Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Noire Review

[VintageFlanker]

Review by RTINGS :

Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Noire Review

The Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Noire are a variant of the popular AEON 2 Closed series of headphones from the American headphone manufacturer. Sporting the brand's t...

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[doug2761]

If anyone has experience using Aeon 2 Open and Aeon 2 Noire, please share your impressions. Which headphones are best to buy and why? I plan to connect them to topping dx5 ii, noise isolation is not that important to me.

I have Aeon 2 Noire closed, Aeon X closed, and HD 6XX. I'm kinda done with headset experimenting. I use PEQ with Oratory's Harman settings for each of those. Without EQ I prefer the Noire but I never listen long without EQ. With EQ they are all really close. More a matter fit and preference for open or closed back. I'd say that with EQ I like the Noire and 6XX the best but I'm quite happy with any of them when using EQ. If I were starting over I'd probably pick something that Oratory has measured that performs close to the Harman curve and has low distortion so I could tweak EQ to my preference. For my tastes, PEQ substantially narrows the difference to the point where I have great listening experiences with any of these. The 6XX with EQ is really cost effective and sounds great to me.

 

[Bl00dWolf]

Good evening.
What do you think about the measurements at https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/dan-clark-audio/aeon-2-noire?
More specifically, about Frequency Response Consistency, which shows that depending on glasses, hair, head shape, etc., the fit may be poor and the sound completely different?

And from 20 to 200 Hz, we lose up to 10-12 dB, which is a lot?

And this applies not only to AEON 2, but to all Dan Clark headphones.

 

[Oldson]

Good evening.
What do you think about the measurements at https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/dan-clark-audio/aeon-2-noire?
More specifically, about Frequency Response Consistency, which shows that depending on glasses, hair, head shape, etc., the fit may be poor and the sound completely different?

And from 20 to 200 Hz, we lose up to 10-12 dB, which is a lot?

And this applies not only to AEON 2, but to all Dan Clark headphones.

and an awful lot of others, not just DCA, doesnt make them bad.

 

[Curupira]

More specifically, about Frequency Response Consistency, which shows that depending on glasses, hair, head shape, etc., the fit may be poor and the sound completely different?

This only matters for the bass frequencies and is highly dependent on whether you have thick glasses or a thick hair/beard. This phenomenon will happen with most closed ear headphones, though, as they need sealing against your head to be able to produce bass.

 

[MayaTlab]

This only matters for the bass frequencies and is highly dependent on whether you have thick glasses or a thick hair/beard. This phenomenon will happen with most closed ear headphones, though, as they need sealing against your head to be able to produce bass.

Not quite ! Undesirable frequency response variation between individuals can occur at all frequencies depending on the headphones design (some ANC headphones like the Bose QC35/45 have particularly high inter-individual variation in the 1-5kHz band for example), and morphology alone can cause it, such as geometry around the pinna.

ANC headphones with a feedback system can more or less reduce that problem at low frequencies (sub 500-800Hz or so) as the feedback system is an error control loop, the better designs have made the issue of leakage variation a solved problem for a while. But indeed most passive closed back HPs will exhibit that issue.

In the case of DCA headphones since the targeted response is very decent to begin with and some people are likely to experience that response on their own head, it's worth giving them a try, but a lot of people - and in all likelihood the majority - won't, and it's fine if you don't like them as a result.

 

[Dan Clark]

Good evening.
What do you think about the measurements at https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/dan-clark-audio/aeon-2-noire?
More specifically, about Frequency Response Consistency, which shows that depending on glasses, hair, head shape, etc., the fit may be poor and the sound completely different?

And from 20 to 200 Hz, we lose up to 10-12 dB, which is a lot?

And this applies not only to AEON 2, but to all Dan Clark headphones.

Almost any closed headphone without ANC will have bass rolloff with leakage, this is a function of acoustic impedance. ANC uses feedback to maintain response, but with leakage peak SPL can be seriously compromised as the amps can limit.

Our specific recommendations are to use very thin-frame glasses that lay flat to the face, thick frames or ones that pull away from the face create avoidable air leaks. Alternately, for some people using low-magnification glasses, you can simply rest the arms on the top of the pad. People with thick hair should pull the hair back before seating the headphones so the pad lays on skin not the thick hair.

If you follow these guidelines the experience is pretty consistent.

 

[Bl00dWolf]

and an awful lot of others, not just DCA, doesnt make them bad.

Yes, that's true.
But my point is that headphones costing $1,000 or more shouldn't have such problems. The price makes it a problem, IMHO.

If you follow these guidelines the experience is pretty consistent.

Yes, I have short hair, don't wear glasses, and I like how my NOIRE X sounds.
It's more like a wish for the future, if possible, maybe this point could be improved a little =)

 

[Dan Clark]

Yes, that's true.
But my point is that headphones costing $1,000 or more shouldn't have such problems. The price makes it a problem, IMHO.


Yes, I have short hair, don't wear glasses, and I like how my NOIRE X sounds.
It's more like a wish for the future, if possible, maybe this point could be improved a little =)

This is an issue any closed headphone faces, it's acoustic impedance, which is inherent to using a cup. It's like saying loudspeakers shouldn't interact with rooms because they're more expensive. I expect most people would agree rooms affect speakers, regardless of price, in the same way IMHO it's not realistic to hold headphones to an ideal divorced from the reality of physics...

That said, we did work which showed open headphones can have as high a swing in high frequencies when you change couplers, in some cases more than the closed headphones showed, which was actually a bit of a surprise. In fact one open headphone we tested also showed effects of acuostic impedance at low frequencies, as well as high. See the thread on the KB5000 and 5128 Harman analysis to see what I mean...

Having done some initial research on these factors DCA will be investing more R&D and maybe pursuing more published results as we strive to better profile these effects, as I think it will help the community better understand the strengths and weeknesses of different technologies and different measurement systems. It's complex, to be sure.

Enjoy your headphones!

 

[MayaTlab]

Yes, that's true.
But my point is that headphones costing $1,000 or more shouldn't have such problems. The price makes it a problem, IMHO.


Yes, I have short hair, don't wear glasses, and I like how my NOIRE X sounds.
It's more like a wish for the future, if possible, maybe this point could be improved a little =)

That's my great hope too, especially since Dan Clark Audio tries to target a sensible response curve to begin with.
But it's unclear to me that it can be achieved in the format of a passive closed back, and it feels like it might turn out to be a developmental dead end.

 

[MayaTlab]

This is an issue any closed headphone faces, it's acoustic impedance, which is inherent to using a cup. It's like saying loudspeakers shouldn't interact with rooms because they're more expensive. I expect most people would agree rooms affect speakers, regardless of price, in the same way IMHO it's not realistic to hold headphones to an ideal divorced from the reality of physics...

Is the addition of active systems something that could be envisaged by DCA ?

That said, we did work which showed open headphones can have as high a swing in high frequencies when you change couplers, in some cases more than the closed headphones showed, which was actually a bit of a surprise.

I'm skeptical what you see here is a question of coupler per se (ie what's behind the ear canal entrance), as similar effects are found with blocked ear canal entrance mics. At 4k+ frequencies you're probably rather looking at external ear / head geometry factors. Generally speaking for these larger over ears with a fairly large front volume I'm not certain the ear canal / middle ear is of particularly great importance to the results you obtain compared to pinna / head geometry / leakage effects / etc.

In fact one open headphone we tested also showed effects of acuostic impedance at low frequencies, as well as high. See the thread on the KB5000 and 5128 Harman analysis to see what I mean...

Having done some initial research on these factors DCA will be investing more R&D and maybe pursuing more published results as we strive to better profile these effects, as I think it will help the community better understand the strengths and weeknesses of different technologies and different measurement systems. It's complex, to be sure.

At lower frequencies the factors involved are already rather well known, but I think it's very poorly known still what sort of headphones design enables best the expression of desirable inter-individual variation at 4-5kHz + frequencies, while minimising the undesirable variation, and it would be quite ace if DCA found this out.

 

[Dan Clark]

Is the addition of active systems something that could be envisaged by DCA ?

Sure but planers have, in generally, higher power requirements which presents some real challenges.

 

[Oldson]

i have a set of Kennerton Magni which are marketed as a "closed" headphone.
with these , if they dont seal well, it does not affect the bass to my ears.
having said that, their isolation is none existent sealed or not.
imo, these should be marketed as "semi-open".

 

[juliangst]

To anyone who also dislikes the original pads, I can strongly recommend the Dekoni Sheepskin pads.

They probably won't disintegrate like the fake leather pads, and most importantly they don't suffer from the memory foam changing shape.
Having to reshape the original pads ironically puts even more wear on the PU leather.

Seal and comfort with the Dekoni is also very good (with and without glasses).

 

[ch96066]

Greetings to all.
Happy new owner of used A2Ns as of yesterday.
Bought a demo unit from a music gear store and it looks to be in fine condition with no obvious mechanical or audio issues.

My chain: mobile + spotify premium via poweramp equalizer --> usbAtoB --> Octodac8 Stereo --> Xlr --> L70 --> 3.5mm Jack (waiting for a 4.4 balanced cable).

Other owned cans (all from new):
- closed: PSB M4u1/ FT1
- open: He400se / X2HR

Preferred until the A2N arrived was the X2HR. Doesn't mean I will not be using any of my other cans (again mostly the X2HR). It does look like however that A2N will take the lion's share of use for reasons explained below.

Fit and finish
Excellent build showing a delicate robustness. Point of attention the plastic retainers of the leather band which are not clamping the rail in my unit except in the lower most (and thus unusable even for my small head) position. Not sure if the screws holding the leather band can be tightened to provide grip against the rails. I may try.

Head/ear fitting
The std perforated pleather pads are very supple and provide great sealing from external sounds. I think in the warm greek summer heat will be an issue (as with anything (p)leather), but it is still 'cold' here.
The cups are relatively spacious, though I haven't yet found a position where my ears don't touch the pads.
My main issue was the leather band not staying put, as discussed in fit and finish above. My initial (and probably permanent) solution is using IKEA small bag sealing clips. They have done the trick beautifully.

The Sound
First finding is that these cans eat power for breakfast. Dac8 and L70 at max power and high gain do not drive these like they do my other cans. I can only guess this is because my Dac8 Stereo was converted by the precious owner to 1Vrms output. I managed to find another combo in my gear arsenal that drives them much louder (alas not with the quality of D8S and L70). I will have to make do with the lower volume.
I also tried my portable Btr7 dac/amp. At high gain and max volume it just manages to provide enough power to make them listenable. Still nowhere near to what it achieved with all my other cans.

So apart from power constraints, coming to the actual sound experience, I will first explain what I 'ask' my listening stack to achieve.
Blackness of background (not related to the potential recording hiss) out of which notes emerge with clarity and liveliness. Also as much as possible separation and imaging allowed by the recording/mastering itself. Realistic timbre (I am not a musician in any shape or form) meaning what I am used to hearing from live performances.

In all these points the noire surpasses my next best can (X2HR). Does it do 79eur vs 430eur worth of surpassing? Here is the thing... it surpasses it in an audible way, which makes the music more enjoyable as per my wants above. I do not think that a price tag comparison is meaningful in this sense (if funds are available of course)

Some examples via my test trucks

- The chain-2004 remaster by Fleetwood Mac. Checking the tambourine entering at ~55s for separation and timbre. Every metal stroke is registered vs a muddier blend from my other cans.

- Duel of the fates by John Williams and London Symphony Orchestra. At 2.20 I am looking at the layering and impact of the brass and at the end the timpani for bass. For the brass the A2N result is above others with clearer timbre and better controlled brightness. On the bass it sounds tighter but with less physical presence (might be the lower sound level).

- Riders on the storm-new stereo mix by The doors. Here I try to see if I feel the wetness of the intro storm and then the general interplay between the 4 instruments (2 pianos / drums / electric guitar). What really stood out to me were the so far unheard details in the drums work. A2N exposed it beautifully without impacting anything else.

- St Luis Blues by Wycliffe Gordon. This is for imaging and timbre on the solos as well as pure musicality. Top marks all around and if volume was higher I would still be tapping my feet long after the piece ended.

- Random access memories 10th anniversary by Duft Punk. All trucks simply sound more detailed, layered and crisp via the A2N. Such a listenable album now sounds even better.


So overall very happy. Now I need to stop testing/analysing and simply get lost in the music

Happy to share thoughts and music.

 

[xophere]

Yes they are designed to be tensioned at the plastic to lock the position. My only really annoyance with build is that with the strap in the position for my big head it doesn't fold into the case properly. So I have to slide the adjustment strap.

Are you running with or without filters? I would try using the btr7 as the dac source and as the input to your amp. I have been able to drive these to hi volume with a quedlix 5k and a questyle m15i. Clearly they sound better with more power (voltage). I await some balanced cables to see if I can get the m15i and the 5k to do better. I have listened with the filters when I am doing work with them. But now mostly switched to eq and unflitered.

I used the sheep skin dekoni pads for a long time while working and am fine with the sound. I do want to try the new DCA hybrids since deconi stopped making their hybrids. Generally I am fine with cloth or natural leather but don't like the heat from most pleather pads.

 

[ch96066]

Thank you for the help xophere!
Running without any tuning filters for now. I have all 4 and I may try Dan's suggestions for them at some point.

What eq app file are you using? I am using wavelet with Oratory's file and poweramp with the full 96kH file by Maiky76.

Regarding using other dacs vs the D8S (even as they seem to work) is something I would like to avoid as I bought it because of the unique performance/resolution/musicality it brings to my stack. I am resting my power up hopes to the 4.4mm balanced cable on the way.
Regarding pads I find it hard to swallow the cost (+ risk of extra customs cost). Good thing is that I can switch to IEMs or FT1 to avoid pleather and still not disturb others.

 

[xophere]

Thank you for the help xophere!
Running without any tuning filters for now. I have all 4 and I may try Dan's suggestions for them at some point.

What eq app file are you using? I am using wavelet with Oratory's file and poweramp with the full 96kH file by Maiky76.

Regarding using other dacs vs the D8S (even as they seem to work) is something I would like to avoid as I bought it because of the unique performance/resolution/musicality it brings to my stack. I am resting my power up hopes to the 4.4mm balanced cable on the way.
Regarding pads I find it hard to swallow the cost (+ risk of extra customs cost). Good thing is that I can switch to IEMs or FT1 to avoid pleather and still not disturb others.

I am easy effects on my linux boxes and poweramp eq on my android phone. I could use it on my 5K but.... My struggle with the android eq is the only working with the music players and not youtube. But it is good enough. I could always move the eq to the 5k for that. These can's don't need it that bad for just informational content. I preferred the dampening and even maybe the softening of the edges for long working sessions. I picked it up cause I ended up in a crazy loud cube farm and it was the only way I could concentrate. I mostly have driven them with a Asgard 3 with the on board DAC. But I have heard them on the topping A50 as well. I am enjoying them on the m15i. But I do think they texture of the bass is effected by the amount of juice on tap. I don't need high gain typically with normal source gear.

Only issue with the m15i is that it is very sensitive to USB c cables. It requires some specific spec to function at all. I had to try like 10 to find 3 that worked and 2 I liked.

I like the oratory EQ. But I mostly use Crin's as it has a bit more kick down low. I am not hunting for neutral and again I am on the sheepskin pads waiting to get the new DCA ones. Anyone using the new hybrid pads from DCA?