How would you compare the width of the soundstage between the X2HR ant the nighthawk?
The nighthawk definitly has more depth and height information. This and the very good imaging create a good room feeling or immersion in games. The Tygr has the smaller ss, but the imaging is even better. So the immersion is even stronger than on the nighthawks.
I am not sure if the nighthawks or the X2 are wider. The X2 is very wide, but has almost no information in height and especially depth. Also the imaging is only ok.
I also ordered a pair of brainwavz hybrid pads. Maybe these will fix the āpresence problemā for me.
Does the NH truly need an Amp? I understand the need for a DAC, say from a computer to get better audio quality, but what does an amp help?The NH are pretty easy to drive. Currently my all in one right now is the Hiby r3 pro as a DAC from my computer.
I think the internal amp in the r3 will be sufficient for the hawks. They are not a power hungry headphone and drive to a good volume and full sound from most sources. They benefit some from more powerful amps that can help control and tighten up the sound a little bit, but as long as you are giving them some good clean power I think they will work for you. Since the r3 has a balanced output, it might be worth investing in a balanced cable to squeeze a little more out of the available hardware.
I did get a balanced cable. It could be the volume to hear the difference is too loud for my ears. I think I listen at 60 to 65db. There is plenty of power. I did once listen with it almost all the way up, but I think the drivers were to stiff and not burnt in enough at the time.
everything needs an ampā¦but for many headphones, you can get away without one, but youāre not getting itās full potential without. same for a dedicated DACā¦you need one, but you can get away without. ignorance is blissā¦
Grab a $100 amp and see if it helps. Use the r3 as a dac as itās decent and let it rip. I find the bass is more controlled at lower volume with good power.
I use my NH with the Ifi Zen Dac/Amp and the Geshelli Archel 2.5. pro amp.
Mr_Makua is right. The NH isnāt very demanding. Of course i can hear differences between the NH running directly from my LG V30 smartphone vs. the zen dac/amp or the geshelli.
The ifi zen increases the bass region and the impact. The geshelli amp lives up the treble, tighten up the sound across the board.
But this is an extra benefit and not necessarily per se. My Tygr 300 R headphones benefit a lot more from the geshelli amp. I woild say that they need an amp. If i run them from the weak ifi zen amp section the bass can distort in bass heavy tracks. Running throw a decent amp and there is no more distortion. Since the NH drivers seems to be superior compared to the Tygrs your soulution should be work fine.
The Zen Dac also leans warmer to begin with which could contribute to the Nighthawk sounding less controlled and clean. I havenāt heard the Zen but I do have the Hip Dac. It drives them well enough but the sound can come off a little too warm and thick sometimes. The hawks benefit from a nice clean source, even something that leans neural or bright.
Yeah, for most music i prefer the hawks on the geshelli amp.
For Hiphop/Edm and good sounding games (battlefield, alien isolation, resident evil 2 remake, Doom) the fun factor is really superb on the zen with bass boost on. You can literally feel the air pressure which gun shots produce on your skull
Thanks for the clarification. As of now Iā m going to just stick with my Hiby. Started Grad school and all so Iām keeping spending down ( though thatās hard to do lol)
So my brainwavez hybrid pads arrived a week ago. I swapped between the original protein and microsuede and the hybrid pads.
I canāt recoomend the hybrid pads fir the nighthawk carbon. The bass looses much of his tightness and impact. I can also hear some bass distortion in bass heavy tracks with the hybrids. Also the overall sound quality isnāt so spot on as with both of the original pads. Dynamics are only decent with the hybrid pads.
The general sound signature of the hybrid pads is in the middle of the protein and the microsuede pads. The hybrids have less bass quantity and impact than the protein pads, but arenāt as bright in the treble as the microsuedes.
My personal ranking is: microsuede > protein > hybrid.
Tested via Ifi Zen and also Geshelli Archel 2.5 pro amp (using the balanced output of the ifi Zen dac)
So, do meze pads work or do angled pads put it at too sharp of an angle? I think ima start messing with mine more since they havent got the love from me recently. Any other suggestions for mods or things to try?
Edit: I mean to say Iāll be a test dummy if its not difficult and is reversible lol.
do you mind showing a picture? I know the actual cables are thick. Also, could you please tell me which cable options to choose? I shot them an email, but who knows when they will respond.