AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon Custom Headphone Cable

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’d know that AudioQuest is one of the most prolific audio cable manufacturers in the business. They also make some other nice stuff including the Dragonfly-series USB DACs and Niagara-series power conditioners. I personally really like their Jitterbug, an inexpensive little USB device that filters the power on your computer’s USB out.

Several years ago, Audioquest released their first foray into the burgeoning headphone market: The Nighthawk. The Nighthawk was priced competitively at $699 when it came out in 2015. It also made use of 3D printed "plastic-wood" cups, which was relatively cutting edge for the time. Since then, there’s been so much fierce competition in this price range that it would be hard to recommend it at its original price (these days I’d recommend the Audeze LCD-2 Classic or MrSpeakers/Dan Clark Audio AEON in this range). 

AudioQuest must have noticed the sea-change in the space, subsequently reducing the price to $599, then to $399, before discontinuing it at a price of $249. Somewhere during this 5-year stint the NightHawk Carbon came out with a revised driver and a closed-model, the NightOwl, came out. The interesting plastic-wood was also replaced with a less unique (and probably less polarizing) shimmering dark blue, not too far from the color-scheme of some Massdrop headphones like the Sennheiser HD-6XX (see 6XX mods here). 

Does the free-falling price-point insinuate that Audioquest's stint into headphones was poorly executed? Not at all, it's actually quite good for a company's first entry in the space. I personally find them a joy to listen to. Their signature is warm, slightly dark, very forgiving of poorly recorded music (think garage indie and alternative rock), and provide good bass quality and quantity. They’re well suited for movies and videogames in addition to music. They’re also very easy to drive with a 25-ohm impedance, and they’re light and comfortable. Some other niceties include a substantial travel case, two different pairs of earpads in the box (leather and velour), and a headphone cable with a microphone built in.

Oddly, the headphone cable is only four feet, which is a length typically reserved for headphones that are intended for mostly portable use. Given the NightHawk is semi-open and is not foldable, this is an odd choice, but fortunately solvable given the cable is user replaceable.

Given the Nighthawks are on the dark/warm side of things, a crisp-sounding cable will help bring the details out and give the headphone a more balanced sound. I chose the Xev, which is silver-clad copper in PTFE, rather than an all-copper or litz copper solution. Had the headphone been more detailed to start, a copper cable would work perfectly well.

The Xev is a hand-braided litz of four isolated 24 gauge silver-clad copper wires sleeved in soft black nylon multifilament from TechFlex. 

The NightHawk makes use of 2.5mm TS connectors, where the sleeve is ground/negative, and the tip is signal/positive. They need to be slim fit or you'll run into issues. Eidolic makes a nice connector that fits the requirements as of this writing, and you can find solutions on AliExpress as well.

Below is a photo of the completed Xev cable, flexible and lightweight with plenty of length for those of us that need more than 4 feet. 

The sound is notably more balanced with more prominent treble, making it a definite keeper. 

If you are interested in the NightHawk Carbon, I'd suggest picking one up soon, as they are discontinued and AudioQuest has released a letter to distributors indicating they don't plan to offer any subsequent headphones, at least not in the immediate future. For the current price, build quality and extras, I could see this being a great first step into audiophile headphones, although one should also check out the Sennheiser/Massdrop HD-6XX, it's a hard value to beat.

To order a custom cable for the NightHawk, NightHawk Carbon, NightOwl, or many other headphones, please visit Zynsonix.com today.

Cable and Mods for Sennheiser Massdrop HD6XX

Back in 2004 I purchased my first serious pair of headphones, a pair of Sennheiser HD600s. This was an introduction to a number of new concepts for me: headphones that are open, benefit from an amp, are sensitive to different cables, and are intended to be listened to at home (where you could be listening to speakers, sacrilege in some circles! haha).

In these formative days of headphone audiophilea I recall being at a meet in College Park, MD where there were a number of HD600s and HD650s. We were auditioning cables by Cardas, Stefan AudioArt and other DIY concoctions including pure silver cables. It was amazing what a difference the cable could make to the signature.

I'd long since sold my HD600s and HD650s and moved on to other headphones like Audeze, when I saw Massdrop and Sennheiser teamed up to released the HD6XX. The HD6XX is quite literally a more affordably produced HD650 (based on Inner Fidelity's measurements). I figured for $200 it would be fun to have a listen to the Sennheiser house sound once again, and see how good it could sound with a balanced amp and some tweaks.

If you're not familiar with Massdrop, it's an interesting business model where the company has a number of people commit to buy a product at a discounted price. Generally there are a certain number of buyers required to make the "drop" happen, and once it does, it can take months before you have a product in your hand. The upside is you can get some incredibly good deals so long as you're patient. Massdrop also teams up with manufactures to produce one-off products at a sizable discount, such as the Focal Elex, AKG M220 Pro, HiFiMan HE-4XX and other headphones which are a little different from what's on store shelves. The Sennheiser HD6XX is such an animal.

Looking at the HD6XX versus the HD650, you'll note the HD6XX has a dark blue headband versus silver and the screen printed "Sennheiser" on the top of the band is more subtle. I personally think the HD650 color scheme is a little easier on the eyes, but given this relatively superficial difference shaves $150+ off of the street price of the HD650s and still sounds identical, the choice is a veritable no-brainer.

The stock HD6XX

Given you're saving big bucks on the HD6XX, those dollars should go toward making them even better, right? I'll be going over a few tweaks you can do for improvements in sound, comfort, and looks.

One thing I couldn't be happier about is the trend toward calfskin earpads in the past decade. Exposed foam and velour don't feel all that great against my skin. The Sennheiser HD580, 5XX, 600, 650 and 6XX all feature velour pads, but fortunately there are companies producing replacement pads. I've found the Dekoni fenestrated pads are quite comfortable while allowing breath-ability. The pads snap in place on the frame and are quick and easy to install and uninstall.

Even with the new pads, the HD6XXs look a little dull, easily glanced over when looking at newer headphone designs with chrome and carbon fiber. I decided to reach out to Larry at Headphile to see about getting some custom wood cups. 

Talking about Headphile with some of the old-heads at HeadFi will elicit smiles and good memories. Larry's been at it for quite some time, and for a little while there, the "Darth Beyers", which were Beyerdynamic DT770 headphones modified with wood cups, were one of the most popular cans on HeadFi. Every now and then you'll see a pair pop up for sale, and if you like bass, I'd recommend you give 'em a shot. In addition, if you have the scratch, Larry is still building them with a number of wood choices... although I don't know if he's still building the deep versions (which I most favored). 

I chose Padauk (pronounced Pah-duke) wood as it's reasonably priced and has a nice reddish hue, which will pop on the dark HD6XX. Larry offers the cups open with screens or closed. The open versions sound pretty much identical to the stock screens with perhaps a tiny bit more reverb, and the closed versions have notably more reverberations (or a chamber-like effect) depending on what sort of damping is applied inside. 

The installation process is quick and painless. The screens are pressure fit on the frame, and using a spoon or similar utensil (I used an avocado knife) you can slowly pull the screen away from the frame and remove it. 

The screens can be removed easily with a spoon (or avocado knife)

The difference in color and presentation is night and day from the new wood cups and the existing stock screens. 

Headphile wood cups versus stock screens

Installation is completed on each side using a set of 4 brass wood screws. 

You will need to adjust the tension of each screw to ensure it has adequately threaded into the wood, but is not impeding on the cavity for the cable plug insert, otherwise the cable will either not insert at all or will be super tight.  

The HD650 (and HD6XX) is a warm-sounding headphone, no doubt about it. It can be a little too warm and rolled-off in the highs for some. This is where a cable comes into play. I opted to build a Zynsonix Xev cable for the HD6XX. While the most affordable in the line, it features silver-clad conductors, low-strand count and a PTFE (Teflon) dielectric, giving it a forward and detailed sound signature. It's exactly what the HD6XX needs, pushing forward the treble, resolving the bass, and giving the headphones a far more dynamic presentation. 

I wasn't sure if I would keep the HD6XX, it was more of an entertaining experiment, however with these mods the enhanced comfort and sound really make it a winner and a definite keeper. Headphone enthusiasts these days are quite lucky, as it would be very hard to reach this level of sonic performance at this price years ago. 

If you'd like a Xev cable made to your specifications (whatever length, sleeving, and termination you'd like), please reach out to Zynsonix today and take your Sennheisers to the next level. 

Zynsonix Audio, LLC does not have any relationship or financial interest in the companies mentioned in this post, including Headphile, Massdrop, Sennheiser, Inner Fidelity, Dekoni, etc. 

Four Pairs of Headphones for Any Studio Setup

This guest post is brought to you by my friends at Headphone Ninja. Anyone following the blog knows I love headphones, and Jo-Ann and company have culminated four tried-and true classics to discuss.

Studio headphones fill the market today. However, many of them are either far too expensive or far too inaccurate when it comes to meeting the referencing demands of producers and audio engineers. While everyone would love to own a pair of the sleek Sennheiser HD800s or the beautiful Japanese cherry birch wood Fostex TH 900s, we don’t all have a Hans Zimmer’s budget.

In this post we explore four of the more preferred headphones available in 2017 that are well suited to the modern day studio.


Closed-back headphones

Audio-Technica ATH-M50X

Comfort is key when it comes to long studio sessions. The generously padded earcups and adjustable headband of the ATH-MX50 provides comfort, and while the headphones do clamp down reasonably hard, they do not physically strangle the life out of your temples. They are slightly heavy at 10-ounces, but this should not be a deciding factor for those looking to use these in a studio environment.

The ATH-M50X is fitted with large 45mm proprietary drivers that deliver exceptional clarity. Some individuals who have used these thought that the bass is slightly high, but the mid frequencies are fairly well represented. The higher frequencies also appear to be slightly bright, but not to the point of fatiguing the ear. The 90-degree swivelling earcup is great for single ear monitoring and the frequency response ranges from 15 - 20,000Hz.




Sony MDR7506

Introduced back in 1991, the Sony MD7506 has remained a firm favorite amongst many looking for high quality and reliable headphones. Their durability is as decent as a pair of plastic headphones can get, with the only real issue of deterioration being the earpads on the cups, but these are replaceable. At around 8-ounces, they are light enough to not burden the wearer much.

The MDR7506’s frequency response ranges from 10 - 20,000Hz. It has revealed a solid bass response in tests, albeit slightly bumped up in the 60 -100Hz range. Mids remain fairly flat while the low treble to the high treble frequencies are quite inconsistent; the sibilance range is slightly boosted and can be slightly piercing to the more sensitive ears. The soundstage is decent for a closed-back pair of cans. They have an 63-ohm rated impedance and their low leakage is also suitable for recording purposes.

The coiled 9.8-inch cord is more than enough for studio environments and it does come with a ¼ inch adaptor. The Sony MDR7506 gives many mid-range referencing cans a run for their money.




Open-back headphones

Sennheiser HD 650

The Sennheiser HD 650 are slightly pricier, but it seems important to add these cans for those who enjoy the spacier sounds that open-back circumaural headphones offer. The suede-like fabric is a nice touch on the large, encompassing cups that house the efficient neodymium magnets.

The slightly under-emphasized low bass frequencies with the minor boost on the high bass gives the headphones a more natural sounding low end. The mid range responses are pretty much flat throughout and the treble frequencies are consistent. Their impressive frequency response coupled with the spacious sound created by the deep drivers and open-back design makes these excellent for critical listening.

Needless to say, their isolation is pretty much non-existent, making these more suited to quieter environments. They are also less suitable for recording purposes, because they do leak quite a bit of additional noise, which in turn will bleed into your microphone. 

The Sennheiser HD 650 is an excellent referencing headphone and offer an awesome frequency response, though they are less suitable for recording purposes however.

Editors Note: The 650s can sound a little dull in the treble with the stock cable in some setups. A replacement featuring silver-clad copper can bring out the highs. Check with Zynsonix for additional details.


AKG K712 PRO


The AKG K712 PRO are another great choice for mixing and mastering purposes. The design is slightly bulky, but they are purposefully built for studios, so that is completely understandable. The memory foam earcups captures the shape of your head, but they are rather large. Sound wise, they deliver a spacious and accurate audio reproduction, but the sound is a bit warmer in the upper bass. Still, it is well controlled overall. The mids are represented accurately.

Sensitive ears may find the slightly boosted (and somewhat inconsistent) higher frequencies a tad overwhelming, as they can sound harsh. The frequency response ranges from 10 - 39,800Hz in its entirety and it has a low harmonic distortion.

As a whole, the AKG K712 PRO have a natural sound and are well suited to intensive referencing sessions. The open-back design means they are more suited for mixing and mastering in studios.

Wrap up

This is by no means a comprehensive guide to selecting studio headphones, but a look at some of the more popular headphones around at the moment for any type of studio. While they may mostly be mid-range headphones, they perform well within their specific categories and are well suited for studio use.

Sennheiser HD800 Trebuchet Headphone Cable

Your life may change when you pull the trigger on a pair of headphones north of a grand. Your friends may decide that you've lost it, your significant other may give you a serious talk about family budgeting (or decide that the time is ripe to get that Louis Vuitton bag she's been wanting), and your daily consumption of ramen noodles will undoubtedly increase, but you'll quickly discover that there is some really impressive sound to be had in this neck of the woods.

The Sennheiser HD800 hit the streets in 2009 with a fancy 56mm high definition ring transducer that's said to produce a transmission range of 6-52,000 Hz, so even your dog would appreciate them. Lame jokes aside, the HD800 are incredibly crisp, clear and resolving and have earned many fans in the past 6 years.

Sennheiser HD800

What used to be uncommon, however now is more commonplace, is that headphones are more often coming with removable cables. While that is no-doubt a great thing (especially for owners of pets and office chairs), nearly every one of them is proprietary (much like how no one can settle on a portable balanced connector). The HD800 has its very own connector that even the HD700 doesn't share.

So, we've seen some various DIY HD800 connectors out there, there seems to be small barrel and larger barrel versions for thicker cable. Furutech recently hit the market with some fancier ones, namely the rhodium plated FT-800(R) or the CT-800(R) if you're a fan of carbon fiber. Both look quite a bit sleeker than the other variants out there, at least in my humble opinion. The connectors run roughly $50 for the generics and $98-$122 for the Furutech, not cheap at all, but I'd imagine the production run on these is fairly limited. I will also say that the Furutech is more pleasant to work with. You can snag the connectors from Soniccraft, among other purveyors of boutique audio goods.

Furutech FT-800(R)

FT-800(R) Internals

Soldering the HD 800 connectors requires a steady hand, a well lit soldering station and perhaps a magnifying glass. I'm convinced manufacturers are making these things more cumbersome to spite us all ;) Once I finish with each of these connectors, I fantasize about what a great surgeon I would be, truly world class! I digress. I do recommend isolating one of the solder joints with heat shrink as the terminations are oh-so-close, and you wouldn't want a short.

A bit of heatshrink is built up so the set screw has something to hold onto.

Microscopic pins

The Furutech connector then gets slipped in place, the back portion screwed on, and the set screw tightened down. Adhesive heatshrink is used to secure the connector and provide strain relief.

Heatshrink as strain relief

This particular cable is going to be made from Zynsonix Trebuchet cable, featuring super flexible ultra pure ohno continous cast copper in a sleek looking clear dielectric, and will be terminated with a balanced 4 pin XLR connector from Switchcraft. These new AAA-series XLRs from Switchcraft are really well made, with a very solid weight and feel, and they are only two pieces, which eases the build process. If you removed the logo and told me it was made by Furutech, I wouldn't bat an eye. Great connectors.

As you can see below, this cable features a hand braided litz of the slick looking Trebuchet ultra pure ohno continuous cast copper.

Trebuchet wire braid

Switchcraft AAA Series XLRs

Remember that 4 Pin balanced connector pins are typically:
1: L+
2: L-
3: R+
4: R-

And wrapping up, the final product:

Zynsonix Trebuchet HD800 Cable

I hope you enjoyed reading this DIYAudioBlog entry, please be sure to contact Zynsonix if you'd like a Trebuchet HD800 cable just like the above, or any other audio cable you happen to need. Until next time.

The Fine Print:

The above steps detailing the build of a headphone cable are for entertainment purposes only, and not intended to be used as assembly instructions. The owner of this blog and all associated parties can not / will not be held responsible if you attempt the process posted and cause physical harm to yourself, your surroundings or your property.