[inthere]

Adpo, the only comments I've read from you are discriminating and rude. Not impressing anyone. There are rules on this website.
As far as "way more balanced than the hd800" I have to disagree

In the bigsound video bob speaks of tonality which in producing you simply want as flat and balanced as possible which the nighthawk most definitely is not. It's also got a smoothed over response when looking at the 300hz square wave response and a bit more distortion. The hd800 on the other hand is lacking in the body department at 30hz. So I'll give it to the nighthawk in that perspective but "rolled off?"

 
You're assuming those graphs are correct, and they are not.  Do you actually believe the HD800 has up to 10db recessed in the 2-5khz range??? Just about every single person I've ever let hear my HD 800's had the same comments "too thin" and "too harsh" and "not enough bass"
 
And how would you professionally use a headphone that's incapable of revealing bass bloat? Your mixes will be a muddy, bottom heavy mess...............
 
Test it yourself, it's easy. All DAW's have a frequency analzer, just run a song through it then listen with your headphones and compare. Foobar also has one. 

 

[SearchOfSub]

biggest problem with HD800 is that there is no soul. There is good resolution but it lacks musical timing.

 

[inthere]

Bob Katz and Tyll attempting to design a new headphone EQ curve
 
https://youtu.be/EqPvranSPso

 

[CZinATL]

  Is anyone using these with different pads? I've had the NHs for 2 months and they still sounded a little congested to me. I also listen to HD600s and after switching from the HD600s to the NH, the NH bass was a little overpowering. I guess it's probably because the 600s are pretty bass light but even after I get used to the NH signature after, bass heavy tracks still sounded wrong (or were mastered poorly or w/e). I recently put on the Brainwavz hybrid pads and that seemed to strike the right balance for me.

 
Yes. My initial impression of the NIghthawks matched yours—congested with excessive bass. I did not see what the fuss was all about. Swapping out the stock pads for the Brainwavz velour pads cleaned up the congestion and toned down the bass nicely. Night and day difference.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Just as a minor request, I think we need to watch out for saying things like "congested". They're not "congested" because that implies poor imaging, the soundstage is just smaller than a fully open headphone would be and that's simply the nature of the design. Velour pads "open" them a bit and tamp down the bass because the material prevents a full seal, that's all. 
 
I've also found it spurious at best that bigger = better when it comes to soundstage. People rave about the HD800 and similar headphones for sounding so ridiculous spacious, but that seems to be suggesting that it is ALWAYS good to feel like you're sitting in a gigantic concert hall listening to music. Me, I like the idea of sitting up front row close enough to fistbump the lead singer. I'm a metalhead and that's what I put through these, and the slightly intimate sound. 
 
I'm not saying anyone is wrong for preferring "shaping" the sound of the Hawks via whatever means, just that one of the reasons the headphone hobby gets into these weird messes is people start conflating different presentations with being "wrong". 

 

[Krutsch]

Well, my cable woes continue... I finally heard back from Needle Doctor, the AudioQuest Dealer from which I purchased the NightHawks, in-store.
 

 Ok, they'd like you to email them directly for replacement.  The replacement cables aren't set up for dealer sales just yet:  
Info@audioQuest.com

 
...so, I will do that, but wow. Isn't AudioQuest an audio cable company?
 
Meanwhile, the Moon Audio Black Dragon cable I purchased for my HD-700 is working quite nicely:
 

 

[inthere]

  Well, my cable woes continue... I finally heard back from Needle Doctor, the AudioQuest Dealer from which I purchased the NightHawks, in-store.
 

 Ok, they'd like you to email them directly for replacement.  The replacement cables aren't set up for dealer sales just yet:  
Info@audioQuest.com

 
...so, I will do that, but wow. Isn't AudioQuest an audio cable company?
 
Meanwhile, the Moon Audio Black Dragon cable I purchased for my HD-700 is working quite nicely:

 
 Yeah, it's ridiculous isn't it? I'm using Oppo PM-1 cables on mine now and they're pretty sweet:
 

 

[Loquah]

I'm not sure that being a cable company is relevant. The replacement cable thing is a systems and inventory thing so it wouldn't matter if it was a cable or a new headband you're after - it's just a question of what's setup in the system. Admittedly it'd be good to have full parts support from launch, but I believe they're still working on cable designs for the Nighthawk because they're a cable company and want to get it perfect before they fill their inventory with stock.

 

[FastAndClean]

joeq70 how is the sound of ZMF Omni LTD Bocote, such a beauty

 

[joeq70]

  joeq70 how is the sound of ZMF Omni LTD Bocote, such a beauty

I love them. There is a speaker-like fullness to the sound yet still a nice sized soundstage coupled with precise imaging. The treble is detailed without being harsh or peaky. The midrange is lush and smooth and is the primary defining characteristic of them along with the bass which is rather robust without bleeding into the mids. I'm not really that interested in finding other headphones at this point--I do look forward to trying out new components in the rest of my chain, though, until I find the "perfect" combination.

 

[FastAndClean]

 

[inthere]

Try this: https://www.facebook.com/brickagramlike/
 
He's also a Nighthawk fan

 

[Luckbad]

Man... Another special synergy for the Nighthawk:
 
MHDT Labs Atlantis R-2R NOS Tube DAC -> Garage1217 Project Sunrise III: Heavenly, musical, euphonic, romantic
 
MHDT Labs Atlantis -> Audio-GD Master-11 amp section w/ balanced cable: Musical, detailed, smooth, spacious
 
Schiit Gungnir Multibit -> Cavalli Liquid Carbon w/ balanced cable: Powerful, detailed, melodic, clear as a bell
 
I only recently discovered the MHDT dac and it has a special sound, an ability to synergize with almost any gear using the proper tube. I've only used it with a GE JAN 5670, GE 5 Star Triple Mica, and two variants of the Western Electric (JW) 2C51 / 396A. I like the latter the most with the Nighthawk, but I imagine the Bendix or Tesla to go even more impressively with them.

 

[inthere]

Man impossible getting that Liquid Carbon, every one that goes on sale is gone in minutes. 

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]