[433521]

So I've had the Aeon RT's for about 5 months and these are my impressions of them.

A lot of reviews over-hype the original Aeon Flow and have neglected the RT. So I'll be countering review of the Aeon Flow which is effectively what the RT is.

First is that this headphone is closed, a valuable lesson I've obtained is that when a reviewer praises a closed back headphone like he does an open back the technological limitations of being closed back mean that it is 2-3 steps below comparable open backs. For instance the greatest praise the Aeon Stealth gets are that it's LIKE an open back, basically chasing open backs.

You're not valuing appropriately the increase closed back give in dynamic range due to the lower background noise.

 

[treys1]

Just got a pair of these the other day and have logged probably 10 hours on them at this point. I caught them on that sale from DCA direct and they sound pretty dang good for $400!

Only negative for MY listening is that the sub bass is a little light for my taste with EDM. That said, every other genre I have listened to on them sounds pretty amazing.

 

[JamminVMI]

Just got a pair of these the other day and have logged probably 10 hours on them at this point. I caught them on that sale from DCA direct and they sound pretty dang good for $400!

Only negative for MY listening is that the sub bass is a little light for my taste with EDM. That said, every other genre I have listened to on them sounds pretty amazing.

Not arguing on the sub-bass. I have Schiit Loki+ in the chain to boost that. Works a treat!

 

[KCXT]

Not arguing on the sub-bass. I have Schiit Loki+ in the chain to boost that. Works a treat!

Same here with my Lokius. About 3:00 with the 20 Hz and 1-1:30 with the 100 Hz gives a nice extra grunt.

 

[treys1]

Not arguing on the sub-bass. I have Schiit Loki+ in the chain to boost that. Works a treat!

I'm running a Loki in both my setups as well, need to get some time on them with the stack that has the Modi too. The stack I was listening on is setup with the source being the PC directly. That PC does have a high end DAC, but maybe something is getting lost using the 3.5 out.

 

[JamminVMI]

I'm running a Loki in both my setups as well, need to get some time on them with the stack that has the Modi too. The stack I was listening on is setup with the source being the PC directly. That PC does have a high end DAC, but maybe something is getting lost using the 3.5 out.

Sounds likeyou know how to fix the problem!

 

[piakoB]

Received my set of Aeon RT CB on Thursday. Overall they are pretty nice. Have noticed they are really good with keeping instruments sounding tonally separated. For instance when a cymbal is hitting and there is soft guitar playing simultaneously -- the cymbal sounds just like it should and the guitar sounds mellow. Not sure how they pulled that sonic character trait off but it's basically one of the nicest things about this headphone. Haven't experimented yet with the filters. Not sure if padgate affects this set I got or not and I will report back if there's any pad rolling. The reason I didn't go with the Drop Aeon X CB is because of the pad rolling issue. I ordered directly from DCA thinking I would get a correct unit with the modified fixed pads.

 

[JamminVMI]

Received my set of Aeon RT CB on Thursday. Overall they are pretty nice. Have noticed they are really good with keeping instruments sounding tonally separated. For instance when a cymbal is hitting and there is soft guitar playing simultaneously -- the cymbal sounds just like it should and the guitar sounds mellow. Not sure how they pulled that sonic character trait off but it's basically one of the nicest things about this headphone. Haven't experimented yet with the filters. Not sure if padgate affects this set I got or not and I will report back if there's any pad rolling. The reason I didn't go with the Drop Aeon X CB is because of the pad rolling issue. I ordered directly from DCA thinking I would get a correct unit with the modified fixed pads.

I also ordered from DCA, due to Drop stock issues at the time. But the RTs (I also have closed) are truly amazing. I would like to have the foldable (like the Aeon 2), but that’s a small thing. Agree with their accurate reproduction of different sounds, and in my opinion, the soundstage is impressively wide and deep for a closed back. I futzed with the filters but ended up with the black thin foam, though I do add a touch of bass and treble with Schiit Loki+ and/or Lokius.

 

[piakoB]

I also ordered from DCA, due to Drop stock issues at the time. But the RTs (I also have closed) are truly amazing. I would like to have the foldable (like the Aeon 2), but that’s a small thing. Agree with their accurate reproduction of different sounds, and in my opinion, the soundstage is impressively wide and deep for a closed back. I futzed with the filters but ended up with the black thin foam, though I do add a touch of bass and treble with Schiit Loki+ and/or Lokius.

Also agree on the soundstage. I was listening to the CSNY live album 4 Way Street. Really relaxed sounding and chill presentation of these headphones. I actually prefer these for Jazz and soft rock more than the Ananda I have. The Ananda are way better for micro-detail and pop music where a lot is going on -- the problem with the Ananda is there is little nuance to the overall presentation and it's more of a wall of sound approach on those. I think next year I might pick up the Aeon 2 Noire since I like these so much. I'm still experimenting with the Aeon RT the correct volume level for these. Right now I have them on the Lyr 3 (high gain setting) at about 10:30 on the volume dial. You can turn them up pretty loud but the whole thing is the micro-detail doesn't necessarily pop at higher volumes like my Ananda does so it leads me to believe the Aeon RT is more of a casual listening headphone, which honestly is really good because I don't listen loud very often.

 

[JamminVMI]

Also agree on the soundstage. I was listening to the CSNY live album 4 Way Street. Really relaxed sounding and chill presentation of these headphones. I actually prefer these for Jazz and soft rock more than the Ananda I have. The Ananda are way better for micro-detail and pop music where a lot is going on -- the problem with the Ananda is there is little nuance to the overall presentation and it's more of a wall of sound approach on those. I think next year I might pick up the Aeon 2 Noire since I like these so much. I'm still experimenting with the Aeon RT the correct volume level for these. Right now I have them on the Lyr 3 (high gain setting) at about 10:30 on the volume dial. You can turn them up pretty loud but the whole thing is the micro-detail doesn't necessarily pop at higher volumes like my Ananda does so it leads me to believe the Aeon RT is more of a casual listening headphone, which honestly is really good because I don't listen loud very often.

Lol! Interesting. I didn’t enjoy Ananda at all, seemed jumbled and the soundstage was flat to me, couldn’t identify any instrument by itself. Then again (I have Sundara, and with Hifiman’s quality control, who knows. But I do have Aeon 2 open and Ether CX, and with Loki or Lokius, love them both. @ArmchairPhilosopher has the Noire and loves them. I just dial my RTs closer to the Harman curve. And Lyr3 is also my go-to, but on low gain. Thw Aeon2s do have more detail than the RT, I think you’ll like them.

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

@ArmchairPhilosopher has the Noire and loves them.

Can confirm; he does.

 

[piakoB]

Did some live album listening tonight these headphones really have the sweet spot for a relaxed listening session.

 

[JamminVMI]

Did some live album listening tonight these headphones really have the sweet spot for a relaxed listening session.

They are pretty darn amazing!

 

[piakoB]

Purchased these back in late July. Zero pad rolling issues so far.