[nmatheis]

Agree waynes world. Money is better spent elsewhere

 

[jude]

 

Fwiw, Jude seems to imply that they are pretty much the same beasts.

Jude never seems to say anything bad about anything, in fairness. Any statement he gives is more of a promo blurb than an honest appraisal. No offense to the man. 

 
In response to this, here's a portion of a post I made in the past. (The whole post can be read by clicking here.)
 

 
These comments assume that the headphones I discuss in the videos or forums represent every headphone I come across. As anyone who's visited my office can confirm, more headphones and other audio gear come through here than I could ever cover in the videos, or post about on the forums--far more. Different things motivate different people; but what motivates me to step in front of the camera (and/or to hammer out text) more than anything is sharing my feelings about (and experiences with) products I think sound good, products that excite me.
 
Like I've said before, at any given time--and even more so in the weeks before we update the gift guide--it looks like the 4th floor of Yodobashi Akiba blew up in here, and most of it is gear I'll probably never utter a word about (on posts or video)...

 
Again, the post can be read in its entirety by clicking here.
 

---

Quote:

 

  That's what I'm worried about too, it not really being the same thing. I actually was really disappointed with the K7XX, the K712 was built much better and sounded notably better to my ears. 

I'll agree with most that the 650 shouldn't retail at $499 these days, but I do not believe by any stretch that MassDrop can make a run of them for $200 that will be built as well or sound as good as the originals.
 
My prediction is they'll have the same frequency curve, similar acoustics, but won't sound as clean and the build will seem flimsy by comparison. They'll be damn good for $200, but won't at all replace the originals.

 
If you still don't believe what I say, that's fine. Perhaps you'll trust what I've measured. Here are some measurements of the two headphones in question (click on the measurements below to see larger versions):
 

NOTE: The measurements above reflect diffuse field correction.
 

 
They do sound the same, and those measurements certainly support that.
 
They feel the same, too. However, I'd say the HD 650's paint might appear fancier to some, as it has a glittery metallic look to it, whereas the HD 6XX's finish is matte. The grill bezel on the HD 650 is glossy, the HD 6XX's grill bezel is matte.
 
Outside of those differences, the headphones feel the same and sound the same. Both are also made in the same factory in Tullamore, Ireland.

 ​

Audio measurements were made using:

1. Audio Precision APx555 audio analyzer
2. G.R.A.S. 45BB-12 KEMAR with anthropometric pinna and low-noise ear simulators
3. Rupert Neve Designs RNHP headphone amplifier
4. Herzan acoustic enclosure (custom)

 

---

 
Now, I know this thread is about the AudioQuest NightHawk, so I apologize for going off-topic. I did want to respond to that post, however.

 

[x RELIC x]

That's a lot of 6xx info in the Nighthawk thread. :wink_face:

Thanks for sharing Jude.

Lol! That may be true. But in that video he sure seemed to go out of the way to imply that they are pretty much the same thing.

Anyway, I've never felt that I need "better" cans than the Nighthawks, so I'd be better off putting that $199 towards a higher end desktop dac/amp, such as the Jot etc. 

I think this would be a wise idea if you already love the Nighthawk. Believe me, I'm already finding they are capable of showing you the quality of upstream gear, even though their sound signature is somewhat different from most people's 'neutral'.

I'm glad I picked these up. I always dismissed them for whatever reason (yet interested at the same time). Price, company, I dunno. For the current sale price these were a no brainer.

 

[bavinck]

Thanks for sharing? Geez, I think the Nighthawk thread could have been better without that long sidebar. Come on guys, deal with personal differences over pm and leave this thread to nighthawk related stuff (I am talking to everyone here, not just jude)

 

[jude]

Thanks for sharing? Geez, I think the Nighthawk thread could have been better without that long sidebar. Come on guys, deal with personal differences over pm and leave this thread to nighthawk related stuff (I am talking to everyone here, not just jude)

 
Again, I'm sorry about that--as a forum admin, I'm usually very careful about staying on topic. I felt it fair to respond, though, given what was said.
 
Now, back on topic, everyone.

 

[SearchOfSub]

Again, I'm sorry about that--as a forum admin, I'm usually very careful about staying on topic. I felt it fair to respond, though, given what was said.

Now, back on topic, everyone.

Jude, one last thing. Your profile cartoon looks exactly like you in real life. Happy listening Jude!

 

[kman1211]

   

Thanks for the information. That's good to hear they are the same thing, so basically a re-skinned HD 650 with a portable cable then. Definitely worth the price then. Glad this isn't another K7XX. 

 

[nmatheis]

I'm sure glad I subbed in the HD6XX thread. Oh, wait a minute...

 

[YtseJamer]

The NightHawk are now one of my favorite pair of headphones ever!
 
At the beginning, I thought the mids were too recessed but now that they've been burned in for a couple of weeks, the overall frequency response has flattened out a bit.  The mids are now properly fleshed out and the tonality is spot-on.  The bass is tight and deep and in my opinion this is the perfect amount of bass for a pair of headphones.  Treble is non-fatiguing, well extended and very detailed.  The soundstage is wider than I expected from semi-open cans and the imaging is really impressive.
 
Overall, I'm super happy with the Hawks and I don't see myself buying another pair of headphones anytime soon.

 

[inthere]

Overall, I'm super happy with the Hawks and I don't see myself buying another pair of headphones anytime soon.

I thought the same but then got engulfed by the hype surrounding the Focal Utiopia, the Ether Flow, and the AKG K872. The Nighthawk is still my favourite headphone, but now my wallet is empty.


Stay away from Head Fi!

 

[YtseJamer]

I thought the same but then got engulfed by the hype surrounding the Focal Utiopia, the Ether Flow, and the AKG K872. The Nighthawk is still my favourite headphone, but now my wallet is empty.


Stay away from Head Fi!

 
lol
 
Knowing me I will probably buy the HD6XX because of the crazy deal but I'm not interested to hear the new overhyped/overpriced headphones.  Been there, done that and now my wallet is happy.

 

[SearchOfSub]

It's like a habbit. You read people saying it's so good. Then you think about a particular sound or relate to a track that gave you some sort of an emotional connection to the music with headphone A. Then you start to imagine you will get a sound that will be x1000 times better of that particular sound. It's barely the case. Difference is NOT worth $500-$2000 more.

 

[waynes world]

Agree @waynes world. Money is better spent elsewhere

 
Yup. The Nightowls are also calling my name.
 

I thought the same but then got engulfed by the hype surrounding the Focal Utiopia, the Ether Flow, and the AKG K872. The Nighthawk is still my favourite headphone, but now my wallet is empty.

Stay away from Head Fi!

 
Thanks for your sacrifices! (I've learned a lot from them)

 

[Bern2]

 
 
Anyway, I've never felt that I need "better" cans than the Nighthawks, so I'd be better off putting that $199 towards a higher end desktop dac/amp, such as the Jot etc. 

 
Actually thought about your statement....got out the Hawks...HD800...and the HD600.....listened and agree with how you feel.  Not a slam for those wanting to get the Massdrop deal.....for me the 200 will be spent better elsewhere.  Maybe towards the Nightowl perhaps.
 
Bern

 

[punkmanmatthew]

I was thinking about buying some of these. I see they are on amazon right now for $348.
 
Are they worth this? I also don't really want to buy an amp/dac again which I've bought and sold before.
 
Are they good enough out of an iphone 6s plus?
 
Thanks