[matts19]

Assuming it was a successful upgrade, what would that be for you? Are you looking for resolution, imaging, bass texture or impact? It might be helpful to look at it the other way around. What do you want more or less of that would make the trade/change/purchase worth it.
…Yeah I can read my own sig

For my personal preference the successful would be better resolution while keeping the laid back tonal balance like HD650, plus constrained dynamics (that Aeon is supposed to be known for for better or worse - for me it's for the better). I do not care much about soundstage and imaging. So I am wondering if Aeon 2 Closed would give me better resolution while still offering constrained dynamics and laid back sound. If the sound signature is not laid back, could it be fixed easily with EQ ? I ask because some headphones just don't respond well to EQ, e.g. grainy headphones in the treble region.

 

[Badas]

I ordered the A2O yesterday. With 4 pin XLR. The shop is going to take a few days to get them ready.
I have been using the original AO since its release and thought it was about time I bought version 2.

Is there no love for the open? I see the majority in this thread are all about the closed version.
I myself have no need for closed HP's. My comfy fall asleep HP chair is located in a quiet corner and sound leakage doesn't disturb my family.

I will be teaming it up with the SPL Phonitor Xe - One heck of an amp by the way.
I noted the sound signatures have measured very similarly. They should play nicely together.
The Phonitor Xe crossfeed and angles make it sound like tube amps. The Woo WA22 is not getting much use anymore.

 

[pk4425]

I ordered the A2O yesterday. With 4 pin XLR. The shop is going to take a few days to get them ready.
I have been using the original AO since its release and thought it was about time I bought version 2.

Is there no love for the open? I see the majority in this thread are all about the closed version.
I myself have no need for closed HP's. My comfy fall asleep HP chair is located in a quiet corner and sound leakage doesn't disturb my family.

I will be teaming it up with the SPL Phonitor Xe - One heck of an amp by the way.
I noted the sound signatures have measured very similarly. They should play nicely together.
The Phonitor Xe crossfeed and angles make it sound like tube amps. The Woo WA22 is not getting much use anymore.

I'm very curious about the Open.

Owned the A2C Noire, and the combination of very tight clamping force, pads that roll in on themselves and tight seal aggravated the hell out of my tinnitus, so I sold them. But the sound was lovely.

I would give DCA another try if I could get a similar sound signature from the Open without inner ear pressure and headaches from the A2C Noire.

 

[Badas]

I'm very curious about the Open.

Owned the A2C Noire, and the combination of very tight clamping force, pads that roll in on themselves and tight seal aggravated the hell out of my tinnitus, so I sold them. But the sound was lovely.

I would give DCA another try if I could get a similar sound signature from the Open without inner ear pressure and headaches from the A2C Noire.

Sounds like you had a hard time with the Aeon's.

I have had nothing but pleasure with the Aeon Open mark 1. I gave up on all HP's when I listened to them.
Sold LCD-X, LCD-3C and Ether 1 once I got the Aeon Open.

 

[Badas]

 

[cpurdy]

Is there no love for the open? I see the majority in this thread are all about the closed version.

I don't have either the Aeon or the Aeon 2, but the thing about open headphones is that there are a lot of good ones. I personally have at least half a dozen pairs that are near enough to perfect that I can choose among them based solely on size, weight, and comfort (e.g. which ones will I take on a trip). It's seems to be much easier to find a decent pair of open headphones. I'd say that most people, if they know what they're looking for, can find their "end game" open headphones for under $200, i.e. good enough equipment that no matter how much more they spent, they couldn't tell a difference in a blind A/B test.

But finding a closed pair of headphones that is (1) lightweight (2) comfortable (3) non-leaky and (4) has audio quality comparable to good open headphones? That is a much harder thing to achieve, it seems. It's why I haven't bothered looking for any new closed headphones after finding the (pre-Monoprice) Ether C Flow ... they're just that good. So most people have already found their perfect open headphones, and now their spouse is complaining about the noise leaking, and they need to find a comparable closed headphone and ... crap, it's hard.

On the other hand, if you really want a bass monster, then finding a fun closed headphone (like the Monoprice M1060C, which I picked up for a song, and which I love for bass) is pretty easy and the same is not true for open headphones.

 

[Pretardo]

I don't have either the Aeon or the Aeon 2, but the thing about open headphones is that there are a lot of good ones. I personally have at least half a dozen pairs that are near enough to perfect that I can choose among them based solely on size, weight, and comfort (e.g. which ones will I take on a trip). It's seems to be much easier to find a decent pair of open headphones. I'd say that most people, if they know what they're looking for, can find their "end game" open headphones for under $200, i.e. good enough equipment that no matter how much more they spent, they couldn't tell a difference in a blind A/B test.

But finding a closed pair of headphones that is (1) lightweight (2) comfortable (3) non-leaky and (4) has audio quality comparable to good open headphones? That is a much harder thing to achieve, it seems. It's why I haven't bothered looking for any new closed headphones after finding the (pre-Monoprice) Ether C Flow ... they're just that good. So most people have already found their perfect open headphones, and now their spouse is complaining about the noise leaking, and they need to find a comparable closed headphone and ... crap, it's hard.

On the other hand, if you really want a bass monster, then finding a fun closed headphone (like the Monoprice M1060C, which I picked up for a song, and which I love for bass) is pretty easy and the same is not true for open headphones.

When I was looking at the Aeon 2’s I was so close to getting the Opens, but based on my needs and usage and environment, the Closed-backs were the better choice. If you have a quiet, controlled environment open backs are a joy.
Regarding the Aeons, pretty much the most portable full-sized planar headphones seems like most use cases might lean toward a closed back. Mainly because you can take them places. But if you take your HPs on the go, you tend to lose control over external environmental noises. Obviously you can go the “eccentric” audiophile route and scream at people to “shut up” because you are trying to listen to your “F’ing gear!”
As for me, I went with the Aeon2 Closed and have Arya SE for my open-backs (which with tax, cables and all are not that much more than A2O.

 

[Pretardo]

Beautiful setup!

 

[EvilLoz]

Is there no love for the open? I see the majority in this thread are all about the closed version.
I myself have no need for closed HP's. My comfy fall asleep HP chair is located in a quiet corner and sound leakage doesn't disturb my family.

There is definitely love for the Aeon 2 Open, but then the Stealth happened!

The Aeon 2 Open and Closed were getting about even love before the Stealth. Now both Aeon 2's are not seeing much light

Having a preference for forward vocal, I did swap the Aeon 2 Closed to Dekoni Eilte Hybrid pads, about the do the same with the Aeon 2 Opens

Also, as mentioned in above posts already, there are loads of options for open back sets, but it's much harder to find closed backs that are worth the price tag

 

[Badas]

There is definitely love for the Aeon 2 Open, but then the Stealth happened!

The Aeon 2 Open and Closed were getting about even love before the Stealth. Now both Aeon 2's are not seeing much light

Having a preference for forward vocal, I did swap the Aeon 2 Closed to Dekoni Eilte Hybrid pads, about the do the same with the Aeon 2 Opens

Also, as mentioned in above posts already, there are loads of options for open back sets, but it's much harder to find closed backs that are worth the price tag

Ohh! What a pic.
I would love the Stealth.

 

[EvilLoz]

Ohh! What a pic.
I would love the Stealth.

Thanks

We can envy each other's gear all day here...Phonotor xe? Woo WA22? Would love to have either of those in my setup

 

[Badas]

Geee, These Aeon 2's are dark.

I like a dark sound signature but I'm wondering if these are too dark. I haven't decided yet.
It is early days. I've only ran these for 15-20 hours. So I'm hoping they brighten up a little.

I'm enjoying. They are very polite. I'm just feeling like I'm missing out on some upper treble.

 

[Rackhour]

Could current (or former) owners share their repair experiences? I've seen so far talk about how DCA's customer support is top notch, which is great news.

What I'd love to hear about is the monetary side of things. Note, I'm not trying to fish for freebies; I want to learn more about how DCA prices things. For example, do they have a flat fee like Shure? Or is it more proportionate to degree of repairs needed? Edit: this is assuming no more warranty.

 

[MartyMcfly3004]

Could current (or former) owners share their repair experiences? I've seen so far talk about how DCA's customer support is top notch, which is great news.

What I'd love to hear about is the monetary side of things. Note, I'm not trying to fish for freebies; I want to learn more about how DCA prices things. For example, do they have a flat fee like Shure? Or is it more proportionate to degree of repairs needed?

I guess it depends on how long ago it is since purchase? Their support is very good from my experience. I had a faulty cup that caused an imbalance and I sent it back for repair about 10 months after purchase, they sent a completely new set out at no charge.

Just make sure you buy from an approved vendor.

 

[pk4425]

Not gonna lie, man: Pains me to see all of your beautiful gear, and you're streaming Spotify. Invest an extra $2 per month and get Qobuz.

The quality high-res source files of Qobuz compared to 320 kbps Spotify have improved my listening enjoyment more than any upgrade in source gear.