Audioquest Nighthawk Review

Ryanr1987

Ryanr1987

Ryanr1987

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Nighthawks


Technology: Dynamic
Type: Semi open
Impedance: 25ohm
Driving Difficulty: Medium - sounds good out of anything
League: Hifi


What's in the box:

2 x Cables
2 x Cleaning cloth
1 x Carry case


Build & Comfort

The build of the Nighthawks is great! The cups are made of liquid wood which is absolutely beautiful to look at. AQ said it took them two years to master using liquid wood as it is a difficult process. The design is made of metals and plastics. The headband is an extended band which is made of protein leather. The design materials used are all meant to have the environment in mind and the materials are all natural according to AQ.

The rod is sheathed and has metal inside. It all feels solid and really thought out. The only thing I don't like is the ear pads. They make my ears sweat. I usually avoid headphones with leather pads and I hope AQ bring some velours. The cables are pretty cool but rather rigid. The detail on the plugs is also pretty cool. I really enjoyed opening this!


Sound


I demoed the NH about a week or two ago and really liked it so decided to buy it next day.


Bass - The bass on the NH is brilliant. It's so deep! almost sounds planar. It's very punchy and has a lot of extension that makes music fun and full. The mid bass is quite dominant that gives this headphone a warm sound.
I really appreciate the bass, the HD650 was missing a chunk of it's sub but it had a slight mid bass hump giving it a warm sound also.

The NH isn't what I'd call a fast. It's soft in the bass but I like that! it's delicate but full and hard hitting at the same time it can play those roles well but it's still overall on the softer side. I love how some dramatic recordings have this low end hum from the sub bass.

Mids - Dreamy, literally dreamy it's like the mids are surrounded in lushness and cream. They sound how they look! Vocals have soul, a lot of it! it's emotional, engaging and gripping. They are not exactly linear, the upper mids are a bit shelved down but I like this as I can crank the volume up and it doesn't hurt! in fact, I can hear deeper into the mix. These are the best mids I've ever heard, emotionally. Compared to the current HD650 the 650 sounds brighter, edgier in comparison, cleaner and a bit leaner. The mids are certainly better for purist. It's also drier than the NH and the upper mids are more pronounced.

Voices are flowing, effortless and so smooth!

Treble - The treble is the smoothest I've heard It's clean and shows off detail really well considering it's signature. It doesn't have a lot of air, it's purely a black background. The HD650 has more air and a better sense of being open up top than the NH. Because of this it aids to the thicker more full sound of NH. The treble reminds me a lot of the LCD-2 pre fazor but I think it is a bit darker than that.

Imaging & Soundstage - The imaging of the NH is actually very good, it's not as clear or pin point as something like the Q701 which exaggerates the upper ranges but it's closer to the HD650 but it has more depth to the sound. It’s not as open sounding as the 650 so it’s sense of space will sound more sultry. Background low notes will sound more forward due to it’s full bass.
I would say it is about right for a warm, high end headphone but I would say it’s strictly a enjoyment headphone.


Gaming & Movies

Competitive - I find the imaging good enough for competitive gaming. It, like the LCD-2 is very full sounding so it's not as open and obvious. Trained ears will find this a good headphone but it's not as good as something like an AKG K701 or similar. The soundstage is about medium sized so that plus the thick sound will not make this an obvious choice for this. I had no issues using this though.

Fun - I'm in love with the bass, it's deep that it brings out low end sounds beautifully. Everything is full and rich. I do like a thinner sound for a more open airy feel but it's a nice contrast to that. Man that tone is lovely in RPG's and movies and this is my go to for movies.

Ratings


Music
9/10 - I love this headphone, It has zero harshness and it really is a Nighthawk! It's so rich, so smooth, so effortless with gorgeous vocal delivery. Bass is deep and blooming! Also no amp needed!

Competitive gaming
7.8/10 - Decent for tracking, not the cleanest as it's a rich headphone but it does the job.

Fun
9/10 - A blast, OST's come out beautifully and voices sound fantastic. Love the bass and layering!


Overall

I've had them on constantly and did deep comparisons and I can say these are one of my all time fav. The upper mid dip helps them never sound grainy or harsh, these may not be for everyone but for me I love them! This review was written in the space of a few days so you may see some forward impressions than before.
 
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My HD650s are getting lots of action these days, my AKGs can't get a look in. I think I would very much like the deep, sonorous bass you get with the Nighthawks and the lush mids would wow me, I'm just not sure about the rolled off highs. Are they as rolled off as the older HD650s? I don't mean the very old ones with the original drivers, I mean the ones like I have that are a couple of years old but not the brand new ones that seem to have been slightly retuned.
 
I'm too lazy for pictures haha maybe I'll get my SLR out and grab some.

The treble is comparable to the older black driver HD650 which still isn't as smooth. The treble, you get used to it man. It paints this nice black background. The overall mix on these is amazing, give them a good run and I'd be very surprised if you didn't like them. they are in that older HD650 and pre razor LCD-2 camp but I like the Hawks better.

They are expensive at £495 but they have something that justifies the price for me.
 
These headphones just continue to be a learning experience. They sound like a have a bit more bite to them. Treble is all there, the bass I think was a shock but now I'm used to it doesn't bother me. Treble is actually not rolled off at all like I first heard it, it's just treble it's neutral in its self.

The bass has calmed down, it's potent but not as bloomy, think I've just adjusted to it rather than burn in or at least all to do with burn in. This headphone is so system dependant, pair it with a warm, I resolving Dac and you will have problems. It needs dead neutral and it also does better with an amp that can swing cleanly.

Thing with this headphone, I think a lot of people will dismiss it as too warm before experimenting and giving if time. It's a very unique approach to sound and I don't think many are willing to give it time, those that do will fine themselves lost in there music more so than any other headphone.

HD650 or these?

Both! Both beat each other a lot spending on song and system. HD650 scales so it's hard to compare to headphones, it has no limits.
 
One advantage that these have over the HD650s is their ease of drive-ability. With an input impedance of only 25 ohms and the fact that their impedance hardly varies across the whole audible frequency range, you should be able to plug them into pretty much anything. Even plugging them into high output impedance tube amps shouldn't cause any problems as damping factor seems to be a complete non-issue, which is more than can be said of the HD650s, although the high input impedance of the latter negates the issue in the vast majority of cases.
 
It's such a weird headphone it sounds great out of my Fiio X5 on it's own and would also sound good out of the X1 and X3ii. The difference from my Profect ember is pretty big in terms of separation, it handles the 1.2 watts surprising well. It even sounds respectable out of my iPhone although I'm a bit spoilt by the beast of an amp. The hardest thing was finding the right tube. The CV491 is Mullard best tube IMO and although it can be a bit too warm for the NH still sounds fantastic but the tube has a bit of a mid bass injection which works against the Hawks mid clarity.
 
where did you get the Project Ember from? I've been lusting after one of those for a while but they seem to be US only.
 
I got it from Garage1217 on eBay. Cost me about £280 in total with import fees. It's a really good amp, in a lot of ways I prefer it to the crack as its more versatile.
 
Ryanr1987 said:
There a Black Friday deal?

£299 would be crazy good but can't imagine them going that low.
Click to expand...

Not yet but hey there's always next year and £299 will happen eventually used or new somewhere :) I used to think £299 ahd7100s would not happen and I bought a pair used for £250.........sold em but these things happen.
 
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