[SkylarGray]

I had the opportunity to audition these over the weekend at a local shop. I liked them for my music, but wanted to hear what users think of these cans for gaming?

Check out page 94 of the June '15 issue of TONE
http://www.tonepublications.com/magazine/issue-72/

 

[Luckbad]

  Check out page 94 of the June '15 issue of TONE
http://www.tonepublications.com/magazine/issue-72/

As soon as the in-laws are out of town, I'll try some FPS gaming with them using my sound card. The current top headphones I have for surround gaming are HD598s. I downgrade the sound quality a bit from what I'm used to in order to seem like a dirty cheater when I can tell exactly where to shoot from footsteps. If the Nighthawk can do as well or better, I'm going to cry a little.

 

[SkylarGray]

  A question for everyone, and maybe Skylar. The Nighthawk does something my other headphones never did. They have a stethoscope effect. When I put them on and the amplifier is off, if I rub my fingers anywhere on the phones: metal band, ear pads, liquid wood earpieces, suspension, I hear the rubbing in the headphones. Just tapping on the cable makes the sound in the headphones.
 
It reminds me of the stethoscope I have. Very sensitive. But, if i touch the cable, or touch the earpieces, I hear every single noise. I can also hear myself breathing from inside. The Nighthawk does this also, but not as much. Is this normal? 
 
I have owned Sennheiser and Shure closed models, and Grado open models. This never happened with those headphones. 

Headphones with rigid earcup and headband mechanisms like the ones you mention do have microphonic resonances; however, the difference compared to NightHawk is in the frequency spectra that these resonances occur. With typical, rigid-assembly headphones, the microphonics are spread across a fairly wide bandwidth at mostly high frequencies. The result is audible coloration at upper-mid and high frequency induced by the vibration of the driver, especially with transient material such as percussion.
 
NightHawk's patent-pending suspension narrows the resonance bandwidth to less than 10Hz, centered at about 70Hz. The vibration of the driver does not have enough energy to activate the resonance at an audible level. But if you do apply enough energy, for instance by tapping the suspension yoke with your finger, you will hear the tap. We would rather the headband mechanism be sensitive to physical tapping but without audible coloration versus adding harmonics in the mids and highs during music playback.
 
The NightHawk cable's solid conductors mean that it will be more microphonic than if we had used stranded conductors. We cannot escape the physics of that, but we suspect that most customers will appreciate the higher quality of solid conductors more than they will be distracted by slightly increased cable microphonics. We include a backup cable that is more suited to heavy movement and portable use just in case.

 

[leomitch]

Thanks Sklar! It is good that you take the time to come and explain your Nighthawks to us.
If you read any of my posts you know I bought them as a present for my self  for my 80th birthday. I have never, ever bought things I wanted unless they had some kind of history or pedigree if you like. The Nighthawks were different. It was apparent to me that they would be special. As an amateur speaker builder, what you said made sense. Pistonic action in the engine just like a real speaker...and all the rest of the minutia that you re-engineered indicated something really special in the headphone business. And special it was! Thanks for the fine birthday present mate!   

 
Leo

 

[mrscotchguy]

Any chance of a shorter cable option, preferably with 1/4" or 4-pin XLR termination?  I really like these headphone, and will probably trade in my HD650s for these at some point.  I loved the build quality on the "at home" cable, but it's far too long for my needs.
 
EDIT:
 
Oh, and any chance of stained color options for the Liquid Wood?  I would love to see a midnight blue or deep green metallic in the future...

 

[Venere 2]

  Headphones with rigid earcup and headband mechanisms like the ones you mention do have microphonic resonances; however, the difference compared to NightHawk is in the frequency spectra that these resonances occur. With typical, rigid-assembly headphones, the microphonics are spread across a fairly wide bandwidth at mostly high frequencies. The result is audible coloration at upper-mid and high frequency induced by the vibration of the driver, especially with transient material such as percussion.
 
NightHawk's patent-pending suspension narrows the resonance bandwidth to less than 10Hz, centered at about 70Hz. The vibration of the driver does not have enough energy to activate the resonance at an audible level. But if you do apply enough energy, for instance by tapping the suspension yoke with your finger, you will hear the tap. We would rather the headband mechanism be sensitive to physical tapping but without audible coloration versus adding harmonics in the mids and highs during music playback.
 
The NightHawk cable's solid conductors mean that it will be more microphonic than if we had used stranded conductors. We cannot escape the physics of that, but we suspect that most customers will appreciate the higher quality of solid conductors more than they will be distracted by slightly increased cable microphonics. We include a backup cable that is more suited to heavy movement and portable use just in case.

 
Thank you for the very thorough and detailed explanation Skylar. I was a bit surprised when I heard the microphonic effects the first day I had the headphones, but It is not a problem. It does not happen when I am sitting down listening to music. It only happens if I purposely tap the phones or cable with the amplifier off. So it is really not a problem under normal listening conditions.
 
From all of the information you have provided on this forum, and in the product literature, I see that you did not just recycle the same old ideas and designs when creating these headphones. The Nighthawk is certainly not a "me too product". It seems every single aspect of design was researched and developed to conceive a better way of creating a complete headphone.
 
I will go into details in the next few days, but so far after 2 days of use, I am thrilled with them. I am very happy I did not let some of the negative things said about the headphones, prevent me from trying them. 

 

[Leo]

Enjoy your new headphones and have a great birthday. These are wonderful cans and a great entry into the market by Audioquest. I'm personally enjoying mine and will continue throwing all my favorite tracks and albums at them. Music is why we listen and finding a product that helps convey that feeling whether it be a concert we experienced or an old tune we listened to as a kid. So in the end enjoy the music.

 

[leomitch]

Enjoy your new headphones and have a great birthday. These are wonderful cans and a great entry into the market by Audioquest. I'm personally enjoying mine and will continue throwing all my favorite tracks and albums at them. Music is why we listen and finding a product that helps convey that feeling whether it be a concert we experienced or an old tune we listened to as a kid. So in the end enjoy the music.

Thank you Leo!  The Nighthawks are indeed fine instruments for listening to music...movies and videos for that matter. I really appreciate your warm wish for my birthday!! I an still stunned that I made it this far even though my health is so poor, my mind and my ears still work well enough. Music and reading good books on Ancient History and Quantum Mechanics are what keep me going. So Skylar's babies are very important to me, which is why I continue to sing their praises despite...well you know.
While I wrote this, I had the pleasure of hearing Stravinsky's Firebird Ballet by the Berlin Philharmonic, with Sir Simon rattle conducting...marvelous stuff.
Once more thank you kind sir!
 
Warm regards
the other Leo

 

[Mediahound]

Anyone know of a good 4-pin XLR adapter or possibly even whole new compatible cable? I'm curious to try these with my balanced amps to see what, if any, improvement there may be. 

 

[Shembot]

  Anyone know of a good 4-pin XLR adapter or possibly even whole new compatible cable? I'm curious to try these with my balanced amps to see what, if any, improvement there may be. 

 
Adapting 1/8" to balanced XLR sounds like a recipe for a Bad Day. I emailed AudioQuest and they said they would reterminate my existing NightHawk cable for $75, but I want to use it with my DragonFly and Magni 2 Uber, too (and I'm not paying $75 ). I think we'll have to wait for AQ to offer a balanced cable, or of course get one aftermarket from one of the other excellent cable makers (I very strongly recommend Norne Audio, who makes all my cables for me).

 

[mrscotchguy]

   
Adapting 1/8" to balanced XLR sounds like a recipe for a Bad Day. I emailed AudioQuest and they said they would reterminate my existing NightHawk cable for $75, but I want to use it with my DragonFly and Magni 2 Uber, too (and I'm not paying $75 ). I think we'll have to wait for AQ to offer a balanced cable, or of course get one aftermarket from one of the other excellent cable makers (I very strongly recommend Norne Audio, who makes all my cables for me).

Is anyone making AQNK specific cables, or do you use the Oppo PM1/2 cable or HD700 cable???

 

[Luckbad]

 
@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.

 
I'm listening to the Nighthawk through the Dragonfly right now. What audio were you listening to? I'm listening to some Chesky stuff in Foobar right now at 96kHz (WASAPI event) and it sounds very good--not muddy or veiled at all. If anything, I usually find the Dragonfly to be too analytical and clean for my basshead tastes rather than muddy/veiled. I usually have these hooked up to an ODAC (revB) + Objective2 and it sounds great--the Dragonfly might now be quite as good as that combo to my ears, but it's still quite good for the price.

 

[Shembot]

   
I'm listening to the Nighthawk through the Dragonfly right now. What audio were you listening to? I'm listening to some Chesky stuff in Foobar right now at 96kHz (WASAPI event) and it sounds very good--not muddy or veiled at all. If anything, I usually find the Dragonfly to be too analytical and clean for my basshead tastes rather than muddy/veiled. I usually have these hooked up to an ODAC (revB) + Objective2 and it sounds great--the Dragonfly might now be quite as good as that combo to my ears, but it's still quite good for the price.

I listen to a lot of metal (primarily power and symphonic metal), including some that's extremely well produced. The low end gets a bit muddy with this genre. That said, I also switch between headphones a lot, and some headphones are better than others for this genre. Plus, the longer I listen to the NightHawk in a session (and let my ears adapt), the better it sounds -- I get used to its unique presentation. It's also the least fatiguing headphone I've ever owned, regardless of source. 
 
I can't wait to get a balanced cable for it so I can listen with Gungnir/Mjolnir, which I think will be awesome. I'm also not convinced that 100% copper is the right cable material for this headphone, at least not in the stock cable's implementation (and yes, I'm aware of how ironic this is considering the headphone is made by AudioQuest). I'm trying to get adapters made for some of my Norne cables to try them out with it. The right cable could tighten up the lower mids a bit and reduce some of the muddiness I hear.

 

[Crescendo]

Anyone who thinks or states that these headphones are overly warm/dark is WRONG in my opinion..
lol.

 

[Venere 2]

  Anyone who thinks or states that these headphones are overly warm/dark is WRONG in my opinion..
lol.

I agree with you! I have been listening for mine for 4 days now. They have body and warmth, but just the right amounts. I find them very balanced with the right amount of bass, midrange and treble. The treble is very smooth while still being very detailed. They sound a little bit like my Sonus Faber speakers. Lots of body, some warmth, and very smooth treble that is nonetheless very detailed. The Nighthawk sounds like it has a good quality silk dome tweeter.
 
If I compare them to the 2 Grado models I owned (RS2i, SR60i), the Grado's were thin sounding. The treble was very crisp and over emphasized to my ears. The Grado's sounded like they had a metallic tweeter (a bit like my old Paradigm Speakers). A fun listen for a few songs, but they did get fatiguing. I also agree with Shembot, that the Nighthawk is not fatiguing at all.