I believe so.
Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Noire Discussion/Impressions Thread
- Thread starter phillyd
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I was ABing back and forth between it and my Caldera. A while ago I bought a AN2 but eventually returned it. Had the same issue then.
My experience is that the Aeon 2 has a weird case of the soundstage "seeming smaller than it is". I also kept on getting a sense of a small soundstage on the Aeon 2, even against something like the Sony MDR-Z7M2, so I compared them to figure out what was going on. I found that if I listen on the Aeon and focus on localizing any specific instrument, then it renders that instrument was good spatial distance, similar to the Z7M2. But if I take in the sound as a whole, the Aeon sounds more constricted and lacking in staging vs the Z7. I blame the bass. I found that the Aeon has too much bass in the tonal balance but with insufficient dynamic punch. This made the bass have a droning character and made it spatially large, so it was like having large "blobs" of bass constricting the size of the stage. My other headphones have "smaller" bass that is more precisely localized and that contributes to the sense of spaciousness.
Viper780
New Head-Fier
So you don't know?
Okay when did you bought the Aeon 2 Noir? On which Amp? With 12-13Ohm and Low Sensitivity they are demanding and need Amps that can deliver high Voltages.
For me it sounds like you just put the Aeon over your ears, didn't liked what you heard - which is totally fine - and now try to find a argument to bash them (which isn't fine)
From what I read and hear I wouldn't like the ZMF Sound. For me it needs to be clean, analytical, "linear" sound with a bit of high pitch. I don't like it to warm. Also the comfort of wearing headphones is very important to me. Thats why I love the AKG and als the Noir (even more than the E3).
But I understand why this Headphone is not every ones cup of tea
Daniel Johnston
Headphoneus Supremus
That's fair. The DCA tuning isn't for everybody.
The Caldera is 3.5x more expensive than the AN2. It'd be more fair going head to head with the E3 or Stealth. The Stealth has a significantly larger soundstage compared to the AN2. But it is also multiple times more expensive.
For price, portability, comfort, and weight, you have a hard time beating the AN2.
YMMV
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This is not an attack on the Aeon. This is an almost universal problem among close backs. The only close back that has overcome it, the HD820, can only do that by making compromises that make it a terrible headphone.
You should hear Stealth, E3 or NOIRE X before making that statement.... Our AMTS-equipped closed cans have a very expansive soundstage, and they are totally free of any "closed back colorations..."
Sorys
Head-Fier
Ahh i did find the caldera open quite spacious so the soundstage differences would be very stark and can concur and validate that experience going from the caldera open to the noire, it does sounds a lot more closed in. Nature of the beast and limitations of physics
Sorys
Head-Fier
Also just want to say i am definitely kicking myself that I bought the A2N on saturday considering the Noire X launched today. Though I would prefer if people compared between the A2N and Noire X versus Noire X and E3 especially with measurements
Yes, comparison with the Noire is more useful.
wondering @mrspeakers if the internal pad construction has changed with the NoireX. I just had some lingering issues on my old Noires with pad deformation, though read that there was a general update to the internal pad construction which fixed this issue
If the new NoireX have increased dynamics....I think I might have to get a pair *eventually* The Noire were pretty much perfect tuning for me...and super duper comfortable!
Dan Clark confirmed on ASR that the pads have been redesigned and the new Noire X pads are backwards compatible with the original Aeon 2 Noire if you still have them.
EDIT: see also the headfi thread for the Noire X:
Thread 'Introducing NOIRE X' https://www.head-fi.org/threads/introducing-noire-x.974973/
Post in thread 'Introducing NOIRE X' https://www.head-fi.org/threads/introducing-noire-x.974973/post-18449769
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Sorys
Head-Fier
Out of curiousity, do people have experience with the frequency response of their noire's changing depending on ambient temperature. I am using them as my portable headphones (replacing my elegias which just got too hot and heavy here in australia) and i notice the sound is changing depending on whether the ambient temperature is hot or cool. For example on my train ride into work today I was sitting next to the window with the sun shining in, the sound lacked a little bit of bass extension, now im in the a/c controlled office which is still quite loud and I am getting quite a bit more bass extension that digs deeper as well. Any info would be greatly appreciated
blochsidisco
Head-Fier
I have been drawn to the Noires for the longest time, and now that price has been reduced (probably due to the introduction of the Noire X) I am really tempted to go for it.
The HD620S is currently my favorite closed back, both for their isolation and sound. For my use case - listening around the sometimes not so quiet house - they are decent. I’m mostly using my iBasso DX170 but I’m not sure this could drive the Noires - or whether the Noires are really that much of an upgrade at all. I do love my sennheisers…
The HD620S is currently my favorite closed back, both for their isolation and sound. For my use case - listening around the sometimes not so quiet house - they are decent. I’m mostly using my iBasso DX170 but I’m not sure this could drive the Noires - or whether the Noires are really that much of an upgrade at all. I do love my sennheisers…
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