Joined in 2023 
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If you’re not a fan of bright highs, then some aspects of all three earphones might not be for you. The warm nozzle on the Aonic 5 has the most recessed treble, and the neutral ones add some nice sparkle. The Aonic 3 probably has the harshest highs, with the Aonic 4 have the crispest and sibilant response. The Aonic 5 has the added bonus of the nozzle attachments that reflect on its treble response. So if the bright nozzle isn’t your thing you can warm up the sound with their respective attachments. This makes the Aonic 5 the more versatile and dynamic earphone in this range. The Shure Aoinic 3 are suitable isolators when used with the right tips. Insertion depth is best at a medium, but you can get them to sit further in the ears without affecting sound quality.
How? Noise-cancelling is very good, battery life is very competitive, and you get new features and, more importantly, a big jump in sound quality compared to previous efforts. They're also the same price as the original AirPods Pro, which helps.The Ultra Earbuds have definitely improved over the QC II with regard to sound quality, too. There’s a familiar richness and fullness to the sound, but the new buds have a bit more of a skip in their step than before, as well as more detail around the edges of tones and instruments. For getting out the timbres and textures of instruments, the Ultra Earbuds take things to the next level. Anyone considering wired in-ears at this level is almost certainly after better sound quality than wireless alternatives at the same price point can offer them. Either that or they have forgotten to charge their previous wireless pair one time too many. Wired in-ear headphones are not more hassle-free to wear than the floods of Bluetooth earbuds available (not least as many phones now require a dongle to accommodate them), nor do they carry as much street cred. They can’t respond to app control, nor can they connect to two devices at once (without a physical splitter). The buds are impressively small, and their lightweight design helps make them more comfortable than a whole host of rivals. Battery life is competitive at seven and a half hours, although the fact the charging case can only offer one extra charge seems a little stingy. The Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 arrived in the third week of September 2023, having been announced on August 31.
Founded in 2005, a relative flash in the pan compared with many audio companies, SoundMagic rose from obscurity to multiple-Award winners, most notably with its budget in-ear headphone range. And the SoundMagic E11C continue this trend. Sony hasn’t been shy in making some changes to its winning formula for the WF-1000XM5 – but they all add up to yet another five-star performer from the Sony WF stable. With a transparent section on each earpiece that allows you to see their inner workings, Shure's Aonic 5 are certainly an eye-catching pair of buds – but it's how they sound that earns them their place on this list.It's a relatively minor issue and one only noticeable in direct comparison against the likes of the Focal Bathys and Edifier Stax Spirit S3, but it's our job to notice. Otherwise, we're treated to a detailed mix with plenty of dynamic rise and fall through the mids and a decent serving of snappy bass weight. 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. Shure has a reputation for well-made, durable earphones. This reputation comes down to their primary use as monitors for professional musicians. With the Aonic 3 being a consumer-targeted earphone, I was worried they might sacrifice some of the build quality, but they far exceeded the previous generations. The Aonic 5 use three high-definition balanced armature drivers in a dual woofer and single tweeter configuration, and with the right source and material they sound sensational. There's an embarrassment of detail and a wonderful sense of clarity, with vocals sounding particularly rich and natural, but they're sonically transparent too, so any ropey recordings will be exposed.
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