[MattTCG]

Thanks my HD6XX isn't going anywhere either. I am just looking for a headphone that has excellent bass without any piercing treble.

There are other headphones that will meet that criteria. But if you are looking for a closed planar, this one will do VERY well for that.

 

[dsrk]

There are other headphones that will meet that criteria. But if you are looking for a closed planar, this one will do VERY well for that.

I need a similar headphone like HD650 (especially the midrange) with a little more bass and soundstage. I had TH900 mk2 for a week loaned from a friend, while the bass is great, the midrange too recessed for my taste.
Is Aeon 2 worth the risk (cause I live in India and Mrspeakers/Dan Clark is not available here) for me?

 

[Makiah S]

I also got a chance to hear these recently at CAF this weekend, I will say out of an LTA MZ3 with my HM901 I wasn't super thrilled about the mid range as it lacked the warmth that I appreciate about my own original AFC.

An for reference my ideal mid range is that of the ole school AKG K501 and more recently what I hear from the Koss ESP 95X at home for more tru high fidelity listening the HD 800 with SDR Mod and an Audio Envy ToneKraft Copper Cable out of a heavily modded SET Tube [RME ADI 2 with Sharp Filter as Source] is also quite nice as is my own 2012 PreFazor LCD 2.2 with a ZMF 2K Copper cable

So my mid range preference aside what I will say is they were quite spacious and precise, hearing @MattTCG thoughts of this as a purely Hi Fi headphone is on point. I felt staging wise these were a bit better than the ZMF Veritie Closed that was also present, tonality on Verite Closed was great but the presentation was too disjointed for my tastes out of the systems present

Back to A2C, I didn't like it on my portable rig but that's been optimized for OG AFC. For what it's worth I also I don't run my HD 800 out of that rig as the tonality is not quite right for headphones of that nature. So my qualm with the midrange is likely my choice of amplification, thankfully I also have an OG ALO RX MK3B that has just the right touch of warmth. I have a feeling that amp would get A2C exactly where I'd want it tonally without much loss in that beautiful staging/imaging and it'll all still be portable!

I'd also like to comment on the consistency of ePads on A2C! As some one who has struggled to get a pair of matched proper ePads on OG AFC I was immediately impressed by what A2C had, same style I think but the pads felt a touch denser and not as flexible. The issue I have on OG AFC is one pad is larger/more flexible than the other and yes this was after having a replacement pair installed by what was Mr.Speakers. An for AFC I really feel it's presentation is so fit dependent.

Non the less I'm digging the new name change as I always wondered why it was Mr.Speakers after they began making so many headphones and I'm excited to hopefully get to hear these again with a better portable set up or from something in home that's more my speed.

 

[Maelob]

Aeon 2 closed vs other headphones:

First of all, I haven't been much of a fan of closed headphones for the most part. My listening situation doesn't "require" a closed set of headphones, although at times it would be nice to have. Here is a list of closed headphones that I've owned or had for extended audition:

1. Aeon closed original

This is the natural comparison. But it would be a mistake to expect just an evolutionary change in this particular case. It's much more than that. The Aeon 2 closed has been completely reworked from the ground up. It has a new motor, new driver and new materials internally and is essentially an all new product instead of a reworked one. And more importantly, the A2c sounds like a completely difference headphone. Think revolutionary instead of evolutionary here. I won't make comparisons here because the A2c is simply much better across the board, period. There is nothing the original does that is competitive with the new A2c.


2. ETHER C Flow

Now this gets more interesting. Based on my evaluation, having owned the ETHER C Flow for over a year, these two headphones compete well against each other, despite the price discrepancy and pecking order. But at the end of the day, I'd pick the A2c every time. It's much more comfortable for starters. There is a distinct sound stage advantage for the A2c despite the difference in the size of the cups between the two headphones.. A2c does bass better with more slam, although this is pretty close. Mids are also close with A2c delivering slightly better textural information from vocalist than ETHER C Flow. With regard to treble, the A2c is better offering equal extension of the ETHER C Flow without a small peak that can sound sibilant with some recordings on ECF.

But wait, the EFC cost $700 MORE than the A2c and it sounds arguably better than it's more expensive sibling? Well, actually it does. So why would a company do this. It's not that complicated really. Companies like Schiit Audio do this as well. The $600 Bifrost 2 sounds better than the Gungnir MB costing $1250. Much of this has to do with time schedule of releasing a new product that does improve performance to a degree that it sounds and performs better than one of your own more expensive products. Later those older products like the Gumby and EFC will also be revised and updated and likely overtake their over-performing siblings. But take this for what it is, which is an opportunity to get flagship closed headphone performance at a mid-fi price. We all love a great deal, right?

3. Audioquest Nightowl Carbon

The NOC is a polarizing product to be completely fair. I do enjoy the tone and timbre of the bio-cellulose driver in this headphone. NOC can do nuance and low level detail very nicely when the right upstream gear are used to the proper effect. But in terms of over performance sonically, the A2c is leagues better. Unless you have a bent towards the bio-cellulose sound, the A2c takes this one easily.

4. Audeze XC

Let's get this out of the way right off the bat. The XC is stupid heavy. Send me to the chiropractor heavy. I could only wear it for about 30 minutes or so before the neck pain started in. But I do like the sound of the XC. Staging is better than average, but doesn't overtake the A2c. Tone and timbre of the mids is good with the XC and competitive with the A2c. But the XC has that Audeze dip somewhere in the upper mids/lower treble that always bugged me. These two headphones are competitive with the comfort of the A2c making the choice a no brainer for me personally.

5. Sony cd-3000

Going a little old school here with the Sony cd3k. This is an early 90's product that will natural be under the radar of most folks. The stock signature of this headphone was bright and lean with good staging. But add a dual exit copper cable and a good tube amp and this becomes a very good headphone. Many say that it competes well as a "mini r10" which is legendary in the community. But at the end of the day A2c trounces the cd3k, with more body, better staging and more coherency to the overall signature.

If you can't tell, I do in fact like the Aeon 2 c quite a bit. It's fair to say that I'm a little smitten with it. Listening to this headphone is often an addictive experience for me. I want to listen to "just one more song/album" each time that I use it. Five or six years ago, we saw somewhat of an explosion of new products in the headphone hobby, especially with regard to planar magnetic products. And now that the dust is settling, we have some real leaders that are paving the way with some truly exceptional products. I'm glad that we have Dan Clark Audio as one of the real innovators working to lead the way.

Thanks I was sold when you used the word Slam! Lol that was the area the I found lacking on the originals -

 

[RCBinTN]

Matt, you wrote earlier that the Bifrost 2 sounds better than the Gungnir MB DAC.
The build design doesn't seem to support that, unless it's the Unison making the difference. Are you using USB as the incoming source?

 

[CTheE]

I also got a chance to hear these recently at CAF this weekend, I will say out of an LTA MZ3 with my HM901 I wasn't super thrilled about the mid range as it lacked the warmth that I appreciate about my own original AFC.

thx for the info, I was also wondering about the mid range tonality compared to the AFC 1.

 

[erpguru]

These headphones have my interest. My home rig is an LCD-4, and have been looking for a nice closed-back set of planars. I prefer the warm to dark sound of the Audeze, do you believe these would fall into that type of sound? I had listened to the first iteration of the Aeon but it sounded a bit lean to me but it appears these may be warmer..Good purchase for me to portable cans? As a note, my current on the go is Campfire Cascade and while I like them, I find their bass is a bit too bloomy and not as well controlled as the Audeze, hence my interest in another pair of planar for the go cans..

 

[erics75]

I also got a chance to hear these recently at CAF this weekend, I will say out of an LTA MZ3 with my HM901 I wasn't super thrilled about the mid range as it lacked the warmth that I appreciate about my own original AFC.

An for reference my ideal mid range is that of the ole school AKG K501 and more recently what I hear from the Koss ESP 95X at home for more tru high fidelity listening the HD 800 with SDR Mod and an Audio Envy ToneKraft Copper Cable out of a heavily modded SET Tube [RME ADI 2 with Sharp Filter as Source] is also quite nice as is my own 2012 PreFazor LCD 2.2 with a ZMF 2K Copper cable

So my mid range preference aside what I will say is they were quite spacious and precise, hearing @MattTCG thoughts of this as a purely Hi Fi headphone is on point. I felt staging wise these were a bit better than the ZMF Veritie Closed that was also present, tonality on Verite Closed was great but the presentation was too disjointed for my tastes out of the systems present

Back to A2C, I didn't like it on my portable rig but that's been optimized for OG AFC. For what it's worth I also I don't run my HD 800 out of that rig as the tonality is not quite right for headphones of that nature. So my qualm with the midrange is likely my choice of amplification, thankfully I also have an OG ALO RX MK3B that has just the right touch of warmth. I have a feeling that amp would get A2C exactly where I'd want it tonally without much loss in that beautiful staging/imaging and it'll all still be portable!

I'd also like to comment on the consistency of ePads on A2C! As some one who has struggled to get a pair of matched proper ePads on OG AFC I was immediately impressed by what A2C had, same style I think but the pads felt a touch denser and not as flexible. The issue I have on OG AFC is one pad is larger/more flexible than the other and yes this was after having a replacement pair installed by what was Mr.Speakers. An for AFC I really feel it's presentation is so fit dependent.

Non the less I'm digging the new name change as I always wondered why it was Mr.Speakers after they began making so many headphones and I'm excited to hopefully get to hear these again with a better portable set up or from something in home that's more my speed.

If you're willing, and have the time, i'd love to hear your impressions after letting the A2C and Verite Closed battle it out for a bit. the VC has been getting a lot of buzz about a large soundstage (i have not heard it myself). if the A2C's is larger, that's quite an accomplishment. one of the things i always felt was lacking on my previous MrSpeakers was soundstage, even the open models. they weren't bad per se, but not great either. imaging stayed close to the head, with only moderate dimensional movement. i thought the original AFO was the best staging MrSpeaker i've heard, for reference.

EDIT - And i see you owned a ZMF Atticus. Would be especially curious about a comparison to it. I'm an Atticus lover myself, so that's a great point of reference for me, debating whether to grab the A2 or not.

 

[Makiah S]

If you're willing, and have the time, i'd love to hear your impressions after letting the A2C and Verite Closed battle it out for a bit. the VC has been getting a lot of buzz about a large soundstage (i have not heard it myself). if the A2C's is larger, that's quite an accomplishment. one of the things i always felt was lacking on my previous MrSpeakers was soundstage, even the open models. they weren't bad per se, but not great either. imaging stayed close to the head, with only moderate dimensional movement. i thought the original AFO was the best staging MrSpeaker i've heard, for reference.

EDIT - And i see you owned a ZMF Atticus. Would be especially curious about a comparison to it. I'm an Atticus lover myself, so that's a great point of reference for me, debating whether to grab the A2 or not.

Eikon an Auteur I had in my home for a while both are nice, not having lived with the new driver or spent time with either new ZMF Dynamic in home I can't elaborate much more

I may purchase A2C without an in home demo but ideally @mrspeakers I'd prefer to have an option to hear it without 899+taxs n shipping in limbo

maybe one of the vendors will put something together a few of them always do an awesome job of helping us get grounded and Broad opinions and impressions!

Or maybe a direct review tour with just some of us hobbyists lol might do some good to answer everybody's questions

Though I might be a little biased seeing as I am an OG AFC Fanboy after having it for a while

Still before the end of the month I'm going to have an opinion on these headphones one way or another

 

[MattTCG]

I was asked via PM about the Vivo cable and what it brings to the table. I thought that I'd just answer here instead. When compared against the stock DUM cable, the Vivo cables gives you better staging and a presentation with a bit more air. Bass is a little tighter and extends better. I like the Vivo cable very much and would consider it a worthy upgrade. It's also one of the very few manufacturer cables that I'd consider against a good after market cable.

 

[flarex3]

I was asked via PM about the Vivo cable and what it brings to the table. I thought that I'd just answer here instead. When compared against the stock DUM cable, the Vivo cables gives you better staging and a presentation with a bit more air. Bass is a little tighter and extends better. I like the Vivo cable very much and would consider it a worthy upgrade. It's also one of the very few manufacturer cables that I'd consider against a good after market cable.

Nope. Snake oil. My friend bought an Aeon 2 Closed and we have access to both the stock cable and the VIVO cable. Absolutely zero audible difference. I don't want to have another cable discussion under this thread but sorry I have to say that.

 

[Wes S]

I was asked via PM about the Vivo cable and what it brings to the table. I thought that I'd just answer here instead. When compared against the stock DUM cable, the Vivo cables gives you better staging and a presentation with a bit more air. Bass is a little tighter and extends better. I like the Vivo cable very much and would consider it a worthy upgrade. It's also one of the very few manufacturer cables that I'd consider against a good after market cable.

Thanks for the good info! Vivo sounds like a winner.

 

[autoteleology]

Nope. Snake oil. My friend bought an Aeon 2 Closed and we have access to both the stock cable and the VIVO cable. Absolutely zero audible difference. I don't want to have another cable discussion under this thread but sorry I have to say that.

Quite frankly, over the course of reading this thread a few times, Matt strikes me as greasy in their praise for the product. The cable endorsement was the straw that made me say something about it. I'm sorry but I'm not gonna pay two hundred extra for a cable to replace a cable that already supposedly costs a hundred dollars because it sucks all of the value out of the product.

I've been doing my own research as I require a balanced cable to use the new E1DA DACs (which are 2.5mm balanced only) and there is no DUMMER cable option in that configuration. I would personally suggest the following options after a fairly exhaustive combing of the market:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MrSpeakers...hash=item36411e3fca:m:mVpudNQYaeUzmM7KRzHhAqw

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-Headphone-Cable-Mrspeakers-Headphones-Aeon-Ether/173891536720?_trkparms=aid=1110001&algo=SPLICE.SIM&ao=2&asc=20160323102634&meid=6e02c6ad7bbb401a8669bf1bd3980a22&pid=100623&rk=5&rkt=6&sd=183619301282&itm=173891536720&pmt=0&noa=1&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

https://www.dysonaudio.com/collecti...d-dap-2-5mm-trrs-cable?variant=17582414692409

if you can get them to source the Mr. Speakers "Hirose connector", this option might be a good choice as well, though the seller describes their cables as being heavy:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-M...-Optional-Lengths-And-Connectors/183619301282

 

[Wes S]

Keep up the good work Matt! Thanks for putting in the time.

 

[MattTCG]

Quite frankly, over the course of reading this thread a few times, Matt strikes me as greasy in their praise for the product. The cable endorsement was the straw that made me say something about it. I'm sorry but I'm not gonna pay two hundred extra for a cable to replace a cable that already supposedly costs a hundred dollars because it sucks all of the value out of the product.

I've been doing my own research as I require a balanced cable to use the new E1DA DACs (which are 2.5mm balanced only) and there is no DUMMER cable option in that configuration. I would personally suggest the following options after a fairly exhaustive combing of the market:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MrSpeakers...hash=item36411e3fca:m:mVpudNQYaeUzmM7KRzHhAqw

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-Headphone-Cable-Mrspeakers-Headphones-Aeon-Ether/173891536720?_trkparms=aid=1110001&algo=SPLICE.SIM&ao=2&asc=20160323102634&meid=6e02c6ad7bbb401a8669bf1bd3980a22&pid=100623&rk=5&rkt=6&sd=183619301282&itm=173891536720&pmt=0&noa=1&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

if you can get them to source the Mr. Speakers "Hirose connector", this option might be a good choice as well, though the seller describes their cables as being heavy:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-M...-Optional-Lengths-And-Connectors/183619301282

Some people don't hear much difference with cables...or DACS for that matter. If you can't hear the difference, I suggest you go with the cheaper option. I'm a musician of 30 years and I simply can not "un-hear" something. But it's just my opinion. Take it all with a grain of salt brother.