The nighthawk isnāt the aeolus. Main change with pad swap on nighthawk is treble highs are quelled with suede. I prefer that. With the aeolus, the different pads might as well make it sound totally different. The value proposition of having 4 or more headphones in one canāt really be underscored enough.
In terms of review differences for the nighthawk, we are just talking about acclimation, not so much pad swap. I was just saying it reminded me of that.
Just purchased the Carbons from music direct. Canāt wait to hear them! Should get here in a few days. Moving up from Sony MDR-1A and Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2.
Very curious to see how you think they stack up 
Hopefully Iāll be thanking you 1000x over for pointing me in this direction!
I hope so as well, I really wouldnāt want you to get something you donāt enjoy lol
All I can say is. These things are special. Like yeah they donāt have the same crispness in the treble and highs as some other stuff I have but itās still so detailed and clear. And also they have a good amount of bass, maybe overwhelming for some types of music, but I donāt find it too bad. I see it as something I listen to when I want that bass. Also, even though they got that bass thump, itās still pretty tight and doesnāt drown anything else out.
Overall, the main thing that blows me away. The soundstage and imaging. Oh my. They may not be as wide or good at imaging as some of the stuff that some of you own. But compared to everything else I have so far, they easily do it best.
Also, I went ahead and tested some games and movies on these, and they are killer for games and movies. The imaging and good amount of soundstage make them so immersive. Also, the fact that you can still hear the outside world just enough, but theyāre also closed enough that whatās outside doesnāt distract you. And the sound can surround you due to their semi open nature. What I love is that you can crank these pretty high woth games and fully immerse yourself in the game and the sounds happening. However, since the treble is more tame and smooth, if something like a gunshot happens, it does not blow your ears and still sounds good. The bass in them is great for games too.
These are easily the best āgaming headphonesā I own so far. Maybe not for competitive games or anything, even though I havenāt tried competitive games since I rarely play them, but for immersion in games. Sounds coming from everywhere in the games. Everywhere!
Sorry for going so much into the gaming aspect haha. The music in them to me is amazing as well. I can see how they may be dark, but I did buy them knowing that Iām going for something different than what I already own and they did not disappoint. I do like that they are more tame on the treble to be honest. They feel like headphones I can listen to for longer periods since the treble is more tame. Again, a big deal for me because itās usually the treble and highs sparkles that I usually look for.
The cord is pretty jank for sure ha. Mine wasnāt as bad as what Iāve heard from others but itās far from my favorite cord ha. But also far from the worst Iāve had. Luckily the hd700 Balanced cord I use For my teaks works perfect in these.
Overall, even though Iāve only listened to them for a few hours and have much more listening to do, my initial impression is very positive. THE REAL TESTā¦ my girlfriend and my sister but put them on and said āyeah I hear the difference compared to your other headphonesā and that means something!!! Haha. My sister actually asked for the link and wants them. She only uses AirPods so I was surprised to hear her interest.
Thanks for the easy sell guys! Iām sold on these.
Nighthawk gang nighthawk gang
hopefully she ends up actually getting them lol
I have the Sony mdr1as. These do so much more than those could ever hope to do. Trust me. The Sonyās also have a quite a bit of bass and kinda muddied treble and highs. Overall,these are a great ipgrade to those. Youāll love them.
Haha I know. I told her to jump on it while she can if she wants them. Her I got her hisband into headphones a while back to so I think between the both of them, itāll happen ha.
One of us, one of us!
lol nice. im kind of the same, got one of my sisters kinda into it gave her my t2s and my other sister wants to buy the 4xx after hearing mine
Haha yeah Iām in like sin. And I immediately got three followers. Tried to get my brother but heās lime ānah I just picked up those Marshall Bluetooth headphones for 125ā he doesnāt know what heās missing. If he lived close enough for me to show him heād understand. I am impressed for sure. Didnāt even need to take time to adjust to them like I heard. I immediately knew they were unique for sure.
Daaaaang youāre nice ive only parted with my Bose soundtouch to my mom and m50s to my brother because I was like āyeah Iām done with these when I got my 4xxs and 68xs
lol, well honestly im in the same boat. itās because i got my blon 03 and i preffered them over the tin t2s that i gave them to her. and my other sister wants to buy the 4xx but im honestly probably just giving them to her because even tho i LOVE them and use them almost as much as my 58x i dont mind departing from them
Gotcha. I definitely have the ones I prefer more between all of mine but itās hard for me to part with most of them. My 4xxs get pulled out when the right music calls for them. Plus I like keeping them around. I kinda see a story when I look at all of them together. My m50s got me into the hobby after replacing my Bose with them. But I slowly couldnāt even listen to the m50s anymore and parted with them too. But the rest of the ones I own all have their purpose it seems.
And the story really only tells how much more into it Iām getting and the money Iām willing to part with ha. 6 years ago I owned Bose and m50s and it took me so much to be willing to drop 150 on each of them. Then massdrop hooked me and I was like 4xx for 160, ehhhh okay then to 199, 300 450, and up to 1200. All to the point where with these, Iām like āonly 199ā pfffft chump change hahaha. Itās my collector nature kicking in too I guess.
lolol i get what you mean, seems like you also just got used to spending money for audio. And yeah i get what you mean, i think your looking at them like a story, your history of how you got into audio is pretty cool and makes sense. also a big collector view on that stuff, personally iām usually not known for collecting anything so i think its a bit easier to let go of stuff. and yeah i have alot of specific genres that sound good with the 4xx so i use them alot but im really interested in the nighthawks lol so i donāt mind letting go of another headphone
Definitely. I have this obsession with just wanting to experience these different combination of sounds you get from each pair I guess or how each do something different. I definitely see all as unique in their own way, even if two pairs can be very similar. The problem is that in my town, the audio scene just is big at all, like literally the only place to test headphones is Best Buy! Lol. Because of this I have no choice but to just buy the stuff to experience unfortunately. But thereās always returns ha.
My brother in law just tried my nighthawks and his go toās are the 4xxs he bought after I got him into them. He said that even though he likes the extra kick you get from the treble and highs more in the 4xx, he said he overall liked the nighthawks more. But like me he was definitely blown away by the soundstage and imaging upgrade he felt with these over the 4xx. Iām not even sure if I remember if the soundstage is wider or not with the 4xx, but I think because these isolate sound quite a bit more than the 4xx while retaining the soundstage, you can notice it more on these. He was also blow away by their performance in gaming and movies though. Huge smile on his face playing red dead and battlefield.
I could literally designate these as just my gaming headphones and be perfectly happy. But the funny thing is they arenāt even made for gaming hahaha. However, I also love music in them. I think that they are just so different to what Iām used to that it does make the experience new. Other headphones are slightly better this or that, but these are just so Different from my lineup that they are forced to stand out.
For 199 you really canāt go wrong, I would have still though they were worth it for like 4 or 500 honestly, especially considering the quality or accessories you get with them. They really are a steal if you end up liking itās sound.
I can very much see how it wouldnāt pair with that. I tried Alice In Chains and my general 90s rock on them just now and I didnāt like it. I like my 4xx or teaks more for that. These are legit with 60s and 70s pop rock like elo and queen and that scenes. Listening to hall and Oates and it is lovely.
Edit: oooh steely Dan is doing them some justice too.
I have a pair of Grado SR 60s (not even the āeā) that I will never part with because they were my first step into audio. Iāve parted with others since then but those are special. I pull them out every once in a while, put that cheap foam up to my ears, and listen to them while I fight with that twisted janky 10ft cord. They arenāt perfect, but they opened the door.