[Music Alchemist]

Well, I finished giving the NightHawk a final chance. (This time with the Mojo.)
 
It basically sounds like the mutant offspring of the HD 800 and V-MODA Crossfade LP. Quite good technical performance, but the frequency response is unbelievably bad...one of the worst I've ever heard.
 
I know exactly what instruments and voices sound like, and this is so far away from accurate sound I can't stand it. It's beyond my comprehension how anyone could possibly perceive this as anything remotely resembling neutral.
 
I actually bought the NightHawk because I was hoping it would be something I could comfortably listen to with everything, including bad recordings...but it's not even that.
 
I enjoy it with some songs, and on occasion it sounds fine by pure luck...but it sounds totally lo-fi far too much of the time.
 
EQ didn't fix it. (I tracked down settings others used, and spent hours doing it myself.)
 
The Mojo didn't fix it. (Though I must say, it's an amazing DAC.)
 
The nasty reflections/resonances are worse than most fully closed-back headphones.
 
And the softness of certain aspects has become annoying to me.
 
I was going to write up an in-depth post with all of my impressions, and spent hours taking notes...but it's not even worth bothering with.
 
About the comparison to the STAX SR-207...there is no comparison. STAX simply sounds like real instruments. (Relatively, not literally.)
 
And the HD 800 annihilates the NightHawk in every way I can think of. (It has issues too, but not nearly as many. With EQ I wouldn't be too surprised if it became my favorite headphone.)
 
By the way...the Koss KTXPRO1 is technically inferior to the NightHawk and HD 800, and considerably so...but tonally (without EQ) it's much more balanced and true to life than either of them (though not nearly as balanced as the STAX)...and it only costs $10! I noticed far more of the improvements of the Mojo with the KTXPRO1 than with the NightHawk.
 
Bye bye, NightHawk. I hope I never have to listen to you again! </3

 

[misteral201103]

  Now that I found a great headphone for home use, what do you use for portable on the go listening?  I don't really like in ear because makes my ears hurt, unless they are earbuds and don't go into the ear canal.

 
Currently loving the LZ A4 (which DOES go in the ear canal but I'm using Spiral Dot tips and they're plenty comfortable for me). Genuinely quite enchanted with them.
If fit is an issue for inner-ears, can I suggest the AAW Q? Bought some for my tiny-eared wife and they are comfortable and sound superb.

 

[nwavesailor]

   
Bye bye, NightHawk. I hope I never have to listen to you again! </3

 
Yep, the NH are not for everyone.
 
Some folks like chocolate, some prefer vanilla and others pistachio!

 

[kman1211]

  Well, I finished giving the NightHawk a final chance. (This time with the Mojo.)
 
It basically sounds like the mutant offspring of the HD 800 and V-MODA Crossfade LP. Quite good technical performance, but the frequency response is unbelievably bad...one of the worst I've ever heard.
 
I know exactly what instruments and voices sound like, and this is so far away from accurate sound I can't stand it. It's beyond my comprehension how anyone could possibly perceive this as anything remotely resembling neutral.
 
I actually bought the NightHawk because I was hoping it would be something I could comfortably listen to with everything, including bad recordings...but it's not even that.
 
I enjoy it with some songs, and on occasion it sounds fine by pure luck...but it sounds totally lo-fi far too much of the time.
 
EQ didn't fix it. (I tracked down settings others used, and spent hours doing it myself.)
 
The Mojo didn't fix it. (Though I must say, it's an amazing DAC.)
 
The nasty reflections/resonances are worse than most fully closed-back headphones.
 
And the softness of certain aspects has become annoying to me.
 
I was going to write up an in-depth post with all of my impressions, and spent hours taking notes...but it's not even worth bothering with.
 
About the comparison to the STAX SR-207...there is no comparison. STAX simply sounds like real instruments. (Relatively, not literally.)
 
And the HD 800 annihilates the NightHawk in every way I can think of. (It has issues too, but not nearly as many. With EQ I wouldn't be too surprised if it became my favorite headphone.)
 
By the way...the Koss KTXPRO1 is technically inferior to the NightHawk and HD 800, and considerably so...but tonally (without EQ) it's much more balanced and true to life than either of them (though not nearly as balanced as the STAX)...and it only costs $10! I noticed far more of the improvements of the Mojo with the KTXPRO1 than with the NightHawk.
 
Bye bye, NightHawk. I hope I never have to listen to you again! </3

They aren't for everyone. I've personally grown to not like the Nighthawks much over time as they started sounding off to me. For me it was the heavy listening of the following headphones; the DT 1990, DT 1770, Focal Elear, T1.2, DT 480, and the HD 800 S that ruined the hawks for me.

 

[inthere]

For me it was the opposite, Focal Utopia, AKG K872, Ether C all made me love the NH more.

 

[kman1211]

For me it was the opposite, Focal Utopia, AKG K872, Ether C all made me love the NH more.

Makes sense, for me I noticed the Nighthawk fatigued me more and sounded harsher with long term listening than the headphones mentioned, and didn't sound quite as good tonality and timbre wise to me. I actually like the darker and smoother NH sound and it isn't why I grew to lose my love of the Nighthawk, it's more tonality and fatigue reasons. 

 

[Decommo]

For me it was the opposite, Focal Utopia, AKG K872, Ether C all made me love the NH more.

+1 here

 

[Larryp12]

+1 here

+1 here. I love the Nights and prefer them over the HD800 S.

 

[nmatheis]

Now that I found a great headphone for home use, what do you use for portable on the go listening?  I don't really like in ear because makes my ears hurt, unless they are earbuds and don't go into the ear canal.

Even shallow-fit IEM?

Easy : Meze 99 Classics 

Yup!

Easy: Oppo PM-3

Nope

Spoiler

Well, I finished giving the NightHawk a final chance. (This time with the Mojo.)

It basically sounds like the mutant offspring of the HD 800 and V-MODA Crossfade LP. Quite good technical performance, but the frequency response is unbelievably bad...one of the worst I've ever heard.

I know exactly what instruments and voices sound like, and this is so far away from accurate sound I can't stand it. It's beyond my comprehension how anyone could possibly perceive this as anything remotely resembling neutral.

I actually bought the NightHawk because I was hoping it would be something I could comfortably listen to with everything, including bad recordings...but it's not even that.

I enjoy it with some songs, and on occasion it sounds fine by pure luck...but it sounds totally lo-fi far too much of the time.

EQ didn't fix it. (I tracked down settings others used, and spent hours doing it myself.)

The Mojo didn't fix it. (Though I must say, it's an amazing DAC.)

The nasty reflections/resonances are worse than most fully closed-back headphones.

And the softness of certain aspects has become annoying to me.

I was going to write up an in-depth post with all of my impressions, and spent hours taking notes...but it's not even worth bothering with.

About the comparison to the STAX SR-207...there is no comparison. STAX simply sounds like real instruments. (Relatively, not literally.)

And the HD 800 annihilates the NightHawk in every way I can think of. (It has issues too, but not nearly as many. With EQ I wouldn't be too surprised if it became my favorite headphone.)

By the way...the Koss KTXPRO1 is technically inferior to the NightHawk and HD 800, and considerably so...but tonally (without EQ) it's much more balanced and true to life than either of them (though not nearly as balanced as the STAX)...and it only costs $10! I noticed far more of the improvements of the Mojo with the KTXPRO1 than with the NightHawk.

Bye bye, NightHawk. I hope I never have to listen to you again!

Wow, just wow...

:eek:

 

[waynes world]

Wow, just wow...

 
Yup, 

 

[nmatheis]

Yup, 

Yeah, made me want to go buy some HD800. Oh, wait. Nope. Not at all. Sticking with Nighthawks FTW!!!

 

[YtseJamer]

lol

 

[lugnut]

  Look at the bright side !

 

[Fearless1]

Winner is this thread!

 

[Madmollusk]

  Well, I finished giving the NightHawk a final chance. (This time with the Mojo.)
 
It basically sounds like the mutant offspring of the HD 800 and V-MODA Crossfade LP. Quite good technical performance, but the frequency response is unbelievably bad...one of the worst I've ever heard.
 
I know exactly what instruments and voices sound like, and this is so far away from accurate sound I can't stand it. It's beyond my comprehension how anyone could possibly perceive this as anything remotely resembling neutral.
 
I actually bought the NightHawk because I was hoping it would be something I could comfortably listen to with everything, including bad recordings...but it's not even that.
 
I enjoy it with some songs, and on occasion it sounds fine by pure luck...but it sounds totally lo-fi far too much of the time.
 
EQ didn't fix it. (I tracked down settings others used, and spent hours doing it myself.)
 
The Mojo didn't fix it. (Though I must say, it's an amazing DAC.)
 
The nasty reflections/resonances are worse than most fully closed-back headphones.
 
And the softness of certain aspects has become annoying to me.
 
I was going to write up an in-depth post with all of my impressions, and spent hours taking notes...but it's not even worth bothering with.
 
About the comparison to the STAX SR-207...there is no comparison. STAX simply sounds like real instruments. (Relatively, not literally.)
 
And the HD 800 annihilates the NightHawk in every way I can think of. (It has issues too, but not nearly as many. With EQ I wouldn't be too surprised if it became my favorite headphone.)
 
By the way...the Koss KTXPRO1 is technically inferior to the NightHawk and HD 800, and considerably so...but tonally (without EQ) it's much more balanced and true to life than either of them (though not nearly as balanced as the STAX)...and it only costs $10! I noticed far more of the improvements of the Mojo with the KTXPRO1 than with the NightHawk.
 
Bye bye, NightHawk. I hope I never have to listen to you again! 

Wow. This post was penned from an inkwell of the blackest negativity. If you had couched your criticisms with a few thoughtful qualifiers and caveats, I might have shrugged and conjured forth that popular platitude here on Head-Fi. (You know: “We all hear things differently.”) But, boy-oh-boy, you loaded your post with the most dyspeptic language. Did the Nighthawk swoop-up your cat or something? Or do you simply despise all nocturnal birds? I too “know what instruments and voices sound like” and to my ears, the Nighthawk sounds more “life-like” than many headphones I've owned, including the HD800, which, btw, I still admire despite its overly analytical character. To each his own, I suppose.