[zikarus]

Interesting. Unfortunately buying stuff via Taobao from Europe seems to be impossible... At least for me without knowledge of the Chinese language...

 

[KuroKitsu]

hello. I'm here because I'm interested in trying out a friend's NeonPro.
I see that the cables that AÜR audio carries are familiar to me.
And I think I may be able to answer some of your questions.

First, the EOH cable was made at 0 dgree, and i have this. This is great.
He claims to have tuned it similarly to ode to laura, and it's actually convincing.

While they are not exactly the same when compared in the same room, the bass and staging are almost identical, with the EOH being more midrange focused than the laura, and the laura having more treble than the EOH.

EOH : https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z0d.6639537/tb.1997196601.38.774d7484wM7LAy&id=711757955175


The horus with the orphy-like tuning you're talking about is either horus 2nd gen or IE.
The IE version has been discontinued and the 2nd generation is still available for purchase.
Check with the maker to see if they have any in stock, I don't have any experience with these.

Horus Gen. 2 : https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3-c-s.w4002-23049608836.44.58313a56JkZR0H&id=649674327630


PRE-1 is a cable from FlashAcoustics. I don't have this one, but I have their flagship cable, the Ultron.
They advertise the PRE-1 on their taobao main page, so I was very familiar with it.

PRE-1 : https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1-c.w4004-16816651813.2.2da41b1e5gA3n9&id=626348762675


Additionally, the Athena is also a cable made by FlashAcoustic. This is the only one that is not currently sale on taobao.
It is expected to be made exclusively for AÜR audio, and the design is very similar to their recently renewed cable called La Sagra.

This is an OCC silver + gold-plated copper construction, while the Athena is an OCC copper + silver-plated copper construction.

Much appreciated! Super weird they're not indexed on Google for me even when I searched using the chinese characters.

 

[GetsVo]

Much appreciated! Super weird they're not indexed on Google for me even when I searched using the chinese characters.

Google is not good at searching Chinese characters.
When Googling, if you add site:taobao.com, you will get search results only within Taobao. If you search by putting a word in "", results must contain that word.
I recommend searching by store name rather than product name. There are too many similar product names on Taobao.
The o in o degree is the alphabet o. If you search with the number 0, it doesn't come up.

 

[Beepat]

Taobao seems to be not working without their app on my Android phone.
I will be forwarded from their site to Google play store to download their app...

 

[BS5711]

Neon Pro.

Do you have the bass switch on or off ?

I experimented again yesterday having listened both ways when I first got the Neon Pro and then left the switch OFF ever since.

Recently I found that for my preference they sound great with the switch ON with music that wasn’t bass heavy giving it just a little more body but with bass heavy music and the switch ON they sounded overdone and to me a bit like they were not as well controlled as they should be.

In the end I preferred to give the bass a nudge with XBass on my iFi Gryphon and have gone back to the bass switch permanently OFF.

 

[Leonarfd]

I think I am 80% of the time with bass switch on, I don't mind that the mids is less open this way. And actually preffer vocals with it ON due to more forwardness, and thicker presentation.

But I am most likely more of a basshead than you @BS5711

 

[firesign]

I have always had the switch on OFF.

Yesterday I tried again with the switch on, and I couldn't last even 2 songs.

Switch OFF again and I don't think I'll change it again.

 

[anyone007]

I guess this is also why its started to get popular in Japan now, for people listening to J-pop its perfect.

Interesting. Most of my music are J-pop and Aurora's execution is perfect for the genre. Happy ears. lol

Looking forward for your DTE900 review. I hope you can include Aurora with the comparison. Thanks!

 

[tombrisbane]

AüR Audio Aurora Impressions (Australian Tour):

Thanks to Nicholas Teo and @Damz87 for organising the Australian Tour. Great to have these doing the rounds down under! All thoughts are my own and not influenced in anyway.

Packaging and build – the tour package was just the case, IEM, cable, and tips so cannot comment on the retail packaging. The build seems fine, very solid, standard two pin. Faceplate is lovely and the included cable is quite nice in terms of look and feel, performance was fine.

Setup – I used these for a little under a week, I would have had about 30 hours on them. There were mainly used on my desktop setup (Tidal -> (Tidal Connect) - > iFi Stream -> Sony TA-ZH1ES -> Aurora) but did also drive them off my little Zen Stack via Bluetooth, and my FiiO Q7.

Specs:

Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Impedance: 19Ω
Sensitivity: 104dB (@130mV)

Driver Config:

Bass (2): Dual Opposed 7.5mm pu+peek DD with N52 magnet
Midrange (4): E-Audio Improved RAB Dual Drivers
Treble (2): Knowles Dual Tweeter

Completely handmade IEM.

50-100 hours burn-in is recommended, as this is a tour set (and I’m the third) I assume they’ve got close to 100 hours now, I didn’t notice any change during my time with them.

Pairing impressions:

I really enjoyed these from the TA-ZH1ES and FiiO Q7, however did not like them from my Zen stack at all. My assumption is that this was due to it being over Bluetooth, from my iPhone, using AAC. I find that AAC sometimes seems bump the bass up a little and based on how these are by default it really didn't work for me.

Sound Impressions:

Bass: Bass has OK texture to it, not overly hard hitting, but the quality is decent. There is an overall soft/fuzzy feeling on the bass to my ears, a little laid back. Listening to a track that has a good kick drum, you don’t get the impact of each kick, it somewhat flows between the kicks like a wave. I was doing a decent amount of A/B on the bass with some other IEM’s to confirm this. As interesting implementation of bass that will suit some but not completely to my tastes.

Mids: My favourite part of the Aurora, male and female vocals both come across nicely, they have the right amount of weight across both which is really nice. Instruments sound natural. Everything is a little warm leaning (my preference).

Treble: Rolled off, lacking air. It’s deceptive, the drivers are doing a good job as there is plenty of detail, and they handle busy tracks extremely well, but as it’s recessed you end up getting a little bit of a dark feeling overall and if you don’t pay attention, you can miss the detail.

Soundstage and Imaging: Soundstage is relatively small and imaging is OK. While instruments don’t fall over each other, and you can pick out placement if you pay attention, it’s more of a 2d canvas wrapped around you to me, rather than a 3d field.

Overall sound impressions: The bass is implemented in a way that isn’t to my normal liking, however when taken with the mids and treble I quite enjoyed my time with them. They’re not an in-your-face IEM, but nice to pop in and relax with. I’m listening to Lang Lang – The Disney Book on these while writing this review and it’s a lovely relaxing listen.

In terms of comparisons, I only really have the Meze Advar and Sennheiser IE600 within the vicinity of these (both single DD). The Advar’s have been my daily drivers for quite a while and really suit my taste and these did nothing to change that, if anything it solidifies what I look for in an IEM. Popping the IE600’s in and the difference in soundstage is night and day, the IE600 delivers an expansive soundstage which gives a lusher representation of the music that you’re listening to for me. These are both a little spicy in the treble though, so they certainly don’t suit everyone’s taste, but for me they do. These were the two I was flicking between for the bass comparison, and both are much more defined in their impact.

Overall: For a slightly laidback experience these are nice at their price point. I’d recommend giving them a listen if you have a chance, or if what’s been described suits you maybe take the plunge. As an upgrade path from some of cheaper IEM's in the market these are a great step and don't think you'd be disappointed - I'd easily recommend to someone if these suited their preference. They're great with vocal focused tracks across both male and female vocalist. If I owned them, they would be my lazy weekend IEM’s to have while relaxing with a drink.

 

[helloh3adfi]

Does anyone EQ the Aurora? What would make them even better?

 

[Beepat]

I have always had the switch on OFF.

Yesterday I tried again with the switch on, and I couldn't last even 2 songs.

Switch OFF again and I don't think I'll change it again.

I also have listened to NP all the time now with Bass switch OFF and I really enjoy the fine details this set offers.
I will give them a try with bass switch ON soon.

I can't listen to NP all the time, especially when it's late and I'm tired I enjoy Aurora much more with it's easy listening presentation.
If you guys like Fleetwood Mac, try Aurora with these, it outstanding for my taste.

 

[firesign]

Does anyone EQ the Aurora? What would make them even better?

I do it, yep. Not all the time, but most of the time.

This is my EQ (trying to replicate the Neon Pro profile in some way), in case it is of interest to you:

Peak / 120 Hz / +0.8 dB / Q 3
Peak / 180 Hz / +0.4 dB / Q 3
LowShelf / 280 Hz / +1 dB / Q 0.7
LowShelf / 2000 Hz / -1 dB / Q 0.7
HighShelf / 5000 Hz / +1 dB / Q 0.7
HighShelf / 10000 Hz / +1 dB / Q 0.7

A mid bass punch, reducing the mids a bit, and a punch of treble. This EQ is great for rock, progressive, metal, and fast music genres in general.

 

[Tonytex]

 

[Tonytex]

Nice review that says basically what I did in my own review, however according to some people, when I reviewed the Aurora, I was biased , and also incapable of reviewing it properly since I only had the IEM for a few days.
It's truly sad that people are so small minded.
Once again lovely review with everything very well explained....I can only aspire to learn this sort of ability of expressing myself.

 

[Leonarfd]

I have tried Alita for almost a week now, just feeling like I started to know the white pearl. Always heard that Alita is perfect with classical and jazz music, I do agree and the amount of finesse in the tuning is perfect for this. Still this is just an early opinion on Alita, I know I can change my opinion more after more time. And as everything else, sound impressions are very subjective and everyone's opinions are valid.

Aurora and Alita are both great IEMs, one being 2DD 6BA and other 12 BA. Price is also a big difference around 550usd for Aurora and 1000usd for Alita.

What do they do differently? First off Alita has BA bass, but it's executed extremely well. Similar to the Neon Pro is texture and speed, it's very good when looking at how good BA can be.
DD bass do have a more realistic decay and texture to them, it's mostly noticeable when comparing back and forth. When just listening to Alita for some time you do not think about it, and it might just be me and my DD love.

Aurora does have a very fast and textured bass, almost as fast as BA. But as I said, it has that more elastic and textured sound and when a track asks to slam its Aurora that delivers the best product.

Mids are more warm and thick on Alita and more clear and forward on Aurora, both are great but different in the mids. While Aurora might be best for female vocals I might like Alita more for either darker vocals or males.

I would say that they are almost equally in resolution for the midrange, but Alita is a small step above.
And it's also slightly smoother at the same time, the upper midrange is also less offensive making some instruments have a slightly relaxed tonality.

Treble is more forward on Aurora, it's also slightly more airy. The treble is more detailed on Alita over Aurora, and has more details going on. But since it has less presence it's not jumping at you, yet both are similar this way just more on Alita.

Soundstage is a hard one, some songs make Aurora sound very spacious and spherical. Not overly boosted in any way, just natural and big.
Alita is similar but is slightly wider and has more space between the notes, the layering is also slightly above the Aurora.

This is still very early with Alita, but I tried to see if some songs are better for one or the other.
All tracks can be played well on both, but shows that they have different qualities.



There is something more fun about DD bass here, and also it has a slightly better bite to the guitar. While Alita has surprisingly good tonality for this, I still would pick Aurora.



Similar here as the bass kicks and guitars have slightly more fun and energetic tonality on Aurora.



Love how the tonality is with Aurora for almost all electronica music, here also with female vocals. Alita lacks the bass energy, and also is a little too smooth on her voice.



K-pop is like made for the Aurora, same for J-pop. Vocals are forward and in focus, and bass does never overshadow the vocals. Alita in comparison here has a warmer and more thick sound that's also softer, some might prefer this as it's less energetic in the vocal range.



Beautiful track, and here Alita's refined and smooth sound just married together with the music.
The harp is better in control and is less sharp than with the Aurora.



Alita just sounds higher end and more refined, it has an even blacker background making everything just be more hifi. Also her voice has better synergy with Alita compared to the other females in the tracks above.



Beautiful version of Claire De lune, it's quite a tiresome track on many IEMs. While the Alita is not, the Aurora has more forward midrange and it takes a hit on certain parts here. While maybe equally detailed on the sax, it's more refined on Alita.



About equally good, but in a way has a more angelic tonality with Alita. It's smoother and more relaxing, and suits this kind of music in my opinion.



I was sure I would like this best on Aurora, but the slightly warmer tonality is more to my preference with Alita. It's more thick and ethereal of sorts.

One thing I'm certain of, I want to buy my own Alita after this loan.

And now I'm lying down listening to ROD MODELL & TAKA NODA and dreaming myself away.