AudioQuest NightHawk Headphones, with Earcups Made of TECNARO’s “Liquid Wood,” Honored at 2015 Consumer Electronics Show
Irvine (California) – Ilsfeld – Las Vegas
AudioQuest, the company best known for its high-performance audio/video cables, officially introduced its first set of headphones, NightHawk, at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, held January 6–9, in Las Vegas. Named 2015 CES Innovation Honoree (Headphones) and Best of Innovation Winner (Eco-Design and Sustainable Technologies), NightHawk is an around-the-ear semi-open headphone designed and engineered by Skylar Gray. In creating NightHawk, Gray worked passionately to bring purposeful and intelligent innovation to the mature art of headphone design. No single element was taken for granted. As such, NightHawk exhibits many groundbreaking components, including sophisticated ear cups developed in collaboration with the German firm TECNARO, using ARBOFORM®, or “Liquid Wood.”
Liquid Wood is made from 100% renewable raw materials. Its principal component is lignin—a byproduct in the cellulose pulping and paper making process—whose annual production exceeds 50 million tons. Whereas the production (and disposal) of plastic is known to present environmental hazards, the production of ARBOFORM® has minimal impact on the ecosystem. Lignin is combined with natural fibers, natural resins and waxes, and treated in such a way that it can be injection molded. While injection molding is commonly accomplished with plastics or synthetic polymers, Liquid Wood is a natural material; thus, every NightHawk ear cup is one of a kind, exhibiting subtle variations in color, pattern, and surface finish that further enhance NightHawk’s overall beauty. Moreover, compared to ordinary plastic or wood, Liquid Wood has far superior acoustic properties and provides a seemingly endless array of geometric possibilities. In Night-Hawk, Liquid Wood is used to shape the ear cups to more closely resemble the human ear, thereby providing a more complete and comfortable fit, reducing stress on the listener’s head and ears.
Gray said: “ARBOFORM® is a key element to NightHawk’s performance and a driving force in the excitement surrounding its release. AudioQuest looks forward to incorporating ARBOFORM® in many more products, as we strive to achieve high performance, outstanding value, and natural beauty through responsible, sustainable engineering.”
AudioQuest NightHawk headphones are available for purchase, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $599/€599/£499 (EU and UK, VAT included). For more information on NightHawk, visit http://nighthawk.audioquest.com.