[Naugrim]

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!

I haven't been counting, but the burn in does make it better. At first I thought I might return it, but the veil has lifted. When is at its best it is detailed and yet liquid. Weird.

 

[bavinck]

I'll prolly be watching TWD tonight!

Such a boring episode. Might be the worst of the series.

 

[nwavesailor]

I haven't been counting, but the burn in does make it better. At first I thought I might return it, but the veil has lifted. When is at its best it is detailed and yet liquid. Weird.

Yep, I just gave it a short listen with the clock now at 144 hours and it is, IMO, way better. For the non believers (and I was FIRMLY in this camp) perhaps it IS my brain that is burning in and becoming accustomed to the NH sound, I just know I am now pleased with the NH sound.
 
I was thinking it wasn't the hp for me and it was heading back to Amazon. Now I believe it is a keeper!!!

 

[nmatheis]

Yep, I just gave it a short listen with the clock now at 144 hours and it is, IMO, way better. For the non believers (and I was FIRMLY in this camp) perhaps it IS my brain that is burning in and becoming accustomed to the NH sound, I just know I am now pleased with the NH sound.

I was thinking it wasn't the hp for me and it was heading back to Amazon. Now I believe it is a keeper!!!

Glad you stuck it out and discovered the Nighthawks magic

 

[K P K]

Glad you stuck it out and discovered the Nighthawks magic

Hope to discover "the Nighthawk's magic" this afternoon, too

 
 
Edit:
A slight delay: Nighthawk will arrive on Friday afternoon

 

[nwavesailor]

 
Hope to discover "the Nighthawk's magic" this afternoon, too

KPK, did you manage to snag a pair on sale or find a retailer for an audition?
 
If you bought them, I will echo what many others have said......................they may be a bit different at first but do give them some time.............a good amount of time................ before deciding if they are for you!

 

[SearchOfSub]

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?

Few have told me the NightOwl Carbon is better than NH in all areas on a different forum. Plus it's closed back yet Audioquest have managed to make the drivers play freely. I prefer closed back for headphone because of isolation. IDC about others hearing what I'm playing, it's more about me being isolated with sound from outside which makes the experience even more enjoyable and intimate at times. Just me and the music.


Most Hifi headphones are good enough for gaming. NH particularly won't hurt your ears with treble when guns and bombs go off. If you are looking to hear directionality and footsteps, you should EQ and raise the treble while lowering the bass as much as you can. Just like with any headphones you plan to game with. For the games backround music, NH is good for it since the NH is a musical headphone.

 

[K P K]

 
KPK, did you manage to snag a pair on sale or find a retailer for an audition?
 
If you bought them, I will echo what many others have said......................they may be a bit different at first but do give them some time.............a good amount of time................ before deciding if they are for you!

 
Thanks for your kind reply, @nwavesailor!
I had the opportunity to test the NH at my retailer with a Moon Nēo 230 HAD amp two weeks ago. I could compare the NH with two Ultrasone hp (Edition 12 and Signature Pro) as well as some other brands. I liked the NH sound signature and how unbelievable comfortably it fits on my head.
 
My only concern is the durability of the filigree parts of the headband (the tiny fixation and also possible wear out effect of the elastic band in the course of time). That I can expect problems with the "high-end" cable is another concern, but if it fails it has to be replaced during the guarantee period.
 
I hope that I can drive the NH properly with my Accuphase amp as well as with my VERY old and non-high-end Denon amp

 

 

[SearchOfSub]

The comfort of NH should be the standard for all hifi headphones IMO.

 

[adpo]

   
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?

Bass is great for epic scenes and imaging is spot on. Using the NHs with Dolby Atmos turned on in Overwatch almost feels like having an unfair advantage

 

[ImNegan]

The Nighthawk is a great movie phone and works good with certain games but they sound toocosed on for my liking for open world games etc. I use the HD800 as purely a gaming headphone and for games it gives me a nice sense of depth and width, when I play an open world game everything feels like I'm there more than other headphones it's like I'm not wearing headphones where as the NH is more closed in nature makes it obvious I'm hearing phones rather than sounds sounding like they appear out of thin air on the distance. The HD800 is god tier for gaming but music not so much! That 6K peak gets weird. The actually treble on the 800 isn't that elevated but a peak at 6K will make it sound overly bright and bothersome.

NH do bass in a very movie theatre like way it's a lot of fun!

 

[Bern2]

 The HD800 is god tier for gaming but music not so much! That 6K peak gets weird. The actually treble on the 800 isn't that elevated but a peak at 6K will make it sound overly bright and bothersome.

 

Give Sonarworks a try.  Free 21 day trial with nothing to lose.  There's a thread in Computer Audio regarding it along with setup.  
 
Bern

 

[Badas]

  I hope that I can drive the NH properly with my Accuphase amp as well as with my VERY old and non-high-end Denon amp

 

 
Accuphase amps are huge. Does it have a HP output or do you use a speaker tap?

 

[DaemonSire]

Any word on the new headphone stand they hinted at a month or two ago?

 

[SkylarGray]

 
 
My only concern is the durability of the filigree parts of the headband (the tiny fixation and also possible wear out effect of the elastic band in the course of time). That I can expect problems with the "high-end" cable is another concern, but if it fails it has to be replaced during the guarantee period.
 

 
These are all great concerns. What I can tell you is that we strive to have the best customer service in the industry. I don't expect that the headpad elastic or the fixation point will wear out or fail. BUT, if they do, AQ will replace or repair. Even if your warranty is expired, we will help you out. To my knowledge, AQ has never turned down support for a customer with a failed product and an expired warranty...and that goes for products that are even 20 years old!
 
Regarding the cable, as others have said...it's fragile due to the use of large, solid conductors. Included with the product documentation is a letter from our owner/founder explaining why we included two cables. He basically pleads with the user to treat the solid core cable very carefully and use the backup cable for moments where rough activity is expected. What we have found is that some people are just really rough with headphone cables and others are really careful. And that's perfectly OK. It's just reality. 
 
The same customer support applies to the cable, of course, and all aspects of our headphones. If ever you have a problem, we will help you...whether it's during the "warranty" period or 5 years later or 20 years later. And because I'm active here, you also have a direct line of communication with me in case there's something that our support just cannot assist with.
 
All of this is to address your concerns and hopefully eliminate any apprehension you may have about owning AQ products.
 
Perhaps it would be good to ask those in this thread who have had an encounter with AQ support to share their experiences...good or bad. If anyone has had a bad experience, now is the opportunity for me to help you make it right! If you've had a good experience, we all want to know.