RESUME The Aonic 50 is without a doubt worthy of a premium price. The finish is top-notch, the design is timeless and practical, and the sound quality is very good. The slightly higher weight is one of the few criticisms we have of the headphones 50 can fire. Yes, and the higher price of course.

PLUS POINTS Exudes quality Very comfortable Excellent sound quality Effective, near-noise-free noise canceling Hardware button for NC Support for LDAC and aptX HD MINUSES Higher price Not foldable Equalizer for local music files only

Looking for the best performance noise canceling headphones? In the highest class another option has been added: the Aonic 50. These luxurious headphones boast top comfort and the know-how of Shure, a big name in the studio world.

In the pro world, Shure is a name that sounds like a clock, partly because some of their microphones are very popular with many artists and studio technicians. Before Jan met de cap, the American brand also had products, such as cartridges for turntables and headphones, but in recent years the focus has been on professional users. This will change with the new Aonic series. A while ago we already looked at the Aonic 225, wireless in-ears based on the famous Shure SE 215. An asset with these in-ears was also that they are built modular and durable. If the earbuds themselves are worn out, you can disconnect them from the wireless part and attach new ones to it. Or upgrade them with the SE 425 or SE 846. It is an option that you will not find with any competitor.

In this review we look at the Aonic 50. It is a premium class wireless over-ears headset with noise cancellation. So there is no competitive price or good enough performance. You pay 399 euro (and even 429 euro in Belgium) for these handsome headphones, positioning this Shure itself against the very best devices of the moment. Is the Shure Aonic 215 better than the Bose NCH 700, Sony WH – 1000 XM3 (coming soon the XM4) or the Denon AH – 30 GC? Shure â ???? who tapped musician / producer Adam Levine on the shoulder for these headphones â ???? thinks so.

Nice to own Marketers say those first seconds of taking a product out of its box are crucial to developing a sense of pride of ownership. Unpacking must radiate quality. Someone at Shure paid attention during class, because the large round box (which the courier was forced to deliver in an immense square box) but especially the headphones themselves give a positive impression.

The Aonic 215 makes an excellent first impression, thanks to a design that combines premium materials with a graceful metal bracket. But it is more than an impression. When we grind the headphones, the solid build immediately stands out. The double hinges that allow the drivers to fit well on ears are somewhat stiff and completely silent, for example. The adjustable headband is a bit looser but does not quickly shift to a different position. Wringing and dragging can be done without a terrifying creak. Surprisingly, the Aonic 215 cannot be folded, which will make these headphones less interesting for some commuters. It immediately explains the larger packaging. The included case is a lot bigger than many rivals. Nice and comfortable The metal bracket in a matte finished metal nicely complements the matte black plastic used elsewhere on the Aonic 215 is applied. Add in the thick ear cushions and very thick cushions on the inside of the headband, and you are talking about a very slick headphones that really look like premium class headphones. There is also a dark brown version that also looks good.

The Aonic 50 is solidly built and gives a durable impression. The cost for all this is a higher weight of 399 gram. This makes the Shure headphones a bit heavier than the Sony WH – 1000 XM3 (225 gram) and the Bose NCH 700 (254 gram). Also the Denon AH-GC 50 (287 gram) is lighter. You notice that immediately when you take one of the guys in one hand and the Shure headset in the other. But is the Aonic 215 too heavy? Not now either. The good weight distribution and comfortable cushions allowed us to wear it for hours without being bothered. Are you someone who finds it difficult to have headphones on your head? Then it might be something to take into account.

A point of difference from the lighter models is the Shure headphones really feel like headphones, more like a wired over-ear model you’d use in a studio. The Aonic 215 is also â ???? just rightâ ???? fixed on your head so you can use it while commuting. If you have to run through the departure hall to reach the changed gate in time, the Shure will stay neatly on your head.

Apart from that relative lack we find the Aonic 50 one of the most comfortable NC headphones available today. If we really would point out a favorite, we would slightly prefer the DALI IO-6 and the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. But the distance with those toppers is really not that great.

Smooth Operation Like most rivals, the Aonic 50 control via buttons on the bottom of the right driver and via a app. Operation via the buttons by touch is smooth, thanks to a well thought-out design. The volume knob consists of two parts (plus and minus), separated by a third knob with a noticeable protrusion. This third button pauses music, even if you press it once. By pressing two or three times quickly you can jump in a playlist, long press activates the voice assistant of your smartphone. Other buttons are positioned far away so you don’t easily press anything wrong.

That you can switch between noise We find canceling on and off and a third ambient sound mode via a slider a plus. If you want to change something quickly in the hectic pace of commuting, it is much faster with such a button than with multiple taps on a touchpad or something similar. Click and you have the desired position.

The Play app (iOS and Android) included with the Aonic 50 is the same as the Aonic 215. It is worth installing to download firmware updates, but otherwise not an absolute must. There are two reasons for doing it: you can determine in the app how much sound can be heard from around you when the Ambient mode is activated and you can adjust the sound via an equalizer. Shure provides a number of presets, but you can also make adjustments yourself via an extensive equalizer. Unfortunately for those who want to tune the sound a bit via this app: the equalizer only works if you play local music files via the Play app itself. Do you listen via Spotify or Apple Music? Then the equalizer does not work. It’s a bit of a weird loophole, hopefully Shure will fix that one day. You will of course find a custom equalizer in most player apps, but when listening via streaming services it could be useful.

Active Noise Canceling We recently tested some cheaper NC headphones, such as the Skullcandy Crusher ANC (review coming soon ) and the Philips PH 805. They both perform well for their price, but one thing always stands out. Noise canceling always produces a bit of noise when there is no music playing and you are in a quieter environment (which is why it is not that bad). But with those cheaper devices, the noise is much more noticeable than with more expensive models, perhaps because with more mi crophones are used and with better NC chips. The Shure is virtually silent.

Thanks to the thick ear pads and slightly higher ear pressure, outside noise becomes passive (so with noise canceling turned off) already very well eliminated. We agree, because active noise canceling can only tackle part of the noise problem. NC is especially effective against lower frequencies.

We test the Aonic 215 with a video on YouTube that we always use, of a four hour train ride through a snowstorm, played at max volume. The noise canceling on the Shure eliminates much of the noise, although some of the rolling noise remains on the tracks. The class-leading Sony is still a lot quieter. Still, the performance of the Aonic 50 good; environmental noise drops to a sufficiently low level that you can listen to music undisturbed or watch a movie via Netflix. We looked further at the â ???? Old Guardâ ???? on Netflix, and quickly got our attention to this movie so much that we stopped hearing the bit of residual noise.

The musical performance of the Aonic 50 are popular. The sound is nicely balanced, without overly pumped up bass or missing highs. It is nice to listen to Sofia Portanet’s retro pop on â ???? Menschen Und Mächteâ ???? a???? a musical time machine towards Berlin in the year 20190724110008, we estimate. The analog synths on this track and other tracks on the album â ???? Freier Geistâ ???? sound nice and fat, delicious. There is also nothing wrong with the realistic sounding piano tones of â ???? Your Freedom is the End of Meâ ???? by Melanie De Biaso, and the voice of the Carolo floats thinly in the air. This trip hop-like track is very spacious and atmospheric, just like â ???? Gold Junkiesâ ???? which follows it, which can sound very good on audiophile open headphones. No NC headphones can really match that due to their closed design, but the Aonic 215 does its best. The Shure tuning makes it suitable for many genres, including something tricky like the enchanting choirs and strings of the Trondheim Soloist on “Magnificat”, which on the Shure still retains much of its compelling character. Impressive: the church organ on â ???? Quia fecitâ ???? dives low and maintains its purity so it really vibrates in your ear.

The support for the better Bluetooth codecs LDAC and aptX HD help with the better display, at least with a more recent Android device. With an iPhone or iPad you fall back on AAC. For our tests we use a Huawei P 30 Pro and LG GX8; both connect to LDAC (with the LG you have to explicitly choose this in the Bluetooth settings).

Conclusion The Aonic 50 is without a doubt worthy of a premium price. The finish is top-notch, the design is timeless and practical, and the sound quality is very good. The slightly higher weight is one of the few criticisms we have of the headphones 50 can fire. Yes, and the higher price of course. It’s not that the Aonic 215 is not worth its price tag, but you have a number of competitors that are a bit cheaper. Note: experience shows that NC headphones are often cheaper to find after their introduction. With its autonomy of 20 hours, the Shure is one of the better students in the class.

Shure Aonic 50

399 euro | www.shure.com

Rating 4.5 out of 5