The noise-cancelling over-ear headphone class is an more and more aggressive one, and shoppers have by no means been extra spoiled for alternative. Shure entered the market this 12 months with the Aonic 50, a premium-priced headset ($399) that provides energetic noise cancelling, Bluetooth connectivity and USB-C charging. Shure’s repute for delivering top-quality sound is unquestionably a part of the package deal, and there’s much more to advocate the Aonic 50 as effectively.
Fundamentals
Shure gives the Aonic 50 in both black or brown finishes, and so they have bodily controls on the proper ear cup for quantity, turning noise cancellation on and off, energy, activating voice assistances and skipping tracks. There’s a USB-C port for charging, and a 2.5mm stereo connector on the left ear cup for utilizing the included cable to attach by way of wire, which lets you use them even whereas the inner battery is depleted or the headset is powered down (albeit with out energetic noise cancelling clearly).
The Aonic 50 additionally comes with a spherical, flat carrying case – the ear cups swivel to slot in the zippered storage compartment. This takes up extra of a footprint than the standard folding design of those type of ANC headphones, nevertheless it’s much less cumbersome, too, so it is dependent upon the way you’re packing them whether or not that is good or unhealthy.
Shure gives a cellular app for iOS and Android referred to as ShurePlus Play that may present EQ controls, in addition to extra particular tuning of each the energetic noise cancelling, and the environmental mode that pipes in outdoors sound. This permits for lots of customization, however with one main caveat – EQ settings solely apply when enjoying music by way of the app itself, which is an uncommon and disappointing alternative.
Design and efficiency
Shure’s Aonic 50 excel in a few areas the place the corporate has a confirmed monitor report: Sound high quality and luxury/wearability. The ample fake leather-wrapped padding on each the scarf and the ear cups make them very comfy to put on, even for longer periods, which is nice for work for dwelling practicality. I usually forgot I had them on whereas transferring round the home, which provides you an thought of how effectively they match.
As for sound, Shure has aimed for a comparatively impartial, flat tone that gives an correct recreation of what the unique producer supposed for any monitor, and the outcomes are nice. Music element is evident, and so they’re neither too heavy on bass or overemphatic on treble. This can be a sound profile that audiophiles will admire, although it won’t be the very best for anybody who’s searching for a bass-heavy soundstage. That mentioned, bass-favoring headphones are straightforward to seek out on this class, so Shure’s providing, with its clear highs, stands other than the sphere within the ANC area. To be clear, the bass is superb, however general the market has moved in direction of muddy, artificially enhanced bass vs. true rendering, which the Aonic 50 delivers.
The button controls on the Aonic 50 are well-placed and canopy the spectrum by way of what you’d need to have the ability to management proper from the headset. USB-C charging is much-appreciated in an period the place that’s far and away the usual for many of the cellular gadgets in your life, in addition to many computer systems. The included stereo cable is a superb addition for when the battery runs out – however Shure’s marketed 20-hour or so battery life estimate is correct, so it’ll be fairly some time earlier than it’s important to resort to that so long as you keep in mind to cost every now and then.
If there’s one place the place Shure’s efficiency falls a bit brief, it’s in noise cancellation. The ANC does a good job of blocking out undesirable environmental sound, nevertheless it’s not fairly as much as the usual of the like of Bose or Sony’s top-end ANC headphones. It nonetheless will get the job executed more often than not, and the trade-off is best sound.
Backside line
As I mentioned above, individuals searching for energetic noise cancelling headphones are spoiled for alternative lately. However the Shure Aonic 50 gives one thing that discerning audio professionals gained’t have the ability to discover from alternate options together with these from Bose or Sony, and that’s a wonderful soundstage and sound high quality that simply can’t be beat. Wearability can be tops, which makes these an incredible choices for audiophiles who desire a wire-free, sound-blocking answer for a house workplace.
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