[pilgrimbilly]

It's interesting how all the comments align on the "quality unaffected with glasses or not" conclusion. I wonder if there's something special with a) my head shape b) the K550 earpads or the c) the combination of a) and b)

On the K550 the disappearing of everything below 100Hz with glasses on is so evident that I force myself to go and put my contact lenses on If I am to write music or do critical listening and had assumed it has to be the same with every closed back set due to the physical gap created from the glass frame. The on-ears I had before never suffered from that as the pad was only as big as my ear so to speak so the frame's arm passes above it without getting in the way. On the closed back K550 though the drivers and pads are so large that the frame has to go "through" the pad and as such it's essentially lifting the pad away from my head on the top part, therefore creating a leak that allows ambient noise in and kills all low end as I said. It has always been like that.

I don;t have long/thick hair (short haircut all the time) or any special frame (very typical design), and my head is on the "small/narrow" side so I can't think of why these characteristics would impact the sealing particularly for me but I have faith in people's comments about the A50's sealing! I will get back on whether it works for me too after I get hold of my A50 in November hopefully.

I think there are way too many variables in head size (in all planes) and spectacles size/material to make anything other than subjective conclusions.

FWIW, I have a narrow and hairless head, only use metal framed specs with thin arms, and only one pair of headphones I've tried gave me seal problems - T5 2nd gen, and I didn't like them anyway...

 

[Nebucatnetzer]

Anyone ever compared this to pxc550?

Yes I owned the PXC550 (the first version not the II) before the Aonic 50.
I compared them in one or two posts in this thread.
The Aonic are much better in all aspects except maybe portability when you're not wearing them.
Anything specific you want to know?

 

[themacster]

Well, I've taken the plunge and bought a pair of A50s. I've been researching this sort of headphone for quite a while and the Shures ticked all the boxes. I don't want ones with bloated bass and the neutral response of the Aonics was far more attractive on paper. I found a brand new pair on eBay with a starting bid of £153, I won them with £175 - which I consider to be an absolute bargain! Some comments complain that the bass is lacking. I've only had time for a short listen late last night, but I don't find any lack of bass - it's there in the proportion it should be there in, so I'm very happy so far!

I picked up a set of Sony XM3s in a store the other week and wasn't at all impressed with their build quality, they certainly didn't feel like a pair of £300 'phones.

The 'negative' comments seem to focus around portability and ANC not being the best. I don't intend taking these out of the house and just wanted a pair of near-audiophile headphones I can use wirelessly at home, being that, in the name of domestic harmony, and after a 10-year hifi hiatus due to expensive hifi not really being compatible with young children (they've damaged my £3K CD transport....), my resurrected hifi is set up in the dining room and I spend most of my time otherwise sat in the living room! My system has digital amps (Tact) so I haven't got an analogue output I can employ for my extant headphones (Stax Omega 2s), although I could arrange this by employing my old DAC (Monarchy 22B LE), but that's maybe for another day. I'm listening from my phone at the moment (I've also got a USB C to C cable for direct listening, though I haven't tried this yet) until I complete the set-up of the main system, which is now going to be computer based and I'm awaiting the arrival of a Denafrips Iris DDC. The AES/EBU out from this will power the Tact and I'm going to use the optical out to feed an Avantree Oasis Plus Bluetooth transmitter. I'm also going to subscribe to Qobuz for CD and hi-res quality streaming and downloads.

A couple of questions - do people find they improve after any particular time, i.e. is there a burn-in period? And I'm using the environmental mode but on minimum setting - do people find this the best for sound quality as it presumably involves minimal, if any, extra processing? I noticed a bit of background hiss that reduced and went away as I turned the setting down to zero.

 

[plakat]

A couple of questions - do people find they improve after any particular time, i.e. is there a burn-in period? And I'm using the environmental mode but on minimum setting - do people find this the best for sound quality as it presumably involves minimal, if any, extra processing? I noticed a bit of background hiss that reduced and went away as I turned the setting down to zero.

Congratulations — I think you‘ll have a lot of fun with them, especially at that bargain price.

I don’t think the headphone changes, but of course you‘ll get used to the sound signature more.
Regarding ANC: while I don’t use it at all, I think obsessing over who does it best is not very helpful. It works, there are situations where it helps and that is that. The Aonic is not bad at ANC, but it’s real strength is it’s sound quality: everything else (ANC, env mode) is comfort/nice to have I think. It’s really nice to have such a good sounding wireless headphone available.

i don’t use env mode either, burning guess the less processing, the better. So yes, using the minimal level that helps you should give you the best sound quality.

edit: Auto-correct correction...

 

[jetpacksam]

Aonic 50 300.00 - Prime Day Deal - 14 hours left

 

[Youcan1]

I wasn't looking at these at all, but I've heard good things about this brand in the past and that is a good price. How do you think this set would fare against the Focal Elegia at $399?

 

[JML]

Two different kinds of headphones, for different purposes. Only thing in common other than price is that they're closed.

 

[Youcan1]

Two different kinds of headphones, for different purposes. Only thing in common other than price is that they're closed.

I'm talking about sound quality if the Aonic are used passively. Obviously one is Bluetooth and one isn't.

 

[tiagopinto]

How long are you getting it? Please give me specs on connectors. How much are they gonna cost? Are they coming from the US to Europe? If so, what about customs? Any other options if these are too expensive? Give us the details, please.

@WDitters can you help me with this? Thanks!

 

[WDitters]

@WDitters can you help me with this? Thanks!

Must admit that a short holiday came in between, so I have not ordered anything yet. Forza however is based in Poland, not the USA, so if you are in EU, there are no additional import duties.

 

[tiagopinto]

Must admit that a short holiday came in between, so I have not ordered anything yet. Forza however is based in Poland, not the USA, so if you are in EU, there are no additional import duties.

@WDitters thanks. Poland is closer and easier for me. Can you enlighten me on what’s best? What are you planning on getting? I’m a noob on aftermarket cables so your help is highly appreciated.

 

[yiuyiu]

man... can't resist my addiction and get the brown one with a good deal. I was considering the AIONIC 50 and the SONYM4, but the natural sound quality and the usb c wire connection make it a much better buy.

Just listening a few songs, and I have no regret so far...

Hopefully the app allow streaming through it in the future..

 

[WDitters]

For those who are interested.. The upcoming release of USB Audio Player Pro will contain a Toneboosters Morphit EQ profile for the Shure Aonic 50...

 

[holicst]

Hi,

I have just purchased a Shure SRH-840 and I love the sound if it. Is the Aonic 50 similar using a wired connection?

Thanks in advance

 

[greentea76]

I can more than recommend third party cable for SA 50. I have ordered oidio pellucid cable and the sound is superb - more spacious/holographic when compared with stock cable. especially with ifi micro idsd black label. listened in passive mode and this combo is somewhat more enjoyable than beyerdynamic dt 1990 pro with the same setup.