The New AEON 2: It's The End Of MrSpeakers
Jul 6, 2020 at 2:38 PM Post #1,411 of 2,052
Does anyone have recommendations of portable DAC/amps that match well with the A2C's? I would prefer it to be under $500(with a little leeway) but list any that you've found as I'm sure people with deeper pockets will enjoy the referrals. Thank you!
Chord Mojo & Hiby R5 (DAP) were my main ways to listen to the A2C on the go. Mojo sounds a tad better, but Hiby R5 is an all-in-one device.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 4:18 PM Post #1,412 of 2,052
Chord Mojo & Hiby R5 (DAP) were my main ways to listen to the A2C on the go. Mojo sounds a tad better, but Hiby R5 is an all-in-one device.

I'm excited to have a Poly coming for my Mojo to make it my "one box" putter around the house solution. I've been using a DX220 but it has too many stability issues with Roon so the Poly seemed to make good sense and I expect I'll have an upgraded sonic experience...
 
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Jul 6, 2020 at 6:21 PM Post #1,413 of 2,052
Does anyone have recommendations of portable DAC/amps that match well with the A2C's? I would prefer it to be under $500(with a little leeway) but list any that you've found as I'm sure people with deeper pockets will enjoy the referrals. Thank you!

Hi,
The Ifi Micro iDSD Black Label is an excellent choice up to 2k+.
It fits very well since its lower impedance(8Ohm) than the Aeon with 13. It has more than enough power with up to 4 Watts in turbo mode.
The DAC is excellent too, making this unit comparable 300 bucks desktop systems.
The Ifi xCAN fits the Ether 2 and Aeon 2 very well too through its 1.2 Watts balanced connection.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 7:04 PM Post #1,414 of 2,052
95 pages on a closed headphone and I haven't seen a single mention of Ultrasone. Would anyone be so kind to compare the sound of the Aeon 2 to any of the Ultrasone Signature series (Pro, DJ, DXP, or Studio)?
 
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Jul 6, 2020 at 8:18 PM Post #1,415 of 2,052
Upgrading from my IFI Micro BL to this gorgeous beast; Matrix Element M.
Worth every cent.
My Aeons have renewed clarity, texture and bass extension.

Steaming Pat Metheny never sounded so good. Gotta love Pats melodies!

Too bad my photo skills are absolute garbage.

6607B4C6-7C0A-4C9C-B06E-23F24722BD85.jpeg
 
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Jul 6, 2020 at 9:06 PM Post #1,416 of 2,052
(Warning over-hyped person that is not a super audiophile)

@mrspeakers I just got my Aeon Flow 2 Open (upgrade from the original Opens) and WOW!!!
I can not express the level of excitement I am having right now.

I was originally skeptical about he improvements over my beloved original flows but oh boy, how WRONG I was. Everything is better about these headphones. They take what was already pretty damn good about the Aeon Flow Opens and just duplicates everything (at least that's how it feels). I haven't even given these time to burn and I'm just in pure bliss already.

I don't know what the hell you are going to do to make these better in the future for this price, but if you somehow do, I'll be there with my skepticism forever gone getting whatever newer version you come up with.

I am IN LOVE with these.

Running them with an Eitr -> Modi Multibit -> Gilmore Lite mk2
 
Jul 7, 2020 at 8:54 AM Post #1,417 of 2,052
(Warning over-hyped person that is not a super audiophile)

@mrspeakers I just got my Aeon Flow 2 Open (upgrade from the original Opens) and WOW!!!
I can not express the level of excitement I am having right now.

I was originally skeptical about he improvements over my beloved original flows but oh boy, how WRONG I was. Everything is better about these headphones. They take what was already pretty damn good about the Aeon Flow Opens and just duplicates everything (at least that's how it feels). I haven't even given these time to burn and I'm just in pure bliss already.

I don't know what the hell you are going to do to make these better in the future for this price, but if you somehow do, I'll be there with my skepticism forever gone getting whatever newer version you come up with.

I am IN LOVE with these.

Running them with an Eitr -> Modi Multibit -> Gilmore Lite mk2
I've the AFO1 too, maybe you can help me a little. I would like to know if you feel the AFO2 are warmer sounding and how does the sub bass feel vs the AFO1. As well as how the treble compares in terms of sparkle?
 
Jul 7, 2020 at 10:27 AM Post #1,418 of 2,052
...coming from grado sr225 + tube amp...

Grados on a good tube amp are pretty amazing, in and of themselves. I have a few Grados, and the P at 32ohms is still probably my favorite open ear can. (It's ok if I have a few favorites, right?) The tube amp is in my office, though, and open back headphones with co-workers gets me yelled at :beyersmile:
 
Jul 7, 2020 at 10:40 AM Post #1,419 of 2,052
I'd like to reinforce the importance of amplication power needed for these headphones, by way of anecdotal evidence.

I posted before about the A2C sounding compressed, shrill and "noisy", difficult to listen to at average to high volume. This was to the point of considering returning them, at a great financial loss (I live in Australia and ordered direct from DCA in the US). I was using a Topping DX7 Pro as a DAC/amp combo, which has an output of 637 mW at 33 Ohm.

Then, I bought and received the Topping A90, which has an output of 2 W at 33 Ohm. Oh, what a difference in sound. The headphones now are open, dynamic and clear. I can listen to loud volume without fatigue, and I just want to listen to music more and more, whereas before I didn't have this urge at all and all I felt was disappointment.

Considering both the DX7 Pro and A90 have low distortion figures, I can only imagine this difference is mainly due to the power.

I haven't looked at the specs, but the DX7 may also have a noisier power supply (or you have other equipment on that circuit whose noise comes through the power supply -- USB adapters for example produce all sorts of circuit noise). On a different Topping DAC, I was able to use a third party power supply that had better noise filters. I _think_ that the manufacturers are improving their noise handling on the power inputs, so this is probably becoming less of an issue over time. You could aways try an inexpensive linear power supply e.g. https://smile.amazon.com/iPower-Supply-International-Travel-Adapters/dp/B010UYGA86
 
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Jul 7, 2020 at 10:53 AM Post #1,420 of 2,052
Fun topic. There's a lot of physiology in perception that isn't well documented or understood. I've sometimes thought of doing a posting on this in sound science because I've not seen it discussed too often but I also haven't done enough homework to see what research exists.

Physiology, and psychology. I will often pick the music to listen to while I work based on an examination of how I'm feeling at the time, with the goal of "taking care of the inner self" so that I can enjoy my work.

But the thing that makes the greatest difference, IMHO, is not the technology, or the driver, or the cable, or the DAC, or the amp ... the greatest difference is in comfort. If the headphones are comfortable, only then do the rest of the benefits come through. So making the headphones fit well, not pinch, not slide, not weigh down, etc. is the equivalent of "getting on base" in baseball. And strangely, there are some really expensive headphones that just aren't comfortable at all.

Another example is when you've been listening at a constant reasonable but not too loud volume and after a few hours it may suddenly sound too loud or bright as your ears fatigue. I assume there must be some research projects on this but I've not done the research to be sure.

Also stress can play a role, if I had a rough day things often end up sounding bright and I have to consciously relax to get things "right" again. There've even been studies linking temporary and permanent hearing loss to depression and anxiety.

I usually listen at a super low volume (I like my ears). But with good headphones and a good amp, you can listen at a very low volume level and still get great detail. Yesterday, I was working (listening on my Ether C's), and a great Aretha Franklin piece came on, and the beauty of her voice coming through was like an emotional punch. (And of course I turned up the volume a bit for that one.)
 
Jul 7, 2020 at 12:10 PM Post #1,421 of 2,052
I've the AFO1 too, maybe you can help me a little. I would like to know if you feel the AFO2 are warmer sounding and how does the sub bass feel vs the AFO1. As well as how the treble compares in terms of sparkle?

Please take this with a grain of salt since again I am not a super duper audiophile who has tried many products or any high end stuff. Also consider that my amp is a Gilmore Lite mk2 which may add a bit of color.

In my opinion, the tonality is very similar (which is a good thing IMO). I don't know what will happen as I burn them but for now AF2O are slightly less warm than the originals. They have a bit more energy in the high mids/low treble area. It also has a very slight increase in sparkle but I feel like that's the thing that will subdue as I burn them in. Having said that I did find them to have more and better sub-bass (they already had pretty high mid bass). I don't know how, but bass seems to hit a bit harder and clearer than the originals. Mids are very similar to the originals not too high or low just very balanced. After those slight changes to the tonality, everything else about the sound is just simply better to my ears. Clarity, Imaging, Dynamics, Speed, Soundstage. All of that is noticeably better specially soundstage, but since everything else got improved as well I don't feel like I lose anything, instead I feel like I gained on everything. Everything just sounds better AND at a greater soundstage which is remarkable. You would think something would get lost at the cost of soundstage but it just simply doesn't compromise.
 
Jul 7, 2020 at 12:28 PM Post #1,422 of 2,052
Given the choice of the Hifiman R2R2000 Red, Astell&Kern Kann, iFi Micro iDSD BL, the Sony NW-ZX507, and the Hiby R6 pro, which would be the best choice? The iFi Micro iDSD BL is the least preferred as it is the priciest. Any other recommendations are also welcome.
 
Jul 7, 2020 at 1:28 PM Post #1,423 of 2,052
Does anyone have recommendations of portable DAC/amps that match well with the A2C's? I would prefer it to be under $500(with a little leeway) but list any that you've found as I'm sure people with deeper pockets will enjoy the referrals. Thank you!
The Ibasso DX160 or 220 sound cool, so dose the Chord Mojo on my phone. The AK sr25 can just about drive them too. I also ran them on a Fiio BTR5 which is novel :).

Best of the bunch is the Ibasso 220 with the amp 8 for me.
 
Jul 7, 2020 at 3:00 PM Post #1,424 of 2,052
The Fiio BTR5 or Q5 should work well in balanced mode, altough i don't have experience with it. I think ill get the BTR5 soon and try to combine it with a balanced cable, mount it on the top rail to turn it into a bluetooth headphone (for gaming mostly.)
 
Jul 7, 2020 at 3:46 PM Post #1,425 of 2,052
I've the AFO1 too, maybe you can help me a little. I would like to know if you feel the AFO2 are warmer sounding and how does the sub bass feel vs the AFO1. As well as how the treble compares in terms of sparkle?

There is a little less trebble sparkle but it makes that up with much higher resolution.
The subbas definition as well as extension are closer to the Ether 2 than the AFO, bass in general is almost in the same league as the Ether 2, except for extension where the Ether goes straight down to 10Hz, while the Aeon 2 starts dropping of at around 24Hz.
Fantastic definition and texture as well as a really nice thump/punch. Has the same 100Hz bumb as the AFO.

As Dystasia mentioned the Aeon 2 is a better headphone in every aspect.
I believe it to be Dan Clarks best headphone to date, for the price.
 
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