Aune AR5000

AUNE AR5000- The New AR DD with a pleasant listening space.
AUNE is a brand in making from 2004 where its parent company Wuhan Ao Lai Er Technology Co Ltd has been developing extensive research works on audio products including DAC, DAPS, headphones, iems etc. Their logo focuses on balance which can be held from their products and such an product came into my hand – THE AUNE AR5000 or as I like to call it AUNE AR5k.

DISCLAIMER-
This review is part of a AUNE and Aural Cafe-organized tour in India, and I have not received any compensation for my thoughts. I am grateful to Aural cafe, AUNE and @pradiptacr7 bhai for including me in this tour. If you want to purchase it, you can buy it from the official product website from the link: AUNE AR5K.

SPECIFICATIONS-
Product type-Open-back headphones
Driver type-Dynamic with MLD technology
Nominal impedance- 28 Ohm
Sensitivity- 108dB (@ 1kHz, 1Vrms)
Net weight 350g

PACKAGE-
The package is decent. It is housed in shiny soft felt cloth within a cardboard box. The edges have the cable and I also got an upgrade cable to the same too. It’s a 3.5mm cable both of them are, with an 6.35mm adaptor.

BUILD-
The entire headphone feels great on hand and have great shiny golden brown colour. But its made up of plastic and might creek a bit with time. But the pads are so good to touch and also felt really good on the ears. Looking more onto the drivers they are angled and sits quite comfortably on my ears. The grill design on the headcups and the AR5k being written on the headcups making it feel beautiful and also elegant.

Cable are simple with good coat on them and feels great such that they wont break with use at all. They are marked left and right and are having 3 leads on both sides (L.R.G). The upgrade cable is more beautiful with better connectors it feels like. I wish if they made it in 4.4mm connector which they do too. There is also an option for a dongle dac cable on their website which caught my eye but sadly wasn’t present in the packaging .

FIT-
The fit was great and angled drivers don’t touch my ears too. The overall cups may be made a bit more bigger in size since the top of my helix of my ear was a bit folded inside the earpads but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Trying them over 3 hours it was still comfortable but a little stuffy if you don’t have AC on, which is with most headphones if not all.

NOTE: This headphone was used with HiBy R4 and also PAW S1 with Obravo v2 tube amp and A30s SS amp. I loved it with both of them but I used HiBy R4 more hence most of the review will be with that. Now HiBy is a neutral source mostly so you can change the source to match this iem which is nearly on neutral side or as I did you can add a tube amp and this will sing a lot. But for this review HiBy R4 was enough to run this headphone to the absolute best of my knowledge and hence was used for the review entirely. But I highly recommend to try out an hybrid tube or just a tube amp once with this headphone.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS-

SUB-BASS-
Nothing bad to write about to be honest. They are impactful, rumbly and also have great on point tonality to the type of sub-bass may it be big drums or synthetic bass. The extension do spread throughout the headstage and cause quite a bit of surprise as the stage is quite wide and you will love the presentation. The notes are of average thickness in the base and body and slowly decrease in size with fast attack and average decay speed. The quality of sub-bass is also quite good and has good definition till the end of the note. Internotes separation is also quite good.

BASS-
The bass is quite impactful, dynamic and has good presence in the headstage. They don’t lack the character or essence when required in the songs but work in cohesion with the mids mostly (which are the shining star of the show). The bass has good attack speed and a little faster decay but has its presence overall. They have a tonally neutral to slightly warm presence which feels pleasant to listen to. The impact is mostly felt at the base of the notes, followed by the body and then the extensions. There is much more horizontal spread of bass in the headstage.

MIDS-
The mids are the star of the show for sure. It has a pleasing sweet sound with great presence of pianos and mostly the acoustic instruments. Its slightly foreward than the rest of the music but the tonality is slightly warm to neutral in case of pianos and more warmish in case of guitars. The separation of the notes of different instruments are quite good and placement also shows a wider presentation with slightly Infront and around the listener. The mids are quite dynamic and entails the entire headstage and the change in volume of the notes are quite easily got. The tonality is quite slightly warm to neutral in nature and is very pleasant. The individual strings of the guitar instruments sound so beautiful and pleasant plus their extension with their decay and attack speed work so beautifully to enthrall you.

Vocals are foreward on this iem and treble and bass remains just below the vocals. The vocals take the show here. The tonal differences between the vocalists are quite easy to recognise and their height differences in notes are also made known. Small nuances in their vocals are quite clear but in a smooth way not too articulated or too smoothened just correct. The female vocals reach quite high in headstage while the male vocals thickness even though warranted more still remain quite beautiful. The clarity of each words is well known and they do distinct structure to the notes. No mixing of the frequencies on the either end of spectrum occurs.

TREBLE-
The treble here is quite energetic and dynamic. There is some warmth in it and it’s not clinical or too resolution heavy at all. There is good number of nuances in it, but focus will be on the mids a lot more. There is though, that sudden spike in energy when trumpets blow, and this enhances the experience. The notes are not sharp, have quite fast attack and decent decay too to last a little longer but smoothly. There is not too much articulation of the extensions. Air is reduced a bit in the treble region too, but the lower treble isn’t spicy too much either to make it uncomfortable at all. The notes are quite long and fill up the headroom and resonances do come through. It’s a lovely experience.

VERDICT-
A single DD driver headphone with vocals and mids focus and a neutral to balanced signature that feels relaxing in a wave of too many technicalities or too much of either spectrum spike in the headphones market. Thus, this comes as a wave of relief for me and others who want a chilled out listening experience. Highly recommended

Talk about stirring up the industry! I don’t remember the last time a budget headphone made this much noise. The AR5000 is grabbing attention for all the right reasons. First and foremost, we have to acknowledge Aune making one of the most aggressive entries into the headphone industry. Known for its impressive lineup of desktop and portable amplifiers and DACs, Aune has now introduced what could be the most promising budget headphone in recent memory. Did I mention this is their first attempt at making headphones? That didn’t stop my jaw from dropping when I saw the announcement. Everyone is asking the same question: “How?” If you are curious to find out what exactly earned it such overwhelmingly positive reception from the community and critics, read on.

Disclaimer: The AR5000 has been provided to me free of charge. I am not affiliated with Aune, nor have I received any form of monetary compensation to publish this review. All opinions, beliefs, and findings are my own and are freely expressed as such. No company, person, or higher body overlooked or altered any contents in this article.

Unboxing Experience​

Premium. Premium. Premium. The packaging is the official stuff. The white cover features a gorgeous print of the headphones along with an overview of its specifications. Everything about the presentation looks polished and professional—nothing here suggests, let alone screams, that this is a budget headphone. Once the cover is removed, you’re greeted by a large, robust canvas-textured box that houses the headphones. Sliding off the top half reveals the AR5000 resting on luxurious, satin-like fabric. Instead of cheap cardboard, firm foam beneath the fabric ensures the headphones are safely cushioned during transport. Aside from the headphones, the stock cable is tucked away in a black cardboard compartment. It’s a bare bones package as far as accessories are concerned, coming only with one stock cable. However, given the price Aune is listing these headphones for, it’s hard to complain.

Design​

Aune sat down and put together a mature-looking headphone, making it stand out from other rest of the budget competitors—a good portion of them featuring wacky designs and shapes that are aimed at capturing younger customers. In contrast, the AR5000 looks like a proper premium headphone, easily appearing to belong in a price tier well above its MSRP. Be prepared to hear about its price a lot—it’s a recurring theme throughout this review. No matter which angle you view it from, the asking price is straight up bonkers.

Since I fell for how the AR5000 looks like on the outside, let’s dissect what makes up its design:

The ear-cups are circular, and composed of two parts. The base part has a wide flat side and serves as the primary structure of the ear-cups. The outer part, which essentially looks as if it’s sitting on top of the base, has a extended edge similar to a nail head. Separating these two parts is the open space between them—the vented section of the headphones. If it weren’t for the small connecting supports that extend all-around it, this area would be 360˚ open. When you shine a light through, you can actually see the driver unit and its cables. Aune took the term "open-back" quite literally.

Together, the two ear cup sections give the headphones a somewhat chubby appearance. This look is further emphasized through softened edges and rounded corners that continue throughout the rest of the design.

The AR5000’s grill design seems to draw clear inspiration from HiFiMan’s Susvara, with both sharing a striking resemblance. However, beneath the grill, the AR5000 features a perforated metal plate with a subtle pinkish tint. This color adds a touch of personality to the headphones without being too overpowering.

It’s also worth noting how the ear cups are visually extended by the yoke and the elongated center-piece, all of which share a white-gold finish. In certain lighting, this finish looks like a dirty silver with a hint of warmth, but in daylight, it shimmers like premium automotive paint. The design team clearly put great care into making these separate elements appear as one cohesive structure.

The visual weight is further emphasized by the busy centerpiece, which has the protruding headrest sliding mechanism screwed into it. The two protruding elements that make up the sliding mechanism are the most responsible for the bulky appearance. A longer piece serves as the body, while the second, shorter and thicker piece serves as its belly. The former holds the metal headband in place, and the latter is the moving headrest element. Both of these pieces are angled upward at the bottom, lifting some of the visual bulk from the bottom portion of the headphones. Saving the best for last, the hollowed-out headband ties the design together and masterfully balances the proportions of the headphone. An experienced design team was responsible for this product, and I can’t help but praise their exceptional work!

Technology & Driver Design​

The AR5000 is an open-back headphone featuring a 50mm dynamic driver. This driver incorporates an MLD (multi-level distributed) diaphragm, made up of layers with varying rigidity and damping. Sure, it’s nothing groundbreaking—many manufacturers put their own twist on the 50mm dynamic driver—where Aune truly impressed me is in the design of the driver enclosure. You typically don’t see this level of complexity at a $300 price point. Even double the price, you would be comparing it to headphones that themselves punch significantly over their sticker price. The positioning of the driver is the most daring decision they made. Not only is it off-center, but it’s also set at an extreme angle. By off-center, I mean the driver is literally placed at the front of the ear cups. I’m baffled by how they managed to pull off this configuration, especially at such an accessible price point. Getting such an angled driver to perform acoustically well certainly proved to be a costly decision. Yet, Aune made it work.

Build Quality​

The bold and robust design of the AR5000 is matched by how solid they feel in hand. I was pleasantly surprised to discover just how well-made these headphones are. They feature a mix of metal and plastic, and I can confidently say that the plastic used here is some of the best I’ve encountered—regardless of price! The way the plastic reflects light initially had me fooled me into believing it’s metal, and from what I’ve read, I am not the only one. The ear cups, along with the centerpiece and headband mechanism, are all crafted from high-grade plastic, while metal is used for the grill, yoke, and headband. The manufacturer’s concern about longevity is evident in the reinforced vital sections. A large screw is used to secure the yoke into the center-piece, the yoke is made of quite thick aluminum, the joints connecting the yoke and the ear-cups are also made of aluminum. It goes without saying that Aune did a phenomenal job making a tough headphone. The AR5000 is reportedly subjected to rigorous drop testing to ensure its durability.

This is yet another area where Aune absolutely nailed it. I cannot help but be impressed, a $300 headphone that doesn’t squeak, no parts rattle. And mind you, there are headphones costing over a thousand bucks that don’t achieve this level of build quality.

Comfort​

Thanks to its 350g weight—a somewhat average number for an over-ear headphone—and excellent ear-pads, the AR5000 offers exceptional wearing comfort. This is one of those headphones that can stay on your head for hours on end. The ear-pads are quite something, extremely soft! incredibly soft with a unique, gel-like feel—firm yet soft at the same time. In terms of materials, the hybrid ear pads use perforated PU leather on the outer side, while synthetic fabric covers the face and interior. The fabric has hexagonal pattern, one that I’ve seen in the past on HiFiMan headphones. The pads are oval-shaped and angled, with the rear section being noticeably thicker—actually, MASSIVE. The surface of the ear-pads is narrower on the upper and lower sides, slightly thicker on the forward-facing side, and significantly wider on the rear-facing side. This design ensures a proper seal between the ear pads and your head. If it weren’t for the width and thickness at the rear, there would typically be a gap, which would negatively impact sound performance, particularly the bass.

To accommodate different head shapes, the ear cups can rotate both inward and outward, and there's a good amount of swivel for added flexibility.

The clamp force is more on the relaxed end of the spectrum, but should you find it tight, the metal headband can be stretched out. The PU leather headrest has a thin yet sufficient layer of padding. I’m also a big fan of the height adjustment system, mainly because of the firm, satisfying clicks that hold their position well. There are a total of 10 adjustment steps to customize the fit.

Sound Performance

Setup: iBasso DX300+AMP11 MK2s & Aune AR3 balanced cable [sold separately]

Lows​

For an open-back, they deliver quite a punch. I was surprised by just how full the mid-bass is. It’s safe to say that it’s far from lacking quantity. However, what’s more important is its quality. For a $300 headphone, the present qualities are fascinating. I’ve heard headphones that cost three times as much that don’t deliver these qualities. The mid-bass is voluminous, possessing a great amount of depth and nuance, but the speed—THE SPEED—I thought I was listening to a planar for a second. Seriously, it’s tight, snappy, responsive… whatever label you want to throw at it, it has exceptional control over the mid-bass. On the other hand, the sub-bass is more subdued. Though it’s not lacking quality—pulsation of the sub-bass can be felt and you can hear it’s there—I was left longing for more presence. The mid-bass is more dominant, resulting in a more energetic sound that allows its technicalities to shine. However, this comes at the cost of immersion. Listening to pop, rock, hip-hop, and electronic music genres is very pleasant to the ear, but when you switch over to the more demanding genres like classical, that deep oomph isn’t quite there.

From my listening experience, it’s clear that Aune prioritized mid-bass technicalities over pushing for deeper bass extension or overwhelming bass volume. If you prefer a faster and more controlled bass, I believe you are willing to make this compromise.

Mids​

It sounds like Aune was going for a warm and cozy tuning of the mid-range. This is a mid-centric headphone, with the mids pushed forward more than the rest of the frequency spectrum. These qualities combine to create a lush, immersive sound. There is no mid-bass bleed, allowing you to enjoy crystal-clear vocals—no “oomph” that muffling them. On the opposite end, the AR5000's emphasis on lushness means that harsh sounds are smoothed out. In practice, this means that sounds which might otherwise be sharp or fatiguing to the ear are softened. At the very least, the edge is drastically dulled. Old music is often associated with harshness due to the recording equipment used, but these headphones minimize that issue. With these, this really is not a problem. I went through the majority of my favorite songs, and paid special focus to those that are usually peaky and essy, and I must say that they sounded butter-smooth. I revisited many of my favorite tracks, especially those prone to peaks, and they came through butter-smooth. It was refreshing to rediscover some of my favorite songs, especially the ones I had to avoid on other headphones due to their harshness. I hate when equipment get in the way of music, so being able to enjoy old vocal or acoustic guitar tracks without them sounding like jamming broken glass in my ear canals, is a privilege.

Most importantly, the tuning sounds correct. This may very well be where the most of the manufacturer’s efforts went into. Negative traits like honky, nasal, or tinny qualities are completely absent. Rather than going for a reference-style tuning, Aune opted for a warm, colored sound to enhance the overall listening experience. It’s a remarkable achievement for their first headphone to exhibit this level of precision. Regardless of the genre, the tuning consistency shines through, whether in acoustic or electronic instruments, or vocals.

The AR5000 tends to pair best with a warmer source, based on my experience across various DAPs and sources. While its specifications might suggest otherwise, I found it to be very source-dependent. The upper mid-range, in particular, is the most affected by your choice of pairing. This may seem contradictory to what I’ve described so far, but hear me out. There tends to be a slight glare in the upper mid-range. The degree of this glare heavily depends on your source pairing. My advice would be to avoid reference-grade sources, as they seem to exaggerate the glare. It’s worth noting that the glare doesn’t appear consistently. In the few instances that I’ve heard it, it only came through in vocals. Needless to say, this isn’t a deal-breaker, as it can be efficiently resolved with the use of EQ. More on this later.

Highs​

The treble is smooth and plays a significant role in shaping the AR5000’s relaxed sound signature. However, it’s not rolled off to the point of sounding dull. The excitement comes from the speed, yet again. The treble is fast, snappy, and crisp. Percussion instruments sound great across various genres. Coming to the conclusion about its technical performance was rather easy, as the treble often comes through. But after listening to plenty of hard rock, heavy metal, post metal, pop, electropop, and acoustic music, labeling it as “warm” wouldn’t do it justice nor would it be accurate . There’s more nuance to it. Although the first two words I used to describe the treble are “smooth” and “relaxed”, don’t get mistaken—the AR5000 can and will show you its teeth if you pushed hard enough. It’s well capable of producing shiny treble, it just does so without overwhelming the mix. I tried searching for a track where the AR5000 exhibited even the slightest hint of harshness, and it was a failed attempt. I specifically listened to violin, mouth harmonica, and saxophone tracks, all of which tend to reveal harshness in most other headphones and IEMs I’ve tried. And it’s not as if I hit shuffle and listened to a random selection of tracks, they were tracks I’ve used for critical evaluation for years.

Soundstage and Imaging​

These two aspects are quite descent. As mentioned before, due to the extreme angle of the drivers, as well as their position, the whole sound image is heavily shifted forward. The depth suffers , but not the width and the height. I enjoyed this forward presentation, you get to hear the sound coming from the front similar to loudspeakers. And also, if you play well-recorded live tracks, it places you in the audience. I would describe the overall presentation as intimate. The central image is dense and within the ear range. However, when it comes to elements that are panned to the outside, they have significantly more breathability, and extend beyond the ear-cups. Both of these characteristics lead to an immersive listening experience.

Despite the more complicated driver setting, the entirety of the soundstage is utilized, with each element having a distinct position within this sound plane. This is especially noticeable when listening to the notes in drum fills. The same goes for separation, the mix doesn’t sound cluttered and muddy, but is clear instead. When boundaries are set for the soundstage, although size is compromised, more attention can be paid to the quality and accuracy of imaging and separation. That’s the case with the AR5000.

Conclusion​

In a market saturated with established names and decades of experience, a newcomer dared to challenge one of the most competitive markets. With zero pedigree in headphone production, Aune launched a headphone that not only met, but exceeded all imaginable expectations. To be honest, I wish there’d be a spot where they took a shortcut so I could call them out on it and say, “A-ha! Gotcha!” But there isn’t. They treated this product with utmost care. They did their homework, taking the time to understand the fundamentals and then build on top of them. Everything about this headphone leads me to believe that Aune made them from the perspective of a consumer, and I don’t think that would be possible if a team of audio enthusiasts wasn’t behind it all. You can feel the passion in this product. It’s not just another company attempting to capitalize on the demand for a budget headphone. We’ve had plenty of those, we’ve seen them come and go. This, I believe, is a beginning. Aune is here to stay. Even their marketing material feels genuine, with the absence of the typical misrepresentation and intentional deceptive claims. In one of their videos, Aune described the AR5000 as the result of maximum effort to provide a premium headphone to the masses at an affordable price. I wouldn’t change a thing in that description.

The Sennheiser HD600 and HiFiMan Sundara long dominated this price range—rightfully so—and I think many people will be excited to hear that the Aune AR5000 is the newest contender that can stand its ground alongside such legendary models. With its mid-centric presentation, lush mids, exceptional transient response, it’s certain to be a worthy addition to most audiophiles’ collections. It’s suited for long-listening sessions thanks to its ergonomics. For those who already own tube amplifiers or other warm sources, the AR5000 is well worth a try. If you can find a dealer with one near you, bring your source and try it out. Given how easy on the ears they are, it will be hard to pass them up.

Let’s also touch on EQ. I chose not to use EQ during my critical evaluation to stay faithful to the stock tuning. But if you’re someone who enjoys tweaking your headphones to suit your preferences, the AR5000 responds well to EQ adjustments. The base sound profile is solid, but if you want more bass, you can give it a boost. If the glare in the upper mids bothers you, a slight reduction will solve it. And depending on if you are after a more lively or an even more relaxed top-end, you can adjust the high frequencies accordingly. The bottom line is that they don’t take much adjustment to get them to the fine line of “perfection”. To save you some time, Resolve from Headphones.com already played around with EQ, so you might find his guidance helpful:
https://forum.headphones.com/t/aune-ar5000/23109/6

[more photography coming soon]

Disclaimer: This review reflects my personal, subjective preferences and is solely based on my authentic experiences with the product. It's crucial to note that Aune has not influenced this review, and I have not received any compensation. I always advocate for testing the product yourself before making a purchase. I extend my gratitude to Aural Cafe for organising this review tour and allowing me to share my genuine thoughts on the product.

My Thoughts:
The bass is impactful and well-transduced, especially during beat drops. In tracks with dynamic basslines, such as Text You Back, the bass integrates into the overall sound signature without muddying the vocals or instruments. While the bass might hint at boominess on specific recordings, it's not quite boxy. But, more air displacement would have made the experience even more thrilling.

Mids are well extended, and both male and female vocals are rendered beautifully, striking a balance between intimacy and spatial placement. Tracks like Stressed Out and Cheap Thrills are enjoyable without inducing midrange fatigue. The midrange is cohesive and lush and compensates well for the lack of brilliance in the treble, very rarely muddy (as observed when listening to Banno Re).

The treble is fast (for a DD) and airy; it's evident that sparkle is not the emphasis of this tuning. In tracks like Chura Liya Hai, the treble resolution is only sometimes its finest suit and might sometimes be muted or dull. But that's just a minor gripe in a satisfying listening experience. There is no sibilance, and the cohesive harmony makes listening for long periods pleasurable.

While the soundstage is partly shut, it demonstrates decent imaging, particularly in placing background instruments like drums. However, it feels off sometimes during more complicated bass sequences because the punchiness is present but doesn't necessarily convert into tremendous precision. Although the dynamics are there, I would have loved more power and aggression, particularly on songs that call for a more substantial bass presence.

Nevertheless, these are a testament to comfort and balance. Unlike some other brands, the clamp force isn't overly strong, ensuring a comfortable fit that doesn't feel too boxy or congested. They shine in dance, pop, and electronic music (EDM). All of this combined is enough for me to reassure potential buyers, making them feel at ease with their purchase decision.



Chain used for this review: MacBook Pro via Roon > iPurifier > Chord M Scaler > Chord Hugo TT2 > Cayin iHA-6 Amplifier > AR5000

Final Thoughts:
It is a perfect blend of warmth and balance, offering an enjoyable and natural listening experience and widely caters to those who value harmony and melody. However, these headphones may put off those who prefer brighter treble, and those who suffer from sibilance or middle fatigue may find them ideal for extended listening sessions. While their sound is open to a wide range of styles, it comes into its own in vocal-centric and laid-back songs; it's quick, light, and personal.