Dan Clark ÆON CORE Headphone Review

[HalSF]

It is just someone's random opinion. Another opinion came from the owner/reviwer of this site, who is a board certified basshead. Whose opinion do you trust?

View attachment 540834

That’s what struck me about this guy’s assertion — that the unsubstantiated claim that the Aeon Core’s falters and won’t accurately deliver strong bass when the recording calls for it seems to conflict with both the measurements and @amirm’s subjective impressions.

 

[mSpot]

That’s what struck me about this guy’s assertion — that the unsubstantiated claim that the Aeon Core’s falters and won’t accurately deliver strong bass when the recording calls for it

I didn't read the review, but does he mention which headphones he likes better for strong bass? Basically his comment would be based on comparison to other headphones he has heard.

 

[HalSF]

I didn't read the review, but does he mention which headphones he likes better for strong bass? Basically his comment would be based on comparison to other headphones he has heard.

No comparison to other headphones, no reference to measurements or EQ, just repeated claims about no “big bass response,” no “heavy impact” no “bass-forward sound signature,” and “bass lacks strong impact.”

I’m just a few days into non-EQ listening to the Aeon Core, but my impression is accuracy and fidelity and presence from sub-bass to the highs. The reviewer may just be a bass-head who wants low-end exaggeration and feels that it’s a flaw if it’s missing.

 

[JOCoin]

This generally positive subjective review offers some fairly sharp criticism of the Aeon Core’s bass performance:

“While the lows have some clarity from the foundation of the bass tone, it never seems to hit very hard. Bass notes can have some vigor to them, but the timbre is always very neutral. On the right tracks where there’s a strong bass instrument, like an upright bass or an electric string bass, the lows emerge with depth and body. However, the response is still very soft…”

Is there anything in the measurements that supports this charge of fundamentally wimpy, somewhat anemic slam-less bass that fails to summon a vigorous, accurate low-end impact when the recording offers it?

Could've had issues getting a proper seal. That seems common with closed back DCA headphones or most closed backs in general.

 

[Selkirks]

Any recommendations on a basshead planar headphone without EQ? I thought the 2 Noire and X had nice bass.

 

[dananski]

That’s what struck me about this guy’s assertion — that the unsubstantiated claim that the Aeon Core’s falters and won’t accurately deliver strong bass when the recording calls for it seems to conflict with both the measurements and @amirm’s subjective impressions.

The graph does show a small drop in the bass - about 0.5-1.5 dB. If he's even a bit of a bass head he might prefer that margin be the other way and then you're getting into very apparent differences.
Could it also be possible that fit is affecting the response?

 

[HalSF]

The graph does show a small drop in the bass - about 0.5-1.5 dB. If he's even a bit of a bass head he might prefer that margin be the other way and then you're getting into very apparent differences.
Could it also be possible that fit is affecting the response?

Definitely suspect that reviewer is a basshead and craves low-end wallop above and beyond a solid frequency response. The very minor bass drop in the measurements alone would not seem to account for the criticism and obviously could be addressed with EQ. And perhaps a seal issue played a part, as you say. Plus degenerate subjectivism!

I’m not finding great bass to be any kind of problem with the Aeon Core.

 

[cavedriver]

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.

View attachment 536970

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.

View attachment 536972

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

How should we interpret the ~30 dB drop compared to the target at 10k in the graph above, and the similar drop, but only in the left ear, in Amirm's testing? Acknowledging the reduced significance of dips and peaks above 6k as previously cautioned, here is a massive dip that I would think would be clearly audible and not preferred?

 

[solderdude]

How should we interpret the ~30 dB drop compared to the target at 10k in the graph above, and the similar drop, but only in the left ear, in Amirm's testing? Acknowledging the reduced significance of dips and peaks above 6k as previously cautioned, here is a massive dip that I would think would be clearly audible and not preferred?

That drop is a measurement artifact of the used test fixture (fake ear canal).
It is present in all HATS measurements but for different standards at different frequencies.
The depth of the dip in the plot also depends on the used smoothing.

It is not some anomaly in the headphone.
A similar sharp dip is present in all ears but can vary in frequency.
Besides ... the brain 'knows' it is there so it is not perceived as severe as it measures.

 

[mishachakir]

DCA Core First Impressions - Headphone tuning the 'right' way?

The $900 DCA Aeon CORE fixes past errors with tuning to the Harman target, delivering a highly forgiving, timbrally natural alternative to the flagship E3.

headphones.com

 

[amirm]

How should we interpret the ~30 dB drop compared to the target at 10k in the graph above, and the similar drop, but only in the left ear, in Amirm's testing? Acknowledging the reduced significance of dips and peaks above 6k as previously cautioned, here is a massive dip that I would think would be clearly audible and not preferred?

As noted, the dip is due to fixture issues. I don't try to optimize it. If I did, I could easily make it different by repositioning the headphone. Best to ignore that part of the measurement other than an envelop of the whole response which is what the target is doing (by severely smoothing: 1/3 octave vs 1/20 octave).

 

[Deleted member 52588]

As noted, the dip is due to fixture issues. I don't try to optimize it. If I did, I could easily make it different by repositioning the headphone. Best to ignore that part of the measurement other than an envelop of the whole response which is what the target is doing (by severely smoothing: 1/3 octave vs 1/20 octave).

Would you mind giving a brief comparison/contrast of the Core to your Stealth and/or E3?

 

[amirm]

Would you mind giving a brief comparison/contrast of the Core to your Stealth and/or E3?

Yes. It is prettier, and cheaper, and still great.

 

[Jim T]

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.

Are these cans balance or unbal?

 

[mSpot]

Are these cans balance or unbal?

They have detachable cables. You can switch between balanced and unbalanced according to the type of cable you connect it to.

Choose what you want initially when you order.

​

 

[jruser]

Can anyone comment on leakage, compared to an LCD-XC (2021)? I would use these in a cubicle and wanted to get any idea on if that were feasible.

 

[John Zil]

Can anyone comment on leakage, compared to an LCD-XC (2021)? I would use these in a cubicle and wanted to get any idea on if that were feasible.

I've been using the Aeon Core for several hours a day. If someone wants to talk to me, I have to take off those headphones. Also, I use a Capra comfort strap, which feels perfect on my head. I have never used LCD-XC headphones.

 

[HalSF]

For anyone who's interested in a case, I checked with Dan Clark Audio and they confirmed the Aeon Core fits snugly in the Aeon RT/Flow case they sell separately. Ordered.

https://danclarkaudio.com/aeon-headphone-case.html

 

[Henreid]

It turns out I am just not a headphone guy... So I really hope I can quell the desire to get these, because they really look great

I've concluded that I'd probably need to invest in something like a Smyth Realizer to experience what I most desire from headphones (and unfortunately I'm too cheap to expend that much cash to optimise my enjoyment of headphones). For the past few years, reviews of high-quality headphones like the DCA Aeon Core have intrigued me, but I always find myself thinking, "Am I really going to spend nearly $1,000 (or more) on an audio component I might rarely use?" Listening to music over loudspeakers for more than half a century (and much of that time with a multi-channel system) seems to have ruined my appreciation of headphones. But I have to admit that, like you, I'm sincerely tempted to buy one of the recent models produced by Dan Clark Audio because of the universally excellent reviews they've been getting.

 

[staticV3]

I've concluded that I'd probably need to invest in something like a Smyth Realizer to experince what I most desire from headphones

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Might be an alternative