[IkSak]

Yes, Dan Clark commented that it is possible. Also with a yoga block

 

[mrspeakers]

Many pages back it was recommended to use the foam spacer that came with the headphones when not in use to keep the pads from compressing.

Is this okay to do without any of the tuning/dampening pads installed? It seems the drivers are a bit exposed, so I want to be sure I'm not going to funk something up.

It’s fine the driver is quite protected.

 

[Charente]

Indeed ... if I recall correctly, the foam spacer was in place when I opened the box after shipping, so I guessed it would be OK on an ongoing basis ... good to have it confirmed tho'.

 

[skyline315]

Indeed ... if I recall correctly, the foam spacer was in place when I opened the box after shipping, so I guessed it would be OK on an ongoing basis ... good to have it confirmed tho'.

Yep, but the one-notch white pads were also installed. So, I wanted to double check that it would be fine with the tuning pads removed. Good to have confirmed.

Unrelated, but did you all read Tyll's retirement post at Innerfidelity? Take a wild guess which high(er) tier headphones he took with him off into the sunset...

 

[franz12]

Yep, but the one-notch white pads were also installed. So, I wanted to double check that it would be fine with the tuning pads removed. Good to have confirmed.

Unrelated, but did you all read Tyll's retirement post at Innerfidelity? Take a wild guess which high(er) tier headphones he took with him off into the sunset...

wow, it is a big loss to the headphone community. It was tyll made me buy ether c 2 years ago which I have happily owned since then. wish him best of luck.

 

[Badas]

Hi Everyone,

Happen to be in the very fortunate position of having temporary ownership of a pair of both open and closed AEON Flows.

I will be keeping one of them and have two weeks to decide.

If anyone has any questions they'd like to throw my way way I'll do my best to answer them...

Cheers,

I had both for a while and ended going for the open. That warm blanket sound is too adictive. Make sure you put a lot of hours on before making a decision. The treble bothered me at first. A little cracklely. That disappeared with a lot of hours put on each.

 

[Badas]

Fair enough. That’s the characteristics of the AFOs and won’t change much even with higher end tube amps.

To my ears they change heaps. On my V281 they sound superb, switch to my Woo WA22 and they sound better again. Then I tried my mates custom Glenn 300B tube amp and my jaw dropped.
It depends on your ears. I research and buy warmer sounding HP's. Treble enhanced super soundstage HP's get thrown away quickly. As they sound so fake. Yes I have actually thrown a set of HP's in the bin (HD700) as I wanted to save the world from that misery.
If your ears are tuned to warm HP's then changing amps you will notice micro improvements that will be appreciated and enjoyed.

 

[Phantaminum]

To my ears they change heaps. On my V281 they sound superb, switch to my Woo WA22 and they sound better again. Then I tried my mates custom Glenn 300B tube amp and my jaw dropped.
It depends on your ears. I research and buy warmer sounding HP's. Treble enhanced super soundstage HP's get thrown away quickly. As they sound so fake. Yes I have actually thrown a set of HP's in the bin (HD700) as I wanted to save the world from that misery.
If your ears are tuned to warm HP's then changing amps you will notice micro improvements that will be appreciated and enjoyed.

I agree that higher end amps really bring out the full potential of the AFOs. I was talking more in line of how closed in the sound stage feels. I can't speak for TOTL tube amps but on the Mjolnir 2 the HD650s feels more open, even with its intimate sound stage, has more air around instruments, and a slightly wider sound stage.

On the other hand I love that the AFOs are faster, sound fuller, and are more punchier than the HD650s. They're great for most music except for orchestral where you'd want a headphone that presents a wider sound stage.

Maybe with Glenn's amp my thoughts on the AFO will change.

 

[Badas]

I agree that higher end amps really bring out the full potential of the AFOs. I was talking more in line of how closed in the sound stage feels. I can't speak for TOTL tube amps but on the Mjolnir 2 the HD650s feels more open, even with its intimate sound stage, has more air around instruments, and a slightly wider sound stage.

On the other hand I love that the AFOs are faster, sound fuller, and are more punchier than the HD650s. They're great for most music except for orchestral where you'd want a headphone that presents a wider sound stage.

Maybe with Glenn's amp my thoughts on the AFO will change.

I didn't like the HD650. I grabbed them as everything is a reference to them. However I wonder if mine are faulty as I don't hear what other members talk about. To me the signature sounds nice, however they are distant. Instead of being in row two of a hall they sound like you are at the very back. Instrument separation is not great also. More modern HP's do a far better job of instrument separation. I have mine wired in balanced and use the V281 so that should push them to their best.

I will borrow another HD650 and see if mine are faulty. If they are not I think the HD650 is vastly over rated and have had their time.

 

[franz12]

from my experience, a perceived wide soundstage always comes with some form of recessed mids. but i prefer forward mids, and there is a reason about this.
if mids are recessed, i usually do
turn up the volume to hear vocals -> ears start to ringing sometime soon -> start to worry whether it is going to accelerate my hearing loss.

so i don't care it much these days.

 

[rutter]

Unrelated, but did you all read Tyll's retirement post at Innerfidelity? Take a wild guess which high(er) tier headphones he took with him off into the sunset...

He said he wouldn't be able to drive many headphones, and he would have to pay for them too. In his review of the Focal Clear he said he was tempted to spend $1500 of his own money, which I don't think is negligible given what he's embarking on. Anyway, I can't speak to his actual thought process but it wouldn't surprise me if he got the Aeons as gifts. I highly doubt he genuinely finds them to be the best higher end pair of headphones (didn't he say something along the lines of they will suffice? I think he also used the words higher end rather ironically; what he's doing now isn't about headphones and half of what he's taking with him are more convenient or functional headphones), and from my experience the Open isn't that good. I don't consider it higher end at all. I'd rather have a HEX, although a family member had a lot of fun with the AFO. The AFO sounds fun but I think lacks a number of impressive aspects of other, more expensive headphones. But I think threads like this are for happy owners, so go ahead. Don't get carried away though.

 

[franz12]

He said he wouldn't be able to drive many headphones, and he would have to pay for them too. In his review of the Focal Clear he said he was tempted to spend $1500 of his own money, which I don't think is negligible given what he's embarking on. Anyway, I can't speak to his actual thought process but it wouldn't surprise me if he got the Aeons as gifts. I highly doubt he genuinely finds them to be the best higher end pair of headphones (didn't he say something along the lines of they will suffice? I think he also used the words higher end rather ironically; what he's doing now isn't about headphones and half of what he's taking with him are more convenient or functional headphones), and from my experience the Open isn't that good. I don't consider it higher end at all. I'd rather have a HEX, although a family member had a lot of fun with the AFO. The AFO sounds fun but I think lacks a number of impressive aspects of other, more expensive headphones. But I think threads like this are for happy owners, so go ahead. Don't get carried away though.

Obviously, the way you listen to music is different from Tyll. But over the last 2 years, i bought/auditioned many headphones, and i found that the way Tyll listen to music is quite similar to mine. it would be hard again for me to find another reviewer to have taste consistent with mine. i will miss him.

 

[rutter]

Yea, I think he'll be missed. He seems to have written generally honest reviews with impressions and detail you may not have found elsewhere and cared about what he was doing, not to mention what role he might've had in helping the broad community over its history. But it seems like he was really burnt out. What I don't understand is how you do this for around 25 years and don't take what you really found to sound the best, maybe even one of these hobbyist sets. Don't get me wrong, he really likes the AFO (particularly as it suits his personal taste, as he points out), but there's no way he thinks it's the best sounding open back headphone. I've read and watched some of his reviews. To me that means he's really burnt out; he's not just stepping away professionally, he's readjusting his life. The best sounding headphone isn't one of his priorities.

 

[skyline315]

He said he wouldn't be able to drive many headphones, and he would have to pay for them too. In his review of the Focal Clear he said he was tempted to spend $1500 of his own money, which I don't think is negligible given what he's embarking on. Anyway, I can't speak to his actual thought process but it wouldn't surprise me if he got the Aeons as gifts. I highly doubt he genuinely finds them to be the best higher end pair of headphones (didn't he say something along the lines of they will suffice? I think he also used the words higher end rather ironically; what he's doing now isn't about headphones and half of what he's taking with him are more convenient or functional headphones), and from my experience the Open isn't that good. I don't consider it higher end at all. I'd rather have a HEX, although a family member had a lot of fun with the AFO. The AFO sounds fun but I think lacks a number of impressive aspects of other, more expensive headphones. But I think threads like this are for happy owners, so go ahead. Don't get carried away though.

My post was a joke and also a nod to Tyll for those that hadn't heard the news. Not an argument for the superiority of the AFO.

Time to chill a little...

 

[IkSak]

I agree with your comments. Tyll has had a Paramount influence on the hobby and most people here in some ways owes him something. I remember I bought my first iem (that got me into the hobby), back in my early PhD days thanks to his recommendation. And I will like @franz12 miss him, since my sound preferences very much match him.

Him taking the AFO means that he liked the headphone. I remember his review and he always liked the inviting character of the AFO. And as he mentioned, he also took other headphones aimed at other purposes like the beats solo 3