[Sonic Defender]

I'm telling you guys, it's aonic 50 all day. It kills Sony and px7 and panda drop etc. I bought virtually everything to compare.

I have heard consistently good feedback about the Aonic 50, but do keep in mind that there can be personal preferences at play. I have heard somebody rave about a sound signature, how it blows everything else out of the water, that they have tried everything and then a few posts later other members are talking about how they don't like the headphone. The odds of it "killing" the XM3 are low. It might be better, depending on one's preference, but killing is a pretty strong word. Saying that I am tempted to try the Shure.

 

[raymanh]

A few days ago I returned the XM4, because I was on the second pair and they both started to creak after two weeks or so, not only when extending the headband but also when wearing them, walking or turning the head. Very annoying for a headphone that is dubbed "The King of ANC" when they actually induce noise in the cups because of the poor engineering and build quality, and they do this for years, and never bother to change their build, despite users criticism. Reddit is full of such reports and DiY "fixes" that are unacceptable at that level of price. I hated to return them because the sound was pretty good with some EQ, but I just could not live with the creaking.

Anyways, I got the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 and there is no contest, different league, superb build quality with that carbon fiber arms, no creaks.
The sound is somewhat sculpted - maybe not to your liking if you like neutral - with deep bass / mid-bass presence / warm lower mids / a bit recessed high-mids / mild spike at 10K / but I like this warm signature, and they are much more organic and natural sounding, with great headstage / separation / imaging. Completely different level, Sony sounds artificial and heavily DSP-ed in comparison.

I didn't notice it at the Sony store, but theres another store that seems to have a well tested demo version. I'll be sure to check for it. The Shure SRH440 and 840 both creaked horribly. An instant dismissal of those models.

I've heard lots of things about the PX7. Unfortunately where I am now (not the US) it's impossible to find.

 

[raymanh]

Aonic 50's still a top contender. Cons for me, as I'll be wearing them A LOT, at home and around town:

- Weight
- No auto pause/play when the headphones are taken on or off.

Actually, further to the last point. I know the XM4 have auto pause, but given it uses a proximity sensor, if I take it off (so it pauses) but then put it down around my neck and have the cups swivel round to rest on my chest facing down, will that 'engage' the sensor and start the music playing again?

I will be trying out the following in a few days time when I'm free:

Anker Soundcore Life Q35
Sony XM3/4
Bose QC35ii, 45, 700
Shure Aonic 50 again
Sennheiser 450, PXC 550II, M3
Whatever JBL has in their store
A couple of TaoTronics (heard their ANC is quite good)

 

[KopaneDePooj]

Are the PX7 as tight as the PX were? I bought the PX twice and returned them twice as the clamp was quite painful, too painful to bare actually and I have read about many other people also finding the PX clamp terrible. If the PX7 are tight like that sadly that would be a major problem. My XM3 never creaks, fortunately and in terms of comfort, pretty hard to beat the Sony.

They definitely clamp more than the Sony (had the XM3 too), but not to the point where they are uncomfortable or you'd want to take them off. They feel more substantial, I'd say there's a good balance between their weight and the clamping force. (They are 56 grams heavier than XM4). The ear pads are wonderful, there is space in the cup behind the ear pad and they are very comfortable and don't get hot. The ear doesn't touch the fabric in front of the driver at all. (vs. Sony).

I'm telling you guys, it's aonic 50 all day. It kills Sony and px7 and panda drop etc. I bought virtually everything to compare.

If you're looking for neutral maybe yes, but the PX7 has character. Either you like it or not, but if you do... it's wonderful

 

[JoshG1217]

I have heard consistently good feedback about the Aonic 50, but do keep in mind that there can be personal preferences at play. I have heard somebody rave about a sound signature, how it blows everything else out of the water, that they have tried everything and then a few posts later other members are talking about how they don't like the headphone. The odds of it "killing" the XM3 are low. It might be better, depending on one's preference, but killing is a pretty strong word. Saying that I am tempted to try the Shure.

Sound wise, the xm4 isn't even close. Xm4 looks cooler, and has better ANC, but from a purely SQ perspective, the Aonic 50 destroys it, and I don't even like the signature of the 50. I'm a basshead. The new Yamaha ANC headphone has the best bass I have ever heard, but the details weren't there, which is unfortunate. Wasted potential there. I have to turn the bass waaay up on the 50. It's more traditional audiophile tuning. Every time I come back to it, I am surprised how good it is. Give it a shot. Again, I am talking purely detail and SQ, not tuning or other markers like effectiveness of ANC. Sony wins that for sure.

 

[JoshG1217]

They definitely clamp more than the Sony (had the XM3 too), but not to the point where they are uncomfortable or you'd want to take them off. They feel more substantial, I'd say there's a good balance between their weight and the clamping force. (They are 56 grams heavier than XM4). The ear pads are wonderful, there is space in the cup behind the ear pad and they are very comfortable and don't get hot. The ear doesn't touch the fabric in front of the driver at all. (vs. Sony).



If you're looking for neutral maybe yes, but the PX7 has character. Either you like it or not, but if you do... it's wonderful

Wasn't for me. I felt like it just wasn't very good tonally. I didn't like how guitars sounded on it, and since I am a punk and metalcore guy, so guitar tone matters. #guitartonematters

 

[andjayik]

i have the Soundcore Life Q35 and love them. Tried a bunch and returned all the sony ones, jbl audio tecnica, these q35 sounded the best and have ldac which is a must for me.

 

[JoshG1217]

In my experience so far aonic 50 wins. I just ordered Austrian Audios new vluetooth offerings. The au x and au xt. The x is a planar. Both offer aptx HD. Excited ro hear them toward the end of the week!

 

[raymanh]

Shure Aonic 50s sounded flat and boring to me. Much preferred the sound from my M40x at a fraction of the price.

Soundcore Q35 is more comfortable than the Q30 but the Q30 sounds better to my ears. So I might wait until the next iteration to see what they deliver. Much more value here compared to the likes of the Aonic 50 IMO.

 

[JoshG1217]

Shure Aonic 50s sounded flat and boring to me. Much preferred the sound from my M40x at a fraction of the price.

Soundcore Q35 is more comfortable than the Q30 but the Q30 sounds better to my ears. So I might wait until the next iteration to see what they deliver. Much more value here compared to the likes of the Aonic 50 IMO.

Aonic 50 does have anemic bass. But poweramp has an eq amd it doesn't tend to be an issue with Tidal. As far as actual detail, the Aonic kills everything I've thrown at it. The h95 had slightly more detail perhaps but at almost triple the price! The mkii of aonic 50 will hopefully fix the bass and bad aesthetics, but in terms of pure SQ, tough to beat and I've tried nearly everything (reputable and good). Hoping the austrian audio planars best it though.

 

[raymanh]

Aonic 50 does have anemic bass. But poweramp has an eq amd it doesn't tend to be an issue with Tidal. As far as actual detail, the Aonic kills everything I've thrown at it. The h95 had slightly more detail perhaps but at almost triple the price! The mkii of aonic 50 will hopefully fix the bass and bad aesthetics, but in terms of pure SQ, tough to beat and I've tried nearly everything (reputable and good). Hoping the austrian audio planars best it though.

I'll have to give it a listen again with EQ sometime. The other thing swaying me away from it is the poor ANC and it's heft at around 350g IIRC. The Soundcore Q30/Q35 had better ANC and weigh much less. For me this is especially important as I use headphones outside and for long periods of time.

As you say, hopefully in their update they'll do something about these points. Any idea when that'll be?

 

[JoshG1217]

I'll have to give it a listen again with EQ sometime. The other thing swaying me away from it is the poor ANC and it's heft at around 350g IIRC. The Soundcore Q30/Q35 had better ANC and weigh much less. For me this is especially important as I use headphones outside and for long periods of time.

As you say, hopefully in their update they'll do something about these points. Any idea when that'll be?

No. It's not in development as far as I'm aware, but they just redid their iem attachments (which are not good), and came out with tws, so maybe it's in the work?

The new yamaha had potential. Their bass is soooo good, but they lacked detail otherwise. They were decent, but not $450 good. Panda was just okay. M200 anc were just terrible. Phiaton legacy 900 are underrated and pretty good. Bassiet than the aonic 50, but as detailed, but a step at $220.

 

[KleinAberFein]

Hello hello, I wonder if the experts here can recommend me a pair of relatively small BT headphones for when I go with the bike.
Best on-ear, because I hate in-ear, and the around-ear for me must be quite big to be comfortable. But if you know some smallish around-ear which manage to be comfortable, name them
At home I use the Audeze Mobius and I got so used to them, that I have trouble finding anything else acceptable. I actually almost kept the ATH-SR50BT. They were still a bit too big but I liked their general clarity and balance (the ATH-ANC700BT in comparison were too dark and veiled for me). But they severely lack bass for my tastes. The Mobius are quite neutral but they have a very deep bass which is present even when not dominant. And when I need them to deliver more of it, with some EQ they do pretty well.
On the other hand the ATH-SR50BT despite EQ could not delivery enough depth and rumble, and not much punch either.
Generally speaking I like clarity. Muffled/veiled headphhones have no place in my life. I also like spaciousness (I got addicted to the Waves 3D effect on the Mobius), but I am aware that it will be challenging to get that on an small closed-back.
I listen lot of EDM, so, I like to have bass. But I also listen lot of indie pop, where I need more balance and good vocal presence.
So I prefer headphones which have the potential to do both things with some clever use of EQ.
Thanks in advance!

 

[andjayik]

if the headphones have no ldac thats a big negative for me. Lovr the Soundcore Q35

 

[JoshG1217]

Hello hello, I wonder if the experts here can recommend me a pair of relatively small BT headphones for when I go with the bike.
Best on-ear, because I hate in-ear, and the around-ear for me must be quite big to be comfortable. But if you know some smallish around-ear which manage to be comfortable, name them
At home I use the Audeze Mobius and I got so used to them, that I have trouble finding anything else acceptable. I actually almost kept the ATH-SR50BT. They were still a bit too big but I liked their general clarity and balance (the ATH-ANC700BT in comparison were too dark and veiled for me). But they severely lack bass for my tastes. The Mobius are quite neutral but they have a very deep bass which is present even when not dominant. And when I need them to deliver more of it, with some EQ they do pretty well.
On the other hand the ATH-SR50BT despite EQ could not delivery enough depth and rumble, and not much punch either.
Generally speaking I like clarity. Muffled/veiled headphhones have no place in my life. I also like spaciousness (I got addicted to the Waves 3D effect on the Mobius), but I am aware that it will be challenging to get that on an small closed-back.
I listen lot of EDM, so, I like to have bass. But I also listen lot of indie pop, where I need more balance and good vocal presence.
So I prefer headphones which have the potential to do both things with some clever use of EQ.
Thanks in advance!

The beyerdynamic lagoon might work for you. V moda codex addition could work as well for a bassjead headphone. Earcups aren't too big on either.