[Solduios]

  One of our guys visited BBR today to check out their demo pair. They were indeed using the backup cable and not the official AQ cable.
We also confirmed that the headphones were in good condition in terms of sensitivity on an iPhone 6.
 
I did some tests today with my iPhone 6 in my lab inside the iso chamber with my friend, KEMAR, measuring average A-weighted dBSPL output over 60 seconds at various volume levels. iOS has 16 volume ticks; I started at 8 and worked my way up.
 
I tested a lossless copy of the same Billy Joel Album using the last 60 seconds of one of my favs..."Big Shot."
I also tested full scale white noise.
 

Source Material	DR	vol 08/16	vol 10/16	vol 12/16	vol 14/16	vol 16/16
Billy Joel - Big Shot	DR9	78.8 dBA	87.1 dBA	94.6 dBA	101.5 dBA	108.1 dBA
Full Scale White Noise	n/a	87.1 dBA	95.3 dBA	102.7 dBA	109.5 dBA	116.1 dBA

 
As long as everything was working properly during your demo, then you would have been exposing your ears to an estimated 108dBA on average while listening to the louder passages of Billy Joel at full volume.
At this level, permanent hearing damage can occur after only ~5 minutes of listening. The safe zone is really 85dBA and below, so with music mastered like the Billy Joel album, a volume level of about 11/16 ticks (69%) and below is appropriate for an iPhone 6 with NightHawk.
 
 
All this is to highlight two points:
 
(1) An iPhone is more than capable of driving NightHawk even to levels that could damage your hearing, so...
 
(2) Please, please, please be careful with your hearing out there, folks. Here's an excerpt from NightHawk's printed manual:
 

 
For example, if you were to safely listen to this entire 2-disc Billy Joel album (~2 hours) via iPhone 6, the volume should be set no higher than 11/16 ticks.

 
Could it be the resistance from the back up cable vs the better offical cable? Or maybe his iphone jack is a bit worn and the conncetion was not 100%?
 
Also doesnt iphone warn you past a certian amount of clicks that it could dmg your hearing with headphones?

 

[Beagle]

I just love the music vitality of the Nighthawk. It plays music, rather than dissecting recordings. The "detail" is all there but not spotlit or hyped. Everything is of a piece.

 

[Luckbad]

I have the Nighthawks sitting in the kitchen ready for a listen the moment my kid goes to sleep. I opened it up and they come in a great case. They're also supremely comfortable. Can't wait to hear them.

 

[CyberSyringe]

I don't know how people can stand listening so loud with headphones in the first place. I think it probably has to do with audio cues being diminished with headphones vs speakers. With speakers, I think the body senses intense vibrations since you can literally feel the music/sound. I notice that speakers sound louder compared to headphones at equivalent volume.

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
Could it be the resistance from the back up cable vs the better offical cable? Or maybe his iphone jack is a bit worn and the conncetion was not 100%?
 
Also doesnt iphone warn you past a certian amount of clicks that it could dmg your hearing with headphones?

 
Except for the fact that at about 90% max, I was getting about 75dB ish...hardly "damaging my hearing". 

 Not sure what happened? 

 

[Luckbad]

First impressions after 30 minutes are very positive. I was expecting a significant veil or darkness, and really am not finding it. These aren't bright by any means, but I dislike bright headphones and find cans that lack bass definition and warmth to sound anemic to me.
 
The default sound signature and isolation are somewhat comparable to the Fostex TH600, but the Nighthawks have less treble and slightly less pronounced bass (making them more balanced than the Fostex).
 
I'll be listening to both headphones side-by-side tomorrow, as my Fostex are at work.
 
I will provide more impressions later on, especially after their suggested burn-in period. A full review with be coming in the next couple months here and on Basshead.Club.

 

[MacedonianHero]

  First impressions after 30 minutes are very positive. I was expecting a significant veil or darkness, and really am not finding it. These aren't bright by any means, but I dislike bright headphones and find cans that lack bass definition and warmth to sound anemic to me.
 
The default sound signature and isolation are somewhat comparable to the Fostex TH600, but the Nighthawks have less treble and slightly less pronounced bass (making them more balanced than the Fostex).
 
I'll be listening to both headphones side-by-side tomorrow, as my Fostex are at work.
 
I will provide more impressions later on, especially after their suggested burn-in period. A full review with be coming in the next couple months here and on Basshead.Club.

 
While they are on the darker side of neutral, I wouldn't classify them as "veiled" either. 

 

[JMCIII]

I too have received a pair, and after proper burn-in will be posting my review on my Facebook page: John Crossett - Audio Writer (will let you know when I post the review).

First impressions, easy to drive (drove my iPhone with no problems), but VERY picky about headphone amps. My Parasound Zdac V.2 sounded pleasant but uninvolving. Switching to my Original Electronics Master opened things up completely - like I was listening to two different headphones. Wouldn't call them bright, nor dark. Maybe a bit on the darker side of neutral, but in a positive way. But remember, this is straight out of the box.

 

[Luckbad]

I've started my first marathon listening session with these. No burn-in apart from an hour of listening last night. Out of an ODAC RevB + Objective2 they sound absolutely wonderful. I checked with AudioQuest, and Skylar said that would be a great pairing, so that's what I pulled out at work. He was right.
 
Giving the Nighthawk a clean, clear signal results in a very liquid sounding headphone. I'm feeling no fatigue at all after an hour, but will try to either update this post or reply again after the end of the work day.
 
I need bring these and my Fostex TH600 home after the in-laws are gone to do a better side-by-side comparison. They aren't quite as similar in signature as my memory told me they were last night.
 
As others have mentioned, these things totally smell out of the box. It's a pretty strong, lingering smell. It doesn't bother me much, but it stuck on me all night until I showered. I'm sure it'll go away, but they might consider airing these babies out before packing them up in the future.

 

[leomitch]

  I just love the music vitality of the Nighthawk. It plays music, rather than dissecting recordings. The "detail" is all there but not spotlit or hyped. Everything is of a piece.

Hi Beagle
You are entirely correct! That oneness of the music is the gestalt I referred to earlier...the many parts becoming One. These headphones pump out a sound so liquid one hesitates to try and break it up into bass. mids and highs with all the in between mid-bass, upper treble and so on. Smooth, clear, detailed and very musical sound delivered in the utmost comfort.
I must read over Dale Thorns written review again for I think he nailed these ear goggles accurately. The man knows his stuff!
BTW the interesting smell is almost totally gone. I think it was the lacquer they used to get the gloss. So no fear of it sticking around forever...but I rather liked it! Weird eh! Ols people...what do you expect.  

 
Leo

 

[Venere 2]

 
Hi Beagle
You are entirely correct! That oneness of the music is the gestalt I referred to earlier...the many parts becoming One. These headphones pump out a sound so liquid one hesitates to try and break it up into bass. mids and highs with all the in between mid-bass, upper treble and so on. Smooth, clear, detailed and very musical sound delivered in the utmost comfort.
I must read over Dale Thorns written review again for I think he nailed these ear goggles accurately. The man knows his stuff!
BTW the interesting smell is almost totally gone. I think it was the lacquer they used to get the gloss. So no fear of it sticking around forever...but I rather liked it! Weird eh! Ols people...what do you expect.  

 
Leo

Dale Thorn knows his stuff?! A few years ago he reviewed the 300$ Shure SRH940, and claimed they were comparable or as good as the Sennheiser HD800! Take what he says with a large grain of salt...

 

[Shembot]

@SkylarGray I'm the proud new owner of this very unique headphone, which I bought on the spot after listening to it through a Sony HAP-S1 and Bryston BHA-1, which I thought was a very synergistic setup. Now that I've had it at home (and burned it in for probably 100 hours now), I'm listening through a DragonFly 1.2, and I'm not sure I dig the pairing honestly. While of course we're talking about very different price points in source and amp gear, I was very surprised that I didn't find the NightHawk and DragonFly to mesh particularly well, considering the latter is AQ's only DAC offering. I find the combo to be rather muddy and veiled sounding compared to what I heard at the store, which was a dark signature but very clear and resolving. I know the literature recommends using the NightHawk and DragonFly together, but I was wondering what you think about this combination from your experience and what one can realistically expect.
 
I've also tried the NightHawk with my Wyrd/Modi2Uber/Magni2Uber stack at work, which I liked better than the DragonFly by far, though again not nearly as much as I liked the setup at the store where I bought the NightHawk. I'm still working on getting a balanced cable so I can try it with my Wyrd/Gungnir/Mjolnir stack, which should be more like the store's setup and which I think will pair nicely given that the Mjolnir is an aggressive neutral amp with a lean and clean low-end.

 

[Luckbad]

So, they say to burn these things in with white noise. Anyone have a link to a really clean white noise file that I can use? I'm kinda thinking it should have a break in it like the JLabs file. Maybe that burn-in sound file will work well.

 

[leomitch]

  Dale Thorn knows his stuff?! A few years ago he reviewed the 300$ Shure SRH940, and claimed they were comparable or as good as the Sennheiser HD800! Take what he says with a large grain of salt...

You know what mate, I have been following his work for years and have nothing but respect for him. He has proven his worth to me, but you have not. Easy to put down someone on the Internet isn't it. I.ll go with the proven record every time!  Dale Thorn knows his stuff.Just my two cents worth!
 
Leo

 

[Venere 2]

  You know what mate, I have been following his work for years and have nothing but respect for him. He has proven his worth to me, but you have not. Easy to put down someone on the Internet isn't it. I.ll go with the proven record every time!  Dale Thorn knows his stuff.Just my two cents worth!
 
Leo

Easy to put down someone on the internet? Like you just did Leo!
 
Dale said the things about the Shure 940 VS HD800; I did not invent that, nor put words in his mouth. That opinion of his can be scrutinized by others, and he can be called out on it. I think that it is bad opinion, so I say so. His past reviews make me skeptical about his judgment. That is a right I have and can clearly communicate to other people.