[tiagopinto]

so here we are at Shure thread. thanks a lot for coming back to me. Is sa50 making your ears hotter than other closed back headphones? I gather the xm4 makes you feel even hotter than sa50, is it true? i know sa50 is rather heavy; is it a problem to walk with them on and having them on while walking for 2 hours lets say? I gather they miss sub bass. How can you describe it? Is it bass shy in general? Is there a sense of seriously missing low end and punch in electronic music for example? Finally is senn m3 lighter and more comfortable than sa50? And is there multi point connectivity (2 devices / no hiccups) in the senn m3? It’s true that i have always loved deeply Shure in ears, SE series, and i wonder how it is now with the aonic 50. I never remember any Shure to be bass light though, more like tremble shy, which was also my preferable sound. Thanks again for your answers, you are indeed one of the most detailed reviewers i ever read on head fi!

Hey Spark,

Please read my post with my take on the fabulous Aonic 50:
(Also look for @angelom or @ryanmatic posts as they are usually very thorough and/or on-point)

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/shure-aonic-50.931134/post-15801083

I don’t know if I mention it there but these (fortunately) do not have the “modern punchy bass” type of sound signature. It’s a matter of personal taste but I hate when I’m listening to Wilco, for example, and there’s “too much bass”. I definitely prefer a neutral and, to me, “more real” sound signature. A flat frequency response. I want to listen to music like it was intended by the artist, or as close as possible.
Obviously there are better headphones out there but they are wired. In the Bluetooth realm I’ve tried several brands and models but none had this quality. Maybe the B&O H95 (like angelom says) but those are more than double the price, so no go for me or even comparable.

Sound is very personal and somewhat subjective (mostly to taste), I guess that’s why we’re all here. This is just my personal opinion. I listen to at least 4 hours of music everyday on the Aonic 50s and right now they are my absolute favorite. When it’s Daft Punk the bass is there and when it’s Ryo Fukui, it isn’t. I want “the real thing”. Hope you try them out and enjoy them as well.

 

[tiagopinto]

so here we are at Shure thread. thanks a lot for coming back to me. Is sa50 making your ears hotter than other closed back headphones? I gather the xm4 makes you feel even hotter than sa50, is it true? i know sa50 is rather heavy; is it a problem to walk with them on and having them on while walking for 2 hours lets say? I gather they miss sub bass. How can you describe it? Is it bass shy in general? Is there a sense of seriously missing low end and punch in electronic music for example? Finally is senn m3 lighter and more comfortable than sa50? And is there multi point connectivity (2 devices / no hiccups) in the senn m3? It’s true that i have always loved deeply Shure in ears, SE series, and i wonder how it is now with the aonic 50. I never remember any Shure to be bass light though, more like tremble shy, which was also my preferable sound. Thanks again for your answers, you are indeed one of the most detailed reviewers i ever read on head fi!

Also this:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/shure-aonic-50.931134/post-16106006

 

[JML]

Maybe the B&O H95 (like angelom says) but those are more than double the price, so no go for me or even comparable.

In the H95 thread there are more recent posts noting shortcomings, beyond price and no LDAC.

 

[ryanmatic]

I don’t know if I mention it there but these (fortunately) do not have the “modern punchy bass” type of sound signature. It’s a matter of personal taste but I hate when I’m listening to Wilco, for example, and there’s “too much bass”. I definitely prefer a neutral and, to me, “more real” sound signature. A flat frequency response. I want to listen to music like it was intended by the artist, or as close as possible.

Well said—the AONIC 50 is a really great choice for wireless ANC headphones that don't color the sound of what you're listening to. As a result their listening experience is incredibly revealing, and often quite musical without being fatiguing. I also find hours just passing by after putting them on, which is testament to both their physical and sonic comfort.

That said I do also agree with some of the thoughtful comments @WickedInsignia shared about their ability to sound dry at times. I wouldn't go so far as to claim that the timbre sounds off (quite the opposite to me at least), but I tend to prefer a very subtle increase in sub bass and slight reduction in the high mids for more compressed records. It's not even a function of wildly different genres or anything, but the mastering of some recordings just misses a little bit of the fun that these headphones are capable of. Still totally agree with @tiagopinto that when the bass is there, it's there, but sometimes it could be even a little more there (Deftones' latest is a good example).

Anyway it's interesting to see thoughts folks have about applying EQ, in this thread and in the H95 one. I certainly don't think the AONICs need EQ, but given that it's designed to be listened to in a variety of noisy environments, I love the extra versatility that the PLAY app provides. No if only they could store the EQ settings on the headphones themselves...

 

[Ettepet]

I love the extra versatility that the PLAY app provides. No if only they could store the EQ settings on the headphones themselves...

My guess is that the EQ is performed in the app, so it wouldn’t help to store settings in the headphones.

 

[ryanmatic]

Yep, it's in the app, which frankly sucks. It would be so much more useful if setting a custom EQ was stored instead in the DAC on the headphones, so it could be applied regardless of playback source.

 

[Ettepet]

The EQ should be done in the Aonic, true. Not sure it can be done (given the hardware) and also not sure if Shure is the kind of company to add such features in the current model if it IS possible.

 

[SparkOnShore]

Hey Spark,

Please read my post with my take on the fabulous Aonic 50:
(Also look for @angelom or @ryanmatic posts as they are usually very thorough and/or on-point)

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/shure-aonic-50.931134/post-15801083

I don’t know if I mention it there but these (fortunately) do not have the “modern punchy bass” type of sound signature. It’s a matter of personal taste but I hate when I’m listening to Wilco, for example, and there’s “too much bass”. I definitely prefer a neutral and, to me, “more real” sound signature. A flat frequency response. I want to listen to music like it was intended by the artist, or as close as possible.
Obviously there are better headphones out there but they are wired. In the Bluetooth realm I’ve tried several brands and models but none had this quality. Maybe the B&O H95 (like angelom says) but those are more than double the price, so no go for me or even comparable.

Sound is very personal and somewhat subjective (mostly to taste), I guess that’s why we’re all here. This is just my personal opinion. I listen to at least 4 hours of music everyday on the Aonic 50s and right now they are my absolute favorite. When it’s Daft Punk the bass is there and when it’s Ryo Fukui, it isn’t. I want “the real thing”. Hope you try them out and enjoy them as well.

Thanks tiagopinto, i will give them a try for sure.

 

[angelom]

In the H95 thread there are more recent posts noting shortcomings, beyond price and no LDAC.

For many people, like me, LDAC isn't necessary AT ALL and really isn't giving better sound (blind tests lossy vs lossless / very high bit rate showing this) when the album master is exactly the same. LDAC having some problems / inconveniences too, but isn't necessary mentioning this now.

About the price, yes, the h95 price is a serious consideration, but when you looking what you getting for the price, maybe, if you can paying the price, isn't looking so expensive when comparing many aspects.

PLEASE mention the h95 "shortcomings". I want knowing this...and how many people mentioning this.

 

[JML]

For many people, like me, LDAC isn't necessary AT ALL and really isn't giving better sound (blind tests lossy vs lossless / very high bit rate showing this) when the album master is exactly the same. LDAC having some problems / inconveniences too, but isn't necessary mentioning this now.

About the price, yes, the h95 price is a serious consideration, but when you looking what you getting for the price, maybe, if you can paying the price, isn't looking so expensive when comparing many aspects.

PLEASE mention the h95 "shortcomings". I want knowing this...and how many people mentioning this.

I had only just skimmed the H95 thread and found some recent posts noting frequency response variations.

 

[mcook1970]

That's great! Although I should say, there's no such thing as better sound from higher quality cables.

Ah, I see a cable sceptic is in our midst!

Well I guess I will have to wait and A B test them once they’ve been delivered although I know there will be other benefits to having a higher quality cable other than sound.

However, I’m totally in agreement with everything else you have said about this headphone, especially your comment about not having heard better wireless headphones

 

[nunomeneses]

So for a detailed sound, clean, fast transient response are these the best option in wireless world? I have Bose 700 , px7 carbon and m50xbt. I want to get rid of all to have a higher performance one with or without anc... is this The best option? Thinking about apm but is it more detailed sounding?!... any thoughts?

 

[D00M]

So for a detailed sound, clean, fast transient response are these the best option in wireless world? I have Bose 700 , px7 carbon and m50xbt. I want to get rid of all to have a higher performance one with or without anc... is this The best option? Thinking about apm but is it more detailed sounding?!... any thoughts?

There are alternatives if you don't care for ANC. Here is my comparison of Hifiman DEVA vs AONIC 50:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/shure-aonic-50.931134/page-54#post-16081869
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-deva-official-thread.928847/page-38#post-16077379

DEVA is open-back planar magnetic headphone. Retail US $300. No ANC, obviously as it is open-back. It does not have built in bluetooth but comes with an attachment bluetooth unit. Not really for outside use, but great for home use.

• You mentioned details, clean, and fast response. These are exactly the advantages of planar magnetic. DEVA has more details, better instrument separation, and faster response.
• AONIC 50 has more bass and more highs. However, DEVA sounds warmer. Neither of these headphones are for bass heads.
• AONIC 50 lacks soundstage, vocals are your face; and everything sounds like it is point source. DEVA sounds much more open, wide, and bigger sound stage.
• In terms of build, DEVA has better build than AONIC 50. There are reports of Hifiman QC issues, so that is unknown or question mark.

Electronics (ANC and bluetooth) cost money. All depends on your use case. In comparison, if you don't get ANC, you can likely get lower price with similar sound; or better sound for same money. There are also other non-ANC closed-back bluetooth headphones, like from AKG, which I have not heard but read about.

 

[mochi01]

I think that headphones like the Deva (which by the way is a wired headphone with an adapter, and not a cheap one) fit a completely different purpose, I have better headphones (HD800S, HD600, K712, Fidelio X2, ...), all open backs and you can convert them to wireless with a receiver (Fiio BTR3/5, Earstudio ES100, Qdelix 5K) and have top notch sound.

However, these are open backs, and the Aonic 50 fits a different purpose, they can drown a good a mount of outside noise even with ANC off, so I can have a bit of peace at night with the family near, and they are a one piece solution (the Deva is like the ATH M50x, it is a regular wired headphone with an adapter, but as with the Deva, with pretty low battery capacity).

So I think that in fairness the Aonic 50 should be compared to Apple APM, Sony 1000XM?, Boses, and so on, and it will win in some areas and lose in others, in fact it is a middle ground between portable headphones and regular cabled ones, so in the end any choice will have its compromises, but the sound is beyond reproach for a closed back, obviously if you go with a Focal Radiance/Stellia + your source of choice, wired or wireless, you'll get closed backs with better performance, but also with less portability and a price tag to match the finish.

 

[WickedInsignia]

I agree. The Deva comparison has appeared a few times now and I don't think it's appropriate, they are completely different use cases. Deva is not ANC, closed, or portable at all. There are many cans that sound better than the Aonic, but far less in the ANC wireless market segment around this price bracket.

That being said, the Aonic 50 puts up a really good fight against its wired passive competitors. They're tuned really well passively, which becomes apparent when you listen wired without turning them on.

I wonder how they fare against the Apple APM, but that's still going up in cost by a fair margin. The Aonic is certainly better sonically than all wireless/ANC offerings by the major brands like Sony, Bose, JBL, Sennheiser, and Bowers & Wilkins (considering what I've heard about the PX7's inconsistency and bass-forward tuning).

I myself much preferred the PXC550 for sound that is close in technical ability, but far more more portable and lightweight with better ANC. The PXC is fast with a good soundstage, but loses out slightly to the Aonic on detail retrieval and depth.