[Hansotek]

My review for the ÆON is up!

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0317/MrSpeakers_AEON_Stereo_Headphones_Review.htm

 

[omniweltall]

Thank you, Hansotek!

 

[iAudio365]

My review for the ÆON is up!

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0317/MrSpeakers_AEON_Stereo_Headphones_Review.htm

Nice review! Thank you.

 

[Allanmarcus]

My review for the ÆON is up!

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0317/MrSpeakers_AEON_Stereo_Headphones_Review.htm

 

How many over-ear headphones can you name priced between $499 and $999? You would think there would be more, but there really aren't many these days.

 
Nice review. Very positive
 
In answer to your question:
 
B&W P9
Sony MDR-Z7
AudioQuest Nighthawk
Opp PM2
HiFiMan HE-560
Sennheiser HD650 (retail
Shure SRH1540
AKG K712
Foal Elear
Fostex TH610
Sennheiser HD700
Audeze LCD-2
beyerdynamic DT1990
beyerdynamic DT1770
Blue ELLA
Audeze EL8
UltraSone Performance 880
Fostex TH500RP
Sennheiser HD 630VB
Grado GS1000e
ZMF Attics
 
Plus some wireless models that have good reviews like the Momentums. Imagine I missed a few.
 
Oh, and now there is the Monoprice M1060, albeit open, but well under $499.
 
Just a few in that price range, so it's hard to accept "there really aren't many these days"

 

[XERO1]

My review for the ÆON is up!

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0317/MrSpeakers_AEON_Stereo_Headphones_Review.htm

​Wow!  Our overall impressions of the Aeon are nearly identical!  That's pretty cool.  And I'll say it again, the Aeon is hands down one of the best headphones you can buy for under $1000.
 
 
 
Quote:

  Yikes!
 
@Odin412  says "easygoing nature"
@XERO1 says "upfront and thrilling presentation"
 
Hard to reconcile that. 

 
Actually, the possible difference in opinion here probably just comes down to differences in the DAC, amp, music and the volume levels that the Aeon's where auditioned with.
 
At low volumes with a smooth sounding amp, the Aeon could easily sound "easygoing" because it is so transparent to the source.
 
I usually listen at higher than average volumes, so to me, they sounded quite vivid.

 

[XERO1]

   
Nice review. Very positive
 
In answer to your question:
 
B&W P9
Sony MDR-Z7
AudioQuest Nighthawk
Opp PM2
HiFiMan HE-560
Sennheiser HD650 (retail
Shure SRH1540
AKG K712
Foal Elear
Fostex TH610
Sennheiser HD700
Audeze LCD-2
beyerdynamic DT1990
beyerdynamic DT1770
Blue ELLA
Audeze EL8
UltraSone Performance 880
Fostex TH500RP
Sennheiser HD 630VB
Grado GS1000e

 
In his review, Hansotek asked how many closed-back headphones were in the $500-1000 price range.
 
So the list would actually look more like this:
 
 
B&W P9
Sony MDR-Z7
AudioQuest NightOwl
Shure SRH1540
Fostex TH610
beyerdynamic DT1770
Blue ELLA
Audeze EL8 Closed
UltraSone Performance 880
Sennheiser HD 630VB
Grado GS1000e
 
 
And I would honestly be surprised if someone chose one of the above headphones over the Aeon after having heard them all
side-by-side.
From the above list, I've heard the Z7, DT 1770, EL8 Closed and HD 630VB and the Aeon smokes them all, and I can't imagine that the others would fare much better. 

 

 

[Hansotek]

​Wow!  Our overall impressions of the Aeon are nearly identical!  That's pretty cool.  And I'll say it again, the Aeon is hands down one of the best headphones you can buy for under $1000.

 
Yeah! I hopped on to post the link earlier and read your comments. Spot on! 

 

[Riley Beale]

How does the Aeon compare to the Closed Back Audeze EL8 in tonality and detail retrieval?  I found the isolation very excellent with a brief audition of the Closed EL8 at a very noisy and busy Apple Store in the middle of San Francisco.  Is the isolation comparable in the Aeon?  The few reviews make me think the Aeon would be better than the Closed EL8, but I would still like some more insight.
 
Thank you

Riley

 

[Allanmarcus]

 

   
Nice review. Very positive
 
In answer to your question:
 
B&W P9
Sony MDR-Z7
AudioQuest Nighthawk
Opp PM2
HiFiMan HE-560
Sennheiser HD650 (retail
Shure SRH1540
AKG K712
Foal Elear
Fostex TH610
Sennheiser HD700
Audeze LCD-2
beyerdynamic DT1990
beyerdynamic DT1770
Blue ELLA
Audeze EL8
UltraSone Performance 880
Fostex TH500RP
Sennheiser HD 630VB
Grado GS1000e

 
In his review, Hansotek asked how many closed-back headphones were in the $500-1000 price range.
So the list would actually look more like this:
 
 
B&W P9
Sony MDR-Z7
AudioQuest NightOwl
Shure SRH1540
Fostex TH610
beyerdynamic DT1770
Blue ELLA
Audeze EL8 Closed
UltraSone Performance 880
Sennheiser HD 630VB
Grado GS1000e
 

 
He should have asked that question, but he didn't. I quoted the question he asked verbatim. "How many over-ear headphones can you name priced between $499 and $999?"
 
Actually, the GS1000e is open too.
Oh, need to add the ZMF Attics to the main list
 
The Sony, AudioQuest, Shure, beyerdynamic and Sennheiser are all well reviewed. I've had the Sony, beyer, and shure. Once I listened to the Ether C, I sold 'em and got the Ether C. I imagine the AEON will also compare extremely favorably. 
 
A local guy has the AEONs on order, and I will listen to them an late April meet in Albuquerque. I plan on comparing them to the Ether C 1.1 w/ 1 black pad. I'll post impressions then.
 
As for my comment, I think the availability of $499-999 closed headphones is pretty good, and the statement "there really aren't many these days" is a bit off. Too bad one cannot comment on the Enjoy the Music site.
 
"As a closed-back headphone, the isolation is adequate, but not class-leading." What is "class leading"? What is better? Tyll, on another site, commented: "Actually the biggest surprise to me was how much isolation they [AEON] have"

 

[XERO1]

  How does the Aeon compare to the Closed Back Audeze EL8 in tonality and detail retrieval?  I found the isolation very excellent with a brief audition of the Closed EL8 at a very noisy and busy Apple Store in the middle of San Francisco.  Is the isolation comparable in the Aeon?  The few reviews make me think the Aeon would be better than the Closed EL8, but I would still like some more insight.
 
Thank you

Riley

​I'd say they are pretty comparable in their ability to isolate but the Aeon is a significantly better sounding headphone than the EL8 Closed.
 
The EL8 Closed I heard had this strange 'metallic' sounding distortion in the high frequencies that became more and more obvious the louder I turned them up.  The Aeon had no obvious audible distortion in the treble no matter how loud I listened to them at.  And the Aeon's just sounded better overall as well.
 
As for looks, I'd have to give the nod to the EL8, but as we all know, beauty is nice but it is often only skin-deep.

  But the Aeon is much lighter and IMO, they are a more comfortable headphone.

 

[Hansotek]

   
Nice review. Very positive
 
In answer to your question:
 
B&W P9 $899
Sony MDR-Z7 $699
AudioQuest Nighthawk $498
Opp PM2 - DISCONTINUED
HiFiMan HE-560 ($899)
Sennheiser HD650 $499 (but usually about $329)
Shure SRH1540 $499
AKG K712 $399
Foal Elear $999
Fostex TH610 $599
Sennheiser HD700 $419
Audeze LCD-2 $999 (Can usually be found for $799 so we'll count them)
beyerdynamic DT1990 $599
beyerdynamic DT1770 $599
Blue ELLA $699
Audeze EL8 $699 (But can often be found for sale for $499... I'll count them anyway)
UltraSone Performance 880 $449
Fostex TH500RP $399
Sennheiser HD 630VB $499
Grado GS1000e $995
 
Plus some wireless models that have good reviews like the Momentums. Imagine I missed a few.
 
Oh, and now there is the Monoprice M1060, albeit open, but well under $499.
 
Just a few in that price range, so it's hard to accept "there really aren't many these days"

 
Sorry, I'll clear that up for you. I meant headphones priced above $499 but below $999. I thought about clarifying further in the article, but I figured most people would get the point. You can think of it as $501 to $994, if you like. I put the prices above for reference.
 
So that cuts your list of 20 down to 9.
 
Being the bargain hunter you are @Allanmarcus, I'm sure you're very well aware of the fact that about 5 of those 9 headphones can usually be found for $499 or less. So if we're thinking about it that way, that leaves you with the P9, LCD-2, HE560 and the ELLA. Considering you can pretty much always find the HE560 for a hair under $500 used these days, that's a little shaky too... so you've got maybe 3 or 4 in practical application from your list above. But I'm sure you already knew all that.
 
The real question is whether AEON is better than all of those 20 headphones mentioned above. I've listened to all of them except for the ELLA and the P9, but for the other 18, I can tell you that the answer is an unequivocal YES. 

 

[Allanmarcus]

 

   
Nice review. Very positive
 
In answer to your question:
 
B&W P9 $899
Sony MDR-Z7 $699
AudioQuest Nighthawk $498
Opp PM2 - DISCONTINUED
HiFiMan HE-560 ($899)
Sennheiser HD650 $499 (but usually about $329)
Shure SRH1540 $499
AKG K712 $399
Foal Elear $999
Fostex TH610 $599
Sennheiser HD700 $419
Audeze LCD-2 $999 (Can usually be found for $799 so we'll count them)
beyerdynamic DT1990 $599
beyerdynamic DT1770 $599
Blue ELLA $699
Audeze EL8 $699 (But can often be found for sale for $499... I'll count them anyway)
UltraSone Performance 880 $449
Fostex TH500RP $399
Sennheiser HD 630VB $499
Grado GS1000e $995
 
Plus some wireless models that have good reviews like the Momentums. Imagine I missed a few.
 
Oh, and now there is the Monoprice M1060, albeit open, but well under $499.
 
Just a few in that price range, so it's hard to accept "there really aren't many these days"

 
Sorry, I'll clear that up for you. I meant headphones priced above $499 but below $999. I thought about clarifying further in the article, but I figured most people would get the point. You can think of it as $501 to $994, if you like. I put the prices above for reference.
 
So that cuts your list of 20 down to 9.
 
Being the bargain hunter you are @Allanmarcus, I'm sure you're very well aware of the fact that about 5 of those 9 headphones can usually be found for $499 or less. So if we're thinking about it that way, that leaves you with the P9, LCD-2, HE560 and the ELLA. Considering you can pretty much always find the HE560 for a hair under $500 used these days, that's a little shaky too... so you've got maybe 3 or 4 in practical application from your list above. But I'm sure you already knew all that.
 
The real question is whether AEON is better than all of those 20 headphones mentioned above. I've listened to all of them except for the ELLA and the P9, but for the other 18, I can tell you that the answer is an unequivocal YES. 

Very cool! Good to hear that. I look forward to listening the Aeon. I kind hope I prefer my Ether C. The Ether C is the first headphone I heard, listened to for 5 minutes, and slapped my credit card on the table. 
 
Of course given your logic, the TH900 can often be had for $999, as well as the beyerdynamic T5p gen 2 commonly sells for <$999. Just sayin'

 

[xuan87]

Very cool! Good to hear that. I look forward to listening the Aeon. I kind hope I prefer my Ether C. The Ether C is the first headphone I heard, listened to for 5 minutes, and slapped my credit card on the table. 

Of course given your logic, the TH900 can often be had for $999, as well as the beyerdynamic T5p gen 2 commonly sells for <$999. Just sayin'

Hahahaha I had the exact same thought! If looking at street prices, I'm sure there are more headphones priced above 999 that can be bought under 999 too.

Regardless, the Aeon is one of only 2 gears that I absolutely must listen to at Canjam Singapore.

 

[Stillhart]

You're so busy nitpicking a creative flourish that you've completely missed the point.  There are FAR more headphones below $500 and above $1000 than there are in between.  (Feel free to come up with that list and prove me wrong.)  The point is that there are very few in comparison to other price points.  Certainly not a ton of new ones coming out "these days".
 
Anyways, I'm looking forward to reading your review eventually.  I'm sure it'll be extremely well-written given your attention to detail.

 

[Riley Beale]

 
​I'd say they are pretty comparable in their ability to isolate but the Aeon is a significantly better sounding headphone than the EL8 Closed.
 
The EL8 Closed I heard had this strange 'metallic' sounding distortion in the high frequencies that became more and more obvious the louder I turned them up.  The Aeon had no obvious audible distortion in the treble no matter how loud I listened to them at.  And the Aeon's just sounded better overall as well.
 
As for looks, I'd have to give the nod to the EL8, but as we all know, beauty is nice but it is often only skin-deep.

  But the Aeon is much lighter and IMO, they are a more comfortable headphone.

Thanks for the detailed reply.  I really liked the treble of the EL8 closed, but I am sure I would like these better over time.  Are these available from any dealers in San Francisco?  I will be going there in April for a concert?  I listen at pretty low volume.  I listen on my laptop with the volume on the audio player interface set at max and the computer sound set at 4 for over ear and 2 for in ears.  My desktop computer I set at 4-6 and set itunes and Foobar at max or close to.  I set my volume on my Fiio X5 at low gain 16 volume for in ears and closer to 18 roughly for over ears.  I only crank the volume up on my X5 when I am on the tractor or lawn mower or atv at work.  I usually turn it up closer to 20 and use in ears for those purposes.
 
Thank you
 
Riley