Mr Speakers has made a huge impact on the market since graduating from Fostex fiddling, not least with the Aeon closed-back model recently. However if you’re in the mood to pick a quiet spot and have a need to relax, why not consider the open design of the Aeon Flow?

Design and appearance

The most visual difference between the closed-back Aeon and the Flow is the attractive hexagon grill design on the earcups. Perfect for listening to the likes of Queen, and Sting. Moving on from the Bee-grade jokes however, the Aeon Flow keeps all of the charm and advantages of the former model in terms of its lightness and comfort.

Durability & build quality

The Aeon open-back‘s lightness may give the impression that it is fragile; however it can bend and stretch along with the roughest handling, and there’s no reason to suspect that will ever change. The included carry case may not win any beauty pageants, but is certainly one of the more pragmatic cases and should protect the Aeon for years to come.

Comfort

There should be no worries when it comes to comfort during extended listening sessions; the more forgetful among us may even be wondering where our new headphones are whilst wearing them. The Aeon open-back is light and sits nicely on the head, distributing the load evenly.

Sound characteristics

The tuning can be altered by means of filters which can be added to the earcups, just like the closed back Aeon. These will gradually decrease the treble presence, making a bassier-sounding headphone. For this review, we go ‘au naturel’ and try them in their unmodified state. However even with no filters, the Aeon open back is a warm-sounding headphone. If you find yourself attracted by dog whistles, then maybe the Aeon open will be a little too relaxed for you.

Bass

Sub-bass has a good presence in the mix for an open design. It’s a relaxed, yet powerful quality which describes the sound overall pretty well. Like the Aeon is not really trying – high praise indeed! Mid bass has a punchy, slammy feel to it. Many cheaper cans have a mid bass punch, but here it’s the real deal and much more authoritative. It’s ideal for fans of bass quantity and quality alike.

Mids

Midrange is neither pushed at the listener or recessed. Vocals are rich and velvety and there’s a natural and unforced feel about them. Control is in evidence however, with a nice black background for reverbs to tail off into virtually nothing. Consequently there is a lot of space in good recordings, which complements the well controlled audio and provides some excellent imaging. The midrange quality veers slightly towards the lush and rich, giving music a nice approachable glow.

Treble

Higher frequencies may not be featured prominently but the treble, like the bass and midrange, has a free and easy quality about it. Much like a figure skater’s graceful figures of eight which look easy to do, the hard work going on is cleverly hidden from view. There’s a little bit of sparkle here, and the treble generally has no problematic peaks.

Soundstage & Separation

The overall width of the presentation is not huge, it keeps vocals and instruments close to the listener. Separation is very good, with some clear midrange harmonics doing well against a silent, distortion-free background.

Music genres good for and why

A few genres were tried, and all were very enjoyable with the Aeon Flow Open. If you are fond of classical, acoustic or similar genres, don’t be put off by the sub bass these headphones can put out, as there will be little sub bass in the recordings. However if sub bass is your thing, the Aeon Flow Open will certainly be a contender for dance, pop and rap. Rock music and jazz benefits from the treatment the midrange gives, so if you like to mix things up, these are some versatile headphones indeed.

Pros

• Light and comfortable
• Good build and looks
• Sensible carry case
• ‘Effortless’ sound quality
• Modifiable sound

Cons

• Soundstage is limited

Summary

The Mr Speakers Aeon Flow Open may be a mouthful, but it also makes rather a nice earful.

The post Mr Speakers Aeon Flow- Review appeared first on HiFiheadphones.

MrSpeakers Aeon Closed Back Headphone Review

MrSpeakers is one of those small companies which gets some big attention; not content with their excellent Ether models, they’re back with another design! The MrSpeakers Aeon is a slight departure from the norm, as MrSpeakers has elected to go with some teardrop-shaped earcups for this one. Perhaps they’re designed to match the tears currently falling down our cheeks.. but are they tears of pure frisson, or rage?

Pros:

• Light and comfortable
• Excellent sound for a closed back
• Tuning/modding foam included
• Isolation impressive

Cons:

• Nothing worth mentioning!

Design and Appearance

Much like its MrSpeakers forebears, the Aeon is a light and thoughtfully constructed headphone with ‘memory metal’ headband and a decent real leather strap. The earcups are mostly plastic with metal housings for the drivers; it’s all rock solid though, despite the low weight of the Aeon.

Durability and Build Quality

There’s not a lot to go wrong with the design; there are no hinges which can sometimes give trouble eventually, and the sturdy case supplied with the headphones will protect them well between uses. The ‘Dummer’ cable is about 1.8m long and is much like those we’ve seen on the previous Ether models; fabric coated and substantial enough without becoming too cumbersome.

Comfort

Comfort is not an issue with the MrSpeakers Aeon; these are very light for what they do and can be worn for many hours. Clamping force may be more noticeable but the soft pads ensure that no pressure points announce themselves.

Suitability for intended application

The Aeon is primarily intended for the home or office, but wouldn’t look out of place outdoors. The Aeon is a little hard to drive with portable equipment so a separate amp may be required for this, or a capable player. The isolation on the Aeon is quite impressive so it could be a worthwhile thing to try.

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READ MORE: Shanling M2s Digital Audio Player Review

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Sound Characteristics

At first listen the Aeon is quite a neutral-sounding headphone; nothing sticks out too much and there are no obvious dips in the frequency response. After a while though, the Aeon’s character starts to come through. MrSpeakers has also included some small foam pads to modify the sound somewhat; this fills in the upper bass and smooths upper midrange frequencies a bit if needed.

• Bass

Bass starts with a bump, and the sub bass is really rather nice; a lot of what certain tracks require is just waiting in the wings and pops out to make a great bottom end. Further up towards the upper reaches of the bass, there is a feeling that more presence would be good as it meets the midrange but it’s slight. Overall the bass is tight and well behaved, giving a solid feeling to proceedings.

• Mids

Midrange is extremely clear and revealing; it has a natural and loose feel to it which is impressive for a closed-back model. It has a well balanced quality which is not too hard, nor too lush. There’s no issue with sibilance here either, despite the impression that midrange is fully present within the tuning of the MrSpeakers Aeon.

• Treble

Up at the top, there’s good extension and a decent amount of sparkle although there is no obvious emphasis here; treble continues on from midrange without any problem. Cymbals are rendered very well with decent detail, and attacks are good and sharp.

• Soundstage and Separation

We keep needing to remind ourselves that this is a closed-back headphone; the soundstage is very impressive indeed with great depth too. Imaging and separation are excellent, making a very entertaining and enjoyable headphone.

Music genres good for and why

Many genres were tried and none failed to hit the mark. Classical is treated with delicacy, hip hop is thrown down, and jazz gets playful. The MrSpeakers Aeon handles it all equally well!

Summary

MrSpeakers’ Aeon is a very capable headphone which is worthy of the high price, and equally suitable for use outdoors as well as relaxing at home.

The post MrSpeakers Aeon Headphone Review – A new Epoch? appeared first on HiFiheadphones.