New Audioquest Nightowl / Nighthawk Carbon

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Yeskey, Nov 1, 2016.

  1. Yeskey

    Yeskey Friend

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  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    AQ said they sounded the same more or less. Sort of lost interest after this.
     
  3. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    So weird that they'd make the Owl sound like the Hawk. What's the point of releasing two headphones if that's what you're going to do?
     
  4. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    I tried the Hawks with the new ultrasuede pads and they sound better trust me.
     
  5. Yeskey

    Yeskey Friend

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    I'm going to have to swing by the Magnolia again for a listen with the new pads. I want to love the old NH's because the comfort is worlds beyond anything I've ever experienced, and the sound signature was almost there, but it was maybe a little too peculiar for my tastes.
     
  6. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    They sound better than the pre fazor LCD-2. No joke.
     
  7. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    What do they sound like with the new pads? I only heard them once at Canjam and couldn't get a grip on them.
     
  8. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    They sound ok with the pleather pads but it's almost like a different headphones with the new ultrasuede pads.
     
  9. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Right, but what is the sound signature with the new pads? "Better than the LCD-2 pre fazor" doesn't really tell me anything about what it actually sounds like.
     
  10. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    I preferred the ultrasuede pads because the sound is less congested than with the original leather pads.

    The bass is still deep and tight, maybe slightly north of neutral but in my opinion it's the perfect amount of bass for a pair of headphones.

    The tonality of the mids is spot-on, the imaging is really impressive and the treble is clean and non-fatiguing.
     
  11. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    I thought the Nightowl was very congested with the old pads, but the ultrasuede are much better. That all said, the Nightowl is not a better sounding headphone than the Nighthawk and I think releasing it at a higher price point is a mistake. \

    Nighthawks with the new pads are a reasonable alternative to the HD650 if you can get them on sale. I'd recommend the Nighthawks over the X2 (which seem to be the "popular" alternative to the Senns these days???)
     
  12. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Both of the new headphones have the same MSRP.
     
  13. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    In Essen I did hear a difference between the two.The ear pads must make a big difference.

    The Nightowl sounded more "fun" yet accurate. Maybe the Nightowl is less neutral-ish...
     
  14. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophileâ„¢

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    Interesting. I liked NH very much after EQing it a bit mid to treble. Hope NH carbon or NOwl can be enjoyed without EQs.
     
  15. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    The original NH has basically dropped to nearly half price (see Amazon). That's a pretty steep price cut for the same headphone with different pads and cable. Jot pushes through the wooliness of the NH a bit to make it quite enjoyable. I do need to try out the new pads.
     
  16. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    It's the same price for the NightOwl and the NightHawk Carbon. ($699)

    The original NightHawk are $350 because they will be discontinued.

    The original NightHawk with the new ultrasuede pads is a crazy deal. (The new pads will be available later this month.)
     
  17. Mystic

    Mystic Mystique's Spiritual Advisor

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    Do you know how much the new pads will cost? Looked around their website but didn't find anything.

    Kind of thinking on picking up a used Nighthawk now, always wanted to try them. I actually prefer the original look.
     
  18. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    I heard $30.

    I really like the NightHawk with my Prog-Metal music.
     
  19. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    If the pads make that much of a change, getting a discontinued first gen NightHawk and buying the pads for it does seem tempting.
     
  20. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    Yes, NightHawk w/new pads + HD6XX and you will be done for a while ;)
     

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