Comparison between AEON 2 Closed and Senheiser HD600

[nycarrival]

Hello,

I am not really well educated on headphones however I am looking for that one set that will "fit all". I am between AEON 2 closed and a Senheiser HD600. Why? Because I bought an AEON 2 closed but think that it is just too much for me and consider selling and getting cheaper Senheiser HD600.

Thanks in advance!

 

[xaviescacs]

What do you mean by "too much for me"?

 

[nycarrival]

My ears are not educated and (I know this sounds very bad) I cannot really hear the difference from one set to another. I thought I can save some good 300-400 pounds by going with Senheiser HD600

 

[jae]

How much are you paying for each? HD6XX (aka HD650) is comparable to HD600 and its $219+shipping from Drop. So if you cannot tell the difference from these probably not worth the cost of a brand new Aeon 2. There are not massive differences but there is still a difference. Aeon 2 is a closed headphone, so you have more privacy and less sound leakage, which may be an advantage to you. It also attenuates more sound from the outside environment, same as the last point you have to determine if this matters for you. Aeon 2 has less distortion. Closed headphones also tend to have more bass, which is harder to do well on an open headphone like the 600/650. I can say a lot about these headphones but to put it simply, out of the box the Aeon2 will have more/"better" bass however the 600/650 treble is going to be more accurate for most people and easy to listen to for long periods of time. If you are willing and able to use EQ, all of these headphones perform pretty well: to some degree you can fix the bass levels of the 600/650 and the 2-5k region on the Aeon2.

 

[xaviescacs]

I cannot really hear the difference from one set to another

And if you sell the DC, you'll never can

 

[solderdude]

My ears are not educated and (I know this sounds very bad) I cannot really hear the difference from one set to another. I thought I can save some good 300-400 pounds by going with Senheiser HD600

HD600 sounds bass-light and bright compared to AEON2 closed (provided the AEON2 seals well).
Even uneducated listeners will hear this.

AEON2 will play 5dB louder (this is audible but not twice as loud) compared to HD600 when driven from a phone.

When you want to play loud now and then the DCA requires a headphone amp that can provide a lot of current and the amp needs to be able to drive 1W into 13 ohm loads.
When you want to play loud now and then the HD600 requires a headphone amp that can provide a higher than usual voltage and the amp needs to be able to drive 300 ohm loads to at least 100mW.

So when making the choice it is important to know what you plan to use a headphone with.

Why not consider HD560S, easier to drive, lighter in weight, comfortable and good sound quality.

 

[nycarrival]

When I bought the DC Aeon2 I thought I could get a pair with leather as opposed to the Senheiser HD600. I think it will feel better with leather. Now it comes the customer remorse and I thought that the Senheiser HD600 worth £310 can do better than the Aeon2 which is $899. I could potentially get the new Topping DX7 Pro for the difference. Unless keeping the DC Aeon2 and get the Topping DX7 Pro?

In short, I am after that ideal set that I will keep for long.

 

[solderdude]

In short, I am after that ideal set that I will keep for long.

Aren't we all...

That would be a personal matter.
connectivity, size, price, looks, functionality, comfort, usability (outdoor, indoor), from a phone or medium priced gear, willing to EQ or not.

There are so many preferences that one can say there is no single ideal setup. There can be many for everyone.

With headphones it is a matter of comfort and usability as well as tonal preference. That should take the biggest chunk out of the budget.
It already has. When you like the comfort and sound and you already bought the DCA AEON 2 closed you are fine.
Depending on what it takes to 'drive' the headphone(s) of choice buy something that can easily drive the headphone(s).
Then look for a music source/player/DAC with the functionality you want.

 

[staticV3]

@nycarrival which ear pads are you using with your Aeon 2 Closed? Perforated (left) or standard (right)?

 

[nycarrival]

I do not know - I have not opened the box to keep its value if I decided to sell. Does it matter - standard or perforated?

 

[staticV3]

Yes, quite a bit:

 

[nycarrival]

I think I will simply sell my AEON2 pair and buy some cheap set. For someone who cannot hear any difference between any sets it is not worth. Thanks for your replies!

 

[asrUser]

I am not really well educated on headphones however I am looking for that one set that will "fit all". I am between AEON 2 closed and a Senheiser HD600. Why? Because I bought an AEON 2 closed but think that it is just too much for me and consider selling and getting cheaper Senheiser HD600.

So you bought the Aeon 2 Closed and missed the chance to return them? Now you didn't even open them and think they'll not sound like an endgame for you? Come on why did you even buy it in the first place? You'll never know until you try!

 

[coptician]

Well if you feel like your spending with the Aeon 2 is too much, then definitely return them. (if you can) These things are utter luxury objects, so it's all about how you feel about them.

If you want to experience a similar sound, consider picking op the Drop Closed X version. They'll be very similar in a lot of ways, but at around half the price.

I personally really like the Aeon 2 Noire, but that doesn't mean it's a good buy for you. In the end it's about what makes you happy.

 

[nycarrival]

Yes, it appears people like the majority users in this forum are well educated about headphones and most importantly, their ears are educated too. I went ahead and bought something based on someone's recommendation and realized I can just use a pair in the £100-£200 range and simply plug it to my MacBook Pro. Thanks again for the help everyone!

 

[TheEverydayNightmare]

HD600 sounds bass-light and bright compared to AEON2 closed (provided the AEON2 seals well).
Even uneducated listeners will hear this.

AEON2 will play 5dB louder (this is audible but not twice as loud) compared to HD600 when driven from a phone.

When you want to play loud now and then the DCA requires a headphone amp that can provide a lot of current and the amp needs to be able to drive 1W into 13 ohm loads.
When you want to play loud now and then the HD600 requires a headphone amp that can provide a higher than usual voltage and the amp needs to be able to drive 300 ohm loads to at least 100mW.

So when making the choice it is important to know what you plan to use a headphone with.

Why not consider HD560S, easier to drive, lighter in weight, comfortable and good sound quality.

Hi! Sorry if this reply is pretty late lol. I'm pretty new in audio, and I'm planning on getting some used A2C's that are modded to accept dual 3.5mm instead of the dummer cables. Isn't 1 watt like...a lot??? Like thats huge amounts isn't it? At 2 vrms, that be like, ~300 mW, and I don't really wanna bother with getting a balanced cable, since I'm already trying to find a powerful enough amp. Could recommend me a cheap dongle dac amp that can run from my phone? Also where did you derive the 1W number? Again total noobie here, so any help or extra info would be great. Thanks

 

[Bleib]

Aeon 2 should be quite a bit better with deeper bass. It's the only thing I miss about the headphone

 

[solderdude]

Hi! Sorry if this reply is pretty late lol. I'm pretty new in audio, and I'm planning on getting some used A2C's that are modded to accept dual 3.5mm instead of the dummer cables. Isn't 1 watt like...a lot??? Like thats huge amounts isn't it? At 2 vrms, that be like, ~300 mW, and I don't really wanna bother with getting a balanced cable, since I'm already trying to find a powerful enough amp. Could recommend me a cheap dongle dac amp that can run from my phone? Also where did you derive the 1W number? Again total noobie here, so any help or extra info would be great. Thanks

The DCA headphones all are notoriously low in efficiency. A small price to pay for the deliver sound quality. That issue (low efficiency) only rears its head when you want to play music loud to impressively loud. At those moments you need a lot of power compared to most other headphones. That's when you need the 1W+, not when listening to music all day at pleasant levels.

The reason for the higher wattage amp specs is based on the occasional 'turning it up loud with impressive lows' and still not hearing distortion numbers.
This is because the logarithmic properties of hearing. To go 'twice as loud' you need 10x more power.

For instance (lets take the AEON closed) this headphone requires 1.4V to reach 100dB SPL. Now... one would think that is really loud given the usual 'acceptable average noise levels' charts (handheld drill). But here's the thing. That 1.4V is required to reach 100dB peaks in music. Any decent recording (DR10) means that average levels that can be reached are 90dB. I call this 'comfortably loud' listening levels.
This is already almost maxing out most dongles which can't even reach 2V in unusually low impedance anyway.
We are talking a required 0.15W already ... just to reach those peaks.
Suppose you (very occasionally and short duration) want to play (part of) a song at (for longer duration) at loud levels (110dB peaks) then you already 'need' 1.5W.
When the desire is to reach (momentarily) uncomfortable loud levels (where you want to dial down the music within a minute) you will 'need' 10W to reach 117dB peaks.

For comparison ... to reach the same levels with say ... the HD620S then you need 0.35V for 100dB peaks (0.8mW), 1.1V for 110dB peaks (8mW) and for the same very loud level (117dB peak) you will need 2.5V (0.04W) which can almost be reached with most dongles that can deliver 2V in a 150ohm load.

 

[TheEverydayNightmare]

I seeee... so on average, the amount of power a headphones uses is only a bit higher when given the extra power, and that extra power is kept as a reserve to get the transients right? Is needing extra power a matter of the Current being way higher than what the voltage is able to supply? Also my ears are pretty sensitive, and I normally listen to 70-75 dB levels, and rarely 80. What's the general rule for the peak's relationship to the average level? Is it 20 dB?(90(average)+20(extra)=110(peaks)?) Also please correct me if my math is wrong, but if sensitivity is 92/mW, then 110dB is 64 mW. Then if V=sqrt(0.0064W*13 ohms)=0.91vrms for peaks...I think...So how is 1.4 volts needed to reach 100dB if 0.9 V can reach 110dB? Does that have something to do with like..current limitations?? Lottta questions... Thanks!

edit:
I prob got a lot of things wrong with this, so feel free to correct me a lot if I did lol
Also I'm thinking of getting an jcally jm20max, and it starts clipping at 1.6vrms at 12 ohms, so assuming your claim of 1.4V for 100dB, if it can reach 100 dB and a little extra with the 0.2V, plus with an extra ohm, then if I listen at 80dB, assuming peaks are 20dB, should mean that I'm fine?? Any other cheap recommendations for single ended? Also would you use ohm's law to figure out voltage at certain impedances? Or is there a more nuanced function to account for current limitations?

 

[solderdude]

I seeee... so on average, the amount of power a headphones uses is only a bit higher when given the extra power, and that extra power is kept as a reserve to get the transients right? Is needing extra power a matter of the Current being way higher than what the voltage is able to supply?

An amplifier provides a voltage (and is limited in how high that can go)
The load impedance determines how much current is drawn when a specific voltage is applied.
The current that can be drawn is limited, just as the voltage is limited.

Also my ears are pretty sensitive, and I normally listen to 70-75 dB levels, and rarely 80.
What's the general rule for the peak's relationship to the average level? Is it 20 dB?(90(average)+20(extra)=110(peaks)?)

Yes, so your amp will have to supply enough power to make it reach 100dB SPL to do so (worst case scenario assuming no EQ in the bass is required).

Also please correct me if my math is wrong, but if sensitivity is 92/mW, then 110dB is 64 mW.

The AEON-2 Noire is measured by Amir to be 103dB/V and is 13 ohm.
So to reach 100dB 0.7V is required and 54mA is drawn (=38mW).
to reach 110dB you need 10x the power (3.16x the voltage = 2.2V)= 380mW and 170mA is drawn.
To reach 120dB SPL you will again need 10x the power (7V) = 3.8W (0.54A is drawn)

Note that the HD650 also is 103dB/V but it being 300ohm and the AEON being 13ohm makes the difference for an amp.
When both are connected to an amplifier they will sound equally loud but the AEON draws 23x more current and thus 23x more power at the same SPL.

My previous numbers were for the original (then still called mrSpeakers) AEON closed.

When using the JM20 max. with the AEON2 Noire it will be able to reach 110dB peaks.

Then if V=sqrt(0.0064W*13 ohms)=0.91vrms for peaks...I think...So how is 1.4 volts needed to reach 100dB if 0.9 V can reach 110dB? Does that have something to do with like..current limitations?? Lottta questions... Thanks!

edit:
I prob got a lot of things wrong with this, so feel free to correct me a lot if I did lol
Also I'm thinking of getting an jcally jm20max, and it starts clipping at 1.6vrms at 12 ohms, so assuming your claim of 1.4V for 100dB, if it can reach 100 dB and a little extra with the 0.2V, plus with an extra ohm, then if I listen at 80dB, assuming peaks are 20dB, should mean that I'm fine?? Any other cheap recommendations for single ended? Also would you use ohm's law to figure out voltage at certain impedances? Or is there a more nuanced function to account for current limitations?