[Soundizer]

I'm at 200 hours with the Nightowls and love them to bits. They are rich and creamy, and really open sounding for a closed headphone. They also excel at emotional engagement, the most important criterion for me, and at this they are better than any of the dozens headphones I've owned. Congratulations Skylar! 

A few notes—the ultrasuede pads eliminate the bit of congestion I hear with the stock pleather pads, and shift the tonal balance upward toward the midrange. It's a huge change—they make the NO sound like an entirely new headphone. At first I missed the bass of the pleather pads, but overall prefer the ultrasuede. 

Also, take the 150-hour break-in instructions to heart. These sounded AWFUL before they were broken in—murky, dull, slow. This goes away.

This is my favorite headphone right now. Makes me want to try the Nighthawks. Enjoy them—they are special!

Thank you for your impressions. May I ask about the Soundstage and has it changed after 150hours?

 

[mink70]

Thank you for your impressions. May I ask about the Soundstage and has it changed after 150hours?

Honestly, I'm not sure whether it's changed. The soundstage is still pretty vast for a closed headphone. I also have the AT 3000ANV here, and it doesn't even come close in terms of soundstage. I hear the Nightowl's soundstage as being wider than my HD650's as well (though, of course, the HD650 sounds more open).

 

[inthere]

it's a very big soundstage and extremely nice for a closed headphone, beautiful sound. With the Nightowl's tuning, it's unbelievable. 
 
 I'm just not as sure it's as big as the very best closed headphone's  soundstages I've EVER heard like I was when I 1st opened the box.

 

[shurealltheway]

it's a very big soundstage and extremely nice for a closed headphone, beautiful sound. With the Nightowl's tuning, it's unbelievable. 

 I'm just not as sure it's as big as the very best closed headphone's  soundstages I've EVER heard like I was when I 1st opened the box.

That's so weird to me. I've heard of sonic changes from burn in like treble softening and bass extending after the driver diaphragms loosen up, but I've never heard of a shrinking soundstage.

 

[ngoshawk]

Hoping to try Nightowl and Perch when CES is wrapped up

I would love to try the Nightowl, too. Haven't been able to use my Nighthawks much, what with other obligations....sigh...

 

[Kukua]

it's a very big soundstage and extremely nice for a closed headphone, beautiful sound. With the Nightowl's tuning, it's unbelievable. 

 I'm just not as sure it's as big as the very best closed headphone's  soundstages I've EVER heard like I was when I 1st opened the box.

how are these compared to the p9s?

 

[Kukua]

That's so weird to me. I've heard of sonic changes from burn in like treble softening and bass extending after the driver diaphragms loosen up, but I've never heard of a shrinking soundstage.

me neither

 

[inthere]

I haven't heard of a soundstage getting smaller either, usually it expands in every case. It's still very big, but I think the bass filling out had something to do with it. Also the treble smoothed out. 
 
It didn't get a LOT smaller, just slightly. 

 

[Mediahound]

Some video coverage of the new headphones and Perch, from  CES:
 
 

 

[shurealltheway]

Some video coverage of the new headphones and Perch, from  CES:


 

Very cool vid!

 

[nmatheis]

I would love to try the Nightowl, too. Haven't been able to use my Nighthawks much, what with other obligations....sigh...

I hear ya, bro!

 

[knowhatimean]

  I haven't heard of a soundstage getting smaller either, usually it expands in every case. It's still very big, but I think the bass filling out had something to do with it. Also the treble smoothed out. 
 
It didn't get a LOT smaller, just slightly. 

So in reality the SS isn't actually any smaller, it's more a matter of what elements within that SS aren't as prominent anymore (He,he, he I don't think any amount of burn in will "correct" how the Senn HD800 "generates it's own" SS; unless you physically remove the "bad idea/tech" parts they put in it for SS that doesn't exist)
 
For myself (w/ my NH) I don't think there is any comparison between using microsuede (Audeze) & the stock leather pads. The leather pads accentuate the upper bass harmonics of "electronic" bass notes to create the impression of "impact" to the music which works well for listening to some genres of music.This comes at the cost of masking a lot of harmonic information existing further up in the frequency range (but there's not a lot going on up there, in the way, most non -acoustic "based"music is usually recorded).
 
I stopped listening to most non- acoustic music about 10 to15 years ago so a lot of what is more suited to what I'm usually listening to (Orchestral largely) has different requirements for what seems to work best for me..Using microsuede pads there is a "huge" (did I say H U U G E) jump in the balance of harmonics I'm able to hear. With "Acoustic" music hearing all these various harmonics is giving you the spatial markers of what going on within the "staging" of where the instruments are being played. It becomes a dimensional "aural capture" of a "Musical Event" depending on how well things were recorded. True deep bass notes are clearly heard it's just the upper parts of these notes aren't being accentuated .
 
The definition of what makes up Soundstage means different things depending on the type of music your listening to.. It always cracks me up a little when people talk about "Soundstaging" of
of Studio Recorded music (Though I suppose you have to call it something, as the players weren't actually staged for performance of a live musical event).( I know, I'm nitpicking; hey maybe you'll start nitpicking when you're 65)
 
I'll probably have to give the NO a listen, given how much I like my NH .

 

[beingbuddha]

how are these compared to the p9s?

My first post in Head-Fi. So I welcome myself. Gear that own/owned ATH MSR7, RHA T20, EL-8 Closed, B&W P9 and now NO with OPPO-HA2-SE
 
I did buy the B&W p9 and used it extensively for 4 weeks. P9 are a rich and fuller sound, bass is prominent in almost all types of music, there is a lots of confusion between mid-bass and mids (especially around vocals and some instruments), the mid-bass sometimes overwhelms some songs and it's just a confusing experience on P9. Other than that P9's are a lovely sounding headphones, it's actually like listening to a good home speakers, but again due to the bass prominent signature it is kind of fatiguing to hear for long periods. Again these are all my opinions. 
 
Coming on to NO, it's like a walking down a rainforest, drizziling and you can smell the aroma of the soil and trees around. Every type of genre that I could throw in, it immediately feels airy inside my ears, which creates this perception of a wide soundstage. Your ears and from where the sound comes in are clearly divided, it doesn't hit you on the head. Bass is called up when it's really needed, not overtaking any other freq's, though one extra pinch more bass would have been better, but my HA2-SE takes care of the extra bass boost. Mids are clean and clear, well pronounced vocals and instrument representation. Treble is one section where it's quite a bit of a challenge, it's recessed and sometimes lost/hidden far behind in some type of instruments. But the treble is not fatiguing at all, I can hear to hours of good lively songs without any issue but still misses that one extra pinch of treble. Though the treble is recessed there is still a good instrument separation on the high range which makes my brain focus on that high range, just because I know some songs are recorded with brightness signature.  I really really like this headphones, it's musical and very beautiful sounding headphones. Great job @SkylarGray and team.

 

[knowhatimean]

 

how are these compared to the p9s?

My first post in Head-Fi. So I welcome myself. Gear that own/owned ATH MSR7, RHA T20, EL-8 Closed, B&W P9 and now NO with OPPO-HA2-SE
 
I did buy the B&W p9 and used it extensively for 4 weeks. P9 are a rich and fuller sound, bass is prominent in almost all types of music, there is a lots of confusion between mid-bass and mids (especially around vocals and some instruments), the mid-bass sometimes overwhelms some songs and it's just a confusing experience on P9. Other than that P9's are a lovely sounding headphones, it's actually like listening to a good home speakers, but again due to the bass prominent signature it is kind of fatiguing to hear for long periods. Again these are all my opinions. 
 
Coming on to NO, it's like a walking down a rainforest, drizziling and you can smell the aroma of the soil and trees around. Every type of genre that I could throw in, it immediately feels airy inside my ears, which creates this perception of a wide soundstage. Your ears and from where the sound comes in are clearly divided, it doesn't hit you on the head. Bass is called up when it's really needed, not overtaking any other freq's, though one extra pinch more bass would have been better, but my HA2-SE takes care of the extra bass boost. Mids are clean and clear, well pronounced vocals and instrument representation. Treble is one section where it's quite a bit of a challenge, it's recessed and sometimes lost/hidden far behind in some type of instruments. But the treble is not fatiguing at all, I can hear to hours of good lively songs without any issue but still misses that one extra pinch of treble. Though the treble is recessed there is still a good instrument separation on the high range which makes my brain focus on that high range, just because I know some songs are recorded with brightness signature.  I really really like this headphones, it's musical and very beautiful sounding headphones. Great job @SkylarGray and team.

That's called having a "Balanced Frequency Response" or as I like to call an "Honest ( we're not going to cut you some slack just because that's the way most music is recorded for that particular music genre, not everyone cares for what happens to be popular) Frequency Response".
 
& that is precisely the reason I will be ordering a pair of these. I'm discovering that the reason I find the NH to be completely more listenable for Orchestral and other Acoustic Music than any headphone I've listened to (or have had). What I've been discovering is that How" Open Backed" a headphone is, isn't the determining factor in how well it reproduces Soundstaging effects. I always thought that it was . In effect all it's doing to increase the sense of "airiness" is delaying some early resonances of the headphone drivers.."Spaciousness" is not really Soundstage, it's mostly just unnecessary amounts of spaciousness. You'll know the difference when you finally hear "the real thing" (It is beyond me how people can call what the HD800 does "Soundstage; I know, as I have a highly modified pair (they are listenable, as opposed to stock which are not) collecting dust).
 
Don't be too concerned with it's "different" sounding sound characteristics, let them "re-educate"your listening sensibilities. Sometimes you discover that "different" may be more enjoyable than what you thought was way things sounded.Just don't give up on letting different "grow" on you ( I've 'stolen" this "re-educate" term from someone in the NH thread as it's a term that positively fits here also; Many thanks to the OP)
 
Thanks for reviving this thread until I'm able get my pair & add some of my own impressions.

 

[knowhatimean]

I got impatient & ordered a pair of the NO Carbon , about an hr & half ago at my local Magnolia.
 
I took a trip to Magnolia yesterday to see if they brought any in yet, but they hadn't been given any confirmation as to when they were expecting to see them. I was told that they would be waiting until their NH inventory went down some before there would be any movement of the NightOwls to the store. I don't know but I think it might be safe to assume that this would be a chain wide model that was being followed. 
 
I don't know if Magnolia is offering the original NH at the discounted price that being seen elsewhere, so my guess is if want to get the NO you might have order it yourself (Magnolia will take the order for you, as they did for me, I would imagine: with a $100.00 deposit of course)