šŸ”¶ Audioquest NightHawk

I do! Itā€™s not what I would call a night and day difference, but it brings the sound the rest of the way there for me. Iā€™ve heard people say that headphones are 90% of the sound (assuming they get ample power to push to reasonable volumes). I think that holds true here. 90% of the sound was there when I ran straight off the laptop or phone but the stack helps the hawks reach their full potential.
Btw, do you guys typically run your source (application and laptop) at full volume and then control all volume at the amp?

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I do yes, thatā€™s what I would recommend

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Man the Nighthawks are impossible to find in Malaysia. Just when I found a local distributor it turns out theyā€™re still selling it at the original 700$ price tag, hurrah.

Guess I gotta wait till someone I know takes a trip overseas.

There are 2 pads included:

Shiny leather pair and a matte cloth pair. What does each one do?

Very generalized response:
Leather is more detailed-oriented ā€“ treble forward
Suede has more bass slam and response with the treble rolled off very slightly.

Suede is more comfortable too.

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The cloth or suede pair is going to be what I would personally recommend, it gives the most unique experience imo. It improves spatial recreation and also is a bit darker with more bass impact and midrange impact. Agree with what @Veritas said

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I am a bit embarrassed to say it, but the sound signature of the carbon nighthawks might just make them my favorite headphone for pure enjoyment of music. Every time i put these on i stop ā€œlisteningā€ and just purely relax and enjoy myself. They are seriously what I consider a FUN headphone.

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Iā€™m not embarrassed to agree, sound signature twin

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Seriously bro, I think you and I have matching ears and sound signatures.

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I think Iā€™m with you guys too. So Iā€™m in the market for an IEM upgrade from my BL-03s. Makes sense to ask fellow Nighthawk lovers what your favorite IEMs are. So what do you like?

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I just demoā€™d the NH Carbons! Iā€™m not that much of an audiophile and I found them just ā€˜alrightā€™ I guessā€™? Or should I give these things another chance, since I probably demoā€™d a not-very-burnt-in pair.

other impressions: wow theyā€™re bigger than i imagined, but really comfy! barely heard a difference between pads tooā€¦ oh, and thatā€™s a DAMN thick cable

It takes some time to get used to its sound signature. Other people on here also said they sounded ok at first but then eventually it becomes one of there favorite headphones.

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@vucirrha These headphones really should not be judged by one listening time imo. I found them just okay at first. They require some burn in due to the biodynamic drivers. It took me about a week for my pair to start sounding more clear and tighter, and less muddy. I would try getting a pair and listening to them for a long time, about a week I would say. They do sound muddy and a little bloated at first, but once they burn in, everything gets better. :wink:

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I would ask @M0N imo, to see what he thinks you would like. He knows more lol.
I certainly love my BL-03ā€™s sound, the comfort is really bad though for me.
What kind of sound would you be looking for and what budget?

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I would agree. I got mine used so I donā€™t know how many hours of play time it actually had, but by the 3rd day, I was able to hear some of the characteristics that have been described with it that makes it fun.

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Thank you @JJPablo @Soren_Peregrine @FBizzle for your opinions! Iā€™m definitely still considering getting a pair of these soon.

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I just want to clarify that Iā€™m not trying to directly recommend them, Iā€™m just sharing my experience with them, particularly the suede pads.

I have had these for less than a week and havenā€™t extensively used them. Though I was able to hear qualities of it that make them unique after a few days. I will say that I have a favorable opinion of them so far.

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What pads were on them? The suede or leather? I think they get a fair bit better for me with the suede

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I was allowed to try them both, so I did. For the few minutes I was allowed to go through my playlists I didnā€™t hear a significant differenceā€¦ except I think the leathers gave out a bit more bass?? I canā€™t recall which pad is supposed to have better bass though. It might just have been a result of me adjusting position a lot to get a seal.

tl;dr a 10 minute demo doesnā€™t do it much justice, haha

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Yes he actually responded on another thread I started asking that question. Right now Iā€™m strongly considering the JVC HA-FDX1 based on some recommendations from him and a couple others. I honestly donā€™t know what type of sound Iā€™m looking. I know I typically enjoy a warm sound and I know I want strong bass. I like for things to sound full and exciting. However Iā€™m not opposed to branching out in IEMā€™s because honestly I havenā€™t tried many to know what I like. I owned the KZ ZSX and thought it was fine, then I got the BL-03 and never went back to the ZSX. The warmth and natural sound was what won me over. The KZā€™s sounded almost mechanical in comparison if that makes sense. Budget-wise Iā€™m pretty open. Higher price just means Iā€™ll have to be more patient and save up longer. I think I would like to keep it under $500 if at all possible. $200-300 would probably be my sweet spot.

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