I can’t believe I’m eating my words too.
I was recommended by a friend to try the Shure Aonic 50. I was planning a trip so the idea of a noise cancelling headphone seemed a good purchase. I did get a B&W PX a few years ago but I never really found them comfortable.
so after 7 hours on the plane with the Aonic 50
Noise cancellation is nowhere close to the Apple AirPods Pro 2. Transparency mode works but doesn’t have the same ability for you to pinpoint noises around you. On the Airpod Pro 2, you can even tell if the sound is behind you or to your sides. Bass without any EQ initially felt a little less punchy. It’s almost like Apple used some form of perceptual EQ to create the impression of deeper bass. But as I got used to the headphones I find the bass actually quite accurate. It’s there when it’s in the recording. But never added to sound impressive. It reminds me a lot of my Thiel CS2.4 in this respect.
But the Aonic 50 surprised me with how good it sounded. All the things I look out for in a stereo or headphone is there. On the Mojo 2, I always love the separation of layers/tracks. So you can hear the different instruments in a complicated mix. I never get this on wireless BT headphones. The Aonic is possibly the first one where it was so apparent. Even with Noise cancelling on and in a noisy airplane environment. I think I’ll need to listen to it with a USB C connection.
Comfort was ok. I did feel some discomfort at first but i think it was because I didn’t extend both sliders of the headphones equally. Once I did that the weight was more balanced and I didn’t have an odd clamping force on one ear. The cups are a little smaller than I expected.
Also I had a chance to see myself wearing these in a mirror. And OMG these are a lot larger than I realized. I think they are the same size as the Bathys.
And I feel silly saying I couldn’t wear the Bathys because it looked flashy outside. The Aonic 50 in brown leather looks every bit as flashy


Build quality feels good. The extensions are made of metal and the leather or pleather ear cups are super soft and comfortable.
And did I mention the price? RRP is A$499. On offer just over A$300.