[parawizard]

Also, which replacement pads should I get for the Noire ? A link would be much appreciated

https://danclarkaudio.com/aeon-ear-pads.html These are what should come stock on the noire

 

[parawizard]

I want to preface this by saying that I’ve spent a couple months worth of collective time with the Noire and I absolutely love them. But I’m now on my third pair, with all 3 being directly shipped from DCA, and just earlier tonight this third pair has had most of the audio permanently shifted to the right ear, and it is especially noticeable with highs and vocals. My previous pair that I’ve sent back to DCA exhibited the same exact issue and the audio shift happened as I was using them. I’ve troubleshooted with every test and check I could think of, both with the previous and current pair of Noires, and I’m at a loss as to how or why this has happened twice now. I practically baby the headphones and keep them in a case whenever they’re not in use. The previous pair I used with no issues for 3 months, while the current pair I’ve had for just about a month.

I’m wracking my brain trying to think of anything else that could be causing this defect. Maybe it’s the environment I’m living in, which is fairly cold and a bit humid, or maybe it’s the fault of my Schiit Magni Heretic. Maybe it’s just bad luck. I just want my pair to work for a long time, or ideally forever. Going through this thread and the one on ASR, it doesn’t seem like anyone else has had this specific issue. I’ve already contacted DCA to figure things out, but I wanted to write this out since I’m frustrated with what’s going on.

Feel like DCA might have a root cause of the failure of the previous ones recorded. Seems rather suspect that you are having issues with one side recurrently? You've obviously confirmed that it still happens on other sources/amps and that other headphones haven't had the same problem on the same source/amp?

You could check the resistance of each driver with a multimeter, check cable with multimeter and check that the connector instead the cup not corroded or something.

 

[spatialjam]

Feel like DCA might have a root cause of the failure of the previous ones recorded. Seems rather suspect that you are having issues with one side recurrently? You've obviously confirmed that it still happens on other sources/amps and that other headphones haven't had the same problem on the same source/amp?

You could check the resistance of each driver with a multimeter, check cable with multimeter and check that the connector instead the cup not corroded or something.

Yeah I've tested everything within my ability aside from measuring with a meter like you suggested. Both pairs being around 3 months apart in age and suffering from the same exact issue is just bizarre to me, especially when no one else on Headfi or ASR has experienced it. The first time it happened, I was in a voice chat while listening to music and all audio very quickly shifted to the right ear. And it just stayed like that. Voices and vocals were very right oriented from then on, while any sound in the bass region still seemed a bit more centered.

I sent my Noires back to DCA yesterday. Support emails have not specifically responded to my question about letting me know what exactly went wrong with the previous pair. I might ask again in the coming days but they might not be allowed to disclose that info. After that, fingers crossed that the next pair they send will be the final one until I decide to buy other headphones from them. The Noire has been perfect to me in every regard, but it's gotten very exhausting having to deal with this with what little time I have...

 

[parawizard]

Yeah I've tested everything within my ability aside from measuring with a meter like you suggested. Both pairs being around 3 months apart in age and suffering from the same exact issue is just bizarre to me, especially when no one else on Headfi or ASR has experienced it. The first time it happened, I was in a voice chat while listening to music and all audio very quickly shifted to the right ear. And it just stayed like that. Voices and vocals were very right oriented from then on, while any sound in the bass region still seemed a bit more centered.

I sent my Noires back to DCA yesterday. Support emails have not specifically responded to my question about letting me know what exactly went wrong with the previous pair. I might ask again in the coming days but they might not be allowed to disclose that info. After that, fingers crossed that the next pair they send will be the final one until I decide to buy other headphones from them. The Noire has been perfect to me in every regard, but it's gotten very exhausting having to deal with this with what little time I have...

Are you using the same cable between pairs? I'd get a multimeter out and have a look. You need to quantify the problem. Either the source, amp, cable, hirose, connector in ear cup or driver are failing. Do you have a multimeter? Sue at DCA should be keen on helping you figure out the issue.

 

[kennyb123]

Support emails have not specifically responded to my question about letting me know what exactly went wrong with the previous pair.

If you haven't done so, also reach out to the manufacturer of whichever device is acting as your headphone amp. It could be what's causing the harm. Maybe the manufacturer might have heard this before or be willing to swap yours out just in case.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Still drolling on Noire and Drop closed X, can’t decide

 

[jsmiller58]

If you haven't done so, also reach out to the manufacturer of whichever device is acting as your headphone amp. It could be what's causing the harm. Maybe the manufacturer might have heard this before or be willing to swap yours out just in case.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing… when three pairs of the same headphone fail for the same person, it might be time to look at what is common…

 

[tcellguy]

Still drolling on Noire and Drop closed X, can’t decide

I haven‘t heard the X but have the Aeon RT. Both the noire and RT are great headphones and I use both frequently. The Noire has more bass (sub and mid) and wider sound stage but less forward midrange. RT has less sound stage but more forward midrange and can be made even more forward with solid pads. I prefer the RT for midrange focused music or if I want to emphasize that region. Midrange is still great on Noire its just less forward.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

I haven‘t heard the X but have the Aeon RT. Both the noire and RT are great headphones and I use both frequently. The Noire has more bass (sub and mid) and wider sound stage but less forward midrange. RT has less sound stage but more forward midrange and can be made even more forward with solid pads. I prefer the RT for midrange focused music or if I want to emphasize that region. Midrange is still great on Noire its just less forward.

Very helpful comparison, thanks!

 

[spatialjam]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing… when three pairs of the same headphone fail for the same person, it might be time to look at what is common…

Just to clarify, the very first pair I received from DCA had the channel imbalance out of the box and it was left ear leaning, while the next two pairs both had a significant audio shift to the right ear that was permanent. While troubleshooting, the only thing I haven’t done is try completely new cables for the headphone to amp connection, or get a multimeter (which I have recently ordered). For the cable, I did swap the left/right connectors to check and audio was still heavily right ear oriented.

That aside, I’ve sent an email to Schiit today inquiring about the possibility of their amp causing damage to the Noire. I’m using a Magni Heretic amp that’s connected to a Fulla E, which is then connected to the back I/O of my desktop PC. The reason my DAC is a Fulla E and not a Modi is because I originally bought the Fulla E for all purpose use. Figured I’d save money and pair it with a Magni, so my setup is less conventional. My previous headphones connected to this setup have not exhibited similar issues, so it could be an interaction unique to the Noire.

I want to reiterate once more that I’ve previously tested everything I could within my ability. This includes hardware, connections, cables, cross checking with other headphones and other peoples’ hearing. I’ve done this 3 times over. It’s stressful and draining. I don’t have a lot of time in the day and it’s not like I’m trying to cause any trouble for DCA, who’ve already been very prompt with sending replacements. These headphones aren’t exactly cheap in price, and while I adore them I just want this to be over with.

The pair that just went bad has been back in DCA’s possession as of yesterday morning. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

 

[jsmiller58]

Just to clarify, the very first pair I received from DCA had the channel imbalance out of the box and it was left ear leaning, while the next two pairs both had a significant audio shift to the right ear that was permanent. While troubleshooting, the only thing I haven’t done is try completely new cables for the headphone to amp connection, or get a multimeter (which I have recently ordered). For the cable, I did swap the left/right connectors to check and audio was still heavily right ear oriented.

That aside, I’ve sent an email to Schiit today inquiring about the possibility of their amp causing damage to the Noire. I’m using a Magni Heretic amp that’s connected to a Fulla E, which is then connected to the back I/O of my desktop PC. The reason my DAC is a Fulla E and not a Modi is because I originally bought the Fulla E for all purpose use. Figured I’d save money and pair it with a Magni, so my setup is less conventional. My previous headphones connected to this setup have not exhibited similar issues, so it could be an interaction unique to the Noire.

I want to reiterate once more that I’ve previously tested everything I could within my ability. This includes hardware, connections, cables, cross checking with other headphones and other peoples’ hearing. I’ve done this 3 times over. It’s stressful and draining. I don’t have a lot of time in the day and it’s not like I’m trying to cause any trouble for DCA, who’ve already been very prompt with sending replacements. These headphones aren’t exactly cheap in price, and while I adore them I just want this to be over with.

The pair that just went bad has been back in DCA’s possession as of yesterday morning. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Yeah, I don’t think I was saying you hadn’t done everything you could, and it certainly is possible someone could get three lemons in a row. But the probability of that is pretty low, unless the problems are so widespread that lots of other owners would also have problems. Hence the suspicion that it is something inadvertent on your end.

Good luck in getting this sorted out!

 

[parawizard]

There were a couple people in ASR that were having intermittent issues that weren't reproducible by DCA. They measured the drivers with a multimeter when the issue was present and they weren't right.

 

[ShaolinGrump]

Oriolus BD20 + BA300s v2 stack powers the Aeon 2 Noire perfectly. I was shocked. Using AmazonHD as digital preamp at 70% volume. More than 75% gets too intense, not painfully loud, just aggressive.

 

[Pretardo]

Just wanted to send a big thank you to those who posted to this thread about the driver getting stuck when there is a channel imbalance. I’ve sent my Aeon2Cs back twice because of channel imbalance. This last time, I kind of gave up and just let them sit on my shelf for about a year. Seeing that they might just get stuck and with little to lose, I connected only the side that I suspected was stuck and gave it a moderate amount of volume and gentle little taps on the cup to see if that would work. Success! I’ve got my closed backs back!
It’s like I’ve got a new set of cans to listen to all over again!

 

[parawizard]

Just wanted to send a big thank you to those who posted to this thread about the driver getting stuck when there is a channel imbalance. I’ve sent my Aeon2Cs back twice because of channel imbalance. This last time, I kind of gave up and just let them sit on my shelf for about a year. Seeing that they might just get stuck and with little to lose, I connected only the side that I suspected was stuck and gave it a moderate amount of volume and gentle little taps on the cup to see if that would work. Success! I’ve got my closed backs back!
It’s like I’ve got a new set of cans to listen to all over again!

DCA has been replacing the drivers in sets with this issue. If it happens again you can confirm something is wrong by measuring the drivers with a multimeter in resistance mode.

There also was a user that cleaned and reconnected the hirose to driver board connector inside the cup and it fixed their issue.