For the last few days I’ve had the new Aeon Flow C headphones connected to my A&K player running a playlist on repeat to break them in a bit. They now have about 100 hours on them, and today I finally spent some serious time with them.
Overall these are great headphones:
The midrange and treble are balanced, smooth but with plenty of detail, and clear even at high volumes. By comparison, my other closed over-ears, the Shure SH1540, also sound well balanced, but start to get a bit congested and less clear at higher volumes.
Bass, although clear and well defined, is a bit light. These phones come with one set of tuning pads which are intended to boost the upper bass a bit. I’ve gone back and forth with them a couple of times, but if there’s a change, it’s too subtle for me to hear so far. I don’t find the bass a serious drawback, but of all my headphones they have the lightest bass.
Isolation is excellent, the best I’ve heard in a closed over-ear phone in some time. Not up to IEMs of course, but still very good.
Fit and comfort are also excellent. Adjustments are easy, head pressure is fine, they stay comfortably secure during movement, and don’t become fatiguing after a couple of hours. One other important factor for me, I find some headphones get in the way when I lean my head back in a soft chair, but these don’t bother me at all.
Imaging and sense of space are wonderful. Instruments are clearly delineated in their own space. More than my open headphones, however, the soundstage is in the head rather than in front of me.
The cable is very nice: flexible and not in the least bit microphonic. The connectors are also solid and tight. I usually get Moon Audio cables for my headphones, but am debating the necessity with these.
In summary I’d say these are excellent closed headphones for the price. They’re not the last word in bass or soundstage, but the balance, smoothness, detail and comfort make up somewhat for that lack. For serious late night listening I’ll still default to the Senn HD800 or the Westone IEMs, but for casual listening when I just want to pop on some over-ears in a slightly nosier environment, these will be the ones I’ll reach for.
