[zzzmonster]

   
Agreed, for example, I have the Beyers T1.2 at the moment and even though I was initially impressed with them out of the box - after further burn-in I am a little underwhelmed with them - but it could be due to the fact the Chord Mojo does not do them justice.
 
I also connected the Fiio A5 (and E12A) amp to the Mojo and it does nothing for the transparency of the Mojo or Beyer T1.2. 
 
I also realise that I am not a fan of open or semi open head gear because when I listen to music I much prefer not to hear external noise.

 
Amp and DAC pairing is very impt 
 
Beyer need 120ohm output impedance. 
NH pair well with low impedance ESS 9018 (LG V20 is very good pairing)

 

[tunes]

Still on the fence about which replacement pad will help me keep the NightHawkes in my rotation. Willing to upgrade to either the Ultra-Suede Ear Pad or
Leather Ear Pad but not both. My main let down with the NH is not the detail but some of the top end clarity that seems to be overshadowed by the midbass. Which of the two above would give better upper end extension and is there enough of a change to make it worth the investment?

 

[Madmollusk]

 
With the Nighthawk, it seems Audioquest has paid attention to acoustics more than any other headphone I've heard. Imagery and placement in the room is very close to what I hear with speakers. Now the problem with that I've found is it plays havoc with some ears, and I think it may have something to do with ear canal depth. This may be why opinions are so polarized with this headphone more than any other I've encountered. Shallow ear canals may hear things muddy while a deeper ear canal may hear things clearly. I stumbled upon this while adjusting the microphones in the binaural mic i built. 
 
So when someone tells me he hears the Nighthawk completely different from me, i believe him. 

This is a great point. I read somewhere that some folks possess inner-ear structures that can amplify treble perception by a good 6 db; this observation goes a long way in explaining why communicating headphone sound (objectively and subjectively) is so inherently problematic. I like to listen to headphones at 70 to 80 db, and if my headphones of choice emit extra treble, these combined factors (my shoddy ear-canals and the headphones aggressive treble peak) invariably lead me to tears and tinnitus. In fact, I don't sense (stress on the word “sense”) even the slightest hint of harsh treble with the Nighthawk, and consequently, it sounds sumptuously detailed and smooth to me. 
 
Thank you for your many thoughtful posts, Inthere.
 

 

[nwavesailor]

Still on the fence about which replacement pad will help me keep the NightHawkes in my rotation. Willing to upgrade to either the Ultra-Suede Ear Pad or
Leather Ear Pad but not both. My main let down with the NH is not the detail but some of the top end clarity that seems to be overshadowed by the midbass. Which of the two above would give better upper end extension and is there enough of a change to make it worth the investment?

tunes, Please explain what 'top end clarity' is compared to detail? Is  the lack of top end clarity distortion or mudiness in those frequencies?
 
I have both the Boost and US pads and I think I am hearing increased detail and extention in the top end using both of these pads............but perhaps it is clarity?
 
I find the Boost and US pads allow me to hear more of what is in the track ( percussion, light cymbals) that seemed faint or recessed with the OEM pads. For me, it has been just what I needed. I was always looking for sound that was missing (more detail or clarity?) that I know was in a specific track I was listening to and knew well.
 
The pads may be too much of a good thing for some that do not want more top end detail / clarity...............for me, they did the trick and I'm loving the NH's!

 

[EdwardPL]

Still on the fence about which replacement pad will help me keep the NightHawkes in my rotation. Willing to upgrade to either the Ultra-Suede Ear Pad or
Leather Ear Pad but not both. My main let down with the NH is not the detail but some of the top end clarity that seems to be overshadowed by the midbass. Which of the two above would give better upper end extension and is there enough of a change to make it worth the investment?

The NH has some of the best subtle detail, resolution I've heard outside of the HD800/HD650/Elear without going into silly 4K headphones. What you prob mean is you want more treble clarity rather than detail. The Boost pads will do that and so will the Ultra sued pads. Both ear pads are tuned specific so there's no worry of extreme drop offs or spikes like the HM5 pads. I prefer the Boost pads personally but the US pads will be my summer ear pads.

 

[Madmollusk]

  Re: Music Alchemist.
 
I think he has been brave coming on here expressing his view that he dislikes the NH's and he even tried to explain the reasoning why he disliked them - he could have come on here and simply said he dislikes them and thinks they are a piece of **** and totally over hyped, etc. and left it at that.

 
 

When I think of brave, I think of that famous woman in Tenimum Square staring down a row of military tanks. Music Alchemist's behavior smacked of petulance. Figuratively speaking, he entered our high-end audio shop (our shop of thoughtful opinions) with a bat and started to smash up the place because he didn't like his latest purchase. Very anti-social. A less trollish lad might have explained his grievances with the Nighthawk with a little more restraint, and then asked for a full refund. (I'm stretching this metaphor to the breaking point) Had he stated his opinions more civilly, I'm 100% confident: no one would have given him the slightest bit of grief. 

 

[waynes world]

  Had he stated his opinions more civilly, I'm 100% confident: no one would have given him the slightest bit of grief. 

 
Spot on.

 

[YtseJamer]

The NH has some of the best subtle detail, resolution I've heard outside of the HD800/HD650/Elear without going into silly 4K headphones. 

 
+1

 

[nmatheis]

Light - Man: I agree with Madmollusk. Had he expressed his opinions with a more mature, civil tone there wouldn't have been backlash. By taking such absolutist, negative tone, it seems to me like he was trying to solicit a strong negative reaction. If he wasn't, then hopefully this a good lesson in how to communicate a critique in a more constructive manner. Given the fact that he blocked the thread, I spent doubt it, though.


For the record, I'm one of the guys who fell in love with Nighthawks instantaneously. They really ticked all the right boxes for me straight away!

 

[nwavesailor]

The NH has some of the best subtle detail, resolution I've heard outside of the HD800/HD650/Elear without going into silly 4K headphones. What you prob mean is you want more treble clarity rather than detail. The Boost pads will do that and so will the Ultra sued pads. Both ear pads are tuned specific so there's no worry of extreme drop offs or spikes like the HM5 pads. I prefer the Boost pads personally but the US pads will be my summer ear pads.

Good to hear your opinion, EdwardPL, having both pads for a comparison! Do you use the OEM pads at all or just the Boost?
 
Perhaps I have been looking for treble clarity when I thought it was detail that was lacking.
 
Audio definition for clarity vs. detail?

 

[lugnut]

 

  Look at the bright side !

 
 

   
The NightHawk has a lot going for it, but is so unbelievably bad in so many ways that it's not even worth my time. (That goes for talking or reading about it too.) To that end, I am blocking this thread (via a Firefox plugin) so it won't load even if I accidentally click on it.

I told you there was a bright side to this!

 

[Bitsir]

 
Good to hear your opinion, EdwardPL, having both pads for a comparison! Do you use the OEM pads at all or just the Boost?
 
Perhaps I have been looking for treble clarity when I thought it was detail that was lacking.
 
Audio definition for clarity vs. detail?

Lets compare my modded Fostex T50RP's to my DT 990's.
 
If the T50RP has 7/10 in detail retrieval, then the DT 990's have a 8.5
 
However, even though the DT 990's can convey more detail than the T50RP's, what "little" detail is there on the T50RP is clearer sounding. 

 

[joeq70]

This thread is so bizarre. Every time someone has a niggle with the NH, everyone clutches their pearls. I remain subscribed for continued entertainment value.

 

[waynes world]

This thread is so bizarre. Every time someone has a niggle with  starts bashing, assaulting, vilifying, trolling the NH, everyone clutches their pearls. I remain subscribed for continued entertainment value.

 
Fixed that for ya! 

 

 

[nmatheis]

This thread is so bizarre. Every time someone has a niggle with the NH, everyone clutches their pearls. I remain subscribed for continued entertainment value.

Fixed that for ya!   

LOL. I'm with you, Wayne. The earlier post wasn't niggling. It was much stronger than niggling.


So, I'm really curious when AQ will start talking more about their upcoming IEM...