Audioquest Nighthawk Review

Audioquest Nighthawk Headphone

The much anticipated Audioquest Nighthawk headphone. AQ first entry into the highly competitive fullrange audiophile headphone market. 

Does it live up to the hype?

First off, the packaging. VERY GOOD. High class packaging. Padded case and plenty of room inside for ease of storing.

 The Construction of the headphone is well made. Nothing flimsy. The ear pads are plush and the headband is nicely padded with leather or leatherette material on top. Very comfortable and doesn't feel heavy or straining on your head.

The Brown color "Liquid Wood" in my opinion looks ok. Maybe a little  too natural looking for me. Definitely not a fashion piece but don't think AQ was going for that.

The Earphone is actually suspended by the headband. Very smart idea. Thumbs up to AQ.

The rear has 3D printed opening. This is what AQ calls semi open back. Looks very cool up close and great use of modern tech. Being semi-open back, these headphones do not isolate as well as other headphones such as closed back ones. Better make sure your room is quiet as well.

 The headphone has two 2.5mm Mono Plugs. One L and one R. Detachable cable is great for untangling. 
I'm sure AQ will be making future cables for the Nighthawk.

There are two cables supplied along with a 3.5mm to 1/4 inch adapter. 

The thicker cable is clearly the one meant to be used

The other is a generic cable and of course you can do a comparison and see why cables matter.

So how do these sound?

Wide sound stage is the first thing I noticed. Warmish sound signature and easy non-fatiguing mids and highs. Bass is deep and smooth but didn't find them as tight as I'd like. Instruments sounded clear and you can tell distortion is very low. 

Sometimes I feel like the Nighthawk lacks subtle details due to the emphasis on the lower mids and bass.

Listening to The Beat Goes On by Patricia Barber, the background instruments feel a tad lacking.

Overall, I wouldn't call these Reference headphones but they are very enjoyable to listen to. For those who like a warmish tone and just want to get lost in the music for hours, then the Nighthawk is that kind of headphone. Load up the playlist and a glass of wine with the Nighthawk and enjoy.

It's a headphone with it's own character. I think it will appeal to the audiophile crowd but it's definitely not for everyone.

I mainly listen to these on my PC with the Audioquest Dragonfly which I like very much.