Drop Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X

[TheHighContemplator]

Yeah, he has been busy recently, he took significantly longer to measure my HD560s I sent him vs the two K702 I sent him earlier - I think he's just busy, and he said he did have a queue of headphones prior to him measuring my HD560s. He normally replies to messages eventually, but can take over a week sometimes - he probably gets a lot of messages! Wait another 7 days and then maybe send him a message under a new title, I feel that sometimes the messages become unrecogonised sometimes if they're in the same conversation thread - if he still doesn't come back to you, then just wait, don't keep sending.

Thanks for the good advice. I'll leave him be until the end of next week, then I'll create a new message thread.

My first post...but felt like i needed to piggy back on the thanks as well. Also using Sample #2 with Aeon X Closed, and holy @#$%!. Might continue to play around with the 105 and 11k but sound pretty damn good at the moment. Thanks to all of you for your EQ work and testing! @Robbo99999

That's awesome. As owners continue to provide feedback, we are getting a sense that Sample 2's measurements may be far more representative of what the Drop Closed X is, versus Sample 1. If we get two more measurements, as has been discussed earlier, that line up closely with Sample 2, we, and by we I mean the great Robbo and/or Oratory, can have a definitive EQ profile. In truth, I really love the sound of these cans. It sounds as if it has really great impulse response, especially in the bass department. Notes and hits just end with little to no audible ringing. That's something I've been chasing for years. I think the planar drivers are a large part of this phenomenon, but there is probably more to it than that.

 

[Robbo99999]

Thanks for the good advice. I'll leave him be until the end of next week, then I'll create a new message thread.

That's awesome. As owners continue to provide feedback, we are getting a sense that Sample 2's measurements may be far more representative of what the Drop Closed X is, versus Sample 1. If we get two more measurements, as has been discussed earlier, that line up closely with Sample 2, we, and by we I mean the great Robbo and/or Oratory, can have a definitive EQ profile. In truth, I really love the sound of these cans. It sounds as if it has really great impulse response, especially in the bass department. Notes and hits just end with little to no audible ringing. That's something I've been chasing for years. I think the planar drivers are a large part of this phenomenon, but there is probably more to it than that.

Ha, thanks, I'm not "great" though, I mean don't think I deserve the "the great Robbo" moniker! lol

Yeah, it's a good sign that people are liking the Sample #2 EQ, seems like it'll be a good omen for the headphone. Looks like we might have to wait a month or two until Oratory measures one - a very ballpark guess, so we probably have to be patient about that. (I'm wondering if it's anything to do with the fact that more & more people are having to pay import duty on headphones sent to him, I had to for my HD560s I sent him, but it was only like 4 Euro or something when it arrived with Oratory.......he made an off-the-cuff remark that this is an increasing trend recently......didn't have to pay import tax on my two K702 I sent earlier.....Brexit/EU related perhaps. Maybe he's feeling hesitant about accepting more headphones if the import situation is changing....I dunno, a bit of speculation.)

 

[Winzzy]

The good thing is @TheHighContemplator is sending in his Drop DCA Aeon Closed X to Oratory for measuring - so that'll mean in total we will have had 3 units measured, so should be able to draw some solid conclusions at that point, especially if it matches one of the existing measured units quite accurately. I'm quite confident that they're different headphones to the Aeon RT based on looking at the measurements, the 2nd measured unit might be a bit more similar to the RT in that direction, but I still think they're different headphones.

If we need more samples I can send mine as well.

 

[Hewbacca]

Looks like the price of these went up $100 in the past few days/week? I ordered recently at $379, they are showing at $479 on Drop now. https://drop.com/buy/drop-dan-clark-audio-aeon-closed-x-headphones

I just received my Aeon X Closed from drop. Got them during the recent sale. I am using the Qudelix 5K as my DAC with it’s parametric eq for certain listening sessions. It only has 10 bands which filters would you suggest to use for sample 2? Any recommendations on 105 settings to try? Is the 11000 needed?

Or maybe it was a sale I didn't know about?

 

[raistlin65]

Looks like the price of these went up $100 in the past few days/week? I ordered recently at $379, they are showing at $479 on Drop now. https://drop.com/buy/drop-dan-clark-audio-aeon-closed-x-headphones



Or maybe it was a sale I didn't know about?

Yes. They have gone up.

A week or so before Thanksgiving, I would start checking Drop every few days for a few weeks. I would bet they'll put them on sale again at some point for the holiday shopping season.

 

[Hewbacca]

Yeah I noticed earlier in the thread someone mentioned the $379 sale. Woops. I assumed that was the normal price so I am glad I got them when I did.

I am not as scientific or well-versed as many of you, but these are the best headphones I've ever heard. My daily driver was previously the HD6xx, but I now understand the "veil" people refer to, the level of detail in the Aeons is far better. I have always wished I could have headphones with as much detail as my IEMs, and I have that now, I actually think I can hear a bit more in the Aeons than my Fiio FH5s which I love. I am running these through a Fiio K5 Pro DAC/Amp, and have also used my Fiio BTR5 bluetooth receiver (which DC recommends over in the RT review thread), and was surprised that it seems to do it justice even with single-ended output (volume maxed, gain on high).

Mine came with the sliders on the headband loose, so it wouldn't stay in place on my head, but a quick tightening with a philips head screwdriver and they are good to go. I actually like this because if you want to "lock in" your adjustments you can just tighten it more so it is difficult to slide. They are super comfortable, no complaints here at all.

I am running EQ, I use Sonarworks and since they have the Aeon Flow in their database but not the RT or obviously this, I tweaked it to match Amir's EQ for the RT. I am however operating under the assumption these are the same as the RT due to @Dan Clark's comment that they are "very similar," over in the RT review thread. If they are different I imagine its less than I will hear in every day use.

Without EQ they sound more U/V-shaped to my ears, the soundstage seems enhanced, but I don't get enough of the mids. This is all very subjective and I have a small foundation of experience, so take this with a large grain of salt. Anyway, running them with the same EQ as recommended for the RT sounds "right" to me, and using my usual bass shelf makes bass too much.

I wanted closed headphones that sounded good and I got my wish, they are even better than my open headphones. Super happy with these, and going to keep a close eye on DCA in the future.

 

[Robbo99999]

If we need more samples I can send mine as well.

Well sure, if you're ok sending them, then contact Oratory on reddit and see what you can organise, the more the merrier really. Oratory can then say yay or nay, there's a couple of people trying to organise it with him currently (or at least @TheHighContemplator). @aandres_gm may send them when he gets back to Germany.

 

[TheHighContemplator]

Looks like the price of these went up $100 in the past few days/week? I ordered recently at $379, they are showing at $479 on Drop now. https://drop.com/buy/drop-dan-clark-audio-aeon-closed-x-headphones



Or maybe it was a sale I didn't know about?

It was a sale that happened the week after I ordered mine for $479. It sucks, but I'm not going to stress over it. I'm glad a number of people got to take advantage of the sale.

 

[Winzzy]

It was a sale that happened the week after I ordered mine for $479. It sucks, but I'm not going to stress over it. I'm glad a number of people got to take advantage of the sale.

I ordered mine on the last sale (I think it was $429 or something like that) It would have been nice to save a bit more cash but I am really happy with them at the price I paid. At full price, I would have bought directly from Dan Clark.

 

[batfunk]

Yeah, missing à discount sale is nothing to be worried about. I intended to buy Aeon RT and saw Drop Aeon Closed X sales. I was Lucky, discount paid European VAT

 

[Hewbacca]

Wonder if Drop would do a price match. This is dishonest, but I know from experience if you complain about anything and request a return, they will offer a 10 or 15% refund to keep them (I haven't used it dishonestly, but I have bought some dogs from them in the past when they sold a lot more consumer electronics than they do now).

 

[Firefly00]

Yeah I noticed earlier in the thread someone mentioned the $379 sale. Woops. I assumed that was the normal price so I am glad I got them when I did.

I am not as scientific or well-versed as many of you, but these are the best headphones I've ever heard. My daily driver was previously the HD6xx, but I now understand the "veil" people refer to, the level of detail in the Aeons is far better. I have always wished I could have headphones with as much detail as my IEMs, and I have that now, I actually think I can hear a bit more in the Aeons than my Fiio FH5s which I love. I am running these through a Fiio K5 Pro DAC/Amp, and have also used my Fiio BTR5 bluetooth receiver (which DC recommends over in the RT review thread), and was surprised that it seems to do it justice even with single-ended output (volume maxed, gain on high).

Mine came with the sliders on the headband loose, so it wouldn't stay in place on my head, but a quick tightening with a philips head screwdriver and they are good to go. I actually like this because if you want to "lock in" your adjustments you can just tighten it more so it is difficult to slide. They are super comfortable, no complaints here at all.

I am running EQ, I use Sonarworks and since they have the Aeon Flow in their database but not the RT or obviously this, I tweaked it to match Amir's EQ for the RT. I am however operating under the assumption these are the same as the RT due to @Dan Clark's comment that they are "very similar," over in the RT review thread. If they are different I imagine its less than I will hear in every day use.

Without EQ they sound more U/V-shaped to my ears, the soundstage seems enhanced, but I don't get enough of the mids. This is all very subjective and I have a small foundation of experience, so take this with a large grain of salt. Anyway, running them with the same EQ as recommended for the RT sounds "right" to me, and using my usual bass shelf makes bass too much.

I wanted closed headphones that sounded good and I got my wish, they are even better than my open headphones. Super happy with these, and going to keep a close eye on DCA in the future.

I just got Aeon RTs, I also love them! They absolutely stomp the Grados I was using, and have just as good soundstage. Comfort is so good too

 

[aandres_gm]

I just got Aeon RTs, I also love them! They absolutely stomp the Grados I was using, and have just as good soundstage. Comfort is so good too

Grados are pretty damn easy to beat, to be quite fair.

 

[MisterGoober]

I saw them on Drop and grabbed them as I read the rave reviews here on the RT Closed version. No measurements, but they're way too much fun. What was supposed to be 15-20 min of "testing them out" turned into a 3 hour listening marathon. I've got Sennheiser HD-6XXs from the first run and LCD-2s, but the Aeon's were just more fun. Deeper bass, higher highs, better clarity. I'm sure the 6XXs are more "accurate" but if I throw all the audiophile terms out the window and just count fun factor, the Aeon's come out on top.

 

[Robbo99999]

I saw them on Drop and grabbed them as I read the rave reviews here on the RT Closed version. No measurements, but they're way too much fun. What was supposed to be 15-20 min of "testing them out" turned into a 3 hour listening marathon. I've got Sennheiser HD-6XXs from the first run and LCD-2s, but the Aeon's were just more fun. Deeper bass, higher highs, better clarity. I'm sure the 6XXs are more "accurate" but if I throw all the audiophile terms out the window and just count fun factor, the Aeon's come out on top.

Congrats on the buy! There are measurements though:

Drop Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X

Since Drop was kind enough to send another unit over for review, here are the measurements of the second sample: Honestly, pretty darn good if you ask me - albeit a bit concerning to see how different these two units measure. I'm going to wager a guess that this is due to slight pad variation...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Those are measurements from reviewer @Resolve of two different samples of the Drop DCA Aeon Closed X, and the EQ's are created by myself. So you haven't bought the headphone in a vacuum, there's objective information out there (well here).

 

[batfunk]

Good news for recent Denon AVR owners(x4500 for me) , you can use internal 9 bands Headphone EQ(Setup/audio) to equalize your beloved aeon closed x
Bad news, I'm still waiting for mine(10 days, still counting) and Denon Avr Headphone Jack is probable not enough potent to drive it(works fine with Grado Rs2)

 

[Robbo99999]

Good news for recent Denon AVR owners(x4500 for me) , you can use internal 9 bands Headphone EQ(Setup/audio) to equalize your beloved aeon closed x
Bad news, I'm still waiting for mine(10 days, still counting) and Denon Avr Headphone Jack is probable not enough potent to drive it(works fine with Grado Rs2)

Although that's Graphic Equaliser rather than Parametric Equaliser, so you're locked into fixed bands and fixed levels of width of the filter too. You wouldn't be able to apply my EQ unfortunately, but you might be able to EQ some of the aspects, albeit more crudely.

 

[batfunk]

Don't worry, i Will use your EQ too, when I'm on my PC.
I'm Just a bit frustrated because i use a lot a Pw link streamer(with Anthem Room correction and no USB output), connected to SMSL m200 Dac and Smsl P200 Headphone amp. No
PC in The loop, so i can't get EQ for my headphones.

Does anyone have a solution to get EQ Without PC for my Headphones ? Qdelix 5k doesn't fit...
Thanks !

 

[Firefly00]

Don't worry, i Will use your EQ too, when I'm on my PC.
I'm Just a bit frustrated because i use a lot a Pw link streamer(with Anthem Room correction and no USB output), connected to SMSL m200 Dac and Smsl P200 Headphone amp. No
PC in The loop, so i can't get EQ for my headphones.

Does anyone have a solution to get EQ Without PC for my Headphones ? Qdelix 5k doesn't fit...
Thanks !

Mini DSP 2X4 HD? Takes RCA in and gives RCA out with a PEQ applied. I believe you set the EQ on a PC and it will save it internally.

 

[batfunk]

Mini DSP 2X4 HD? Takes RCA in and gives RCA out with a PEQ applied. I believe you set the EQ on a PC and it will save it internally.

Yeah, it seems OK if you can save the Eq internally.Analog in and out so Better SMSL m200 dac will be used.
Maybe even minidsp box 2x4 will work ? :

https://www.audiophonics.fr/fr/dsp-processeur/minidsp-box-2x4-processeur-audio-usb-2-vers-4-canaux-asymetrique-p-8270.html

My streamer can't go above 24 bits 48khz. And this dsp is "only" 100 euros. What do you think of it ?
Anyway, i Will wait to receive my Aeon Closed. I Will try your EQs but If I'm fine Without EQ, i Will not spend more money

Thanks for your help !