[Hi-Fi EDU]

Originally Posted by betula /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
-SNIP -
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. -SNIP-

 
Haha, glad you gradually made your way back. I remember you were transitioning from NH to X00 a few months back, around when I was transitioning from X00 to NH. I see we both finally came to the same conclusion. Below is what I wrote a few months back comparing the NH to the X00 and even the 400i. I don't miss either.
 
 

 

Spoiler: Comparisons to X00 & 400i

...If anything, the NH's low-end is more reminiscent of that of my 400i. However the NH has a more "natural" control over the bass notes to me. In other words, I prefer the attack and decay qualities of the NH's driver. As for the X00, I truly liked its thicker-toned bass presentation and would never say "no" to it, but quantity-wise it was a touch overboard in some scenarios (think: dubstep or trap music sessions). But again, it would be difficult for me to ever deny my enjoyment of the X00's low-end

. Without ever feeling like it goes overboard, the NH's bass extension and quantity are also solid while being more satisfying than that of the 400i. What's very nice to me about the NH is that I can turn the volume up louder than usual and get as much bass as I want, with virtually no distortion/harshness from the total presentation. Easy Cla-ri-ty; at any volume. That is such an enjoyable trait. For the 400i and X00 however, they both had a certain stridency or sibilance in their midrange & treble regions. In this regard, the 400i was a greater offender than the X00. This mostly became noticeable to me only after I received the HEM6 [IEMS] and acclimated to its sound signature. Once that happened though, I did not feel like I could go back to the 400i nor even the X00. Maybe that says something about how tolerant our ears and brains can become of emphasis in the mids and/or treble regions

...the NH overall offer an improved sense of clarity, cohesion, space, balance, imaging and long-term listening + wearing comfort. All-round versatility to me...

 
Also to those talking about DAC/Amp pairings, I'll offer the Grace Design/Massdrop m9XX as a really good pairing for NH. The natural clarity and control of the pairing never ceases to impress me. That said, check out pg 49 of this Stereophile issue HERE for another nice description of the NH balanced vs unbalanced. Balanced is indeed tempting...

 

[misteral201103]

So, the Little Dot MkIII came in - I might write a review of the pairing between NH and the amp, but wanted to quickly update here in case anyone was interested (and more, in case anyone is considering buying in the future). 
 
First, my concerns about impedance were unfounded, the two play together quite happily. I have set the amp on its second gain setting (switch 1 set to on) as opposed to everything off, and I have to say, I am surprised. Everyone has said how unimpressive the amp is before burning in but out of the box, I was quite pleased. I am (perhaps naively) expecting even better things to come but this is a noticeable improvement on my Cayin C5 - and despite the completely different nature of the two amps, I do feel it's worth mentioning as they are actually at the same price point.
 
Not every song or every genre fairs well from this pairing but those that do really shine. Though the soundstage (currently) is not wider (to my ears) what I am hearing very clearly is a greater separation between instruments - everything has a little breathing room around it. Changing the volume is also now a new experience and quite hard to describe. It's as if increasing the volume makes the sound bigger, rather than louder. I'll play more after burn in and write in more detail in my review. I'm also hearing a noticeable increase in resolution, strange as that may seem. Especially clear when increasing volume (the experience of increasing the volume, as opposed to listening at higher levels) - the best way I can describe it is that before when I turned up, it was as if each distinct sound was a bar (like on a bar graph) and going louder meant raising the flat top of every bar. Now, each bar is actually made up of multiple points, so there are not 'flat tops' but instead relatively complex waves, and increasing the volume means raising the points of the waveforms.
 
I hope that makes sense, it really is like a higher resolution sound.
 
There are some times when I miss the bass boost from my C5 but this is not as widespread as I thought it might be. In general the lower register performs beautifully - neither too prominent nor recessed. I'm also hearing more high end, or perhaps clearer high end. Bear in mind this is with the stock tubes and this is with no burn in, then about 10 hours. The pairing absolutely loves classical and well produced electronica (Bob Moses stuff sounds amazing). Jazz of all types is also well represented - big band especially reveals a lot more detail than I have heard previously. Some pop, especially older pop, doesn't do quite so well and it's here that I miss the bass boost of the C5. I'd say the LDMkIII is also slightly less forgiving of less than great recordings/files (almost everything I have is FLAC but still, some recordings are better engineered than others)
 
Overall I'm pretty happy and especially for the price point I'd say these two bits of kit get on very nicely. I'm not yet getting the strong 3D experience that I am seeking but even without the burn in, it's a joy to listen to music, Fiio X5-Little Dot MkIII-Nighthawks. I'll go into more detail in the review, after a longer burn in.

 

[Loquah]

  So, the Little Dot MkIII came in - I might write a review of the pairing between NH and the amp, but wanted to quickly update here in case anyone was interested (and more, in case anyone is considering buying in the future). 
 
First, my concerns about impedance were unfounded, the two play together quite happily. I have set the amp on its second gain setting (switch 1 set to on) as opposed to everything off, and I have to say, I am surprised. Everyone has said how unimpressive the amp is before burning in but out of the box, I was quite pleased. I am (perhaps naively) expecting even better things to come but this is a noticeable improvement on my Cayin C5 - and despite the completely different nature of the two amps, I do feel it's worth mentioning as they are actually at the same price point.
 
Not every song or every genre fairs well from this pairing but those that do really shine. Though the soundstage (currently) is not wider (to my ears) what I am hearing very clearly is a greater separation between instruments - everything has a little breathing room around it. Changing the volume is also now a new experience and quite hard to describe. It's as if increasing the volume makes the sound bigger, rather than louder. I'll play more after burn in and write in more detail in my review. I'm also hearing a noticeable increase in resolution, strange as that may seem. Especially clear when increasing volume (the experience of increasing the volume, as opposed to listening at higher levels) - the best way I can describe it is that before when I turned up, it was as if each distinct sound was a bar (like on a bar graph) and going louder meant raising the flat top of every bar. Now, each bar is actually made up of multiple points, so there are not 'flat tops' but instead relatively complex waves, and increasing the volume means raising the points of the waveforms.
 
I hope that makes sense, it really is like a higher resolution sound.
 
There are some times when I miss the bass boost from my C5 but this is not as widespread as I thought it might be. In general the lower register performs beautifully - neither too prominent nor recessed. I'm also hearing more high end, or perhaps clearer high end. Bear in mind this is with the stock tubes and this is with no burn in, then about 10 hours. The pairing absolutely loves classical and well produced electronica (Bob Moses stuff sounds amazing). Jazz of all types is also well represented - big band especially reveals a lot more detail than I have heard previously. Some pop, especially older pop, doesn't do quite so well and it's here that I miss the bass boost of the C5. I'd say the LDMkIII is also slightly less forgiving of less than great recordings/files (almost everything I have is FLAC but still, some recordings are better engineered than others)
 
Overall I'm pretty happy and especially for the price point I'd say these two bits of kit get on very nicely. I'm not yet getting the strong 3D experience that I am seeking but even without the burn in, it's a joy to listen to music, Fiio X5-Little Dot MkIII-Nighthawks. I'll go into more detail in the review, after a longer burn in.

 
That's great to hear - I was worried that it wouldn't be a good match so very pleased to hear I was wrong!! 

 

[betula]

   
Haha, glad you gradually made your way back. I remember you were transitioning from X00 to NH a few months back, around when I was transitioning from X00 to NH. I see we both finally came to the same conclusion. Below is what I wrote a few months back comparing the NH to the X00 and even the 400i. I don't miss either.
 
 
 
Also to those talking about DAC/Amp pairings, I'll offer the Grace Design/Massdrop m9XX as a really good pairing for NH. The clarity and control of the pairing never ceases to impress me. That said, check out pg 49 of this Stereophile issue HERE for another nice description of the NH balanced vs unbalanced. Balanced is indeed tempting...

Yes, we pretty much seem to have the same experience. 

 

[Soundizer]

 

Haha, glad you gradually made your way back. I remember you were transitioning from X00 to NH a few months back, around when I was transitioning from X00 to NH. I see we both finally came to the same conclusion. Below is what I wrote a few months back comparing the NH to the X00 and even the 400i. I don't miss either.



Also to those talking about DAC/Amp pairings, I'll offer the Grace Design/Massdrop m9XX as a really good pairing for NH. The clarity and control of the pairing never ceases to impress me. That said, check out pg 49 of this Stereophile issue HERE for another nice description of the NH balanced vs unbalanced. Balanced is indeed tempting...

Yes, we pretty much seem to have the same experience. 

I also returned my 400i as thought they were too bright. The Nighthawks are much more balanced and in a different league. Prefer all aspects of Base on the Nighthawks. I do like Planar Magnetic headphones and have the Audeze EL8 which are fast but not so artificially bright like the 400i's.

 

[Mediahound]

I think Castle Rock cable (NH stock) should be perfect for HD800. Anyone try modifying the cable

 
 

  I too think the miniature Castle Rock cable for the Nighthawks is a very good cable, especially since it's the stock cable. Haven't heard of anyone using it with the HD800's but that would be interesting to hear the results. I like working with solid-core wire wires and doubt it would be too difficult to mod if needed.

 
 

Audioquest does sell it for $80.00 - maybe an adapter would do the trick as well if you don't know how to modify cables. A quality one though with some silver. I think Moon audio might have some just from top of my head.

Reason i mentioned this was because when I changed castle rock to silver dragon v3 on the NH, the sound became different. The NH musical timing changed and it wasn't as musical, but the details popped out alot more. The castle rock also has a bit of veil but at the same time smoothes things out alot. ( I know the veil associated with NH is not the headphones since with V3, it is clear as a bell). I really do think Castle Rock will complement HD800 very well. If you heard both phones and know their characteristics, you know what I'm talking about!

 
I recently received an additional Nighthawk cable terminated in 4-pin balanced XLR from Audioquest. One of the best $109 I ever spent!
 
Not only can I run my Nighthawks balanced and it sounds great, but I can also use the same cable with other headphones that take 2.5mm at at the earcups. And, with two little adapters, I'm currently using this cable with my Focal Elear's too (which are 3.5mm at each earcup). 
 
I'm totally sold on Audioquest's solid core 'perfect copper' cabling. I tried other cables previously and these sound a lot less treble glarey, more liquid and pure. I believe it when Audioquest says stranded cables can introduce treble distortion because I certainly heard it. 
 
I think Audioquest should start selling headphone cables for any headphone and connection, they'd sell, this cable is that good!

 

[SearchOfSub]

Do they sell the NH castle rock for LCD pins..

 

[Mediahound]

Do they sell the NH castle rock for LCD pins..

 
Doubt it. I think they literally only sell it for the Nighthawk. You can probably get someone else to make/sell you adapters however that would hang off the LCD headphones. 

 

[SearchOfSub]

OK. Thank you!

 

[Badas]

Early days but I'm now using a Violectric V281 amp with the Hawks. Improved dynamics and holographics are what I've first noticed. Hawks certainly respond well to power. So clear and responsive.
My Oppo HA-1 is now pulled and retired from the rig.

 

[kman1211]

Early days but I'm now using a Violectric V281 amp with the Hawks. Improved dynamics and holographics are what I've first noticed. Hawks certainly respond well to power. So clear and responsive.
My Oppo HA-1 is now pulled and retired from the rig.

Grats on the V281, one of the absolute best pairings for the Hawks in my experience and probably the best SS headphone amp I've heard.

 

[kman1211]

Been spending more time with the DT 1990 Pro compared to the Nighthawk. The headphones are different and compliment each other very well for me, I am finding both DT 1990 and Nighthawk crush the competition at this price range for me personally. I will be doing a full review of the DT 1990 over the weekend and it will likely be a comparison review of it and the Nighthawk. 

 

[RedJohn456]

I am surprisingly finding the Nighthawks to sound brighter than the store units I tried. 
 
 

 

[Soundizer]

Been spending more time with the DT 1990 Pro compared to the Nighthawk. The headphones are different and compliment each other very well for me, I am finding both DT 1990 and Nighthawk crush the competition at this price range for me personally. I will be doing a full review of the DT 1990 over the weekend and it will likely be a comparison review of it and the Nighthawk. 

Kindly send a link to your review when complete please.

 

[Soundizer]

Do they sell the NH castle rock for LCD pins..

Doubt it. I think they literally only sell it for the Nighthawk. You can probably get someone else to make/sell you adapters however that would hang off the LCD headphones. 

Hello,

Unfortunately the Balanced cable is still not available in the UK and no ETA. May I ask if the Balanced cable can connect directly into the Schiit Jotenheim? Thank you.