[plakat]

@Pablovi for me AAC provides a perfect balance between sound quality and connection stability. Therefore I object on the "only AAC"
aptX and especially aptX HD are much too sensitive to limited available bandwidth -- which makes its use problematic in areas with lots of active Bluetooth devices (and compress anyway, making hi-res even less attractive).

I think technically iOS/iPadOS sees theAonic as an external soundcard, so if the software is able to take advantage of that soundcards properties, it should be able to negotiate parameters beyond default iOS settings. Yet I'd not expect that minuscule DAC to take advantage of the possibility to get away with a much simpler analog filter (vs the filter with CD resolution), so I don't think there's much in that...

 

[jsmiller58]

@Pablovi for me AAC provides a perfect balance between sound quality and connection stability. Therefore I object on the "only AAC"
aptX and especially aptX HD are much too sensitive to limited available bandwidth -- which makes its use problematic in areas with lots of active Bluetooth devices (and compress anyway, making hi-res even less attractive).

I think technically iOS/iPadOS sees theAonic as an external soundcard, so if the software is able to take advantage of that soundcards properties, it should be able to negotiate parameters beyond default iOS settings. Yet I'd not expect that minuscule DAC to take advantage of the possibility to get away with a much simpler analog filter (vs the filter with CD resolution), so I don't think there's much in that...

As to SBC vs AAC vs aptX vs aptx HD vs aptX Adaptive vs aptx LL vs LDAC vs UAT vs... I like choices. The more choices that fit in a product within my price bracket, the better. I can then make that connection stability vs quality decision on my own, vs having a manufacturer make it for me by limiting my choices... But within the price bracket is an important qualifier.

While it is only my opinion, I am not a fan of a certain company that maintains a walled garden and limits my choices to only what they think is good enough for me.

But I am not disagreeing with anyone, and this is just my opinion!

 

[plakat]

As to SBC vs AAC vs aptX vs aptx HD vs aptX Adaptive vs aptx LL vs LDAC vs UAT vs... I like choices. The more choices that fit in a product within my price bracket, the better. I can then make that connection stability vs quality decision on my own, vs having a manufacturer make it for me by limiting my choices... But within the price bracket is an important qualifier.

While it is only my opinion, I am not a fan of a certain company that maintains a walled garden and limits my choices to only what they think is good enough for me.

But I am not disagreeing with anyone, and this is just my opinion!

As long as those decisions align with my goals I'm fine (and also speaking for me personally). While the missing codecs may pose a problem with other platforms that might have to use SBC -- I see the problem. But fortunately for me the TM1 works. And yes, I'd be a bit unhappy had they included aptX instead of AAC...

I would not say the manufacturer decides for you... rather they target an audience by their selection of options. Obviously they don't target *all* possible customers, and while I don't know the specific reasons for not including features the RMCE-BT2 does offer, I guess there might be a simple technical reason for that decision: not enough processing power, not enough battery, not enough ROM etc. Could of course also be licensing costs...

 

[Pablovi]

@Pablovi for me AAC provides a perfect balance between sound quality and connection stability. Therefore I object on the "only AAC"
aptX and especially aptX HD are much too sensitive to limited available bandwidth -- which makes its use problematic in areas with lots of active Bluetooth devices (and compress anyway, making hi-res even less attractive).

I think technically iOS/iPadOS sees theAonic as an external soundcard, so if the software is able to take advantage of that soundcards properties, it should be able to negotiate parameters beyond default iOS settings. Yet I'd not expect that minuscule DAC to take advantage of the possibility to get away with a much simpler analog filter (vs the filter with CD resolution), so I don't think there's much in that...

Thanks, well I do notice a difference between AAC, Aptx HD and LDAC on my WM1A. I can’t make the comparison with iPad or iPhone, since they only use AAC. but I do find a difference between AAC and wired 24 bit 48khz even with the Apple dongle. Although can’t use the same headphones. The 1000XM2 sound very bad wired.

I want a better sounding headphone than the Xm2’s. And I think this Aonic 50 might sound better in BT and wired through the USBC port. But it’s too bad I can’t test them before buying.

Decisions... and here they are even more expensive than in the US, almost everything is, except the DAP, that was almost half the cost in the US.
I’ll either buy the Aonic 50 or some wired over ears, maybe the new Sennheiser HD 560s? Sony 1AM2? Or something similar. And an external DAC for the iPhone-iPad.

 

[JML]

I just connected the AONIC 50 to my MacBook Pro, running Audirvana, via a USB-C cable to the Thunderbolt ports on the laptop. I was, to put it mildly, stunned at the quality of the sound of my hi-res files (AIFF) via the Shure. My jaw literally dropped. If you thought this headphone was good via Bluetooth, well, a hard-wired connection takes it several quantum levels higher! I don't know why Shure hasn't put the full capabilities of the DAC into their literature.

(Just make sure you have all the possible Bluetooth connections to the headphones turned off once the headphone powers up.)

I am putting off extended listening until later this week, when I should have on hand a longer and more flexible USB-C cable. My 3-foot USB-C and Thunderbolt cables are just too short and too stiff to really let me be comfortable listening to the laptop. I just ordered, from Amazon, two different 6-foot USB-C cables that support faster USB-C 5 or 10 Gbps data transfer rates, not merely the old USB rate of 480 Mbps.

Here's what Audirvana says about the capabilities of the headphone's DAC:

 

[plakat]

Thanks, well I do notice a difference between AAC, Aptx HD and LDAC on my WM1A. I can’t make the comparison with iPad or iPhone, since they only use AAC. but I do find a difference between AAC and wired 24 bit 48khz even with the Apple dongle. Although can’t use the same headphones. The 1000XM2 sound very bad wired.

I want a better sounding headphone than the Xm2’s. And I think this Aonic 50 might sound better in BT and wired through the USBC port. But it’s too bad I can’t test them before buying.

Decisions... and here they are even more expensive than in the US, almost everything is, except the DAP, that was almost half the cost in the US.
I’ll either buy the Aonic 50 or some wired over ears, maybe the new Sennheiser HD 560s? Sony 1AM2? Or something similar. And an external DAC for the iPhone-iPad.

Yes, buying blind is always a problem... but I think it's safe to say that the Aonic 50 is much better sounding than the Sony.

If you're going to use them wired only, using an external DAC like a Dragonfly is an option of course, and lets you use all sorts of normal wired headphones... at the cost of additional cables and boxes, while the Aonic is all-in-one.

 

[Pablovi]

I just connected the AONIC 50 to my MacBook Pro, running Audirvana, via a USB-C cable to the Thunderbolt ports on the laptop. I was, to put it mildly, stunned at the quality of the sound of my hi-res files (AIFF) via the Shure. My jaw literally dropped. If you thought this headphone was good via Bluetooth, well, a hard-wired connection takes it several quantum levels higher! I don't know why Shure hasn't put the full capabilities of the DAC into their literature.

(Just make sure you have all the possible Bluetooth connections to the headphones turned off once the headphone powers up.)

I am putting off extended listening until later this week, when I should have on hand a longer and more flexible USB-C cable. My 3-foot USB-C and Thunderbolt cables are just too short and too stiff to really let me be comfortable listening to the laptop. I just ordered, from Amazon, a 6-foot USB-C cable that supports full USB-C 5 Gbps data transfer rates, not merely the old USB rate of 480 Mbps.

Here's what Audirvana says about the capabilities of the headphone's DAC:

Thanks for this! Can I have a link for the cable? I might have to order one too.
Do you have an iPad Pro? Or an iPhone to test this as well?

 

[JML]

I have an iPad Pro 12.9 (brand new). The audio works fine there, too, but I could not test the DAC's capabilities because I don't have software on the iPad that plays high resolution audio files, only Qobuz, and my subscription is only for CD-quality streaming. And Qobuz doesn't tell you what the app is actually sending to the headphones. My iPhone XS has a lightning connector, not USB-C, and I don't have a dongle that converts the lightning output to a useable form (a lightning to USB-C cable didn't give me any audible output).

On my MacBook Pro, Audirvana shows the capabilities of the connected DAC, as shown in the screen shot I posted earlier.

To find the USB-C 3.x generation cables, search Amazon for high-speed USB-C cables. I ordered one that does 5 Gbps (UGreen) and one that does 10 Gbps (NIMASO). The higher speed cables are intended for video connections, but I figured the price differential wasn't great and this way the cables are likely to be more useable for the future.

These cables all seem to come in 1m or 2m lengths. The short cables are just too short to comfortably and safely use with a laptop or iPad. Six feet is probably a bit too long, but at least they can be coiled.

When I get the new cables I'll be checking out the Morphit AU equalization, too, via the MacBook Pro.

 

[Pablovi]

I have an iPad Pro 12.9 (brand new). The audio works fine there, too, but I could not test the DAC's capabilities. My iPhone XS has a lightning connector, not USB-C, and I don't have a dongle that converts the lightning output to a useable form (a lightning to USB-C cable didn't give me any audible output).

To find the USB-C 3.x generation cables, search Amazon for high-speed USB-C cables. I ordered one that does 5 Gbps (UGreen) and one that does 10 Gbps (NIMASO). The higher speed cables are intended for video connections, but I figured the price differential wasn't great and this way the cables are likely to be more useable for the future.

These cables all seem to come in 3.3 or 6 foot lengths. The short cables are just too short to comfortably and safely use with a laptop or iPad. Six feet is probably a bit too long, but at least they can be coiled.

When I get the new cables I'll be checking out the Morphit AU equalization, too, via the MacBook Pro.

Thanks! So, just to clarify, the audio from the iPad Pro sounds better from the USB-C connection than with BT?
Thanks for the iPhone test, I was planning on using a Lighting to USB -C cable, but you say it won’t work.

So, do you recommend using the Aonic 50 plugged with USB-C when you can, for better sound quality?

Thanks again.

 

[JML]

I only tried the USB-C on the iPad Pro using Qobuz CD-quality streaming, very briefly. Sounded fine, but I didn't do any listening beyond a minute, just to make sure it worked. It was the higher resolution files from my MacBook Pro that were great. The lightning-to-USB-Cable didn't do anything on my iPhone XS, but a phone with USB-C output ought to work.

I changed my order, by the way, for the faster cable in 1m and 2m lengths.

 

[angelom]

Anybody here compared the A50 to the new B&0 H95? Way different price brackets, I know. If there isn’t much difference then the A50 is a clear winner. But given diminishing marginal returns that can be expected, even if the H95 is 20% better (using sound signature as the criteria), then it might be worth going up. Just checking if anyone has heard both.

I owning the aonic 50 (sa50) and I prefer the sound of the h95. In the h95 thread, in post #2 you can seeing all the impressions of 14 owners, and I think 4-5 people owning or knowing sa50 too and all preferring the h95 sound. Is the h95 20% better for me? Probably no, maybe 10-15%. This is subjective and people often exaggerating when they liking one headphone more than other. Some people maybe thinking the sony xm3/xm4 is sounding better than sa50 because the sonys are having more exciting deep bass and mid bass and thinking sa50 is boring, thin and bright.

BUT, if you looking at the frequency response graphs, the sa50 and h95 having the more flat / linear curves.

If you thinking that if the sound is only better 10-15%, the price isn't good justification for h95, maybe you're correct BUT this is depending in several aspects. For me, I selling my sa50 (after liking the sound very much) and for ME the double price of h95 is good justification. This are my reasons:

• The earpads are artificial leather in the sa50 and making my ears hot and sometimes sweating (this is happening with all headphones with artificial leather). The earpads of h95 (like sennheiser m3 and m&d 65 and other b&o headphones) are genuine leather and I can wearing for many, many hours with no problems of hot ears or sweating.
• The volume in the sa50 with my MacBook pro and iPhone is only having 16 steps and this isn't good for ME in particular, and this is very, very important aspect, the h95 has many more steps (sony, bose and b&w having more steps too than sa50).
• The volume button in sa50 don't responding immediately to the volume changes, you waiting little time and this is frustrating for ME. The h95 is very quick in changing little volume or a lot, and the volume dial is simply fantastic. I'm a person that is using the volume controls of headphones A LOT.
• I changing tracks very often too and with h95 I doing this many more quickly than with sa50.
• The h95 is possible folding for the travels (you can't folding sa50), and this is important for me, not extremely important but is a factor that for me having some importance.
• The construction quality of the h95 is many better than the sa50, and I'm sorry saying this but the sa50 in comparison is looking AND feeling cheap.
• This isn't so important for me, because in general I liking the sa50 factory sound, but if you like using EQ, the sa50 isn't saving the setting in the headphone, you must using the shure music app for using the EQ. The h95 (like other headphones) is saving the eq settings in the headphone so you can using with different devices if you wanting the same setting. And, in my experience, with a very big music library, the shure music app is atrocious for scrolling for artists or albums, really terrible when occassionally I wanting using little eq with some albums.

 

[Alicgmood12]

I owning the aonic 50 (sa50) and I prefer the sound of the h95. In the h95 thread, in post #2 you can seeing all the impressions of 14 owners, and I think 4-5 people owning or knowing sa50 too and all preferring the h95 sound. Is the h95 20% better for me? Probably no, maybe 10-15%. This is subjective and people often exaggerating when they liking one headphone more than other. Some people maybe thinking the sony xm3/xm4 is sounding better than sa50 because the sonys are having more exciting deep bass and mid bass and thinking sa50 is boring, thin and bright.

Thank you for the really good tips!

 

[JML]

I suspect that most of the time an $800 headphone will likely be better in many ways than a $400 headphone.

And the B&O lacks LDAC support and digital signal input, both of which the Shure has. So there's no need for an external DAC and amp for a phone/tablet/computer, given what's built into the Shure.

 

[apbartholsen]

Ok

So I’ve due to boredom decided to order both Dali IO-4 and MW65. I have had the Daili IO-6 and the PX7 earlier, but did not keep them. The Dali IO-6 had the infamous hissing noise that really bothered me. Especially the left ear cup was making this hissing, and also some strange “bad ground sounds” if that makes sense. But that aside, I really liked the sound of the Dalis. The PX7 really had an amazing sound as well, and a great soundstage. But the tonal balance was just way to dark for my taste. So they my search continued

I then bought the Aonic 50. And let me tell you that was the end of the PX7, bye bye.
The sound was so crisp and neutral. Felt very open. I have been content with them for a few months. But the heat around the ears has been a bit annoying. (Especially since I have been sick for a few months, and one of my symptoms is that I get hot in my face at times. So I suspect that when I get better, the heat issue will be less of a problem.) But I must say I really hope there will come a genuine leather option at one point.

But for some reason I missed the Dalis a bit, and I never got to test them side by side as I never had them at the same time. So I bought the IO-4, when I found them used (from a reviewer that got them from Dali for free) very cheap. So to my great surprise they are absolutely dead silence when not playing music, no hissing at all. Yeei, I am keeping these I think. If I decide it some how is justifiable to have multiple expensive Bluetooth headphones, that is.

The sound is a bit different from the Aonic. I am by no mean an expert here, so I will try to describe the difference as best I can. The Dalis have more body I think might be the word, in the midrange. And the Aonic has a more open midrange. So the Dalis sound a bit more “dry”. This is a type of sound signature I really like. I feel that I can hear the textures in the music better, hear the bow bouncing on the fiddle. The Aonic has a more of an open midrange, it’s brighter. So it’s like I hear more details here. That’s nice to. I do think the sound might be better in the Shures, but I must says somehow the sound signature in the Dalis at least sometimes is more to my liking. I don’t really understand why, it’s just the way I feel.

I do think the Dalis are better than the Shure when it comes to playing at low volumes, this I really like. It’s like the volume does not change the balance of the sound as much. It might have a bit more comfortable ear pads as well. I dont know if they are genuine leather, but it shure feels mor like they are. More breathability and better heat transfer. I have just had the IO-4 for like a few hours, so this is just my first impressions when comparing them side by side.

If there is anything more you want me to comment on let me know. And I will try to answer as best as I can.

Now I am just waiting for the MW65.

 

[plakat]

Does anybody who owns the Aonic 50 have any experience with the Beyerdynamic Lagoon by any chance? After having passed on them for 2 years curiosity got me. I dislike its touch interface, yet sound-wise they might actually be really good as far as reviews go.