MrSpeakers Dan Clark Audio (MrSpeakers) AEON 2 Open-back

The Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 is the sequel to one of my all-time favorite set of headphones from MrSpeakers. That well-respected audiophile headphone company out of San Diego, recently became "Dan Clark Audio" — named after its founder and chief designer. To mark the occasion, Dan created these headphones. Like those original Aeon headphones, the Aeon 2s perform as well as some headphones that cost three times as much. But a new portable folding design and a completely redesigned driver system make these lightweight planars even better than their predecessor. (Dan flipped the driver structure 180 degrees to keep the magnet out of the sound path to your ear — improving the airflow.) I've briefly listened to both the open-back and closed-back version of the Aeon 2 headphones. Both offer a spacious soundstage with tremendous depth and sense of place. If you're choosing between the two, they sound similar enough that I would base the decision on how and where you plan on listening. The closed-back version offers...