[Thaddy]

First impressions after just getting the AFC 2 tonight:

I can't believe how much the dynamics are improved vs. AFC 1. Sound stage is definitely improved. Profoundly improved bass. Mids and treble are both smoother and more detailed.

I'm using Bifrost 2 > Lyr 3.

Just a heads up, but it appears you have your left and right channels mixed up...

Excellent looking headphones, I'm considering getting a pair. I would love to hear how the sound compared to my Aeon Flow C's.

 

[1000ROUNDZ]

Ordered a pair of the closed back...I love the planar sound (home rig is a lCD-4) and was looking for a nice closed back for travel and being about. I have a pair of Campfire Audio Cascade, and although a nice can, the bass is a bit bloomy..nothing quite like that tight planar bass (to me ), so looking forward to what these will sound like, will be pairing it with a Hiby R5 for travel..

I'm interested in your feedback in regards to the pairing with the R5. I have that right now and the Mojo, really curious to know if the AFC2 can be driven by the R5.

 

[tcellguy]

Just a heads up, but it appears you have your left and right channels mixed up...

Excellent looking headphones, I'm considering getting a pair. I would love to hear how the sound compared to my Aeon Flow C's.

Haha yeah I noticed as soon as I uploaded the picture; oops.

I had been listening with the correct orientation and reconnected later quickly for the picture

Update to answer your question to some extent:

Some initial impressions vs. the AFC 1 with the caveat that I've only spent about 3 hours with the AFC 2 and they aren't fully burned in yet. I'm currently using the two-notch white filters during burn in as the highs can be a bit sibilant during that period based on my experience with the other Aeons. My preferred signature for the 1st gen Aeons is the 1-notch white filters (that don't come with the AFC 2). You now get a thinner foam filter (that doesn't quite fit in), a stiff 1-notch black filter, and a 2-notch white filter.

Most noticeably, the AFC 2 does have a larger sound stage, but also the music has a more lively and holographic sound, which is hard to quantify. I love the AFC 1, but at times it felt dynamically compressed to me - especially with poorly recorded music. With the AFC 2 there is a more room for the music to exist and it feels like a 2D image has expanded to 3D.

The bass response is much more impactful and effortless vs. AFC 1. I can imagine AFC 2 could be too bass heavy for some people looking for a very neutral / flat signature. The mid bass is very detailed and more prominent in AFC 2 vs. 1. Sub-bass performance seems similar.

Mids are much smoother on the AFC 2. They remind me of the Ether Cx here. Vocals are really smooth. Saxophone in synthwave is very detailed. Timbre is much improved. I recall Aornic describing the AFC 1 as having acoustic guitar sounding like coming from a plastic body rather than wood. I can understand that sentiment to some extent. The improved bass response of the AFC 2 improves this a lot. I still think acoustic guitar sounds better on the Atticus. That said, classical guitar on the AFC 2 is still a real treat. There is a lot of improvement with air and detail.

Treble response is fast and retains the excellent transient response of the AFC 1. The frequency response looks like the peak at 10 kHz was removed from the AFC 2. Similar to the Ether Cx this region is really smooth now. With the AFC 1, poorly recorded music could get fatiguing in the treble very quickly even with 2 notch filters. So far I'm finding the AFC 2 to be much less fatiguing. Detail retrieval seems on par with the Ether Cx, which is really impressive to me.

Both AFC 1 and 2 seem similarly hard to drive.

Overall, the AFC 2 feels like it adopted the bass response from the AFO 1, increased the sound stage and detail, improved the macrodynamics, and reduced the treble peak of the AFC 1. The AFC 2 sounds in some ways like a closed AFO 1 but with larger sound stage. I think the AFC 2 is an overall sonic upgrade from AFC 1 in a lot of ways. That said its warmer with a more noticeable bass response and more forgiving treble. The AFC 1 seems slightly more neutral but I need more time to be sure. I still love how aggressive the AFC 1 is. In contrast the AFC 2 is a bit more smooth and forgiving; yet somehow has increased detail retrieval.

 

[tcellguy]

thanks for sharing! Try the Jot with B2 as well?

that is my work set-up , very interested

They sound great from the Jot as well. Sound stage is narrower but the bass slam is even stronger.

I still prefer the Lyr 3 overall but the Jot is still a great pairing.

 

[bcowen]

Wait...I didn't say that. Or maybe I did and just forgot,

I *did* however just receive a tracking number for my 'phones. Or at least I think I did.

 

[BobMonkhouse]

I enjoy my AFO1 a lot. To my ears, they needed a bit upper bass tightening and a couple of db extra in the upper mids. My new Gilmore Lite Mk2 fixed the bass range for me. I'm not a specialist nor an audiophile but I believe it comes down to the amp providing more current than voltage in order to make the sound better. Thanks to Dan for suggesting this amp to me. I'll wait for comparisons between the new AFC2 and the AFO2 and definitely consider upgrading to one of them.
Cheers to the new headphones and the DC Audio company changes!

 

[Benke]

I really want to know about differences in the sound from Aeon Open and Aeon 2 Open. What about your preferences? I hope that it could be some of you with experiences from
comparisons. I now use Aeon Open myself and want to know if the new Aeon is so much better. Is it near Ether 2 in SQ?

 

[Soundizer]

Will the Audioquest Cobalt be enough to drive AFC2 or AFO2?

 

[tcellguy]

Will the Audioquest Cobalt be enough to drive AFC2 or AFO2?

I’ll try later with the Dragonfly Red and iDSD micro BL.

 

[mrspeakers]

We will soon be shipping the A2O! Stay tuned but its measured in days.

Also, I've just calibrated our new Audio Precision setup for the GRAS so by early next week I'll put up a few of the requested graphs; A1 vs A2 comparison and effect of tuning kits. That said, IMHO graphs don't do justice to the difference these headphones deliver. The open is real stunner.

 

[TSAVJason]

We will soon be shipping the A2O! Stay tuned but its measured in days.

Also, I've just calibrated our new Audio Precision setup for the GRAS so by early next week I'll put up a few of the requested graphs; A1 vs A2 comparison and effect of tuning kits. That said, IMHO graphs don't do justice to the difference these headphones deliver. The open is real stunner.

You’re a big tease!

 

[FullBright1]

We will soon be shipping the A2O! Stay tuned but its measured in days.

The open is real stunner.

This is a very good sales pitch for what im sure is a legit upgrade to this popular model.
Most headphone builders tend to reach for the "Audiophile BuzzWord Manual" and cut and paste some pages to try to peak interest regarding their new model.
Dan is not doing this. Which i appreciate.
For example notice how he is presenting the soon to be released A20. He is defining it as a "Stunner".
By using the word "stunner", he is letting you know that the effect of this headphone's sound on you, is a powerful experience.
And that is exactly WHY i buy and listen to many headphones. And i know this is also the reason that most Audiophiles buy new headphones.... We want them all to give us an amazing EXPERIENCE... and if they give us a "Stunning" experience, then we know for certain that our money is very well spent.
One of the best things in life is a really cool looking set of headphone(s) that will give you a "Stunning" experience.
If the A20 sounds as good as it looks, then how could it not be a "stunning" sound?
Im sensing that there is something special about this Gear.

 

[autoteleology]

Will the Audioquest Cobalt be enough to drive AFC2 or AFO2?

I would be shocked if it could, considering the Dragonfly Red puts out around 25mW of power at full tilt at 32 ohms. It couldn't even drive my EMU Teak correctly, the bass was flabby and distorted. The Dragonfly series are not strong amps.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...rements-of-dacport-hd-and-dragonfly-red.5977/

 

[tcellguy]

Yeah the Dragonfly Red is clipping and the LED goes red and music stops at higher volumes. Technically it will drive the AFC 2 at lower volumes but it’s not a great sonic experience.

iDSD BL on normal power output is more reasonable for a transportable solution. Turbo mode wakes things a bit more. Dynamics suffer a bit vs. a desktop amp. Bass response is still great. Maybe the iDSD nano or other smaller battery powered amp could split the difference.

I don’t know. After hearing the AFC 2 driven by the Lyr 3 fed from Bifrost 2 the portable options are less exciting.

I’d say I still prefer the MSR7 for portable use vs. AFC 2. For a transportable option AFC 2 plus iDSD micro BL wins.

 

[Empyah]

Yeah the Dragonfly Red is clipping and the LED goes red and music stops at higher volumes. Technically it will drive the AFC 2 at lower volumes but it’s not a great sonic experience.

iDSD BL on normal power output is more reasonable for a transportable solution. Turbo mode wakes things a bit more. Dynamics suffer a bit vs. a desktop amp. Bass response is still great. Maybe the iDSD nano or other smaller battery powered amp could split the difference.

I don’t know. After hearing the AFC 2 driven by the Lyr 3 fed from Bifrost 2 the portable options are less exciting.

I’d say I still prefer the MSR7 for portable use vs. AFC 2. For a transportable option AFC 2 plus iDSD micro BL wins.

I would personally suggest an Ifi xCAN since its balanced (yes balanced) out, outputs 1W into 32 Ohms which is enough even for my Ether 2, heck even my HE 1000 is listenable on it.
It has an ESS Sabre based Bluetooth DAC which pairs with any smartphone and gives it great versatility on its own.

I personally hooked it to my LG G7 Fit and it sounds wonderful thanks to the LG`s Quad Dac implementation.
It gives good bass, soundstage, clear mids and highs with a black background to my Ether 2, you can scale the same down to my Aeon Flow Open.
I believe the combo will sound great with any of the new Aeon 2`s.

Oh, and there is the price - the xCAN goes for 350€ and the LG for 200€ and make a great mobile DAC/AMP combo plus a full smartphone.