How does the nighthawk compare to the Hd6xx/650s?
6xx are more intimate, mid forward,
Hawks are more wide and warm
aside from one that sold for 310 on AVexchange yesterday morning, nearly every listing iāve found on the subreddit and head-fi have sold them between 200-250. i bought mine on r/avexchange yesterday for 220. also, be careful of one on ebay. the guy lists it as Carbon, but itās the original. i messaged him about it and he said he knows nothing about the headphones and he didnāt change the listing.
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i searched for this listing on ebay. that is the nightowl (closed-back), which often sells for more than the nighthawk (open-back).
Yeah I did notice that after the fact but thanks regardless and yeah Ill just watch the various selling platforms for better deals
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Does anyone not care for their suede pads enough to sell them? Mine are very worn down where they make contact with my ears and head, and I was hoping I could find another pair of them as a replacement. If so please let me know or PM me, thanks! I wish Audioquest sold replacement pads for these, but they are discontinued, so that does not seem to be an option.
That honestly is very irritating. Carbon is the one with the secondary pads and the other tuning. You can find the regular nighthawk around quite a bitā¦ carbon on the other hand is hardly seen. If I recall correctly the carbon is the one with the suedes as well which imo are the better pads. Meanwhile regular hawks have the pleathers
I do know some people like JosĆ© preferred the leather pads since they are brighter, and he has said he does tend to like brighter signatures. I guess itās just whatever you prefer, although I do hold the suede in higher regard.
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I mean, you can always put other pads on them. However, you have to hole punch out the pads so they clip on there which is rather unfortunate. The leather pads are thinner and relatively a bit smaller on the ears. They were indeed brighter than the suedes which are darker. I donāt really think you can just find those suedes for sale either which is more unfortunate
Yeah. The suede also seem to be angled slightly, which might have something to do with their unique imaging qualities, which is why Iām afraid if I use something else it will change the sound signature or their imaging for worse.
guy over on audio circle claims he used vegan suedes here from audeze and it cleared up any boomyness or congestion in the highs and it apparently opened the sound more(I would assume due to just how thick those pads really are)
Digging around theres been others who have commented that pad switches donāt destroy the sound just gotta watch what you useā¦
I suppose eventually you will have to switch to a seperate pad anyway due to the nature of the discontinuation here.
edit: so I pulled out my carbons and took a lookā¦ I would say these pads are a bit closer to that of my zmf universe pads honestly. You could probably get away with brainwavzā¦ but I donāt think dekoni would work as it feels like a different style of suede and looks a bit odd. So, I think potentially brainwavz, zmf universe, or those very expensive audeze if you really want to punch out some cash
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Yeah those zmf universe do look similar. I was also looking at the brainwavz micro suede as those do look similar as well.
Acoustic Refinements
- Tooling modifications : Tighter tolerances eliminate air leaks for improved airflow and lower distortion
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Two sets of earpads
- Protein Leather Boost Pads seal tighter for better isolation and slightly enhanced treble clarity
- Ultra-Suede Pads breathe freer for greater comfort and slightly reduced bass impact
- Improved plugs : High-purity Tellurium Copper (TeCu) base metal for smoother surface, higher plating quality, better mating contact, and, consequently, less noise
Ergonomic Refinements
- Improved headpad : Genuine leather headpad with stitched detailing for enhanced comfort, more luxurious look and feel
-
Improved cable
- Shorter length (4.25ft) for easier desktop/mobile use
- Flexible, non-braided jacket increases durability, eliminates kinking, minimizes microphonics
- Robustly engineered and rigorously tested strain relief further increases durability
- Discreet microphone and smartphone controls enable phone calls and playback functions (Play, Pause, Skip) without compromising sound quality
Cosmetic Refinements
Luxurious finish : Porsche Carbon Grey Metallic high-gloss paint meticulously applied via multistage process
Nighthawk Carbon differences there ^. Drivers however are the same.
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Funny thing though, I personally find the suede to have better bass impact than the leather despite their statement there, and perhaps more pleasing unique imaging qualities, and overall a bit warmer.
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Interestingly enough I took off my suedes on my carbon then just held the zmf universe against the headphone and put them onā¦ very similar maybe a little more airyā¦ bass lost just a very slight touch in the how deep it is and highs sound a little clearer. I would say this is potentially a great alternativeā¦ ZMF pads are quite nice
Damn sure not hole punching my zmf pads though lol
Yeah thatās the big question, if it is worth spending 60 bucks on them and then hole punching them. 
And anything that reduces bass I kind of internally sigh, lol. If anything the amount of bass is just enough with the suede for me, if the bass was to change I would rather prefer a tiny bit more than less. I am kind of a basshead, yes. 
Could always equalize it or throw it at an ifi unit or something with more warmth no? I have mine hooked up to my asgard 3 currently
Funny edit: So, apparently one of the other forum posters here had reached out to audioquest specifically about these padsā¦ audioquest wants around $50 - $60 for pad replacements even for the leathers and the suedes are discontinued. So yeah at that price I would immediately just say go grab zmf less you can find a better fit pad
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Yeah that was something I actually experienced when I got to try them on a decent amp, the bass did get noticeably better. I mean, worst case scenario I have another pair of pads laying around I could use down the road.
Universe pads are relatively pretty largeā¦ larger than a beyer pad thats for sure so not sure exactly which measurement on the universe to use made a edit above here about audioquests pricepoint on those pads
wanted to quote jj here as I just noticed his post on theseā¦ looks like it was pretty accurate to think they are similar. Looks like oval brainwavz
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