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DCA AEON X - how much power is enough (L50?)

variv

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Hi guys,

I recently bought DCA Aeon X to pair with my Chord Mojo 2. The headphones sound detailed but rather flat and lack dynamics.

Do you think Topping L50 (3500mw 16ohm) will be enough to power these to most of their potential? I noticed that Amir in the review tested Aeon RT with a 1500mw amp (RME ADI-2 DAC) and he liked the sound.
I ordered L50 (3500mw) but then found more reviews and I'm hesitating if it should be D30pro or A90 Discrete +XLR cable instead.

Do you have any experiences with amping insensitive planars ?
 
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juliangst

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I'm using the Aeon Noires which have the same impedance and sensitivity. They should be fine with 2-3 Watts. The problem is that you won't find many amps that have 3 Watts at 12 Ohms.
My Topping A30 Pro is rated at 5.5W at 16 Ohms but measurements show that the power drops to ~1.8W at 12 Ohms. The L50 will probably have similar current limits as my A30 Pro.
They get loud enough but I have to push them to 12-3 o'clock with quiet tracks
 
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variv

variv

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I'm using the Aeon Noires which have the same impedance and sensitivity. They should be fine with 2-3 Watts. The problem is that you won't find many amps that have 3 Watts at 12 Ohms.
My Topping A30 Pro is rated at 5.5W at 16 Ohms but measurements show that the power drops to ~1.8W at 12 Ohms. The L50 will probably have similar current limits as my A30 Pro.
They get loud enough but I have to push them to 12-3 o'clock with quiet tracks
Thanks alot I just avoided replacing L50 with A30 Pro for no reason. I have hard time to find data for output power tests with 12ohm load. So is getting a balanced amp and cable the only viable option to get more power ?
 

juliangst

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Thanks alot I just avoided replacing L50 with A30 Pro for no reason. I have hard time to find data for output power tests with 12ohm load. So is getting a balanced amp and cable the only viable option to get more power ?
Depends on the amp. The A30 Pro doesn’t have more power on balanced because it already has a lot of power out of single ended.
Most amps in that price range will be very similar in power.

The overall best solution will be the A90d which outputs 11V into 12 ohms (my A30 pro only does ~4.5V) which means that it can easily drive low impedance loads like the Aeons.
You’d need to get a balanced cable for the A90 though

If you want something cheaper you could build/buy a banana plug to XLR adapter and use a speaker amps like the SMSL DA-6 for example
 

oleg87

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A couple watts into 16ohms oughtta be enough for reasonable max volumes (upwards of 120dB peak SPL).
 
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variv

variv

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Am I seeing correctly that L50 will output more voltage into Aeon than L70 ? It's crazy ;)
index.php
index.php
 

majingotan

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So is getting a balanced amp and cable the only viable option to get more power ?

No. I use my Aeon X Open single ended on my Schiit Magni Piety amp as well as my 300 ohm tap headphone amp and have zero issues whatsoever with power, dynamics, slam, head-banging factor, etc. I also crank my Aeon X Open to IMAX volume SPLs without any clipping or distortion issues whatsoever.

index.php
 

Bmoze

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I recently bought the Closed X and use them with a Mojo (1), and a Sabaj a20d 2022. Both have plenty of power for them. These are my first headphones, so no expert here.

I get what you say about their flat sound signature. All my listening is done through Roon, and I’ve spent time trying different parametric equalization settings. I tested Robbo’s, Oratory’s, and Jaakopasenen’s. I’ve settled on a modification of Jaakko’s, in which, compared to no EQ, I boost the bass a bit and somewhat increase the midrange.. The Oratory and Jaakko settings are true to the Harmon curve, but to me, they boost the midrange too much and sound dry and shouty. My ears preferred more modest (75 - 1,25 db) increases to the mids (1000-3000 hz), while adding a +2-3db LFS. I kept Jaakkos treble settings. Overall, I found that subtle EQ changes were best.

Vocals, now, are not as recessed. Bass remains clean but has a touch more punch. The character of the phones is not drastically altered. I like their smooth, balanced detail. I prefer listening with this EQ on rather than EQ off.

Can you incorporate EQ in your setup? Roon is a great way to do that, FWIW.
 
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variv

variv

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I recently bought the Closed X and use them with a Mojo (1), and a Sabaj a20d 2022. Both have plenty of power for them. These are my first headphones, so no expert here.

I get what you say about their flat sound signature. All my listening is done through Roon, and I’ve spent time trying different parametric equalization settings. I tested Robbo’s, Oratory’s, and Jaakopasenen’s. I’ve settled on a modification of Jaakko’s, in which, compared to no EQ, I boost the bass a bit and somewhat increase the midrange.. The Oratory and Jaakko settings are true to the Harmon curve, but to me, they boost the midrange too much and sound dry and shouty. My ears preferred more modest (75 - 1,25 db) increases to the mids (1000-3000 hz), while adding a +2-3db LFS. I kept Jaakkos treble settings. Overall, I found that subtle EQ changes were best.

Vocals, now, are not as recessed. Bass remains clean but has a touch more punch. The character of the phones is not drastically altered. I like their smooth, balanced detail. I prefer listening with this EQ on rather than EQ off.

Can you incorporate EQ in your setup? Roon is a great way to do that, FWIW.
Hi, EQ would be a good idea. Right now I have access to the one built in into mojo 2 (4 band) or the Wiim mini (10 band) I use as my main streamer. I'm not ready to pay roons monthly fee for EQ alone.
 
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staticV3

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@variv A new, more powerful Amp will only give you more volume, not higher dynamics at the same volume as you have currently with your Mojo2.
 

Bmoze

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Not sure if you’re interested in this stuff, but I thought I’d pass it along. It’s a starting place for developing an EQ for your phones and ears.

Oratory’s list of headphone measurements and EQs:

Jaakko Passenen’s list:

You might also look at Robbo’s on ASR. It sounded a bit bloated to me, but everyone’s different.

I’ve observed that all the headphone measurements vary somewhat. I also used Resolve‘s measurement for the Aeon X, shown below. You can see how the mid frequencies are below the curve, which I think accounts for the recessed vocals. Oratory and Jaakko raise them to the curve, which to me sounds too shouty. My personal adjustments are also shown below.

A48159F1-BF36-43EB-A95D-CC4CCC3F837A.jpeg


D8AD4099-2C4A-4F7D-86ED-29697D1CA01C.jpeg


The solid white line is the result of the EQ filters, in relation to the line at 0db, which represents no EQ. You can kinda see how that relates to Resolve’s measurement.

Here’s my EQ filters. I’m still messing around with the mid boost. Sometimes I like less (.75), sometimes more (1.25).

08D073A6-C005-4ED2-8A03-E3C85D103FFF.jpeg
 
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variv

variv

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Not sure if you’re interested in this stuff, but I thought I’d pass it along. It’s a starting place for developing an EQ for your phones and ears.

Oratory’s list of headphone measurements and EQs:

Jaakko Passenen’s list:

You might also look at Robbo’s on ASR. It sounded a bit bloated to me, but everyone’s different.

I’ve observed that all the headphone measurements vary somewhat. I also used Resolve‘s measurement for the Aeon X, shown below. You can see how the mid frequencies are below the curve, which I think accounts for the recessed vocals. Oratory and Jaakko raise them to the curve, which to me sounds too shouty. My personal adjustments are also shown below.

View attachment 257116

View attachment 257117

The solid white line is the result of the EQ filters, in relation to the line at 0db, which represents no EQ. You can kinda see how that relates to Resolve’s measurement.

Here’s my EQ filters. I’m still messing around with the mid boost. Sometimes I like less (.75), sometimes more (1.25).

View attachment 257118
Exactly what I needed, is there any parametric EQ software you could recommend without a monthly subscription like Roon? Windows or Android.
 

Jimbob54

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Exactly what I needed, is there any parametric EQ software you could recommend without a monthly subscription like Roon? Windows or Android.
Windows dead easy, equalizer apo (EAPO). Android is a bit harder, depends what source you use (which streaming service? Or local files?)
 
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variv

variv

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Windows dead easy, equalizer apo (EAPO). Android is a bit harder, depends what source you use (which streaming service? Or local files?)
Thanks, I use tidal. I'm testing equalizer apo, does it have any graphical interface to quickly swap EQ configs to hear a difference or I can just drop txt eq setting files into folder.
 

Jimbob54

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Thanks, I use tidal. I'm testing equalizer apo, does it have any graphical interface to quickly swap EQ configs to hear a difference or I can just drop txt eq setting files into folder.
Peace interface for eapo

Tidal on android, look at USB audio player Pro. Free trial, few $ license with a few more for the full 10 band eq add on.
 
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