[Imusicman]

  Aeon impressions from CanJam NYC:
I was fortunate enough to hear the Aeon at Dan's booth as well as at a few other vendors.  Bear in mind that a noisy show floor is not the ideal listening environment, but as a MrSpeakers dealer, I think I am familiar enough with their products to make informed comparisons.
 
Nutshell:
Amazing job crafting the Aeon to this price point with the sound and build quality that it has.
 
Listening:
Like all the Ethers, the Aeon reflects the file, DAC and amp being used to a remarkable degree. It sounded slightly different on every setup I tried. And that is not a criticism, it is praise.  (Dan also told me that the 14 Aeons spread around the show were all broken-in to different degrees - some fully, others not quite.) As an example, the Aeon sounded great playing Tidal HiFi tracks from a laptop into an Aurilic dac and the Cavalli Liquid Carbon...but it sounded absolutely spectacular playing high-res files from a dap into the Cavalli Liquid Spark (prototype). Since I doubt the Spark will sound that much better than the Carbon, it must have been the difference in resolution of the flac file vs the Tidal HiFi streamed file...and the Aeon captured it beautifully.
 
Lots of talk here about the Aeon's bass output.  Having been a critic of the original Ether C in that regard (primarily because I have a personal preference for slightly elevated mid-bass vs sub-bass as a listener of lots of acoustic jazz and all sorts of rock) I can say that the Aeon's bass had me smiling immediately. I thought it struck the right balance of being fully present but not over-emphasized or under-emphasized. It is much more similar in this regard to the C-Flows than the original Ether-C.
 
Treble on the Aeon was smooth...detailed but not al all harsh. It was in keeping with the overall balanced sound signature that I think Dan is going for.  People have asked about a "house sound" and it seems to me that they are going for top-to-bottom balance and neutrality and the Aeon is in keeping with that.
 
Overall resolution, detail and air struck me as slightly less than the Ethers and Flows, but I would really need to do more listening and comparing before I can say that with assurance. At its price point, I would not expect the Aeon to be as resolving as its big brothers, but we'll see...
 
Comfort and Ergonomics:
Wow. Lighter than the Ethers and Flows with more ear-room inside the pads.  Did not have them on my head for a long enough stretch of time to assess any trouble with clamping force or pad pressure, but initial impression is that the Aeon is very comfortable indeed. Personally, I love the looks. And that single aluminum swing-arm mount on each housing is very cool.
 
Conclusion:
The Aeon is a real winner and a must-audition in the under-$1000 closed-back category. Hell, it's a must-audition in the cost-no-object closed-back category as well. Can't wait for Dan to give us dealers the green light to begin ordering!

Thank you for this. I have already committed but it was still great to know. Really helpful read

 

[Zachik]

  Aeon impressions from CanJam NYC:
I was fortunate enough to hear the Aeon at Dan's booth as well as at a few other vendors.  Bear in mind that a noisy show floor is not the ideal listening environment, but as a MrSpeakers dealer, I think I am familiar enough with their products to make informed comparisons.
 
Nutshell:
Amazing job crafting the Aeon to this price point with the sound and build quality that it has.
 
Listening:
Like all the Ethers, the Aeon reflects the file, DAC and amp being used to a remarkable degree. It sounded slightly different on every setup I tried. And that is not a criticism, it is praise.  (Dan also told me that the 14 Aeons spread around the show were all broken-in to different degrees - some fully, others not quite.) As an example, the Aeon sounded great playing Tidal HiFi tracks from a laptop into an Aurilic dac and the Cavalli Liquid Carbon...but it sounded absolutely spectacular playing high-res files from a dap into the Cavalli Liquid Spark (prototype). Since I doubt the Spark will sound that much better than the Carbon, it must have been the difference in resolution of the flac file vs the Tidal HiFi streamed file...and the Aeon captured it beautifully.
 
Lots of talk here about the Aeon's bass output.  Having been a critic of the original Ether C in that regard (primarily because I have a personal preference for slightly elevated mid-bass vs sub-bass as a listener of lots of acoustic jazz and all sorts of rock) I can say that the Aeon's bass had me smiling immediately. I thought it struck the right balance of being fully present but not over-emphasized or under-emphasized. It is much more similar in this regard to the C-Flows than the original Ether-C.
 
Treble on the Aeon was smooth...detailed but not al all harsh. It was in keeping with the overall balanced sound signature that I think Dan is going for.  People have asked about a "house sound" and it seems to me that they are going for top-to-bottom balance and neutrality and the Aeon is in keeping with that.
 
Overall resolution, detail and air struck me as slightly less than the Ethers and Flows, but I would really need to do more listening and comparing before I can say that with assurance. At its price point, I would not expect the Aeon to be as resolving as its big brothers, but we'll see...
 
Comfort and Ergonomics:
Wow. Lighter than the Ethers and Flows with more ear-room inside the pads.  Did not have them on my head for a long enough stretch of time to assess any trouble with clamping force or pad pressure, but initial impression is that the Aeon is very comfortable indeed. Personally, I love the looks. And that single aluminum swing-arm mount on each housing is very cool.
 
Conclusion:
The Aeon is a real winner and a must-audition in the under-$1000 closed-back category. Hell, it's a must-audition in the cost-no-object closed-back category as well. Can't wait for Dan to give us dealers the green light to begin ordering!

 
@JerseyD  - Great review!
 
I have a question regarding the bass - I am very encouraged by your liking of the mid-bass for rock music!  You mention it is more similar to C-Flows than original Ether-C.
My question is: how does it compared to the Ether Flow (open back)?  I personally preferred the Ether Flow open over the closed (C-Flow)...  hoping the bass is similar or close to the bass from the open back flow.  What's your take on that?  How would you compare the bass of Aeon vs. Ether Flow open back?

 

[JerseyD]

   
@JerseyD  - Great review!
 
I have a question regarding the bass - I am very encouraged by your liking of the mid-bass for rock music!  You mention it is more similar to C-Flows than original Ether-C.
My question is: how does it compared to the Ether Flow (open back)?  I personally preferred the Ether Flow open over the closed (C-Flow)...  hoping the bass is similar or close to the bass from the open back flow.  What's your take on that?  How would you compare the bass of Aeon vs. Ether Flow open back?

I did not listen to the Aeon back-to-back with the open Flow at the show. The noisy environment made it hard to do any critical listening with open-backs. If you prefer the open Flow to the closed, you might want to wait until we know more about the possibility of an open Aeon in the future.

 

[Zachik]

 
I did not listen to the Aeon back-to-back with the open Flow at the show. The noisy environment made it hard to do any critical listening with open-backs. If you prefer the open Flow to the closed, you might want to wait until we know more about the possibility of an open Aeon in the future.

 
Can you compare Ether-Flow (open) to Aeon mid-bass from memory?  I understand not going to be an ideal back-to-back at this point.
I do not want to wait for the open Aeon - I already bought the Ether Flow  

I am looking (in addition) for a closed-back headphones for times I cannot use my Ether Flow (late night...)

 

[SashimiWu]

   
Can you compare Ether-Flow (open) to Aeon mid-bass from memory?  I understand not going to be an ideal back-to-back at this point.
I do not want to wait for the open Aeon - I already bought the Ether Flow  

I am looking (in addition) for a closed-back headphones for times I cannot use my Ether Flow (late night...)

 
Having only demoed both of them very briefly at Canjam, I can say that both of the Ether Flows had a bit of a midbass bump (with still noticeable subbass) while the Aeon bass was very very linear having less of a midbass bump (if it was even there).
 
I thought the Aeon had definitely the most enjoyable bass out of the two cans since I definitely prefer not having a midbass focus.  Almost reminds me of LCD-2 bass only just lacking in that little bit of thump and sweetness that Audeze have.  Still the texture and how clean it was for a closed back made it such an enjoyable listen especially with EDM.

 

[JerseyD]

   
Can you compare Ether-Flow (open) to Aeon mid-bass from memory?  I understand not going to be an ideal back-to-back at this point.
I do not want to wait for the open Aeon - I already bought the Ether Flow  

I am looking (in addition) for a closed-back headphones for times I cannot use my Ether Flow (late night...)

I really can't say how the mid-bass compared to the open Flow vs the closed Flow specifically. I liked the quantity and quality of the Aeon's mid-bass.  I can say that if you are looking for a closed-back headphone to use when you can't use your open Flows, the Aeon is a great way to go. 

 

[Zachik]

   
Having only demoed both of them very briefly at Canjam, I can say that both of the Ether Flows had a bit of a midbass bump (with still noticeable subbass) while the Aeon bass was very very linear having less of a midbass bump (if it was even there).
 
I thought the Aeon had definitely the most enjoyable bass out of the two cans since I definitely prefer not having a midbass focus.  Almost reminds me of LCD-2 bass only just lacking in that little bit of thump and sweetness that Audeze have.  Still the texture and how clean it was for a closed back made it such an enjoyable listen especially with EDM.

 
 

 
I really can't say how the mid-bass compared to the open Flow vs the closed Flow specifically. I liked the quantity and quality of the Aeon's mid-bass.  I can say that if you are looking for a closed-back headphone to use when you can't use your open Flows, the Aeon is a great way to go. 

 
Thanks guys - very helpful !!

 

[MattTCG]

My review is up for the ÆON.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/mrspeakers-aeon/reviews/17992

 

[Zachik]

  My review is up for the ÆON.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/mrspeakers-aeon/reviews/17992

 
Excellent review!!

 

[geoffalter11]

Thanks for the review. Been chomping at the bit. Need to hear them at Canjam socal before pulling the trigger. Can't wait.

 

[Maelob]

Great review, now I feel more confident in pulling the trigger.

 

[andrejc]

If I really don't need a closed back HP for portable or sound isolation purposes, should I wait for a open back version?
What would the possible differences be?
I own a Schiit Jotunheim / Modi MB Dac and balanced HD650.
Denon AH T7200 on the way.
Now I am considering the Aeons...

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

 

[Imusicman]

My review is up for the [COLOR=222222]ÆON.[/


http://www.head-fi.org/products/mrspeakers-aeon/reviews/17992

Great Review. Makes me feel reassured pulling the trigger was the right choice. I was getting a little worried about the slow take up rate esp after the CanJam. Not anymore

 

[musicday]

My review is up for the [COLOR=222222]ÆON.[/COLOR]

http://www.head-fi.org/products/mrspeakers-aeon/reviews/17992

Thank you for writing the review,but where are the photos?

 

[Pandaclocker]

An open-version Aeon will likely sound similar to a closed-aeon except it will probably have slightly less sub-bass and sligthly more upper-treble (which then gives it a slightyl more spacious sound). 
It's possible the treble will be even more balanced overall.
 
How long is the cable that follows with the Aeon?

Have anyone tried wearing glasses with these, how is comfort then? And is the sound affected much?
 
I live in Denmark and I would pre-order these Aeons if it was not for: 80 USD shipping costs (jesus) + like 25% tax and 12% duty.. makes the headphone cost me like 1100 usd...so I have to wait till it gets to EU retailers... :<