[Espada1]

Aren’t these the same that ship with the headphones?

It looks like it...

 

[JML]

There is a new firmware update available for iOS. But it doesn't address our concerns about EQ availability, only removal of a BT notice about multiple pairings and the ability to turn off charging. The "Play" app was also updated today. Here are the release notes for the firmware update:
Release Notes

 

[ryanmatic]

Bummer there's nothing new with respect to EQ, but I appreciate that they removed the persistent "disconnected/reconnected" notifications when connected to multiple devices. Never saw the need for a notification to remind me that I'm no longer automatically connected to a device that I wasn't even listening to.

I sent some feedback to them about this—using the app—a while ago. I assume others did as well; good on Shure for listening

 

[C_Lindbergh]

You can also download the firmware update in the android app.

Im glad that they haven't abandoned software support for the headphones despite the poor sales.

 

[JML]

I guess the lowered price recently is either an indicator of poor sales or a harbinger of an upcoming replacement; although it would be strange to drop a model for a newer one so soon after introduction (this thread is just about a year old). But Shure hasn't seemed to do much to promote the AONIC 50, as far as I can tell. Many of the reviews online focused on comparing them to the ANC performance of the Sony & Bose headphones, which are not noted for sound quality the way most HeadFi-ers and audiophiles would consider headphone purchases. The relatively high price scares off many potential buyers and I think headphone companies are operating at fairly slim margins (which might be why Sennheiser is making noise about severing their headphone business and so many recent headphones are high-end statements).

I just hope that Shure can do something with the firmware and/or the app to make them even better; this minor update isn't the game-changer many of us had hoped for.

 

[tiagopinto]

I wouldn’t expect a new product so soon. I heard they were developing these for two and a half years.

For me the result is very good, I love them. I love the sound mostly.

But I seriously think their commercial department thought they could rest in the laurels of the Professional products and that was a big mistake. And also they were a bit presumptuous about the app, one aspect being maybe thinking “we’ll give them an EQ, but you’ll have to have the files on the device”... nowadays, who has the music files on their smartphone? Very few people, I would assume.

Anyway, I also know for a fact that the distributors in Europe have done a VERY BAD JOB. Even turning their backs to their “traditional” pro product resellers and relying solely on more “commercial” resellers to promote a brand that few people outside the pro or audiophile fields are mostly unaware of... BIG mistake.

IMO, they should have kept the Pro resellers in this, even if they wouldn’t sell much to the Pro market, and do a serious brand awareness campaign in the commercial market. As music lovers and audiophiles and possibly musicians we are ALL aware of Shure, but ask your friends outside this environment about the SM58 or the SE846 and they know nothing about it.

Bose, Sony, B&W, Sennheiser and others didn’t need to go through this ordeal (and cost). That’s another reason why after less than a year these dropped from 399€, I bought them at 320€ and now people are lucky to get these at 240€. It will kill the product and that’s a big shame.

Let’s hope they keep with their updates and that they don’t abandon this market. I will keep listening to mine almost everyday and enjoying them more and more.

 

[bronco1015]

I wouldn’t expect a new product so soon. I heard they were developing these for two and a half years.

For me the result is very good, I love them. I love the sound mostly.

But I seriously think their commercial department thought they could rest in the laurels of the Professional products and that was a big mistake. And also they were a bit presumptuous about the app, one aspect being maybe thinking “we’ll give them an EQ, but you’ll have to have the files on the device”... nowadays, who has the music files on their smartphone? Very few people, I would assume.

Anyway, I also know for a fact that the distributors in Europe have done a VERY BAD JOB. Even turning their backs to their “traditional” pro product resellers and relying solely on more “commercial” resellers to promote a brand that few people outside the pro or audiophile fields are mostly unaware of... BIG mistake.

IMO, they should have kept the Pro resellers in this, even if they wouldn’t sell much to the Pro market, and do a serious brand awareness campaign in the commercial market. As music lovers and audiophiles and possibly musicians we are ALL aware of Shure, but ask your friends outside this environment about the SM58 or the SE846 and they know nothing about it.

Bose, Sony, B&W, Sennheiser and others didn’t need to go through this ordeal (and cost). That’s another reason why after less than a year these dropped from 399€, I bought them at 320€ and now people are lucky to get these at 240€. It will kill the product and that’s a big shame.

Let’s hope they keep with their updates and that they don’t abandon this market. I will keep listening to mine almost everyday and enjoying them more and more.

Totally agree. One side note on the music files, last time i tried playing music through the app it wouldn't play Flac..well most of the music I do have on my SD card is flac and not just in name only. They are some quality recordings.
As far as promoting the headphone, they really missed an opportunity there IMO. Comparing to another headphone introduced around the same time, Drop was wisely promoting the Panda like crazy here and with various reviewers at the beginning of 2020, and they did a great job I'd say, there seems to be a lot of buz about the Panda in some circles.
Shure could have easily matched if not exceeded what Drop managed to do in every way, with way more product releases under their belt, likely more of a marketing budget, etc. And they should have. Though no product is perfect, The Aonic 50 is built way better than the Panda, has more features than the panda, arguably sounds as good if not better, and both MSRP at $400, with the Aonic 50 on sale often.
I hope they don't give up on future bluetooth headphones, and that they put more effort in to promoting them.
I traded for the panda I have, and I like it, but i think the Aonic 50 is over all a better headphone.

 

[jelbo]

Got these last week but returned them. I too had the rattle sound when walking and ANC on. Sound was good, comfort as well. ANC worked well for low frequency noise. I didn't like the fake leather, looked like it wouldn't last long. Still, for the price it's an ok headphone. I went with the Sennheiser Momentum 3.

 

[Ceej]

Can anyone speak to how bad the sound leakage is? I've heard mixed reports and would like to buy these for office use. Is it tenable at half-volume? Full volume? Also curious what the sound signature is like compared to the SRH840/940

 

[AcademicBarzo]

I own both, and I find the sound signature of the Shure Aonic 50 much more pleasing on the majority of music. I also find it more comfortable when wearing glasses (as I am when typing this) than the PX7. I agree the ANC is not as powerful as the PX7 and certainly does not appear to cancel out anything like as much noise. I have yet to try the A50 on transport (good old Covid), but I suspect it may work well at dealing with persistent, low frequency sound. It certainly does little to reduce voices or other mid to high frequency sounds.

Update on the above. With the easing of restrictions here in England (UK), I did have a chance to try the Aonic 50 on an Arriva bus journey. In short, the ANC performance is mediocre. I'll try to explain.

When used on the 'Low' setting, it adds very little, effective noise reduction above that derived from the passive isolation from the cups. Yes, there is a slight reduction in general noise, such as engine noise, conversation, but it is only slight.

When used on the 'High' setting, noise cancellation is much improved, but there is one huge catch. Roads in the UK are bumpy (as train tracks often are, and flights can be, due to turbulence). The Aonic 50 are simply unusable on a bus journey - when there is any judder or shake, this leads to audible thumping in the headphones and pitch changes in what is being listened to. This is similar to the ANC performance of some Samsung Hear On headphones I once had for a few days, but returned due to this terrible performance. When the bus is stationary, ANC is acceptable, but when moving, forget it. The B&W PX7 are also afflicted to an extent by this ANC issue (thumping and warbling), but it is nowhere near as prevalent or intrusive as with the Shures. I should add that the Sennheiser Momentum M3s and the Sony WXM3s do not have this issue at all - ANC is not similarly compromised in the same situations. This annoys me in professional reviews, as such issues (real life use) are not mentioned.

So, where does that leave the Shure Aonic 50s? Still very fond of them, but they are best viewed as a great sounding wireless headphone (which sound even better wired, whether actively via USB or passively via 3.5mm) that just happens to have ANC. They are not travel headphones, and it is fair to say that they were probably not designed to that brief (hence the comparatively large carry case and lack of folding hinges via much of the competition). I am still very happy to have them in my collection.

 

[Pahricida]

Did anybody experience issue with recognizing Aonic 50 as Headset only instead of Headphones under Windows 10, when connected via Bluetooth?
In my case all was fine until I connected Aonic to pc via USB cable and turned on the Aonic. Then Windows recognized it as Headphones and since then when I connected it via Bluetooth I got totally bad sound and basically only Headset recognition (it rejected to mark it as Headphones since that time via bluetooth). Voice and mic still worked fine but sound of everything was crap.
I started to uninstall all bluetooth and audio drivers, trying to remove and pair again Aonics on both pc and Aonic side, it was still the same. Then I removed everything related to bluetooth and audio from Device manager, restored to a state 1 week back whole notebook via windows restore point (still crap), then again removing all drivers (at that time I was clear this can't be solved anymore, just wanted to put it back and turn off), then I did undo the restore point back and suddenly again the Aonic was paired as Headphones / Shure 50 Connected Music, and in audio devices as Headphones (Shure 50 Stereo).

I have no clue what happened here but now I'm scared to again plug the headphones via USB cable and turn them on . I guess I will use it only for charging in turn off state.. Don't get this really.

Though, I must say this issue seems to be some generic one, not related to Aonic only but to all bluetooth headphones in some way, based on my research. It looks like bluetooth issue or something. But in my case it started with plugged in USB cable and playing music via this cable. It should not affect bluetooth at all.

https://service.shure.com/s/article/Aonic-50-FAQ?language=en_US

Can I stream audio over USB? 

Yes.  The headphones support Hi-Res streaming up to 32-bit/384kHz resolution from a laptop or desktop, or any device with a Type A or Type C USB port. From a mobile phone, you can do the same with a USB-C to USB-C cable for Android and Apple’s iPad Pro. From an iPhone you will need an Apple camera adapter kit (Lightning to USB Type A).  

Note that Streaming USB audio is INPUT ONLY. The headphone will register as a USB streaming device, but not an input device. The microphone is not active. You cannot use the headphone for a conference call in Wired USB mode. 

 

[SilverEars]

I like to get right down to the point (Don't like to waste time) and like bluntness. Listening to the 50 right now, and I can say it's quite impressive in terms of micro-dynamics, and detailing. I can see why some folks would prefer it over the XM3.

However, XM3 has way better ANC. Shure ANC is kinda sorry to be honest. It's really not their forte. Was anybody surprised as Shure has no experience?

I personally don't like the sig. Too bright and sibilent. I would rather listen to the relaxed presentation of the XM3. It has too much treble that extended listening feel very uncomfordable and wouldn't be surprised if people ears starts ringing due to the treble (and eventually ruin their hearing). Bass is not enough, and not satisfying. This is treble tilted headphone that sounds analytical and not engaging or not really musical. I don't like it's frequency response that I don't want to listen to it even though it sound technically superior to the XM3.

If you are hard of hearing of treble, you'd like this one.

XM3 is way more comfortable, but 50 is better built and feels more premium obviously. Cup room of the 50 is too shallow. XM3 is like feather.

Yeah, I don't like it. I'm happy with XM3 it's practical weight and ANC performance without sounding so sharp in the highs. Many many reasons why XM3 is very versatile, as it's obvious it was built for practicality and versatility.

 

[Augustin79]

Not shure(!) if this has been answered but does anyone know how to remove the earpads? I need to find the serialnumber and I don't have the box anymore.

 

[plakat]

Not shure(!) if this has been answered but does anyone know how to remove the earpads? I need to find the serialnumber and I don't have the box anymore.

Just twist counterclockwise

 

[C_Lindbergh]

Not sure about you guys, but I do really think that the Aonic 50's are one of the most underrated (if not the most) wireless headphone of all time.

Such a shame that they didn't seem to sell that well, and that Shure isn't exactly active in updating the software.

I really hope that Shure eventually released a new version of these, they've nailed everything but the technical stuff like ANC/app/additional features.

Other than that, my only other tiny complaint is the buttons, which they felt as solid as the rest of the headphone... :/ Also would have prefered the USB port on the left side (mostly use USB at my PC, thus the cable can get in the way of my mouse).