[TheReds]

Greetings, just won an eBay auction for the NOs and excited to try them out. Wanted to upgrade my setup at work (open office) and was going to back the Massdrop x Meze 99 Noirs but won the the NOs for $50 more and get them much sooner than April 2019!

Sounds like I may want to change out the cable at some point and acquire the hybrid pads based on back reading this thread. Can't seem to find any more hybrids around apart from https://artsexcellence.com/audioquest-hybrid-earpads.html. But at $79 after shipping to Texas I'm not sure about it. Anyone have any other sources?

A replacement cable is less a priority for me since I could always order one down road without worrying about supply issues.

 

[maira]

Anybody able to compare the Nightowl to B&W PX?

 

[waveSounds]

Greetings, just won an eBay auction for the NOs and excited to try them out. Wanted to upgrade my setup at work (open office) and was going to back the Massdrop x Meze 99 Noirs but won the the NOs for $50 more and get them much sooner than April 2019!

Sounds like I may want to change out the cable at some point and acquire the hybrid pads based on back reading this thread. Can't seem to find any more hybrids around apart from https://artsexcellence.com/audioquest-hybrid-earpads.html. But at $79 after shipping to Texas I'm not sure about it. Anyone have any other sources?

A replacement cable is less a priority for me since I could always order one down road without worrying about supply issues.

Congrats on joining the aviarian club. Afraid the retailer you posted was the only one that turned up in my own search for hybrid pad suppliers. I live in hope that @DekoniAudio will eventually cater to us; there'll only be a finite amount of replacement OEM pads floating around, Dekoni would have the market cornered if they started to supply!

 

[Tsukuyomi]

i'm tempted to buy a pair of Nightowls... they price dropped on amazon in my country. from 900$ CND to 499.99$ CND (new)... the only thing thats bothering me is i could get them, or use that money instead on Audeze LCD2C(classic). i've heard people say the LCD2C(classic) is a huge upgrade from the nighthawks.. :S what do you guys think? night owls or classics?

 

[robert766]

The new pricing makes them very pricing makes them very attractive. I wonder how they compare to the LCD2C when it comes to portability? (easy to drive, sound leakage).

Ugh so many good closed full sized headphones these days

 

[Joong]

i'm tempted to buy a pair of Nightowls... they price dropped on amazon in my country. from 900$ CND to 499.99$ CND (new)... the only thing thats bothering me is i could get them, or use that money instead on Audeze LCD2C(classic). i've heard people say the LCD2C(classic) is a huge upgrade from the nighthawks.. :S what do you guys think? night owls or classics?

No, I don't think it is upgrade, but at best it is side grade.
I owned LCD2.2 for long time, and if it is the same as LCD2C, then my statement is correct at least for my ears.

 

[Joong]

The new pricing makes them very pricing makes them very attractive. I wonder how they compare to the LCD2C when it comes to portability? (easy to drive, sound leakage).

Ugh so many good closed full sized headphones these days

For portability, LCD2C might be weird looking due to the size and the shape, it requires considerable power that is likely beyond any portable ones like cell phones.
However NH/NO are better for the shape and the size, and requires small power as small as iphone's power.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

The new pricing makes them very pricing makes them very attractive. I wonder how they compare to the LCD2C when it comes to portability? (easy to drive, sound leakage).

Ugh so many good closed full sized headphones these days

Thats why im asking, but i think i'll jump on the Audeze train with a pair of LCD2C mostly because i dont think the Nighthawks driver warrants enough attention from me personally.

 

[waveSounds]

Thats why im asking, but i think i'll jump on the Audeze train with a pair of LCD2C mostly because i dont think the Nighthawks driver warrants enough attention from me personally.

Sounds like you'd already made up your mind when you posted the question. You trollin' us, eh? Eh?!!

I'm just playing. I've not heard the Hawks but if you're going the open route then go for the 2C, but closed-wise (seeing as this is the Owl thread), the Owl's play in the ball-park of any competition up to $1,000.

 

[phthora]

I love the NO, but I don't think it competes against anything I've heard at $1000. I would say it competes well against anything I've heard up to about $600. Since I got the NO for $300, I'd say that is pretty damn good.

 

[Joong]

We might be prisoned by the frameworks of costs, which are made by vendors, reviewers, or marketers

 

[waveSounds]

@phthora The Owl is easily as good as my Elear.

 

[phthora]

@phthora The Owl is easily as good as my Elear.

Interesting. I've auditioned the Elear, thought its sound signature was weird, and didn't really like it, but I'd still say it's as good as the NO (which also has an unusual sig, just one I happen to like).

We have different priorities and perceptions when it comes to sound, of course, but I have a hard time thinking of the NO and the LCD-2F as being in the same ballpark.

I think the NO is exactly as good as the $550 E-MU Teak, for what it's worth, although I do consider the Teak a very good option at the price. That's sort of where I get my number for them.

 

[waveSounds]

@phthora Goes to show how individual we all are, and how subjective sound is! I auditioned the 2F and Elear (and T1.2) and came away with the Elear. What other sub-$1,000 closed headphones do you think are an upgrade from the Owl? I can't think of any. I also really like the Beyer T5p.2, but consider them to have a different presentation and not an upgrade.

 

[phthora]

@phthora Goes to show how individual we all are, and how subjective sound is! I auditioned the 2F and Elear (and T1.2) and came away with the Elear. What other sub-$1,000 closed headphones do you think are an upgrade from the Owl? I can't think of any. I also really like the Beyer T5p.2, but consider them to have a different presentation and not an upgrade.

Ah, I think I get it now... You seem to be thinking in terms of a direct upgrade, i.e., same sound signature, but better. If that is the case, it certainly is hard to top the Owl. It has a unique presentation of sound overall that I doubt even exists in another headphone, regardless of price. Even breaking up the sound presentation in smaller characteristics, it's hard to think of competitors. What is going to be as warm and as wide in soundstage as the NO? What else is going to have treble that is as fatigue-free, but also as detailed? Just to name a few points.

I was thinking in terms of better headphones as a whole, regardless of the sound signature and tuning differences. The 2F doesn't try for the same sound as the NO, so perhaps it is unfair to compare. For me, however, I would gladly pay $1000 for the 2F, but would never consider doing so for the NO. I could give you a list of reasons why, but it would make it seem like I don't actually love the NO. I do.