But there's more! The Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2's bid for inclusion in our best wireless headphones guide culminates in a special USB-C port not just for charging. It means hi-res USB audio is also on the menu (look over here, iPhone 15 and Apple Music users!) thus completing a veritable banquet of connectivity options, from wireless Bluetooth audio pinged from your phone, older sources in a more traditional wired hi-fi system, right up to USB-C audio from your MacBook Pro at work. If that sounds good to you, add these headphones to your list. The Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 accompanied me to work on busy weekdays (walking brusquely to the station; boarding a train and the London Underground; at the office) and walking along the blustery seafront on the UK coastline – a great way to test any wind-interference from mics during calls. After 18 months of working together, we're confident we've found the right partner in Aonic. This is the right moment to welcome their support to strengthen our position even further, and seize this critical moment for VR and MR." That said, there are a few major contenders here, obviously - and they’re mostly more affordable than the Shures. This hardware kit actually contains two pairs of extra nozzles for the earbuds. These aren’t replacements for the ones currently fitted to the Aonic 5 should one snap or get damaged; each pair can alter the balance of the sound produced by the earbuds. It’s not a new concept and we’ve seen a few manufacturers offer this customisation over the years, but it’s the first time we’ve seen it on a pair of portable Shures.

At the same time, the Shures look a little unrefined compared to the simpler and more discreet hinge mechanisms used by some rivals. Even complex arrangements are presented as a unified whole, and cut and paste collages like the Kendrik Lamar tune sound consistent. In conclusion, I’m simply grateful that we have the many easily available music choices available today. There’s no need to think of MQA as a threat, but rather another option we as consumers have to enjoy great sounding music anywhere at anytime, especially in light of current world situations. We need music! ✌ ReplyAt a glance, of course, the AONIC 50 look pretty much like every other pair of pricey noise-cancelling over-ear headphones around. The detachable leather-and-memory-foam earpads are attached to robust plastic earcups, which in turn are connected to a leather-covered headband via aluminum arms. These articulate through 90 degrees to allow the AONIC 50 to lie flat, and are heftily damped through the hinges. The Shure’s noise-cancelling has two different levels to choose from: ‘normal’ and ‘max’, while you can also adjust the intensity of the Environment mode. This is all done through Shure’s ShurePlus Play app for Android and iOS devices. They’re at the upper end of the market in terms of price, but Shure has given the established class leaders something to worry about at its very first attempt. Bluetooth is the most obvious method of getting content into the Aonic 215s, but it’s possible to exert a little more control over the Shures than that offered by your favourite streaming service by using the Shure+ PLAY app (free for iOS and Android).

While using the Aonic 5 with the iFi Zen DAC, and turning on true bass mode, the lows gain a needed amount of weight that’s missing from the more flat response, and when implementing the warm nozzles, the timbre of the bass changes drastically. While the tonality does warm-up, the sound just appears way more growly than before. This greatly increases the enjoyability of some dark synth or emocore ballads. Whether you want that flat, neutral bass timbre, or a punchier, booming feel, the Aonic 5 finds a way to do both. If this doesn’t work, or your headphones don’t automatically go into pairing mode, you’ll need to empty the list of paired devices. To do this, you must: The second control array switches between ‘active noise-cancelling on/off’ and ‘environment mode on’– this last features amplifies external sounds, so carrying on a conversation while wearing the headphones (or just simply staying safe while out and about) is easier. FeaturesSo once you get the balance right they’re as described in the review, but whatever you do don’t A/B them against the SE846. They don’t hold a candle to the SE846 in any respect, and just confirm to me that the SE846 are brilliant and still worth every penny after all these years. The Secure Fit Adapter/antennae serve to keep the 215s secure, certainly, and they’re very effective at maintaining a wireless connection to a source player – not once during what has been a pretty extensive test did the Shures even come close to letting go of their wireless grip on the incoming signal. puts you in control of your audio experience. Select balanced, warm or bright audio through removable nozzles for three unique sound signatures.

But for me, at least, there’s altogether too much by way of antennae here. They manage to make the 215s look almost as unfinished as those original AirPods did, but there’s something vaguely medicinal or therapeutic about the appearance of these antennae, which serves to make the wearer look like there might conceivably be something wrong with them. I’ve been out in public wearing some fairly outré headphones, I don’t mind admitting – but I’ve never felt so self-conscious as when wearing the Aonic 215s. We start listing with the slider in the default neutral position, which means no sound mode is engaged. The Shures get off to a strong start, thanks to their clean and transparent presentation. They are nicely balanced with crisp highs and pinpoint, precise lows either side of a solid midrange.

The mic offers solid intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone, we could understand every word we recorded. The mic’s signal is bright, and though typical Bluetooth audio artifacts are present, callers should have no issues understanding you on a clear mobile connection. Wire-Free Sound for Audiophiles The sturdy way the earcups articulate and the headband adjusts (plus the 334g weight) are the only real indications, design-wise, of where your extra outlay might have gone. In hand, it doesn’t feel like there’s loads of cushioning on offer from either the earpads or the headband, but the Aonics are pretty comfortable. The grip pressure is nicely judged – the headphones don’t squeeze the size of your head too tightly, nor do they feel too loose. The headband sits on top without digging into your skull.