[SomeGuyDude]

My 7 year old niece really likes the smell of the Nighthawks Wood Lacquer.

I told her the smell will eventually disappear over time and she replied "you can buy some new Nighthawks when that happens and return these?"

 
Well it's a wrap. Best headphones ever folks. 

 

[misteral201103]

Hi all,
 
Good to see I'm not the only one in love with these cans - bought them as an alternative to my ATH M50X and I'm afraid the poor Audio Technicas have not had much use ever since!
Wondering if any of you have some words of advice for me. I usually use the NHs mobile, with a Fiio X5 as source running through a Cayin C5 portable amp. Very nice, very happy.
Out of interest, however, I've ordered a Little Dot Mk3 in the hopes of even greater listening pleasure at home. This will be my first tube amp.
I know the amp needs to be burned in (between 20 and 300 hours!!!) and I know that since the NHs are already quite warm sounding, this might not be an ideal pairing. However, I'm wondering if I need an impedance adapter to really get the most out of the setup. Has anyone used these two bits of gear together, and if so, do you have any recommendations? Like a 'three things I wish I'd known' type deal?
 
It would have been better if I'd asked for advice before ordering the amp, I guess, but there you go! What I'm really hoping for is a slightly wider/more spacious soundstage but I'm interested to see how the amp sounds, even if it doesn't get me closer to my goal!
 
Thanks in advance and happy listening!

 

[adpo]

In my experience, things the NHs like are:
1. Burn in.
2. Clean power and lots of it. The common trait I've noticed between amps I've enjoyed with the Nighthawks is that they tend to be capable of swinging a crapton of voltage with authority, usually with an option for balanced drive.
3. A little bit of extra damping. IMO, the stock cups aren't quite fully damped. A little bit of extra material behind the driver goes a long way.
4. A great source. With the ideal combo of the NHs + clean power, you're gonna have quite the transparent setup. As a result, having a better source will make a bit more of a difference here. Personally, I'm rocking a vinyl rig centered around a Pro-Ject RPM10.1 Evolution turntable.
5. Pads. Experiment with them, they can definitely change up the tonal balance and imaging with the NHs. If you like a bigger soundstage, give a go at some pads with a bit of a slant and a more permeable material, such as the HM5 angled velours

 

[shootthemoon18]

  In my experience, things the NHs like are:
1. Burn in.

How much burn in would you recommend?

 

[waynes world]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

In my experience, things the NHs like are:
1. Burn in.
2. Clean power and lots of it. The common trait I've noticed between amps I've enjoyed with the Nighthawks is that they tend to be capable of swinging a crapton of voltage with authority, usually with an option for balanced drive.
3. A little bit of extra damping. IMO, the stock cups aren't quite fully damped. A little bit of extra material behind the driver goes a long way.
4. A great source. With the ideal combo of the NHs + clean power, you're gonna have quite the transparent setup. As a result, having a better source will make a bit more of a difference here. Personally, I'm rocking a vinyl rig centered around a Pro-Ject RPM10.1 Evolution turntable.
5. Pads. Experiment with them, they can definitely change up the tonal balance and imaging with the NHs. If you like a bigger soundstage, give a go at some pads with a bit of a slant and a more permeable material, such as the HM5 angled velours

 

 
As usual, great advice

 

[adpo]

  How much burn in would you recommend?

The more the better. I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it if you're using the headphones daily, just make sure to make it a point to use them when you can and you'll get there eventually.

 

[betula]

My TH-X00s treble and its more upfront, more 'aggressive' presentation started to really bother my ears after a few months. Even though I like their bass and sound I had no choice than looking for another pair of headphones with a much softer presentation. I did not want to loose the bass and refinement of the X00s, but I wanted softer, friendlier treble to my sensitive ears.  I also did not want to spend more than £400.
So, eventually I bought my second pair of Nighthawks (I sold the fist one after a short encounter 6 months ago). 
I am very happy with this second Nighthawk purchase. It is indeed a relief to my treble-tired ears, and it is not just because of the softer treble. NH sounds much more natural (also bit more neutral, however still far from neutrality). Yes, it is a great relief to my ears. Also I enjoy the bigger space, the more natural instruments and voice. Because of the listening fatigue X00s gave me it is not a question, that I keep the NHs instead. It has a very organic sound. X00s almost sound a little 'synthetic' in comparison. NH sound is very much alive in a natural way. 
Yes, X00s bass is punchier, there is more rumble with bass-heavy music. There is more sub-bass. NH's bass however is not far behind. It actually leaves not much to desire for. The most obvious difference in the two bass presentation comes out only with really bass-heavy music. In that case X00s sub-bass advantage is very clear. Mids are a bit more forward in X00s, but much more natural with NH. The same is true for different musical instruments. At the end I found X00s treble piercing and harsh. I am pleased to realize, NHs have the perfect treble for me. Soft, gentle, but actually everything is there, nothing is lost or missing. 
Even though I liked my X00s after a few months together it has turned out, we just can't live together. Shame, however I already like NHs very much. Trading a little sub-bass in for this unique experience what NH gives, was well-worth for me. No more pain, but a more natural, organic sound with an exceptionally unique presentation.
 I also find it to be a good pairing with Mojo. (Mojo's clarity benefits NH very well.)
This are just my initial impressions on the first day. Also, there is not even 30 hrs in the headphones yet, so I can't even imagine what is gonna happen after 150 hrs.  
On the top of it I had a very good deal on them.

 

[Loquah]

Hi all,

Good to see I'm not the only one in love with these cans - bought them as an alternative to my ATH M50X and I'm afraid the poor Audio Technicas have not had much use ever since!
Wondering if any of you have some words of advice for me. I usually use the NHs mobile, with a Fiio X5 as source running through a Cayin C5 portable amp. Very nice, very happy.
Out of interest, however, I've ordered a Little Dot Mk3 in the hopes of even greater listening pleasure at home. This will be my first tube amp.
I know the amp needs to be burned in (between 20 and 300 hours!!!) and I know that since the NHs are already quite warm sounding, this might not be an ideal pairing. However, I'm wondering if I need an impedance adapter to really get the most out of the setup. Has anyone used these two bits of gear together, and if so, do you have any recommendations? Like a 'three things I wish I'd known' type deal?

It would have been better if I'd asked for advice before ordering the amp, I guess, but there you go! What I'm really hoping for is a slightly wider/more spacious soundstage but I'm interested to see how the amp sounds, even if it doesn't get me closer to my goal!

Thanks in advance and happy listening!

Give it a go before considering impedance adapters and the like, but OTL amplifiers like the LDiii aren't generally ideal for low impedance cans and will make the cans sound loose and flabby. Sadly, impedance adapters will only make it worse because they actually raise the impedance of the output, not the impedance of the headphone.

I couldn't find any info confirming the exact output impedance of the LDiii so it might somehow be lower than I'm expecting, but as an OTL amp it's unlikely (sorry).

I agree with much of @adpo's recommendations except for messing with the damping in the cups. I know for a fact that a lot of time and effort went into these headphones and that the final decisions on things like damping were thoroughly considered.

While I don't know for certain if this applies to the damping, I know that sometimes one element of the design has to be slightly less than perfect because perfecting it could negatively impact another factor (i.e. extra damping could reduce soundstage size, change bass response, detract from timbre / presence, etc.) Without thorough knowledge and testing equipment I would recommend trusting the experts who designed the headphone.

I also don't find balanced drive to be particularly important, but this will vary depending on how good the amp is in single-ended vs balanced output. Voltage does seem very important though. Nighthawks will sound good from just about anything, but will sound great when the amp has some balls (not HE-6 off speaker taps type balls, just a good solid amp)

 

[adpo]

I definitely agree, damping is a rabbit hole in which you can easily shoot yourself in the foot. It took me about 2 weeks of experimentation post-burn-in before I got the damping mods just right in my pair. That said, I did at least want to present the option, given that I personally have found it to have benefitted my NHs.
 
Balanced drive is also totally optional and not really needed. I was more trying to point out that a lot of really beefy amps that I've liked on the Nighthawks have been balanced designs, which makes sense given that the thing I liked about them was how much voltage they could pump into my NHs.

 

[Mediahound]

I'm a proponent of balanced. I just received a Nighthawk 4-pin balanced cable (same as the great solid copper stock cable, just re-terminated-highly recommend this cable!) from my Audioquest dealer and the improvements across the board is certainly noticeable versus running single-ended. Much of this difference is due to 4x the power output but also the common mode noise rejection inherent in a balanced topology. 
 
Sound stage and over-all clarity has been improved, without changing the sound signature of the Nighthawks. 

 

[Badas]

  I'm a proponent of balanced. I just received a Nighthawk 4-pin balanced cable (same as the great solid copper stock cable, just re-terminated) from my Audioquest dealer and the improvements across the board is certainly noticeable versus running single-ended. Much of this difference is due to 4x the power output but also the common mode noise rejection inherent in a balanced topology. 
 
Sound stage and over-all clarity has been improved, without changing the sound signature of the Nighthawks. 

I wouldn't use anything but balanced now. It's not really a sound signature advantage. It is a power thing. All my HP's have benefited in dynamics going to balanced. Hawks included.
 
I will be getting a Violectric V281 in the weekend. Swapping out my Oppo HA-1. That should be interesting. V281 has always been my dream machine and I've finally located a great price unit.
 
I'm expecting great things with the Auralic Vega > V281 > Hawks combo.

 

[Mediahound]

Also, it still amazes me how fatigue free the sound of the Nighthawks is. Maybe they don't resolve the highs as much as other headphones, but I can sure listen to and enjoy music a lot longer with them. And they sound very 'analog' and tube like. 

 

[betula]

Does anyone know, how many Nighthawks were sold globally so far? Out of curiosity. 

 

[Joeybgood]

  Also, it still amazes me how fatigue free the sound of the Nighthawks is. Maybe they don't resolve the highs as much as other headphones, but I can sure listen to and enjoy music a lot longer with them. And they sound very 'analog' and tube like.

I absolutely concur. As much as I want to love planars, they always have an edge to them that sounds unnatural to me and def causes listening fatigue. I keep trying them only to sell them off in short order. Just bought the Ether Flow hoping that they cured that issue up but...not enough to be a keeper.. selling them after only one week... I still prefer my NHs. They just sound more natural.. more like REAL music. I go to live music events almost weekly. They get me the closest to recreating that experience to my ears.

 

[billtboys]

  I'm looking forward to hearing some Impressions on the NightHawks. The only person I know that's had time with them is Jude. Hopefully they show up at CES and we can get some initial thoughts/comparisons. I have some on order and will post my findings as soon as I can.

I love mine. They are my designated walking for exercise cans. They have this "reflective" thing going on.  It feels like the sound is being reflected  towards your ears instead of fed directly into them and that may be what makes them so different.  I'm not saying it actually is reflecting,  it just feels that way. Detail is there and the treble is pleasant enough that I can wear them for longer than most. They can be pretty sweaty, but then I'm exercising with them on so, they're probably not any worse than other cans with leather or faux leather.  Part of their incredible comfort is the softness of the pads and the foam that makes up the padding. The other part is that they're big enough to take on my "dumbo" ears and are shaped like ears. I wish more companies would "get" that. I think they've engineered out  more turbulence and distortion than anybody in their price range.   They are one of my favorite pairs of headphones.