[roskodan]

I've just taken receipt of my AEON 2 Closed today.

I'll provide more detailed impressions in the near future; however, to summarize my thoughts in a succinct manner, I'd say that they are one of the finest closed-back headphones, especially in its (sub-1,000) price bracket. It's fun and engaging, with ample boost in the lows to afford a sense of energy and thump to drive my favorite dance music tracks.

@mrspeakers Very well done, Dan.

Are you using the Schiit Mjolnir 2 too, or just from portables?

Maaan, I still don't feel the wired cup and pad shape doing anything for me. Guess I'm waiting for the Ether 2 Closed or Ether 3 Closed. Hopefully with normal shape cups and pads. Maybe an Aeon 2 Closed Normal Edition for simple stupid folks like myself.

 

[Malevolent]

Are you using the Schiit Mjolnir 2 too, or just from portables?

Maaan, I still don't feel the wired cup and pad shape doing anything for me. Guess I'm waiting for the Ether 2 Closed or Ether 3 Closed. Hopefully with normal shape cups and pads. Maybe an Aeon 2 Closed Normal Edition for simple stupid folks like myself.

At home, I'm using the Gungnir Multibit + Mjolnir 2 combo.

I actually rate the AEON 2 Closed very highly in the comfort aspect; the oddly-shaped pads are rather fitting around my ears, actually. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[roskodan]

Comfort is great, but so is for my other 'normal' cans, these I just can't decide how to fit on my head, make me mess with the fit every time I have to put em on, it's not nice for use in desktop working environment, having to put em on and off many times. Seems the clamp is not even all around the pad as well.

 

[Malevolent]

Comfort is great, but so is for my other 'normal' cans, these I just can't decide how to fit on my head, make me mess with the fit every time I have to put em on, it's not nice for use in desktop working environment, having to put em on and off many times. Seems the clamp is not even all around the pad as well.

About the only thing, fit-wise, that I'd like to improve on the AEON 2 Closed is its clamping force; I'd actually like a little more of it. It's marginally fine the way it is, but I can't help but think that it might slide right off if I'm headbanging too much.

 

[OM hawk]

Just ordered a pair of these as an upgrade from my trusty Neumann NDH20. I'm very hyped based on what I've read online. I recently added an iDSD Micro Black Label as an amp for my Hugo 2, so hopefully the A2C is greedy enough for all that power! If nothing else the bass should be truly beastly with the Xbass on. I used a Black Dragon 3.5mm cable to connect the Hugo 2 to the iDSD Micro BL, so perhaps that will smooth over the treble a bit without having to resort to the earcup inserts which are said to reduce the detail. Isolation is crucial for me since I play games and watch blurays, netflix, and YouTube on a PS4 (the fan noise is intense). I also have Playstation VR (whose breakout box makes even more fan noise). So every bit of isolation makes games more immersive, and makes VR way way better. The NDH20 has quite good isolation and soundstage, but is too heavy for jerking your head around in VR, too much inertia. Seems like the Aeon 2 will be just what the doctor ordered. I will report back once I burn it in and do my showdown A-B comparison vs the Neumanns.

 

[loregnum]

Just ordered a pair of these as an upgrade from my trusty Neumann NDH20. I'm very hyped based on what I've read online. I recently added an iDSD Micro Black Label as an amp for my Hugo 2, so hopefully the A2C is greedy enough for all that power! If nothing else the bass should be truly beastly with the Xbass on. I used a Black Dragon 3.5mm cable to connect the Hugo 2 to the iDSD Micro BL, so perhaps that will smooth over the treble a bit without having to resort to the earcup inserts which are said to reduce the detail. Isolation is crucial for me since I play games and watch blurays, netflix, and YouTube on a PS4 (the fan noise is intense). I also have Playstation VR (whose breakout box makes even more fan noise). So every bit of isolation makes games more immersive, and makes VR way way better. The NDH20 has quite good isolation and soundstage, but is too heavy for jerking your head around in VR, too much inertia. Seems like the Aeon 2 will be just what the doctor ordered. I will report back once I burn it in and do my showdown A-B comparison vs the Neumanns.

Cables don't EQ sound so your cabe is not going to smooth anything out. As an A2C owner, I find the treble fine but all personal preference and hearing I guess. You can also report back right away since burn-in is a myth. Only thing burning in is one's brain to the sound signature.

 

[JaZZ]

Just ordered a pair of these as an upgrade from my trusty Neumann NDH20. I'm very hyped based on what I've read online. I recently added an iDSD Micro Black Label as an amp for my Hugo 2, so hopefully the A2C is greedy enough for all that power! If nothing else the bass should be truly beastly with the Xbass on.

You don't need an extra amp, and you don't need Xbass – if you use a good parametric equalizer instead:

The Aeon² Flow Closed is my balcony headphone, beside Atlas and FH7, sometimes the HEDDphone adds to these. With above EQ curve the sound is phenomenally clear, crisp, dynamic and natural directly from the Hugo₂. Xbass is just a standard curve, not what the AFC really needs to sound at its best. And there's more to be improved than just the bass roll-off.

The Hugo₂ drives it with ease and lots of power reserves left (and I use to listen fairly loud). No need for an unnecessarily redundant signal-path detour, which will only degrade the signal. Show some courage and try above curve (or a derivative from it adapted to your needs) if you want to be pleasantly surprised! In this configuration the AFC even rivals Atlas, HD 800 and HEDDphone (all of which also carefully equalized).

(AFC without foam filter!)

 

[OM hawk]

Cables don't EQ sound so your cabe is not going to smooth anything out. As an A2C owner, I find the treble fine but all personal preference and hearing I guess. You can also report back right away since burn-in is a myth. Only thing burning in is one's brain to the sound signature.

Hmm... based on what I've read online... I am 100% not opening either of those two cans of worms. Maybe I'll just talk about how it sounds, once I uhh... familiarize myself with it. Let's go with that

 

[OM hawk]

Okay, just got my A2C! First impressions: staging/imaging is great, superior to my Grado RS1e (a 700 dollar open back), the depth is honestly cavernous on my system. I can also tell the detail retreival is on a higher level than the Neumann NDH20 for sure. Isolation is equal to the NDH20, probably as good as it can get in a headphone without sacrificing sound quality. The A2C's earcups are gloriously spacious. It's hard to go back to the super snug NDH20 now, which never really "disappear" on your head. The A2C certainly does, the same way my HD600 does, you can totally forget you're wearing it. A2C also stays on more securely when you move your head around vs NDH20, despite not having that much clamp. Microphonics are not as bad as the NDH20.

 

[Lyssky]

Hello there, I own an Audeze Sine closed back.
1) Can anyone compare them to Aeon 2 closed?
2) Also can anyone compare Aeon 2 closed to Audeze LCD XC? (I’m thinking of buying one of them)
3) Many people say that bass is not punchy, not good, not present enough in Aeon 2 Closed. Is it true?
4) How does Aeon 2 closed back match with the Chord Mojo?
Thank you

 

[mrspeakers]

Okay, just got my A2C! First impressions: staging/imaging is great, superior to my Grado RS1e (a 700 dollar open back), the depth is honestly cavernous on my system. I can also tell the detail retreival is on a higher level than the Neumann NDH20 for sure. Isolation is equal to the NDH20, probably as good as it can get in a headphone without sacrificing sound quality. The A2C's earcups are gloriously spacious. It's hard to go back to the super snug NDH20 now, which never really "disappear" on your head. The A2C certainly does, the same way my HD600 does, you can totally forget you're wearing it. A2C also stays on more securely when you move your head around vs NDH20, despite not having that much clamp. Microphonics are not as bad as the NDH20.

I love the Hugo 2 with them, and I also added the 2Go, which somehow seems to sound better than a wired connection using the CCK on iOS devices. What do you think about the crossfeed?

 

[Billheiser]

Hello there, I own an Audeze Sine closed back.
1) Can anyone compare them to Aeon 2 closed? I have the Audeze Sine closed too, like them, but the overall sound quality and comfort is way better in the Aeon 2 closed. IMO.

3) Many people say that bass is not punchy, not good, not present enough in Aeon 2 Closed. Is it true? No. Bass is punchy, very good, very present, and very deep.

Thank you

 

[Malevolent]

Hello there, I own an Audeze Sine closed back.
1) Can anyone compare them to Aeon 2 closed?
2) Also can anyone compare Aeon 2 closed to Audeze LCD XC? (I’m thinking of buying one of them)
3) Many people say that bass is not punchy, not good, not present enough in Aeon 2 Closed. Is it true?
4) How does Aeon 2 closed back match with the Chord Mojo?
Thank you

I have both the LCD-XC and the AEON 2 Closed. I can help you with some of your questions.

2) To start off, the LCD-XC has a slightly grander sound, with a larger stage in both width and depth. In terms of resolution and detail retrieval, both headphones are equally capable in this category. The AEON 2 Closed has a marginally more robust low-end, however, with bass that is adequately punchy, with decent slam and impact. Both drivers have a classic planar bass profile, with relatively quick decays and fast transients in the lower registers.

However, the Dan Clark headphone has a more balanced signature - this is especially apparent in the lower midrange, where a lot of the energy is lost in the LCD-XC, especially with male vocals. When I listen to songs featuring both male and female voices, the Audeze presents a stage where the male singer is located, audibly, several metres behind the female vocalist.

The highs on both headphones are clear, with a little sparkle up top. Both headphones lack a brilliant treble presentation, but they aren't found wanting in this section either.

Comfort-wise, the AEON 2 Closed embarrasses the LCD-XC; it is both lighter and more comfortable on the head.

All in all, if you're deciding between these 2 headphones, I'd say that you should save quite a bit, and go with the AEON 2 Closed. In terms of technicalities, it's almost as good as the LCD-XC, but you get a more balanced sound that plays better with myriad genres of music. The Audeze, on the other hand, suffers a lot in vocal-driven tracks, especially male-dominated ones.

3) No, the bass on the AEON 2 Closed is punchy, with fast beats. I actually enjoy the bass presentation on the Dan Clark headphone.

4) I have a Mojo, but it has not been used in a (long) while. Let me see if I can get it charged, and I'll get back to you on that.

 

[Lyssky]

I have both the LCD-XC and the AEON 2 Closed. I can help you with some of your questions.

2) To start off, the LCD-XC has a slightly grander sound, with a larger stage in both width and depth. In terms of resolution and detail retrieval, both headphones are equally capable in this category. The AEON 2 Closed has a marginally more robust low-end, however, with bass that is adequately punchy, with decent slam and impact. Both drivers have a classic planar bass profile, with relatively quick decays and fast transients in the lower registers.

However, the Dan Clark headphone has a more balanced signature - this is especially apparent in the lower midrange, where a lot of the energy is lost in the LCD-XC, especially with male vocals. When I listen to songs featuring both male and female voices, the Audeze presents a stage where the male singer is located, audibly, several metres behind the female vocalist.

The highs on both headphones are clear, with a little sparkle up top. Both headphones lack a brilliant treble presentation, but they aren't found wanting in this section either.

Comfort-wise, the AEON 2 Closed embarrasses the LCD-XC; it is both lighter and more comfortable on the head.

All in all, if you're deciding between these 2 headphones, I'd say that you should save quite a bit, and go with the AEON 2 Closed. In terms of technicalities, it's almost as good as the LCD-XC, but you get a more balanced sound that plays better with myriad genres of music. The Audeze, on the other hand, suffers a lot in vocal-driven tracks, especially male-dominated ones.

3) No, the bass on the AEON 2 Closed is punchy, with fast beats. I actually enjoy the bass presentation on the Dan Clark headphone.

4) I have a Mojo, but it has not been used in a (long) while. Let me see if I can get it charged, and I'll get back to you on that.

Thank you,
What is the production year of your LCD-XC? What I actually ask is that if your LCD-XC with the new driver or not? One of my friends said that Audeze has upgraded the driver in LCD-XC.

A spot on and objective LCD-XC comparison is vital for me because I live in Turkey and I have to pay very very very very high prices for these headphones. I have to be extra extra extra careful about what I am buying.
Yes I can sell them later but the headphone community is so small here, nowhere near other countries.
Also I don’t have any chance to try these headphones. Cuz we don’t have them in Turkey. I will ask my friend in Canada to buy for me and bring them to me.
Soooo, I would very very very much appreciate if people who own Audeze Sine, Audeze LCD-XC and DC Aeon 2 Closed state their honest comparisons for these headphones.
It would help me imagine more vividly what the sound is like...

 

[Lyssky]

Thank you. Can you do a more detailed comparison?
For example once I had owned the Audeze LCD2 closed back. I sold it later. But I couldn’t sell my Sines because they are so lively.
Anyway I use the Sines with Chord Mojo. I don’t use a Cipher cable.
It is really important to know what DC Aeon 2 Closed is like in terms of Sines.
(I really love the design of the Aeon 2 closed, so much so that 2 nights ago, I saw them in my dream, it was an exciting one lol )