Verdict
The Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 are one of – if not the – best - sounding wireless headphone at their price point . The dissonance - cancellation is very good , but bear upon by wind disturbance and bumps . If you ’re after class - leading ANC , seek Bose and Sony as better choice .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
TheAonic 50were part of Shure ’s first wafture of wireless headphones . As you could tell by the Aonic 50 Gen 2 soubriquet , we ’ve entered its 2nd wave along with theAonic 215 Gen 2 .
Back in 2020 , I jabber about the original headphone , claim there “ may not be a well - sounding brace of wireless phone ” in a year that feature theSony WH-1000XM4 .
The original was n’t without a few take , but the Aonic 50 Gen 2 has had its internals tweak . Has Shure learned from its previous attempt and picked up a few new tricks ? Let ’s see ( and listen ) what they ’re made of .
Design
To my surprise the Gen 2 version of the Aonic 50 are the same as the original , at least on the exterior . It ’s the same frame , weighting , size of it – everything . Well , make unnecessary for the all - fatal finish . I prefer it – to my mind , it looks sleeker .
The Aonic 50 Gen 2 rather glom onto the head when endure – not necessarily uncomfortably so , but there ’s a second of shuffling and prod to get these headphone into the right place .
The size and weight assure these phone are always present – some may not like that feel – but the clamp strength keeps them secured to the principal . Like theBowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 , there are trivial gaps where sound can leak through while turn my pass around .
In terms of portability , they can be pivot to lay flat in the , mercifully , little carry caseful ; but there ’s no means of folding them up as there is on the Aonic 40 .
Physical buttons are located on the correct earcup . There are restraint for power , playback / intensity , and a skidder for interference - scratch modes . you’re able to customise what the slider does in the app .
I remark in the Aonic 50 review that the Pseudemys scripta did n’t “ feel like the right method ” for interaction . I ’m more used to it , though it can still be easy to slip past the middle ‘ click ’ of the slider .
AUSB - Cport is also uncommitted for charging , or as I ’ve been doing lately , for video calls – as well as audio support . you may listen to audio via analogue means through the 3.5 mm labourer – you get the welfare of noise - cancellation if you opt this method acting .
Features
While the aesthetics of the Aonic 50 Gen 2 remain the same , the inside have undergo substantial revision . The ANC organization has vary , assault and battery living extend , and wireless sustenance revamped .
The original Aonic 50 proved effective at cancelling noise , but fell short of Sony and Bose . That has n’t changed , as these Shures are still behind the Sony WH-1000XM5 andBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones , but they are an advance over the original . However , that comes with some qualification .
But before I get to those qualification , I ’ll concentrate on what the Shure does well . The new ANC system is one bought from Sony , and the Aonic 50 Gen 2 prove good at latch onto and suppressing voices , both on public exaltation and in outside environments . They ’re good at reducing the density of crowd so they ’re less prominent , and vehicles were n’t in particular noticeable walk through Piccadilly .
What the Aonic 50 Gen 2 are faze by is idle words noise . When standing next to an heart-to-heart windowpane on the Tube , the wind racket made it harder to try euphony . When used during blustery conditions , there was noise . fag on a plane and the quiver from take - off and landing have distortion , while it – like other headphones – does not wish the potholes of London roads when on a double-decker .
While the active interference - cancellation is effective , it ’s also limited . Sudden jounce or wind noise space these headphones in an uncomfortable position – the headphones ’ mics could do with better shielding .
The transparency or Environment Mode ( as Shure calls it ) impressment . It ’s undetermined , open , and natural enough in tone . Though , oddly enough , it shares the like lean quality of the headphones ’ sound . Switching it on does n’t bear upon euphony loudness , and you’re able to hear conversation clear too . At times it ’s as if you ’re not wearing earphone . That ’s not so good if you ’re in blustery condition .
Shure claims a battery life of up to 45 hour ( depending on loudness , Bluetooth codec , noise - cancellation etc ) . That ’s more than double the original , and achieved through a more ability - efficient Bluetooth processor ( now a Qualcomm chip ) .
Having perform my own battery drainpipe with volume set to 50 % , the Aonic 50 Gen 2 immortalise standardised fall each hr – after three hours it fell to 90 % . Thirty hours seems the minimum you’re able to bear , and that puts it on level foot up with the Sony WH-1000XM5 .
In terms of its Bluetooth financial backing , there come along to have been a injured party in Sony’sLDAC , despite a citation of it in the manual . Instead , it ’s SBC , AAC , aptX , and aptX Adaptive withSnapdragon Soundcompatibility also in the docket .
I ’m struggling to think of a here and now where the wireless public presentation struggle . I ’ve saunter through busy stations such as Victoria , and populated environment such as Soho , and not meet a single breakup .
Call caliber can be take solid in quiet area , but in blustery conditions it ’s very tough for what I ’m saying to be heard . Any meter a fomite move by or there was construction work the earphone would pluck it up too . They ’re best suited to indoor enjoyment , and having used them for Zoom video shout , people noted the pickup of my vocalism was cleared .
incite on to the ShurePlus Play app , and that carry on to be an intuitive affair with stacks of much appreciated customisation . There are EQ profiles ( Loudness , Bass Bost , Vocal Boost among others ) along with a four - ring choice to adjust frequency , bandwidth , and get ahead preferences .
you could make for local music files through the app , and there is adjustment of ANC levels . option include MaxAware , Max , Moderate , and Light ; with MaxAware activating the phone ’s Environment Mode . you could also tweak how much of the outside world gets through , and by toggling PausePlus on , it mechanically activate the mode whenever music is pause .
Spatializer pop the question four modes , well , really three : None , Music , Cinema , and Podcast . They alter the soundstage to what you ’re listening to or watch over , whether that ’s making the soundstage self-aggrandising or place the accent on phonation . Just to be clear , this is n’t Dolby Atmos spacial sound , just a bigger , broad soundstage to listen in .
USB Audio Mode offer two alternative : Communication or Hi - Re Listening . The former hold up 16 - bit/48kHz playback , with “ mike and listening feature article available ” . If you want to use the headphones for the video calls , this is that modality .
Hi - re Listening boosts playback up to 32 - bit/384kHz . Noise - cancelling is disabled as is the Spatializer feature .
you could also align theBluetooth multipointfeature with inactive and Dynamic options . That ’s a choice between being steady down to one gadget or switching whenever audio is played . And the customisable Pseudemys scripta can be programmed for ANC , Equalizer , or Spatializer presets . It ’s the breadth of personalisation that I notice telling , turn the Aonic 50 Gen 2 into a different proffer , depending on what you require to utilise them for .
Sound Quality
Shure still use the same 50 mm gadget driver , and like the ANC organisation , pinch have been made . Compared to the original Aonic 50 , there ’s less signal noise when music is playing , the New model sounds a small clearer and penetrative . The bracingly neutral transonic signature remains , but a listen to David Bowie ’s Modern Love presents a bigger presence in the low absolute frequency ; there ’s more vigor and drive to the rail , and the soundstage is brought further frontwards .
The impression of bringing the soundstage forward is one of being immersed in the music . With rapid , energetic tracks , heed through these earphone feels full on . I experience the Gen 2 isolates voices more or less easily in Phoebe Bridger ’s Garden Song – there ’s a enceinte focus in a midrange that sounds achromatic , penetrative , and quite lean as if stripped of any fat .
double registers with more force in GoGo Penguin ’s Erased by Sunlight – there ’s more keenness at the top end of the frequency ambit and more extension at the bottom .
What I really wanted to know , and I imagine you do too , is how the Aonic 50 Gen 2 measures against its compeer . Could it , like the original , well those in its class again ?
A listen between it and theSony WH-1000XM5showed the Sony organises the soundstage differently – voices have a larger mien on the Shure – but otherwise they ’re evenly match . The Shure ’s soundstage sounds a picayune clearer , but I ca n’t distinguish much of a difference between both headphones ’ ternary response . The Sony carry away richer freshwater bass with Lianne La Havas ’ Bittersweet and a smoother tone with her vocal music compared to the Shure ’s crisper tuning . The Philips Fidelio L4 takes a warmer coming , which makes this loose to call . Treble registers brighter , bass is bigger and hit with more punch , and a listen to Takuya Kuroda ’s Everybody Loves the Sunshine sees the Shure emerge with more clarity , lick , and sharpness .
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are smoother than the Shure ’s crisper tuning , there ’s less of a kick to the percussion in Everybody enjoy the Sunshine but overall , I consider the Shure scrubs up more point , offers more vigour with its sound ; while the Bose is a little duller in how it treat high school , not as sharp or as defined .
Dynamically they convey highs and moo well . The tuning of its midrange can sound slightly piercing and rough-cut in Mama Haze ’s Ca n’t cease This Fire and Boygenius ’ Ketchum , ID ; the leanness of the audio contributes to a more or less sibilant tint .
And through a pumped USB connection , the Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 ’s operation is perhaps more balanced and measured – though I ’d wager different volume levels meet into that premiss – but the eccentric , shape , and tone of the headphones ’ sound remains the same . It ’s a inert , uncolored strait with telling levels of lucidity and detail that cast out the ups and down within the vocalizer ’s performance . These are demand , high - fidelity headphone in whatever mode you choose to listen to them in .
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Should you buy it?
In condition of pellucidity , the Aonic 50 Gen 2 just about boundary theSony WH-1000XM5 . If you deal yourself an audiophile , these are the advantageously - sounding headphones within their price family .
The ANC here is very in effect , but it is disrupted by long-winded conditions , bump , or any jolt . It ’ll make you think twice about taking them on planes , train , and automobiles .
Final Thoughts
The well - vocalise wireless headphone in their Leontyne Price range ? I would say – if you ’re after precision , clarity , and high - fidelity – there ’s not a wireless earphone that fathom as good as the Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 .
Are they the bestwireless headphones ? No , is the solution to that enquiry . The active racket - cancellation and call carrying out is compromise by windy conditions and bumps , and I ’d say they could be more well-to-do to wear . bombardment living is perhaps not as long as forecasted but still competitive .
If there ’s a Gen 3 in the offing and if Shure can nail the noise - cancellation , the next Aonic 50 could be a course - leading performing artist .
Trusted Score
How we test
We screen every set of headphones we critique thoroughly over an prolonged point of clip . We expend industry standard tests to liken features the right way . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , go for money to review a product .
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FAQs
Despite acknowledgment of LDAC on the Shure website , when connected to an Android smartphone there is no LDAC funding . The highest - quality Bluetooth codec these earpiece support is aptX Adaptive .
