[nwavesailor]

  The AQ mounting ring can be used without damaging the AQ pads (they're not glued on). When I switched mine, I just stretched the BW pads on & used an xacto blade to pierce the spots where the clips stick through. No problem, except you need to be careful because the BW pads need a bit of coaxing to stretch enough. Easily done though & I wasn't afraid of breaking the mounting ring. 

VERY Cool!
 
The Brainwavz are on sale today ($22.50 / Amazon) and I don't want to take the mounting ring out of the pair of BW angled I currently have on my HE400S hp. Mounting the BW pads on the HifiMan rings was a very tight fit. I expect it to be a similar experience..........shoe-horning the AQ NH rings into the BW pads.

 

[Bern2]

LINK to a Stereophile profile on our man @SkylarGray

Thanks for the heads-up.  Good read.
 
 
Bern

 

[Badas]

Thanks for the heads-up.  Good read.


Bern

+1

I found it interesting also.

 

[SearchOfSub]

I've tried Dales EQ and I thought it sounded horrible. Way too bright and forced. I've not tried the Nightowl but I imagine it would have more in common with the NH rather than the 650. I'm not really into fully closed phones. The Nighthawk also need that mid bass bump to balance out the treble which can be a little rough for my taste.

I don't think it made it much brighter for my ears. What it did the most was open up that congestion and give it better seperation if I recall (I've sold my NH). I am picking up the Nightowl Carbons so will leave impression when it arrives.

 

[K P K]

May I ask the community if there is any experience in using the NH together with a Beyerdynamic A 20 amp? Don't know if it works well with the 25 Ohm of a NH.

 

[DiscoProJoe]

  I've always thought of it like this. "What is reference?" you see that word plastered around everywhere. "Reference amp", "Reference DAC" and "Reference headphones or speakers". What the heck.
There is no reference. Not every recording studio is the same. No standard has been agreed upon. No mic has been called reference. No mixer has been called reference. You should get the point. There is no standard or reference.
 
So I agree with you "hope for is a sound signature that jibes with our unique sensibilities". I believe in preference instead. Go for something that works for only you.
 
Preference is more important than reference. My moto.

 
The problem with this tho is my preference will be different from everyone else. So how do you give advise or thoughts on the sound being heard?

 
Great post!  You wouldn't believe the vast range of sound signatures that song recordings have, which my plethora of EQ presets have to accommodate for. (These can do the job very well for at least 98% of my music collection, nonetheless.)
 
What's funny is that some people might say, "Hey Joe,...the way you listen to your music...doesn't sound that way live!"
 
My response: "The way I listen to it...sounds a heck-of-a-lot better than it does live!" 

 
So..............there you go. 

 
 

  Before giving advice, I suppose it's always wise to make your preferences explicit; a quick disclaimer ( something like, "I prefer relaxed sounding headphones") should typically suffice.  

 
I enjoy an extreme amount of low-end sub-bass (i.e., < 50 Hz), combined with neutral to slightly-thin midbass and lower midrange (60 - 500 Hz), very pronounced mid-to-upper midrange (1 - 2 kHz), and neutral to slightly-bright treble ( > 8 kHz) .
 
Of course, this is only my general preference. Some songs (such as ones with acoustic guitars or certain sound effects) I prefer with a warmer signature, and some other kinds of songs will sound better with recessed treble. Different strokes for different folks,...and for different songs!

 

[dudlew]

I am excited!  If all goes well, I will have the Nighthawks on Friday night. I do hope all goes well)
 
It is also very true about the variation of what is seen as correct. Case in point is the PM3. It is measured as rolled off yet its fine for me and on top of that some reviews vary... with one or two saying that they found it bright... And as Badas said, there are soo many variants in the real world, that at one time a hihat will sound shrill and harsh in one venue, and smooth and clean in another. However, thats what makes this hobby great.

 

[ericp10]

So the NightHawk has been on my ears for about 10 minutes now. Sounds very good to my ears out of the box (and I do believe in burn-in), so I'm highly optimistic about how the sound will shape up some several hours from now. 

 

[nwavesailor]

  So the NightHawk has been on my ears for about 10 minutes now. Sounds very good to my ears out of the box (and I do believe in burn-in), so I'm highly optimistic about how the sound will shape up some several hours from now. 

I am currently at 132 hours (I can't believe I'm counting!) on the NH and can say that they are now 'mo betta' than right out of the box!

 

[nmatheis]

So the NightHawk has been on my ears for about 10 minutes now. Sounds very good to my ears out of the box (and I do believe in burn-in), so I'm highly optimistic about how the sound will shape up some several hours from now. 

Nice to see you joined the Nighthawk club, too!

 

[HipHopScribe]

  So the NightHawk has been on my ears for about 10 minutes now. Sounds very good to my ears out of the box (and I do believe in burn-in), so I'm highly optimistic about how the sound will shape up some several hours from now. 

 
Got mine a couple days ago and I was very impressed out of the box too. Not generally a big believer in burn-in, but I am giving it a try as recommended with the Nighthawks

 

[Mediahound]

  Dude, your username is super inappropriate - surprised they let you use it

I guess you don't like The Walking Dead?
 
"Negan is a fictional character in the comic book series The Walking Dead and in the television series of the same name"
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negan

 

[bavinck]

 
I guess you don't like The Walking Dead?
 
"Negan is a fictional character in the comic book series The Walking Dead and in the television series of the same name"
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negan

I do enjoy the Walking Dead!

 

[nmatheis]

I'll prolly be watching TWD tonight!

 

[Silent Xaxal]

I'm a long time lurker and a post caught my attention so decided to share.

I have the Nighthawk. Ether Flow C and Ether Flow open.

Along with many others. I run all from a Schiit Gumby into various amps like the Jot, Black Widow, Lyr 2, Vali 2, and many others at various price points. One thing in this hobby is price means nothing in terms of how good a headphone is.

The Nighthawk on every system ive tried is superior to both Ether Flows. The Flows have a weird mid dip that gives them a weird colouration. The treble is lean, rough and while improved over the old Ether it still sounds weird. The bass isn't anywhere close to as textured, extended and impactful as the Nighthawk. The Nighthawk is cleaner sounding, Planars suffer from having a bit of a dirty background and the Ether Flow isn't free from this. The Nighthawk resolves low level detail better even on lower end systems and it has a much more pleasing tone.

I think way too many people get influenced by price on this site, just my opinion. I find the Nighthawk, HD650 and HD800 to have the most capable drivers I've heard that don't cost silly money and even then they are all great.


The Ether Flow is wayyyyy too expensive for what it is I can't get through a sign without finding issues where as the Nighthawk I'm just immersed. The Nighthawk isn't to everyone's taste, it does have a mid bass boost but it's tastefully done and the rest of the response is accurate.

 
This has me curious about the Nightowls. Might be a good pairing with my HD6XX as the open pair.

Hoping the sound signature didn't take a hit going from open to closed. 

I recall someone mentioning that they are good for gaming (The Nighthawks). If he is here, care to elaborate?