[mrspeakers]

@mrspeakers Could you please answer my question?

It's pretty close to impossible to have a temporary imbalance in part of the frequency spectrum, you may just be most sensitive to that region for balance. Imbalance that comes and goes is easy to diagnose, if reversing the L/R cable at the headphone moves the problem to the other side its the cable or electronics, if the problem stays put its the headphone. Contact info@danclarkaudio.com for more help.

 

[donpablo]

@mrspeakers Its not temporary, as it started few days ago, it still is in the same condition. I have few more headphones and more interconnects as well. I tried switching cables etc. No help, still same situation. I am from Poland so sending it on warranty may take lot of time ; (

 

[FYFL]

Ok, so I swapped out original pads for new half moon-perforated pads and I like what I am hearing. Especially in vocals and soundstage. Bass might be a bit subjective like everything else. IMO bass was tighter and more illusive (perception of lower extension) with original pads but I don’t think that I will miss them given what gains were made in vocal clarity, extra air, sparkle and soundstage. I had to change my tuning pads arrangement thought.
Here is foam
setup with old pads (in order from bottom to top):

In new setup, soft large black foam is removed completely. Two “rings” remain for now as I haven’t spend excessive time with new pads yet. I do have extra tuning pads to play with tho. So far, I’m very happy with new pads. I like it a lot.

I left felt rings for now as I’m a bit concern with this area that appears to be expose to some reflections. Probably overthinking it but those felt rings don’t hurt anything so they’re staying for now. I marked area that I’m talking about in below picture.

New pads and felt rings.

 

[Arbitrary Function]

I got a pair of Aeon 2s as a Christmas present for myself and have been enjoying them immensely

I’ve been playing them via a Dragonfly Red which is working fine, but I’m also curious about how they would sound with more “proper” amplification. I’m looking for something in the sub-$500 region.

I’ve been looking at the SMSL M500 which is convenient since it’s a DAC/Amp combo, but I get the feeling the Aeons would benefit from something a bit more powerful perhaps?

The other option on my radar is SMSL SP200 with a Topping E30 DAC. These both seem good for the price, and that level of amplification is maybe better suited for the Aeons?

I would appreciate any feedback or advice. Thanks in advance!

 

[tcellguy]

Jotunheim 2 + Modi 3

 

[cgb3]

I got a pair of Aeon 2s as a Christmas present for myself and have been enjoying them immensely

I’ve been playing them via a Dragonfly Red which is working fine, but I’m also curious about how they would sound with more “proper” amplification. I’m looking for something in the sub-$500 region.

I’ve been looking at the SMSL M500 which is convenient since it’s a DAC/Amp combo, but I get the feeling the Aeons would benefit from something a bit more powerful perhaps?

The other option on my radar is SMSL SP200 with a Topping E30 DAC. These both seem good for the price, and that level of amplification is maybe better suited for the Aeons?

I would appreciate any feedback or advice. Thanks in advance!

The Jot 2 and Lyr 3 (with appropriate valve), are a great match with Aeon 2s.

I say this as an American. You may have more pocketbook friendly options as a European. There's very interesting amps, and audio equipement in general coming out of Eastern Europe.

 

[FYFL]

I wouldn't dismiss Rebel Amp as an option.

 

[1000ROUNDZ]

I got a pair of Aeon 2s as a Christmas present for myself and have been enjoying them immensely

I’ve been playing them via a Dragonfly Red which is working fine, but I’m also curious about how they would sound with more “proper” amplification. I’m looking for something in the sub-$500 region.

I’ve been looking at the SMSL M500 which is convenient since it’s a DAC/Amp combo, but I get the feeling the Aeons would benefit from something a bit more powerful perhaps?

The other option on my radar is SMSL SP200 with a Topping E30 DAC. These both seem good for the price, and that level of amplification is maybe better suited for the Aeons?

I would appreciate any feedback or advice. Thanks in advance!

I'm using the SMSL SP200 to drive my A2C to full satisfaction. I was lucky to snag a Topping D90 second hand, but I'm sure the E30 will be more than fine with the SMSL SP200.

 

[jarnopp]

I got a pair of Aeon 2s as a Christmas present for myself and have been enjoying them immensely

I’ve been playing them via a Dragonfly Red which is working fine, but I’m also curious about how they would sound with more “proper” amplification. I’m looking for something in the sub-$500 region.

I’ve been looking at the SMSL M500 which is convenient since it’s a DAC/Amp combo, but I get the feeling the Aeons would benefit from something a bit more powerful perhaps?

The other option on my radar is SMSL SP200 with a Topping E30 DAC. These both seem good for the price, and that level of amplification is maybe better suited for the Aeons?

I would appreciate any feedback or advice. Thanks in advance!

Chord Mojo s a great pairing, and you get portability.

 

[arielext]

Hoe is the sound isolation, compared to let's say a dt770?

 

[EricDH]

I use my Aeon 2 closed with the Schiit Jotunheim (1). A wonderful combination. The sound is powerful, neutral, transparent. If you prefer a bit on the warm side of neutral you could consider the Lyr instead of Jotunheim. I have also heard good stories about the Chord Mojo with Aeon 2 (Dan Clark from Dan Clark Audio is very enthusiastic about it), but I have never heard this combination myself.

 

[nutral]

I have the Aeon 2 Open and i've started running it with a Dragonfly Black and a Shiit magi 3.
Right now i have the Topping E30 with the SMSL SP200 and it is a great combo, the SP200 is much more powerful than the Shiit for the current you need on this headphone. The E30 is a great dac with good performance, altough it doesn't have much extra features like bluetooth.

Especially the upgrade from the magni to the SP200 was large, soundstage is more separated and the bass is tight.

I have tried to use them with the just the dragonfly black on the go, but the headphones don't really sound all that great with the lower power.

 

[Huntersknoll]

I'm tempted to pick up a SMSL-400 stack. I want to see how 16W will make this headphone sing.

 

[tincanear]

Balanced amplifiers are good for high impedance cans (300 or 600 ohm units) that need more voltage swing. Low impedance cans like the DCA 16 ohm units need higher current but less voltage.

Asgard 3 has plenty of power (5W into 16 ohms), optional DAC modules (D/S 4490 or multibit available). Being an low-open-loop-gain discrete (instead of chip-amp based) design, the two gain settings give you two different voicings too.

DCA cables, both the TRS & XLR versions, are 4-wire (common return lines connected only at the TRS plug) so they have the benefits of a balanced headphone cable despite being TRS single-ended.

 

[Arbitrary Function]

Thanks for all the suggestions! You’re not making my decision easier

I looked at Schiit, and that’s an option as well of course. But I also found the Topping L30, which in some ways might be an even better option than the SP200. And that’s just crazy given the size and price of that unit.