Shure Earbuds, Black, Aonic 4

Product Information

The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are also very worthwhile alternatives, and there’s very little to be gained by ruling out Sennheiser’s burly Momentum 3 Wireless or the JBL Club One, either. It’s a long shortlist, admittedly... The smooth metal arms that attach to each earcup feel especially solid. They twist just above the earcups, which allows them to fold flat, but there’s also just enough freedom so they can twist in the other direction and help angle the earpads on the side of your head and over your ears properly. If you’re happy with the price tag and can resist the bells and whistles promised by wireless earbuds, you'd be crazy not to give the Shure Aonic 3 a chance. In case you're wondering whether the Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2's headband is nicely padded, yes it is. (Image credit: Future) Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 review: Value

At a glance, of course, the AONIC 50 look pretty much like every other pair of pricey noise-cancelling over-ear headphones around. The detachable leather-and-memory-foam earpads are attached to robust plastic earcups, which in turn are connected to a leather-covered headband via aluminum arms. These articulate through 90 degrees to allow the AONIC 50 to lie flat, and are heftily damped through the hinges. There’s a throughline trend going on with the Aonic 5. It wants to push the most neutral timbre possible, as to leave room for the different nozzles to do their work. While the sound quality does change, the bass is mostly left to its neutrality. However, I don’t see this as a negative in any regard. The flatter response is useful in a variety of professional applications, such as reference monitoring. with the separately available SecureFit Wireless Adapter, or connect to other MMCX cable accessories for further customization. Stay connected to any device, no matter where you are.The Shure’s noise-cancelling has two different levels to choose from: ‘normal’ and ‘max’, while you can also adjust the intensity of the Environment mode. This is all done through Shure’s ShurePlus Play app for Android and iOS devices. Shure estimates battery life to be up to eight hours, with the charging case carrying 32 hours. Your results will vary with your volume levels. Aonic 215 (Gen 2) EQ and Sound Quality

In summary, the Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 are a handsome, sleek – if marginally heavy, at 340g – set of over-ears. They're not winning any design awards for originality, but the branding on each earcup is classy and if you prefer physical controls and sliders over touch capacitive functions (I do) you'll enjoy them. I enjoyed the Aonic’s sense of personalization and versatility. Shure has shown that one earphone can try to do it all, and for the most part, the Aonic 5 succeeded. However, accessibility can be an issue, and this IEM can be a hard sell for some. I found that the more you put into the Aonic 5, the more it delivers. Some may just need an IEM that has a flat, neutral response for monitoring, and the Aonic 5 does that very well, but for a more textured, satisfying sound signature, it definitely benefits from outboard gear. Paolo Nutini's Loving You is a delight, with Nutini's textured voice held centrally among agile guitars and easy drums.If you’re not planning on going wireless any time soon and your set-up justifies premium earbuds, you’re not going to be disappointed by the Aonic 5. Aonic CEO Paul Schempp added: "NDreams has done an unparalleled job bringing some of the biggest VR titles to market, and it was a natural fit for us to welcome them to the Aonic family and provide our studios with the best team when it comes to the VR/MR gaming space. Up to a point, it’s Shure in-ear business as usual here. The company’s long favoured a monitor-style ‘twist to fit’ design for its in-ear models and the Aonic 215s are no exception. There is quite a wide selection of ear-tips included in the big circular box the Shures come in, and once you’ve identified the ones that suit you best then the 215s fit snugly and comfortably. Overall, if you want great-sounding wireless headphones without a steep learning curve, the AONIC 50 has you covered.

The padding on both the earcups and headband is ample and personally, I love that the physical buttons are all one earcup, since I'm right-handed, although those with larger fingers (or lefties) may find this a little fiddly. But there's more! The Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2's bid for inclusion in our best wireless headphones guide culminates in a special USB-C port not just for charging. It means hi-res USB audio is also on the menu (look over here, iPhone 15 and Apple Music users!) thus completing a veritable banquet of connectivity options, from wireless Bluetooth audio pinged from your phone, older sources in a more traditional wired hi-fi system, right up to USB-C audio from your MacBook Pro at work. If that sounds good to you, add these headphones to your list. Aonic is a diversified video gaming group with the ambition to become the next gaming powerhouse. From the outset, Aonic was created to fill a clear gap in our industry: to build a truly supportive home for high quality, mid-sized teams. Video gaming is one of the largest and fastest growing segments of entertainment and full of opportunities. We stay away from unproven business models or large incumbent teams – our footprint rests on proven, yet highly dynamic entrepreneurs and creative innovators. Our end goal is to craft fantastic games and ever improving services. This translates into high organic growth and superior return in invested capital.

Shure's second-generation over-ears are great all-rounders

This acquisition is yet another example of Aonic's commitment to championing mid-sized studios and creating an environment where teams can create fantastic games." The ability to change their sonic balance is a nice option to have, but not vital as we find that their 'standard' sound oozes class and quality and completely invests you in the music you’re listening to. And that’s all you can really ask for, right? Because it’s simple to fit the 215s snugly yet comfortably in the ear, Shure describes them (as it does the bulk of its wired ‘SE’ models) as a ‘Sound Isolating’ design. And it’s certainly true to say that extraneous sound is much diminished when the 215s are correctly in place – even without music playing.