[sorrick]

Mine came today too. Initial impressions are that they sound really really good. The box and case were actually quite a bit smaller than I was anticipating (which is a great thing). The case is really great, Very custom to the size of the headphones, and really make the aeon a viable headphone to throw in a bag or backpack. The build quality, fit, and finish on the headphones themselves is really top notch. They feel so so solid. The headphones were smaller in overall footprint than I was anticipating, but as others have said, they feel super roomy around the ears. As others have said, they are very comfortable. The foam pads are firm but very supple, which disperses the clamping force of the headphones, which is firm, but not uncomfortable.

Now for how they sound. I was listening to Tidal out of my iPhone 7 plus to my mojo. In a word, great. The bass is very very deep, but excellently controlled. Mids are very smooth, and the highs are very clear, nicely transparent. I am somewhat sensitive to sibilance, and out of the mojo, these hit the sweet spot of going right up to the edge of what is comfortable for me without stepping into sibilance. As others have said, these are pretty balanced overall, but they don't sound thin or souless. Prat is also nicely dynamic and percussive. As for soundstage, try these definitely feel more expansive than most closed headphones. They feel out of your head, but not as open as some of the airier open headphones.

I'm really looking forward to spending more time with these. I am thoroughly pleased with my purchase these definitely bat above their weight!

 

[earnmyturns]

Mine have been here since Tuesday evening, but I've just been burning them in with constant music without listening. I reckon they'll be nicely baked by Sunday

 

[TMRaven]

What you don't know is Dan burns them in for the magical 9001 hours prior to shipping.

 

[earnmyturns]

What you don't know is Dan burns them in for the magical 9001 hours prior to shipping.

The instructions suggest 100h burn-in... Anyway, these are for work, and I don't quite have my work system set up, only sometime next week.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Just got them in the afternoon. Initial impressions, pretty good. Not immediately blown away, but after like 3 hours these really sing. I'm going to the Schitr this weekend for vacations will post more impressions on how well these babies scale. Currently have a Vali2 interested to see how these perform with a Rag.

 

[LaCuffia]

How would you know whether the headphone sounds better after the 100th hour as opposed to the first minute? More power to you for the patience but I am honestly always bewildered by the whole concept of burn in. It seems like some audiophile superstition but who am I to dispute it when the headphone creator himself suggests it too?

 

[jhwalker]

How would you know whether the headphone sounds better after the 100th hour as opposed to the first minute? More power to you for the patience but I am honestly always bewildered by the whole concept of burn in. It seems like some audiophile superstition but who am I to dispute it when the headphone creator himself suggests it too?

I can definitely see break-in for components with physical movement (e.g., speakers, headphones, etc.). I also agree there is a very quick "break in" period for components with capacitors, etc.; however, break-in for wires, software, etc. - nah.

 

[earnmyturns]

How would you know whether the headphone sounds better after the 100th hour as opposed to the first minute? More power to you for the patience but I am honestly always bewildered by the whole concept of burn in. It seems like some audiophile superstition but who am I to dispute it when the headphone creator himself suggests it too?

I know because that's what I heard with my Ether C Flows. The moving components of the headphones change some as they flex.

 

[taxiq]

[Q

How would you know whether the headphone sounds better after the 100th hour as opposed to the first minute? More power to you for the patience but I am honestly always bewildered by the whole concept of burn in. It seems like some audiophile superstition but who am I to dispute it when the headphone creator himself suggests it too?

But then there is the myth, burn in is a superstition.

 

[TMRaven]

We can't, our echoic memory is really poor, especially when dealing such minute, subtle changes, if there are any changes. We also have to remember that things like time of day, stress levels, the amount of sleep we've had or how well we're hydrated, and our general mood can also affect how we hear things and how much we're emotionally attached to the music.

There's also the anecdotal evidences that tend to debunk burn-in as well. Nearly all members of the community who comment on burn-in only describe it as being a positive effect (ie: if a headphone is lacking bass to them, burn-in makes it fuller; if a headphone has too sharp of a treble, burn-in tames it). You never hear accounts of people actively saying that after burn-in, their headphones sound less to their liking.

That's my short take on burn-in anyways. I tend to think that some super minor changes can and will occur, but they're so small that we won't be able to hear them, especially not over a span of 100 hours. One could compare a brand-new headphone to one that's got tons of hours on it, but small production variations will undoubtedly be larger than actual changes as a result of burn-in.

 

[Hippocamp]

We can't, our echoic memory is really poor, especially when dealing such minute, subtle changes, if there are any changes. We also have to remember that things like time of day, stress levels, the amount of sleep we've had or how well we're hydrated, and our general mood can also affect how we hear things and how much we're emotionally attached to the music.

There's also the anecdotal evidences that tend to debunk burn-in as well. Nearly all members of the community who comment on burn-in only describe it as being a positive effect (ie: if a headphone is lacking bass to them, burn-in makes it fuller; if a headphone has too sharp of a treble, burn-in tames it). You never hear accounts of people actively saying that after burn-in, their headphones sound less to their liking.

That's my short take on burn-in anyways. I tend to think that some super minor changes can and will occur, but they're so small that we won't be able to hear them, especially not over a span of 100 hours. One could compare a brand-new headphone to one that's got tons of hours on it, but small production variations will undoubtedly be larger than actual changes as a result of burn-in.

This is an excellent post. What will change the most is the listener's perceptual system. Our auditory systems adapt slightly to ambient conditions. So, if there is an overabundance of high-frequency signal, neurons coding high frequencies will become slightly less responsive over time. If there is a lack of low-frequency signal, neurons coding low frequencies will become slightly more responsive over time. After several hours of listening, those highs will tame a little, and the bass will seem a bit more present. My guess is that Dan recommends 100 hours of burn in because that will mean at least 10-20 hours of actual listening. He doesn't want people returning headphones before their brains have adapted.

 

[alota]

Received mine. First impression is really good quality(build) and package

 

[DangerToast]

I'm not sure I believe in burn in, but if the dude who engineered and manufactured the product says they can benefit from 100 hours of burn in, I'll do it.

I do think the vast majority of burn in occurs in our own heads, and it happens with all sorts of electronics, not just headphones. I just splurged and got a new 4K HDR tv to go along with my PS4 pro. It took about a week of staring at the screen and playing with settings to really appreciate what 4K and HDR can do. After a week, I watched something on my old 1080p plasma and the differences were clear as day. Now I can't go back, especially for gaming. The TV didn't change, but my appreciation of its technical abilities did.

 

[VandyMan]

If burn in caused a significant change, then manufacturers would need to do it before driver matching.

 

[taxiq]

Mine have been here since Tuesday evening, but I've just been burning them in with constant music without listening. I reckon they'll be nicely baked by Sunday

Aaah, best practice. Take a quick listen immediately and burn in beyond recommendation. Full effect of burn is unclouded by intermediate listening sessions which just cause recall confusion.