September 2017


Best Of 2017 Blue Note Equipment Awards

MrSpeakers ÆON Headphones
Price: $799
Click here to read the complete review.

  A good closed back headphone is hard to find. Finding a top-flight closed-back headphone at an affordable price, well that's a very tall order indeed. MrSpeakers set out to change that with ÆON – a closed headphone that offers flagship-worthy performance for the down-to-earth price of $799. In our World Premiere review, Enjoy the Music.com reviewer Dave Hanson noted just how exceptional the ÆON was in terms of sonic balance, design and value:

"With the ÆON, I think MrSpeakers has found a balance that will satisfy fans of both ETHER headphones. While the ÆON maintains much of the nice sub-bass extension and heft of the ETHER-C, there is now a bit more warmth in the midbass region, which adds a welcome sense of weight to drums, guitars and vocals. Bass is tight and articulate in both regions, and I was easily able to distinguish between different low-register sounds during complex passages in the music. All things considered, it may very well be a better all-‘rounder than its bigger brothers in the bass region, just in terms of serving every kind of music well.

Climbing up the frequency range, I found the midrange to be quite open and revealing with no sense of congestion. The lower midrange separates cleanly from the bass frequencies, showcasing a great sense of clarity. The upper mids are clear and crisp, with an extra little bit of energy between about 900Hz and 2kHz. This tends to bring sounds like snares, vocals and some cymbal work a touch forward.

The treble presentation leaves almost no room for criticism, offering absolute top-flight performance for a closed headphone. While it's not quite as resolving as the treble of the ETHER models, it's still exceptionally crisp, and the balance with the rest of the frequency response is very, very good.

When you consider all these things together, ÆON is a very easy recommendation and a clear five-star value at $799. I'd give it six stars if I could. The fact of the matter is, this headphone gets very, very close to the sound of the ETHERs for a fraction of the price, and it sounds better than some headphones that sell for $500 more. Plus it is beautiful, comfortable, and provides a good amount of isolation for most cases. While the ÆON may not the MrSpeakers best sounding headphone to date, it may very well be Dan Clark's masterpiece."

Click here to read the complete review.

Previous Annual Blue Note Awards

Product of the Year Awards 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001.