DROP + Dan Clark Audio Aeon Planar Magnetic Headphones - Open-Back, Over Ear, Audiophile (Aeon Open X), Blue/Black

I had high expectations and they were exceeded in spades. This is seriously as close to perfect for a closed back you can possibly get for $500 IMO.Build quality A+Comfort A+Sound A+Cable AAccessories A+My score: 9.95/10Now, let's talk about how these sound; out of the box with the single notch inserts they sound very good. But; what I found works much better and takes this headphone to a completely different stratosphere is:Remove ALL inserts and EQ this thing to be closer to harman (even though it's close as is). You can find the EQ settings in forums if you just google it. It opens up the headphone in a way that is almost unbelievable; Extended sound stage, bass extension with a good kick and rumble but not excessive or muddy, smooth mids, creamy detailed treble... Vocals are exceptional, strings sound amazing too. Before EQ while decent, it sounds compressed in comparison. Not all headphones respond to EQ like this, trust me it's worth it. Right after EQ I thought: "I can't put these down. It's like a whole new dimension of musical enjoyment has opened up and I don't want to leave. Truly fantastic, I'm gobsmacked."I'm using an Asus Xonar Essence STX (pcie version) to drive it. It's powerful enough for sure, on normal gain it gets plenty loud at 55% volume, on high gain anything above 35% is screaming loud. While, it might not be the best source it's good enough, it sounds clean and it's a good pairing for the money IMO if you mainly use a computer. Of course, a high end HIFI desktop setup with balanced cables will sound better, but honestly to me it sounds amazing as is.Overall; I can't recommend these headphones enough.

These are simply fantastic. Only had them a few hours but they have exceeded all my expectations. I live in an apartment and coming from my 2 channel HiFi rig and had to switch to headphones. These are simply so musical and COMFORTABLE! Highly highly recommended. Pairing with a Cambridge audio dacmagic 200m running sources from my mac, cd player, and ps5. Cannot ask for a better sounding pair of headphones for the money if you like a more mellow yet detailed sound. Build quality is also amazing.

Why would one get a closed back headphone? The open back ones sound plain better. But those are basically acoustically-transparent (kinda the point), so are almost useless in noisy environments.Imagine the office from "The Office". Have a fantastic micro detailing on your headphone? Too bad, Michael Scott decided to make one of his useless announcements what it seems right in your ear. Trying to enjoy that fantastic scene separation? Nope, you won't: Jim just played a prank on Dwight and everyone is laughing like they are at a Robbin Williams standup show.That's where the the closed-backs come in. The point is to give you decent noise isolation, so you can enjoy your more-than-decent sound around your colleagues and cleaning ladies with gargantuan vacuums.So how does this bad boy score on that? Sound is great, it's a decent planar from a decent company after all. Value (sound wise) - fantastic, that's what Drop is known for. Comfort - OK, the headphone is light, but the brace is not the best, neither are the cushions.My issue here is mostly the sound isolation. If the closed-back pair doesn't dampen the noise well enough the whole deal is just not good. And the Aeons just don't fair well in this regard. That annoying conversation at the neighboring desk just seeps through.Had to return these, even given the fantastic sound. I'll have to got with some nonse Bluetooth active noise cancelling nonsense I guess, even though I don't like the sound. Too bad.Still don't want to rank these too low, they sound great and that matters.

These headphones are the best pair I've ever owned. Comparing to HiFiMAN HE5XX, HD6XX and 58X Jubilee. The audio quality is second to none, and they're very comfortable, which is hard to find for me given that I have a very large head.PROS-- Earcups are very comfortable, i never run into soreness with these.- Audio quality is second to none, I use these for gaming and music listening and there's no other headphone I enjoy more.CONS-- Needs a break-in period before you really get the best sound and most comfort out of them.- The headband is a bit odd, but once you get used to it, it basically disappears.- Requires a good bit of power to get the best audio out of - get an amp for these.- Included cable lacks in quality, recommend a replacement right away (there's a number of good ones out there)

This is the one! No need to look any further! This planar magnetic is the best out there at this price level. (IMO.) Great sound, no need for an equalizer. Great comfort and price. Very nice quality and build, included case is also fantastic. Get this one, you will not regret your purchase.

They just feel cheap. Look gorgeous and the sound is great but I feel there are cheaper headphones that do the same if not better sound and are built tougher, 1070c by monolith comes to mind. Meze 99, HeR9,and sundera close back from hifiman also feel stronger and sound as good. IMHO they look good sound good but feel very flimsy I just think they are over hyped. Headband is also a take it or leave it not as comfortable as most people mention but not uncomfortable just meh anyway hope this is helpful but I would pass on this for a better close back experience or open back experience like xs or avatone. Money could go further elsewhere

These sound exquisite. I power them with a Sound Blaster AE-5 soundcard from my gaming PC. I'm so glad I purchased these. I wanted a Bass driven headphone, and I finally have that perfect sound I was craving. Thank you

Amazon/DROP is selling open box items as new