[betula]

   
This might sound ridiculous, but my DAC is a $70 ZuperDAC which I am really happy with. Actually I'm so happy with it that I have two of them: one for my laptop, and one for my Samsung S5 phone. Yet in spite of my being very happy with the ZuperDAC (and thanks to you guys) I am lusting for a Mojo

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

The NH's sound awesome off of my Samsung S5 + Zuperdac, but amps do add something. So off of my laptop's ZuperDAC, I either have 3 portable amps to choose from: (1) the cheapo C&C BH amp; (2) Fiio E12 (version 1) amp; or (3) Cayin C5 amp.
 
I mostly listen to the C&C BH amp because it has a 60 hour battery life (I'm lazy and hate having to recharge). It also has a vodoo "SF" switch that seems to nicely open up the soundstage into a 3D landscape. But the NH's don't need that effect very much, so I really also love the NH's off of the E12 amp because the bass turns into something amazing. I say E12 "version 1" because it was only produced for a short while and has a subtle yet extended sub-bass boost which really sounds awesome with the NH's (the blue line is the E12 version 1's bass boost FR);
 

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

The NH's off of the Cayin C5 sounds very good as well though, so I guess the point of my story is that the Nighthawks simply sound awesome... off of cheap or expensive gear - take your pick.

 

 

If I were you, I would sell some of those DACs/amps to fund Mojo. But that is just me.
Another vote for Mojo+NH here.

 

[K P K]

I hope the following questions were not asked before, but I admit that I did not read all 301 thread pages before.
 
I'd like to know if there are known issues regarding the long-term stability of the headpad mechanism (does it come to wear out effects of the inner elastic band after multiple and long-term use?), as well as the fixation at the ends of the headpad (these fixations look quite filigree).
 
Maybe Mr. @SkylarGray can help with some detailed information regarding the long-term stability/durability of the mechanical parts here
 
Thanks very much in advance!

 

[Badas]

I hope the following questions were not asked before, but I admit that I did not read all 301 thread pages before.

I'd like to know if there are known issues regarding the long-term stability of the headpad mechanism (does it come to wear out effects of the inner elastic band after multiple and long-term use?), as well as the fixation at the ends of the headpad (these fixations look quite filigree).

Maybe Mr. @SkylarGray
can help with some detailed information regarding the long-term stability of the mechanical parts here

Thanks very much in advance!

No issues here and I've put a lot of hours on. I'm particularly careful with my gear so I wouldn't consider myself a hard user. Hawks look brand new.

I have to do a special mention to the pads. Very straight and even. I've purchased a lot of pads for my LCD-3's over the years. Every set comes out of the bag crooked. They sit very sloppy.
Hawks from new just looked and felt more superior and they have not changed shape in the slightest.

 

[adpo]

I've been kinda hard on my nighthawks for the past year or so that I've had them and they've held up wonderfully. The design and build quality on them are top-notch.
 
Currently running mine with the Jotunheim and a Pro-Ject RPM10.1 Evo as a source and it sounds fantastic. The TT is beautifully holographic with amazing dynamics, which plays well with the highly transparent and slightly forward signature of the Schiit. Hopefully, I'll be able to afford the V281 somewhere down the line, just to add that little extra bit of magic to the NHs.

 

[inthere]

Nighthawk headband is possibly the best I've ever owned as far as a durability and comfort combination. It's never shown the slightest bit of wear and tear over time and I'm extremely tough on headphones.
 
Glaring durability issues with the cable and the ear cups however. 
 
The 1st or 2nd day I had them the cable was damaged after light use. I mentioned that earlier in this thread. I've gotten other cables since then and this may have been solved with the NH Carbon models.
 
If you're prone to dropping your headphones like I am, best to look elsewhere. I've dropped mine before and wound up with small chips coming off. This doesn't effect the sound at all but it's annoying to me and unsightly to the point where I just gave the headphones away to friends. I'm on my 3rd pair now. My 1st pair lasted over a year before i chipped it. My 2nd pair got chipped after 2 weeks. I chipped my 3rd pair the 3rd day.
 
This may have also been solved by the new Nighthawk Carbon as the cups are made from a different material and not eggshell membrane/wood like the original. 

 

[SkylarGray]

  I hope the following questions were not asked before, but I admit that I did not read all 301 thread pages before.
 
I'd like to know if there are known issues regarding the long-term stability of the headpad mechanism (does it come to wear out effects of the inner elastic band after multiple and long-term use?), as well as the fixation at the ends of the headpad (these fixations look quite filigree).
 
Maybe Mr. @SkylarGray can help with some detailed information regarding the long-term stability/durability of the mechanical parts here
 
Thanks very much in advance!

 
I have posted some info previously concerning the extensiveness of our design validation and mechanical stress testing for headphones. Nearly impossible to find in 300 pages! Check here. 
 
My design process for all parts and assemblies is essentially:

• Design
• Simulate
• Revise
• Repeat step 2 & 3 until performance target exceeded
• Prototype
• Subject to stress tests
• Go back to step 3–6 until stress tests passed
• Build production-ready parts & assemblies
• Subject to stress tests
• Revise as needed, repeat step 8 & 9 until stress tests passed

 
Myself and the team put a lot of effort into design for, testing for, and verification of durability. Further, NightHawk and NightOwl are designed with ease-of-repair in mind, and we can offer replacement parts or repair service if needed.
 
Regarding the headpad elastic and aluminum clasp fixation assembly specifically, we have had no instances of failure under normal use out of more than 10K headphones in the market.

 

[punkhouse]

Agreed. I've had my Nighthawks for almost 2 weeks now. Handled them with care, and the cable is already starting to tear.

 

[bugeyed]

  snip
This may have also been solved by the new Nighthawk Carbon as the cups are made from a different material and not eggshell membrane/wood like the original. 

I understand that the Nighthawk Carbon are made from the same liquid wood as the original NH & I assume that your mention of the "eggshell membrane" refers to the process used to make the protein leather for the ear pads. 
 
kev

 

[LaCuffia]

I only use the NH at home (the Meze 99 is my portable headphone). They are just too nice to risk traveling with them. And good thing it comes with a really nice case to protect against my two year old son!

 

[SearchOfSub]

I wouldn't travel or go outside with any hifi headphones because of their size. Outside for IEM.

 

[kman1211]

I would think V2 would be an excellent pairing for NH based on its low Z output. Please do try and report back with impressions before purchasing a new SS amp

After spending some time with the Nighthawks on the V2, I can say the pairing is pretty nice, better than I expected it to be. The extra refinement of the amp is showing itself over the Project Sunrise III. Not the best pairing I've heard but actually may be better than the Lyr 2 pairing which I found made the bass a bit too heavy and thick sounding, especially when using aftermarket power cables and power conditioning. The Hawks ease of driving really comes in handy with the V2. It really shines with low to medium level listening on the Hawks. The Hawks are very clean and transparent sounding on the V2, though it does show it's lack of power into the Hawks as it's not quite as controlled as it would be if it had more power going into it. It's similar to how it sounds on the Sony UDA-1, great but but the lack of power is the main drawback. 
 
On another note, I ended up trading my DT 1990's for a T1 Gen 2 with a good friend of mine. Whether I will like the T1 Gen 2 as much on my system as the DT 1990 remains to be seen.

 

[K P K]

Thanks very much for all your interesting and helpful replies.
 
I'm a bit irritated what I read about the cable issues (actually two issues described in the latest replies here), not only in this forum.
I have a Sennheiser running since more than 12 years now without any technical or cable problems and that's what I at least expect from a product like the NightHawk phones.

 

[misteral201103]

Have to say, I've had zero issues with my cable - I think I'm on month 5 now, with the 'hawks into my bag every day to work, plenty of use during the day, plenty of use at the weekend at home.
Not to imply that others shouldn't have had an issue - just to add a little balance to the cable critics!

 

[Mediahound]

Just treat the original cable gently, it is a solid conductor cable (AudioQuest's PSC+ copper) so a little bit fragile. But it sounds excellent.

 

[Madmollusk]

Like many members here, my first moments with the AudioQuest Nighthawk elicited a rather dubious response. They indeed sounded a little muffled, a little veiled. But now, after 120 hours of driver burn-in and about 30 hours of brain burn-in, the Nighthawk's sound has grown on me. Actually, that's a big understatement: I unequivocally love how the Nighthawk reproduces music. What at first struck me as a vice (an overly subdued treble response), now impresses me as the rarest of headphone virtues: an involving and detailed sound without a hint of brightness or stridency. Actually, there's a little paradox at work here: With many of my brighter, more analytical (more expensive) headphones, my ears tend to go into a defensive crouch, so to speak, and I can never truly relax, never truly enjoy my music or the music’s recording values. But with the Nighthawk, relaxation comes naturally and as a consequence, I can hear more subtleties and details than ever before. It's pretty amazing how relaxed ears (and thus a relaxed mind) can affect your perception of music. What's more, I can now listen to my music for hours and hours on end without eliciting a hint of tinnitus. Needless to say, guys, I'm very happy to belong to the Nighthawk Club. Cheers everyone!