Home Closed Back Headphone Reviews Dan Clark Audio ÆON Flow Review

Dan Clark Audio ÆON Flow Review

by Stuart Charles Black

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Big shoutout to Craig Boyles over at Mage Audio for lending me these!

Note: MrSpeakers is now Dan Clark Audio.

Hey there friend, and Welcome aboard!!

Before we get into the Dan Clark Audio ÆON Flow Review, grab a snack, sit back and relax because…

You’ve come to the right place!!

Table of Contents

Click any of these to navigate the page!


Introduction
Specifications
Build Quality
Comfort
Sound
Video Review
Photo Gallery
Imaging
Amplification
Genre Pairing
Final Grade

Now without further ado, let’s get rolling!!


Introduction


It can be hard finding and deciding on a good closed-back headphone in the upper echelon category as I do find it to be a bit easier when it comes to open-backs.

This is because open-back headphones are fairly ubiquitous nowadays and deciding on one is pretty easy when you have a rough idea of what you’re looking for.

Some of my favorite open backs include the venerable HD600, HD650, Focal Utopia, and Audeze LCD-X.

For the longest time, I couldn’t think of a closed-back headphone above $500 that anyone was talking about and really recommended.

Because closed backs tend to trap the sound in your head, they can become quite fatiguing after a while.

Also, the comfort on most closed headphones is kind of mediocre, to be honest.

I tolerate it because I like the sound enough, and I need a closed back for travel/portable use when I’m around others and don’t want to disturb them.

No one wants to hear you blasting Rage Against the Machine, bro. 😛

I “hear” you! Haha, I did a pun. Get it? Because people always like to use the phrase I hear y… never mind.

Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Review

Anywho, I believe my search is over for the best-closed back I’ve heard to date until I hear another one I like better. Lol.

But I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.

I love the Dan Clark ÆON Flow Closed, and I think they did an absolutely stunning job in all aspects with this baby.

Pair it with the Chord Mojo and you’ll float to heaven man.

Like seriously.

If you can handle Mojo’s finicky nature (and it is quite temperamental), I think the upgrade in sound is absolutely worth it.

Hands down the best sound out of headphone + DAC combo.

I’ve never been able to say this, but there is truly an eye-opening difference between this and something in the budget category.

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With that, let’s discuss Specs real fast…


Specifications


  • Price: Check Amazon! | Check Apos Audio! | Check eBay!
  • Type: Closed Back.
  • Fit: Circumaural.
  • Driver: Planar Magnetic.
  • Impedance: 13 Ohm.
  • Sensitivity: 92 dB/mW. What is Sensitivity in Headphones?
  • Weight: 12 Oz.
  • Accessories: Carrying case, foam-pad filters, detachable fabric-covered headphone cable with “Hirose-style” connectors at the headphone end and ¼” and 3.5mm dual-tip plug at the other end.

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Now we’ll talk about sex… I mean build. Lol.


Build Quality


Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Review

The build of the MrSpeakers ÆON is absolutely marvelous.

Like Oh my God, I know where my money went marvelous.

If there were ever a perfect balance between weight, functionality, and comfort, this would be it.

The headphone has absolutely the perfect amount of heft to it without feeling neither cheap nor too heavy like an Audeze, nor a real Heffer.

My man!

Material

The ear cup padding is a delicious, soft, and supple protein leather (I think) that feels amazing to the touch.

The rest of the headphone is made up of carbon fiber for the ear cups themselves, leather for the headband, NiTinol for the frame, and cast aluminum.

Top-notch materials for sure. You can tell great care was taken in deciding what to use.

Headband

The headband is extremely easy to adjust while it’s on your head and also feels very solid.

The two small adjustments remind me a bit of the one on the 400S and 400i from HIFIMAN but are made of a rugged rubber type of material (instead of plastic) and slide up and down the two separate rods with ease.

In this regard, it’s sort of a hammock-style automatic adjustment like an SR850 or K240, but also affords you the freedom to make a minor adjustment if need be.

Earcups

Each cup rotates about 45 degrees inward and it’s very easy to get a nice fit on your head.

The cups are also deep enough and fit the shape of the ear quite nicely.

There’s enough room for them inside without touching the padding or the drivers.

Connectors and Wire.

The Wire is made of a weird mesh type of material called a DUMMER cable, a Hirose dual-entry connector system to each of the cups, and a 1/4″ termination at the other end.

The connections into the cups snap with a satisfying click but can be a bit hard to line up at times.

It seems simple but trust me, it might take longer than anticipated. Just be gentle! 😛

Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Review

Packaging

These are very portable for me and would most likely fall somewhere in between fairly portable and very portable for others.

I’m not too picky about that sort of thing, and fortunately, these babies pack up neatly into a box for travel.

BUILD QUALITY SCORE: A+

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How about comfort?


Comfort


Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Review

Goodness!

These just may be the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn, and if they aren’t they are certainly in the top 5 easily.

The teardrop design of the ear cups contours almost perfectly to the shape of your ears as well as the anatomy of your head.

What Dan discovered was that there’s a “ridge” in between the space where your sideburn meets your ear. It runs down to your jawline and if you put your finger in there you can clearly feel it.

He basically designed the ear cup so that it would comfortably rest in this shallow crevice.

The result is a comfort factor that’s simply unrivaled in my opinion. These just may be the most comfortable cans I’ve ever worn.

As for the cups themselves…

The cups are fairly deep and I don’t feel like my ears and the material covering the driver are in conflict.

The Best Headphones for Hip-Hop

The headband is perhaps the perfect size and isn’t imposing in the slightest.

It rests comfortably on your melon and takes a literal back seat to everything else, which is a nice change of pace from some other more traditional-looking and feeling headbands.

I can wear these for long periods of time with minimal to no discomfort.

No headphone is perfect, but making adjustments with these is not needed 99% of the time. It’s simply fabulous.

Clamp force is just right as well, as I don’t feel these hug too hard, or reject my ears and head too much.

The form factor is perfect, as the headphone tends to be on the flexible side like a gymnast.

You can bend it and move it quite nicely with no fear of breakdown.

Again, MrSpeakers has struck a perfect balance here. Bravo!

COMFORT SCORE: A+

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What about the sound?


Sound


Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Review

Wow is all I can say.

I tend to gravitate towards signatures like this one, and in recent months have really honed in on the type of sound I prefer over all others.

It’s a sound with a bass that’s neither boosted nor rolled off, a flat mid-range with plenty of clarity, and a bit of a darker treble.

Bass

I love the bass response on these, as it maintains a nice punch but in no way becomes overbearing or intrusive.

As a former bass head turned mid-head, I can appreciate more what the bass accomplishes here because it knows its place.

It’s not terribly rolled off nor is it too V-sounding. It’s just right.

Mid-range

I love how the bass never gets in the way of the mid-range, as instruments and vocals have this incredibly natural feel to them.

Timbre is especially on point here.

There’s a liquid-smooth quality to the Aeon that must be heard to be appreciated.

I found myself astonished at its Soundstaging capabilities as well.

On Matthew Halsall’s “Cherry Blossom” I kept pausing the track to see if the sound was coming from above.

I have a really noisy neighbor and I thought he was up to his old tricks again, but I WAS WRONG HOMIE.

He wasn’t even home. The strange sound that somehow mimicked my neighbor’s banging (not sex, although they do plenty of that as well) was coming from the Aeon. Wha?

I couldn’t believe it. This is a closed-back headphone.

Sure, it’s got planar magnetic drivers which do add a sense of realism, but this is phenomenal.

You’ll start to hear the little things going on, but instead of it coming across as very sterile, there’s a certain warmth about the Aeon that’s naturally charming and inviting.

BAYNK and Shallou’s “Come Home” is a prime example of what these headphones are capable of.

There’s a sense of fullness and body that the Aeon provides, with a pulsating underbelly of bass that exudes class and elegance.

It sounds effortless as if the Aeon is that pretty girl at the gym who doesn’t have to call attention to herself in the slightest.

The Aeon is a complex woman that needs to be treated gently and with a great deal of respect. The vibe that she emanates is sophisticated and professional, like Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs.

Am I the only professional around here?

Treble

Realistic. Non-Intrusive. Natural. Crisp.

These are all words that adequately describe the treble on the Aeon.

The detail is there, but it doesn’t become overblown to the point of sibilance in the majority of cases.

I did find it slightly metallic-sounding at times, and maybe just a tad too “excited”.

I was kind of taken aback by this, but I noticed it more so with the gain switch on out of the HA-2 (for obvious reasons).

That said, even without the gain switch ticked you can sometimes feel a sense of brightness that borders on too bright.

It’s fairly subtle though and a minor nitpick in my experience.

Again, MrSpeakers provides a remedy in the form of the supplied foam pad filters. Insert these babies into each of the cups (make sure to match the shape), and the result is a toned-down treble (just right), while also providing a hint of extra warmth.

Another alternative to the somewhat tizzy-sounding peak at around 5k is what Tyll over at Inner Fidelity did. Get the headphones exactly centered around your ears.

Then nudge them forward slightly and down slightly.

That will mellow out the peak a little bit. Just know that my gripe with the treble is very nitpicky but you should still keep it in mind.

This method seems to work for planar magnetic headphones (with angled drivers) like the Aeon, as well as a couple of my other favorites like the HE400i, 400S, and Sundara.

Overall the sound has this immaculate sense of realism to it but also provides pure warmth and enjoyment.

You get the best of both worlds as the two cross over to form an experience of pure ecstasy.

This is about as good of resolution as a closed headphone can provide.

I talk a lot about The Law of Diminishing Returns in my articles, but the Aeon is a true representation of what a headphone in this price range can accomplish.

Learn more about the Aeon here by reading some other user reviews!

SOUND SCORE: A+

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Let’s take a breather…

My Video Review!

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my growing channel 🙂 Any support is much appreciated!!

Here are some images I took for your viewing pleasure…

Click to see the Aeon!

Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewMrSpeakers Aeon Flow Review
Absolutely Breathtaking.
Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed ReviewDan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Review

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What about Imaging? How do they stack up against open backs?


Imaging


Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Review

As alluded to above, these are fantastic for Imaging as they do a wonderful job of separating instruments, as well as providing a great 3D Soundscape.

I wouldn’t say these mimic open-back headphones like the MDR Z1R, K553, or even a Status Audio CB-1 do, but that would be doing them an injustice because the Aeon is pretty damn close to providing that.

In fact, the Aeon closed mimics speakers as well as any headphones I’ve ever tried, and that’s no exaggeration.

It’s just an incredibly open and spacious sound which is impressive considering they are closed.

I mentioned in the Sound section above, but the imaging of these headphones is quite astonishing when you consider that they are in fact closed.

There’s a good sense of depth, but also a surprising amount of width to the image.

I was constantly finding myself hearing stuff that seemed very distant and far off, and the effect it had was pretty incredible.

I would say without reservation that the Aeon provides a fantastic Soundstage, rivaling even some open backs!!

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Will you need an amp for these bad boys?


Amplification


Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Review

In a word, Yes. A reviewer on Amazon called it persnickety which is very accurate.

At 93 dB these are fairly inefficient with mobile devices and are much too quiet out of my LG X Charge.

Your mileage may vary depending on the quality of your phone’s internal DAC, but don’t expect these to reach their potential without a combo Amp/DAC of some sort paired with your phone, or a desktop solution for the studio.

Right now I’m running them with an Oppo HA-2 and the combination is just short of magical.

What’s cool about the HA-2 is you have a gain switch and a bass boost.

I’m really digging the sound without the gain but some songs may require a bit of extra juice although the majority of the time you’ll be fine without it.

I think the HA-2 is a perfect solution for just about all headphones, and something that makes sense for the majority of users.

Just be aware that Oppo has since stopped making products and it’s not available for official purchase anymore.

I still recommend you at least try to get your hands on one for a good price, as it’s a unit that will become a mainstay in your studio for a long time.

My absolute go-to Amp/DAC for this headphone would most certainly be the Chord Mojo.

To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to be as blown away as I ended up being. My jaw dropped with this pairing, as I believe the Mojo to be just about the end game Amp/DAC for most people.

You can clearly hear a difference between an amp like this one and something in the budget category. It even outperforms my HA-2 which surprised me.

The mid-range was so incredible that it really felt like the artist was singing or speaking directly to me in soft passages as well as the song as a whole.

The Aeon really has a way of separating instruments and voices with eyebrow-raising precision, and the Mojo only enhances that experience to a startling degree.

Some other pairings to consider:

Desktop DAC and Amp Pairings

The Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100 with the Objective 2 is what I used when I first demoed these, but I’d go for a JDS ATOM nowadays as the Objective 2 has been discontinued.

The Best Headphone Amp for the Sennheiser HD 600 and 650

Lego men discuss the wonders of a great DAC.

Portable Combo

I previously had been recommending the Audioquest Dragonfly Red for many years, but I now believe it’s overpriced in today’s overcrowded market.

Here’s a list of my best portable dac options (always updated).

Desktop Combo

Years ago I recommended the Audioengine D1 and while it’s still good, I think you can do better. My recommendation for those just starting out is the ATOM (mentioned above) or a K5 Pro.

MrSpeakers Aeon Review

Anyone for a Shootout?

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What about Genre?


Genre Pairing


Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Review

These work well for a variety of genres because they are fairly neutral and accurate.

I enjoyed them with:

  • Jazz
  • Hip-Hop
  • Indie Pop
  • EDM
  • Metal
  • Rock

These are some genres that I listen to on a regular basis and I would say the Aeon handles them all with ease.

It’s not every day that I’m impressed with a closed-back headphone coupled with Jazz, but the Aeon succeeds marvelously.

There’s depth, spacing, and a great Soundscape that becomes stunningly intimate for the duration of your listening session.

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This is a headphone that you won’t want to take off!


Final Grade


I’m going to give these an A. I want to give them an A+, but that sometimes weird-sounding treble holds them back from being perfect headphones. It was a close call though.

There are no glaring weaknesses outside of that as far as I’m concerned.

The sound, build, and comfort are all top-notch, with a Soundstage that was very surprising in how well it rendered a 3D image.

Interested in learning more?

 

 

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Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve gotten some valuable information out of my MrSpeakers ÆON Review!!

Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!

If you love what I do here and want to support the blog and channel in a more personal way, check me out on Patreon and discover all the value I have to offer you.

Just want to make a one-time donation? Click here. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps keep this site running!

Marvin, what do you make of all this? Any experience with the Aeon Flow Closed? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…

All the best and God bless,

 

 

-Stu

[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ]

Can’t decide which headphones to purchase? Interested in a complete buyers guide outlining over 40 of the best options on the market? Click on over to the best audiophile headphones to learn more!!

Be sure to also check out my Reviews and Resources page for more helpful and informative articles!

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MrSpeakers Aeon Flow (Closed Back)

4.95

Build Quality

5.0/5

Sound Quality

4.9/5

Comfort

5.0/5

Soundstage

4.9/5

Resolution

5.0/5

Pros

  • Almost Perfect Sound
  • Amazing Tonality and Resolution
  • Great Soundstage
  • Perfect Comfort
  • Fantastic Build

Cons

  • Sometimes weird treble

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2 comments

Hari S Nair August 31, 2018 - 9:42 am

Thank you for the great review. I was looking for some good quality headphones for my gaming PC. Firstly I wanted a good quality sound and secondly since I play for long hours like 3-4 hours so they should also be comfortable. I think these can be a good choice. Do you have any other suggestions also?

Reply
Stuart Charles Black August 31, 2018 - 5:22 pm

Hey Hari! 

How much were you looking to spend? I think the Aeon’s are an amazing choice because they are so comfortable, but you may want something with a bit of bass roll off as you’ll be able to discern sounds more clearly. That said, the Aeon’s would make a fantastic Gaming headphone all things considered.

You may also want to consider open back vs. closed back and if you would prefer a headphone with more Soundstage for Gaming. This simply means the sound will take on a more 3D like quality, with better separation of sounds and what not.

Let me know!!

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