Dan Clark ÆON CORE Headphone Review

[Jimster480]

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?

An apple dongle will not be adequate, they need way too much current. At least that's how my Aeon Flow Cllosed is, usually planner drivers like this need current. So you would need a dongle that has enough current or you need something with a proper headphone amp. There are a couple small options that are not too expensive, but a tiny apple dongle won't

 

[KiyPhi]

@Dan Clark
How do these fare for us glasses wearers? I've always liked your headphones but am cursed with both glasses and a jawline that never give a good seal. Is the roll off on these up there with your other headphones or does the design compensate for seal loss well?

 

[RichieSuganda]

Looks like a better-looking E3, now I feel jelly

 

[ExUnoPlura]

An apple dongle will not be adequate, they need way too much current. At least that's how my Aeon Flow Cllosed is, usually planner drivers like this need current. So you would need a dongle that has enough current or you need something with a proper headphone amp. There are a couple small options that are not too expensive, but a tiny apple dongle won't

Agreed. Even with a Hidizs S9 Pro Martha dongle (really nice, BTW) via 4.4 balanced, my DC Ether 2s are very limited at the top end. Sufficient for jazz and classical, but wanting for some genres. I assume the same math applies here.

 

[Dan Clark]

@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.

The timbre is much closer to stealth, the OG afc closed will have more upper bass but less sub bass, a smaller soundstage, and a much rougher top end.

 

[Dan Clark]

@Dan Clark
How do these fare for us glasses wearers? I've always liked your headphones but am cursed with both glasses and a jawline that never give a good seal. Is the roll off on these up there with your other headphones or does the design compensate for seal loss well?

The only closed design that can compensate for seal loss is ANC which essentially uses feedback to do so, within the limits of power. They still require a good seal but they are a little less sensitive than noire.

For the hair the best thing is too push the hair back when placing the headphones to get clear skin for the pad, if you can. For the glasses either rest the arms on top of the pads or nestle them about halfway to get a seal, or consider thin metal frames that lay flat to the head as they exit the ear to avoid lifting the pad…

 

[mishachakir]

What should I choose: the DCA Aeon Core or the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro MK2 ?
Of the closed-back wired headphones, I only have the Fostex T50RP MK4. Which headphones should I choose for general use and Battlefield 6 gaming?
I also have the Fosi Audio i5 Planar, Hifiman He600, and Moondrop Skyland.

 

[staticV3]

What should I choose: the DCA Aeon Core or the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro MK2 ?

Wait for measurements of the DT 1770 Pro MK2

...but, probably, the DCA

 

[chelgrian]

Wait for measurements of the DT 1770 Pro MK2

...but, probably, the DCA

I’d considered the 1770 Pro Mk II as beyer claimed to have tamed the treble hump.

The issue is it’s very difficult to find anywhere to audition higher end headphones and I’m not buying the Beyer or indeed the DCA without listening to them first.

 

[Ahmonge]

So the idea of embracing non-antisocial music playback on this level as a compensation gift to myself is looking very appealing…

I like the "non-antisocial music playback" concept. That was the reason why I started listening to music with headphones a long time ago

 

[HalSF]

I caved and ordered the Aeon Core thanks to the YOLO devil on my shoulder.

 

[KiyPhi]

The only closed design that can compensate for seal loss is ANC which essentially uses feedback to do so, within the limits of power. They still require a good seal but they are a little less sensitive than noire.

For the hair the best thing is too push the hair back when placing the headphones to get clear skin for the pad, if you can. For the glasses either rest the arms on top of the pads or nestle them about halfway to get a seal, or consider thin metal frames that lay flat to the head as they exit the ear to avoid lifting the pad…

Thank you for the reply. I'm not too knowledgeable about this, so if my question is clearly written by someone who doesn't know what they are talking about, I apologize.

Is this because of the stiffness of the air in the back volume? Would it be possible to design one with venting to help mitigate that, or would that introduce too many other problems/might as well make an open headphone at the point?

If only realistically possible to do with ANC, any chance of a DCA ANC headphone? Lol

 

[xaxxon]

In majority of cases, balanced is equiv to nearly 4 times the output power. So while its balanced feature is without much value, its power output definitely matters.

Isn't this you literally saying "differential drive has nothing to do with the word balanced"?

 

[xaxxon]

Why balanced “isn’t a thing for HP”? Amirm calls it that way…

 

[Dan Clark]

I went back and double-checked the efficiency. I made an error in the test, that's 100% my mistake. It is about 1dB more efficient than NOIRE. My apologies for any confusion and thanks to the folk who pointed that out.

We also made a second error on the weight, it’s 440gr. One of the cost reductions was the trade-off in weight. That said, I don’t really notice it due to the weight distribution.

Sorry! It was a little hectic rolling out at an overseas show. I probably won’t be doing that again.

 

[amirm]

Isn't this you literally saying "differential drive has nothing to do with the word balanced"?

It is. I just got tired of using the proper name, differential, since the whole industry and users call it "balanced."

 

[dananski]

Looks like one to try as soon as it shows up in London. Thanks Amir, thanks DCA!

How does the leakage/isolation compare to the previous closed-backs? (Noire X, E3, Stealth)

 

[ayane]

@Dan Clark These headphones look delightful, from design to performance. I'm especially interested because of the low weight of ~330 grams; heavy weight has been the primary dealbreaker for me with all of the other models and why I've stuck with the og AFC. However, I'm still unhappy with poor leakage tolerance and generally prefer open headphones, so I'm curious: is it worthwhile to wait for a similarly low-weight open-back, or should I not hold my breath and get this instead?

@amirm Thank you for posting this review! Any updates on BK5128 measurements?

 

[Dan Clark]

@Dan Clark These headphones look delightful, from design to performance. I'm especially interested because of the low weight of ~330 grams; heavy weight has been the primary dealbreaker for me with all of the other models and why I've stuck with the og AFC. However, I'm still unhappy with poor leakage tolerance and generally prefer open headphones, so I'm curious: is it worthwhile to wait for a similarly low-weight open-back, or should I not hold my breath and get this instead?

@amirm Thank you for posting this review! Any updates on BK5128 measurements?

They’re heavier than the NX, actually around 440gr. Sorry, we’re correcting that on the website. Part of the cost reductions resulted in some weight, but that weight does help reduce leakage and improve isolation a bit since the origin is a fully aluminum cup, vs multiple lighter materials.

I can’t believe I missed that, but I did. Sorry!

We don’t discuss future products…

 

[ayane]

They’re heavier than the NX, actually around 440gr.

Welp