[LostnAmerica]

@LostnAmerica ...just so you know, it's also possible to get new units of the original Nighthawk here and there. There is one available on amazon.de right now.

Thank you, appreciate the heads up. I’ll check them out, shipping to US, etc

 

[LostnAmerica]

Thank you, appreciate the heads up. I’ll check them out, shipping to US, etc

THhanks bobo64, I was actually considering the meze classic 99’s also. Probably going with the nighthawks.

 

[LostnAmerica]

From what I've read there's no difference in terms of engineering/tuning. The Carbons IMO look better and they also come with two sets of pads -- smooth pleather and hybrid/suede (which I prefer). Cable might also be different, but I'm not sure. I am pretty sure the original's cable can't be any worse than the Carbon's, which is a horrible rubbery thing

Hmmm, I appreciate your input, thanks!

 

[CaptainFantastic]

From what I've read there's no difference in terms of engineering/tuning. The Carbons IMO look better and they also come with two sets of pads -- smooth pleather and hybrid/suede (which I prefer). Cable might also be different, but I'm not sure. I am pretty sure the original's cable can't be any worse than the Carbon's, which is a horrible rubbery thing

The Carbon comes with protein leather and suede pads. It's the original that comes with the hybrid pads. Some people prefer the hybrid pads (I am still alternating between them and the protein leather).

The cables on the original are not good, but not the annoying disaster that the thick, rubbery Carbon cable is. You can actually use the bigger one for a few weeks/months before replacing while the Carbon one needs immediate disposal and replacement (for me).

There are some slight differences Carbon to original The creator, Skylar Gray responded as such (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/int...generation-headphones-from-audioquest.824543/):

"The sound signature is exactly the same. Based on some small refinements that we've made to a handful of the parts, we have noticed tighter manufacturing tolerances and consistency of the new NightHawk Carbon. All things being equal (A/B NightHawk Wood vs NightHawk Carbon with same earpads and cable and same amount of break-in), I don't expect anyone to hear a difference, but I may be surprised by forthcoming press and user reviews."

Some cynics say that they just simply found a way to produce it for less, that the quality is in fact lower (i.e. tighter manufacturing tolerances... is this what he is alluding to?). I have both and they sound the same.

 

[cdsa35000]

I think they are called dark because the trend for many headphones today is for them to be overly or borderline overly bright. These do a great job with the low end but they don't sparkle (as they say) on the hi end. Thus because they are not bright many reviewers call them dark. I prefer the term "accurate".

They are "accurate" when compared to listening music/audio in a car with bass subwoofer boosters.
Without internal dampening mod/rewiring and recabling mod that bring to more open HIFI balanced sound , they are just "dark" overly subwoofered mess sounding.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

You're right! If you came down from Beyers or AKGs, almost anything you put on your head will sound dark.

Which is why I always give headphones a fighting chance if they don’t thrill me right off the bat. General rule of thumb for me personally is always to choose music I haven’t listened to in a while. Only then do I run it through the hoops ie particular albums that highlight any given area of the sonic capabilities.
...and I generally stop listening to other cans so as my upstairs compartment can get with the program.

Some times it seems as if people far too easily dismiss a can on grounds they probaby could have learned beforehand by looking at a simple frequency response. If they indeed did that and still end up surprised by, fx, a “dark” flavour to the NH after a day’s worth of shifting back n forth between it and the hd800, then there’s no helping them.

Some of my favourite albums today were impenetrable or just plain awful when I first span them. Something inside went click one day or maybe I hit my head on a fire hydrant. Either way I remain eternally grateful.

 

[Devodonaldson]

The lingo is a tricky thing. I’ve heard of a game in the US that almost exclusively is played with hands yet for some reason is called football.
The hd600 is just about The darkest piece of chocolate you could ever sink your teeth into..if you’ve spent the last decade with the k701.

The reason it's called football is because the original rules had a lot of use of feet in the game. Even years after it's play, and the first official rulebook was created 1907, terms used included the following: place kick, kick off, punt, punt out, drop kick, kick out, and free kick. Forward passing wasn't even a regularly used thing. It was a simple gimmick at the time. There was a lot of foot to ball in this game as originally constructed.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Thanks for the clarification! I sincerely mean that. I had no idea...and this actually makes sense.

 

[Devodonaldson]

The Carbon comes with protein leather and suede pads. It's the original that comes with the hybrid pads. Some people prefer the hybrid pads (I am still alternating between them and the protein leather).

The cables on the original are not good, but not the annoying disaster that the thick, rubbery Carbon cable is. You can actually use the bigger one for a few weeks/months before replacing while the Carbon one needs immediate disposal and replacement (for me).

There are some slight differences Carbon to original The creator, Skylar Gray responded as such (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/int...generation-headphones-from-audioquest.824543/):

"The sound signature is exactly the same. Based on some small refinements that we've made to a handful of the parts, we have noticed tighter manufacturing tolerances and consistency of the new NightHawk Carbon. All things being equal (A/B NightHawk Wood vs NightHawk Carbon with same earpads and cable and same amount of break-in), I don't expect anyone to hear a difference, but I may be surprised by forthcoming press and user reviews."

Some cynics say that they just simply found a way to produce it for less, that the quality is in fact lower (i.e. tighter manufacturing tolerances... is this what he is alluding to?). I have both and they sound the same.

Interesting info. Have you sat and liztenel to the same instruments on both the hybrid and protein pads? To me, the extra treble on the protein makes horns, etc sound inaccurate. I don't hate the extended treble exactly, but the tone I get from it is not accurate to my ears.

 

[Double C]

Just got a set of the Carbons. I'm digging the sound sig, but mostly I absolutely love the comfort. I can wear these all day. And I really dig that they are easier to drive than most of the stuff I have since I mostly use my gear with a laptop or portable daps. Thinking about picking up some NightOwls to complement.

 

[znev777]

I got a pair of used liquid woods about two weeks ago for >200$, comfort and relaxation is fantastic. Just enough clamp not to fall off your head, lightweight, and the pads are quite nice. Why other headphone companies can't do this is beyond me, just seems like a massive oversight. Definitely going to be my daily's, I'll pick up something nicer later that I can abuse my ears with. Anyone know of something similarity gentle with slightly recessed upper mids and lower treble? Or at least not harsh or sibilant in the slightest? Maybe a planar like zmf ori's or lcd2c's?

They certainly do sound a little odd, everything seems weirdly distant but I do enjoy it. I like to just put on some ambient music, lay on the floor, and drift off. The bass is far nicer than my disappointing 6xx's, and they aren't as shouty and grainy to my delicate ears while still remaining fairly detailed. Distortion also appears to be pretty low, so I've been eqing to some success.

Yeah but the cord is utter crap, much too long, a fair amount of microphonics, and the right end crapped out and cuts out whenever I turn my head. I would never trust a cable from audioquest again, you'd think they could make a half decent cable because THEY ARE A CABLE COMPANY . Luckily it seems that you can find hd700 and some hifiman cables that would be compatible, they have the same creepy little 2.5mm ends

 

[atomd]

I received a pair of Nighthawk Carbons in the mail today. A company is selling new "open box" Nighthawk Carbons for $150 shipped on ebay. Mine was certainly never used and still even had the desiccant packs in the pads and all the factory foam packing still taped up in it. I'll be interested to see how these compare to my NightOwls. The one thing I will never understand is how they came up with the idea for this cable. It's short enough and has a mic so they may have been thinking portability....that makes no sense for a headphone of this size and weight that doesn't fold. I'd also be afraid of scratching up the paint or chipping the liquid wood material from lugging them everywhere. The cable below the Y is pretty unwieldy for a portable cable also. My NightOwls came with a 1/4" adapter that was probably made out of spec and cannot be used (no...I didn't put the calipers on it to measure yet but it's the only 1/4" plug that won't fit into any 1/4" jack in my house). My Nighthawks were missing the adapter which doesn't bother me.

I am interested to compare these 2 models. At some point I also want to get a set of of the hybrid pads that came with the original Nighthawks but I haven't found any yet. Overall I think the closeout prices on these makes them hard to say no to. At this point I can't really comment on the sound because I've only listened to them for a couple of hours. I will say that the build quality is nice (identical to my Owls). They are one of if not the most comfortable headphones out there. The case they come in is well made and the design is nice. The cable and the adapter....pretty terrible. That's an easy fix at least. I am enjoying my NightOwls and from my initial impression I think I am going to like the Nighthawks too. We'll see!

 

[MidSmoothness]

I got a pair of used liquid woods about two weeks ago for >200$, comfort and relaxation is fantastic. Just enough clamp not to fall off your head, lightweight, and the pads are quite nice. Why other headphone companies can't do this is beyond me, just seems like a massive oversight. Definitely going to be my daily's, I'll pick up something nicer later that I can abuse my ears with. Anyone know of something similarity gentle with slightly recessed upper mids and lower treble? Or at least not harsh or sibilant in the slightest? Maybe a planar like zmf ori's or lcd2c's?

They certainly do sound a little odd, everything seems weirdly distant but I do enjoy it. I like to just put on some ambient music, lay on the floor, and drift off. The bass is far nicer than my disappointing 6xx's, and they aren't as shouty and grainy to my delicate ears while still remaining fairly detailed. Distortion also appears to be pretty low, so I've been eqing to some success.

Yeah but the cord is utter crap, much too long, a fair amount of microphonics, and the right end crapped out and cuts out whenever I turn my head. I would never trust a cable from audioquest again, you'd think they could make a half decent cable because THEY ARE A CABLE COMPANY . Luckily it seems that you can find hd700 and some hifiman cables that would be compatible, they have the same creepy little 2.5mm ends

Definitely try the Hifiman Edition X V2, love mine in combination with my nighthawk and owl.

I received a pair of Nighthawk Carbons in the mail today. A company is selling new "open box" Nighthawk Carbons for $150 shipped on ebay. Mine was certainly never used and still even had the desiccant packs in the pads and all the factory foam packing still taped up in it. I'll be interested to see how these compare to my NightOwls. The one thing I will never understand is how they came up with the idea for this cable. It's short enough and has a mic so they may have been thinking portability....that makes no sense for a headphone of this size and weight that doesn't fold. I'd also be afraid of scratching up the paint or chipping the liquid wood material from lugging them everywhere. The cable below the Y is pretty unwieldy for a portable cable also. My NightOwls came with a 1/4" adapter that was probably made out of spec and cannot be used (no...I didn't put the calipers on it to measure yet but it's the only 1/4" plug that won't fit into any 1/4" jack in my house). My Nighthawks were missing the adapter which doesn't bother me.

I am interested to compare these 2 models. At some point I also want to get a set of of the hybrid pads that came with the original Nighthawks but I haven't found any yet. Overall I think the closeout prices on these makes them hard to say no to. At this point I can't really comment on the sound because I've only listened to them for a couple of hours. I will say that the build quality is nice (identical to my Owls). They are one of if not the most comfortable headphones out there. The case they come in is well made and the design is nice. The cable and the adapter....pretty terrible. That's an easy fix at least. I am enjoying my NightOwls and from my initial impression I think I am going to like the Nighthawks too. We'll see!

Hybrid pads are available @ https://artsexcellence.com/audioque...MI3sqJivnO4AIVBrvtCh0vkAAdEAQYASABEgLCQ_D_BwE

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

This bird is off the hook!!!
Holy Batman...

Maybe I burned in my brain with the Ollos, but man putting this wonderfully overengineered bird on the ol cabeza was like slipping into poppa’s old loafers.
Slightly darker than the Ollos but still equally detailed..naturally detailed, not via sharp surgery highs.
Sorta feels like wearing a (relatively small) pair of speakers.
Bird is the word...b-b-b-bird bird bird is the word!!!!

 

[Veldrid]

I have the original Nighthawks and love them. I really want to pickup a pair of the NightOwls to compare.