[Jose Hidalgo]

All this discussion has made me think : what are the main resonant frequencies (approximatively) of the Nighthawk ? Has anybody checked this ?
I'm not talking about the ear canal resonance of course, but about the resonances due to the Nighthawk's earcups and such.
I could check them precisely with a tone generator, but I'd need some precise ranges to start with, so I don't have to check every frequency up to 10 KHz.
Thanks in advance.

EDIT - Correct me if I'm wrong, but this Nighthawk spectral decay plot (source here) seems to show some minor resonances at around 2900, 5300 and 7500 Hz :

 

[Philimon]

Your link to Soundstage! show the Nighthawk as having a major bass roll off. I think if a bad seal was present then decay plots are probably off too unfortunately.

 

[Philimon]

From diyah:
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/audio-quest/

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

Yes, I saw the FR and I also thought there was a bad seal. With that said, it doesn't seem to affect too much the measurement for treble resonances.

• Soundstage! : around 5300 and around 7500 (forget 2900)
• solderdude : around 5000 and around 8500

So there seems to be something around 5000-5300, and something around 7500-8500. I guess I'll have to do some tone sweeping to try and find out on my own cans.

 

[Philimon]

Yes. And if you look at CSD by diyah, “below 400Hz there is still some energy not absorbed quickly.” There are also some specific issues mentioned with square-wave results but Ive no understanding… A 400Hz overshoot and some ringing. (?)

I havent listed to Nighthawks since putting them up for sale… Now that Ive recalibrated by listening to other phones maybe Ill try some fresh impressions. Maybe worth keeping one?

 

[ilianto]

Hey fellow hawks! Could anyone comment if these would fit the NHs? Time to hear what they can do with the extra power from the BTR5.

 

[BigDave]

I also like the look of that cable, ilianto. The only issue would be the size of the 2.5mm connectors. shame they do not mention it on the site!

 

[ilianto]

I also like the look of that cable, ilianto. The only issue would be the size of the 2.5mm connectors. shame they do not mention it on the site!

It mentions that it fits HD700s and a few more though. I wonder if these use slim connectors as well. Maybe I should sent a mail their way and ask...

 

[BigDave]

Yeah, I have the website up, ready to pull the pin on these if I knew more. Good find, as I could not find that cable in their Audio Cables section. Had to search.
I have a couple of "cheapy" cables that I got off eBay, but they are a bit meh.

 

[immortalsoul]

Page 666, six, six, six the number of the beast, check the Iron Maiden song

 

[Steven31]

There is no reason that the materials and design philosophy behind NightHawk couldn't also be applied to a planar.

At this point, however, I have no plans to do a planar since I think there are inherent disadvantages compared to dynamic drivers. For instance, to achieve bass extension, the diaphragm must be very large, necessitating larger/more magnets as well. So there is a weight and size advantage to dynamic headphones in that these can almost always be less. Also, planar diaphragm movement is quite limited, so dynamic range impact will be inferior, in my opinion, to moving coil drivers which can have high excursion. Further, the motion of the super-thin planar membrane can never be pistonic and will inherently exhibit modal break-ups and irregular behavior as it constantly flexes. And because the diaphragm must be tensioned, there will be an unavoidable resonance coloration based on this tension. Then we have the problem of magnets obstructing the wavefront, which regardless of how these elements are shaped or contoured will present another type of coloration. There are also pressure issues with the front cavity which can be fatiguing over time and require more audio quality compromises to overcome. The list goes on. There are many problems with planars that either don't exist with dynamics or can be fairly easily avoided without making serious concessions from a design and audio quality perspective.

Plus, there is a lot of ground that can be broken with regards to dynamic drivers in headphones via new materials and designs. Right now at AQ, we are researching and developing all kinds of cool stuff that will show up within the next 5 years and, I think, push the state of headphone design even further.

Genius.

 

[GREGGO1545]

Genius.

Such a great headphone at the right price. Not sure what happened between Skylar and AQ but it’s a shame bc they are a great sounding headphone that is very comfortable and the way they designed it to be very eco friendly was cool.

 

[Ronengeller]

Genius.

Maybe someone can send a message to Mr Skylar to his account or maybe his LinkedIn? Maybe we will see a collaboration with Drop

 

[Steven31]

Such a great headphone at the right price. Not sure what happened between Skylar and AQ but it’s a shame bc they are a great sounding headphone that is very comfortable and the way they designed it to be very eco friendly was cool.

Yep, the Nighthawk is a great headphone indeed. I liked the one I had, although the sound signature was a bit too much for me if i'm honest, it was too good at what it does - too warm sounding for me and that's ultimately why I parted with mines - but I still admired everything about it. I could appreciate it's design. The wood earcups are the best i've seen,- really high quality. Reminded me of the interior of a high end luxury sedan, the little wooden panels on the dashboard of cars such as the Jaguar S-Type. The nighthawk is also probably the most comfortable headphone I have ever worn, the quality of the earpads far exceed that in the other high end headphones i've ever owned.
I don't know wether Skylar still works for AQ, i'm not sure he does anymore - but I have a feeling that AQ will release more headphones in the future. It's just a hunch. I definitely think they will.

 

[BigDave]

I tried emailing Linsoul about that cable and they were confused as to what I was asking. I have sent them a picture to hopefully show diagrammatically that I wish to know the diameter of the plastic sheath around the 2.5mm mono plug but they haven't got back to me yet. From my rough measurements, it cannot be any bigger than 6.5mm (preferably 6mm, as this seems to be the diameter of audioquest ones they came with).
Any luck with getting info yourself, ilianto?