[Arcamera]

Still enjoying mine a lot. I'm surprised this is seen as a 'polarizing' headphone (if such it really be). I don't see how it would be any more polarizing than, say, the HD650. In any event, the tonality and construction and styling work for me (and I like it more than the otherwise good HD650).

 

[thatonenoob]

Yeah. That "200 hours" is a total ballpark. It's more like people saying after that long suddenly something "clicks". Either it's the driver being warmed up or your ears adjusting, I dunno. Just listen to them normally for a little while. If you're liking what you hear, awesome. If not, they won't suddenly blossom into a new headphone that works for ya. No worries either way.

Extremely well put!

 

[Fanny]

Right i think i am all done with listening and reviewing the headphone for myself..... Its a Keeper !

Straight out of the box i think they sound awfull.
Burned in (300+ hours) they sound a little bit better but still not great IMO.

I seen many talk about EQ'ing the Nighthawk and so i tryed that.
Dale's EQ settings for the Nighthawk seem to be pretty known in this thread so i went for that first and slowly adjust to my own sound.

Straight away with Dale's EQ settings they sounded ALOT better, really the difference is HUGE.

This is Dale's EQ settings:



These are my settings after about 2months of listening and tweaking:




Basicly just a little bit different in the 20~500hz region and for the rest pretty much the same.
I reckon i used a little bit more bass and lower mids because i use pretty flat/sterile hardware.
(Simaudio Moon 300D V2 + Lehmann Linear)(Dont know what Dale used)

With EQ i love them so much i am thinking of selling my HD650.

 

[SearchOfSub]

It sounds good but I bet the veil is still there. Pair it up with Moon's Audio V3 silver cable and it's pretty much end game.

 

[Fanny]

It sounds good but I bet the veil is still there. Pair it up with Moon's Audio V3 silver cable and it's pretty much end game.

Is 1 cable really going to make more difference then EQ ?
I tryed slightly more fancier cable's but i dont know if i can hear anything between just good and super mega good. (Interlinks, USB, Power cables... not headphone cables yet)

I know cable's is always a hot topic but dont see me being skeptical as an attack pls.
If a for me normally priced cable upgrade come's along (even if 2nd hand) i would get it just to try.

Wouldnt mind an upgrade anyway to get a cable thats more flexible and is terminated into a 6.3mm plug.
Its hard to get good cable's for headphones here in Holland though, attleast i cant find many.

 

[SearchOfSub]

Is 1 cable really going to make more difference then EQ ?
I tryed slightly more fancier cable's but i dont know if i can hear anything between just good and super mega good. (Interlinks, USB, Power cables... not headphone cables yet)

I know cable's is always a hot topic but dont see me being skeptical as an attack pls.
If a for me normally priced cable upgrade come's along (even if 2nd hand) i would get it just to try.

Wouldnt mind an upgrade anyway to get a cable thats more flexible and is terminated into a 6.3mm plug.
Its hard to get good cable's for headphones here in Holland though, attleast i cant find many.

Well for me, the EQ opened up the stage and gave better seperation/imaging. The v3 silver will lift the veil and give better bass and allow much more details. The v3 is highest grade of silver available so I'm not sure if the other cables will make difference as much as V3. Depends on quality of cable I guess.

 

[Fanny]

Well for me, the EQ opened up the stage and gave better seperation/imaging. The v3 silver will lift the veil and give better bass and allow much more details. The v3 is highest grade of silver available so I'm not sure if the other cables will make difference as much as V3. Depends on quality of cable I guess.

325$ for that cable is half the price of the headphone itself.

Here is hoping i can find one 2nd hand for a normal price.
Dont think i would ever spend more then 150$ on a headphone cable.

Btw, i dont notice a veil at all, sound pretty airy, Light and open to me after EQ.

 

[SearchOfSub]

325$ for that cable is half the price of the headphone itself.

Here is hoping i can find one 2nd hand for a normal price.
Dont think i would ever spend more then 150$ on a headphone cable.

Btw, i dont notice a veil at all, sound pretty airy, Light and open to me after EQ.

It's your headphone and your sound. For me the V3 was worth it on the Nighthawks.

 

[kman1211]

Well for me, the EQ opened up the stage and gave better seperation/imaging. The v3 silver will lift the veil and give better bass and allow much more details. The v3 is highest grade of silver available so I'm not sure if the other cables will make difference as much as V3. Depends on quality of cable I guess.

I am planning on getting a new cable for the Nighthawk and my HD 600 sometime. May just end up getting the same cable for both. I already have a nice cable for the DT 1770 and Q701. I agree with you on cables, I've listened to enough to know they make a difference, sometimes rather stunning differences. Putting a $80 power cable on my Sony UDA-1 amp/dac made a big difference, it was not even close to subtle.

 

[shootthemoon18]

So i got the nighhawks recently and i'm trying to find a good source for it. I just got a Chord Mojo and i find the pairing a big step from HO of Iphone 6s but i can clearly hear the hawks deserve more. More of what i'm not sure (power? transparency?). What i'm hearing is lack of dynamics. I think the mojo is powering it okay but not great. For example, I have a Sony MDR100AP as well and it portrays better dynamics and bass control when driven by Mojo.

Does anyone have any suggestion for an upgrade amp wise?

 

[DanDorn]

IMHO, as a former NH owner (sold them just this weekend), maybe power isn't the issue. I own both the Chord Mojo and its higher-end sibling, the Chord Hugo. The Hugo was a somewhat better match for the NHs because of its higher resolution, which helped to brighten the NHs dark sound signature. That said, The Mojo, while tonally different, is a little power house that can drive much needier headphones the the NHs. What I discovered with the NHs is that their tonality changes only minimally when paired with one amp/source vs another. There's a reason these headphones are polarizing. They have a sound signature that people hate or love. 

 

[shootthemoon18]

  IMHO, as a former NH owner (sold them just this weekend), maybe power isn't the issue. I own both the Chord Mojo and its higher-end sibling, the Chord Hugo. The Hugo was a somewhat better match for the NHs because of its higher resolution, which helped to brighten the NHs dark sound signature. That said, The Mojo, while tonally different, is a little power house that can drive much needier headphones the the NHs. What I discovered with the NHs is that their tonality changes only minimally when paired with one amp/source vs another. There's a reason these headphones are polarizing. They have a sound signature that people hate or love. 

 
Thanks for your input. That's helpful to know. I love the NH signature. I just wish the bass could tighten up more. 

 

[thatonenoob]

   
Thanks for your input. That's helpful to know. I love the NH signature. I just wish the bass could tighten up more. 

I used it from my iFi Micro iCan, which was a pretty good sound if you ask me.  

 

[adpo]

   
Thanks for your input. That's helpful to know. I love the NH signature. I just wish the bass could tighten up more. 

I added extra damping behind the drivers, this seems to have fixed that for me.

 

[Arcamera]

Much as I love the Nighthawk, I'm keen to hear the Focal Elear. The Elear is priced a little higher, so I would expect it to outperform the NH, but I wonder if they are both playing in the same ballpark? That is, with a similar sonic signature/similar virtues? Can anyone here comment on a comparison between the two?
 
I'm very content with the Nighthawk, but I've also enjoyed Focal's products for a long time, and would love to grab a pair when funds permit. Or at least get a chance to listen to them.