[tgx78]

Mine were delivered today!, exciting. However I have a dum[mer] question about the cable. The cable has a 1/4 jack on the end, there was no adapter in the box, does this come apart somehow to get the 3.5mm version?

unscrew it.

 

[superfell]

Unscrew what exactly? all i can get to unscrew is the silver connection cover at the back.

 

[tgx78]

 

[MattTCG]

Just twist...

 

[superfell]

LOL indeed, thanks. I had to unscrew the cover to be able to hold something to unscrew the jack.

 

[mandrake50]

Hold the base of the connector... and unscrew the 1/4" PLUG ( of course with the 1/8 jack on the other end) thus revealing the 1/8" PLUG
incredibly. the jack is the panel mounted "female" in this case connector (or maybe the mating end of the 1/4 inch adapter). Maybe they should have called it Delilah.... but it is Jack.

BTW, the first time I did this, I was not firmly holding the base of the connector, and it started unscrewing from the connector body. First, I tightened the shell better, then did not tighten the 1/4 adapter as tightly when reassembling it. Now it is easy to change it out.

 

[mrspeakers]

Deleted

 

[Maelob]

Guys, what am I doing wrong?
It's strange but the Aeons don't pull me into the music as the Audio Technica M50's do. The resolution for sure is better on the Aeons, but they simply don't shine as much. They sound a little bit more recessed. Also the sparkle of the guitars has gone. I have the impressions that the tone of the instruments is clear but it all sounds further away, or just like "the musicians don't hammer as strong on the strings" as they do on the M50's or on the Westone W30 IEM's. I'm not saying that the M50 or W30 are better, they just have something that I am suddenly missing on the Aeons.
I am currently using a DacMagic Plus that is connected via USB to my PC. The Aeon's have been running for like 50 hours now...

Could it be that Dacmagic amp section is lacking in "juice"?
https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/products/hifi-and-home-cinema/dacmagic-plus

Any help or advise would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Onc thing I notice with the Aeons is that at first you need to figure out the volume. I had to listen to them a little louder of what was used to with my Primes, but then little by little I dialed back once i adjusted to the sound. Also make sure the connectors are all the way in, that happened to me the first day and I though the headphones were crap.

 

[Imusicman]

I'm loving listening to the new London Grammar album through the Aeons out of my QP1R. It really shows how good the SQ on a portable set up can be these days.

IMHO this is a great pairing

 

[rnros]

A common misconception is that just oodles of unused power is required to make something sound good. It isn't, it is about quality of the implementation. The AEON requires a paltry 1.45mW or 0.141Vrms to reach 90dB SPL, and saying that 2.1Vrms is not enough is kind of misleading. Feeding a full 2.1Vrms in to the AEON would destroy most ears according to the numbers. To use your FiiO reference my X5III drives the ETHER Flow just fine at 50-60/120 (depending on the track) and in no way is underpowering them to reach good listening levels, and they are less efficient than the AEON. Then again, I don't listen at 110dB so YMMV.

A more likely reason is either the output impedance mismatch given the AEON's low impedance (not sure about this given that the AEON is a planar magnetic), or they are more revealing of the source than the M50. The latter theory is more likely. I find that when upgrading to more revealing/resolving headphones then weaknesses in the chain are revealed. Quality is more important than flat out ridiculous quantity with regard to power (of course, once there is enough power for dynamic headroom). A couple of examples are the Woo WA8 and ALO CDM. These devices output less max power than the DMP yet many people love pairing them with much more demanding headphone's than the AEON. Again, the issue is not raw max power here.

Or, the OP simply prefers the fun signature of the M50.

Agree on your power vs implementation comment. Just providing some quick comparison numbers for his component that doesn't actually list the numbers for the headphone output, which is unusual, except in the day when integrated amps provided a convenience headphone jack but typically not any information on the HP out. And, yes, a strong possibility that there is an impedance issue. AEON has a very low impedance of 13 Ohms.

LOL, 110dB, I think you meant to say YVMV, YourVoltageMayVary!
However, when citing decibel levels we need to be clear about continuous or peak. 110dB continuous is a chainsaw or some rock concerts. 110dB peak is an orchestra, or a cello, or some of the wind instruments. So, nothing unusual about hitting 110dB peak on your speakers or headphones. And the recording also matters, a good recording will not compress the dynamic range and crank up the volume. Specifically, if I am listening to some of the better orchestral recordings on the FiiO X3II with the AEON and hitting +/-90dB peak, my volume level can be as high as 110/120. With a Chesky studio recording, jazz ensemble, 100/120 might be the volume level. Now there are many non-critical sessions when you don't want to approach live performance levels, of course. But, for me, that is where the volume level instinctively goes by ear when listening critically. The FiiO X3II can output a little over 7Vp-p, so a little over 2.5Vrms, thus my comment. And, IMO, the AEON is not hitting it's full stride with that feed. So, yes, very good, impressively good, but it does scale with better DACs and amps.

To your point on the excess power hype: with the GungnirMB feeding the very modest 1W per channel $169 Vali2, the AEON does hit another level. (Excellent tube of course, but not expensive. $25.) Does it perform better with the better amps? I think so, but the biggest jump is from the DAP to the $169 1W amp. Sure, there are other design contributions made with the better amps besides the power increase. Makes you wonder though, why so many of us are spending so many thousands on headphones amps that are providing 8 or 10W per channel. LOL, must be $200 for the first watt and $4800 for the 'implementation' and large power supply.

My recommendation to someone just starting would be to buy the best DAC you can afford, and then a modest, clean amp.

 

[TimeLord]

To your point on the excess power hype: with the GungnirMB feeding the very modest 1W per channel $169 Vali2, the AEON does hit another level. (Excellent tube of course, but not expensive. $25.) Does it perform better with the better amps? I think so, but the biggest jump is from the DAP to the $169 1W amp. Sure, there are other design contributions made with the better amps besides the power increase. Makes you wonder though, why so many of us are spending so many thousands on headphones amps that are providing 8 or 10W per channel. LOL, must be $200 for the first watt and $4800 for the 'implementation' and large power supply.

My recommendation to someone just starting would be to buy the best DAC you can afford, and then a modest, clean amp.

My amp puts out 9W into 50 Ohms. I have never needed all of that power, but I also had no problem driving the AKG K1000. I like having the power just in case something like a K1000 or HE-6 should need to be driven.

My recommendation is the opposite. I think going from the bottom to TOTL, there are more audio quality variation steps in amps than there are in DACs. Therefore, I recommend getting the amp right first, then correcting the DAC. Also, amp technology is easier to grasp for someone first getting into the hobby, so it is less intimidating and less likely to discourage further learning and staying in the hobby.

That's not to say that DACs aren't important. They most definitely are and in the end both the amp and DAC have to be good to get the best results.

 

[x RELIC x]

Agree on your power vs implementation comment. Just providing some quick comparison numbers for his component that doesn't actually list the numbers for the headphone output, which is unusual, except in the day when integrated amps provided a convenience headphone jack but typically not any information on the HP out. And, yes, a strong possibility that there is an impedance issue. AEON has a very low impedance of 13 Ohms.

LOL, 110dB, I think you meant to say YVMV, YourVoltageMayVary!
However, when citing decibel levels we need to be clear about continuous or peak. 110dB continuous is a chainsaw or some rock concerts. 110dB peak is an orchestra, or a cello, or some of the wind instruments. So, nothing unusual about hitting 110dB peak on your speakers or headphones. And the recording also matters, a good recording will not compress the dynamic range and crank up the volume. Specifically, if I am listening to some of the better orchestral recordings on the FiiO X3II with the AEON and hitting +/-90dB peak, my volume level can be as high as 110/120. With a Chesky studio recording, jazz ensemble, 100/120 might be the volume level. Now there are many non-critical sessions when you don't want to approach live performance levels, of course. But, for me, that is where the volume level instinctively goes by ear when listening critically. The FiiO X3II can output a little over 7Vp-p, so a little over 2.5Vrms, thus my comment. And, IMO, the AEON is not hitting it's full stride with that feed. So, yes, very good, impressively good, but it does scale with better DACs and amps.

To your point on the excess power hype: with the GungnirMB feeding the very modest 1W per channel $169 Vali2, the AEON does hit another level. (Excellent tube of course, but not expensive. $25.) Does it perform better with the better amps? I think so, but the biggest jump is from the DAP to the $169 1W amp. Sure, there are other design contributions made with the better amps besides the power increase. Makes you wonder though, why so many of us are spending so many thousands on headphones amps that are providing 8 or 10W per channel. LOL, must be $200 for the first watt and $4800 for the 'implementation' and large power supply.

My recommendation to someone just starting would be to buy the best DAC you can afford, and then a modest, clean amp.

I was being sarcastic and meant 110dB average, and I'm well aware of the loudness of 110dB. Personally, I think you listen far too loud for your own good but I'm also not judging. Good luck.

 

[rnros]

My amp puts out 9W into 50 Ohms. I have never needed all of that power, but I also had no problem driving the AKG K1000. I like having the power just in case something like a K1000 or HE-6 should need to be driven.

My recommendation is the opposite. I think going from the bottom to TOTL, there are more audio quality variation steps in amps than there are in DACs. Therefore, I recommend getting the amp right first, then correcting the DAC. Also, amp technology is easier to grasp for someone first getting into the hobby, so it is less intimidating and less likely to discourage further learning and staying in the hobby.

That's not to say that DACs aren't important. They most definitely are and in the end both the amp and DAC have to be good to get the best results.

Sure, but we are discussing the AEON, and the comment was specific to getting the most from the AEON.
The AEON is capable of delivering the enhanced details from a great DAC with a just a reasonable amp.
Talking about someone starting out without a budget to go TOTL on both DAC and amp.

 

[rnros]

I was being sarcastic and meant 110dB average, and I'm well aware of the loudness of 110dB. Personally, I think you listen far too loud for your own good but I'm also not judging. Good luck.

Thanks. Just joking a bit and I do appreciate your sincerity. Too far along to consider giving up live performance!
Since I value my hearing I am careful with all things sound related. Which means I do use earplugs when I have to use a chainsaw!
So far, so good.

 

[HK_sends]

Thanks to MattTCG, I just found out about the inserts! I had noticed I needed to use the bass boost out of my FiiO X5iii/A5 Amp combo to achieve a more "full" (to me) sound. Unfortunately, I didn't see Dan's posts here until after I sent an inquiry to Mr. Speakers. I just wanted to say Thank You, Dan and Co., for the excellent support for your customers! I look forward to trying out the pads!

Cheers and All the Best!
-HK sends