Dan Clark Aeon 2 Closed Impressions

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by ChaChaRealSmooth, Jan 27, 2020.

  1. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    ***Thank you again @Bloom for making this happen!***

    Before I start, I would like to make clear that I've never actually heard any of the first-generation Aeons. The only real audition I've had of a Mr. Spea...er, Dan Clark Audio (hereby shortened to DCA in this post) headphone is the Ether 2, which I thought was quite good minus the fact my amp at the time, a Liquid Platinum, did it no favors at all. So if you own an Aeon and want to know if it's "worth the upgrade," I can't tell you jack shit.

    The headphones come in a case that has the DCA logo on it. Overall, no complaints here; the case can fit the headphones and cable fairly easily. Coupled with the fact the headphones fold down to a very small footprint, and I could see someone using Aeon 2 Closed for travel use.

    One thing that did not change with the company name is the ergonomics. I agree with Marv here; I think the ergonomics are industry-leading. I find the Aeon 2 Closed very comfortable, although I can wish for ever so slightly less clamp (I have a large Asian head, and it should be noted that this is such a minor complaint).

    One thing to note: just like the Ether 2 I tried, the Aeon 2 Closed is very seal-dependent for bass extension/presence. Finding a good fit on your head is a must to maximize performance and may make this headphone unsuitable for glasses-wearers.

    Now about the sound; three pairs of front damping material are included to tune the headphone to your taste. I personally liked the black foam piece, which apparently provides the least amount of damping. Undamped was also not bad and is worth checking out, but does bring up the treble region, which makes some of the peaks stand out more (I haven't seen any measurements, but I'm reasonably sure there's a peak around 8k-9k). It also seems to make some of the metallic percussion sound a bit too splashy.

    With the black foam front damping, the Aeon 2 Closed sounds somewhat U-shaped, tilted dark, with the depression in the upper mids probably in a similar region to Ether 2 or an Audeze LCD. Clearly somewhat bassy, but not really in the same manner as a ZMF Verite; more like the whole region from the subbass to the mids has been tilted dark. As mentioned before, there's a few treble peaks, but that doesn't bother me and I think they're needed to keep the headphone from sounding too dark or muddy. This voicing will not be for everyone and is clearly not meant to be neutral; it's a fun sound with somewhat recessed vocals.

    Just like with Elegia, there's no mistaking that you're wearing a closed-back. That being said, I think it does slightly better than the Elegia with the "closed-in" feeling, and it certainly sounds a bit larger in stage. The Aeon 2 Closed might be a touch larger than HD650 in stage; maybe similar with Auteur in that respect, but with the gripe I have against most planars where the stage seems to have a hole in the middle. Nothing here is egregiously bad though.

    Resolve is decent; about on-par or maybe slightly worse than Elegia, but don't expect TOTL performance. That's just not what this headphone does.

    I'm not sure if I like the way the Aeon 2 Closed does transients. It sounds kind of soft and not too distinct. Not the most defined drum hits I've heard, and it's also not very fast. It's kind of in a similar ballpark as HD650. Overall it's somewhat too polite. This politeness also extends to its dynamics. It just doesn't have large dynamic swings, although it's just good enough at microdynamics from sounding boring. The common theme with this headphone does seem to be relaxed.

    However, I do like the Aeon 2 Closed's timbre. Sounds similar to Ether 2; leans towards the side of being smooth, but without venturing into plasticky. It might be a bit too smooth for violins and other string instruments though, especially if you're accustomed to the dynamic grain (personally I had no problems here).

    Overall, this is a polite-sounding closed-back that has a place for someone looking for a closed headphone. The Aeon 2 Closed and the Elegia occupy a similar space, and a purchasing decision between them should be decided via taste and audition.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2020
  2. DEATHxMACHINE

    DEATHxMACHINE Friend

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    Had the opportunity to audition these headphones through the loaner program. I am happy I did because this headphone has 3 flaws that make it a no go for me. I wanted to like these as I was considering them as a replacement for my office headphones (a pair of mad dogs v3.2). I estimate I put 20 hours during my 5 days. Two and half setups were used; home was laptop>tidal/youtube>dangerous convert 2>schiit ragnarok and neurochrome hp1 and then office was samsung galaxy 8 active>tidal/youtube>Ray Samuels Intruder (dac/amp). Both these setups were in a balanced configuration.

    I will start off with what I enjoyed and appreciated about the Aeon 2. I highly commend this Aeon 2 design for its lightweight and comfort. There is no hotspots after a couple hour sessions. The earpads shape and size are amazing because I have large ears (damn lobes) and they don't have too much contact with the pads. Then the folding mechanism is pretty neat. Being able to fold the headphone made it great to transport and store at my work desk. But this leads to the first flaw of the headphone. The paint on the lower yokes was terribly applied and has no durability. For an excessive case that was recently sold on SBAF see this link : https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?attachments/win_20200104_16_01_09_pro-jpg.19202/ .

    On to the sound. I found this headphone a mix bag. The headphone has above average bass impact and mids, average highs, good imaging and average sound stage for a closed headphone. The sound is exactly what you would expect from a $900 headphone. Simple as that. But two places where it completely fails is the a slight boost in the upper bass and terrible timbre. The bass boost was enough for me to be distracting in every genre of music excluding electronic (where this headphone is freaking amazing). If you are fan of bass guitar than this is your headphone. But it feels out of place and adds some sloppiness to the sound. Then the timbre is awful. I found most music to be a shallow experience as there was nothing to grab on to. As soon as a violin string was plucked it was immediately gone. Trumpets and clarinets sounded like crap. So for 90% of music I was unimpressed with this headphone. There was no soul behind the instruments. For 900 bucks I recommend just getting the ether closed from Massdrop. Where this headphone shined was electronic music where timbre is not needed and any bass boost is welcomed. I spent 80% of time with the Aeon 2 listening to NewRetroWave on youtube (tidal was used for all other music).

    Thanks again SBAF for giving me the opportunity to audition these headphones.
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2020
  3. will_f

    will_f Friend

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    You are describing what I imagine would be the result if an AFO and AFC had a baby with the worst features of both parents.
     
  4. Ntbm3

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    I am not on the loaner tour but I have owned the Aeon2 for a few months now and thought it might be worth sharing.

    My opinion of these HP is biased because my use case is closed back for work in a somewhat noisy work environment. No ‘critical’ listening going on, but need to be satisfying when listening to rock/pop/electronic music.

    Equipment for comparison:

    Thinkpad Windows 7->EITR->Bifrost2->Jotunheim or ZDT jr. (my work still figuring out how to update to windows 10…unison will wait)

    Previous work HP was the Aeon original which I had for over a year.

    OG Aeon thoughts:
    - Comfort = A+, most comfortable headphone I have ever owned
    - Isolation is also top notch, better than IEM’s and a bit less isolation that my CIEM’s.
    - Resolution and speed is as expected for planars
    - Bright-ish… they were a bit peaky at the wrong frequencies. Once the tuning kit came out I only used the most damped felt 2notch which helped.
    - Bass light if you were listening at lower volumes which I do a lot at work.
    - Bass heft was also lacking, but very clean and resolving.
    - Soundstage and space was very ‘normal’ for my closed back expectation.
    - Needed Sonarworks to really balance things out. Treble down, bass up.


    OG Aeon overall: Working with the Aeon over time, I was happy when I applied 2 notch filter+ Sonarworks profile correction @40% ish + the ZDT Jr. as the amp. Even with Aeon low impedance it was a decent match with the ZDT jr as impedance is flat, gave a little bloom to the bass, mellowed the highs and added a bit of soundstage. So it did take some work to make the OG Aeon work for me, finally I was happy with it.

    Recently l had the Focal Elegia as part of the loaner tour. I preferred the Aeon with the above set-up. You can see my comments in the Elegia impressions thread.

    Aeon 2 Thoughts compared to Aeon.

    - Comfort = A, the ear pad is more firm and the clamp is a hint more. I still wear all day with no issue.
    - Isolation seems the same as the Aeon, so Good!
    - Resolution and speed is good and same as Aeon. (same driver)
    - Treble is more balanced to warm, like audeze style. I do not apply any tuning filters for the Aeon2, not needed for me.
    - Bass and bass impact is increased. Much improved over Aeon.
    - Mid bass is also bumped up… almost too much… but suits the music I listen to at work. It also makes lower volume listening more enjoyable with actual bass response.
    - Soundstage is more expansive than OG Aeon, but clearly still closed back.
    - There are more layers to the sound overall, a more engaging listen.

    Aeon2 overall: I really like the Aeon 2 for my work headphone. When it comes down to it, my top priority at work is comfort/isolation and being great with electronic music to keep me going on tougher days. These do that without question, better than the OG aeon and the Focal Elegia.

    I do think the price is way too high, but considering the amount of time I used them every day and truly portable nature with the folding headband they provided enough value for me to pull the trigger.

    I have no regrets and will probably have then until the next gen comes out…
     
  5. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    Apologies for the late post on this. I only had a two days to really listen to the Aeon Flow 2 Closed because of Covid-19. That's when I had a cough and had to work from home. Came back to this thread to read the previous reviews and noticed I hadn't posted one. *Face Palm*

    Work Gear:
    PC --> Schiit Fulla 2
    Headphones:
    Meze 99 Noir

    Filters:
    Double notch white filter - Gives you a warmer sound that rolls off the high end.
    Single notch white filter - Slightly warm with less of a roll off at the high end.
    Black filter - Couldn't really tell a difference with or without this filter except the high end was a tad more smooth.
    No filter - The leanest with the most sparkle.

    Review is based around not having a filter and listening to low to medium volume.

    Build:
    I've posted in the AF2O thread on the build. It's basically the same headphone. Very light, comfortable, and portable.

    AF2C vs Meze:
    - The Meze at medium volume can leak out sound. You'll only notice if you're in the cubicle with me. This is great because I can hear people ask me a question. The AF2C has much better isolation. I had a coworker ask me a question several times in a row before they realized I couldn't hear him. Had to tap me on my shoulder for me to acknowledge him.
    - Being a planar the headphone is fast, with notes popping out of a blackground compared to the Meze 99 Noir.
    - Bass is much tighter than the Meze 99.
    - Great at instrument layering and note separation.
    - I have the Meze 99 Noir EQ'd to dial back on the bass so that it doesn't overwhelm the rest of the FR. The AF2C tonally was how I would love the Meze to sound out the box.
    - The Meze exhibits better timbre and vocals.
    - Both had the same sound stage width and depth.

    Sound:
    The headphone is a much leaner version of the AF2O which I found too warm except with a smaller sound stage. I prefer the tonality of this headphone more than the AF2O but prefer the AF2O's open nature. Saying that, the Meze 99 Noir had much better timbre for instruments and vocals. I'm obviously sacrificing imaging, separation, tightness, and speed with a cheaper headphone. I didn't care too much for listening to Jazz, Blues, Bossa Nova, or anything with instruments. I just bobbed my head more with the Meze with those genres. The things that made the AF2O great still carry across here. If you like Pop, EDM, and Electronica this headphone can make your toe tap.

    Final thoughts: The headphone is appropriately priced (although I think it would kill at $699 instead) for the technology, isolation, and technicalities. I personally won't be looking at buying it as an upgrade to the Meze 99 but hope to revisit this headphone when I upgrade the rest of my gear. For a simple work setup, I find that the Meze 99 and Fulla 2 bring too much value for the price.
     
  6. bobboxbody

    bobboxbody Friend

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    I'm finishing up my time with this loaner, here are some thoughts with the caveat that my only basis for comparison are ZMF cans and I've never tried to write a review before.

    My chain is PC>Gungnir MB Gen5 A1>Bottlehead S.E.X. 3.0

    Comfort/Ergonomics: I've found these to be very comfortable, even for long periods of time. The pads are cushy, a softer feeling foam than ZMF Eikon pads. Headband is easy to adjust and I've had no hot spots after multiple 3-4 hour listening/video game sessions. Clamp force is strong enough to keep them in place with moderate head-bopping, but not so strong that it becomes uncomfortable. I wear glasses and did not have an issue getting a good seal.

    Isolation: Much better than my ZMF Atticus. I was listening at medium volume(no idea what spl this might be, but not so loud that it would overpower outside sounds with Atticus) and didn't hear my wife running the vacuum 8 feet behind me in our loud hardwood floored apartment.

    Sound vs ZMF Atticus: I tried the 3 different damping materials and found the thickest(2 notch white felt) to result in the most natural timbre and the least treble unpleasantness, so the following refers to the sound with that damping material applied.

    Listening to "Linden Arden Stole the Highlights" by Van Morrison, the space sounded small and dry in comparison to Atticus. Piano sounded great. Vocals were a little more recessed, with less decay, but a reasonably similar timbre. The upright bass sounded a bit unnatural, with too much emphasis on higher frequency sounds from the fingerboard and string buzz, less mid bass, and more sub bass. Strings sounded fairly natural, but slightly smoothed over. Instrument separation was very good.

    On Neil Young's "Natural Beauty" again the space sounded smaller and drier. On the Atticus, the acoustic guitar sounded like it had brand new strings. On the Aeon 2 Closed it sounded like an acoustic guitar with new strings, blended with an overly bright synthesized version of an acoustic guitar with new strings. That might be hyperbole, but this was one of the places that the timbre of A2C really bothered me. The marimba sounded pretty good. Vocals were recessed and drier, but sounded natural.

    In general, I enjoyed the speed and instrument separation. It was lots of fun listening to death metal I haven't pulled out in a few years. Fast kick drum hits were distinct and physical. Distorted, palm muted electric guitar had a great percussive quality and sounded awesome. It was fun listening to technical, precise, electric and electronic music, and an acceptable experience on other genres. Before the loaner I was looking for something to replace the Atticus with better isolation and comfort. Now I'm thinking that I'll pick up a pair of the Aeon 2 Closed for the isolation/comfort and fun with certain genres, but I can't convince myself to get rid of the Atticus.
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2020
  7. mscott58

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    Few quick thoughts on the Aeon 2 Closed from the SBAF loaner tour. Quick caveat: I've been a Mr. Speakers/DCA fan for a while, with the Ether C 1.1's as my reference for a long time before I switched to my current ZMF Verite C LTDs, so my lack of love for the Aeon 2 Cs is not any comment about the brand. Dan makes good stuff.

    [normal gear setup per my signature]

    Not really a big fan of the Aeon 2 C's. Found a few things that didn't do it for me, especially the higher end harshness and bottom end looseness - as others have pointed out as well (so won't go into a huge depth on it). Overall a very comfortable HP, being pretty light and having good padding. Folds nicely as well, which make them more portable than most. Some may love their sound signature, but again, not my cup of tea.

    Here are some of my raw notes from my tour listening sessions:
    • High end is a bit harsh, strident? Screechy at some points – some minor flashbacks of Tyll's infamous video with the Ultrasone Edition 10s.
    • For example, the tambourine in “Little One” from Beck’s "Sea Change" is just harsh and grating to me.
    • Bass is a bit bloated, not as tight or controlled. Doesn’t have the same impact.
    • Mids sound pretty good and present, but the highs are just cloying to me (although I did get more used to it with time, although still didn't love it, so maybe just a difference with the VCs? although the EC 1.1's weren't this way)
    • Staging/placement is a bit diffused, not as precise in location, although sustain is pretty good.
    Thanks SBAF for including me on the tour!

    PS - Didn't play with the padding options, I'm not a big tinkerer.
     
  8. Jatounit

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    I own the A2C and can attest to the upper range harshness out of the box. But I can also say that the included inserts are really good at fixing that. I know that mods aren't everyone's cup of tea, but Dan has made it pretty painless to try by including then in the box. I'm using the stiff black inserts (the 2nd most filtering) and I find they take just the right amount of harshness off the top end while leaving the treble more or less well resolved.

    Your ears may vary, but it's a really quick and easy thing to change and I encourage everyone to at least try the inserts before dismissing this headphone. For me, it made the difference between a headphone that I wanted to return and one that I very much enjoy listening to daily in the office.
     
  9. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    Good points. I just double-checked, and the white inserts were already in the A2Cs I tested. Seeing that the white (2-notch) pads are the most dampening, going "back down" to the stiff black inserts could take the high-end the wrong direction for me.
     
  10. Dash

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    I learned from the AC and the Ether CX that stacking inserts might get you a nice in between. With the CX, I like using the thicker black felt covered by the soft black foam. It is a little more dampened than just the black felt but less than the white notched inserts. The downside is the lack of ear room.
     
  11. Ice-man

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    I spent a good bit of time with the Aeon 2c at launch and enjoyed them very much. At the time, I didn't have a great need for a closed headphone and always felt that if I had a choice between open and closed, it just made more sense to opt for the open headphone.


    Well, times they are a changin'. Many of us are working from home and the home environment (at least at my house) grows ever so noisier. So with that said, it seemed a no-brainer to bring the Aeon 2c back into the fold.


    So I just received the A2c this afternoon. I'm fairly familiar with this headphone having heard it all through the beta period through to production. But, upon cuing up the music and putting on a few of my favorite tunes, something was different. Uhm...something was better. I continued to run through my favorite tracks and continued to be impressed.


    At this point I'd felt compelled to hit Dan up and just ask if there were any changes to the original production headphones or if I was just getting old and senile. Well, turns out that I'm not (quite) as old and senile as I thought. Dan responded to say that they have improved tolerances and production techniques and that they have been able to get closer to the curve than ever before. And I would certainly second that sentiment.


    Burning these in as I speak and will report back later with more details.
     
  12. Denis Binder

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    Bass is very clean and tight and hits dynamically, though it tends to be more of a finesse presentation, as the Aeon 2 doesn't have excess bloat or flab.
     

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