[pjyi]

I have to amend my prior statement. I've been listening again to the AK4490 DAC in the Jot with the AFC with the 1-notch filters and it actually sounds quite good. I think the last time I listened with the AFC was without any filters. The Mimby still has more sound stage and a bit more texture and layering but the 1-notch filters nearly solves treble glare.

I haven't heard the Modi 3, but have heard good things about it.

Hello I noticed that you own both emu teak and afc. How do they compare in general? Are they in the same league? Lastly, are they portable by any means?

 

[tcellguy]

Hello I noticed that you own both emu teak and afc. How do they compare in general? Are they in the same league? Lastly, are they portable by any means?

I think they are about as different as two headphones can be.

The Teaks have massive sub-bass and mid bass slam (to me; a non-basshead), have almost no isolation, and are not particularly fast. They have recessed mids, that are still high quality. The mid-bass can overshadow the mids. If I recall correctly the mids and treble measure with significant distortion. The overall listening experience is great though as it's very smooth and coherent. Very V shaped. The sound stage is very good for semi-open headphone. They are not particularly comfortable until you get a Pilot pad and I use the ZMF Eikon pads. Then they are fine. I prefer them out of the Jotunheim and balanced using a periapt cable. I think the current version on Drop has a fixed cable again.

The AFC is somewhat polarizing. Some people love them while others can't stand them it seems. They are very neutral and have mildly elevated sub-bass and mid-bass (slightly above neutral). They are very fast, with very clean mids and treble with fast transient responses. The sound stage is smaller vs. the Teak. Comfort is excellent. Noise isolation is very good.

Neither are suitable for portable use IMO. The Teaks will fall off and don't isolate. You can drive them with a phone or DragonFly Red, but they don't sound that dynamic from those sources. They really do well with the Jotunheim (excellent synergy). The AFC needs a lot of power to sound good. I've tried them using a DragonFly Red and they sound thin with no dynamics or impact. Even with the iFI iDSD micro they don't sound dynamic enough for me. I think they need a Jotunheim/Lyr 3, etc. level of power to start getting dynamics and bass.

 

[pjyi]

I think they are about as different as two headphones can be.

The Teaks have massive sub-bass and mid bass slam (to me; a non-basshead), have almost no isolation, and are not particularly fast. They have recessed mids, that are still high quality. The mid-bass can overshadow the mids. If I recall correctly the mids and treble measure with significant distortion. The overall listening experience is great though as it's very smooth and coherent. Very V shaped. The sound stage is very good for semi-open headphone. They are not particularly comfortable until you get a Pilot pad and I use the ZMF Eikon pads. Then they are fine. I prefer them out of the Jotunheim and balanced using a periapt cable. I think the current version on Drop has a fixed cable again.

The AFC is somewhat polarizing. Some people love them while others can't stand them it seems. They are very neutral and have mildly elevated sub-bass and mid-bass (slightly above neutral). They are very fast, with very clean mids and treble with fast transient responses. The sound stage is smaller vs. the Teak. Comfort is excellent. Noise isolation is very good.

Neither are suitable for portable use IMO. The Teaks will fall off and don't isolate. You can drive them with a phone or DragonFly Red, but they don't sound that dynamic from those sources. They really do well with the Jotunheim (excellent synergy). The AFC needs a lot of power to sound good. I've tried them using a DragonFly Red and they sound thin with no dynamics or impact. Even with the iFI iDSD micro they don't sound dynamic enough for me. I think they need a Jotunheim/Lyr 3, etc. level of power to start getting dynamics and bass.

The answer I've been searching for! Thank you so much for your detailed answer. I've been looking for a pair of closed cans I can use at home down stairs that doesn't require dedicated dac/amp. It seems like neither of them fit the category. Do you have any sub $1000 closed cans in mind that I can listen through es100 Bluetooth dac/amp that have good vocal clarity?

 

[tcellguy]

The answer I've been searching for! Thank you so much for your detailed answer. I've been looking for a pair of closed cans I can use at home down stairs that doesn't require dedicated dac/amp. It seems like neither of them fit the category. Do you have any sub $1000 closed cans in mind that I can listen through es100 Bluetooth dac/amp that have good vocal clarity?

For more portable headphones I like the MSR7 or M50xBT.

Maybe someone can weigh in on using an iFI xDSD with AFC and if it's a good pairing. That could be a potentially good semi-portable home-use solution. Or you could get a really long cable

I'm just sort of biased I suppose. I prefer the sound of a headphone that's optimally driven by the source. Some say AFC/HD650s sound good driven off a phone or DragonFly. I really don't like the sound of an under driven headphone. I strongly prefer an M50X or MSR7 from a DragonFly or similar powered source vs. a hard to drive headphone. If I have a powered DAC/amp that changes everything of course.

 

[441879]

The answer I've been searching for! Thank you so much for your detailed answer. I've been looking for a pair of closed cans I can use at home down stairs that doesn't require dedicated dac/amp. It seems like neither of them fit the category. Do you have any sub $1000 closed cans in mind that I can listen through es100 Bluetooth dac/amp that have good vocal clarity?

Might want to look at Focal’s Elegia. Haven’t heard it myself but I believe irs efficient enough to sound good from a smartphone. Their similarly priced open headphone Elear is IMHO competitive overall with the AFC though it sounds quite different. I would expect the Elegia to be competitive as well

 

[Gilles De Rais]

The answer I've been searching for! Thank you so much for your detailed answer. I've been looking for a pair of closed cans I can use at home down stairs that doesn't require dedicated dac/amp. It seems like neither of them fit the category. Do you have any sub $1000 closed cans in mind that I can listen through es100 Bluetooth dac/amp that have good vocal clarity?

I’d probably look over on the portable headphones, earphones and in-ear monitors sub-forum than here on the headphones (full-size) sub-forum. Horses for courses and all that...

 

[Caessa]

I've owned the AFC for about a month and a half now, and still I can't get over the level of detail they can extract from a song compared side-by-side to the LCD-2. It makes me want to close my eyes and listen to every song in my library just to discover all the hidden sounds I've been missing out on over the years. I didn't quite understand what "fast" meant as a headphone adjective before these, but now I get it. It's like they can start and stop playing any sound instantly and are sensitive enough to pick up on the tiniest noises, while the LCD-2 smooths things over in comparison (which could be good or bad depending on songs/preferences). I feel like the LCD-2 is the "fun" headphone you want to listen to while doing other things, but the AFC is the headphone you want to listen to alone in the dark with nothing but the music.

 

[ZappaMan]

They’ve got a lot of soul, compared to my Hd800s and se846, I think they’re the best I’ve heard so far.
I wonder what I get if I get the ether 2...

 

[Anouk]

Hi everyone,
Used my meze99 for many years now but am now in the market for a new fullsize closed back headphone for use with iphone+qobuz+dragonfly cobalt.
I was first looking at the b&w p9 but the midbass hump put me off. To my surprise the planar magnetic mrspeakers aeon flow closed is also in that pricerange as well as the audeze lcd2closed (although that one is a lot more expensive to buy in the Netherlands).
I was wondering:
- for my reference can anyone compare meze 99 classic with aeon flow closed?
- has anyone compared aeon flow closed with either b&w p9 and/or lcd2 closed?
- would an audioquest dragonfly cobalt be powerful enough to drive these?
- what are the benefits of planar magnetic over dynamic driver?
- any other fullsize closed back wired headphones worth considering around this price point? (I have been out of the market for quite a while)
Thanks in advance for any info
Greetings, Anouk,

 

[Audio Aficionado]

Hi everyone,
Used my meze99 for many years now but am now in the market for a new fullsize closed back headphone for use with iphone+qobuz+dragonfly cobalt.
I was first looking at the b&w p9 but the midbass hump put me off. To my surprise the planar magnetic mrspeakers aeon flow closed is also in that pricerange as well as the audeze lcd2closed (although that one is a lot more expensive to buy in the Netherlands).
I was wondering:
- for my reference can anyone compare meze 99 classic with aeon flow closed?
- has anyone compared aeon flow closed with either b&w p9 and/or lcd2 closed?
- would an audioquest dragonfly cobalt be powerful enough to drive these?
- what are the benefits of planar magnetic over dynamic driver?
- any other fullsize closed back wired headphones worth considering around this price point? (I have been out of the market for quite a while)
Thanks in advance for any info
Greetings, Anouk,

You should see if you can demo the P9 Signature. People who have heard them and dislike them make them out to be a very mid-centric, fun sounding kinda headphone. But that is not what I am hearing. If you want to know all about mid-bass then demo an Audio Quest Nighthawk, the P9 Signature sounds very neutral in comparison.

 

[Davesrose]

Hi everyone,
Used my meze99 for many years now but am now in the market for a new fullsize closed back headphone for use with iphone+qobuz+dragonfly cobalt.
I was first looking at the b&w p9 but the midbass hump put me off. To my surprise the planar magnetic mrspeakers aeon flow closed is also in that pricerange as well as the audeze lcd2closed (although that one is a lot more expensive to buy in the Netherlands).
I was wondering:
- for my reference can anyone compare meze 99 classic with aeon flow closed?
- has anyone compared aeon flow closed with either b&w p9 and/or lcd2 closed?
- would an audioquest dragonfly cobalt be powerful enough to drive these?
- what are the benefits of planar magnetic over dynamic driver?
- any other fullsize closed back wired headphones worth considering around this price point? (I have been out of the market for quite a while)
Thanks in advance for any info
Greetings, Anouk,

I find my AFC is the hardest to drive headphone I have....I think if you're coming from the Meze, and if you're not using a powerful amp, you might find the Aeons thin sounding. I've recently gotten a balanced cable with mine, and it makes for a pretty good balance with my iCan Pro amp (which has a lot of output). I'm not sure about the B&W, but I can compare with the LCD2 CB as I have both If you like your Mezes, then I think you'd enjoy the Audezes more (hope it's not terribly more....I actually got mine with a really great discount from an audio dealer here). Performance wise, the Audezes are easier to drive and are considered a bit warm from "neutral". That's not to say they're bass heavy. The main difference I've found from planars is that they have more extension in the lower frequencies and upper frequencies (more bass slam and some better sparkle). The LCD2 CB is really good with rock genres: the upper mids are a bit recessed but still present (as if you're listening a few feet from performers). If you want some intimate vocals and acoustic music, then maybe you'll want another headphone that's easier to drive (than the AFC) and has some more present upper mids. I haven't heard the recent Focal closed headphones, but my Elex is now my favorite dynamic headphone: it sounds great with even small portables. A bit more mids centric like the AFCs, but can also have some bass extension.

 

[TjPhysicist]

HI guys need urgent help. The screw on the right side no longer holds the two pieces of rubber/plastic together in any way at all. It was always a bit loose but no amount of tightening helps anymore...can I buy a replacement screw/the rubber bit (i think maybe the hole is worn enough that it no longer fits tightly. I tried a slightly larger screw but it doesn't help at all.

 

[Iluin]

HI guys need urgent help. The screw on the right side no longer holds the two pieces of rubber/plastic together in any way at all. It was always a bit loose but no amount of tightening helps anymore...can I buy a replacement screw/the rubber bit (i think maybe the hole is worn enough that it no longer fits tightly. I tried a slightly larger screw but it doesn't help at all.

This happened to me. Just email Dan and they will send you replacement parts.

 

[Anouk]

Hi everyone,
Pretty sure I will get the aeon flow closed in a few months. I thought I might stick with my dragonfly but have now read about the mojo and ifi micro idsd black label.
Whats the synergy of the aeon closed like with amps? Is it worth going balanced? I think the ifi can do balanced...
thanks in advance for any info,
Greetings, Anouk,

 

[441879]

Hi everyone,
Pretty sure I will get the aeon flow closed in a few months. I thought I might stick with my dragonfly but have now read about the mojo and ifi micro idsd black label.
Whats the synergy of the aeon closed like with amps? Is it worth going balanced? I think the ifi can do balanced...
thanks in advance for any info,
Greetings, Anouk,

The dragonfly will be way underpowered with the AFC. You definitely should consider a more powerful amp. Re balanced vs single end: it doesn’t really matter as long as there is sufficient power. That said, most portable amps that can do balanced also do single ended, but the balanced output has a lot more power.

My advice to those who are powering an AFC is to find an amp that can deliver at least 1W at 13 Ohms. I don’t know if many portable amps can do that and I personally use a FIIO Q5 which can’t deliver that much power either. It sounds good, though not as solid and punchy on bass as my Lyr3 desktop amp.