Aune AR5000 Headphone Review

[Goodfellas27]

I run the Aune AR5000 headphones with the S9C Reference DAC and Aune balance Litz cables. Subjectively, the sound is phenomenal! While I am sure the headphones are specifically designed for the S9C headphone amp's output, the combination truly shines.

I explored Mode 2 on the S9C Reference for testing while driving the AR5000s. My source is a Windows 11 machine feeding PCM FLACs from Tidal via USB in Exclusive Mode with the Aune driver installed. Notably, the setup seamlessly handles any FLAC format (MQA, 16/24 bit) offered by Tidal.

Again, my subjective impression is nothing short of fantastic. The sonic synergy between these components is impressive, especially considering the competitive price. Finding a better value proposition at this level will be a challenge.

 

[InfiniteJester]

Still, it should not distort when listening at normal levels. I don't really trust Amir's EQ distortion claims since my experience do not align with it for couple of headphones ha has tested.

I don't know about that. The user sickmind over Headfi measured even worse distortion, >1% at 20Hz and 90dB. Amir's didn't even reach half of that at 94dB. Unless I'm reading things wrong.

This has lower distortion and can handle eq much better.

Not in the bass. Which is what you mainly want to correct:

 

[sai]

I won't read too much into headphone distortion data not measured under anechoic conditions, or at least a room with decent treatment and isolation.

With lower SPL, measured distortion is typically higher in the bass due to environmental noise.

 

[InfiniteJester]

I won't read too much into headphone distortion data not measured under anechoic conditions, or at least a room with decent treatment and isolation.

With lower SPL, measured distortion is typically higher in the bass due to environmental noise.

The official data seems consistent, though; if a tad flattering (the law of very large numbers predicts that you can get any possible measurement with enough retesting). And we all hope that they know how to measure their headphones.

Distortion is good-ish, don't get me wrong, and while it is a shame that it concentrates on the frequencies that need to be significantly boosted, it is most likely, for what I understand, to not be audible.

For detecting distortion at levels of less than 10%, the test frequencies had to be greater than 500 Hz. At 40 Hz, listeners accepted 100% distortion before they complained.

How Much Distortion Can We Hear With Music?

How much distortion can we hear with music? An experimental study at Axiom.

www.axiomaudio.com

This is not about harmonic distortion, though. But, according to the author, that would be even harder to detect.

I need to study the matter more, to be sure.

 

[WitheredLeaves]

Wish you won't know that an internal employee from aune made a straight call to a customer, unfriendly questioned him what dac and amp he used, just because he bought the headphone and expressed some dissatisfaction on the internet. Besides, their internet army attack anyone who have complaint (or just dissatisfaction) about their product. TERRIBLE COMPANY.

 

[InfiniteJester]

Wish you won't know that an internal employee from aune made a straight call to a customer, unfriendly questioned him what dac and amp he used, just because he bought the headphone and expressed some dissatisfaction on the internet. Besides, their internet army attack anyone who have complaint (or just dissatisfaction) about their product. TERRIBLE COMPANY.

Is there any reliable evidence of this happening?

Inaceptable, if true.

 

[WitheredLeaves]

Is there any reliable evidence of this happening?

Inaceptable, if true.

The victim post his experience on a Chinese bbs, I cannot translate all the content. Long story short, after knowing this, I don't want to buy anything from them anymore.
I have also been blamed by their internal personnel just because I said someting in their customer chat group like, the headphone's low-end is a little bit weak. I have seen their bad attitude towards customers more than once, seems like they can't accept any criticism. I may be able to ignore these things, but it is intolerable for them to harass customers by phone.

 

[Rhodo]

So I bought these after being frustrated with the clamp pressure of a new set of HD600s, looking at frequency response charts I was pretty sure these would be decent. They are very extremely decent! These Aune headphones have become my bridge between IEMs and over-ears, I like the sound of them much much more than the HD598s or Bose QC35s I've had for many years. Subjectively, good rich bass and clear overall mid/highs. Over-ears are just infinitely more comfortable for my ears versus jamming in an IEM. No idea about the brand attitude noted by @WitheredLeaves, as an isolated product they seem quite good.

Now that I know there's more out there sound wise in over-ears I'm wondering if shelling out the money for Dan Clarks or something similar might be worth it....

 

[Mr Vinyl]

Are we simply trolling these days? Recommending something AFTER eq is just plain nonsense, it's like saying "it's a good car, but you need to change the wheels and suspension"...

I agree. Its like someone buying a black car and then giving it a red paint job once he drives home with it. When I buy audio equipment, I try to bring some of my pieces to have the best idea how it would sound. If I'm happy with the sound, I won't need to apply eq to it. Besides, adding eq can cause smearing and phase issues or even pre-ringing if you use a linear phase eq in the bass region. Besides, I have a traditional sound system in my livingroom and the tone controls on my amplifier are bypassed. Careful speaker placements yields the best sound, not eq. As for the Aunes, I got mine from a store where I compared three headphones (including the Aunes) before I finally bought it after an hour of A/B'ing. Granted, some nice people may not live near a store, so it's harder for them to compare. But Amazon has a great return policy for that. It's strange that some nice people think they can make a $50 headphone sound like a $1000 one. What's even stranger is that some actually manage to make a $1000 headphone sound like a $50 one.

 

[Human Bass]

There are some bad 1k headphones in the market, while e he Fiio JT1 is getting a lot of love for 70 bucks.

I agree. Its like someone buying a black car and then giving it a red paint job once he drives home with it. When I buy audio equipment, I try to bring some of my pieces to have the best idea how it would sound. If I'm happy with the sound, I won't need to apply eq to it. Besides, adding eq can cause smearing and phase issues or even pre-ringing if you use a linear phase eq in the bass region. Besides, I have a traditional sound system in my livingroom and the tone controls on my amplifier are bypassed. Careful speaker placements yields the best sound, not eq. As for the Aunes, I got mine from a store where I compared three headphones (including the Aunes) before I finally bought it after an hour of A/B'ing. Granted, some nice people may not live near a store, so it's harder for them to compare. But Amazon has a great return policy for that. It's strange that some nice people think they can make a $50 headphone sound like a $1000 one. What's even stranger is that some actually manage to make a $1000 headphone sound like a $50 one.

 

[jams3223]

Nice review!

Upon testing the AR5000, I found the positioning on the measurement rig plays a very significant role in the FR you get. This is expected. As Amir mentioned at the beginning of the review, the AR5000's drivers are highly angled. That means a greater degree of variability in how they interact with the pinnae.

Wear them with your ears towards the front of the AR5000 ear cups (blue curve) tends to give you the most upper-mids and treble, compared to wearing them in the middle/back of the ear cup (purple/red).

p.s. I am using the GRAS 43AG-4 namely the regular IEC60318-4 coupler so the treble response can be a bit different from Amir's measurement.

Do you mean rotating it to the other side from right to left or top to bottom?

 

[sai]

Do you mean rotating it to the other side from right to left or top to bottom?

Ah, I mean left to right - so moving your ears horizontally in the ear cup.

 

[jams3223]

After numerous listening sessions, I have come to the conclusion that this headphone embodies the essence of what Rupert Neve would create if he were to design one himself. Its sound quality is exceptionally smooth and rich.

 

[sharock]

Has anyone directly compared these to the 560s yet?

 

[jams3223]

 

[Graph Feppar]

Besides, adding eq can cause smearing and phase issues or even pre-ringing if you use a linear phase eq in the bass region.

That is only true if you eq in way to make the frequency response even more uneven, like bass boosting for example. If you eq for flat fr, it removes the smearing and phase shifts and ringing automatically!

Frequency response, phase and ringing are mathematically inseparably interconected.

 

[Mr Vinyl]

That is only true if you eq in way to make the frequency response even more uneven, like bass boosting for example. If you eq for flat fr, it removes the smearing and phase shifts and ringing automatically!

Frequency response, phase and ringing are mathematically inseparably interconected.

The problem is, most people like to boost, and rarely cut. But even cutting, if you use a narrow Q, you will get artefacts.

 

[jams3223]

The problem is, most people like to boost, and rarely cut. But even cutting, if you use a narrow Q, you will get artefacts.

You guys should try using Realphones 2.

 

[Mr Vinyl]

You guys should try using Realphones 2.

For me, the Aune doesn't need eq. If it did, I would have bought a different headphone that corresponds to my taste.

 

[jams3223]

For me, the Aune doesn't need eq. If it did, I would have bought a different headphone that corresponds to my taste.

It's not an EQ; it's a studio room simulator.