[THGM]

@CaptainFantastic I just measured the dimensions of the ZMF Pilot Pad, and it might actually be a great match with my head. I'll see if can find a place where I can order them without paying double because of shipping (I'm in Europe) tonight. Great idea, thanks again!

This company might offer a solution, based in the UK:
https://www.acornaudio.co.uk/shop/xsmh8x6rqiemjp77fhutobo27mrkjs

 

[Jeroenm]

@CaptainFantastic I just measured the dimensions of the ZMF Pilot Pad, and it might actually be a great match with my head. I'll see if can find a place where I can order them without paying double because of shipping (I'm in Europe) tonight. Great idea, thanks again!

This company might offer a solution, based in the UK:
https://www.acornaudio.co.uk/shop/xsmh8x6rqiemjp77fhutobo27mrkjs

Thanks, great suggestion! For me though, in the Netherlands, it comes down to almost exactly the same at around €65. I suppose shipping would be quicker.

 

[THGM]

Thanks, great suggestion! For me though, in the Netherlands, it comes down to almost exactly the same at around €65. I suppose shipping would be quicker.

Ouch! I had expected shipping to be more reasonable being within Europe...

 

[oghoter]

Jeroenm - sad to hear /see about your wear and tear problems. It seems we need to take caution to avoid this.

Just a brief glimpse, listening to the Nightowls now, still burning in, together with the Teac NT-505. Postal Service, The district sleeps tonight, Tidal Mqa.
Have the owls mellowed a bit? They are still sprightly, somewhat "wake up in the morning", compared to the hawks ("lets spend the night together").
But now, maybe, they sound more alike.

 

[oghoter]

Just to clarify -.my hawks are burned in, my owls not fully.

 

[Hi-Fi EDU]

I've had the same problem with my headband, though they're not nearly as frayed as yours. In my case the ends of the band constantly slip off the metal pivot points. As a temporary fix I'm using metal binder clips to hold the ends of the straps on. But I'm also interested to hear what others may suggest.

Owned my NH since 2016. Only somewhat recently started having the same slip-off issue, and I've always babied mine. So I think it may be inevitable (as well as overstretching of the elastic in the band). Care to share a picture of how you implemented those metal binder clips?

 

[zemi]

Here are two photos. The binder clips were only used as a temporary fix– I think I actually used a smaller size but you get the idea. What I ended up doing was glueing the two inside leather bands together where they were stretched using a super glue,

and then tightening the openings by stitching them in place with a strong nylon thread. See close up photo above. It's not the cleanest look, but it's done the job.

 

[Jeroenm]

And also an update from my (frayed) end: I've managed to purchase the ZMF pilot pad second hand locally (shipping costs would've otherwise killed this idea for me most likely). As suggested here, I attached that to the metal wire directly and removed the leather strap. For my size and shape head this works perfectly fine. It's not as feathery light in terms of comfort as it used to be, but it's still pretty damn close. I still plan on seeing if I can repair the leather strap itself in the future though, and zemi's fix seems a good place to start.

Thanks for the suggestion on the pilot pad, Captain Fantastic!

 

[Hi-Fi EDU]

I see. Don't think superglue and stitches would have crossed my mind either, so shanks for sharing the ideas and pics @zemi ! Comically enough I have a surgical suture kit lying around. At this point, you do what you gotta do to keep these birds flying.

 

[oghoter]

The leather band, so far, is OK in my case (used hawks + fairly new owls). Maybe, if this problem starts to appear, I guess it can be avoided by gluing some extra leather material on top of the leather band, where it meets the suspension.

Keep these birds flying - I am fairly new, into this, and can only say, I agree. They have given me much better audio, even from so-so sources, than I had anticipated. Maybe some of it has to do with my listening preferences. I don't mind "dark" if I can hear more natural voices, more ambience, more nuance, texture, and instrumental separation.
I come from the Sennheiser HD600, AKG 701, and a Stax ,all quite capable in their ways - yet there is no doubt that the birds are a substantial step up. More musical enjoyment, for me. I am impressed, especially, by how they reproduce high quality (DSD) files. With the increased resolution, I don't hear much "darkness" in a negative sense. Maybe other headphones do better at pinpoint, fast response, flat frequence, signal/noise - I don't know. But for "musicality", these birds seem hard to beat. Maybe, to avoid the stereotype, we should call them "day birds".

 

[zemi]

For those looking for replacement earpads for the Hawks or Owls, Audio Advisor is now carrying Microsuede Replacement Earpads for $50. I use the pleather and tried the hybrids with my Owls so I'm not sure how these would sound but they're supposed to have a slightly reduced bass. Has anyone tried these with the Owls?

 

[Devodonaldson]

For those looking for replacement earpads for the Hawks or Owls, Audio Advisor is now carrying Microsuede Replacement Earpads for $50. I use the pleather and tried the hybrids with my Owls so I'm not sure how these would sound but they're supposed to have a slightly reduced bass. Has anyone tried these with the Owls?

These come with the Owls. Yes, reduced bass, but treble has the more natural sound of the hybrid as opposed to the boosted sound of the pleather

 

[zemi]

Wondering if anyone has tried the Nightbird Model One cables for the Hawks or Owls and what you think?

 

[Mediahound]

Wondering if anyone has tried the Nightbird Model One cables for the Hawks or Owls and what you think?

Slight improvement over the stock cable, but not by much.

 

[morpheus620]

My nightowl broke
The left handset has failed.