[Bvachon29]

Hey all,

Looking for some advice. My buddy is letting me pick up his Nighthawks at too good of a price to pass up. They'll be my first upgrade in headphones since my HD598's. I'm just running an Audioquest Dragonfly V1.2 as my DAC.

I've heard mixed reviews on the Nighthawks but I'm getting them cheap enough just to try. But is the Dragonfly going to be enough? They have a pretty low impedance, 25 ohm if I remember. Any suggestions on what to run or what has sounded good on these?

Thanks in advance

 

[Bvachon29]

Anything?

If in the wrong section please let me know.

 

[LaCuffia]

I am testing out the NH now and the O2 amp from JDS labs seems to pair well. The O2 is transparent with low output impendance. I am using it through a phono preamp hooked up to my turntable.

I too have the HD598. The NH make the 598 sound like a transistor radio. Granted it's not a fair fight considering the price differential and because the 598 is completely open but it's definitely a big difference.

 

[Bvachon29]

Thanks for the response. I was actually looking at that same amp for the reasons you stated. I'm glad you're pleased with the results.

As for how they compare to the HD598's I'm kind of happy to hear that as well. These are going to be my first big boy "audiophile" headphones so I kind of want them to blow the 598's away as much as I like those. Picking them up on Satuday so I can't wait!

 

[LaCuffia]

Same here although I had the Philips X2 for a few weeks. Good sound but poor quality control as others have noted on this forum.

Just a heads up that the NH seem to require a long auditioning period. They are rather lush and heavy sounding on first listen. It's totally unique from other headphones according to the audiophiles. I am liking the sound more and more and I probably only have about ten hours on them. I honestly don't understand the concept of burn in but the NH supposedly benefit substantially from a burn in period.

The points that are undeniable from the first minute though is the comfort and beautiful construction.

 

[Bvachon29]

Good to know. I've been checking out Massdrop for amps and dacs but it usually seems like not much info is out there for the stuff they drop.

 

[thejammonster]

They really don't need much power but would benefit from a clear-sounding DAC. I had them with the JDS Labs O2+ODAC and it worked well. The darker sound of the AQNH paired well with the dry, neutral sound of the O2.

 

[inthere]

Portable: Cayin C5
 
Desktop: I have Schiit Magni 2 Uber and Objective 2, both work great with NH but if I had to choose between the 2 I'd take the Magni because better build quality.and it's usually cheaper.
 
My O2 had battery problems where the internal battery quit on me twice but no biggie because it's not really a portable amp anyway; plugged in it sounds great
 
The Aune T1 mk2 sounds better and cleaner than both of them; it's also a DAC/amp, price is in the same range and it can be even cheaper than the Magni and the O2

 

[Bvachon29]

Well I finally picked up the Nighthawks from my buddy and my initial impressions are pretty positive. I don't think he used them much because they still smell new. I've just been using them off of my Denon AVR but will give them a go on my computer and Dragonfly shortly. 
 
I think I'm on the hunt for the JDS dac just hoping they go on sale sometime soon. Thanks for all the help to those who contributed!
 
And a quick pic for fun!

 

[inthere]

  Well I finally picked up the Nighthawks from my buddy and my initial impressions are pretty positive. I don't think he used them much because they still smell new. I've just been using them off of my Denon AVR but will give them a go on my computer and Dragonfly shortly. 
 
I think I'm on the hunt for the JDS dac just hoping they go on sale sometime soon. Thanks for all the help to those who contributed!
 
And a quick pic for fun!

Nice!

 

[FastAndClean]

Audioquest Dragonfly V1.2 is more than enough to drive them well

 

[12many]

Worth owning for the name alone. - Nighthawk