[YtseJamer]

@SkylarGray, That'd be great to know when the new "ultrasuede" pads will be available ?

 

[SkylarGray]

  @SkylarGray, That'd be great to know when the new "ultrasuede" pads will be available ?

 
I'm trying to get those out as soon as possible! Ideally before the holidays.
They seem to be preferred by nearly everyone who has tried them internal to AQ and external.

 

[MattTCG]

   
I'm trying to get those out as soon as possible! Ideally before the holidays.
They seem to be preferred by nearly everyone who has tried them internal to AQ and external.

 
Can you share the price point for the new pads?

 

[JezR]

Also the new cable?

 

[SkylarGray]

   
Can you share the price point for the new pads?

Can't publish any pricing yet, but it will be competitive with how other brands price their replacement parts. It won't be crazy.
 

Also the new cable?

Can't say anything about the new cable until Nov 1.

 

[NigelJ]

Personally I am pleased that I just purchased the wood look NightHawks at a good price, as I prefer them to the carbon look. I am not so concerned about the cable as I plan to get a different balanced cable when my extremely long awaited Pulse Infinity is finally delivered; I have to say that the new production splitter is much better than the heat shrink on the prototype cable on the NightOwl at CanJam London 2016, requests for no photos was very understandable.

At CanJam I only tried the two pads on the NightOwl and there tended to prefer the pleather, however not ideal listening conditions. Also the isolation of the NightOwl, whilst better than the NightHawk, was fairly limited and there was still noticeable sound leakage; this was confirmed by the AudioQuest exhibitor. Personally I like the isolation of the NightHawk which reduces external sounds whist still being open.

Currently my new cans are being burned in; hopefully, I will get the chance to properly try them at the weekend.

PS I first tried the NightHawks at CanJam London 2015 but put off purchasing them until I received the Pulse Infinity, planning to try them out with the amp I would be using. Although I am still waiting on the Infinity, I decided to get the NightHawks before the colour change when I saw them at a good price.

 

[RedJohn456]

   
I better jump in and clarify/correct the info given...
 
More info on Nov 1. For now I can say:
 

1. The new Carbon finishes most definitely cost more to produce versus the four clear coats on the current NightHawks. The new finish is an automotive-inspired process that consists of multiple layers of primer, base coats, and clear coats—all automated with a final hand-polish for quality control. We buy the same paint Porsche uses on the Panamera called "Carbon Gray Metallic." It's a near-black shade with a subtle hint of golden warmth.
    
2. We call the new headphones "Carbon" because of the finish, not because of the cable. In our cable lineup, we reserve "Carbon" for digital cables only.
    
3. The earcups are still made the same way from liquid wood. The wood aroma remains.
    
4. NightHawk wood will be discontinued. If you are thinking about buying a NightHawk, I suggest waiting until after our announcements next week.
    
5. NightHawk and NightOwl sound very similar. The goal was for them to be as close as possible. But they are just different enough that I believe it is worth listening to both before deciding if you want one or the other.
    
6. The headphone stand is black so that it will match anything. We might (BIG might) do other colors/finishes in the future.

 
Any sound differences from the wood version? Or same everything minus the cable and earpads. 

 

[inthere]

Case is pretty much closed for me, I'm getting both new headphones

 

[Vigrith]

 
I better jump in and clarify/correct the info given...

 
Skylar! The Porsche carbon finish, wow, it looks beautiful! Had been eagerly awaiting for them to be ready for production ever since we spoke about alternative finishes for the NHs a few months ago. It's funny that you are ended up actually making these in that exact colour, I'm so glad you did as they turned out amazing, I sort of swore to myself I'd not own more than 1 pair of any singular headphone but... Guess I'll start looking for a family member to give my current hawks to haha, or may just keep both for a while and see what happens as the wood finish is being discontinued I may just keep them as a future collector's item.
 
Quick question, do you have any sort of ETA on the headphone stand? I'm definitely getting one of those asap once the local dealer gets ahold of stock.

 

[NigelJ]

I just had another closer look at the photos posted earlier and the new splitter appears to have a control button and what might be a microphone grill in the Y of the splitter. Personally, if this is the case I don't see much utility as I will be using the NightHawk from devices that don't have a mic input; however, for someone using it off a phone it could be useful.

 

[Tagjazz]

Can't wait for some sound comparisons between the two carbon models. I had the Hawks for over a year and thought they were the most musical and engaging headphones that I had experienced. However, with Classical and some Acoustic music I was craving just a little more detail so I got the Ether C. Going back to the Hawks after this was a challenge then as they suddenly sounded a little muddy in the lower frequencies. I sold them thinking that I would get the Elears, but I am really missing them and seriously considering getting the updated model. Tyll mentioned that there was tighter bass and more treble on the Nightowls so would be great to get peoples impressions of the differences, especially in soundstage, which is something I really miss about the Hawks.  Great job yet again Audioquest. I love good quality audio at a reasonable price as things are just getting beyond crazy in this hobby.

 

[nmatheis]

So long as pricing is reasonable, I'll probably be buying new cable, pads, and headphone stand.

Tagjazz: I got to listen to Nightowl at RMAF and left my preliminary impressions in either this thread, the Nightowl thread, or the RMAF thread (I forget which). Search my username + Nightowl and you should find them.

 

[waynes world]

The Nighthawks Carbon do in fact replace the current Nighthawks but are not improved - sound wise. Only the cosmetic colour/finish of the cups has changed. I called Audiosanctury from where these pictures derive and asked them. The current Nighthawks in brown will be discontinued. It is costly to produce them in the wood finish.

The Nighthowls are engineered for closed audio listening and again are not superior to the Nighthawks, just different. Although base is tighter as often is with closed cans.

The above information is what Audiosanctury stated in conversation today.

Another thought - will the new Audioquest Headphone stand match the current Wood finished Nighthawks and the forthcoming Carbon Colour - Nighthawks/Nightowls.

 
Me and my better half hang out in the same room quite often, and I occasionally get abused for music leaking out of the NH's, so I then listen to my closed cans. I'm very happy with the closed cans that I have (yamaha mt220, ultrasone hfi 680 etc), but the thought of a closed version of the NH's is really starting to infiltrate my thoughts!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

The Nighthowls are engineered for closed audio listening and again are not superior to the Nighthawks, just different. Although base is tighter as often is with closed cans.
 

O_o
 
Literally every single headphone known for boomy and bloated, overdone bass is a closed can. The closed structure makes the bass tend to have more bloom because it can't dissipate outward. Where on earth did you ever get the impression that closed cans have tighter bass??

 

[Krutsch]

  O_o
 
Literally every single headphone known for boomy and bloated, overdone bass is a closed can. The closed structure makes the bass tend to have more bloom because it can't dissipate outward. Where on earth did you ever get the impression that closed cans have tighter bass??

 
It can be done... the Sony MDR-Z7 is such an example.