Dan Clark ÆON CORE Headphone Review

[phoenixsong]

Thanks for this review.

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

I heard the Noire X and E3 in person- in reality they sound different enough (I prefer the Noire X). Still, the price was a little high imo. This Aeon Core has me intrigued

 

[phoenixsong]

I have the Hifiman HE1000 Stealth, Sennheiser 660S2 and Dan Clark Noire X. The fit and sound of the DCA headphones are quite different than the others, in a good way. If you are looking for a closed back option they are a safe bet, end game for most people IMO.

This. My exact thoughts after hearing the Noire X

 

[phoenixsong]

I have used various Sennheisers over the past three decades. Last were the Massdrop 58x version with the Harmon curve applied. The upgrade to the Aoen X (older version of what reviewed and not as good) was enormous. Before having done so, I would have said spending $500+ on headphones was stupid. Having done so a splurge for myself, I would say they are an incredible value.

In fairly new to the headphone hobby. How my Hifiman Ananada Stealth or Sennheiser HD6XX compare to this? Besides the build quality difference (I'm assuming) what would I gain by splurging for something like this? I'm starting to look at headphones around 1000 so this is right in that target range.

Value is very subjective, especially when it comes to headphones. There are just so many variables and individual needs, preferences and circumstances. But having heard headphones from just about every price range (except the old and new Orpheus), I can confidently say that the DCA Noire X would be a solid well-rounded addition to anyone's collection. It has much to bring to the table in sound quality, build quality, comfort and looks. It actually sounds like the JBL Stage A170 tower speakers with deeper subbass and slightly more splashy/diffused treble. The main reason holding me back was the thought that getting it would be the equivalent of getting 8.5x pairs of Sennheiser HD560S (I got mine for $130). Not exactly a fair comparison- open back vs closed back, dynamic vs planar, fluctuating prices, different level of sound immersion and comfort etc but yeah it is undeniable that the HD560S is a banger budget headphone and 8.5x pairs is kinda crazy. The Fiio Jade Audio JT7 is also a decent budget planar headphone, but again it is open backed, and it is important to keep in mind these are cream of the crop exceptions. Many other costlier headphones that I have heard and owned do not even sound good. I'd say the Noire X remains THE recommendation imo for people considering a pseudo flagship tier closed back headphone that isn't obscenely expensive (who knows, maybe this will change when I finally get to hear the Aeon Core)

 

[chelgrian]

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.
View attachment 536886
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.
View attachment 536887

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:
View attachment 536888

Distortion is kept very low at 94 and 104 dBSPL:
View attachment 536889

But there is a peak above 2 kHz which gets fairly exaggerated at 114 dBSPL:
View attachment 536890

Company always optimizes internal reflections which is once again, shows in clean group delay:
View attachment 536891

As with their other headphones, impedance is low and here, almost ruler flat:
View attachment 536892
This indicate there is no tuning using passive electronic components.

Sensitivity is similar to other Dan Clark Headphones:
View attachment 536893

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:
View attachment 536894

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/

I don’t have a feel for if these require a headphone amp or could be driven from say an Apple 3.5mm dongle. What kind of sensitivity number do you need for the dongle to be adequate?

 

[Dan Clark]

I don’t have a feel for if these require a headphone amp or could be driven from say an Apple 3.5mm dongle. What kind of sensitivity number do you need for the dongle to be adequate?

I don’t know about the Apple dongle, but there are a lot of cheap and good USB dongles now, I’ve been using the FiiO DS2. I heard the Crinacle on it today, and that worked well too. Apple doesn’t do power specs for it, but it can do 1V out, so the max power is 80mW into CORE, but it could be lower. For listening at low to moderate levels that may be enough, but the power and quality of the FiiO, Crinacle, or other devices that aren’t much bigger would be a safer choice.

 

[phoenixsong]

I don’t have a feel for if these require a headphone amp or could be driven from say an Apple 3.5mm dongle. What kind of sensitivity number do you need for the dongle to be adequate?

I've driven the Noire X satisfyingly with the Jcally JM20 Max dongle. It starts to struggle a little with the E3 and Stealth though

 

[Ahmonge]

I've driven the Noire X satisfyingly with the Jcally JM20 Max dongle. It starts to struggle a little with the E3 and Stealth though

Same experience with my headphones — the Ananda OG, Sennheiser HD620S, and the DCA Aeon 2 Noire: all are driven reasonably well. The JM20 Max is a good dongle.

 

[Mocie]

Yes, $900 is not cheap but the headphone is sold through the channel and margin has to be allowed in there.

I think it says a lot that they've been able to get the price point down to here from the highs of the Stealth, and even from the E3. Pretty remarkable to have something like this under $1000.

 

[Good Vibes]

I am surprised to see a golfing panther based on those huge dips after the 5k region. If that was the measured response of say a pair of standmount speakers, surely they would be worthy of a headless panther?

Am I missing something?

 

[PenguinMusic]

Hi,

Maybe the choice between different models from the DCA line is a tough one.
I think that, at this point, the "look and feel" of the object becomes significant.
And if you ask me, this one is indeed one the most desirable DCA "helmets"...
I already own the Aeon Closed and the Aeon Open.
But I think this one is simply stunning looking compared to those !

 

[Dan Clark]

I am surprised to see a golfing panther based on those huge dips after the 5k region. If that was the measured response of say a pair of standmount speakers, surely they would be worthy of a headless panther?

Am I missing something?

Yes, I addressed this in my post on page 1 describing the B&K measurements and listening tests. This is not a real acoustic feature of the headphone, it’s a specific interaction with the GRAS, the B&K literally is flat like a ruler through the same region. This measurement is literally a perfect example of why trying to hit the Harman target above 6-8K with PEQ is a questionable idea, and also why both Sean and I recommend using a simple shelf filter instead of trying to PEQ the highs.

If you use PEQ to fit the curve above 6KHz based on the GRAS curve, you will probably NOT like the result. It’s terribly bright.

After you read my post if you still have questions, I’ll try to answer, but there are limits to what I can answer because there are real unknowns here.

 

[Dan Clark]

Hi,

Maybe the choice between different models from the DCA line is a tough one.
I think that, at this point, the "look and feel" of the object becomes significant.
And if you ask me, this one is indeed one the most desirable DCA "helmets"...
I already own the Aeon Closed and the Aeon Open.
But I think this one is simply stunning looking compared to those !

At Vienna, mind you this is a show environment, we’re getting a really strong reception from mastering people who like Stealth but cost is an issue. Also, some people who have not always clicked with our headphones seem to really connect with it. There are still fans for each of the other products, as you’d expect.

I think that people who have tried our headphones but they weren’t quite what they wanted may well really find this of interest. And people who love Stealth’s tone really like this a lot.

A final comment: the Harman curve was never meant to be an exact “ideal,” it’s a statistical average that is the center of a range of preferences. Further, the acoustic impedance of the headphone, which is very hard to measure and almost nobody has tools to do so, interacts with both fixtures and ears in ways that are not clearly defined yet, and where more research is needed. This is why our headphones are all close to the curve, but have low-Q broad differences that sum to create different experiences.

I would say if cost is a consideration, CORE is the obvious place to start. Beyond that, if you love our other headphones, this will complement with a lighter touch in the upper bass, and a snappier and more energetic upper register. It also adds a touch of warmth to the mids relative to some other models. And if you didn’t prefer our tuning in the past, this may be the headphone you’ll click with.

 

[PenguinMusic]

At Vienna, mind you this is a show environment, we’re getting a really strong reception from mastering people who like Stealth but cost is an issue. Also, some people who have not always clicked with our headphones seem to really connect with it. There are still fans for each of the other products, as you’d expect.

I think that people who have tried our headphones but they weren’t quite what they wanted may well really find this of interest. And people who love Stealth’s tone really like this a lot.

A final comment: the Harman curve was never meant to be an exact “ideal,” it’s a statistical average that is the center of a range of preferences. Further, the acoustic impedance of the headphone, which is very hard to measure and almost nobody has tools to do so, interacts with both fixtures and ears in ways that are not clearly defined yet, and where more research is needed. This is why our headphones are all close to the curve, but have low-Q broad differences that sum to create different experiences.

I would say if cost is a consideration, CORE is the obvious place to start. Beyond that, if you love our other headphones, this will complement with a lighter touch in the upper bass, and a snappier and more energetic upper register. It also adds a touch of warmth to the mids relative to some other models. And if you didn’t prefer our tuning in the past, this may be the headphone you’ll click with.

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the informations and details.

Indeed, the Harman curve is just "a statistical average" that I do not cling to.
My two most loved headphones do get really poor votes there when related to the Harman curve.
Also, I am nott sure the FR tells it all...

But the Core is really of interest to me. I am still looking for a really nice closed back.
So far, the Audeze LCD-S20 (that no one seems to know about) is about the best I got.
But if I have a chance to get in touch with a dealer in France, I certainly love to give the core a listen !

Regards.

 

[Steakhouse]

At 104dB/V this is as sensitive as a HD600 but requires 21x as much current (and power).
To reach 120dB peaks you will need 6.3V (2.4W).

I own the Noire X. Happy with them but when you want to have some extra (deep) bass and listen to some bass driven music you do need a lot of power. And you need an amp that delivers a lot of current into 13 Ohms. This seems to be in the same ballpark. My old Pro-ject headphones amp quickly clipped even with the balanced connection. I bought an L70 for that. TLDR => get a beefy amp and use the balanced connection when you want a lot of bass played really loud from this headphones.

 

[Dan Clark]

I own the Noire X. Happy with them but when you want to have some extra (deep) bass and listen to some bass driven music you do need a lot of power. And you need an amp that delivers a lot of current into 13 Ohms. This seems to be in the same ballpark. My old Pro-ject headphones amp quickly clipped even with the balanced connection. I bought an L70 for that. TLDR => get a beefy amp and use the balanced connection when you want a lot of bass played really loud from this headphones.

Core is roughly 4db more efficient so it uses less than half the power.

 

[Chagall]

Core is roughly 4db more efficient so it uses less than half the power.

Compared to Noire X? Is there something wrong with @amirm sensitivity measurement? He measured Core at 313 mV / 17 ohm and Noire X at 333 mV / 13 ohm for 94 dB SPL.

If I'm calculating that correctly, that is about 1.6 dB difference in power sensitivity, not 4 dB. Amir also says "sensitivity is similar to other Dan Clark headphones" and that "you need to have a headphone amp to get good dynamics out of it."

I see Core being clearly more efficient than E3, but compared to Noire X it looks much closer, no?

 

[Dan Clark]

Compared to Noire X? Is there something wrong with @amirm sensitivity measurement? He measured Core at 313 mV / 17 ohm and Noire X at 333 mV / 13 ohm for 94 dB SPL.

If I'm calculating that correctly, that is about 1.6 dB difference in power sensitivity, not 4 dB. Amir also says "sensitivity is similar to other Dan Clark headphones" and that "you need to have a headphone amp to get good dynamics out of it."

I see Core being clearly more efficient than E3, but compared to Noire X it looks much closer, no?

Not sure what’s going on w that but will check Tuesday when back in us.

 

[HalSF]

Struggling with the (for me) insane temptation to spend $900 on these, but they hit every bullseye — closed back, easy to drive, superb measurements and performance.

We’re gradually transitioning to a new home without the soundproof listening room I currently enjoy, where I have the ability to crank up my speakers without bothering neighbors or my partner. So the idea of embracing non-antisocial music playback on this level as a compensation gift to myself is looking very appealing…

 

[Selkirks]

Struggling with the (for me) insane temptation to spend $900 on these, but they hit every bullseye — closed back, easy to drive, superb measurements and performance.

We’re gradually transitioning to a new home without the soundproof listening room I currently enjoy, where I have the ability to crank up my speakers without bothering neighbors or my partner. So the idea of embracing non-antisocial music playback on this level as a compensation gift to myself is looking very appealing…

Even with Noire X I'd still like a pair, they are going to do well. Great asthetics, performance and price.

 

[Jimster480]

@amirm @Dan Clark
How does this compare with the original Aeon Flow Closed?
How does it compare vs the Stealth?

I have an OG AFC and it's my favorite headphone to listen to non-bassy music.
The Stealth sounds nearly perfect , where does this one fall?

The price is in the region where this can be my next headphone.