Dan Clark Audio AEON RT Review (closed headphone)

[staticV3]

Do you mean the Aeon Open X or the Aeon Flow Open? An Aeon Flow X Open does not exist.

 

[Elfsberg]

Do you mean the Aeon Open X or the Aeon Flow Open? An Aeon Flow X Open does not exist.

Oh, man, so many names.

"Dan Clark Audio x Drop - AEon Flow Open"

 

[staticV3]

Such a headphone does not exist. Perhaps the person you're quoting meant this one: https://drop.com/buy/drop-dan-clark-audio-aeon-open-x

 

[Jimbob54]

Do you mean the Aeon Open X or the Aeon Flow Open? An Aeon Flow X Open does not exist.

And even if it did exist, the answer would still be no as this is the RT "closed" thread.

@Elfsberg the Drop only Aeon X (open or closed) and similar but not identical to the Aeon RT (open or closed) available exclusively from the Dan Clark website. May even only be cosmetically different.

 

[JanesJr1]

And even if it did exist, the answer would still be no as this is the RT "closed" thread.

@Elfsberg the Drop only Aeon X (open or closed) and similar but not identical to the Aeon RT (open or closed) available exclusively from the Dan Clark website. May even only be cosmetically different.

Appreciate you keeping us on-target, JimBob. Pardon my elaboration on the alternatives above, but the RT's do exist within a menagerie of DCA options that may affect how one looks at the RT's.

 

[Elfsberg]

LOL,
so much confusion.
The seller is listing a pair of "Dan Clark Audio / MrSpeakers x Drop - AEon Flow Open".

So I guess it's this one:

Drop + Dan Clark Audio Aeon Open X Headphones | Open-Back Audiophile Headphones

These Drop exclusive Dan Clark Headphones deliver top notch audio quality. The open-back Aeon Open X headphones utilize Planar Magnetic drivers for an experience you won't forget.

drop.com

DCA answered minutes later:

"he DROP AeonX and the RT are the very same headphones. Here is the blurb from the website

ÆON RT (Re-Tuned) headphones update our award-winning ÆON Flow with bumped up bass and crisper highs than the original. The result: ÆON RT delivers a springier and more dynamic listening experience, prioritizing affordability, fun-factor, and (of course) amazing sound quality! It doesn’t hurt that it’s unbelievably comfortable, and still made in San Diego."

Thank you!
I just got an answer from the seller and the headphones got sold earlier today.

 

[JanesJr1]

LOL,
so much confusion.
The seller is listing a pair of "Dan Clark Audio / MrSpeakers x Drop - AEon Flow Open".

So I guess it's this one:

Drop + Dan Clark Audio Aeon Open X Headphones | Open-Back Audiophile Headphones

These Drop exclusive Dan Clark Headphones deliver top notch audio quality. The open-back Aeon Open X headphones utilize Planar Magnetic drivers for an experience you won't forget.

drop.com

DCA answered minutes later:

"he DROP AeonX and the RT are the very same headphones. Here is the blurb from the website

ÆON RT (Re-Tuned) headphones update our award-winning ÆON Flow with bumped up bass and crisper highs than the original. The result: ÆON RT delivers a springier and more dynamic listening experience, prioritizing affordability, fun-factor, and (of course) amazing sound quality! It doesn’t hurt that it’s unbelievably comfortable, and still made in San Diego."

Thank you!
I just got an answer from the seller and the headphones got sold earlier today.

Bottom line: there are two tiers of Aeon headphones.

1. The $379-$479 model is available as the Aeon Open X or Closed X at Drop.com; or as the Closed RT for $499 from DCA and other retailers.

2. The $899 model is available as the Aeon 2 Open, Closed or Noire (Harman tuned) from DCA and other retailers, but not Drop.com.

The higher tier has a newer planar driver, and folds more compactly. Otherwise it looks the same as the lower tier (other than color). The earpads have also been upgraded at least for the Noire, RT and X versions. (I'm not sure about the earpads for the Aeon 2 closed and open.)

 

[staticV3]

DCA answered minutes later:

"he DROP AeonX and the RT are the very same headphones.

Measurements unfortunately don't support this (or there's considerable unit to unit variation): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/drop-dan-clark-audio-aeon-closed-x.26711/

 

[Daltong]

Hey hey, long story short I decided to listen to Regina Spektor's Far and lordy loo I am hearing a lot of weirdness (admittedly last time I listened to Far over five years ago and using A64 IEMs which I apparently misplaced and can't find lol, so much for my columbo userpic)
Particularly in Machine
(

)

pretty much all low drums are punctuated by weird distortion-like transients (particularly apparent between 0:29 and 0:32, very distinct drum and very distinct scratchy artifact), and yes, I know, youtube bad, but I listened both to my CD and the youtube vid and there is no substantial difference in terms of these coarse scratchy sounds. EQ doesn't seem to matter much (tho oratory one seems a bit worse)

1) could someone take a listen in the meantime, just to check up whether I'm hallucinating ?
2) any suggestions on how to gently tune this particular artifact down a bit ? I have all EQ in the world (rigged up a OpenDRC to be my EQ)

 

[RHO]

Hey hey, long story short I decided to listen to Regina Spektor's Far and lordy loo I am hearing a lot of weirdness (admittedly last time I listened to Far over five years ago and using A64 IEMs which I apparently misplaced and can't find lol, so much for my columbo userpic)
Particularly in Machine pretty much all low drums are punctuated by weird distortion-like transients (particularly apparent between 0:29 and 0:32, very distinct drum and very distinct scratchy artifact), and yes, I know, youtube bad, but I listened both to my CD and the youtube vid and there is no substantial difference in terms of these coarse scratchy sounds. EQ doesn't seem to matter much (tho oratory one seems a bit worse)

1) could someone take a listen in the meantime, just to check up whether I'm hallucinating ?
2) any suggestions on how to gently tune this particular artifact down a bit ? I have all EQ in the world (rigged up a OpenDRC to be my EQ)

Have you applied pre-gain to your EQ settings?

 

[Daltong]

Have you applied pre-gain to your EQ settings?

Yes, of course.

it's definitely not clipping (or at least not in my equipment) and is reproducible on several different amp/DAC/DSP combinations (OpenDRC+E50+L50, Qudelix with DSP, Qudelix without DSP/EQ)

Also checked with a different source (old CD player with SPDIF playing the CD instead of PC with TOSLINK out playing the youtube recording)

pretty sure it's the unfortunate mixing of album in question (but decided to ask someone here have a listen just in case )

 

[JanesJr1]

Hey hey, long story short I decided to listen to Regina Spektor's Far and lordy loo I am hearing a lot of weirdness (admittedly last time I listened to Far over five years ago and using A64 IEMs which I apparently misplaced and can't find lol, so much for my columbo userpic)
Particularly in Machine
(

)

pretty much all low drums are punctuated by weird distortion-like transients (particularly apparent between 0:29 and 0:32, very distinct drum and very distinct scratchy artifact), and yes, I know, youtube bad, but I listened both to my CD and the youtube vid and there is no substantial difference in terms of these coarse scratchy sounds. EQ doesn't seem to matter much (tho oratory one seems a bit worse)

1) could someone take a listen in the meantime, just to check up whether I'm hallucinating ?
2) any suggestions on how to gently tune this particular artifact down a bit ? I have all EQ in the world (rigged up a OpenDRC to be my EQ)

I don't hear it on the you tube you sent; at least, nothing that sounds like distortion or a random artifact. I do hear what sounds like a deliberate stick-like transient that repeats in time with the music and is a little more out-there in the 29s-32s segment you mentioned. It's kind of like a drumstick tip, or something smaller, tapping very lightly and rhythmically on something that is non-reverberating. I'm not savvy enough about odd percussion instruments to identify it, but it certainly sounds deliberate, if that's what you're referring to. I don't hear any coarse, scratchy sounds.

On Amazon.com Music HD, it's even clearer. There are a number of apparently synthesized or sampled-and-replayed sounds that pop up in the course of the music. The tapping transient is there for quite a while, but could be masked or otherwise obscured by louder instruments if your transducer isn't really good at separating instruments. Or it's something else that I just don't hear on this recording.

 

[chuckt62]

I hear static there on my crappy laptop speakers.

 

[RHO]

Yes, of course.

it's definitely not clipping (or at least not in my equipment) and is reproducible on several different amp/DAC/DSP combinations (OpenDRC+E50+L50, Qudelix with DSP, Qudelix without DSP/EQ)

Also checked with a different source (old CD player with SPDIF playing the CD instead of PC with TOSLINK out playing the youtube recording)

pretty sure it's the unfortunate mixing of album in question (but decided to ask someone here have a listen just in case )

It's definitely in the recording. I'm listening to "Machine" now and I hear it with the Aeon RT closed and with the Sundara 2020. Both using Oratory1990 PEQ settings (Harman 2018). It's more evident on the Aeon RTs.

 

[Daltong]

Yeah, it's very evident on AeonRT...well guess glad it's neither me hallucinating nor the headphones failing lol, thanks @RHO

It's surprisingly less evident on U4 Audio64 IEM, which I found, finally (it's somewhat there but so much less so that I'm not surprised I didn't notice before... Guess "Far" was mixed with some bassy gear with suppressed highs in mind)

 

[Sama]

Hey!
Anyone knows if the Oratory EQ for this headphone is done "with" or "without" default white inlays/pads?

Reddit would seem to suggest "with" ( https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/comments/n1weuz/_/h6gxqeo )

 

[Robbo99999]

Hey!
Anyone knows if the Oratory EQ for this headphone is done "with" or "without" default white inlays/pads?

Reddit would seem to suggest "with" ( https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/comments/n1weuz/_/h6gxqeo )

Does it come with the white inserts already fitted when you buy the headphone? Amir got his directly from the company, and he said it came with the white inserts fitted. Suggests that Oratory measured it with the white inserts, as he mentions "stock condition". Amir took out the white insert for the measurements and listening, but there's still quite a few similarities between the Oratory measurement & Amir's measurement, so any differences between the two measurements are gonna be due to the white insert present for the Oratory measurement and the variable of unit to unit variation and the different measurement techniques between Oratory & Amir. Are you trying to work out if you're gonna use an Amir EQ or an Oratory EQ, and whether or not you're gonna be removing or keeping the white insert when using it with the Oratory EQ? You could also contact DCA and ask them directly if they ship the headphones with the white inserts actually already installed in the earcups, just to get confirmation it wasn't just like that for Amir's unit, and @Dan Clark is sometimes active here on ASR so he might be able to confirm if the all units are shipped with the white insert actually already installed in the earcup......which would mean that's probably how Oratory measured it.......but Oratory often measures headphones that users send in to him and we don't know if that user had the white inserts installed. You could ask Oratory if he can remember if the white inserts were installed or not on the units he measured......when he answered your question before it wasn't a totally direct answer, so perhaps he can't remember, or didn't fully understand what you meant by "white pads".

 

[RHO]

Does it come with the white inserts already fitted when you buy the headphone?

Yes, the white inserts with one notch are fitted when you get the headphones from DCA directly. It is even mentioned in the documentation you get with these headphones.
This makes it difficult to compare EQ profiles since you have to remove and re-install the inserts when switching between EQ settings.

 

[Jimbob54]

Yes, the white inserts with one notch are fitted when you get the headphones from DCA directly. It is even mentioned in the documentation you get with these headphones.
This makes it difficult to compare EQ profiles since you have to remove and re-install the inserts when switching between EQ settings.

Yup. And I strongly suspect this may come into play when comparing Drop X and DCA RT model measurements.

 

[Phoney]

Yup. And I strongly suspect this may come into play when comparing Drop X and DCA RT model measurements.

Wow. Never thought about this. Maybe that's partly why I was experiencing thin and overly bright sound with the RT's. I may have equalized the highs way above harman in reality, due to this. Now I still believe there might hsve been leakage issues due to the fact that it didn't respond much to EQ in the bass region, but this makes sense.