[mopps]

How would Nighthawk compliment HE-500, HD650, and X2s?

Bifrost MB DAC, Project Polaris amp.

IME the current HD 650 have a slight but sometimes annoying low treble peak at ~ 3000 hz, the NightHawk have, at first, a massive and sometimes striking dip at ~4000 hz.
Unfortunately both headphones are not perfectly neutral in this area IMO but you can get accustomed to each signature over time. Though I guess the bigger challenge would be the NightHawk with its unusual signature.
The NightHawk have really strong and solid bass and sub-bass whereas the HD 650 fade out and mix in some audible non-linear distortion (< 100 hz).
I would take the HD 650 for Singer/Songwriter, Jazz, Chamber Music, Easy Listening, New Age etc., the NightHawk for everything else with "fun factor“ and serious bass demands.

 

[kman1211]

   
 I like the Sony MDR-100aap's a lot, nice soundstage but a little strong on the treble.
 
HE-500 I had cable issues I didn't feel like dealing with. 

That's good to hear, I have gathered it's a bit brighter than the 1A and Z7, I may look into a pair sometime. Ah, those horrible screw-on connectors on the older Hifimans. Isn't the stock cable on the HE-500 quite microphonic as well? 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

   
I would take the HD 650 for Singer/Songwriter, Jazz, Chamber Music, Easy Listening, New Age etc., the NightHawk for everything else with "fun factor“ and serious bass demands.

 
I just can't agree with this. When there's no significant bass in the recording, the Nighthawk doesn't add it unduly. Like I've said before, listen to Dyad's Who's Been Here Since I've Been Gone and you'll see how the NH does with more delicate music. 

 

[disastermouse]

My HD650 are the older, veiled version. The X2 are my girlfriend's, so I have access to them but they aren't my headphones. I'm mostly looking for something with a wide sound stage for the price range in the ballpark of the HD700. I didn't like the HD700 when I auditioned them.

What I am looking for is a headphone that offers comparable engagement (or better) than the HE-500, comfort as good as the HD650 (I never listen to the HD650 anymore because the X2 just destroys them), and has more refinement and clarity than the X2 with at least a comparable soundstage and the same sort of engagement as the X2 since they are the most engaging headphones I've heard thus far.

I did audition the EL-8 open with the Audeze DAC/Amp and was mightily impressed. What didn't impress me was the loose cable connector at the ear pad.

 

[teofilrocks]

My HD650 are the older, veiled version. The X2 are my girlfriend's, so I have access to them but they aren't my headphones. I'm mostly looking for something with a wide sound stage for the price range in the ballpark of the HD700. I didn't like the HD700 when I auditioned them.

What I am looking for is a headphone that offers comparable engagement (or better) than the HE-500, comfort as good as the HD650 (I never listen to the HD650 anymore because the X2 just destroys them), and has more refinement and clarity than the X2 with at least a comparable soundstage and the same sort of engagement as the X2 since they are the most engaging headphones I've heard thus far.

I did audition the EL-8 open with the Audeze DAC/Amp and was mightily impressed. What didn't impress me was the loose cable connector at the ear pad.

I find the NightHawks quite engaging and comfortable. More engaging than the HD650, mainly because of superior bass, and at least on par for comfort. It feels different because of the suspension band and non-velour ear pads, but very comfortable nonetheless. I can't compare to the X2, as I only have the X1. And, honestly, I don't spend much time at all with the X1 because I don't find them very comfortable. I prefer the HighHawk to both of these.
 
But if one of your requirements is a comparably wide soundstage, you might not enjoy them. This is a semi-open design that sounds like a closed headphone.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

What I am looking for is a headphone that offers comparable engagement (or better) than the HE-500, comfort as good as the HD650 (I never listen to the HD650 anymore because the X2 just destroys them), and has more refinement and clarity than the X2 with at least a comparable soundstage and the same sort of engagement as the X2 since they are the most engaging headphones I've heard thus far.

 
Sounds like the Hawks to me! These are easily the most engaging headphones I've heard. I've heard the X2 and used to own the X1, if that helps. The natural presentation stops you from playing the "detail" game and lets you just sink into the music. Comfort-wise they're also the best headphones I've run across. The way the ear cups are held on just with the thick elastic bands gives them full and free angling and rotation to ensure a comfortable and easy fit no matter what, plus they're deep enough that my ears don't scratch the grills. 
 
Keep in mind that clarity isn't lost in the slightest with the Hawks, no matter how often you'll find people claiming otherwise. What you've got here are headphones that don't amplify false clarity via overly boosted and sharp treble. You won't hear the micro-details that other headphones provide, but that's for the simple reason that those details often are falsely "enhanced" in other audiophile-grade headphones. 
 
I had the EL-8 open version (white box) and they absolutely are stellar headphones, and returning them was an agonizing decision, but what won in the end was the combination of the fit and the engaging (rather than "revealing") presentation. The EL-8's let you soak in all the minutiae of the music without being shrill or painful, plus have that kind of surreal dimensionality to them where I honestly thought I accidentally had my speakers going instead of the headphones, but the Hawks are just so smooth and sweet it's easy to sit back and listen to music for hours upon hours through them without strain, even at high volume.
 
EDIT: Yeah, the soundstage isn't enormous, compared to other open backs thanks to them not really being "open back". Aside from having a small opening, the grill isn't really a "grill" like on other headphones but more of a diffuser. The result is a spacious and wonderfully imaged soundstage, but not one that sounds like a concert hall in the slightest.

 

[KLJTech]

Just a heads up on yet another review: https://www.facebook.com/notes/audioquest/audioquest-nighthawk-lifelike-body-and-soul/1300002303358573

 

[obsidyen]

How is this headphone with EDM, modern rock, hiphop, Top 40 music? That's what I listen to mostly.

 

[mopps]

I just can't agree with this. When there's no significant bass in the recording, the Nighthawk doesn't add it unduly. Like I've said before, listen to Dyad's Who's Been Here Since I've Been Gone and you'll see how the NH does with more delicate music. 

You are absolutely right. Most (mostly open, dynamic) headphones have rolled-off bass. And there is no way to teach them bass without sacrificing the quality of the signal (keep THD below hearing threshold). The NightHawks have the ability to show every bass note with very low THD. Bass-intensive music is way more fun on bass-potent headphones of high-quality IMO.

 

[davidmolliere]

  Just a heads up on yet another review: https://www.facebook.com/notes/audioquest/audioquest-nighthawk-lifelike-body-and-soul/1300002303358573

 
"The NightHawk is the very first AudioQuest headphone. More are in the works, and they’re all being designed by Skylar Gray. What can I say? He’s off to a great start!"
Other in the works? Oh yeah!

 

[Dave74]

I am loving the Nighthawks with my new tube amp as well (Sustain84).  Smooth, rich, musical, non-fatuiging. 
 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  How is this headphone with EDM, modern rock, hiphop, Top 40 music? That's what I listen to mostly.

 
I'm a metal/rock dork and I can say they're just stellar with any aggressive music. I do listen to a good bit of rap and they're damn impressive for it as well, the bass punch is controlled rather than having a goofy hump, so like right now I'm listening to Gucci Mane's Traphouse 3 (it's sort of a "test track" for headphone bass IMO) and it's not thunderous but still very present. Nas's Illmatic is very thumpy and alive. Pop music should have plenty of drive and sparkle as well. 

 

[teofilrocks]

"The NightHawk is the very first AudioQuest headphone. More are in the works, and they’re all being designed by Skylar Gray. What can I say? He’s off to a great start!"
Other in the works? Oh yeah!

If AudioQuest could fit the NightHawk's goodness into a CIEM, I think I'd take a long hiatus from this place. No offense.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I'll say the Shure SE846 has some Nighthawkish qualities, though it feels quite more bass tilted rather than natural. 

 

[davidmolliere]

If AudioQuest could fit the NightHawk's goodness into a CIEM, I think I'd take a long hiatus from this place. No offense.

 
I'd be curious to see what AQ would come up with indeed, even universal, I guess we could expect a dynamic or hybrid design from them or something entirely different ala Piano Forte?