[Not In Love]

Has anyone found a replacement SE cable at any price that would really noticeably improve the treble clarity and detail for the NightHawks? Overall I think they are great for the price but comparing to other TOTL headphones like Grado GS 1000 or HE 1000, they sound muffled and lack detail and shimmer at the top. I know some have said this improves with burn in but have had mine on a continuous loop CD player for 1 week 24/7 without major differences to my ears.

 
I highly recommend using any EQ you can and lower the mids from 150-600hz down by say -4 db and see what happens. You will find it less "muffled" and the treble will become more noticeable (it was always there though, maybe a little manhandled by the bass extension).
 
I didn't believe in burn-in, but after being unsatisfied with them and past the return date, I just let these babies burn for a long, long time. I now notice a slight, but very obvious difference. The mids are much more natural sounding. You will not get that "sparkly, sharp, orgasmic thrill ride trebly vocals that many have become accustomed to (except with EQ or changing to velour pads from say brainwavz)," but then again who knows if that kind of treble is even accurate. I was never in the mixing room with an engineer, and I'm sure they used nearfields with closed headphones, so who knows what natural "treble" is? 
 
I will not lie though, these guys are my go to when I want that elevated bass for movies or gaming or hard rock. For smoother vocals that may sound treble hyped, I do enjoy a smoother interpretation like the HD600s. Unfortunately, I am at a stage where I am not sure what kind of headphones to get as everything is on sale. The 600s have increased unfortunately, but the 650s have been drastically cut.
 
I think I do need some kind of compliment to these guys as I expect to get the Schitt Jotunheim eventually. I've tried a few Planars and the imaging is second to none, but they are speed demons on notes. They do not linger on any signal that goes through them. Idk, I guess this is why planars were not developed so much until recently. Music is so much more eclectic these days.

 

[K P K]

  The 'new' cable is a little more supple once it has been unwrapped a few days and the coils dissapear. As far as length goes, some like the shorter 1.3 meter length and others the 3 meter version.

 
Now, after more than 2 weeks of daily usage, the NH Carbon cable still is quite stiff, coiled, and twisted so that I decided to take another step forward (I also wonder if such a stiff cable can have any use for mobile usage).
 
Fortunately I knew a person, who is most experienced and has profound mechanical skills, and he agreed to build an individual cable for me. This will be long enough for my needs (nearly three meters), lightweight, thin, very flexible, and good looking. Two high quality 2,5mm jacks and one 1/4" jack (so I do not need an adapter for connecting to my amps) will be solidly and stable mounted, so that durability and longevity is assured. From past experiences I know that I can trust in my friend's abilities so that I'm really looking forwad to connecting a fine cable to my NH C soon.
 
Happy Holidays to all the friendly and helpful people here!

 

 

[Swolern]

I highly recommend using any EQ you can and lower the mids from 150-600hz down by say -4 db and see what happens. You will find it less "muffled" and the treble will become more noticeable (it was always there though, maybe a little manhandled by the bass extension).

I didn't believe in burn-in, but after being unsatisfied with them and past the return date, I just let these babies burn for a long, long time. I now notice a slight, but very obvious difference. The mids are much more natural sounding. You will not get that "sparkly, sharp, orgasmic thrill ride trebly vocals that many have become accustomed to (except with EQ or changing to velour pads from say brainwavz)," but then again who knows if that kind of treble is even accurate. I was never in the mixing room with an engineer, and I'm sure they used nearfields with closed headphones, so who knows what natural "treble" is? 

I will not lie though, these guys are my go to when I want that elevated bass for movies or gaming or hard rock. For smoother vocals that may sound treble hyped, I do enjoy a smoother interpretation like the HD600s. Unfortunately, I am at a stage where I am not sure what kind of headphones to get as everything is on sale. The 600s have increased unfortunately, but the 650s have been drastically cut.

So true. All these HP sales have done a number on my wallet. Great time to own and enjoy as many audio bliss cans as I can though. :thumbsup_tone2:

 

[adeeb]

I just ordered the NightOwl Carbon (online @ Amazon) and am really looking forward to using them.
 
I plan on using them with the Mytek Brooklyn DAC + Mytek 4pin XLR to 2-1/4 inch jacks balanced headphone adapter. Does anyone have any recommendations for balanced cables with a 4pin XLR connector for the NightHawk or NightOwl? Preferably, it should be available in various lengths.
 
Thanks!

 

[leomitch]

You were right! The sound stage on the Nighthawks is a little wider and a little deeper than with the NightOwls. I have both now and my comparison seems to indicate that. The NO's at first seemed to me to be overly bright and slightly sibilant and smeary in the high end, but even after several hours this is changing. Now it is 24 hours and the glassiness has disappeared and has been replaced by good, solid notes in the high registers of flutes, guitars, cymbals and the like. AudioQuest prominently displays 150  hours as a good length of time to wait before fully judging the NightOwls.
The bass seems to have added depth with no boominess. Nice and solid. You will have to wait for others more gifted than I for audiophile comments. I love the bass and the mds have a toned-down prominence. 
Still 126  hours to go,I am hetting happier and happier as I proceed with these very pretty ear goggles!

 

[Light - Man]

  You were right! The sound stage on the Nighthawks is a little wider and a little deeper than with the NightOwls. I have both now and my comparison seems to indicate that. The NO's at first seemed to me to be overly bright and slightly sibilant and smeary in the high end, but even after several hours this is changing. Now it is 24 hours and the glassiness has disappeared and has been replaced by good, solid notes in the high registers of flutes, guitars, cymbals and the like. AudioQuest prominently displays 150  hours as a good length of time to wait before fully judging the NightOwls.
The bass seems to have added depth with no boominess. Nice and solid. You will have to wait for others more gifted than I for audiophile comments. I love the bass and the mds have a toned-down prominence. 
Still 126  hours to go, I am getting happier and happier as I proceed with these very pretty ear goggles!

 
Thanks Leo for your early impressions, it is good to see you back on HF, do give us further views after more burn-in time.
 
I know you were one of the first guys to spread the word about how much you liked the NH's.

 

[inthere]

At about 50 hours of burn in The soundstage on the Owl seems to have closed in a bit, while the NH Carbon's seems to have expanded. Very strange.

Bass on the Owl has filled out a bit also, but the treble doesn't feel as crisp. Smoother yes.

Beautiful smooth sound.

 

[bavinck]

At about 50 hours of burn in The soundstage on the Owl seems to have closed in a bit, while the NH Carbon's seems to have expanded. Very strange.

Bass on the Owl has filled out a bit also, but the treble doesn't feel as crisp. Smoother yes.

Beautiful smooth sound.

Impressions are desired, but wait a while a form a clear one before sharing please.

 

[Light - Man]

Impressions are desired, but wait a while a form a clear one before sharing please.

 
What is wrong with early impressions as most of us in this sport find ourselves going around in circles until we become dizzy.

 
 
Many on HF venomously deny that burn-in exists! 

 

 

[bavinck]

What is wrong with early impressions as most of us in this sport find ourselves going around in circles until we become dizzy. :blink:  

Many on HF venomously deny that burn-in exists!   

Problem is when posters flip-flop back and worth confusing us with what they are hearing. That guy is claiming amazing soundstage and amazing sound, and today is saying the soundstage is smaller. It takes some time to get used to a headphone before understanding it, people here should do that before commenting. Then those of us that are considering the headphone know what they feel they hear.

 

[nmatheis]

Problem is when posters flip-flop back and worth confusing us with what they are hearing. That guy is claiming amazing soundstage and amazing sound, and today is saying the soundstage is smaller. It takes some time to get used to a headphone before understanding it, people here should do that before commenting. Then those of us that are considering the headphone know what they feel they hear.

I'm glad that he switched to saying Nightowl has smaller soundstage, though. That tracks with my experience with NH vs NO and with semi-open vs closed cans with similar sound signatures, too.

 

[Nick-s-f]

  how is the sound signature compared to alpha prime?

They are two very different beasts, definitely enough to where they can complement each other very well. Either one can be cranked up very loud with little to no discomfort, but the similarities end there. The Nighthawk sound reminds me of when I used to own cassette tapes and was comparing them to the CD version (same albums).
 
The NH sounds very analog and ''traditional''. I love how it presents guitars and voices, it lets you focus on them more. It does not 'hit' you with the music like the Prime, but it doesn't need to.
 
If both headphones could talk:

Prime: ''I will show you exactly how (good or bad) this track was recorded.''
Nighthawk: ''Remember what music used to sound like?''
 
Edit: Given that, they have very similar sound character, except the NH trades some treble for a more pleasing midrange. 

 

[bavinck]

They are two very different beasts, definitely enough to where they can complement each other very well. Either one can be cranked up very loud with little to no discomfort, but the similarities end there. The Nighthawk sound reminds me of when I used to own cassette tapes and was comparing them to the CD version (same albums).

The NH sounds very analog and ''traditional''. I love how it presents guitars and voices, it lets you focus on them more. It does not 'hit' you with the music like the Prime, but it doesn't need to.

If both headphones could talk:


Prime: ''I will show you exactly how (good or bad) this track was recorded.''
Nighthawk: ''Remember what music used to sound like?''

Edit: Given that, they have very similar sound character, except the NH trades some treble for a more pleasing midrange. 

Agreed. First time I heard the Nighthawk it reminded me of the primes.

 

[nmatheis]

Hold up, they're very different beasts that have a very similar sound signature? Say wha?!?

 

[bavinck]

Hold up, they're very different beasts that have a very similar sound signature? Say wha?!?

From my memory they are very similar. I recall the primes having more slam and are brighter, but not a whole lot.