AudioQuest Nighthawk: Luscious Smoothness

Pros: Amazing Build, Comfort, Rich Sound

Cons: Sound Signature Not for Everyone

Introduction:

Having made a name for themselves in the industry with their cables and their Dragonfly USB DAC/Amp, AudioQuest has left the world very excited with anticipation for the release of their first headphone, the Nighthawk. With multiple prototypes making appearances at different meets and events, it’s certainly a product that many people have been keeping their eye out for.

Todd from TTVJ, who often creates loaner programs to allow interested customers in trying out products they offer, set aside a Nighthawk as a loaner unit for interested Head-Fiers to give them a listen. I am fortunate to be the first Head-Fier to get to spend time with the Nighthawk, and I’ve spent a great deal of time with the Nighthawk over the course of the week that I had with them. As part of the loaner program, Todd did ask that each individual write a brief review of the Nighthawk. I’d like to thank TTVJ for bringing Head-Fiers the opportunity to demo the Nighthawk before making a decision on the purchase, and I’ve compiled my thoughts of the Nighthawk here for those that are also interested in them but did not get the opportunity to listen to it themselves.

Packaging and Accessories:

The Nighthawk comes in a fairly plain brown box. Inside, you get a really nice traveling case with the Nighthawk and its accessories inside. The packaging is practical but with a very nice presentation nonetheless.

The travel case is very well designed, with a sleek leathery design on the outside. Inside, there is there space for the Nighthawk as well as a pouch area where you can put your cables or adaptors. In the pouch you find the manual and warrantee for the Nighthawk as well as a one month subscription to Tidal, which I thought was quite an interesting and certainly night touch.

The Nighthawk also comes with two cables – one for home use and a shorter and more flexible one for portable use. The longer cable has a nice black sleeve, reaching up to the Y-split, which the portable cable doesn’t have. Both cables have a nice 45 degree angle jack as well as a rubbery texture to them. I’m personally not the biggest fan of rubbery cables, but the cables that the Nighthawk are quite nice, as you might expect from a company known for their cables.

I think what’s perhaps most notable about the accessories is the 3.5mm to 6.35mm adaptor. I think AQ makes perhaps one of the most attractive adaptors I’ve ever seen. It has a really nice gloss finish with the AQ logo as well as the chemical symbol for copper and silver on it (Cu and Ag). Honesty, if AQ offers them for sale, I would probably grab one of these adaptors for myself. In addition to its nice looks, the adaptor also has one of the tightest and most secure fit on the 3.5mm jack, really making sure that you get a good and consistent connection.

Edit: Skylar from AQ confirmed with me that the adaptor will actually be available for purchase! Guess who's getting himself one?

   Travel Case and What's Inside (Very Messy... Sorry!)   

Build, Design, and Comfort:

There’s really a lot to talk about here, as the Nighthawk really pushes the boundaries in terms of innovation in design!

Starting with the build of the Nighthawk, I can say that it’s very solid. When I first received the demo Nighthawk, I saw the incredibly thin headband and thought, “oh god… AQ really messed up…” Well, I was very wrong. Despite the headband being incredibly thin, that thing is sturdy as hell. What’s even better is that, despite being very stiff, it offers a very comfortable clamping force.  The headband also utilizes a self-adjusting mechanism similar to that of the AKG models. The adjustable headband is very comfortable and distributes weight very evenly. Speaking of weight, the Nighthawks weigh in at about 350g, which isn’t the lightest headphone in the world, but a very reasonable and comfortable weight.

The build of the ear cups are also stellar. The liquid wood finish is certainly beautiful, and they are finished with a nice gloss finish that, surprisingly, doesn’t attract all that much fingerprints. The cups feel fairly lightweight while remaining sturdy.

Besides its uniquely thin headband and its beautiful liquid wood ear cups, what’s also unique about the Nighthawk’s design is how AQ designed the ear cups to rotate. Each ear cups are connected to the headband by four short and slightly elastic suspensions. While it doesn’t allow the ear cups to fold flat, it does allow the cups to rotate in any direction very freely and adjust to an individual’s head shape very well. This design distributes the pressure of the earpads on the head very evenly, and allows for a very comfortable listening experience.

It seems I’ve talked about the comfort of the Nighthawk quite a bit already. Yes, the headband and flexible ear cups both make the Nighthawk very comfortable, but AQ also outdid themselves with the earpads. The earpads are soft and, more importantly, deep. Most people will have no issues with their ears rubbing against the drivers and causing discomfort. The earpads are also big enough that it should be able to fit around your ears with no problems. Another thumbs up to AQ.

What’s also important to note about the Nighthawk is that they are a semi-open design, and in terms of isolation and sound leakage, they’re exactly what you expect from a semi-open headphone. Isolation is poor and certainly not good enough to use on the subway, but it’s still better than having no isolation at all from open headphones. It’s a similar story with sound leakage. They do leak some sound, but not nearly as much as open headphones. In a quiet office, the Nighthawk’s sound can still be heard though, so those considering the Nighthawk for quiet office use may have to reconsider.

Overall, the design, build, and comfort of the Nighthawk all pass with flying colors. AQ clearly spent a good amount of effort designing the Nighthawk and it really paid off. They’re a beautiful set of headphones that can stay on your head for hours and hours on end without ever feeling uncomfortable.

Image Showing the Elastic Suspensions and the Beautiful

            Patterns of the Liquid Wood Earcups

Listening Impressions:

Okay, so I have to admit – it took me a REALLY long time to come to terms with the sound signature of the Nighthawk. As someone who enjoys a more neutral and generally less colored sound, I found myself constantly reaching for solace with my HE560 or Noble Savant while listening to the Nighthawk. However, after really sitting down and spending some time with the Nighthawk and, more importantly, adjusting my brain to its sound signature, I really think the Nighthawk has quite a bit to offer. I did find the Nighthawk’s sound to be quite unique and I struggled initially thinking about how to describe it. I’ll do my best describing the sound of the Nighthawk here. Listening was done running music through Foobar on my computer and using my Asus Essence III as my USB DAC/Amp connected to the Nighthawk.

               My Listening Rig with the Nighthawk

I would describe the sound signature of the Nighthawk to be a bit of a downward sloping signature. Bass has quite the authority while the treble is mellowed out just a bit, leading to a very smooth and fatigue free listening experience.

I really love the bass that the Nighthawk outputs. It’s definitely one of the more bass heavy headphones you can find at around 600 dollars, but I wouldn’t call it basshead level either (although I think it would appease some, if not most, bassheads). The bass is very dynamic, with some serious authority and weight to its thumps, but remains well controlled and tight. Extension isn’t quite on the level of planar magnetics, but is really quite impressive as well. The Nighthawk’s ability to reproduce bass texture and move air is also really quite a treat. I really think that the Nighthawk’s bass is an example of bass well done. It has the fun punch and authority while having enough detail and finesse to it that I think it would please most audiophile ears as well.

The midrange of the Nighthawk is silky smooth and warm. The lower mids are a bit lifted, but without making the sound thick, while the upper mids are a little more pulled back in comparison. I think the Nighthawk is a fantastic choice for those that listen to pop, rock, Hip-Hop, etc. – basically the genres that are currently more dominant in the music scene, because the Nighthawk can make almost any recording sound beautiful. Take Taylor Swift as an example. Taylor basically has no high range, and whenever she tries to rift in her high register at the climax of her songs, her voice often has a texture to her voice that sounds strained and, frankly, a little unhealthy. With the Nighthawk, she sounds absolutely effortless. Of course, this does come at a cost. While I feel that the detail of the Nighthawk is actually quite good, when you put it up against the more detail oriented HE560, it becomes clear that the Nighthawk lacks some texture and micro-details in exchange for its absolutely fluid sound.

I also find one other little caveat with the Nighthawk. It’s a rare issue, but one nonetheless. Because it does have a more present lower midrange, I found that male vocals that sing at a lower register tend to have a little unnatural tone and timbre to it. Well to be specific, I only had this issue with one artist I listened to with the Nighthawk – Passenger. I’m a big fan of Passenger, as I find the tone of his voice to be unique and beautiful, with some great lyrics to his music. He also sings in a very limited range. With the Nighthawk, his voice often has an unnatural breathy sort of resonance to it, which I can’t really get over. Just to reiterate though, I didn’t find this issue with any other vocalist though – I’m sure there are other cases, but it’s not a prevalent issue. I found vocals and instruments to be beautiful and, again, silky smooth.

As stated earlier, the upper range is quite mellow and has a slight roll off to it. When I first listened to the Nighthawk, it was the treble that bothered me the most. Coming from the brighter HE560, the two headphones couldn’t be more different. The Nighthawk, despite having a fairly impressive soundstage, sounded closed-in and slightly murky and veiled sounding in comparison to the wide open sound of the HE560. After getting adjusted to the sound of the Nighthawk, it doesn’t have the veiled quality to its sound anymore, but it does sound more like a closed headphone than an open headphone. The treble is absolutely grain free and smooth with a more subtle, but present, presentation of detail and texture. Instruments in the upper range have very clean and accurate attack, but with a more relaxed decay to it. I think those who have a similar taste to Tyll, enjoying a more musical signature, will really love the treble of the Nighthawk while those that are absolute purists will have to look elsewhere. A bit of an assumption, but I think will hold true.

I found the soundstage of the Nighthawk to be quite impressive, with a very nice sense of three-dimensionality. Compared to the HE560, the soundstage is slightly larger despite feeling a bit more closed in. Thus, the Nighthawk presents the music in a space that feels more like a large concert hall than a wide open space like the HE560 does. Imaging of the Nighthawk is also quite on point, with good separation, precision in instrument placement, and a dark background. However, I do find that separation and imaging tend to take a hit when turning the volume up a bit. The Nighthawk performs at a much better level at moderate volumes than at higher volumes.

Ending Thoughts:

I think AQ has something really special with their first headphone. The Nighthawk is a wonderfully musical headphone that offers an exciting sound without forgetting about the details in the music. I think those that are in the Audeze or Sennheiser HD6XX camp should give this headphone a serious consideration. On the other hand, the Nighthawk is definitely not for everyone, and the purists should probably look elsewhere. The Nighthawk is undoubtedly a colored and warm headphone. However, despite being someone that leans slightly more towards the purist and neutral camp, I have to admit that the Nighthawk won me over. If you get the chance to spend some time with the Nighthawk, give it some time before making any final judgements on it. The Nighthawk is not a headphone that impresses on first listen, but it has a beautiful way of presenting the music that is simply lovely and to die for.