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At $6495 it is doubtful that the new
Nighthawk will be your first speaker, but it could be your last. As you
can see, Nighthawk is among the most beautiful speakers that has ever
been made. What you cannot see is that Nighthawk possesses the sonic
characteristics that make it a genuine ‘keeper’; this speaker is so
faithful to the music, so natural and realistic, so transparent and
effortless that you will find yourself wanting for nothing.
In today’s over hyped speaker market, it’s easy to understand how eager
buyers are attracted to the “speaker of the month”.......you’ve seen
them: “Incredible this! Unbelievable that!”,
”Revolutionary, breakthrough, reference, world class technology” and on
and on and on. Often there is a hot, breathy review to fan the flames of
desire.
..........then......and you know this story......a few months later, in
your living room, the shortcomings slowly come home to roost, one by
one. The exiting presentation that at first seemed so clear and lively
boils down to edgy sizzle. The big, big bass is loud, if nothing else
and the secret circuits that once held such promise are just getting in
the way.
So, please let me be blunt. The Nighthawk is nothing but an elegantly
simple design executed with superb parts, brutally stern construction
and loving craftsmanship. It strives for and accomplishes something that
most speakers simply do not: honest, faithful reproduction of the signal
that you feed it. Excellent reproduction of the signal means just a
handful of simple ideas: time coherence, dynamic linearity, freedom from
artifact, excellent rise and settle times across the entire band and
excellent amplitude linearity. When those things are right, the speaker
is doing nothing more and nothing less than accurately reproducing the
signal you deliver to the binding posts.
That, in engineering terms, is the definition of what we audiophiles
call “transparency”; the ability to faithfully pass the signal without
adding something or taking anything away. That is what a great speaker
does..... a speaker that will endure the test of time.
A simple idea, no?
But to execute that simple idea takes careful attention to the things
that matter. We combine superbly engineered and constructed drivers with
a straightforward, first order crossover using only first rate parts in
a way that really, truly, honestly preserves the precious timing of the
musical signal. We build a genuine transmission line bass system that
goes deep, and is both vibrantly articulate and freely dynamic. The
Nighthawk’s body is a beautiful, handmade, heroically damped and braced
cabinet that combines natural woods in a way you will be proud to own
twenty years from now. On the things that really matter, we skimp on
nothing; not wire, not capacitors, not solder, not even gaskets, screws
or glue.
The speaker is made by artisans, people who love what they do, and are
committed to making the very best. Here, they quietly build a speaker
that rises above the fitful, ‘what’s hot today’ mentality and keeps its
promise of deep and lasting value.
Like a fine musical instrument, Nighthawk moves beyond the small arena
of specs and claims and hype. It is at once a thing of beauty and a
creator of beauty; a work of art and a transparent conduit for the art
of others. It is simple and purposeful and truthful and exquisite. Each
pair is unique and is created in the same spirit as a fine musical
instrument.
Owning a pair will be a source of pride and delight.......for a long,
long time.
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OK.......here’s all the technical stuff
you wanted to read in the first place! No hype. Just the facts.
From the bottom up, the Nighthawk’s twin seven inch woofers are made for
us by Vifa of Denmark and are examples of their PL series, which stands
for Premium Line. They feature an innovative edge termination for their
paper cones that greatly reduces edge reflection distortion for superior
clarity in the lower midrange. A large diameter, long throw copper voice
coil on an aluminum former is well vented for good power handling and
linear response. The cast magnesium baskets, copper clad pole piece and
extra wide spider complete the list of top-shelf construction features
that keep distortion low and make for excellent dynamic linearity. Both
are driven by the same signal as filtered by a 14 ga Perfect Lay air
core inductor. A complex and convoluted BASSIC transmission line
delivers extended and realistic bass; the unusually larger terminus is
the visible clue that the system is built for big, effortless dynamics.
Nighthawk’s four inch midrange driver, also made for us by Vifa, is
built on a cast magnesium basket has a wide and linear, symmetrical
suspension. It boasts superiority in the two most critical aspects of
midrange design: a stiff and very light cone, merely 3 grams, and a
brutally coercive motor. Loaded by a non parallel, full wavelength
transmission line that is heavily lined with acoustic felt and stuffed
with long hair wool. The result is ideal signal tracking, speed and
spectacular freedom from coloration in the all important vocal range and
a spectacular ability to bring forth instrumental timbre and inner
detail.
The trebles are served by a one inch fabric domed tweeter that is as
elegantly conceived as it is executed by SEAS of Norway. The first SEAS
part we have used, we selected this wonderful tweeter for its
naturalness, transparency, dynamic ability and fabulous sense of ‘space’
in the top octave. It agrees with the midrange and woofer to create an
open and expansive soundstage with nice, tight focus. |
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The crossover circuit is built by hand
here in our factory. All connections are point-to-point and are hand
soldered using silver solder. Caps and coils are bedded on a layer of
Keldamp for vibration control and the entire board is bedded to its
mount with a layer of Keldamp. For superior isolation the entire
crossover is housed in an acoustically isolated compartment in the rear
of the speaker. Caddock brand laser trimmed metal oxide power resistors
are mounted on heat sinks for excellent thermal stability. Capacitors
are our own “Canary Caps” that are engineered and built in the USA,
using the finest materials and methods. Internal wiring is Tara RSC, a
rectangular solid copper conductor in an ethylene dielectric. Two pair
of gold plated binding posts allow for biwiring and are mounted on a
cast acrylic plate that we engrave with the Nighthawk logo. It looks
great!
Cabinet construction is one inch thick, type II MDF that is intensely
braced and internally lined with thick acoustic felt. In addition, the
speaker’s top is further thickened and stiffened by a sculpted slab of
solid hardwood. The baffle is a five layer sandwich that, starting from
the outside, is made from 0.82 inches of solid hardwood adhered by a
1/16 inch layer of Keldamp to 0.75 inches of type II MDF adhered by a
1/16 inch layer of Keldamp to a 1 inch layer of type II MDF, for a total
baffle thickness of nearly three inches!
Of course, the Nighthawk is HANDMADE in the USA!!!
Basic Specs :
Price :
$6,495 Light Ash, Dark Ash, Ebony
$6,995 Honduran Mahogany, Pennsylvania
Cherry
$7,195 Rock Maple, Heritage Walnut
Add stringers for $100 each pair.
$7,495 Most extra fancy and custom
combinations.
Nighthawks will be made without grilles
unless you request them. Grilles are a no cost option that must be
specified when your order is placed.
Bandwidth : 28 - 32 KHz
Sensitivity : 91 dB 1W 2.83V room.
Nominal Impedance : 4 ohms
Dimensions : 9W x 18D x 47H”
Wt : 100 lbs.
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