AudioQuest NightHawk Impressions and Discussion Thread
Oct 1, 2016 at 12:00 PM Post #3,543 of 10,189
  As I gave Nighthawks a second chance, I had to rewrite my impressions.

 

Good review, nice to see you gave them a second chance. Many people do need to adjust to these headphones to grasp what they are about, I don't see anything wrong with their stock tuning or anything. some need to hear past the frequency response at times and ask themselves how natural does this headphone sound, is it alive/euphoric or soulless, does it fatigue you, is it grainy, is it a more intimate or laid-back approach to natural, etc. To me the Nighthawks are the laid-back speaker-like approach to natural done right. The Nighthawks are a headphone I don't ever see myself getting rid of.
 
Oct 1, 2016 at 12:11 PM Post #3,545 of 10,189


Early days but I'm now using a Violectric V281 amp with the Hawks. Improved dynamics and holographics are what I've first noticed. Hawks certainly respond well to power. So clear and responsive.
My Oppo HA-1 is now pulled and retired from the rig.


Get out of here, the V281 is that much better than the HA-1? Wow! That's worth looking into because the HA-1 is a beast
 
Oct 1, 2016 at 2:33 PM Post #3,546 of 10,189
  Good review, nice to see you gave them a second chance. Many people do need to adjust to these headphones to grasp what they are about, I don't see anything wrong with their stock tuning or anything. some need to hear past the frequency response at times and ask themselves how natural does this headphone sound, is it alive/euphoric or soulless, does it fatigue you, is it grainy, is it a more intimate or laid-back approach to natural, etc. To me the Nighthawks are the laid-back speaker-like approach to natural done right. The Nighthawks are a headphone I don't ever see myself getting rid of.

Agreed. I have had several MUCH higher priced cans come and go from my inventory but the Hawks still remain. 
 
Oct 1, 2016 at 3:07 PM Post #3,547 of 10,189
Get out of here, the V281 is that much better than the HA-1? Wow! That's worth looking into because the HA-1 is a beast


I've never entirely liked the HA-1. I just tolerated it.
The V281 kills the HA-1 by a large margin and at this stage I think it edges out the Woo WA22 also. Or it is very close.
 
Oct 1, 2016 at 4:12 PM Post #3,548 of 10,189
  Agreed. I have had several MUCH higher priced cans come and go from my inventory but the Hawks still remain. 

Yeah, the Nighthawk is the only headphone I've ever owned more than a year, that tells me something right there. I've owned 4 headphones that have fully satisfied me where I don't get bored or fatigued by them long term and could live with any as my only headphone. The Nighthawks of course, the DT 1770, DT 480(with some dampening and pad rolling), and the DT 1990. You let go of some really high-end stuff such as the SR-009, HE-1000, etc. looking at your profile. What about those made you let go of them? I've heard them but never lived with them at any length of time.
 
Oct 1, 2016 at 8:32 PM Post #3,549 of 10,189
  Yeah, the Nighthawk is the only headphone I've ever owned more than a year, that tells me something right there. I've owned 4 headphones that have fully satisfied me where I don't get bored or fatigued by them long term and could live with any as my only headphone. The Nighthawks of course, the DT 1770, DT 480(with some dampening and pad rolling), and the DT 1990. You let go of some really high-end stuff such as the SR-009, HE-1000, etc. looking at your profile. What about those made you let go of them? I've heard them but never lived with them at any length of time.

To me , although sonically quite impressive, I found them to have a sound that wasn't realistic or natural. They didn't allow me to get lost in the music and love them. I found that the almost exaggerated clarity and detail  caused listening fatigue quite rapidly. I don't want to me 'impressed' by an HP in that manner but ,rather. taken away to a place of bliss. Where I forget about the trials and stressors of this world , of everyday life.  The  Hawks do that for me. The others do not.
 
Oct 1, 2016 at 8:33 PM Post #3,550 of 10,189
  Yeah, the Nighthawk is the only headphone I've ever owned more than a year, that tells me something right there. I've owned 4 headphones that have fully satisfied me where I don't get bored or fatigued by them long term and could live with any as my only headphone. The Nighthawks of course, the DT 1770, DT 480(with some dampening and pad rolling), and the DT 1990. You let go of some really high-end stuff such as the SR-009, HE-1000, etc. looking at your profile. What about those made you let go of them? I've heard them but never lived with them at any length of time.

I just might need to give the DT- 1770 & 1990 a listen.
 
Oct 1, 2016 at 9:03 PM Post #3,551 of 10,189
  I just might need to give the DT- 1770 & 1990 a listen.

They are very euphoric sounding headphones to my ears, they have a bit of a bite in the treble at times but don't fatigue me. They may or may not fatigue you. They are a headphone I like a lot because I forget about all the little stuff that may bother me about it's sound and just focus on the music, even moreso than the Hawks for me, but you may feel different, they are worth a good listen at least. Especially the DT 1990.
  To me , although sonically quite impressive, I found them to have a sound that wasn't realistic or natural. They didn't allow me to get lost in the music and love them. I found that the almost exaggerated clarity and detail  caused listening fatigue quite rapidly. I don't want to me 'impressed' by an HP in that manner but ,rather. taken away to a place of bliss. Where I forget about the trials and stressors of this world , of everyday life.  The  Hawks do that for me. The others do not.

Ah makes sense, the headphones lacked euphony to me personally on both based on my listening of them, so it seems it's a problem with long-term listening too. With many headphones I've heard it's like something was missing but it's hard to put your finger on exactly what. Having the pleasure of hearing the R10's at length, it really brought to light what the problem was with so many of these headphones, the headphones just didn't capture the soul, realism, and naturalness quite right. So many headphones just don't sound analog, they sounded a bit digital. I find it's the digitalness in sound that often fatigues me and takes away from the naturalness more than anything.
 
Oct 1, 2016 at 11:45 PM Post #3,552 of 10,189
I am on my way over to post in the DT1990 thread when the latest here caught my eye...
 
Glad to see more folks appreciating the NH. I have what I consider to be the three kings of mid-fi right now: NH, DT1990, and R70x. The last one is really more in the middle but so darned cute and comfy that it will stay for the long term. More on all of that later.
 
My main reason for posting here is that in doing some comparisons more closely I have come to appreciate the detractors a bit more while at the same time ready to defend the hawks more vigorously than ever. Skylar really has done something interesting here and it is just not so simple as to call it bloated mid bass, recessed mids, and spotty treble. In comparison to many other headphones and the industry standards that seem to drive sales and popular praise for detail it all makes sense, but compared to good speakers in a decent room, I think the hawks get it closer to right than most others. I still hear just a little bit extra thickness in the upper bass and would like to trade that off for just a smidge of vocal presence and sparkle, but that is getting really really fussy. I would say that they are my one desert island pair of headphones but if we assume that a desert island is extremely tranquil and relaxing as it is, I might prefer something else for the island. I think the Night Hawks are the Big City headphone, they are the relaxing alternative to the stressful convolution of noise and activity that is an all too common thread in this busy and globally connected world. Where everything often seems designed for immediate gratification and over lit and pushed in our face, the nigh hawks protect us and carry us away on a smoother flight above the usual turbulence. Just good music, fairly well resolved and enough slam and bounce to get your head moving and your feet tapping.
 
Oct 2, 2016 at 5:46 AM Post #3,553 of 10,189
NH castle rock XLR terminated should be able to connect directly into Jonuteheim balanced/XLR inputs. How do you like/compare the Jot vs. Mojo Soundizer?


Hello SearchOfSub, i cannot compare as do not have the Jot yet but thinking about it to drive me HD650 with Balanced cable. I have the Mojo connected to Nighthawks and do not want to disrupt that set up.
 
Oct 2, 2016 at 6:14 AM Post #3,554 of 10,189
Hi kman1211,

I like the way you explained this: "So many headphones just don't sound analog, they sounded a bit digital. I find it's the digitalness in sound that often fatigues me and takes away from the naturalness more than anything."

This is exactly my perspective and you explain it vet well. Audio from Nighthawks with the right source and Dac/amp sounds less digital and more analog = real world sound.
 
Oct 2, 2016 at 7:46 AM Post #3,555 of 10,189
I just thought, I share this picture. Hopefully a visual delight for the thread. :)



Nighthawk is like listening to live music performance. With most of other headphones the perception is that you are listening to a recording in audiophile quality. Nighthawk breaks this barrier between music and listener, giving the illusion the 'recording' phase has been left out. With Nighthawks there is just music and listener, not much 'recording' to analyse.
I know, it sounds like marketing, but this really is my personal experience.
 

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