Worth upgrading headphones (Beyer DT250 to Aeon Noire)

[ChristianL_Mtl]

Hello,

I have the same pair of headphones since 2004 (BeyerDynamic DT-250). Last year, I upgraded my speakers. So my setup is a SimAudio Moon Amp (220i), an Atoll DAC and I switch between a turntable and Apple Music as sources.

I was wondering if it would be worthwile to upgrade to something like the Dan Clark Aeon Noire ? I listen to Jazz, Rock, classical and I watch movies using sometimes headphones. Would it be a case of diminished return or an upgrade like this would be worthwhile ?

Like someone said on another post I made (I was asking about if I had enough wattage on my amp for my speakers), an headphone amp could be another path for certain headphones. That said, my current amp seems to drive the Dt-250 quite easily. I have the feeling the headphones themselves would be a better investment.

Do someone have experience with both the DT-250 and the Noire ?

Best wishes,

 

[Helicopter]

Amir has tested several Beyers, including mine. No hands on experience with the DT-250, but the measurements tell the story well enough. Beyers have good build quality and comfort, but the sound is not in the same league as the DCA Noire. The Noire will be a tremendous improvement. If it's in your budget, then I would go for it.

 

[ChristianL_Mtl]

Thank you, Helicopter. Yes, it is in my budget range, but certainly not the Stealth !

RT could be another compromise, as Amir review of it was excellent. That said, I can put the extra for the Noire. The other contender in that budget seems to be the Celestee, but reviews seem to be a bit more all over the place.

 

[Helicopter]

Thank you, Helicopter. Yes, it is in my budget range, but certainly not the Stealth !

RT could be another compromise, as Amir review of it was excellent. That said, I can put the extra for the Noire. The other contender in that budget seems to be the Celestee, but reviews seem to be a bit more all over the place.

I have Celestee. I am happy with it as a closed back, but it doesn't have the performance of the DCA offerings or the open backed Focals. I don't think I would recommend it at the price point.

 

[Jimbob54]

Thank you, Helicopter. Yes, it is in my budget range, but certainly not the Stealth !

RT could be another compromise, as Amir review of it was excellent. That said, I can put the extra for the Noire. The other contender in that budget seems to be the Celestee, but reviews seem to be a bit more all over the place.

If you can buy / import from Drop- consider the DCA Ether CX. I have the Aeon RT (open) and the Ether and prefer the Ether- can be had for $900 which is around the price of the Noire I think?

 

[t$$]

Do someone have experience with both the DT-250 and the Noire ?

I have not heard the Noire, but I have owned a DT-250-80 for 10+ years and I have a Drop DCA Aeon Closed X which I got Black Friday 2021. Based on the DMS YouTube review, the Noire and Closed X sound fairly similar, so I think my experience is relevant.

I have acquired several closed back headphones over the years, here in decreasing order of my preference:

• Drop Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X
• Sony WH-1000XM4 (oratory1990 EQ profile)
• Sony WH-H900 h.ear on 2
• Beyerdynamic DT250-80
• Audio Technica ATH-M50 (not M50x) with Brainwavz Hybrid Pads

I listen mostly to rock, industrial, folk with some jazz, classical and occasionly metal.

DT250:

• Channel imbalance is noticeable when doing quick a/b to other headphones
• they are sensitive, I have to drop the volume on my EX5 headphone amp by 3 clicks versus the Aeon Closed
• Compared to the DCA or XM4, it's much harder to pick out individual instruments and music with many instruments sounds muddy tending to harsh at higher volumes
• The DT250 put painful pressure on my ears after 2-3 hours and the pads are stiff enough that I don't like them when wearing glasses. I used to wear contacts most of the time, so this didn't bother me in the past.

Aeon Closed X:

• Oratory1990s EQ takes them to the next level, Robbo99999 is good too, but I prefer the Oratory
• Turning them up mostly just increases the sound without causing any muddiness or harshness. Eventually the highs will overwhelm me if I keep turning them up, but that can be tamed with EQ or just by putting in the white 1-notch filter
• Better bass response than DT250, tighter and better extension
• Better sound stage and instrument separation
• The DCA are amazingly comfortable. I can easily wear them 8 hours in a row. The large pads and ear openings prevent my ears from touching anything so they are more comfortable.
• The pads seal better than the Beyer, so they block more background noise out. I would guess they have around passive 18db attenuation. They are quieter than the Sony XM4 with ANC off.
• Dark/damped sound, not much ringing or resonance is noticeable compared to other headphones, but you can hear the instruments' resonances better because the headphone is so damp. I can hear the harmonics in a base drum hit in a way that I haven't noticed in any other headphone (I've not listened to megabuck headphones.)

TL;DR:

The DCA Aeon are a gigantic step up from the DT-250-80 in terms of tonality, clarity, distortion, bass response and are absolutely worth the money to upgrade.

 

[ChristianL_Mtl]

I have not heard the Noire, but I have owned a DT-250-80 for 10+ years and I have a Drop DCA Aeon Closed X which I got Black Friday 2021. Based on the DMS YouTube review, the Noire and Closed X sound fairly similar, so I think my experience is relevant.

I have acquired several closed back headphones over the years, here in decreasing order of my preference:

• Drop Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X
• Sony WH-1000XM4 (oratory1990 EQ profile)
• Sony WH-H900 h.ear on 2
• Beyerdynamic DT250-80
• Audio Technica ATH-M50 (not M50x) with Brainwavz Hybrid Pads

I listen mostly to rock, industrial, folk with some jazz, classical and occasionly metal.

DT250:

• Channel imbalance is noticeable when doing quick a/b to other headphones
• they are sensitive, I have to drop the volume on my EX5 headphone amp by 3 clicks versus the Aeon Closed
• Compared to the DCA or XM4, it's much harder to pick out individual instruments and music with many instruments sounds muddy tending to harsh at higher volumes
• The DT250 put painful pressure on my ears after 2-3 hours and the pads are stiff enough that I don't like them when wearing glasses. I used to wear contacts most of the time, so this didn't bother me in the past.

Aeon Closed X:

• Oratory1990s EQ takes them to the next level, Robbo99999 is good too, but I prefer the Oratory
• Turning them up mostly just increases the sound without causing any muddiness or harshness. Eventually the highs will overwhelm me if I keep turning them up, but that can be tamed with EQ or just by putting in the white 1-notch filter
• Better bass response than DT250, tighter and better extension
• Better sound stage and instrument separation
• The DCA are amazingly comfortable. I can easily wear them 8 hours in a row. The large pads and ear openings prevent my ears from touching anything so they are more comfortable.
• The pads seal better than the Beyer, so they block more background noise out. I would guess they have around passive 18db attenuation. They are quieter than the Sony XM4 with ANC off.
• Dark/damped sound, not much ringing or resonance is noticeable compared to other headphones, but you can hear the instruments' resonances better because the headphone is so damp. I can hear the harmonics in a base drum hit in a way that I haven't noticed in any other headphone (I've not listened to megabuck headphones.)

TL;DR:

The DCA Aeon are a gigantic step up from the DT-250-80 in terms of tonality, clarity, distortion, bass response and are absolutely worth the money to upgrade.

Thank you for the detailed comparison ! It is helpful !

 

[Wing]

I would like to throw in my opposite experience of owning the DT 250-80 which does not have any channel imbalance and after reading this thread got the Aeon Closed X to see if I could get an upgrade. The DCA has better sealing and is quite comfortable but it absolutely has really anemic bass and does not have the ear canal tickling palpability of the DT 250. I don't know if you need an EQ crutch to get the DCA to sound superior to the DT 250 but without EQ, I would be embarrased to claim the Aeon Closed X an audiophile headphone. It has a clear treble and bright midrange for sure but I cannot fathom how it has little to no bass. I'm no basshead and I'm happy with the bass on the DT 250 as well as the Sennheisers HD 6XX series of headphones. Maybe my example of the DCA ACX had issues but from I've read, I'm not alone in feeling the lack of bass and dynamics.

 

[t$$]

I would like to throw in my opposite experience of owning the DT 250-80 which does not have any channel imbalance and after reading this thread got the Aeon Closed X to see if I could get an upgrade. The DCA has better sealing and is quite comfortable but it absolutely has really anemic bass and does not have the ear canal tickling palpability of the DT 250. I don't know if you need an EQ crutch to get the DCA to sound superior to the DT 250 but without EQ, I would be embarrased to claim the Aeon Closed X an audiophile headphone. It has a clear treble and bright midrange for sure but I cannot fathom how it has little to no bass. I'm no basshead and I'm happy with the bass on the DT 250 as well as the Sennheisers HD 6XX series of headphones. Maybe my example of the DCA ACX had issues but from I've read, I'm not alone in feeling the lack of bass and dynamics.

I do have a moderate bass boost EQ'd. I also like Etymotic ER4p sound signature -- clean but low bass is OK with me and I find the Sony WH-10000XM4 overly bass heavy and I usually EQ those down a bit.