[Tagjazz]

The PM3's are very neutral, especially after the Nighthawks but when amped properly I think they scale really well and I enjoy listening to vocal centric music with them when I need a closed headphone or I am away from my desk. I think the planar drivers in these just have something that still concocts me to the music and they isolate well, which is something the Ether C's didm't do for me.  The Nighthawks are my go to headphones otherwise and they are definitely worth consideration.

 

[Khemist]

The local audio shop had these on display connected to a nice Ayre Codex.  I listened patiently for about 10 minutes and I don't get it.  The mids sounded recessed and congested and the highs were rolled off.  It did nothing for me other than comfort and aesthetics, I will give them that.
 
The owner of the shop seemed to really like them though so I'm not surprised on the mixed reviews.  
 
They are just not my cup of tea I guess.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  The local audio shop had these on display connected to a nice Ayre Codex.  I listened patiently for about 10 minutes and I don't get it.  The mids sounded recessed and congested and the highs were rolled off.  It did nothing for me other than comfort and aesthetics, I will give them that.
 
The owner of the shop seemed to really like them though so I'm not surprised on the mixed reviews.  
 
They are just not my cup of tea I guess.

 
I hated them at first. Once I read the AQ page explaining the philosophy behind the design I went back and listened for about an hour through all my favorite music. After that I couldn't listen to anything else.

 

[Loquah]

I hated them at first. Once I read the AQ page explaining the philosophy behind the design I went back and listened for about an hour through all my favorite music. After that I couldn't listen to anything else.

I enjoyed them from the start, but have to agree that understanding the philosophies behind them certainly increased my enjoyment. Some might call it brainwashing, but I like to think it just opened my mind from previous expectations built on what the rest of the industry does (which is still fine, just not my preference)

 

[SearchOfSub]

Can anyone comment who heard both mojo and dragonfly RED which they prefer with the Nighthawks?

 

[inthere]

i have both. Sound quality is extremely close. Mojo is way more powerful so if that's a concern go with Mojo. Red is way more convenient and portable. Both great with phones BUT Dragonfly is acting weird on Android phones and doesn't seem to get full volume, in fact about half the volume that it gets on iPhone.......if that.

I was told about an app that fixes this issue and I tried it, but it didn't work. Can't remember the name of the app.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I enjoyed them from the start, but have to agree that understanding the philosophies behind them certainly increased my enjoyment. Some might call it brainwashing, but I like to think it just opened my mind from previous expectations built on what the rest of the industry does (which is still fine, just not my preference)

 
I definitely was swayed by the explanation, but I'd almost call it un-brainwashing you know? The headphone world has been so conditioned to hate bass that it's kind of ridiculous. I've seen it over and over again, you find any headphone with good bass to it and the purists will sniff and say "it's flabby and muddy, there are no details" and then throw out nonsense about how the bass on this bright and dry headphone is "accurate" and "tight" when it's literally just a difference of volume and nothing else. Nothing about decay, about distortion, about anything except level.
 
So take a headphone like the Nighthawk that professes its accuracy and clarity and when people hear the amount of bass, you'll get the sad but entirely predictable faux-audiophile reaction of "omg it's so muddy and flabby it's awful blah blah blah". The bass on the NH doesn't impede upon the rest of he frequency any more than if you turn up a subwoofer it makes the mid and tweets stop working. Whether or not someone likes that is another matter and that's fine, but the BS about how "wrong" the Hawk is just makes my eyes cross.

 

[DanDorn]

I've expressed my love of the Nighthawks in this discussion thread, but I'll confess that my point of view has changed from "Nighthawks only" to a "Nighthawks sometimes." One point in the Nighthawk detractors' argument that I now concede is that vocals, for better or worse, can sound distant in some tracks with the Nighthawks. When I want to hear a Joni Mitchell album, for example, I find myself automatically reaching for my El-8 Titaniums or Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros (the only Beyers I've liked). On the other hand, if I'm in the mood, say, for instrumental jazz, I'll reach for the Nighthawks. Initially I thought the Nighthawks were the endgame, but no more... and I don't think that's being fickle; it's the deduction that comes from experience.

 

[inthere]

  I've expressed my love of the Nighthawks in this discussion thread, but I'll confess that my point of view has changed from "Nighthawks only" to a "Nighthawks sometimes." One point in the Nighthawk detractors' argument that I now concede is that vocals, for better or worse, can sound distant in some tracks with the Nighthawks. When I want to hear a Joni Mitchell album, for example, I find myself automatically reaching for my El-8 Titaniums or Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros (the only Beyers I've liked). On the other hand, if I'm in the mood, say, for instrumental jazz, I'll reach for the Nighthawks. Initially I thought the Nighthawks were the endgame, but no more... and I don't think that's being fickle; it's the deduction that comes from experience.

Well I think none of us expect the Nighthawk or any other headphone to be the greatest until the end of days-new exciting cans are being released all the time and it's inevitable that some of us may find something we like better than the NH, even overcoming the hurdle of personal preference.

 

[Jackpot77]

Well I think none of us expect the Nighthawk or any other headphone to be the greatest until the end of days-new exciting cans are being released all the time and it's inevitable that some of us may find something we like better than the NH, even overcoming the hurdle of personal preference.

Blasphemy!!

... or in fact just good old fashioned common sense. As good as the Nighthawks are (and they are my own personal "endgame" at this point in time), they will always be just one option in an ever increasing sea of good choices when it comes to finding your own specific audio nirvana. I personally found the pm3 to be technically excellent but just not as suited to my own preference for sound to keep over the NH in the long term. It did make me appreciate the possibilities of the planar sound, however, so will be happy to dip my toes back into the water at some point with something from Audeze or Hifiman to see if their take on it can tick more boxes for me.

I always think choosing headphones is a lot like trying to pick your favourite colour - some colours are obviously brighter and more vibrant than others, but if dark purple is the one that does it for you then that's the one you should go for. Just my 0.02 anyway.

 

[SkylarGray]

   
I wish there were places I can demo the NightHawk. Most hifi stores will have HD800's and maybe Audeze's. Hopefully the next SF head-fi meet...

 
When in doubt, check our dealer locator on audioquest dot com.
 
If you're in SF, go to any Best Buy with a Magnolia Design Center. Also check Music Lovers and Audio Vision. Give 'em a ring; make sure they have a demo pair out.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I've discovered the only threat (to my ears): the Sony MDR-Z7. Sampled a pair and it's... damn. I want to put these two against each other.

 

[Jackson9696]

I owned the nighthawk and z7 as well and found the z7 to sound far more cloudy, less vivid, and thinner than the nighthawk. It's soundstage also wasn't as large.

Although it's build and comfort are superb, the sound of the z7 seemed like that of a 300$ headphone in my opinion, especially compared to the nighthawk.

 

[Smileyko]

I had the NH for exactly 6 days now. Sound is getting better and better. I also have the PM2 at home. I just took delivery of the Moon audio Sliver Dragons last night. On the PM2 this cable made it really come alive. I am burning the cable in today and tonight let's see what it does on the NH. Stay tuned.

 

[Smileyko]

I just had the Sliver Dragon from Moon delivered last night. After one day both my PM2 and the NH sounds like heaven.