[miksu8]

https://joeaudio.co.uk/products/aud...QJJ6Vm-AF8nADP6Mp1TnYVLBOtiaYF88aAsUSEALw_wcB

These were sold out...

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

These were sold out...

A few years back the Audioquest Nighthawk headphones were abundant on the used market. The original Nighthawk
sold for $599. A year or so later, it was replaced by the Nighthawk Carbon which never sold well at its $699 price. A few negative reviews and many owners starting dumping theirs for hundreds less than they paid. This led Audioquest dealers to heavily discount their remaining stock. Prices plummeted and there was a time where brand new pairs of Nighthawks
could be had for under $300 US. I bought a lightly used pair for about $175 delivered. They had a pleasant sound but the midrange sounded muted (almost sucked out). Still, many owners insisted that this was a great sounding headphone, with the headphone cable being the problem. I replaced the cable with a balanced one and was pleasantly surprised in regard
to how much the Nighthawk's midrange opened up. Especially with a little EQ added. IME, with these changes, the Nighthawk is an excellent sounding headphone, albeit, a bit on the dark side. It's also extremely comfortable to wear for hours at a time.

The Nightowl Carbon experienced a similar situation. Both headphones are getting tougher to find on the used market and nearly impossible to find as new old stock. I have noticed that prices for nice used ones seem to be back over $300.
That is when you can find them. The original Nighthawk has been around since 2016, so while there are some very heavily used ones available, nice examples are becoming difficult to find.

 

[Devodonaldson]

A few years back the Audioquest Nighthawk headphones were abundant on the used market. The original Nighthawk
sold for $599. A year or so later, it was replaced by the Nighthawk Carbon which never sold well at its $699 price. A few negative reviews and many owners starting dumping theirs for hundreds less than they paid. This led Audioquest dealers to heavily discount their remaining stock. Prices plummeted and there was a time where brand new pairs of Nighthawks
could be had for under $300 US. I bought a lightly used pair for about $175 delivered. They had a pleasant sound but the midrange sounded muted (almost sucked out). Still, many owners insisted that this was a great sounding headphone, with the headphone cable being the problem. I replaced the cable with a balanced one and was pleasantly surprised in regard
to how much the Nighthawk's midrange opened up. Especially with a little EQ added. IME, with these changes, the Nighthawk is an excellent sounding headphone, albeit, a bit on the dark side. It's also extremely comfortable to wear for hours at a time.

The Nightowl Carbon experienced a similar situation. Both headphones are getting tougher to find on the used market and nearly impossible to find as new old stock. I have noticed that prices for nice used ones seem to be back over $300.
That is when you can find them. The original Nighthawk has been around since 2016, so while there are some very heavily used ones available, nice examples are becoming difficult to find.

Nice write up. I'm sitting on a best up Original Nighthawk, a good condition Nighthawk Carbon, and a fair condition Nightowl Carbon. These were my favorite headphones for a long time, and still a favorite of mine. I'm somewhat sensitive to high pitched sounds, so the present yet not over the top treble works well for me. I honestly just wish the bass had a more visceral punch

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Nice write up. I'm sitting on a best up Original Nighthawk, a good condition Nighthawk Carbon, and a fair condition Nightowl Carbon. These were my favorite headphones for a long time, and still a favorite of mine. I'm somewhat sensitive to high pitched sounds, so the present yet not over the top treble works well for me. I honestly just wish the bass had a more visceral punch

Glad you're enjoying them! I use a Schiit Lokius tone control as part of my headfi system which enables me to boost the bass on the Nighthawk. It's subtle but noticeable. I really like the tone of the Nighthawk. It makes for a very pleasant listening experience.

I listen primarily to classical and jazz. Also lots of acoustic instrumentals featuring guitar, piano, cello, flute etc.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

For the last week I have used the NightHawks again, after using other pairs the last year.
When I first got them, a couple of years ago they soon became my favorite pair of headphones for their fatigue free, fluid and 3D sound.
But after a year I noticed that they have started to become brighter sounding, their treble became pretty forward and fatiguing with certain music/tracks. (So did the Sony MDR-Z7s btw). Did my ears alter with age? But becoming more treble sensitive doesn't make sense, does it?
I switched to the NightOwls, Avantone Planars and Sennheiser HD650s. My beloved NighHawks gathered dust...(well not really, I had put them in their leather case with a silica gel bag)
This last week I have tried them again and they are still nowhere near the dark and fatigue-free headphones they once were, but they at least sound awesome again, well to my ears the least.
What has become apparent is that they are truly dynamic sounding. There is this sound pressure, this force behind every note and tone that is unique. It may well be the ear pads that are for a part responsible for this, because wearing them without playing music you feel some passive noise canceling, like my ears are vacuum sealed.
Out of all the headphones I own the NightHawks have the best layering of instruments. There is some true 3D and vertical positioning going on.
Their soundstage is awesome.
I no longer rank them as my favorites, but that's OK, I cannot claim any pair of headphones to be my favorites. They all have their own unique merits and flaws.

I've always found the midrange on the Nighthawk Carbon to be flat and sucked out. Some owners claimed the cable was to blame. I added a balanced cable and the midrange has improved significantly. Mild EQ also helps with the mids and bass.

 

[Bern2]

A few years back the Audioquest Nighthawk headphones were abundant on the used market. The original Nighthawk
sold for $599. A year or so later, it was replaced by the Nighthawk Carbon which never sold well at its $699 price. A few negative reviews and many owners starting dumping theirs for hundreds less than they paid. This led Audioquest dealers to heavily discount their remaining stock. Prices plummeted and there was a time where brand new pairs of Nighthawks
could be had for under $300 US. I bought a lightly used pair for about $175 delivered. They had a pleasant sound but the midrange sounded muted (almost sucked out). Still, many owners insisted that this was a great sounding headphone, with the headphone cable being the problem. I replaced the cable with a balanced one and was pleasantly surprised in regard
to how much the Nighthawk's midrange opened up. Especially with a little EQ added. IME, with these changes, the Nighthawk is an excellent sounding headphone, albeit, a bit on the dark side. It's also extremely comfortable to wear for hours at a time.

The Nightowl Carbon experienced a similar situation. Both headphones are getting tougher to find on the used market and nearly impossible to find as new old stock. I have noticed that prices for nice used ones seem to be back over $300.
That is when you can find them. The original Nighthawk has been around since 2016, so while there are some very heavily used ones available, nice examples are becoming difficult to find.

Spot on analysis. I bought a used pair for 400. (from here..well taken care of) and then a new pair for 300 maybe a year/two later. I've never opened the box yet. One of my best bang for the buck headphone.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Spot on analysis. I bought a used pair for 400. (from here..well taken care of) and then a new pair for 300 maybe a year/two later. I've never opened the box yet. One of my best bang for the buck headphone.

I paid about $175 for a pair of "as advertised" brand new Nighthawk Carbons. Mine did not have original factory packaging: no storage case
or extra set of headphone pads, but they are mint. I paid the seller $160 and then added sales tax. For a pair of $700 headphones
it was really a great deal. IMO the standard cable does not sound good - it causes this headphone to sound very compressed. Switching to a balanced cable has made a significant improvement in sound quality. But I would imagine that even using a better single ended cable would offer a significant improvement.

 

[figgyburn]

It seems I've started to run into the dreaded headband disintegrating. The outer edges of the faux-suede (underside) have started flaking, leaving tiny black residues on anything it rests on (head, hands, headphone stand). Fortunately, the flat part of the underside is still fine for now, it's just the edges (which might have dried out faster). Also, the pleather (top) part shows no sign of peeling, thankfully.

Anybody have any success mitigating this on their own pair? I would not be against cleaning up a whole layer of flaking faux-suede, if it's to eventually get it to a point where it stops flaking. I don't care too much about the esthetics of it: I'm more worried about the integrity of the headband. Any tips are welcome!

I have 2 pairs,i just flipped the headbands so the leather/pleather was on the underside,the faux suede topside,a wet wipe weekly for the leather/pleather as well.So far so good.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

I have 2 pairs,i just flipped the headbands so the leather/pleather was on the underside,the faux suede topside,a wet wipe weekly for the leather/pleather as well.So far so good.

Sounds like a good system for maintaining them. IMO, If many of the people who sold the NHC off at a huge loss had made some subtle changes they would have realized just how nice this headphone really sounds and kept them. I remember reading comments from one Nighthawk Carbon owner who said the weak link was the headphone cable. IME the person was correct. With the original cable the midrange of the Nighthawk Carbon sounded sucked out. When I replaced the cable I noticed a
drastic improvement in the Nighthawk Carbon's midrange. It's actually a very nice sounding headphone and incredibly comfortable for long hours of listening.

 

[liampanto]

A few years back the Audioquest Nighthawk headphones were abundant on the used market. The original Nighthawk
sold for $599. A year or so later, it was replaced by the Nighthawk Carbon which never sold well at its $699 price. A few negative reviews and many owners starting dumping theirs for hundreds less than they paid. This led Audioquest dealers to heavily discount their remaining stock. Prices plummeted and there was a time where brand new pairs of Nighthawks
could be had for under $300 US. I bought a lightly used pair for about $175 delivered. They had a pleasant sound but the midrange sounded muted (almost sucked out). Still, many owners insisted that this was a great sounding headphone, with the headphone cable being the problem. I replaced the cable with a balanced one and was pleasantly surprised in regard
to how much the Nighthawk's midrange opened up. Especially with a little EQ added. IME, with these changes, the Nighthawk is an excellent sounding headphone, albeit, a bit on the dark side. It's also extremely comfortable to wear for hours at a time.

The Nightowl Carbon experienced a similar situation. Both headphones are getting tougher to find on the used market and nearly impossible to find as new old stock. I have noticed that prices for nice used ones seem to be back over $300.
That is when you can find them. The original Nighthawk has been around since 2016, so while there are some very heavily used ones available, nice examples are becoming difficult to find.

Could you let us know what cable you got?

 

[liampanto]

My headband was starting to 'flake away' so I went with the Dekoni 'Choice Suede Replacement Headband for Beyerdynamic Headphones'. It fits nicely over the stock headband and has a plush feel to it.

Looks good. Thanks

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Could you let us know what cable you got?

Nothing fancy at all. Just an XLR to a pair of 3.5mm cable that I bought via Amazon.com for about $30. I run the 3.5mm male ends into a pair of 3.5mm female to 2.5mm male adaptors to accommodate the Nighthawk Carbon's 2.5mm female inputs. It works great.

https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[HipHopScribe]

Nothing fancy at all. Just an XLR to a pair of 3.5mm cable that I bought via Amazon.com for about $30. I run the 3.5mm male ends into a pair of 3.5mm female to 2.5mm male adaptors to accommodate the Nighthawk Carbon's 2.5mm female inputs. It works great.

https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Connector-Compatible-Headphones-Replacement/dp/B08DK586G6/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2AGJV7VZAW0BM&keywords=youkamoo+4+pin+xlr+balanced&qid=1686534255&s=industrial&sprefix=Youkam,industrial,141&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFESUdPMFZDQjFUNjUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAyMzg4MDIzTEtaRjVVOVBRTktUJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0NDc2MDMySFM1Sk1BWjQzOExOJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

NewFantasia also has an XLR that works directly with the Nighthawks 2.5mm inputs without adapters

https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Balanced-AudioQuest-Nighthawk-Headphone/dp/B09SFK2LQP

Personally I used Hart Audio Cables with my Nightowls when I had them

https://hartaudiocables.com/collections/modular-headphone-cables/products/hc-7-dual-2-5mm-mono-ts

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

NewFantasia also has an XLR that works directly with the Nighthawks 2.5mm inputs without adapters

https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Balanced-AudioQuest-Nighthawk-Headphone/dp/B09SFK2LQP

Personally I used Hart Audio Cables with my Nightowls when I had them

https://hartaudiocables.com/collections/modular-headphone-cables/products/hc-7-dual-2-5mm-mono-ts

I have other headphones with 3.5mm male fittings, so it made sense to get a cable with the 3.5mm termination,
and then add a pair of 3.5mm to 2.5mm adaptors for my NightHawk Carbons and Meze 73 Classics.

 

[HipHopScribe]

I have other headphones with 3.5mm male fittings, so it made sense to get a cable with the 3.5mm termination,
and then add a pair of 3.5mm to 2.5mm adaptors for my NightHawk Carbons and Meze 73 Classics.

That makes sense, just figured the other option may be useful if someone only/primarily needs an XLR cable for the Nighthawks