Hmmm for recoding and mixing use too, I will leave this open for others to chime in such as @Resolve as I can’t speak to the measurements and frequency response as that is not my area of expertise, and I will leave it to the experts in that field.
I evaluated both headphones strictly from a musical enjoyment perspective.
I would think for video editing and audio monitoring while filming on location I would likely use the Elegia, but not necessarily for some of the genres of music I enjoy as per my review. I do have both so if that tells you anything about how different I feel they are in sound that they both had a place in my collection.
It depends on how you define ‘neutral’. The Elegia is more classically neutral, and doesn’t have the same Harman bass-shelf, but it does still have excellent bass extension (and it is appropriately elevated if you don’t wear glasses). The A2C on the other hand has more of a bass shelf even above 100hz - so it’s nothing like the A1C really, almost more like the original open version, which had more bass as well. The A2C also has a wider dip in the upper mids to be a bit more relaxed for electric guitars, and while the Elegia also dips around 3-4khz, it’s a much more narrow chunk, so it’s not as noticeable. Still I think both benefit from EQ, and I almost think the A2C is more agreeable for music listening without it, because you do have the tuning filters to curb the treble if you really need (I used one notch at most though). For professional use, the Elegia is probably more appropriate though.
I think if you can’t have both @typicalheadfierandy the only way you’re going to know is order a pair of each and try them out to be safe for a week or so and return the ones that don’t work for your needs. I think your mixing work, chamber music, choral, orchestral, jazz is going to be better geared towards the Elegia, while your pop, techno, folk, R&B, and better isolation from noise around you will be geared towards the Aeon2C.
Two other things to keep in mind is unless you give the Aeon2C proper and I mean proper voltage (More than Aeon 1) they will not sound good, and I suspect the people who have heard them that think they sound wonky are trying to run them off dragonfly’s, iFi XDSD, or worse laptops or desktops.
So you should take this into account, because the Elegia can be driven easily to sound good, where as the Aeon2C need more current.
You probably already realize this as an Aeon owner but wanted to mention for any other people contemplating this choice as well.
I actually feel like I’ve been doing OK with a humble JDS Labs ODAC/O2 combo for listening on the AFC. It seems to have enough oomph, despite power ratings that are feeble compared to many. But perhaps the A2C would be stretching this little device too far?
You mentioned ifi xdsd not being able to power the Aeon 2C, but do you think the micro BL can? By the way, I followed your advice and I’m getting the Aeon 2C this Friday. Hopefully I’ll like them as much as you!
Congrats @Titienne I hope you love them!!! Just give them proper power and they will shine!!!
The iFi XDSD will power them but I don’t think they will sound complete. I use the iFi IDSD Micro Black Label, I actually got both my Aeon2C And iFi from Taron and Andrew.
I also picked up a dragonfly red which just doesn’t sound right to me with the Aeon2C for true listening. For very casual listening like YouTube or audiobooks sure no problem. But for movies, music, gaming etc they need more current.
If you look at the power specs for the XDSD vs the iFi IDSD Micro Black label in the image below you can see the significant difference in power. This isn’t necessarily about volume, i believe it is about current to move the planar magnetic driver and really get the best quality out of them.
So I listen to my Aeon 2C on high gain (turbo) almost always for proper sound from the iFi and high gain from my LYR 3 and THX amp, I may not have to turn up the volume a ton but I know they are getting properly powered. So compare the high gain of the amp you plan on using and the voltage output. I own the iFi IDSD Micro Black label, so I can confidently say you will be ok with that and I recommend something more powerful for the Aeon2C than the XDSD or Dragonfly Red For optimal performance, for the price of the Aeons they deserve to be properly amplified and your ears will thank you
Edit: Please don’t take the above statements as Gospel, the XDSD may have enough voltage and power as reported below by @MartinTransporter to make the A2C sound good. This would be the one of the more portable solutions if they can properly drive them @Titienne you can also see Andrews comments on it too.
did you listen to the DCA AF C2 out of the xDSD, before you sold yours and got the big brother or do you estimate?
I did listen to it out of the xDSD and it´s was fast and the low end had the punch.
I did also listen to it via the RME ADI 2 DAC and the Moon 430ha (should be plenty of power) … I did miss nothing out of the xDSD with the Dan Clark Audio AF C2.
The provided current is plenty and way higher vs the Dragonfly Red(3.8v over 1.2 or 2.1).
If you add/go balanced, you are fine - for sure. It was also way easier to drive compared to the 6xx or the DT 1990 Pro.
I didn’t test with it as it got returned then I bought the larger unit from headphones.com, so yeah I wasn’t 100% on the voltage of the iFi XDSD. I will edit my above statements to reflect that to be safe.
In talking with a couple others on here they surmised it would sound decent with the XDSD
In my experience the more powerful of an amp I have listened to these headphones on the better they sound.
I’ve been using the AEON 2 Closed with the Auris Audio Euterpe the last couple days and truthfully I didn’t really get it with the AEON 2 Closed. It sounded peaky to my ears and had me reaching for the Elegia more often than not. But then I remembered having a pretty similar experience with the original Aeon Flow Closed so I’ve stuck through it.
Last night it clicked. I don’t know if it was my mood, the swap over to Qobuz, my music choices or something else but the AEON 2C just suddenly sounded great. The low-end was present and the stage was noticeable. The A2C feels like an improvement over the original AEON Flow Closed in pretty much every way. For a portable use though, as has been said before, they aren’t the most efficient headphones so I would give the edge to the Elegia for strict portable use. I’d also give the edge to the Elegia for detail but the A2C is no slouch there.
Going to keep listening today but I am happy to say my A2C experience has improved after a couple days!
Did you try listening to Blinding lights from the Weekend on Qobuz in high gain from the amp on The Aeon2C yet!? If you haven’t try it, then on the Elegia, hahah tell me how you feel about them after that track. Just certain genres they crush on. Fun to have both! Looking forward to listening to your Qobuz playlist tonight.
Hello, new here and reading through, I need any help I can get. I am looking for a desktop amp/dac for Mrspeakers Ether (first gen red). I have picked up these headphones through a really good b-stock sale. Great headphones but I feel like I’m not reaching its potential. I have tried it with dragonfly red and I feel it could be better. I have paired it with Nad d1050 and for female vocals and drums, it is sublime realism but can get fatiguing also. I use the dragonfly red with andromeda IEMs and I don’t find myself needing more. I want to do the same with the Ethers. I use a mix of flac and mp3s (which I know aren’t ideal).
Any experience with the following picks? My area had limited availability to audition and currently closed due to Covid. Could take a leap of faith given Ethers won’t be my last pair of headphones but some direction would help a long way. I am going for ethereal/lusher mid range sound for easy listening (vocal jazz, pop). I normally listen for 1-2 hours at a time. Sometimes critical listening, mostly to relax and unwind after work. Ideally an amp/dac combo that does it all as limited desk space but open to focusing on amp first, then pairing with dac like nad d1050 or other.
Schiit Lyr 3
Burson Conductor Reference 3/3X
Woo Audio Wa7
Woo Audio Wa8
If I have missed out on something you need to know to advise, let me know. Many thanks, kindly.
It’s been so long since I’ve heard those headphones that I can’t remember what they sound like. I seem to recall they were pretty bright in the treble and a little tame in the bass?
My first thought was to suggest the Asgard 3 with MB DAC card. It isn’t going to uplift bass quantity, but it is very smooth and might help tame the top end of those Ether. Lyr is a good option, but there are a lot of tubes out there people suggest for it which might not help the fatigue you experience.
What sonic changes are you specifically looking to get from a new chain?
seems this may be a trend… 