[bithloman]

photo credit: BitWolf

Aune AR5000.
We have Journeyed to the Texture of Sound.

Got these yesterday.
I will not put them on again.
They go back on Monday.
Very much unlistenable for me.
4/10

Oh dear AR5000. You have everything going for you. So pretty, so light, so nice, so repairable, so good, so cheap.. What is this sound shenanigans?
Unfixable listening fatigue that induces headache and tinnitus for me in less than 10min.
Multiple sessions, spanning 5, 10, 15mins, no more.


Always the same outcome - headache, tinnitus, extremely quick fatigue onset. According to FR provided by Aune - it does not appear to be too bad, however even heavy EQ in the highs region does not fix it. How is this possible? I assume it's earcup reflections or ringing frequencies, maybe more than one. *Gasp* Maybe I have a non-QC compliant unit?
As for the very short sound signature review:

• Bass extension is deep, when called for - oh boy these deliver. Nice.
• Subbass is however weaker and not present as much as I'd like.
• Soundstage is surprisingly large and instruments are way too much defined. Sometimes you get a feeling something is wrong but when you focus in - you realize it's actually placed somewhere on the stage! You did not expect that to happen! Mind is blown!
• Mids are just right! Finest quality is vocals being nicely present and often unexpectedly standing out in the mix.
• Very good tonality, enjoyable (as it can get with the fatigue) however sometimes some things that should be bright are dark and some dark things bright.

i would say leave them running playing music at a decent level for a full day. i did notice decent break in with these. all i needed was a 5db bass shelf under 175hz and they were golden. yes there is a slight low area in the treble that you can tweak and maybe a bit of brightness you can tweak but its within 3db of most peoples taste. so i would say your reaction is strange maybe you are sensitive or maybe you got a bad sample/bad equipment.

 

[PenguinHeadphoner]

i would say leave them running playing music at a decent level for a full day. i did notice decent break in with these. all i needed was a 5db bass shelf under 175hz and they were golden. yes there is a slight low area in the treble that you can tweak and maybe a bit of brightness you can tweak but its within 3db of most peoples taste. so i would say your reaction is strange maybe you are sensitive or maybe you got a bad sample/bad equipment.

Or more simply the does not like them...
It can happen
Remember a lot of people think that beats headphones are the best...

 

[bithloman]

Or more simply the does not like them...
It can happen
Remember a lot of people think that beats headphones are the best...

sure, however he doesnt just not like them he finds them offensive in the highs, which with how good the tuning is, i would guess is highly unlikely. of course possible. "unfixable listening fatigue" is something almost impossible with most even bad headphones. which goes much further than just liking or not liking beats. heavy bass is an easy thing to like.

 

[Riversalt]

Woow!!

 

[lantian]

The aune AR 5000.

Summary
The good.

Superb build quality, almost completely out of metal.
Very comfortable, for being metal construction the weight is very low. Clamp force is nice and headband covers head nicely and keeps the weight distributed across larger are.
Removable cable with 3.5mm jacks.(This should be standard for every over ear headphone out there).
Driver has very good low end, balance, vocals, soundstage and imaging.

The not so good.

Driver sometimes does not image correctly.
Otherwise for the price non.

Compared to my best headphones.

Base is a bit bloated, to much focus is on base, lacks general speed, resolution and sparkle. Imaging is sometimes wrong. More wide than deep soundstage.
All together a very good headphone and for the price a very nice deal.

So to expand a bit.

Aunes first headphones are very solid and good first attempt of a hifi headphone. They do a lot very right and good. Unfortunately not everything, but they are not total product that would compete with such so can ignore this for now.

First thing that struck me is how much focus these have on the low end of frequency spectrum. It is very well executed and presented, yet not always correct. For example laid back was to boomy at the beginning and so where the gorillas. While in pink Floyd's the wall, where the helicopter goes above your head with these it went below.
After burn in of around 200hours the base has become more controlled and boomienes is gone, much more linear sound presentation.

Vocals do sound very good and natural, no issues here to report.
Mids altogether are pretty good, guitars sounded pretty good, especially enjoyed how prog rock sounds and stoner music.

Treble, well in my opinion this is the one downfall here.
Simply said they lack both treble, resolution and any kind of sparkle here. Atleast compare to what I'm used to these lack the top octave or two.
This reminds me of JVC fw01 used to do treble. Was hoping that burn in would give more sparkle or open up the highs more, but no such luck. On the other hand what is there is pretty airy and very well executed.
All together a very nice smooth and laid back sound with pretty good soundstage and great tonality.
Also they are super easy to driver but scale as well with amplification.mostly used my dx245 with it's hp out in mid gain volume around 78, Pink Floyd's the wall hires used high gain around 78 or 80. On my luxman l400 did gain a bit of soundstage and top end, but it's not set up for such low impedance cans, so was a bit to coloured.

So if your looking for headphones for music listening for under 350euros, these should be checked out.
But if you want ones for hardcore tripping these are not it.

Congratulations to aune with coming out with such great headphones, thank you for my pair, while not using them daily do enjoy their laid back sound from time to time, like what you have done

 

[Mhog55]

Aune AR5000 Review. Fanfare entry!​

Read the review.

Clamorousness - Offensively loud. What did you find offensive at higher volumes?

 

[Mhog55]

Aune AR5000 Review. Fanfare entry!​

Read the review.

Looking at those graphs, it seems that these have some extra energy in the presence region. Are the upper mids and lower treble fairly bright? Any metallic sound, harshness or fatigue? This region is my bugaboo, and typically prefer a mildly dark presentation. I'm seriously digging the look and design of these, but if they cross extension line, they probably aren't going to work for me. How is the fitment and grip? For someone who tends to rock out on occasion, drum the air and bob the head, will these stay in place?

 

[pradiptacr7]

Review for Aune AR5000 is up. True Reference Tonality and effortless highs. Fun things can be run at full potential with a decent dongle only.
Lastly premium look and feel. Read more here,

- https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aune-ar5000.26908/reviews#review-33245

 

[Ichos]

Dear friends here is my Aune AR5000 Review

Or https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aune-ar5000.26908/review/33252/

 

[Mhog55]

Dear friends here is my Aune AR5000 Review


Or https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aune-ar5000.26908/review/33252/

Thank You for the well written, informative review. Suffice to say, I don't believe these are for me. Shame, because I really dig the appearance.

 

[Ichos]

Thank You for the well written, informative review. Suffice to say, I don't believe these are for me. Shame, because I really dig the appearance.

What signature are you after?

 

[Riversalt]

Dear friends here is my Aune AR5000 Review


Or https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aune-ar5000.26908/review/33252/

A wonderful review, as always a pleasure to read.

A few words about AR5000 + Fiio K9 AKM?

I bought my AR5000 this week and I'm waiting for it to arrive

Very sad that my K9 disappeared in the mail flow, waiting 80 days and it didn't arrive, I'll have to request another one.

But I'm very curious to know your impressions of this AR5000 + K9 AKM duo.

 

[Ichos]

A wonderful review, as always a pleasure to read.

A few words about AR5000 + Fiio K9 AKM?

I bought my AR5000 this week and I'm waiting for it to arrive

Very sad that my K9 disappeared in the mail flow, waiting 80 days and it didn't arrive, I'll have to request another one.

But I'm very curious to know your impressions of this AR5000 + K9 AKM duo.

I did a lot of listening with the K9 AKM and the AR5000 and I can happily report that they match and complement each other very well. No need for poetry, be a little patient and you are going to find out by yourself how good the combo is.

 

[Unterstuffz]

I am not good at this kind of things but i want to share my impressions with the AR5000.

Please note im still in the Honeymoon phase ...BUT WoW they EXACTLY reproduce my perfekt sound signatur Soft but not Boomy or FlOPPY Bass Lush ,Emotinal Mids ,Soft Highs (i am VEERRRRY Sensitiv when it comes to sibilance or schrillness) it is like a Firm but not to Firm hug for the ears but at the same they dont sound boring, there is enough midbass and expression in the highs and mids so they react great to more intense music with enough Detail and Seperation the soundstage is fine.

They sound good with every source i had (except my Valhalla 2 OTL they did sound too soft on it ) which is nice but one thing i notice when driving them from the system of a friend they did not scale very much with a better SS amp and we could notice a really big improvment between my DX160 in Dac mode via Roon an the Burson Grand Tourer of my friend.
Comfort is Very Good 4 Hours on my head an no problem.

The AR is in no way a Technical headphone more "a put them on and listen to whatever on whichever source" kind of headphone !
i think i will keep them as a great contrast to my VC .

 

[Mhog55]

What signature are you after?

Nothing particular. All of my sources are relatively warm and velvet smooth, so it would likely be a decent match. The presence region is what concerns me, especially after loo over some measurements. I don't necessarily prefer a fairly flat and linear low end. I also like a touch of warmth. Just can't do peaky, bright, metallic, or splashy upper mids and lower treble.