[Jearly410]

I have been quite pleased and satisfied with my AQ Nightowl Carbon's for the past month. I am contemplating the addition of the original Nighthawks to my collection. Is there a big enough sonic difference between the two to warrant such a purchase? What, if any, are the major differences? Of course, the former is a closed-back and the latter is semi-open. At the very least, that would mean that the NH's should have a bigger soundstage. How much bigger is the question? Another example would be that the original NH's came with classic(hybrid) pads. Would the use of hybrid pads on my NO's narrow the gap with the NH's? For those who own both NO's and NH's, what do you think? Any input would be very much appreciated.

Somewhere earlier in this thread or the nighthawk thread a measurement was shown of how well the nighthawk and nightowl block noise and how loud they are perceived from a person near you. They were almost identical if I remember correctly.
The nightowls are more isolating than the th-x00 and less isolating than the mrspeakers aeon imo. The circular piece that covers the nighthawks, to make the nightowls, has a gap as an airport, like the th-x00. I suppose if one wanted to, one could remove that piece.

 

[MementoMori99]

I own all the pads. Was a Nighthawk lover. Spent hours on many days in Best Buy listening to my music on the Nighthawks. Purchased Nightowl. Liked them a lot but wasn't a fan of the treble. The hybrid pads open the soundstage up a bit and bring the sound signature close to the Nighthawk Wood sound. Honestly you won't be missing a great deal if you purchase the hybrid pads as opposed to purchasing the Original Nighthawk Wood. Yes the Nighthawk has a larger soundstage, but $50 for pads vs $400 for the original.

Thank you.

 

[MementoMori99]

Somewhere earlier in this thread or the nighthawk thread a measurement was shown of how well the nighthawk and nightowl block noise and how loud they are perceived from a person near you. They were almost identical if I remember correctly.
The nightowls are more isolating than the th-x00 and less isolating than the mrspeakers aeon imo. The circular piece that covers the nighthawks, to make the nightowls, has a gap as an airport, like the th-x00. I suppose if one wanted to, one could remove that piece.

Thank you.

 

[Hifisnubben]

Even though it is comparing apples to oranges, I would also like to know how the NO's compare with the Focal Elear.

Cannot give a comprehensive comparison since i first owned Elear, then sold it and got the Nightowls ( due to the need of closed cans ).

But what i do remember is the slam and impact of the Elears being much greater. Grabbing your attention, for good and bad, almost forcing you to take notice of details in the music.I find nightowls to be more relaxing ( even with leather pads since i dont mind the treble ).

Perhaps more resolving ? Bah, im not good at describing sound but they do have different signatures as percieved by me. Soundstage was about the same.

All and all i prefer my nightowls since i listen to much death / black metal and that genre is more pleasant on NO.

 

[Jearly410]

@Devodonaldson

Got the hybrid pads in yesterday, I am still in the process of doing a comparison with the other 2 pads, been very busy around here. My quick thoughts are as follows:
I use my iPhone 6s+ 90% of the time with these. I've tried amps and dacs without noticing a difference that would make it worthwhile to carry around. Maybe I'll get a DFR in the future. I also replaced the cable with something for AliExpress for $10 making it MUCH more portable.

When I first got the nightowl it only had the suede pads and I used it with those pads nonstop for 2 weeks, planning on buying the boost or hybrid pads to see what would change in the sound sig. I liked how the NO sound with suede and it was interesting reading about how there are many different opinions about which pads are better and how.

I ordered the hybrid pads thinking it would be a good compromise however when I opened the box they were actually the boost pads. I chose to keep them and wore them on the NO for a week and I could hear what I had been reading about. I did not like the sound, even though the bass was a little more everything else, especially the treble, took a bad turn. The open airy suede pads had been perfect for everything except electronic which is what I listen to half the time. The boost pads were like taking one step forward and two steps back.

That leads me to today, day 2 of using the hybrid pads. These are closer in sound to the suede than boost, with a little more tightness around drums and cymbals. It's open and airy and never too much treble. I'll be trying to find its weak spots the next couple weeks but for a first impression, these pads are what should have been stock for the nightowl.

The hybrid pads, to me, are the great compromise between the suede and boost. Much like I thought the focuspads-a brought about the best in the he-400i, I can say the same about the hybrid + nightowl. Everything I was hoping would change with the nightowl to become the best it could be has been done by simply using the hybrid pads.

To find the nuances and weaknesses will take a little while, because my Vega takes up a lot of my time

 

[Stevenpi1992]

Hey guys, can anyone comment on how these stack up against the TH610 or T5p? I have absolutely no experience with Audioquest cans, so if anyone has any insight that would be great. Thanks!

 

[headpfizer]

The TH610 are far more balanced thought the spectrum. Nightowls have a huge base boost and are fairly dark. I very much prefer the TH610.

 

[MementoMori99]

I am a newbie when it comes to DAP's. I am looking for the best sounding DAP that I can get my hands on for a budget of $200 or less and plays well with my NO's. What about the Cowon Plenue D, FiiO X1 or Sony NW-A35? Any others that I should consider? Any input would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Stevenpi1992]

The TH610 are far more balanced thought the spectrum. Nightowls have a huge base boost and are fairly dark. I very much prefer the TH610.

thank you for the info!

 

[Bern2]

I am a newbie when it comes to DAP's. I am looking for the best sounding DAP that I can get my hands on for a budget of $200 or less and plays well with my NO's. What about the Cowon Plenue D, FiiO X1 or Sony NW-A35? Any others that I should consider? Any input would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

I have the Sony NWZ-A17. Bought it used for 140. Drives the Nighthawk very well. (I don't have the NO...but it uses the same drivers). The amp on this Sony is not all that powerful....if you want it for other phones as well...you'd need an amp.

Bern

 

[MattTCG]

Best place to order AQ pads? Link is appreciated...

 

[MementoMori99]

Best place to order AQ pads? Link is appreciated...

I have had the best luck by special ordering them from a local dealer. They typically cost $49.95 plus tax for a set. Don't bother with Magnolia home theater/Best Buy. I have provided a link to AQ's dealer locator below. Also, I have provided links to the three different AQ earpads and their descriptions. Hope this helps.

http://www.audioquest.com/dealer-locator/

http://www.audioquest.com/earspeaker_accessories/protein-leather-earpads
http://www.audioquest.com/earspeaker_accessories/hybrid-earpads
http://www.audioquest.com/earspeaker_accessories/microsuede-earpads

 

[Nitreb]

I am a newbie when it comes to DAP's. I am looking for the best sounding DAP that I can get my hands on for a budget of $200 or less and plays well with my NO's. What about the Cowon Plenue D, FiiO X1 or Sony NW-A35? Any others that I should consider? Any input would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

For a bit more, you can get the FiiO X3 II. I got one last year for around $250 CA. Nice neutral sound - to my ears at least - I connect it to my integrated amp through its line-out connector to play MP3 jazz compilation and hi-rez files. Great sound for not much money. Great for classical too.

 

[MementoMori99]

I own all the pads. Was a Nighthawk lover. Spent hours on many days in Best Buy listening to my music on the Nighthawks. Purchased Nightowl. Liked them a lot but wasn't a fan of the treble. The hybrid pads open the soundstage up a bit and bring the sound signature close to the Nighthawk Wood sound. Honestly you won't be missing a great deal if you purchase the hybrid pads as opposed to purchasing the Original Nighthawk Wood. Yes the Nighthawk has a larger soundstage, but $50 for pads vs $400 for the original.

After having tried the hybrid pads on my NO's, I can confirm your findings in post #599. The only difference is that I have my NO's directly plugged into the headphone jack of my Harman Kardon FL 8550 cd player while playing sacd's, xrcd's or well mastered cd's. As for your findings in post #603, I beg to differ as I find that the hybrid pads are pleasing to my ears most of the time when using my iPhone 6 and Dragonfly red as the primary music source. All in all, I am in complete agreement with you that the hybrid pads not only provide a unique sound signature, but the best overall compromise in tonality and sound characteristics. Thanks again for bringing my attention to the hybrid pads and saving me a significant amount of coin in the process.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aud...d-back-nighthawk.817227/page-40#post-13625698
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aud...d-back-nighthawk.817227/page-41#post-13625915

 

[Devodonaldson]

After having tried the hybrid pads on my NO's, I can confirm your findings in post #599. The only difference is that I have my NO's directly plugged into the headphone jack of my Harman Kardon FL 8550 cd player while playing sacd's, xrcd's or well mastered cd's. As for your findings in post #603, I beg to differ as I find that the hybrid pads are pleasing to my ears most of the time when using my iPhone 6 and Dragonfly red as the primary music source. All in all, I am in complete agreement with you that the hybrid pads not only provide a unique sound signature, but the best overall compromise in tonality and sound characteristics. Thanks again for bringing my attention to the hybrid pads and saving me a significant amount of coin in the process.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aud...d-back-nighthawk.817227/page-40#post-13625698
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aud...d-back-nighthawk.817227/page-41#post-13625915

Glad I could be of assistance. As far as my findings in post #603 you're using an iPhone, which is a far better music player as far as sound quality is considered, vs the Snapdragon Galaxy S8. If I had imported a Korean S8 using the Exynos processor and a Wolfson DAC, I know I would have been absolutely happy keeping the hybrid pads on all the time. But Qualcomm leaves a lot to be desired regarding SQ. HAPPY LISTENING