Dan Clark ÆON CORE Headphone Review

[amirm]

This is a review, listening tests, and detailed measurements of the Dan Clark AEON Core planar magnetic headphone. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $899.

Not only is this the most attractive headphone Dan Clark has produced, it is the best looking one I have seen, period. The dark wood (?) panel reminds me of the dash in a luxury automobile. Same for the metal trims and structure. I have been wearing this headphone for quite a while as my "daily driver" and it is a pleasure to use. It does wear warm but that comes with the territory of thick pad. Really, this headphone puts a smile on my face every time I wear it.

Please note: I like this headphone so much that I intend to put it up for sale at TestedAudio.com. So feel free to read whatever bias you like in my subjective remarks.

Dan Clark AEON CORE Measurements
As usual we start with our frequency response and target using GRAS 45CA. Company will be providing the BK 5128 results in a few hours.

As you can see compliance is excellent until we get to lower treble. Then there is some shortfall and a slight resonance around 5.5 kHz. Company has tuned the CORE using their own target (on 5128?) so the variation is to be expected.

Deviation from target is naturally small:

Distortion is kept very low at 94 and 104 dBSPL:

But there is a peak above 2 kHz which gets fairly exaggerated at 114 dBSPL:

Company always optimizes internal reflections which is once again, shows in clean group delay:

As with their other headphones, impedance is low and here, almost ruler flat:

This indicate there is no tuning using passive electronic components.

Sensitivity is similar to other Dan Clark Headphones:

You need to have a headphone amp to get good dynamics out of it.

Dan Clark AEO Core Headphone Listening Tests & EQ
Dan has been asking me to test the headphones he sends me without measurements first. So I did that and the sound was just delightful. Still, I wanted to know the effect of deviation from the target so dialed in a couple of narrow filters:

The difference is definitely audible but it is just a variation that I can't even easily describe. Spatially, the sounds expands a bit and gets a bit more open. The stock tuning on the other hand, has a bit more warmth with more focused vocals (male). This kind of difference is impossible to explain or justify as there are no standards in music production and hence, we lack a reference. Who is to say which version is right? Fortunately I am happy to listen without the EQ just as well and indeed, have been for last few weeks.

The output remains clean and authoritative in the presence of sub-bass. No sign of stress anyway.

Conclusions
Dan Clark continues to advance the state of the art in science based development of headphones. The entry ticket up to now though has been rather steep. That changes with the CORE. Yes, $900 is not cheap but the headphone is sold through the channel and margin has to be allowed in there. And at any rate, it is much more affordable than their top of line. It also brings looks and style that I am proud to wear on my head!

I am happy to recommend the Dan Clark AEON CORE.

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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

 

[amirm]

Specs:

Weight	328gr 440 grams
Impedance	17ohms
Sensitivity	~97 dB/mW
Frequency response	Yes, it has one
Distortion	< 0.1% ref 80dB White Noise

5128 Measurements to come.

 

[staticV3]

So with the $900 Aeon 2 Noire, $900 Aeon Core, and $1100 Noire X all measuring roughly the same, how should you pick one?




It doesn't appear like the newer models are straight upgrades, otherwise the older models would surely be phased out or discounted but they're not

 

[formdissolve]

I have been using Aeon Open X ($500) for 3 years now and was looking to get a different Dan Clark headphone.. I love the Open X and just bought new earpads however. Not sure if this is much of an upgrade, but am always intrigued by Dan Clark headphones!

 

[Zim]

So with the $900 Aeon 2 Noire, $900 Aeon Core, and $1100 Noire X all measuring roughly the same, how should you pick one?

View attachment 536898View attachment 536900View attachment 536902
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It doesn't appear like the newer models are straight upgrades, otherwise the older models would surely be phased out or discounted but they're not

The Core replaces the 2/Noire from the product description. So I suppose those will go on sale soon to clear stock.

Also it looks like the Core has a fixed design so IMO, if you need something transportable, you’d get the Noire X but if you don’t need that feature, the Core is what you’ll be after.

 

[Soria Moria]

You need to have a headphone to get good dynamics out of it.

Forgot to include «amplifier». I think a headphone is pretty essential

 

[Billy Budapest]

Wait a minute—if you like the headphone so much, then why are you putting it up for sale?

Or do you mean you are going to become a dealer and sell this model of headphone, and not this actual unit?

 

[Bruce Morgen]

Wait a minute—if you like the headphone so much, then why are you putting it up for sale?

Or do you mean you are going to become a dealer and sell this model of headphone, and not this actual unit?

That was certainly my impression, FWIW.

 

[Maiky76]

Here are some thoughts about the EQ.
Please report your findings, positive or negative!

Notes about the EQ design:

• The average L/R is used to calculate the score.
• The resolution is 12 points per octave interpolated from the raw data (provided by @amirm)
• A Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the EQ.
• The EQ Score is designed to MAXIMIZE the Score WHILE fitting the Harman target curve (and other constraints) with a fixed complexity.
  This will avoid weird results if one only optimizes for the Score, start your journey here or there.
  There is a presentation by S. Olive here.
  It will probably flatten the Error regression doing so, the tonal balance should be therefore more neutral.
• The EQs are starting point and may require tuning (certainly at LF and maybe at HF).
• The range around and above 10kHz is usually not EQed unless smooth enough to do so.
• I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves.
• With some HP/amp combo, the boosts and preamp gain (loss of Dynamic range) need to be carefully considered to avoid issues with, amongst other things, too low a Max SPL or damaging your device. You have beed warned.
• Not all units of the same product are made equal. The EQ is based on the measurements of a single unit. YMMV with regard to the very unit you are trying this EQ on.
• I sometimes use variations of the Harman curve for some reasons. See rational here and here
• NOTE: the score then calculated is not comparable to the scores derived from the default Harman target curve if not otherwise noted.

Good L/R match.

I have generated one EQ, the APO config file is attached.

Score no EQ: 77.4
Score Amirm: 77.6
Score with EQ: 100.3

Dan Clar AEON Freq response APO EQ Score 2 Flat@HF 96000Hz
June052026-110221

Preamp: -3.50 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 12.3 Hz Gain 2.06 dB Q 0.59
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 69.8 Hz Gain 1.62 dB Q 2.09
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 108.6 Hz Gain -1.90 dB Q 1.28
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 5324.6 Hz Gain 4.23 dB Q 0.44
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 5472.0 Hz Gain -6.83 dB Q 4.60
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3605.8 Hz Gain -1.39 dB Q 3.47
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 11604.4 Hz Gain 0.92 dB Q 1.88

 

[KayKayKay]

Could anyone please share a detailed comparison of the sound signatures between the Aeon Core and the Noire X? Since both are priced so closely and I don't have the opportunity to audition them locally, I'm having a hard time deciding which one to go for. I would love to hear some insights! Thanks in advance.

 

[Billy Budapest]

Is Dan Clark Audio still an independent company? I hope so—I have followed Dan’s work since his MrSpeakers Mad Dog headphones, which were really heavily modified Fostex headphones.

I was pretty shocked when Audeze was bought by Sony a few years ago, so you never know.

 

[CDMC]

All I know is I bought a set of his headphones from Massdrop, applied the Harmon curve, and still remain amazed at how great they are. Nicce to see the new ones are near perfect out of box.

 

[ExUnoPlura]

Sadly, I’m thinking about selling my Ether 2s with Matrix mini-4 Pro. I just don’t use that kit or most of my IEMs. The convenience of wireless AirPods Max gen 2 or AirPods Pro (and their complete ecosystem integration) and really good sound with a bit of EQ overrides the need to sit still and endure ambient noise presence. It is with a heavy heart…

 

[Rja4000]

Thanks for this review.

I can't avoid wondering how to rate this vs Noire X or E3 ...

 

[AndreaT]

Tempting as a companion to my Topping DX5…I guess I should get the 4 pin XLR cable for the 5.9 W balanced output, right?

 

[amirm]

Wait a minute—if you like the headphone so much, then why are you putting it up for sale?

Or do you mean you are going to become a dealer and sell this model of headphone, and not this actual unit?

The latter of course.

 

[amirm]

Tempting as a companion to my Topping DX5…I guess I should get the 4 pin XLR cable for the 5.9 W balanced output, right?

That's the way I use it but average listening is at -35 to -25 dB so you could go with 1/4. I do like XLR since you can then nicely convert it to anything else.

 

[Roland301]

How is positional variation?

In my Aeon Closed X I find there is a fair bit of FR difference from moving them around a cm or two, both on my head and on the measurement rig.
In practice this typically means there is a bit of channel imbalance in certain parts of the spectrum, which hurts the coherence of soundstage/imaging.

Curious how the newer models fare.

The slight dip below target in ear gain region looks like it will fit my preference nicely.

 

[Power Pop 23]

Amir,

Do you have an estimate of when you hope to ship this headphone from Tested Audio dot com ?

 

[Dan Clark]

Thanks for the review, @amirm!

We really put our all into AEON CORE, I literally set out to deliver a flagship-level experience at a price that made the headphones accessible to far more people, I hope you'll we succeeded!

Also, part of why this headphone sounds different is very subtle and requires a look at the Harman results for the original "Welti" target vs the recalibrated KB5000 target @Sean Olive and I produced.

With the KB5000-based tuning, AEON CORE does have a very lively and dynamic presentation, with a bit more presence in the lower treble than most of our headphones (E3 excepted, which is very similar in most of this region). It also has a different bass-touch, with a bit less energy in the 100-225Hz region than we usually use.

The net is that even people with our other headphones should find this a fun, well balanced addition to the collection.

Sorry for being long-winded but adding clarity to this requires a bit of explanation.

1) We don't recommend PEQ above 6 KHz, the GRAS measurements are questionable above this level. The following charts shows why I say this, it's one headphone tested on both the KB5000 45CA and a 5128, no smoothing, only one seating.

IMPORTANT NOTE: the red is the re-calibrated Harman target Sean and I developed last year. Note that the AEON CORE is closer to this target, which explains the subtle but definitely present tuning changes. Also note that Amir's PEQ works just as well with either. The normalization is a bit different from Amir's to better show the effect in question. Also, notice how closely all the detailed features between 1-7K align on the 2 devices, that was unexpected, with no smoothing.

Here is the exact same headphone on the BK 5128... Ignore the "target" curve, that's not validated, and is likely incorrect below 1000Hz. That said, the key takeaway is that the BK shows no shelf at all on the 6-11k, in fact above 8K it's really smooth. There's just one dip at around 7 which is, in fact, there. We have validated this with extensive listening.

The long and short is above ~7KHz we strongly recommend only shelf filters, or doing very specific individual tuning for those trained in acoustics who can generate a PEQ by ear. Any attempt to do so based on GRAS measurements will almost certainly result in excess treble.

2) We did make a tiny improvement in THD, so we're specing 1% at 114db now. An individual high q peak is allowed

3) I think the PEQ Amir put forward will work much better for most people than the more complex "curve fitted" result (no offense intended, it's just per note 1, the measurements above 6K on the GRAS are not, IMHO, trustworthy for this headphone.) The one modification worth testing would be to add a 7KHz +2.5dB Q=5. Keep in mind this is approaching or overlapping ear-canal resonances, so that last may or may not work for you.

4) I think the best way to summarize this is that this is, in fact, the first headphone we've tuned to the KB5000_7 research-based curve, even though the GRAS results above 7K made it hard to show, we validated this through a lot of testing and confirmation with the BK. This does give the headphone part of its unique signature, without being a major departure from our prior work.

Hope that is helpful, and maybe even interesting!

Dan