[HonkyTonk]

You may have seen this already, but it's the only pic I've seen so far (from the NightOwl thread)

 

[NigelJ]

Is there any pictures around of the NightOwls?

You may have seen this already, but it's the only pic I've seen so far (from the Night Owl thread)

The picture on the NO thread does not match the NightOwls that were at CanJam London; however, they were prototypes and Audioquest asked that no photos be taken, so their finish might not have been final. The cables were very obviously prototypes with poorly fitted heat shrink as a splitter, so this would also have been a reason for no photos.

 

[HonkyTonk]

NigelJ, was the design similar to the pic on the NightOwl thread?

 

[SearchOfSub]

Spoke to the guys on the AQ table and I think the Hawks are getting the improved cable from the Nightowl, plus a different paint job. Apparently liquid wood isn't selling very well in the US, so they are probably going with a carbon / stealth type finish to match the Nightowl (not confirmed at this point).

That's as much as they would tell me - both versions sounded sweeeet through the amp and Df Red setup they had rigged up there too.

The new cables should change hight NH sound since they have such low distortion. I change stock NH cable to Moon's Audio Silver V3 and it's really a different heasphone. No veil at all and detail are all pronounced.

Edit: Meant NightOwl.

 

[NigelJ]

NigelJ, was the design similar to the pic on the NightOwl thread?

Yes, design was similar but the colour was different with no obvious glitter look. Perhaps the photo better represents the production colour, which might account for the no photos policy.

 

[billtboys]

Great review.  I like my NightHawks for walking while listening to music.  I think they did a good job of excess noise reduction and they sound clean warm, but maybe a little bit... is foggy the word? I have a sensation that I'm hearing the sound like it was bounced back to my ears from the direction of the butterfly pattered 3D printed screen.  I'm not an audiophile by anyone's definition and I'm certainly not a sound engineer, but It seems to me that the sound would be improved if they would replace that 3D screen, with a more open screen. These damn things seal out more noise than many noise cancelling headphones. I think that if they did that, the soundstage would open up a little.  Sounds like a mod job for somebody. 

 

[adpo]

I just replaced the stock damping material with some bamboo/rayon batting and added some sorbothane as well. My Nighthawks no longer have that sort of internal reflection noise that I was getting early on and I'm not sure if it's from the mods or burn-in. In any case, my Nighthawks sound just about perfect to my ears now.

 

[billtboys]

I'm glad you chimed in. Internal reflection perfectly describes the sound I'm hearing. Thanks for the tip!

 

[turbobb]

@adpo - intrigued... is there any write up or guide posted for this procedure? Thx!

 

[Luckbad]

http://www.basshead.club/audioquest-nighthawk-review/

 

[Hi-Fi EDU]

Well 3 months after purchase as brand new, I'm having issues with my thick stock NH cable; the one with the silver coating. I almost never moved/coiled the thing. I've been very careful with it but now I'm having audio dropouts. I've narrowed down my issue to the 3.5mm plug/1/4 in adapter end. I have to somewhat straighten the plug from its 45 degree angle to get sound. The divisive cable jacket still looks excellent. Glad I have the other thin stock cable to manage but...I guess I have to put through a warranty claim. Maybe they can give me the new, hopefully more durable cable that's been spoken of recently. Anywhooo, just thought I'd share my NH stock cable woes, like a few on here have. To my ears, the thick cable truly sounds great but it's just not durable...

 

[nmatheis]

Wondering if any Nighthawk owners in the USA would be interested in meeting new have a listen for a week or two. I could let you listen to a pair of nice IEM or a DAP (or maybe both) in return. Let me know

 

[Jackpot77]

Wondering if any Nighthawk owners in the USA would be interested in meeting new have a listen for a week or two. I could let you listen to a pair of nice IEM or a DAP (or maybe both) in return. Let me know

Didn't know you were interested in the Nighthawks? Would gladly have lent you mine for a few weeks, but the transatlantic doesn't really lend itself too well to temporary loans!

Hope you find someone willing to take you up on your offer - would be interested to see your take on them. Tried a few of the more "famous" open back headphones at CanJam London the other week (apart from the Audeze range) and realised I'm pretty happy with my Nighthawks as the end of the line in terms of at home listening at the moment. Fantastic (and fanatically polarising) set of cans - good luck with the hunt!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Wondering if any Nighthawk owners in the USA would be interested in meeting new have a listen for a week or two. I could let you listen to a pair of nice IEM or a DAP (or maybe both) in return. Let me know

 
GrizzlyBeast has my pair ATM, but unfortunately they have a cosmetic issue (namely a crack in the liquid wood shell). If you, perchance, had some lacquer on hand just to kinda hold that together so it doesn't crack further and don't mind sampling a lightly dinged pair, go ahead and ask him to shoot them your way.

 

[nmatheis]

Didn't know you were interested in the Nighthawks? Would gladly have lent you mine for a few weeks, but the transatlantic doesn't really lend itself too well to temporary loans!

Hope you find someone willing to take you up on your offer - would be interested to see your take on them. Tried a few of the more "famous" open back headphones at CanJam London the other week (apart from the Audeze range) and realised I'm pretty happy with my Nighthawks as the end of the line in terms of at home listening at the moment. Fantastic (and fanatically polarising) set of cans - good luck with the hunt!

Yes, I think I just might like Nighthawk. A generous headfi buddy lent me his Cardas A8 for a couple weeks. I quite liked them and am encouraged that some folks in the Cardas A8 thread have compared Nighthawk favorably to A8, saying their sound signatures are similar. I'd like to find out for myself before pulling the trigger on Nighthawk.

Also wondering how Nighthawk compare to Meze 99 Classics...