It looks quite nice, too, and is logical enough to navigate. But it proved unwilling to play FLAC files and was prone to crashing (or ‘not responding’) quite a lot more than is acceptable. But, as I say, Shure seems confident that the updates timed for when the Aonic 215s go on sale will result in a better experience. As downsides go, it’s mild in the extreme. But as far as the sound of the AONIC 50 goes, it’s the best we can do. Final verdict A flawless debut would have been something quite special and, as it stands, some elements of their design and sonic execution need tweaking before we could consider full marks.

They’re at the upper end of the market in terms of price, but Shure has given the established class leaders something to worry about at its very first attempt. A device like the AudioQuest DragonFly Red would be a good starting place. Provided you’ve got the appropriate cable, it’s a DAC that can also be used with iOS or Android devices too. Now, ANC. It's acceptable. It isn't a complete bubble of silence. You deploy it by moving a physical slider all the way up on the right ear cup for ambient, or all the way down for ANC. But you can also open the app to select either the Environment Mode Level on a slider, or Light, Moderate, Max, or MaxAware ANC options. I was unable to perceive a lot of difference in the ANC options during the course of my testing save for MaxAware, which also filters in ambient noise. For softening the extraneous sounds of the office, they do a job –but the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 or Sony WH-1000XM5 still do that job a fair bit better. puts you in control of your audio experience. Select balanced, warm or bright audio through removable nozzles for three unique sound signatures.through three high-definition balanced armature drivers. Two dedicated woofers and a separate tweeter deliver enhanced highs and warm mid-range with clean, natural low-end. Refined over decades to our own exacting standards, these earphones deliver a truly cinematic audio experience.

Low frequencies are deep, textured and alive with fine harmonic detail - they start and stop with absolute control, and modulate seamlessly into the frequency information above them. In the midrange, the Shures have complete command of timbre and, again, even the finest of details – Marvin Gaye’s vocal is as characterful via the AONIC 50 as you’ve ever heard it.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. 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. I’ve had my Aonic 5 for 2 weeks now and I agree that they are hard to like. While they are a slight improvement over the SE 535 with clearer more punchy bass and better mids, you have to experiment with the filter and ear tip combinations to counter the sibilance at the high end (They love EDM but hate Metallica). Once you get the right balance they‘ll put a smile on your face. A svelte but durable hard-shell case with a useful strap. (Image credit: Future) Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 review: Sound quality