[KaiSc]

This should be a major goal for DCA phones to have design intention and form factor (portable, light, packs up small} match the technical requirements. Otherwise there isn't really much bonus provided by a small package if you have to bring along a small baggage train to use it.

Portable/Mobil amp’s solutions:

• I can drive my DCA Aeon 2 Noire from my old iPhone 6 leaving a good margin of Volume headroom.
The original Apple USB-C and Lightning-to-1/4” Headphones adapters behave identical.

• Same again with my wife’s Strangename Chinese Android phone. This is the only one of this row that sounds obviously different, little hazy, like low bitrate MP3.
I have to admit I have no clue of Android internals and I don’t even care.

• My Qudelix 5K drives the Noire in ”Standard Profile” unbalanced with enough power, having “Performance • Profile” and “Balanced“ as reserve.
”Balanced” with Noire uses too much buspower from the iPhone, so is limited to the 5K’s internal battery.

• The RADSON Earstudio ES100 - no problem again.


Stationary:
• On my RME ADI-2 Pro -40 dBr Volume is already quite loud, 40 dB of headroom!


For comparison:
With the same devices and settings, The AUDEZE LCD-2rev2 delivers the same loudness as the Aeon 2 Noire, at it’s typical different sound spectrum.


My conclusion:
For normal use cases, contemporary music within ear-healthy loudness-levels, all the above mentioned solutions are capable driving Aeon 2 Noire.
I couldn’t identify any of the often mentioned sound symptoms of lacking power.
Aeon 2 Noire’s Bass/Treble-rich character does it’s part in delivering a powerful sound.

I would go so far, if one needs more volume I suggest to question ones listening behavior in favor of a healthy hearing.

Only exception: highly dynamic classical music could challenge all the mentioned portables but the Qudelix too much.

 

[mugbot]

E1DA 9038S (needs a 2.5mm balanced cable) is tiny and provides plenty of power for the A2N.
Likewise the Qudelix 5k with a balanced cable provides enough, so mobile solutions are out there!

 

[kennyb123]

I couldn’t identify any of the often mentioned sound symptoms of lacking power.

You make a good point. When people say that more power is required to drive them, what exactly do they mean by that? Is it purely about volume or is it more the case that the Noires come to life? If the latter, it sure would help to hear it expressed in musical terms.

 

[KaiSc]

You make a good point. When people say that more power is required to drive them, what exactly do they mean by that? Is it purely about volume or is it more the case that the Noires come to life? If the latter, it sure would help to hear it expressed in musical terms.

That’s an interesting question, specially if you ask someone who is working with audio as a profession.

The following is not in line with what you read in the net over and over, about night and day difference is of amplifiers.

In my personal experience, comparing dozens of amplifiers with strict level controlled, BLIND A/B (ruling out opinion and pre-justice):
Up to the point of their individual maximum Power each Solid State amp I tested had very minor personality or special sound signature.
I often have a hard time reliable distinguish one from the other.


Back to the original question:

If you make an amplifier run out of steam (drive it into clipping, technically), it shows an individual face.

This testing is hard to do, because you need very hard to drive headphones to avoid overdriving and hurting your ears.
I have this experience with my AKG K-1000, which, in this regard, is even worse than the famous Hifiman Susvara.
Why - it’s very insensitive, 130 Ohm / ~ 70 dB / mW, and needs 12 dB of bass boost EQ to sound good.

In musical terms, either Blind A/B compared to an amp that is not clipping, or some of the effects are even obvious by themselves:
• Not loud enough.
• Loss of attack and punch.
• Loss of transparency, harder to separate certain instruments.
• Haze spreads across the music.
• The bass sounds slower, softer.
• Piano, and other originally clean sounds, sound like some pieces of paper lying on the strings.
• Attacks, like bassdrum kicks, sound scratchy.



Lots of existing amps cannot be tested this way, because their volume control does not reach into the clipping range.
Typical example are the Apple products, even at full volume they do not run into clipping on any load (I’ve already driven Horn-Speakers directly out of an iPhone for background music).
Superficially these are simply not loud enough for some, this can be perceived as lack of dynamics, but is no fault per see.

Next culprit:
Contemporary Pop/Rock/Hiphop/EDM music releases are 99% already heavily clipped during mastering, and already contain this type of faults in spades.
No amp can change or improve anything about that.

So your music for testing must be carefully selected.
Or the other way round: if you listen to the above type of music it often doesn’t make a big difference if the amp runs out of steam.

Here‘s a playlist of quality recordings:
https://tidal.com/playlist/fe8a3919-f74a-4e1b-98ae-ea9c7196e775

 

[Kevintj604]

You make a good point. When people say that more power is required to drive them, what exactly do they mean by that? Is it purely about volume or is it more the case that the Noires come to life? If the latter, it sure would help to hear it expressed in musical terms.

I auditioned the Noire today at my local shop in Vancouver. I brought in my iFi Gryphon to run them on and spent about an hour with them. The shop owner has a 4.4mm balanced cable from a Sendy model as well as the stock 3.5mm. Needless to say the Noire’s sounded completely under performing with the 3.5mm. They lacked detail, dynamics and punch and I wasn’t impressed with them. I tried them on a FiiO K9 ESS Pro and they livened up a bit but again I wasn’t blown away.

Then I switched the cable to 4.4mm.

Huge difference when giving the Noire a lot more power. On the FiiO with 4.4mm they sounded more energetic, more dynamic and punchy. On the Gryphon using 4.4mm the power bump is considerable as it’s now using all 6.7 watts. Again huge difference in sound and I really liked this pairing. More energy, more note weight and quite a bit better pronounced treble.

DCA headphones are known to need a lot of power to sound optimized and I think the Noire falls into this category as well.

I need another headphone like a hole in my head but I really enjoyed my time with the Noire. I’ll have to go back to the store to spend another hour with it before I pull the trigger but it might be my next headphone. I love the portability and with the Gryphon or Diablo on a flight the Noire would be awesome.

 

[Alexzander]

Portable/Mobil amp’s solutions:

• I can drive my DCA Aeon 2 Noire from my old iPhone 6 leaving a good margin of Volume headroom.
The original Apple USB-C and Lightning-to-1/4” Headphones adapters behave identical.

• Same again with my wife’s Strangename Chinese Android phone. This is the only one of this row that sounds obviously different, little hazy, like low bitrate MP3.
I have to admit I have no clue of Android internals and I don’t even care.

• My Qudelix 5K drives the Noire in ”Standard Profile” unbalanced with enough power, having “Performance • Profile” and “Balanced“ as reserve.
”Balanced” with Noire uses too much buspower from the iPhone, so is limited to the 5K’s internal battery.

• The RADSON Earstudio ES100 - no problem again.


Stationary:
• On my RME ADI-2 Pro -40 dBr Volume is already quite loud, 40 dB of headroom!


For comparison:
With the same devices and settings, The AUDEZE LCD-2rev2 delivers the same loudness as the Aeon 2 Noire, at it’s typical different sound spectrum.


My conclusion:
For normal use cases, contemporary music within ear-healthy loudness-levels, all the above mentioned solutions are capable driving Aeon 2 Noire.
I couldn’t identify any of the often mentioned sound symptoms of lacking power.
Aeon 2 Noire’s Bass/Treble-rich character does it’s part in delivering a powerful sound.

I would go so far, if one needs more volume I suggest to question ones listening behavior in favor of a healthy hearing.

Only exception: highly dynamic classical music could challenge all the mentioned portables but the Qudelix too much.

And to answer @kennyb123 :

You can have loud volume levels for Noire even from phone, but you won’t get that level of SQ which would be available when supplying them with higher current and voltage.

If you do, however, than you’ll get much better dynamics (slam/punch/attack) and better control, which will result in clearer mids, more tighter bass and a bit more refined sparkle.

So Noire basically scale up well on appropriate gear.

 

[kennyb123]

If you do, however, than you’ll get much better dynamics (slam/punch/attack) and better control, which will result in clearer mids, more tighter bass and a bit more refined sparkle.

Well done - thanks.

 

[kennyb123]

Again huge difference in sound and I really liked this pairing. More energy, more note weight and quite a bit better pronounced treble.

That sounds like something I need to pursue at some point - thanks!

 

[Kevintj604]

That sounds like something I need to pursue at some point - thanks!

Yeah. To be clear i'm not saying the cable is making the difference. I'm saying the termination to 4.4mm balanced circuitry is offering considerably more boost in power which helps bring the Noire to life.

 

[kennyb123]

Yeah. To be clear i'm not saying the cable is making the difference. I'm saying the termination to 4.4mm balanced circuitry is offering considerably more boost in power which helps bring the Noire to life.

Yes I understood that. Worth clarifying for others.

 

[der luda]

For a long time I resisted closed headphones, a few excursions with dynamic ones were never satisfactory.

However, I don't want to do without the enjoyment of music for the weekends and holidays, I'm never really happy with in ears. Now my trusted dealer suggested the Aeon 2 noire....he knows me very well
So far I've tested it on the naim Uniti Atom HE and Ibasse dx300. From my point of view, it is underpowered on rather weaker simple amps or on a mobile phone, the Aeon is demanding. But then he rewards me, fine...plays really likeable, fine, is fun right away and fits my profile very well. Very fine like singing, instruments dissolve without getting annoying, fine, fast and heavy sub-bass

Put it on, listen...without thinking

 

[rde01]

For a long time I resisted closed headphones, a few excursions with dynamic ones were never satisfactory.

However, I don't want to do without the enjoyment of music for the weekends and holidays, I'm never really happy with in ears. Now my trusted dealer suggested the Aeon 2 noire....he knows me very well
So far I've tested it on the naim Uniti Atom HE and Ibasse dx300. From my point of view, it is underpowered on rather weaker simple amps or on a mobile phone, the Aeon is demanding. But then he rewards me, fine...plays really likeable, fine, is fun right away and fits my profile very well. Very fine like singing, instruments dissolve without getting annoying, fine, fast and heavy sub-bass

Put it on, listen...without thinking

Would you mind describing the difference when you listen to it on the Atom HE and the dx300?

 

[skeeb23]

If I have to make one nitpick about the Noire, it would be the stock SE cable I got with it. It doesn't stay straight very well at all! I think it's a nice quality cable as far as that goes...just not a very easy cable to not twist. I'm going to hang it up for the night with a slight weight to see if it will make it straighten out. I've already ordered a periapt xlr cable for it, so I know that cable won't have the issue.

 

[der luda]

Would you mind describing the difference when you listen to it on the Atom HE and the dx300?

I have a quick look now Matthew Halshall, Samantha Nora Jones, don't know why Dire Straits, you and your friend .....heard,

the numbers go very well with DanClark and I know them down to the last note
On the DX300, the Noir sounds, in direct comparison always .... one size smaller, voice, guitar, quiet secondary instruments are always a bit smaller, narrower, less space.
Please don't get me wrong, the DX300 is a really good DAP, but on the Naim the Noir sounds more mature with more space and more dynamics.

Please, are of course just my personal views

 

[Orangutan]

Tried the Noire briefly and here are some impressions. The pads on the Noire felt disfigured. They didn't even match perfectly between the right and left side. Sound notes: I found them underwhelming to be honest. These are what I could call 'flat' in my head. Flat not as in matching a specific Harmann target, but flat as in, everything sounded like someone machined off all the enjoyable parts of the song. It's perfectly smoothened out. I didn't get the kick of the drum, neither I got the excitement of a bass guitar or the emotions of the singer. They were flat as in dead. I had a particularly strong impression about these because these are not my thing at all.