I assumed the unique Aonic 50 was a stable set of cans, however maybe it didn’t grow to be as in style as Shure had hoped. Nicely, Shure sufficient, the seasoned model has tweaked some flaws and made some important upgrades to its inside and exterior construct. What are you able to anticipate from the Aonic 50 2nd Era by way of design, efficiency and sound signature?
What’s within the Field?
- Shure Aonic 50 Headphones
- Leatherette carrying case
- USB-C cable for charging, communication and hi-res audio
- 1 audio cable (with 3.5mm termination)
Look and Really feel
I used to be a giant fan of the unique Aonic 50 design, with its silver metallic accent yolk and rock stable construct. The brand new Aonic 50 Gen 2 appears to be like nearly as sturdy in its design, but it surely has dropped the silver touches for an all black look, going with a black plastic yolk and black engraving on the ear cup. Nonetheless, the uber-pudgy leather-based ear pads and headband have remained, as has a few of its weight. The clamping power is agency sufficient to create good sound isolation, however forgiving sufficient to really feel snug on the ears after prolonged put on. And general, I had no issues with match.
Design and Performance
Controls
In contrast to so lots of right now’s wi-fi fashions that use touchpads on the ear cup to manage capabilities, Shure has caught with good ol’ buttons, which in my view, are extra dependable and simpler to navigate. And competing fashions, akin to these from Bowers & Wilkins and Sennheiser, have began taking the identical strategy for that reason.
Energetic Noise Cancellation (ANC)
I discovered the effectiveness of the ANC about nearly as good as wanted. That’s, it killed any ambient hum, but it surely was by no means so highly effective as to create an uncomfortable stress within the ear. (This may be the case with many competing fashions). And for those who’re in search of extra excessive noise cancellation, different fashions from manufacturers like Sony or Bose would in all probability be extra ideally suited. After all, as is normal now for headphones of this caliber, the Aonic 50 Gen 2 additionally provides an ambient mode, which permits in sound from the encircling surroundings.
Bluetooth
The Aonic 50 Gen 2 employs Bluetooth 5, which isn’t the most recent model. That mentioned, I by no means skilled any dropouts or interruptions. And pairing was quick and simple. These cans additionally help a bunch of hi-res codecs, together with aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive and LDAC.
Battery
The Aonic 50 delivers round 45 hours of playtime, which is a extra spectacular battery life than on the primary mannequin, and even beats in style competing fashions, akin to Sony’s WH-1000XM5.
Additional Options
The Aonic 50 comes with an app that permits you to have additional management over the options, akin to equalizer adjustment and “spacial audio”, which impacts and provides dimension to the soundstage of the headphones relying on the mode you select. You must also have the ability to customise the button controls on the ear cups by way of the app. However I can’t let you know for certain as a result of I really had issues connecting to the app by way of my iPhone. I’m undecided what the problem was, but it surely might have been an issue be particular to my cellphone.
Sound Impressions
One of the crucial spectacular upgrades to the design of the Aonic 50 is the additional quantity it gives. The one little concern I had with the unique model was that it stopped in need of being simply loud sufficient to rock out on. However the Aonic 50 Gen 2 provides you that quantity and loads of headroom to spare.
Soundstage
That is one among my favourite soundstages on the wi-fi market. The Aonic 50 delivers a real blue holographic expertise with tons of peak, depth and width. The imaging feels tremendous spacious and is exact to the smallest diploma, making you’re feeling like a tiny determine floating in large and sophisticated sphere of sound. The grandness in scale provides to the magnificence of the stage, giving each style from classical to pop an added little bit of expansiveness.
Low-Finish
The bass feels a contact greater and darker than I bear in mind it being on the earlier AONIC50. However don’t quote me. Definitely, the low-end is way from reserved, and takes a superb quantity of house and punch throughout the combine. The sub-bass frequencies, whereas mildly visceral, didn’t vibrate my socks off. However with some tweaking of the equalizer, bass-heads ought to get the repair they want. The low-end can also be notably clear and detailed because it creeps up the bass clef, offering a extremely textured and pure taste to string devices and different acoustic parts.
Mids
The mids sound sharply dressed, with a crisp and refined profile. Don’t anticipate a ton of physique on this vary, because the supply is lean, whereas the low mids are considerably reserved. This isn’t a ahead upper-midrange both, so vocals fall tastefully throughout the combine somewhat than stand out proper in entrance of you. The presentation right here is immaculately clear, and although the mids take a backseat to the bass and highs, there’s nonetheless some liveliness right here because of the snappiness of the supply.
Highs
On this considerably vivid high-end, the full of life snap and sparkle is probably probably the most exhilarating facet of this frequency vary. That mentioned, it could possibly really feel a contact too crispy at instances, inflicting listening fatigue for delicate ears after an extended stretches. You would possibly hear some sibilance in locations as nicely. However general, the high-end is pleasingly vibrant, and treble notes have a levitating really feel to them, making treble parts sound playful and high-spirited.
Closing Verdict
If I wasn’t fully offered on the primary model of the Aonic 50, then I’m now. With the immensely improved quantity of headroom, enjoyable bass and full of life highs, this crisp and clear sounding headphone is one entertaining hear. So long as you don’t anticipate extraordinarily highly effective noise cancellation, there’s little to dislike about this mannequin. And for those who’re in search of a refreshing change in sound profile from massive manufacturers like Sony and Sennheiser, the Aonic 50 Gen 2 delivers that uniqueness and memorability issue.
You should purchase the Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 at Audio 46.
