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Showing 1 of 231 reviews about:
Drop + Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X Headphones
Erenau
22
Sep 11, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Lifeless Sound. Textbook `measures great, sounds not so much` type of headphones
Few references to gauge yourself first: I listen to metal, rock, jazz, rap, quite a bit of pop and a little electronic but not much. Listened to these on apple dongle, THX AAA one, iFi Zen DAC V2. And have JBL LSR308 studio monitors in an untreated mid size room for my personal `natural` referance. (Other headphones i own 6XX, 58X, HE-X4, X2HR, DT770, Senn HD280, portapro, Creative Aurvana Live!, Koss GMR, Sony XM3, Bose QC25, AirPods Pro, Shure SE-215)
TL;DR: Unfortunately these are classic case of great measuring headphones on the spec sheet on those magic 2-3 measurements and they sound okay at best. Music just doesn’t sound lively, right (or fun). And Aeon-X is not something i can call natural, EQ just does does not fix it either, played around plenty. Just trust many reviews out there saying they sound lifeless (dead?) (somewhat hollow?) Many headphone around $150-200 can outclass these. Just don’t buy these before you can hear them in person if you absolutely must. I’d suggest most people are better of with a DT770 PRO.
Okay so bit of an optional back story first:
I really, really wanted to have these because these were on the top of the list on Tyll’s Wall of Fame for closed backs. I have followed him almost 10 years ago now as a broke collage student and some entry level headphones he recommended, i really loved. I always dreamed of getting or at least trying some of the headphones he had on the top of his list. Anyway fast forward a long time, life happened and i totally forgot about the hobby until all these lockdowns and building my first PC, i wanted get a good headphone again, and the journey started again… Many headphone later i pulled the trigger on these after wanting something `high end` for a while.
Starting with the build and comfort:
Well they are really very good. Photos don’t do it justice to be honest. The black ring around the cups are metal and so is the hinge. Plastic and carbon fibre feels high quality and i don’t really have any issue with the headband system. As many people say, they disappear after few minutes of wearing them and i forget i am wearing headphones. I also should mention Drop version of these actually come with a really nice rubber cable, it’s excellent! I never personally had it, but it seems much better than that `dummer` cable DCA has.
2 issues with the build though.
First is simple, the connector type. Why on earth someone like Dan Clark who started his business with modding headphone choose a connector that’s not industry standard and hard to find is beyond me. (Hoping that’s not to charge ridiculous when you need one, but it feels that way.) So not enjoy paying 10-15X more for a cable if you ever need one or want to run these balanced…
Second one is the ear pads. First they are stuck on with an adhesive so no way to easy swap. Take them off and they are now garbage. But more annoyingly, the foam rolls inside the leather outer layer and it’s infuriating. The foam is not adhered fixed to the outer skin properly and too soft to keep it’s shape. And after wearing only a 2 weeks or so it’s close to impossible to fix it as the foam is permanently rolled/deformed. Dan Clark have a video showing the fix, makes it sound like it happens once in a blue moon, it’s ever single time you put the headphone on, and it affects the fit and feel.
Also by extension of the goofy shape, that they made so it doesn’t put pressure to persons pinna, puts pressure right on the pinna???? Like it’s a flat line instead of going out and around the pinna? I just don’t get that and the shape just degrades the otherwise great comfort.
Anyway now to the sound:
Again reminder my `natural` reference JBL LSR305 studio monitors, and arguably a good one as many artist mix on similar speakers, so they are generally not too off from what they’d intended music to sound like.
Starting with sub-bass:
No complaints here, it’s great. I can actually tell to quite very low freq, like almost right down to 20 hz, which is impressive. (But so can Dt770) Low bass region is pretty good too.
Mids:
Starting from 150Hz however is where the problems start. There is just something about the sound in the low mids and mids that i have hard time trouble describing that’s missing. It’s like it’s almost kind of hollow? There is not crunch to the guitars in rock metal. (And yes i EQ’ed the 150hz dip on the graph)
I have listened to MORGAN FREEMAN a million times through many, many speakers, including IMAX so I’d like to think i have an idea how it’s suppose to sound (on speakers that is). His voice is full, round, crunchy, crackling and satisfying. These headphones somehow manage to make it hollow and smooth (not in a good way) and unoriginal. I swear my Creative Aurvana Live!’s, which are what $60?, sound so much better, their mid bass is amazing. Again, this has nothing to do with the Frequency response graph, the issue is not mids `loudness` of these frequencies, it’s some other characteristics that i can’t put into words unfortunately.
Upper mids are the same story with female vocals generally sounding somewhat hollow and losing all their original vibe that makes them special. Think how 6XX has that special mids, this is the opposite I’d say.
Highs:
Highs are actually fine just a bit harsh and not the good quality people usually define as `shimmer` But they aren’t too bad. Relatively detailed but nothing special.
Honestly not even going to say anything about details retrieval, as i really think these are average at best and all headphones i have pretty much do as much.
Instrument separation, again okay at best. DT770 does the same job
But what i can tell you is these are missing the Macrodynamics.
Overall:
Don’t get me wrong they don’t sound horrible. They sound alright, but that’s it. Music is just not fun to listen compared to many other headphones, and certainly not worth $479. Not the same tonality but honestly DT770 is pretty close, especially with a few dB High-self filter they sound even better. That’s a $150 headphone…
Quick comparisons:
Closed backs:
DT770: On par, close tonality and with a little EQ, I think DT770 can even be better overall sound and build wise.
Creative Aurvana Live!: These are just make music sound lively and right. They are pretty close to what i hear from speakers with a tiny bit of V shape. CAL! is like anti-AEON Closed X. They just are a pleasure to listen to.
Comparing to opens backs if that’s what you are also considering, Just get the 6XX or 58X, they are outright better, if you are okay with them being open back.
Or Hifiman HE-X4 if you want planar detail and that planar bass SLAM. Those things become bass cannons if you EQ them so.
Or X2HR, with a tiny bit of EQ on the high end to correct tonality, they transform into truely top tier territory, far superior than Aeon-X.
I’d like to also add i am big fan off all other drop collabs and this is the first one i didn’t like. And returning is a bit of a pain since i am not in US, but Drop has been great about it and communication was also great. Eventually decided to keep them because the trouble of return and shipping costs weren’t worth it.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? No
marts_sum
316
Sep 12, 2021
ErenauI love the look of these, but after getting the HE5xx I know I will find the sound dull. HE5XX are exciting and great with metal.
Erenau
22
Sep 13, 2021
marts_sumAh mate great to hear you are enjoying the HE5xx! I never heard HE5xx but I have the HE-X4 and I can confidently agree with you they sound great with metal, especially after a few simple EQ. They outclass these by a decent some and they are fun. All for 1/3 of the price!
ShaneCan
36
Sep 19, 2021
ErenauI think you need a stronger amp to really enjoy these. If you look at the specs, these really need a somewhat powerful amp to bring out their best.
I had looked at the Aeon 2 closed as a portable headphone with their small size, but those specs just scream strong desktop amp required.
I agree about the funky cable and glue on pads though. Those really turn me off.
Erenau
22
Sep 20, 2021
ShaneCanAfter using the THX AAA One, I did look for a 150W amp power amp for a floor standing speakers to power this 12.5ohms and 91dB/mW headphones, couldn’t find anything good unfortunately.
i am also aware headphones can do no wrong so will probably looking for contractors from concert halls to see if they have something strong enough to power these beasts.
Will keep it updated here.
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