. Same day response, AND on Sunday. 
 
Aug 29, 2016 at 7:29 AM Post #3,417 of 10,189
  Just wanted to share that after I sent in a request about the broken cable yesterday, I had a response from AQ with an offer to replace it. Same day response, AND on Sunday. 

 
Good to know, thanks! Do you simply send the bad one in and they ship out a replacement? I'm curious to see what the new Nighthawk cable will be like, I'm hoping they still go with a miniaturized version of one of their better speaker cables.
 
Thanks!
 
Aug 29, 2016 at 9:52 PM Post #3,419 of 10,189
I haven't had any issue either and I've used mine pretty much every day since I finished burning them in, but stuff happens. I'm betting that since the issues I've read about here seem to be at the connection at the amp end where the cable is terminated, they may have had issues with how some of them were cold-welded/crimped. I've never been a fan of crimping on ends alone without flowing solder over the connection as well, but I'm sure that AQ would see that as simply another material that the single would need to pass through. I've yet to try the portable cable but I'm glad they included one. I believe either Wednesday or Thursday of this week I will be receiving a new headphone cable from Audio Art that will hit the market soon. The owner, Rob Fritz has asked me to give it a listen with the NightHawks and get back to him with my findings/opinions. I'm looking forward to hearing how it compares to the AQ cable. 
 
I have always agreed with the AudioQuest cable philosophy:  Cable design is all about damage control. No cable can make your system sound or look better, they can only cause damage to the original signal. AudioQuest's perspective has always been to design cables that DO NO HARM!  (copied from their website)
 
Aug 29, 2016 at 10:12 PM Post #3,420 of 10,189
^^^
 
I think many of the problems with the cable (I had mine replaced recently) stem from the soft, almost flexible connector they use -- not sure there's sufficient robustness/strain relief built into this for the number of push-pull cycles it's likely to see. I wrapped my new one in electrical tape, just in case.
 
best,
 

 

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