Aune - AR5000

Agreed, not likely to buy any of these. I might buy the Audeze Maxwell on a great sale. I have a couple of headphones for console that can be powered by a potato, the PC38x and Aune AR5000. For PC, where I'd play competitive games, I use HE1000se, HE6se V2, and HD490 Pro. I've heard the Arya Stealth is also excellent for gaming, but I don't have that one.

So that's about $400 USD. Does he already have an amplifier? Most good headphones will need one but not all. Sennheiser has the HD560S. I thought the HD490 Pro, which is considered to be superior to the HD560S, would be in that price range because it is about $350 USD here, but for whatever reason it is $800 AUD on Amazon Australia. The Aune AR5000 is very easy to drive and doesn't need an amplifier to sound decent. It looks like it sells at $499 AUD, which compromises the value proposition a bit compared to prices here in the US. It is $299 USD, and I bought it on sale for $210 USD recently. I have a couple of HiFiMan headphones that are fantastic for gaming, but they are outside of that price range. I found the HiFiMan Arya Stealth on a huge sale, just over half off: [https://eliseaudio.com/en-us/products/hifiman-arya-stealth-magnet-version](https://eliseaudio.com/en-us/products/hifiman-arya-stealth-magnet-version) I think he'd be VERY pleased with this assuming he already has a headphone amplifier to run it. To go from an Astro to an Arya Stealth would be like a 2000 Honda Civic to a new Ferrari. This is a high end audiophile headphone good at just about everything that received very strong reviews and is considered elite for gaming. BTW, I don't know anything about Elise Audio and can't vouch for them. I've never bought anything from them. I just did a search and saw that sale.

El buen Aune AR5000, recomendado, lo compre hace poco y es super dulce para escuchar horas y horas

**HD 600** \- excellent, natural tonality with its early sub-bass roll off being its only weakness. I wouldn't say the bass is just decent because I actually find the quality to be quite nice and tactile due to its slight mid-bass bump, but it doesn't have that much low end oomph and fullness for my electronic music. Extremely durable and built to last. Lightweight and CAN be comfortable after you give the out-of-the-box clamp force some wear time. Other downside would be the earpads wearing down too quickly which can change the sound to be warmer and down tilt the treble (and the earpads are expensive to constantly replace if you like the stock sound profile). **AR5000** \- a great all-rounder headphone for both music and gaming. The low end is full and warm with a lush, natural sounding midrange, and a smooth upper treble. Very comfortable to wear for long hours because its suspension strap helps a lot with weight distribution and has a nicely built metal-plastic construction that's handles smoothly with no creaky-ness. I've used my AR5000 quite a lot for my electronic and hip-hop music because the bass feels so full and enveloping on tracks like *James Blake - Loading*. It's also awesome for gaming because the drivers are angled slightly aggressive which presents a soundstage that has great forward depth to it and precise positional imaging. That's its party trick because things can sound intimate and close to your face or be far out in front of you. A nice bonus that it has lower distortion than the HD 600, so you can EQ a bass shelf to it and it can punch way harder. There are other headphones like the HD 550, Sony MDR-MV1, FIIO FT1 Pro, Sundara, and Edition XS, but since I don't own any of them, I can't offer a fair assessment of their sonic performance. From what I read, general consensus is that the HD 550 is a great alternative to the HD 600 if you want better bass extension but less than sweet sounding midrange. Sony MDR-MV1 is a V-shaped, fun sounding headphone that can be too bright. FiiO FT1 Pro is a slightly darker sounding planar alternative to the Sundara and Edition XS. Sundara and Edition XS are bright-neutral planar headphones that needs an amp and their comfort and build quality are hit and miss.

The differences between headphones is often imperceptible at first listen but become more obvious over time. The human brain is just not well equipped to make these distinctions on the fly. As for price vs expectations, more expensive doesn’t often equate to “better tuned”. Money will buy you resolution, but not necessarily enjoyment. I think you went into the experience with the correct mindset, which is “what tuning speaks to me?”. The most enjoyable headphones are not necessarily expensive. As for the AR5000 - I love this headphone. It has a unique quality to the tonality. Kind of like a hint of harmonic resonance or reverb. I prefer the tuning of the SR7000 to the AR5000 but the SR lacks this resonance characteristic. It’s also $300 more expensive than the AR which I feel was a marketing blunder on Aune’s part.

Interesting question. I own roughly 17 headphones from low to high end. It’s maybe an obsessive hobby for me that turned into a collecting endeavor. I’ve owned the older DCA Noire, the DCA E3, Audeze LCD2, HiFiman Arya V2 and HE1000V2, ZMF Atrium and Aeolus, Beyerdynamic T1 and DT1990 and DT880, Meze 99 Classic, both Aune AR5000 and SR7000, Sennheiser 6xx, and some bass cannons like the Modhouse Argon and Harmonicdyne Eris. And a bunch of others that don’t really meaningfully stand out. I tend to notice a disparity between my “best” headphones and the ones I listen to the most. The DCAs and HiFimans are objectively excellent, but I rarely pick them up. For me, personally, I’m in love with a rich, full-bodied and impactful sound. The ZMF Aeolus on an OTL Tube amp takes the win for me every time. It just makes every single song sound so enjoyable. It is soulful and “weighty”. Many of my headphones are technically better in many categories, but if enjoyment is the most important factor then the ZMF Aeolus hits the mark every time. It is just so well rounded and engaging with every type of music.

Just for consideration-It’s my personal opinion that the Aune AR5000 is a little like the “other” hd650 alternative. What I mean is it lands in a similar price bracket and is designed with a similarly neutral tuning. The major difference being that the Aune’s tuning is faaar more rounded and sounds pretty fantastic with just about any music genre. The bass isn’t elevated but it is punchy and extends much deeper than the 600s. The AR5000 is still more or less neutral, but maintains a very engaging vocal region and is generally an exceptionally versatile headphone. If you feel like the 600 series is too lackluster then the AR5000 could be a better option. However, if you really really prefer a “V shaped” tuning then there are other options that can still fulfill that preference better.

Before i always buy cheap headsets sound terrible and always breaks and then i made the biggest mistake by buying the xbox gaming headset not the new ones the old versions xbox one days Then i bought the astro a10 it has decent build quality but sound quality is not that good Then i bought the pc38x when it released and i was so happy with it and impressed it was the first real headset/ headphone taht opened my mind and realised the gaming headsets is shit i still have it till this day Now i have the aune ar5000 and recently bought the fiio k7 dac/amp and i cannot wait for it to arrive

Current market disrupters for closed back are the Fiio Ft1 and open backs would be the Fiio Ft1 pro or Aune Ar5000. Insane value for money propositions. You will not find better under $300. I would get them before tariffs hit. Hifiman is great, but build quality seems to be hit and miss. The Edition XS is a potential pick if you like the sound sig and can find a well built pair. I mean honestly Fiio is putting out bangers in all categories lately. Daps, headphones, etc. I have their BTR17 Bluetooth adapter and it is a quality bit of kit. The Fiio FX17 iems are also reviewing well and I will be checking them out next. Yes, I am a bit of a Fiio fanboy. Also Razer is a Singapore brand. Just sayin.

Easy recommendations. Closed back Fiio Ft1. Open back Aune ar5000 or Fiio Ft1 pro. Superb value for money propositions.

EQ is the way to get it all. AR5000 is good without. 105 AER likely has blunted detail like 109 Pro so AR5000 would be better from that perspective as well. X2HR are an easy comfy listen just a bit lofi and 130ish USD seems pretty pricy for them (often $80). HE400se, HD550 and Fiio FT1 are worth considering if you don't want to EQ. Ananda Nano with EQ is excellent for example, but almost unlistenable without.

Neither of the headphones you mentioned is more neutral than the HD600. I have all three. AR5000 is incredible, but slightly juiced. Pumped up bass and slightly exaggerated treble. The Beyer’s, unfortunately, absolutely have that crazy treble thing going on

MY BROTHER! going on like 13 or 14 years here, I forget. Still that same gross yellow but as a backup headset they're so good. I recently upgraded to aune ar5000's which had superior sound but SHIT build quality and broke. I have a post on it atm. But going back to these I realize there wasn't that much to gain with the AR 5000's. A small EQ and these are pretty good. I hope you enjoy them for many more moons and keep them as backups :)

Hd800s, Aune ar5000, and song mdr mv1 from my experience