[Qupie]

Haha oh I'm sorry, I misunderstood. The Nighthawk almost feel closed so they do get warm on my head.

Are you playing on PC or on console? Are you looking to use a microphone?

Ok, thanks, I guess no reason for me to buy nighthawks then.

I play on console, but behind a desk. I do have a (cheap) desk mic, which has worked great in the past, so that is not an issue.
I bought the PC38x to get rid of the separate mic (and wires) and while it is not bad, it doesn't sound as good as my nightowls (which honestly is not a fair comparison...) and they are way less comfortable.

I am going to see if the pads fix the PC38x comfort, although I am afraid they increase the bass. And otherwise I might need to go look for something else (Sundara?) and get my desk mic back. I just ordered a shiit hel 2, so that should all work with eachother. I sold my old akg 612 which I used for gaming, since the PC38x sounded a bit better, but they were more comfortable for sure.

I guess this is quite off topic here though! Still very curious about the nighthawk though... but 250 is too much for me atm to just have a "weird" headphone in my collection.
I have seen some questions about wires though, so maybe I can contribute there: I bought these as a replacement for the owls, and they are very nice especially for the price: https://www.amazon.com/Monolith-2-5...ith+Dual+2.5mm+to+3.5mm&qid=1616751632&sr=8-2

It looks good too imho with the complete black headphones.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

Ok, thanks, I guess no reason for me to buy nighthawks then.

I play on console, but behind a desk. I do have a (cheap) desk mic, which has worked great in the past, so that is not an issue.
I bought the PC38x to get rid of the separate mic (and wires) and while it is not bad, it doesn't sound as good as my nightowls (which honestly is not a fair comparison...) and they are way less comfortable.

I am going to see if the pads fix the PC38x comfort, although I am afraid they increase the bass. And otherwise I might need to go look for something else (Sundara?) and get my desk mic back. I just ordered a shiit hel 2, so that should all work with eachother. I sold my old akg 612 which I used for gaming, since the PC38x sounded a bit better, but they were more comfortable for sure.

I guess this is quite off topic here though! Still very curious about the nighthawk though... but 250 is too much for me atm to just have a "weird" headphone in my collection.
I have seen some questions about wires though, so maybe I can contribute there: I bought these as a replacement for the owls, and they are very nice especially for the price: https://www.amazon.com/Monolith-2-5...ith+Dual+2.5mm+to+3.5mm&qid=1616751632&sr=8-2

It looks good too imho with the complete black headphones.

I am jealous, I'd love a pair of Nightowls, and recently lost out on an ebay auction for a pair. £260 was my cut off... wish I'd have been willing to pay the extra now.

First off, absolutely yes, the Nighthawk are weird. They EQ well apparently (I haven't tried yet), but they're not the normal sound people expect. I adore mine, I even bought a second pair in case my first ever wear out.

Secondly, the stock pads on the PC38X are terrible. I don't know what they were thinking, it seems Drop always has to do something to make things not quite perfect. But the Dekoni pads were a breath of fresh air. Comfort was excellent and I hardly noticed a difference in sound. If there was a bass increase, it was so minimal I didn't notice it. The Dekoni also has more room inside, so I think it lets them breathe better.

The Sundara are great for gaming without doubt. Do you have an amp?

Thanks for sharing the link for the cable. They look great! When they're back in stock I'm going to pick some up. The Nighthawk cables really are horrible to use (the cables you get with the original are better than the Carbon ones, I also prefer the hybrid pad on the original).

Quick question, how flexible is that cable? I want a very soft flexible cable, not too rigid.

 

[Qupie]

I was just looking at the price of the owls the other day, and you can even get a new pair for 300 euros. I don't know how well that translates/ships to GBP/UK post brexit, but might be worth a look: https://www.amazon.de/AudioQuest-NightHawk-Carbon-halboffener-ohrumschließender-Grey/dp/B01MU3YFZ4/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=audioquest+nightowl&qid=1616754240&sr=8-2. There also is a used pair for 270, which seems like a returned pair. I always think it is nice to have 2 years of warranty, and in my experience, there is no better service than German audio store service.
Never mind those are actually hawks...

There is one on a dutch reseller site though, might be worth looking into https://www.marktplaats.nl/a/audio-...hoofdtelefoon-orig-etuie.html?previousPage=lr asking 225 euro (again, not sure how easy transport to UK is nowadays...)

Yeah I think the PC38x pads are made with sound in mind, not so much comfort. Like most Sennheiser pads I guess. They are servicable, but for people with a bigger head (and are used to better comfort) they are not acceptable. Especially since I like to game 4-5 hours in a row sometimes.

I ordered the shiit hel amp, so that should drive (almost) anything I think.

As for the nightowl cable, I agree the original are extremely bad. Even though they have a mic build in, which is useful sometimes, I still rather used my seperate desk mic just to not use that cable. It is way to stiff. These new ones I have are not the most flexible cable ever, but more than flexible enough imho. A little bit more flexible comparable to the PC38x cables and about the same thickness (but more of a plastic feel rather than the fabric feel the pc38x cable has, but it doesn't feel cheap in my opinion). The PC38x cable like to retain its shape more though, these monoprice cables like to bend more, even by just their own light weight, which is about the same as the pc38x cable weight.

Damn, describing cables is hard. I you have more questions let me know lmao.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

I was just looking at the price of the owls the other day, and you can even get a new pair for 300 euros. I don't know how well that translates/ships to GBP/UK post brexit, but might be worth a look: https://www.amazon.de/AudioQuest-NightHawk-Carbon-halboffener-ohrumschließender-Grey/dp/B01MU3YFZ4/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=audioquest+nightowl&qid=1616754240&sr=8-2. There also is a used pair for 270, which seems like a returned pair. I always think it is nice to have 2 years of warranty, and in my experience, there is no better service than German audio store service.
Never mind those are actually hawks...

There is one on a dutch reseller site though, might be worth looking into https://www.marktplaats.nl/a/audio-...hoofdtelefoon-orig-etuie.html?previousPage=lr asking 225 euro (again, not sure how easy transport to UK is nowadays...)

Yeah I think the PC38x pads are made with sound in mind, not so much comfort. Like most Sennheiser pads I guess. They are servicable, but for people with a bigger head (and are used to better comfort) they are not acceptable. Especially since I like to game 4-5 hours in a row sometimes.

I ordered the shiit hel amp, so that should drive (almost) anything I think.

As for the nightowl cable, I agree the original are extremely bad. Even though they have a mic build in, which is useful sometimes, I still rather used my seperate desk mic just to not use that cable. It is way to stiff. These new ones I have are not the most flexible cable ever, but more than flexible enough imho. A little bit more flexible comparable to the PC38x cables and about the same thickness (but more of a plastic feel rather than the fabric feel the pc38x cable has, but it doesn't feel cheap in my opinion). The PC38x cable like to retain its shape more though, these monoprice cables like to bend more, even by just their own light weight, which is about the same as the pc38x cable weight.

Damn, describing cables is hard. I you have more questions let me know lmao.

Cable ordered, I managed to find one used on eBay for a good price.

Thanks for showing me that listing. Sadly I'll have to wait on buying any more headphones. I ordered a Beyerdynamic T1.3 and Hifiman Ananda thins morning. I'm having a big clear out and slimming down my collection to a couple of higher end bits.

Are you from the Netherlands?

 

[Qupie]

Cable ordered, I managed to find one used on eBay for a good price.

Thanks for showing me that listing. Sadly I'll have to wait on buying any more headphones. I ordered a Beyerdynamic T1.3 and Hifiman Ananda thins morning. I'm having a big clear out and slimming down my collection to a couple of higher end bits.

Are you from the Netherlands?

Lol I guess you are quite on a different level of collecting than me. Honestly, I don't think you are going to need a pair of nightowls, AFAIK they are not as "special" as nighthawks, I bought them because they were just very good value for the ~350 euro price I paid. I was looking for a good comfortable closed back.

Yes I am from the Netherlands!

 

[AudioManNewb]

I am in the market for a Nighthawk or Nightowl. I am a gamer first and listen to pretty much everything but mainly metal. I am trying to find the differences between the two I have heard the two are vary similar with a few differences.

 

[surfgeorge]

I am in the market for a Nighthawk or Nightowl. I am a gamer first and listen to pretty much everything but mainly metal. I am trying to find the differences between the two I have heard the two are vary similar with a few differences.

I had both of them in parallel and they are both very warm and laid back, with the Owl being a bit livlier with a little more punch in the bass and a bit more energy in the upper frequencies. The Hawks are maybe a little more natural. Soundstage is good on both, but the Hawks have a bigger stage. The cable of the Owls (and Carbon Hawks) is really annoying, one reviewer called it a "devil's phallus" due to its stiff and springy nature.

I always described the feeling of listening to either of them like diving into a warm, dark forrest lake. Kind of magic, but definitely not sparkly or even neutral.
Can't go wrong with either IMO, the main advantage of the Owl is better sound isolation if you need that.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

Lol I guess you are quite on a different level of collecting than me. Honestly, I don't think you are going to need a pair of nightowls, AFAIK they are not as "special" as nighthawks, I bought them because they were just very good value for the ~350 euro price I paid. I was looking for a good comfortable closed back.

Yes I am from the Netherlands!

That new cable is great, so much nicer to use! Thanks for recommending it. If you are looking to pick up a Nighthawk, I've got two pairs and don't need both. I'd be happy to sell you one for a very fair price. I'm in the UK so hopefully not too expensive to ship to you.

 

[Qupie]

That new cable is great, so much nicer to use! Thanks for recommending it. If you are looking to pick up a Nighthawk, I've got two pairs and don't need both. I'd be happy to sell you one for a very fair price. I'm in the UK so hopefully not too expensive to ship to you.

Glad you like the cable I got my dekoni pads you use for the 38x past week as well, and so far really liking them. It does change the sound signature a bit, it makes them a bit darker, more fun to listen too. I was afraid it made hearing audio ques in games harder, but I had no problems at all with it. The comfort though, holy crap, it makes it from slightly uncomfortable (which was a problem with long sessions) to extremely comfortable. Very pleased with them so far

Thanks for your offer on the hawks, but I don't think the hawks will be a good addition to my collection. With the 38x being more dark, if I am going to add another pair, it is probably going to be a brighter one.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

Glad you like the cable I got my dekoni pads you use for the 38x past week as well, and so far really liking them. It does change the sound signature a bit, it makes them a bit darker, more fun to listen too. I was afraid it made hearing audio ques in games harder, but I had no problems at all with it. The comfort though, holy crap, it makes it from slightly uncomfortable (which was a problem with long sessions) to extremely comfortable. Very pleased with them so far

Thanks for your offer on the hawks, but I don't think the hawks will be a good addition to my collection. With the 38x being more dark, if I am going to add another pair, it is probably going to be a brighter one.

Excellent news on the 38x pads. They really do make a big difference. No matter how good a headphone is, if it's uncomfortable it's unusable. I agree with the change in sound, makes them more fun.

 

[frogmeat69]

If anyone is interested, Audio Advisor still carries the ultra suede earpads for the Nighthawk and Nightowl, HERE.

 

[Arcamera]

Any broad agreement about a cable upgrade? Popular choices? (I actually really like the original cable-- a solid core copper?-- but mine has had a tendency to kink out of its sheath a bit). In any event, I don't listen to the NH every day, but when I do, man they can be magic. I love what they do, quirky and all.

 

[alekc]

Any broad agreement about a cable upgrade? Popular choices? (I actually really like the original cable-- a solid core copper?-- but mine has had a tendency to kink out of its sheath a bit). In any event, I don't listen to the NH every day, but when I do, man they can be magic. I love what they do, quirky and all.

Honestly speaking you are probably one of very few people who likes stock AudioQuest cable. I think it is terrible not in sound aspect but due how it is build which makes it hard to use. I'm very happy with cable from Forza Audio, following others advice from this forum. However if you can live with stock cable the main reason to upgrade would be different output in your amp. If you are happy with current output and stock cable I honestly wouldn't recommend any upgrade since it could cost more than 50% of your cans at least and you may not get SQ upgrade you would be looking for.

 

[frogmeat69]

I use the stock cable, with the kinks and all. Still works, so it's getting used.
I do have both an Oppo single ended and balanced cable in the bullpen just in case the stock cable poops out.

 

[mauaudiocr]

I replaced the cables on mine too, I tried to live with it but the microphonics and the stiffness of the cable was bugging me, I got a cable from Amazon, it works well for me.