Aeon 2 closed Impressions and Discussion

[PointyFox]

I've only heard the Cascade and it sounded super muddy.

 

[Anouk]

Well that clinches it for me then. I will certainly be getting the aeon 2 closed in january. I am still not sure about amp for home use though: I know I want a dac/amp combo that runs on mains power, I use the dragonfly red now but thats not ideal.
I think i would like the lyr 3 over the jotunheim because then I can just use one cable with the headphones. But then someone recommended the asgard to me. Thats a lot cheaper still... But would that be enough for the aeon 2 closed and would i be giving up a lot...
Sorry if i go ot here
greetings, Anouk,

 

[vespenegas]

Can anyone compare the A2C to the Oppo PM-3? I love the slightly rolled off treble of the latter and really enjoy them for portable use, but would be interested in something a bit more dynamic for home use.

 

[bcowen]

Well that clinches it for me then. I will certainly be getting the aeon 2 closed in january. I am still not sure about amp for home use though: I know I want a dac/amp combo that runs on mains power, I use the dragonfly red now but thats not ideal.
I think i would like the lyr 3 over the jotunheim because then I can just use one cable with the headphones. But then someone recommended the asgard to me. Thats a lot cheaper still... But would that be enough for the aeon 2 closed and would i be giving up a lot...
Sorry if i go ot here
greetings, Anouk,

Into the Aeon 2's impedance, both the Jotunheim (over 7.5 watts) and the Asgard (over 5 watts) have plenty of power. But they're both....ugh, hard to say this...solid state. Ugh. OK, I'm a tube head, so factor that into my comments. The Lyr 3 is a very nice match-up with both the OG Aeons and the Aeon 2's. Over 9 watts of power, and a tube! All 3 amps have very low output impedances which is a significant factor when dealing with a low impedance set of cans, so no issues there. Beware though that with the Lyr 3 you will become afflicted with tube rolling disease at some point, and there is no known cure....

 

[jsmiller58]

A2O vs Focal Elex? Anyone have experience with both?

 

[Makiah S]

Very interested in comparisons with the campfire cascade!

I've only heard the Cascade and it sounded super muddy.

Cascade needs a few things to shine, 1 remove the stock white filters in the pads 2 opt for the new Velour pads

Those things really help open it up tho it get's a little dry and a touch bright. But the mid range keeps a nice slight wetness and the bass while still forward isn't AS thick

 

[erpguru]

ok silly question on the provided tuning pads - there is a note to try them, but nothing denoting which/how they are supposed to change the signature. Can anyone provide how what pads are supposed to affect the sound? I assume attenuation of the lower end with the tighter fabrics? I definitely lean more towards the warmer, darker signatures..in all love these, favorite closed can i have.

 

[Makiah S]

Regarding Aeon 2 Closed I do feel it's a clear step up from the previous generation. Biggest improvements are

• Deeper more precise staging
  • Reverb Trails are stunningly vivid and deep reminds me a bit of HD 800 in that regard
• Better Resolve
  • low level detail or transients are easier to discern
• Improved Dynamic Contrast
  • Microdynamic contrast similar to OG AFC
  • Macrodynamic contrast is more vivid
• Smoother Midrange
  • Without a loss in texture or tactility
  • Better sense of presence without sounding shouty
• Touch more Bass

An as others have mentioned it is a little u shaped with a slight boost to the bass and top end VS OG AFC. Personally I feel with the improvements to the detail and staging overall help to draw attention away from this.

Amp wise I've been enjoying using SMSL SP200 for my initial listening

Big thanks to @TSAVAlan and @TSAVJason for answering a ton of my questions! I actually did pay for this one out of my own pocket and I really enjoyed working with these guys!

ok silly question on the provided tuning pads - there is a note to try them, but nothing denoting which/how they are supposed to change the signature. Can anyone provide how what pads are supposed to affect the sound? I assume attenuation of the lower end with the tighter fabrics? I definitely lean more towards the warmer, darker signatures..in all love these, favorite closed can i have.

It's possible the tuning pads have a similar effect on A2 as they did on A1

 

[jason.voegele]

ok silly question on the provided tuning pads - there is a note to try them, but nothing denoting which/how they are supposed to change the signature. Can anyone provide how what pads are supposed to affect the sound? I assume attenuation of the lower end with the tighter fabrics? I definitely lean more towards the warmer, darker signatures..in all love these, favorite closed can i have.

I asked this same question in another thread and got this answer from @mrspeakers himself:

Less damping = a little reduction in high frequencies, most damping = greatest reduction. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
​

 

[Charente]

Into the Aeon 2's impedance, both the Jotunheim (over 7.5 watts) and the Asgard (over 5 watts) have plenty of power. But they're both....ugh, hard to say this...solid state. Ugh. OK, I'm a tube head, so factor that into my comments. The Lyr 3 is a very nice match-up with both the OG Aeons and the Aeon 2's. Over 9 watts of power, and a tube! All 3 amps have very low output impedances which is a significant factor when dealing with a low impedance set of cans, so no issues there. Beware though that with the Lyr 3 you will become afflicted with tube rolling disease at some point, and there is no known cure....

... or with a Mjolnir 2 ... original AFO sounds superb. I have also used with aHeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2 ... a good SS option to consider, although more pricey than the latest Asgard.

 

[bcowen]

... or with a Mjolnir 2 ... original AFO sounds superb. I have also used with aHeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2 ... a good SS option to consider, although more pricey than the latest Asgard.

I've not heard an MJ2, but would certainly like to at some point. Not hard to imagine that it's a great match for the Aeons, either version.

And I certainly didn't mean to deride solid state amps in my previous post which is probably how it came across. I'm sure there are many great sounding options out there. Just that I think tubes got wired into my DNA somehow, and I can't see past the glowing filaments.

 

[audiogal41]

how is the Aeon flow 2 closed compare to the first version?

 

[bcowen]

Regarding Aeon 2 Closed I do feel it's a clear step up from the previous generation. Biggest improvements are

• Deeper more precise staging
  • Reverb Trails are stunningly vivid and deep reminds me a bit of HD 800 in that regard
• Better Resolve
  • low level detail or transients are easier to discern
• Improved Dynamic Contrast
  • Microdynamic contrast similar to OG AFC
  • Macrodynamic contrast is more vivid
• Smoother Midrange
  • Without a loss in texture or tactility
  • Better sense of presence without sounding shouty
• Touch more Bass

An as others have mentioned it is a little u shaped with a slight boost to the bass and top end VS OG AFC. Personally I feel with the improvements to the detail and staging overall help to draw attention away from this.

Amp wise I've been enjoying using SMSL SP200 for my initial listening

Big thanks to @TSAVAlan and @TSAVJason for answering a ton of my questions! I actually did pay for this one out of my own pocket and I really enjoyed working with these guys!



It's possible the tuning pads have a similar effect on A2 as they did on A1

Very nice summation, and I'm hearing much the same....now. All of the improvements you noted were immediately apparent except for one thing: the dynamics, and especially the macrodynamics. I was having a hard time coming to grips with that as I felt the OG's were far superior in that regard. Initially through the 2's, everything was kind of, well, boring. But now that I have about 90 hours on them, the dynamics have improved substantially and are pretty much on par with the OG's. I've switched back and forth between the 2's and the OG's several times as a reality check just to make sure it was the 'phones breaking in and not my ears breaking in to the 'phones. And the 2's may improve even further with more play time. This is not meant as a criticism -- IME all speakers and headphones need to break in before they reach their optimum sound, and the time required varies widely -- but meant more as a caveat to anyone buying or just listening to the 2's. Give them plenty of play time at louder levels. Not ear damaging (or HP damaging) levels, but on the upper end of volume levels you normally listen before coming to any final conclusion about their sound. If you've made a judgement call with a pair that's fresh out of the box, you haven't heard them for what they really are. Once broken in, the "are" is pretty magnificent...to me.

 

[bcowen]

how is the Aeon flow 2 closed compare to the first version?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aeo...s-and-discussion.918311/page-11#post-15327233

 

[Makiah S]

ok silly question on the provided tuning pads - there is a note to try them, but nothing denoting which/how they are supposed to change the signature. Can anyone provide how what pads are supposed to affect the sound? I assume attenuation of the lower end with the tighter fabrics? I definitely lean more towards the warmer, darker signatures..in all love these, favorite closed can i have.

Very nice summation, and I'm hearing much the same....now. All of the improvements you noted were immediately apparent except for one thing: the dynamics, and especially the macrodynamics. I was having a hard time coming to grips with that as I felt the OG's were far superior in that regard. Initially through the 2's, everything was kind of, well, boring. But now that I have about 90 hours on them, the dynamics have improved substantially and are pretty much on par with the OG's. I've switched back and forth between the 2's and the OG's several times as a reality check just to make sure it was the 'phones breaking in and not my ears breaking in to the 'phones. And the 2's may improve even further with more play time. This is not meant as a criticism -- IME all speakers and headphones need to break in before they reach their optimum sound, and the time required varies widely -- but meant more as a caveat to anyone buying or just listening to the 2's. Give them plenty of play time at louder levels. Not ear damaging (or HP damaging) levels, but on the upper end of volume levels you normally listen before coming to any final conclusion about their sound. If you've made a judgement call with a pair that's fresh out of the box, you haven't heard them for what they really are. Once broken in, the "are" is pretty magnificent...to me.

For me the AFC OG has good Dynamics partially because of that slight bit of mid-range emphasis or honk

Aeon 2 closed, is much smoother less coarse but doesn't lose any of the Dynamics and yeah I've been running them on pink noise in between my work shifts here over the last few days. I'm still going to grab a silver cable those I really want to push the technicalities of this headphone a little further