[jeffreybowman2k]

I'm on my first plane flight with the VK-X going from the East Coast of the US to the West Coast. It's the first time I've had to try out the noise cancelling. For me, it might be a fatal flaw. Let me explain.

First of all, three hours+ into the flight, the comfort of the VK-X is great. I put them on nearly from the moment I sat down. I fell asleep for a bit, and I do not have any top of the head rubbing/annoyance nor does the area around the ear feel warm, etc. Kudlos to Aedle at least for my head for getting that right.

When I first got on the plane and put the headphones on, I plugged it into my WM1A. I turned it on, and like above, tried to get noise cancelling to work. It did not. I then unplugged the cable, connected via bluetooth and viola! I could enable noise cancelling. I verified this behavior with both the WM1A and my laptop.

This to me is unacceptable for such an expensive pair of headphones and I've e-mailed Aedle to tell them just that. Every pair of noise cancelling headphones I've ever used can be used wired or wireless. This shouldn't be "a thing". This has two immediate impacts:
1. If you are using a source and want the best sound quality, you can't get it if you also want noise cancelling.
2. If you want to use, say, a plane's in flight enterainment system - arguably one of the reasons they included said cable - you can see where I'm going here. You can't use noise cancelling.

So how is the isolation? It's OK - I've definitely experienced much worse. It is not going to fully compensate for what noise cancelling brings to the party. This explains the behavior I found initially since I hadn't thought to try noise cancelling with bluetooth since it's not how I intended on using it.

The next question you may have is "How is the noise cancelling?" It's not bad. It's not Sony or Bose-level, but it does eliminate the low rumble of he engine drone. You can still hear what I like to call "white noise" so it does not eliminate all of the plane sounds. These won't close you off which is good or bad depending on your viewpoint.

From what I can tell, the sound of noise cancelling on versus off is VERY close. That is the tradeoff for not being best-in-class for noise cancelling. If I had to rate it, I'd say it's solidly middle of the pack. If it worked with the cable, it would be acceptable because the VK-X has so much else going for it. Instead, it's a very strong mark against the VK-X.

Hopefully Aedle gets back to me and says this is a bug or mine are defective. If this is by design, I will be extremely unhappy to say the least.

Thanks for this warning. I was afraid this might be the case. In other reviews, I’ve read that the earcup is on the small side which results in on ear fit rather than over ear. Did you find this to be the case? The lack of noise canceling when using a cable, plus on ear fit, seems like it would be a dealbreaker for use when traveling.

 

[FenderP]

Thanks for this warning. I was afraid this might be the case. In other reviews, I’ve read that the earcup is on the small side which results in on ear fit rather than over ear. Did you find this to be the case? The lack of noise canceling when using a cable, plus on ear fit, seems like it would be a dealbreaker for use when traveling.

Fit for me is just fine on both ears.No issues so far with comfort which is honestly a first. The Porsche Design were a bit brutal in retrospect on the top, and I remember the VK-1 being a bit harsh on the top of my head.

I've had a lot of noise cancelling headphones in the past 10 years. I didn't anticipate this issue since literally no other set of cans has had them. Sure, I would expect if the battery runs out no noise cancelling, but other than that ...

I'm sitting here in the airline club listening with a cable and they sound so good to my ears with my WM1A. I think that's what annoys me the most because I prefer to listen cabled and it's such an obvious oversight that could have been avoided. If it's by design and they're not fixing it, I may look into what recourse I have because as travel cans, they're pretty useless which was the purpose.

EDIT: FWIW, I was not expecting Sony or Bose-level/quality noise cancelling.

 

[WBJM]

Interesting!

Anyone with experience from using the B&W PXs while traveling and willing to compare them to the VK-X? Sound signature, ANC etc.

In my opinion the only two BT/ANC pairs that I would use outside of the office or my home when it comes to looks. Wasn’t too happy with the B&O H9i:s when I tried them out. But that’s all a matter of personal preferences of course.

 

[FenderP]

As an update, I heard from Aedle. Paraphrasing: noise cancelling not working with a cable is by design and it may not ever change. Depending on what they say after my reply, I may sell the VK-X. I love the sound, fit, and feel of them but the primary use case is now broken for me.

Interesting!

Anyone with experience from using the B&W PXs while traveling and willing to compare them to the VK-X? Sound signature, ANC etc.

In my opinion the only two BT/ANC pairs that I would use outside of the office or my home when it comes to looks. Wasn’t too happy with the B&O H9i:s when I tried them out. But that’s all a matter of personal preferences of course.

I found the PX uncomfortable.

 

[FenderP]

It looks like I'll be sending the VK-X back to Aedle for a refund (minus Indiegogo fees and original shipping costs). I'll take a small hit but better than the alternative. Aedle was great about it, so I'd give their customer service an A on this. Loved the sound, but the no noise cancelling over cable is a 100% deal breaker for me.

 

[The Jojo]

No ANC over cable - that's a weird decision. Did they mention any specific reason?

 

[FenderP]

No ANC over cable - that's a weird decision. Did they mention any specific reason?

They did. Basically it seems like a design decision they struggled with - have a fully passive mode that did not require any power consumption/battery or not. Apparently the folks they talked to preferred that and then have the BT/active/noise cancelling as another mode.

My $.02 - remember that the VK-X's cable is not 1/8" to 1/8" - it's USB-C so they are doing different stuff. It's forward thinking in a way, but clearly presented design challenges. Me? I would have had no passive mode and enabled noise cancelling.

I don't fault them; you can't be all things to all people. I can be disappointed because I like the VK-X but Aedle as I said is being great about it. I have no complaints.

 

[jeffreybowman2k]

Thanks for the details. I understand why aedle may have made the design decision you describe. I also get the (separate) design decision to reduce the size of earcup -- which may result in on ear, instead of over ear, fit for some people. But, the result of these two decisions in combination may result in entirely inadequate isolation/noise reduction for people who want to use the VK-X on a plane or train or with outside noise. That's what I don't understand.

 

[FenderP]

I also get the (separate) design decision to reduce the size of earcup

No such issue on the one I got.

 

[FenderP]

... and the VK-X was sent back today. I really wanted to keep them. Back to the H8i.

 

[mutik67]

So, here’s my synopsis after two weeks of use.

Sound: overall excellent. As I mentioned in my first impression, the soundscape on these things is very impressive; spacious and out of your head, without being echoey. Initially, the bass was very insubstantial, but after a bit of use (typically four hours a day), along with putting them through their paces with a tone generator running at 20 - 80Hz at 75% volume for an hour or so, the drivers softened up a bit, and they now have very good bass extension. Not head thumping, but it is there, and enough to groove to. The mids are where the VK-X really shines; vocals are clear and well pronounced while still sounding rich, guitar strumming is delectable, and eveything is just overall every well balanced. The highs are a bit too recessed for my liking (although definitely still sizzling), but my hearing drops off above ~16kHz, so I expect they’d be fine un-EQed for most people. The VK-X has that signature Aedle sound signature, slightly warmer in the low end, and drier in the high end.

Wireless performance: I usually used them over a wired connection to my laptop, but I have connected them to my laptop and phone, and the switching was very fast. The audio quality very good; almost unchanged from wired, but there’s definitely a reduction in volume, with the max volume peaking out much lower than over the 3.5mm cable.

Build: (almost) incredible. These are built to last. They look and feel great. They are not light, but not what I’d describe weighty. I was actually surprised how light they were, given the materials used. The CNC milled aluminium feels very premium, and the lambskin leather is supple without feeling faux. The sliders are very solid, possibly a little too solid, as they a require a pretty decent amount of force to move (hence the almost). The headband is very flexible, if a little lightly padded. When folded flat, they have a very thin profile, and so fit well into a bag.

Comfort: this is where the VK-X lets me down, and as much as I love these headphones, this is going to be a deal breaker for me. I have a head that is definitely on the larger size unfortunately, so I always struggle to find headphone that fit me comfortably, and sadly the VK-X has not made it into the exception list. The higher-than-normal clamping force means that the lightly padded headband and not-super-plush ear cups make them unwearable for me for more than an hour or so, which just doesn’t cut it. Because of this size issue, I also struggle to get a proper seal . For this reason, I am going to be letting these go, so that someone else can enjoy them.

You can find pictures under my For Sale thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-aedle-vk-x-founders-edition-pre-public-release.903164/

 

[mutik67]

Damn it, I’m gonna be really sad to see these go

 

[WBJM]

Thanks for the review. Has anyone else received theirs? I'm still waiting for a tracking link for mine (batch 5).

 

[mutik67]

Thanks for the review. Has anyone else received theirs? I'm still waiting for a tracking link for mine (batch 5).

Any news?

 

[WBJM]

Any news?

They're on their way from Paris right now and will hopefully arrive in Sweden tuesday or wednesday.