441879
500+ Head-Fier
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- Dec 21, 2015
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I think it’s hard for a lot of people (me included) to compare headphones we’re interested in side by side in person. No headphone dealers within 1500 miles doesn’t help. The best substitute I’ve found is to read lots of reviews comparing two or more headphones against each other in order to see the consensus of opinion. That can be fairly time consuming. Since I’m probably not the only one who isn’t going to can jams or meetups, I figured I’d start this thread as a place to park comparisons between headphones in the “Entry Level High End” category, or more precisely, in the $500-$1000 price range. Also because why not. I’ll begin with my impressions of 3 headphones:
MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Closed (AFC) $799
MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Open (AFO) $799
The Focal Elex (Elex) $699
If you can accept the idea that $500-$1000 is a reasonable amount to pay for headphones, then these phones could be considered high performance for the price. All three are relatively new to the market, having appeared in the last two years. Each have had their share of glowing reviews. I love all three of these headphones and recommend them all highly.
Testing method:
Not very scientific I’m afraid. Just me listening to music I enjoy over and over with different headphones.
About me: I’m a 53 y.o. engineer with strong analytical tendencies. My tastes are pretty broad with EDM, blue grass, blues, and jazz likes. Live recordings with really amazing guitar work are probably what I most like which is reflected in my test tracks. My hearing is good for my age but sound above 15 kHz is inaudible. I tend to be skeptical of significant differences between cables and am willing to admit a lot of my perceptions of sound differences may exist exclusively in my head.
Desk-top test rig: Tidal HiFi and and HD tracks high bit rate recordings via usb to Topping D50 DAC then Schiit Loki (set to flat unless otherwise stated) and finally to a Schiit Lyr3 with a Sylvania “Bad Boy” tube which adds a little air and punch over the stock tube options. You’ll notice I talk about performance on a Schiit Magni3 sometimes. That amp is no longer at home so it wasn’t really part of the comparison but I do mention it once or twice.
Mobile rig: Spotify premium “very high bit rate” (320 kbps Ogg Vorbis) via blue-tooth AAC to Fiio Q5. Not the highest fidelity system but it works well enough that it’s my go to solution when traveling.
Tracks used for testing:
https://open.spotify.com/track/u3dZa4cqfnAOm154H601RbY?si=VCTqFU7XSES4zw9dWVrAqg
First up: the AFC.
The AFC was my first really expensive pair of headphones and I bought them on impulse after listening to them on vacation in NYC (There are stores there that sell just about every headphone known to man!). My 400i pretty much got banished to the office when these got home.
The AFC is a planar magnetic headphone with an innovative driver that features technology from MrSpeakers higher end models. Specifically, the magnets have contoured sound holes through them to reduce distortion and improve clarity, and the diaphragm is pleated to allow greater movement and more dynamics. Additionally, they’re light for Planar Magnetics, weighing in at 340 grams thanks to the use of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber. I don’t know how much difference the tech makes, but I can say that the AFC is not very efficient. Mr Speakers lists 92dB /mW, but Inner Fidelity reports 1.4mW to 32mW (depending on sample) to reach 90dB BSPL, so not sure what the real efficiency is. Anyway, in my experience it needs a lot of amp to sound its best and most portable amps sound a little bass and dynamics challenged with it. If you plan on buying a pair, make sure your amp can deliver at least 300 mW at 13-14 Ohms, though I should point out that according to the numbers MrSpeakers publishes that is massive overkill.
Construction: very solidly built. I’ve had these for about 8 months now and used them while walking the dog, on airplanes, at home and at work. They’ve held up beautifully though the plastic ear cups are a little scuffed and the protein earpads are probably going to need replacement within a year as the memory foam is starting to wear out. The connectors for the cables work very well and in general the headphone has a very premium feel. It’s pretty isolating, certainly enough for an airplane though not as good as a pair of active NC phones.
Comfort: Light weight (for a planar), a suspension headband, flexible wire arch over the head and memory foam pads means this headphone is comfortable enough to wear all day long. Clamping force is moderate and adjustable. The pads aren’t perforated and the cans are closed so your ears can get too warm if you live in a warm climate. Not really a problem for me since I live in Alaska.
Sound: These phones are detail monsters with a fairly neutral sound signature. Distortion is very low and they can deliver a lot of sonic punch (though not as much as a good dynamic driver). Nothing is particularly emphasized but highs are a little brighter than my personal preference. Luckily MrSpeakers includes attenuation pads so you can tune the treble to your taste. I installed the single notch white pads which roll off the top a little but it doesn’t significantly degrade the clarity, detail and air these phones are capable of. If you want a pair of headphones that allow you to hear every instrument, breath and fart in the mix, these are the headphones you’re looking for. The bass is tight and flat and goes deep. Not a bass head set of phones, but you can EQ extra bass in easily. Instruments and voices sound very natural. Because AFCs are so resolving and detailed, they scale well with equipment and they don’t like low quality recordings. Speaking of equipment, these phones really need a high quality amp. If you buy these, make sure you have an amp that can deliver big current at low impedance. A hybrid or solid state amp would be my recommendation and the AFC pairs extremely well with the Lyr3 thanks to the tube adding additional air and a slightly more romantic sound with the solid state portion of the amp delivering all the power the AFCs need. My portable Fiio Q5 works fine, but you definitely lose a lot of the dynamics and bass compared to the Lyr3 or Magni3. The sound stage is not particularly large with these, but it is stable and well defined with instruments clearly located. When listening to a binaural recording (try Dubai by Mark Whitfield) you really feel you’re sitting in the audience 10 feet from the performers. AFCs are not particularly dry which makes for a non fatiguing sound as well. Genre wise they really shine with jazz, classical and anything with lots of layers and complexity.
Second, the AFO:
Construction and Comfort: Long story short the AFO shares a lot in common with the AFC. Same driver, same kidney bean shape, same pads, same suspension headband though slightly lighter at 321 grams and slightly more efficient at a MrSpeakers reported 94 dB/mW. They are essentially identical in comfort and the only difference in construction is the AFO is open (ish). The grill on the AFO is very nicely done from an aesthetic standpoint and feels solidly made. Open is more of a technicality though. They do leak sound but not a ton and they still provide some degree of isolation. Not enough for an airplane but enough to annoy my wife when she’s trying to talk to me. Comfort may be slightly better than the AFCs thanks to a little more air circulation around the ears.
Sound: I bought them because I was so pleased with the AFCs and I read great things about AFOs powered by the Lyr3. Specifically how they are a more musical and less clinical version of the AFCs. For the most part this is true. They’re warmer sounding with a moderate mid bass bump which on some tracks can sound slightly (very slightly) bloomy. The mids are a little more recessed and the treble is slightly more metallic (depending on the amp). They’re also a little more punchy with a greater sense of dynamics. In my experience they don’t really pair well with the Schiit Magni (The AFC is fine though) because of the slightly metallic treble. I use the black treble attenuators provided by MrSpeakers instead of the 1 notch white attenuators I use with the AFCs because they aren’t as resolving and detailed as the AFCs and a little less treble attenuation helps offset that. So does EQing in a little more mids. They also create a smaller soundstage which sounds much more in your head. For all that, I don’t consistently prefer either the AFO or the AFC. Yes, the AFCs are more detailed and have a better, more expansive soundstage despite being closed, but the AFO really does have an exceptionally engaging and hypnotic sound. I will frequently find myself drifting off into a dream state when listening to these. They’re hard to beat when you just want to lose yourself in the music. I would describe them as the sonic equivalent of putting your feet up in front of a fire with a warm blanket and glass of milk. They’re also more forgiving of mediocre recordings and they don’t sound quite as held back by the Fiio Q5 as the AFCs do.
Last, the Focal Elex:
Before I ever heard of Hifiman or MrSpeakers, I owned dynamic driver headphones. That stopped when I discovered planar magnetic drivers. Every headphone I have considered buying in the last 2 years has been a planar because they sound absolutely amazing for their price. However planars have caused the dynamic driver makers to up their game too and now some are using the same advanced materials engineering that benefited planars. Focal is at the forefront, taking dynamic driver headphones to levels of performance that are competitive with anything at their price. I bought the focal elex because its cost competitive with some very respected planars and wanted to see for myself just how good dynamics could be.
The Focal Elex is the Massdrop version of the Focal Elear. There are some cosmetic differences between the two, but sound wise the main difference is thanks to different ear pads. They apparently give the Elex a more neutral sound compared to the Elear (from what I’ve read, a little less mid bass, a little more mids, smoother treble) but both models have their fans. I bought them because of their reputation for great dynamics and high resolution and detail. That, and I wanted to see how great dynamic drivers compared to great planar magetics.
One of the nice things about the Elex is that they’re much more efficient than planar magnetics at 104 dB @ 1mW and a nominal impedance of 80 Ohms. Pretty much anything can drive them, whether it’s an iPhone or tube amp. Some OTL amps may have a little bit of an issue, but they would be outliers. This makes the Elex ideal for experimenting with amplification. I’ll also say that they really work well with the Lyr and seems to synergize well with a little tube sound.
Construction and comfort: They just scream quality at you from the moment you see them. If you’ve ever seen Focal speakers, you have some idea of how good they are at design and that carries forward to the Elear / Elex. They are gorgeous with a black on black color scheme that is both very masculine and very sophisticated. Mr Speakers Aeon series are very well designed, but Focal takes it up to another level. The cups are I think magnesium with aluminum hardware and probably anodized stainless steel mesh. They are open headphones in the truest sense with no sound isolation from the environment. Padding (headband and earpads) is microfiber covered memory foam. Comfort is very good thanks to light weight and great breathability around the ears, though not nearly as comfortable as the AFO & AFC. The pads are firmer, clamping force is higher and my ears touch the inside of the cups, creating a little discomfort after a couple of hours. Also, the suspension headband on the AFO and AFC is just more comfortable. On the other hand, the Focals look a lot better on your head.
Sound: The bass on the Elex is a thing of beauty. Meaty and rich with very little bleed or bloat. Just clear, well articulated, and a sense of solidness. Overall the sound is warmer than the AFC and to a lesser extent the AFOs. Compared to the Elex the AFO and AFC show off a little more deep bass as one would expect with planar dynamics but the difference is small. The Elex has fairly prominent mids and upper mids compared to both the AFO and the AFC, with the AFO sounding comparatively V shaped and the AFC less so. Sonic punch is bigger than the AFO and AFC making both sound a little compressed in comparison.
Soundstage wise the Elex is much wider and deeper than the AFO which sounds flat and small in comparison. It’s bigger than the AFC too, but the difference is smaller. Detail level is comparable to the AFO and not as good as the AFC.
Comparing specific songs:
Aerial Boundaries (Michael Hedges)
AFC generates the most detail but Elex creates the best soundstage. WIth the AFC and AFO you hear amazing amount of detail in the notes- every vibration of the string against the fret and slide of the hand down the neck. String plucks come through loud and clear on the AFC and AFO, not nearly so present on Elex. However the Elex pulls more information out of the reverberations and echos making it sound like you’re in a smallish venue listening to a master guitarist. To me it sounds like the difference between what you would hear if you were playing the instrument (AFC and AFO) vs sitting in the audience (Elex). Overall I prefer the Elex for this track. The realism of the Elex wins it.
Elisabeth Reed (Allman Brothers)
This is a live recording at the R&R club in Los Angeles. On this track the Elex feels more like you’re in the audience, but the sound is fatiguing being somewhat bright and energetic in the upper mids. The superior detail of the AFC really shines, capturing the percussive plucking of the strings and interplay between the guitars. The AFO is almost as good in details and the sound signature really works for this track, being a little recessed in the upper mids and a little warm in the lower mids. I prefer the AFO because it sounds mesmerizing and is capable of hypnotizing you.
Fire the Lazers! (Eoto)
Not sure what to call this genre- I guess EDM. Anyway this track really explores what a headphone can do with bass tracks. Not surprisingly the Elex excelled with the bass, but the sound is fatiguing in the upper mids. Soundstage is fairly unimportant on this track and the AFO really sounds great having great bass and a slightly recessed upper midrange. The AFCs do well here as well, beating out the Elex thanks to a less fatiguing sound despite less meaty bass.
Glory Chords Jam (String Cheese Incident Live)
Here is a track that really favors the AFC. The resolution these phone are capable of really comes through and you can hear everything with crystal clarity. Depending on your preferences, either the AFO or the Elex come in second with the AFO being less fatiguing and the Elex providing more realism and better soundstage.
Dubai (Mark Whitfield)
This is a Chesky binaural jazz recording and one of my favorite tracks. Thanks to it’s imaging abilities, the Elex really puts you in the room with the audience. With the AFC you give up a little soundstage and gain detail and resolution. If you want to hear every breath and subvocalization, go with the AFC, otherwise Elex. The AFOs come in last thanks to their recessed upper mids and less soundstage with the AFC and Elex essentially tied depending on preference.
Walking on Sacred Ground (Janice Ian)
The treble on this track is a little metallic and the AFO accentuates it, but the sound is intimate and euphonic. The AFOs thicker lower mids give Janice’s voice a rich, slightly husky quality that I enjoy. The AFCs sound similar, though less metallic, more neutral and more sound stage. The Elex does the best to my ears, adding warmth to the vocals and having slightly better imaging than the AFCs.
Summary:
The differences between these phones mostly comes down to sound profile and what you prefer or are most used to. That said, there is a real difference between the AFC and the other two when it comes to detail. The AFC wins easily and when I really want to hear what is in the mix, these are the go to choice. On the downside, they don’t sound good with bad recordings because they make the flaws all too clear. The AFOs are the most forgiving of the bunch, imparting warm lushness to most recordings and they are not at all fatiguing. Unfortunately, they don’t offer much of a soundstage compared to the other two so if that’s important to you, look elsewhere. The Elex has the warmth of the AFOs, but they also have a great soundstage. The downside is that the sound can be more fatiguing, especially on live rock recordings that have a lot of upper mid range energy.
Hope this helps.
