@Resolve excellent review, as usual! Also really like your closed-back comparison that was very recently posted.
FWIW, I tried to use the A2C with a Dragonfly Cobalt and found it wholly inadequate to drive the headphones. I have a fairly simple setup - typically the aforementioned Cobalt plugged into my iPad or iPhone, using Amazon Music HD, Tidal, or Qobuz. On my iPad, I believe I counted ~16 distinct volume levels…I had to crank the volume up to 12 or 13 to get to a reasonable level, and by then the lower frequencies became completely distorted.
Very disappointed, needless to say, but at least consistent with prior feedback.
3 Likes
Yeah I’d say you need something a bit more powerful like an xDSD. It’s tough because the Dragonfly form factor is really appealing, - and the Aeon 2C is so good for portability. At the moment, I don’t think there’s anything powerful enough with that form factor, so you’d have to go up in size a bit.
2 Likes
I would agree it isn’t great pushed by my Dragonfly Red either, but for non-critical listening quick on the go down and dirty listening it is ok but not great. I didn’t get a chance to try the Aeon2C with the iFi XDSD before I returned it and got the iFi IDSD Micro Black Label but I imagine if you are looking to listen on the go via your phone/ipad via amp/dac the best most portable solution would be the ifi XDSD that @Resolve recommended.
I really loved that unit and had no issues with it but I wanted something smaller for my ELEAR’s around the house and a couple of other headphones as well as use with the AEON2C for watching youtube, or very casual listening on the go so the Dragonfly Red filled that space as it is simply the most portable option hands down. I don’t regret having that little guy I use it all over the place now lol.
The IDSD Micro Black Label is the pusher man for when I need to really juice these babies (Aeon2C) up when not at my desktop set up. I have a similar setup as you @Gnahra I listen via Imac, Iphone, and Ipad Pro. I think if you can take a little more size get the iFi IDSD Micro Black Label it will unlock the potential of these headphones and is still a portable solution. (Not small but still portable.). I listened via my couch, dining room table, office, car ride, etc yesterday and no complaints and it is not even burned in yet.
https://www.headphones.com/collections/dacs-amps/products/ifi-audio-micro-idsd-black-label
If you need the most portable option then the XDSD is going to be your best bet with less power but almost double the power of DragonFly Red and Cobalt. https://www.headphones.com/collections/dacs-amps/products/ifi-audio-xdsd
3 Likes
AEON 2C sounds awesome paired with the iFi IDSD Micro Black Label, really been loving this pairing ran in turbo gain mode sometimes activating XBASS and 3D switches for certain tracks. There is something about this little Amp with 2 chip Burr Brown system that is really magical sounding with my Planar headphones.
1 Like
I’m a fan of the iFi Burrbrown implementations as well… makes for an enjoyable and engaging listen
1 Like
Have you ever auditioned any of their larger amp/Dac units? Maybe this belongs in an iFi Amp post actually. I would be curious to know how their more expensive rack or desktop setups perform if I love this little amp this much.
Is there an easy way to respond to someone from one section of a thread but put the response in another thread @TylersEclectic ?
I have a question about Planar headphones specifically my Aeon2c, I have noticed today from certain frequencies I am picking up on a little noise in one or both of the ear cups almost like paper crinkling very quietly, now this could just be certain recordings and the quality of recordings so I am listening to many different genre now. Is this just the sound of the planar driving, moving and vibrating at such a rapid rate for certain frequencies or is this an issue somewhere else in my chain? Also could it be my ears are just becoming more trained with my listening and bouncing back and forth between headphones I am picking up on subtle differences?
EDIT: It has nothing to do with the Planar headphones as I tried it with all my headphones and I am picking up the same sound, just more noticeable maybe with the AEON2C because they are closed. Hmmmmm not sure where this noise is coming from… going to try a process of elimination now that I know it’s not the headphones! Great talk me lol.
3 Likes
Ah the joys of chasing interference in ones audio chain… if you’re not bald already, well…
3 Likes
Shit I have been bald! LOL, man I can’t figure it out switched amps, dacs, headpones, IMAC, IPAD, still hearing it unless it’s a streaming issue from Qobuz!? The crappy part is now I can’t un hear it!
2 Likes
Oh, I know these feels!
I’ve chased noise on my Bottlehead crack constantly… basically it came down to LED coil whine on my keyboard… but recently I’m getting noise in one side of the headphone that is driving me 
1 Like
Damn! What can you do to fix? Just keep trying process of elimination or could it actually be an issue that needs to be addressed with your headphone?
1 Like
Usually I start with isolating everything in the chain one by one, remove any USB hubs and direct connect only necessary USBs (DAC) mouse and keyboard, than remove the mouse and keyboard with only the computer and DAC running with music if the noise is still there try a different DAC… still there try a different music source such as a FLAC file or mp3…youtube if necessary. Noise still there, try connecting your DAC to your computer with a SPIDF cable… after all that… if you still have noise try changing where you have the power cables plugged in… slow PITA process of elimination
3 Likes
Sounds good, thanks brother!
1 Like
Good luck! Stay strong! Survive! 
And remember… you’re all out of gum!
3 Likes
Dude I think it may have been my keyboard as well, unplugged it today running it off Bluetooth and so far nothing today!!!
2 Likes
I have been using the Aeon Flow Closed (original) as my main headphone for the last couple of years, and I’m interested in the new one. The main (minor) frustration I have felt with the AFC1 is that I’d like just a slightly more upfront bass in some tracks without having to use the white one-notch pads to muffle the higher frequencies so much. So from what I’ve read the A2C might be to my taste.
But if I’m going to be shopping again… I’d be interested to know whether there’s any closed back headphone that’s a must-hear alternative in anything close to the same price range. The Elegia is the obvious one, but I have read that it lacks bass even compared to the original Aeons, and that doesn’t sound like a direction I particularly want to go in. Is this true? Are there other models I should consider?
Thanks for any suggestions!
2 Likes
Hello, @typicalheadfierandy I did a comparison of the Elegia vs the Aeon2C you can check out. While I think the Elegia doesn’t lack bass, to my ears the perception of more impact with a warmer lower end is greater to my ears from the Aeon2C at the expense of a smaller sound stage. I didn’t take measurements so I can’t speak intelligently about the frequency response or measurement values of the bass, I just based my impressions off a 29 track playlist I created across my main genres of listening. You can check out my thoughts here:
Dan Clark Audio, AEON2C vs. Focal, Elegia a closed back headphone comparison
I definitely recommend giving both headphones a listen if possible. I would also check out @Resolve reviews of both those headphones. His Aeon2C review is posted above in the thread. What type of music do you listen to mostly?
4 Likes
Yes, thank you, I just saw your review and it was very helpful since there’s no store nearby where I can listen to them both. I have a feeling I’d lean towards the A2C for more warmth, though I do listen to some piano music and it sounds like the Elegia might do better with that.
I listen quite widely: pop, techno, folk, chamber music, choral, orchestral, jazz, R&B would be the main ones. So the headphones have to be pretty versatile, not too specialized. And there are usually people making noise around me so closed back is a compromise that makes the headphones much more useful.
2 Likes
That’s a tough one as you are kind of across the spectrums of genres that each one has strengths in imo, do you EQ at All? Or are you comfortable using the Aeon2C filters to change the sound for certain music? I think either way to really enjoy all of the genres of music and you can only get one you will need to play with EQ or the Aeon2C filters to appreciate all the music you listen to fully. Also do you lean towards planar or cone drivers typically?
2 Likes
Thanks for your responses. I don’t mind a touch of EQ but I prefer not need it if possible. I use these for recording and mixing (as well as listening), and that means ASIO drivers and exclusive mode, so the EQ won’t come in there unless I do it manually in the DAW. I have appreciated the relatively flat response of the AFC1 for producing music at home - it’d be hard to do on an overly curved headphone, and monitors aren’t always an option when other people are asleep. So if possible I’d like something I can use without EQ. And no EQ would make it easier to go back and forth between the headphones and monitors too.
(I’m trying SonarWorks’s True-fi right now with the AFC1, but I’m not crazy about the results. Bass is a little warmer and highs more pronounced, but voices often lose their naturalness and sound scratchy. In fact, I wonder whether the philosophy behind True-fi is simplistic: they aim to bring every headphone close to a flat response curve, but perhaps flat doesn’t sound good, especially with ears varying in sensitivity to different frequencies. Perhaps the high-mid dip I see in True-fi’s Aeon Flow graph is there deliberately to prevent frequencies we’re sensitive to from sounding too prominent.)
I liked the effect of the white one-notch filters on the AFC1, so I’m not averse to trying them on the AFC2. But as with EQ, it’d be nice to get as close as possible before needing to apply tweaks.
As for planar vs dynamic, my experience is pretty limited and I have liked and disliked headphones with each, so I don’t feel I can generalize. What I don’t like is excessive bass thud, that feeling of being kicked in the ear, or having too much fatiguing high-end pushed forward. I’ve only heard cheaper dynamics and I associate them a bit with these qualities, but as I say I can’t generalize from such limited experience, and a lot of what I’ve used is in a lower price bracket. The only other headphones I’ve kept and continued listening to are my Westone 4R IEMs which I bought many years back and are still going strong with a pleasant sound leaning towards gentle warmth and no harshness. I spent a bit of time with Hifiman HE400, which I found a little coarse, and the ATH-M50 and PSB M4U2, both of which were overly bass heavy and not particularly refined up top. I prefer natural voices and a bit of ambience without sacrificing deep bass altogether.
2 Likes