Amazon.com: Shure AONIC 50 Gen 2 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones, Premium Studio-Quality Sound, Bluetooth 5, Customizable EQ, Comfort Fit Over Ear, 45 Hours Battery Life, Fingertip Controls - Black : Health & Household

The astonishingly difficult search for a jack-of-all-trades set of over-ear Bluetooth headphones inspired me to offer my insights on the AONIC 50s should they assist anyone else on a similar journey. Here's a couple qualifiers upfront: the 5 star rating is within the context of what's presently on the market in the sub $500 range (judged on their own merits, a few tolerable quirks probably make them a 4), and I had some wishlist items that may not apply to everyone. The contenders I finally settled on were: these Shure AONIC50s, the B&O HX, and the B&W Px7 series 2. The Sennheiser Momentum 4 had just come out, and because they were $50 more with a regrettably plasticy looking build I felt the others had more to offer. The Audio-Technica ATHM-50xBT is also capable but I've never enjoyed their fit and finish. They're bulky, and while they feel solid, they also somehow feel cheap. Some of the Sony models arguably might've deserved more thought, but much of what sets them apart from others in the same class is their ANC and that feature was way at the bottom of my wishlist. So while I focused on the pluses and minuses of three models the list certainly could've been longer. (There's also comments here that relate to some Beats Studio3s that I currently own, but they wouldn't be in the running anyway.)The ideal feature list was for an all-arounder pair of over-ear Bluetooth headphones that could perform a few specific functions I commonly require in an Apple-centric home office and casual music listening scenario. I was looking for something 1) With good sound (obviously). 2) Had Bluetooth for convenience, but also a wired option that DOESN'T require the headphones to be powered. This turned out to be a somewhat unique feature that cut against B&O and B&W offerings. 3) ANC wasn't a huge priority. I'm generally not a fan, but do appreciate the capability for potential commuting situations. 4) Physical buttons. I just prefer them and have found most touch/gesture interfaces to be confusing or overly sensitive. 5) Reasonably comfortable for extended wear. 6) Enough battery to get me though all-day recording sessions over Zoom. 7) At least some attempt at design. You'd be right to point out that's a dumb qualifier for headphones, but I have to look at them all the time sitting around me desk. Related to that; they'd see most of their time indoors so folding/portability wasn't a huge factor.Additional additional sweeteners, but not essential, were: 1) A decent onboard mic. Although I primarily use other audio inputs with my desktop it's always nice to have a reliable remote option. 2) A standard 3.5mm wired connection. But everyone seems to use a 2.5mm to 3.5mm if the option is even available. And, 3) a replaceable battery. This basically doesn't exist anywhere, so forget that. I think there was a single B&O model a few years back and there isn't much interest in addressing that issue across the industry.Asking any headphones to do so many things is a tall order and I entered into all this with the assumption there would be tradeoffs. And there are. Yet the AONIC 50s tick more boxes for me than I probably had the right to expect.SOUND: Pretty darn good - maybe even amazing considering the price point and feature set. They sound great over BT (where I'm locked into ACC via Apple and bound by the technical limitations affecting literally all headphones - "HD" simply isn't possible over BT). They sound even better powered off running through my desktop amp squeezing more juice out of higher resolution digital files. Should I have a separate pair of non-Bluetooth open-back headphones for that type of listening? Probably. But the Shures at least make me feel like I don't HAVE to. And it's nice to have something that can competently handle switching between different tasks without adding more clutter to my studio space. It should be noted they need to be 'off' to get the most out of wired listening and you'll lose ANC and 'passthrough audio' function when doing so. Not a problem for me. They'll still work 'on' over 3.5mm or USB-C (which can charge while listening), but the resolution ceiling of BT kicks in (or something along those lines, there's an identifiable difference in any case).My AONIC 50s are only ever presented with digital music, - usually with some 3rd party EQ (eqMac on the desktop and 'Equalizer' by Audioforge Labs on the iPhone). When adding those I did have some trouble dialing them in at the beginning, however that may be unique to my setup and possibly some user error on my part. They didn't appear to take EQ well and got a little sloppy in the bass and/or shrill in the upper mids on some tracks. One reason for this was when they first arrived and I fiddled around with the accompanying ShurePlay app I turned on the their equalizer, which saves last used settings to the headphones. But I normally use those other two, so there was a double-EQ thing going on. Additionally, my prior listening setup involved switching off between a pair of B&O H4s and Beats Studio3s - both of which required more EQ fiddling to get what I wanted. With those as my benchmark I think I tried to put the AONIC 50s in what I assumed was "my" curve rather than making an effort to tune them on their own. The Shures preferred far subtler frequency adjustments and I find myself bouncing between their out-of-the-box tuning and something with a slight bump below 250Hz and above 10,000Hz (wasn't expecting that last one but it's probably more about adding some perceived clarity to hearing suffering the abuse of old age and too many loud concerts). Once that got sorted out they came alive. The lesson being I found them to respond much better to smaller EQ adjustments than I was accustomed to. In fact the AONIC 50s don't seem to appreciate being muscled out of their curve with big swings. That's not to say you don't have much control over their sound, it's very much the opposite. Small frequency changes could have a noticeable impact. I only mention this because if you typically use an equalizer and don't like the sound you're getting from these, try setting the frequencies at a fraction of what you normally would and see if that gets you closer to where you want to be.At the start of my headphone search I kinda assumed I'd end up with B&O HXs. The B&O's are generally the most comfortable around and their house sound has a nice warmth, but they color the sound no matter what you do on the EQ front. Despite the difficulties that occasionally causes for my work I they're enjoyable to listen to, and I probably wouldn't have expanded my search if not for my experience with the H4s. Once B&O comes out with a new model they're done with you. You'll never get another firmware update, they burry trouble shooting info, they may not even service them anymore. It's over. My max battery life on those is now 80% so they have an expiration date. That made the added expense of the B&O's a little less appealing. Coming to terms with the realization that all Bluetooth headphones have a built in service life far shorter than their traditional counterparts has certainly put a ceiling on what I'm willing to pay. Once it starts inching up to $400 it becomes a big part of my thinking. At $500 I'm in "hard pass" territory. And the only reason I'm even willing to consider anything in that range is because I use headphones so often and care enough about audio quality to consider that money well spent. Nevertheless, it'll be a sad day when look down at my dead, semi-expensive headphones that would be perfectly fine if not for a trashed un-replaceable battery, or firmware update that will never come.As for B&W, I keep trying to like them but never get there. I have some Bowers & Wilkins speakers that I love, yet the headphones never quite do it for me sound-wise. And the ever contentious Beats? They're okay. Judged purely objectively in terms of sound vs. price/value, however, it's hard not to see them as a terrible choice. After stubbornly refusing to evolve for over a decade they've finally started to waver somewhat on their $350 price tag, sometimes appearing as low as $180. The problem is they only start to become appealing around $150 imo, and that's ONLY for the genuine added convenience they offer in an Apple ecosystem. Even at discounted rates you can find something sounding vastly superior.CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth for the most part functions well with decent range. No latency issues of any kind. Occasionally I'll have a single split-second hiccup - just once and not frequently. But I'm not willing to ascribe this to the AONIC 50s just yet. I have a suspicion it may be Apple related for both the desktop and iOS instances where it occurs. Bluetooth specifically (and audio more broadly) have been a little wonky for me since the release of Big Sur and whatever iOS corresponded with that.In a dream world these would've had a 3.5mm jack on the headphones, but pretty much everyone that has a wired connection option is at 2.5mm. This isn't a problem in and of itself, only when you want to find a cable. Adapters suck and there aren't many 2.5mm to 3.5mm cables out there. I was a little shocked to find these were the only headphones on my search list to work while connected via audio cable AND powered off. I'm assuming the others' rationale for that is that it gives you access to the onboard DAC and ANC capabilities. Since I'd rather be able to use my headphones if the battery is completely drained I consider this a fairly significant feature (one I could've easily overlooked with its competitors if I weren't actively looking for that information).The AONIC 50s do contain multi-point connectivity, I'm just not sure how I feel about it yet. There's times where having my desktop and iPhone attached to the Shures simultaneously is great, and times where it's a nuisance. Although you can always just manually disconnect either source (note: if multiple-point is enabled in the app both sources will automatically reconnect next time you power up). On the whole it's probably a net positive. But there's times where it causes things like the Music app to open unintentionally, and I suspect it may prevent the headphones from going into stand-by mode when something is 'active' on one of the devices. There've been times I was shocked to see the remaining battery percentage and I think this might be the culprit.ANC: I don't use this feature much, but it seems good to me. You can set either 'ANC' or 'Environmental Mode' (essentially a pass-through function allowing you to hear more outside nose using the microphones) with a physical switch on the right ear cup. It's nice to have access to that change via button and not through an app or menu setting. Adjustments to levels foreach ARE made within the ShurePlay app however. I kinda like this arrangement - particularly after dealing with the Beats Studio3 where they would automatically default to ANC for every use (seriously, there's no way to save the setting 'ANC Off' on Beats, and no way to change strength levels when it's on - it's crazy).CONTROLS: As I mentioned before; I prefer buttons. Touch-controls are great in theory. And I was willing to tolerate them without too much fuss should I have ended up up with the B&O HX, but I greatly appreciate having landed on something with good ol' fashioned buttons. They're fast becoming extinct, my friends (although I believe the B&W Px7 has them as well). That beings said, it's one of the few areas where the AONIC 50 could improve. Although fairly easy to operate once you locate the little center button they aren't particularly tactile. After four months I still hunt a little sometimes. They're also the only thing that stands out as feeling a little cheap to me. Not that they seem like they're going to break easily or anything, they just feel 'cheap.' It would've been nice to have something more substantial - maybe raised with some rubbery texture.COMFORT/BUILD: Overall they feel robust. They're a significant step up from Beats and only a slight step down from B&O and Bowers & Wilkins. If you put 'em all in a pile the AONIC 50s look like a relative bargain in terms of build quality. The flimsy Beats appear criminally overpriced and the small (but authentic) material upgrades on the B&O and B&W make you wonder if they deserve to charge $200-$300 more. The Shures sit right in the sweet spot - you get some metal and added material in places they didn't necessarily need to add it, and plastic instead of leather and metal where it might be if these were slightly more 'premium.'They don't fold down for storage however, which could be an issue for those seeking slightly more portability. But for use predominantly in the home I think it's a plus. The clamping pressure is good on my average sized head, and I don't experience any hot-spots/discomfort with the well-padded band. My right ear does ever so slightly touch the interior, which can be irritating well into extended listening sessions. I've been meaning to replace the earpads with Dekonis to both circumvent the issues some have reported with seam separation on the stock pads and to achieve some additional depth. I purchased my AONIC 50s on sale so the additional $60-70 expense sits okay with me. Not sure if I'd feel the same if I paid the full $300 though. I'll try and report back after I install those regarding any improvements or differences. Or if I start to see any separation on the band as also reported.EARPAD UPDATE: I do go ahead and purchase Dekoni 'Choice Leather' earpads. They're a mixed bag. Sound-wise they don't do anything to mess with the pleasant voice of the AONIC 50s. If anything there might be a slight improvement. Perhaps even a little added spaciousness in the higher end resulting from the literal added space of deeper cups and solid pleather material on the interior (as opposed to the hybrid design of the stock version). Some have described the foam of the Dekonis as firmer, but softness feels comparable to me (it may be slightly denser however). The added depth did solve the problem of my ear rubbing against the inside, so they're a definite comfort improvement for me. Although if you don't need the extra space you can probably feel okay about putting these off until if/when you encounter the reported issues with the stock ear cups. They also appear to suffer from the same design flaw of the originals. I do recommend them overall, but at around $60 they may only be worth it if they're solving one of those problems. I attached some photos featuring the physical differences between the two.BATTERY LIFE: As some have mentioned, my headphones arrived with a completely dead battery. That is indeed notable, and I opted to fully charge them before attempting any kind of use (set up, demo, etc.). I don't always feel as though I'm getting and accurate reading of levels in the moment, but in the aggregate it seems correct. That is to say it may read higher than it probably should, or drop a few percent in one chunk. It's as if the battery info isn't delivered on an ongoing basis but rather reassessed and tabulated from time to time. Nothing major, just something I noticed. In terms of battery life these have less capacity compared to others, yet offer more than enough to make it though 8AM-6PM recording sessions. But not 2 days of that in a row, so I have to pay special attention to charging in those situations. As such I might quibble with the stated "20hrs" of battery life. Although... oddly, I feel as though battery life has improved somewhat since I first got these. This is completely anecdotal however, and I'm not sure if that's a function of me just getting used to them or if some kind of battery "learning" is occurring in the background and making adjustments. I'll try to study that more empirically.Final conclusion is these are a solid pick as all-arounder Bluetooth headphones - particularly in a home-based environment where you need something that can wear a few different hats. At the current MSRP of $300 I still stand by that assessment, although they start to compete with other choices at that point. These will still be one of the cheaper options, but you may decide something else is worth the additional $100-$150 for a particular feature or finish. Even then, if you're looking for something in BT that can also handle occasional quasi-uncolored monitoring these may be more desirable regardless. It's really just the AONIC 50s and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT (with the edge going to the Shures on a few fronts) until you get into the $600 range with the Beyerdynamic Amiron and Focal whatever. When these go on sale it gets especially difficult to think of anything that can beat 'em.

These headphones seem to suffer from static and distortion when connected via LDAC. Their ANC seems to be tuned to only focus on a very narrow band of sound, which will probably be great when plane travel and subway cars are regular parts of life again, but mean that the ANC does essentially nothing for the kinds of sounds you deal with when working from home. And, let's be honest, the 20 hours of battery life is on the optimistic side of possible if you're listening via Bluetooth and have ANC or passthrough activated.And yet!These sound so good, and they do so many other things right that other headphones do wrong, that I can't not love them.For reference, the "name" headphones I've owned and used in the past are the MDR-7506, ATH-M40x, ATH-ANC9, WH-1000xm2, WI-1000xm2, Razer USB-C ANC, Libratone Q-Adapt In-Ear ANC, and (briefly) NuraLoop—and I wouldn't trade these for any of them.First, the sound: Over the course of an average week, I listen to jazz, jam bands, a few different genres of synth pop, indie rock, film scores, blues, and rock. I prefer a relatively "flat" balance, something that will let me hear more complex instrumentation clearly but not make simpler arrangements feel hollow. A week or two into the Aonic 50, I'm consistently discovering new details, even in albums I've listened to dozens and dozens of times before, and even when I'm not sitting down and focusing on the music. Yesterday, while listening to music at work, a song I've listened to hundreds of times over the past 15 years came on. When the chorus kicked in, someone down the hall started singing something loudly enough that I could hear it through my headphones—then I took them off and realized that no one was singing. It was just the Aonic 50 making backup singers audible who were buried so deep in the mix that other headphones had always obscured them before. They are the best sounding Bluetooth over-ears I've ever used, and the best-sounding ANC over-ears I've ever used.Comfort: Yes, the inside of the pads touch my ears. Yes, that usually bothers me a lot and limits how long I can wear a set of headphones for. No, that's not a problem with these. Maybe it's because the interior of the pads are a breathable mesh instead of pleather? Maybe it's because of the cushioning material inside of the earcups? As well as being the best-sounding over-ears, these are the second most comfortable over-ears I've used (after the old ATH-ANC9). And in-ears are just not that comfortable for me. Even with Comply tips. Even with custom tips. So, yeah, I'm finding myself wearing these more often and for longer than any other set of headphones or in-ears I've ever had, and not getting uncomfortable, hot or weary of them. They seem heavy when you're looking at specs, but the difference between these and the WH-1000xm2s is negligible when you're actually wearing them.Wired Connectivity: Dear goodness, other headset makers should be ashamed. SBC, AAC, AptX, AptX-HD, AptX-LL, and LDAC, with pretty easy multi-point connections. With headphone jacks basically extinct except on audiophile-focused devices like PMPs and phones from Sony and LG, and with a lot of Android phone makers choosing either AptX-HD or LDAC instead of supporting both, finding a set of great-sounding headphones that I know I'll be able to still use to their full potential even if I change phones has been much harder than it should be. Huge kudos to Shure for putting in the little bit of extra effort to make sure we aren't dropping hundreds of dollars on something that might end up being crippled if an accident happens and we need to upgrade to a more recent-model phone.Unfortunately, when I connect via LDAC, I get intermittent clicks of static, as well as regular staticy distortion on a lot of midrange and high-end sounds. Not that noticeable when listening to something with crunchy, distorted electric guitar, but pretty glaring on basically all other music and any podcasts or videos. This problem is less noticeable at the lowest of the three LDAC connection speeds, but still present. From looking around at a couple forums, this doesn't seem to be an isolated incident. So, points for LDAC, but deductions for LDAC being inherently problematic. I hope that this is something that can be fixed via a firmware update, because it's the thing that's really keeping me from being able to recommend these without reservation.Wired Connectivity: Again, the Aonic 50 makes other headphones look deliberately crippled. Bluetooth headphones, especially ones that cost between $200 and $500, are targeted at people who use them on the go—and if the headphones have ANC, it's probably because those on-the-go folks are often dealing with train and plane engine noise. USB-C quick-charging is great, but so many headphones don't let you listen while charging, and despite the fact that USB-C is perfectly capable of delivering data and power at the same time, most headphones don't let you listen over USB-C. These do. It's not a feature I'd probably use A LOT, but it's a feature that I know I'm going to be REALLY glad for on the few occasions I do need it. It's a little gesture that engenders a ton of goodwill from me.The other wired listening option is via a 2.5mm analogue jack. The headphones come with a 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable, and I already have a third-party 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable that includes inline volume controls, mic and remote, but a more standard 3.5mm jack on the headphones would have taken it from good to great.Basically, these are great, but their LDAC implementation is sub-par.