Bought this recently after purchasing hifiman edition xs because I needed a closed back, checked on the page only a few days after only to realise the price dropped.
Many good reviews online, almost no negative sentiments.
Drives on my apple dongle, so should run fine out of almost anything.
Super comfortable, not much else to say. no complaints from me.
Referee receives $10 on a new signup with referral link. Referrer receives $10 credit upon the Referee completing a purchase.
I prefer the bass on the aeon over the edition x for edm and some pop music since there is more bass, as well as more "intimacy" in the vocals. There's just something about closed backs that make the bass sound better, more full compared to open backs.
I've also noticed that the aeon has much more relaxed treble that makes it easier to tolerate over long periods of time. Not that the edition is shouty or sibilant but I found aeon easier to listen to for longer periods, with songs that have more treble.
However the soundstage on edition xs is so much wider and more open that listening to orchestral-type music night and day in comparison to aeon.
Thanks for the detailed reply. I'm struggling to not buy it…yet another impulsive purchase of something I absolutely DO NOT NEED…sigh…!
Btw, there are some who believe that the Aeon Closed require a ton of power to drive (see link below which is for a Aeon RT Closed which is the same as the Aeon Closed X). I'm definitely not an expert on these things, but I thought it was worth pointing out. I'm happy to be corrected on this point.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/d…
In any event, cheers for the post.
Not to discredit the guys at ASC but they sound fine to me on the apple dongle. I can try it on my magni 3 later when I find the time, since Im not in home state at the moment
There's just something about closed backs that make the bass sound better, more full compared to open backs.
It's called resonance, so you can get more of the bass with an imperfect seal. Better is a more subjective term, and a lot of closed backs introduce distortion as a result of the more enclosed acoustic space. That doesn't really happen here because this is a planar driver series that just doesn't hit hard, noted for its lack of dynamic qualities to the sound, so it's designed and tuned to provide clean sound, but lacking realistic intensity.
Conversely, you can't drive an open back far above perceptually flat bass levels without introducing distortion because it doesn't have that resonant acoustic enclosure to work with, but the bass you do get if you keep it in check is typically of far lower distortion. You're dealing with basic acoustics and physics in both cases.
The Edition XS does have a notable peak at 12kHz due to the stealth magnets, which without EQ can make it a little hot for those who are significantly treble sensitive. Aside from a little resonance in the bass that can impact some more over-processed EDM, it's a vastly superior headphone. Bass extends well, but it's still an open back.
I personally see this as an argument for a decent closed back to have when you really want to play through that part of your song collection, but it's not the best reason for the Aeon Closed.
I thought it would be due to the pressure chamber-like properties of close back headphones. but nice to learn new things nevertheless!
Focal Elegia is also on sale at USD379 at Adorama, but you need a ship forwarder to get them to Australis. (https://www.adorama.com/fofelegia.html?sdtid=15153181&emailp…)
HiFiMan HE-560 V4 also USD229 is a bargain.
Some comparison here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aeon-flow-closed-vs-focal-el…
Basically planner vs dynamic drivers. Elegia probably need some EQ to bring out the treble more but sound will be more dynamic compared to planner.
I've ordered a set of Elegia plus sheep skin pads as recommended by everyone. Will be driven by iFi Hip DAC and using Wavelet app for trying out different EQ.
Thanks for your post. That deal does look good. Do you mind pointing me towards a trustworthy and reasonably priced ship forwarder as I've never used one before?
I'm currently using buynship. Partly because it can consolidate all packages from all over the world (it ships everything to the HK warehouse, then consolidate and ship one package from HK to aus).
I also picked up a pair of Dekoni Audio Custom Series Replacement Ear Pads for USD89 also being consolidated and shipped me via buynship.
But heaps of other forwarders for US. shipito is another one I've used before.
The price is basically $620 with current exchange rates, you should probably adjust the title to reflect that. That's about $100-$120 higher than previous best prices after conversion, so it's not just the GST that's stinging you this time.
Relevant review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRD9c4qSJbI
Compared to something like the AKG K371 - which can be had for as little as a quarter of the price if you time it - the Closed X you're gaining detail and some imaging at the expense of dynamics, some timbre and a little bit taken off the upper mids. If you're not using closed backs particularly often - or for when background noise is substantially higher - it's a hard justification to make, particularly for relaxed listening.
Picked these up when they were last on special. Excellent cans, a lot more portable than my Elegia. I have good results with the 4.4mm here.
Thanks for your post. That deal does look good. Do you mind pointing me towards a trustworthy and reasonably priced ship forwarder as I've never used one before?
You don't need a freight forwarder with drop. I was able to purchase 6xx and the aeon both off the site without a forwarder
Thanks for replying though. My bad! I meant to reply to the person posting about the Focal Elegia's.
Thanks for the post…more opportunity for me to spend money on stuff that I need to hide from the missus! Curious as to your thoughts vs the Edition XS? I know that they are different use cases (open vs closed) but I'm interested in which you might prefer and why?