Review of Aune AR5000: a worthy contender

The dynamic driver headphone market is getting competitive

Intro:

Perhaps every headphone enthusiast has dreamed of, at one point, an Sennheiser HD600 with extra sub-bass impact and airy treble. Having debuted almost 30 years ago, the HD600, not to mention the HD580, continue to be the gold standard for many.

Aune, a company known for DAC/AMPs and IEMs, has ventured into the headphone market. The AR5000 caught my eye with its official frequency response measurement that seemed to tick the right boxes. I was intrigued and bought a pair. But do they deliver their promise? Let’s find out.

Build & comfort:

Although built primarily from plastic, the AR5000 feels sturdy and well-designed. Housing a 50mm dynamic driver, it surpasses the HD6 series’ 40mm. Rated at 108dB 1kHz/1Vrms and 28 ohms (assuming 1kHz), it’s nothing crazy to drive. Detachable cable is 1.5M long with dual 3.5mm entry is a handy design. RRP is US$320.

Comfort is excellent. Weighing approximately 350g, it’s relatively light on the head, with a clamp force that’s gentler than both the HD6 series and the Sundara. I can wear this all day no issues.

One oddity needs to be mentioned though. The AR5000 comes with highly angled drivers reminiscent of the Beyerdynamic T1, which significantly affect the perception of sound images. Aligning them perfectly on your head is crucial, otherwise, the soundstage may seem ‘off’, leaning to one side or the other. While this isn’t inherently negative, as this design enhances directionality, it’s an aspect worth mentioning.

With all these out of the way, let’s get into the sound.

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SOUND

link to the frequency response measurement & more comparisons

Given the results, it appears that Aune uses the GRAS high-frequency version of the IEC60318-4 coupler in their measurements, judging from the reduced resonance around 14kHz comparing to my measurement using the standard coupler. It’s great to see a manufacturer provide honest product measurements – kudos to Aune!

Tonal balance:

Generally speaking, the AR5000 offers a well-rounded sound profile. It’s slightly warm but still well-balanced. Nothing stands out in particular and it’s very easy to listen to. While so, the sound profile is neutral enough for semi-professional use, although there are still some minor quirks.

Bass is largely linear, if somewhat on the ‘soft’ side. Bass extension and rumble are excellent, though it may not be the most hard-hitting kind. Sure, there’s enough bass quantity to render music full and well-supported, but the quality of impact and slam is not something to write home about. In this regard it is similar to the Beyerdynamic DT900 proX. The AR5000’s bass feels more diffuse and ‘effortless’, while the DT900 proX provides a bit more body.

Comparing to the Sennheisers, there’s more rumble in the AR5000, but the HD600 offers a stronger sense of ‘grunt’, likely due to its bass structure. The HD6 series has a slight bump around 150Hz, which amplifies the sense of heft but potentially veiling the midrange, which many have found to be a downside. On the AR5000, it’s just dead flat, reminiscent of planar bass. Overall, I prefer the bass texture of the AR5000 over the HD6 series, but the latter sounds a bit more weighty.


Mids are well-balanced, with a good blend between body and clarity. A slight emphasis between 200-500Hz brings the midrange slightly forward, enhancing the sense of fullness. It’s subtle but it does push the midrange a little closer.

Vocals sound realistic and articulate. It’s not shouty, but can occasionally feel ‘overly textured’. This is likely due to the bump around 4-5kHz – an emphasis in this range could amplify instrumental haromnics and vocal resonances like breaths or mouth sounds; overdoing so, however, may result in graininess.

By comparison, the vocal timbre of the HD600 still sounds a bit more natural, though less articulate than the AR5000. Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” exemplifies this, where the HD600 renders a smoother vocal compared to the AR5000’s more unpolished approach.

As such, vocal timbre-wise, the AR5000 aligns closer to the HD400pro (HD560S), with a more ‘studio monitor’ style. Both are near neutral, making it a matter of preference. The bottomline is, the AR5000’s mids are quite well-tuned, a notable achievement for a company’s first headphone.


Treble is generally smooth and inoffensive. Percussive instruments sound crisp and clear, with vocal sibilances well-controlled.

On certain tracks, high-pitched instruments can sound slightly ‘splashy’, resulted by an imbalance in the treble harmonics, with the upper range being more pronounced. As the FR measurement shows and my ears concur, the AR5000’s slight dip in the 7-9kHz region contrasts with peaks in the upper treble, lending some modern rock recordings an ‘unrefined’ character.

On the flip side, this also means the AR5000 is good at resolving high-frequency content. If you find the HD6 series a bit lacking in ‘air’ or ‘excitement’, the AR5000 might be more appealing. It resembles the Sennheiser HD560S/HD400pro more than the HD6 series, but perhaps a bit easier to listen to, as the treble as a whole is not as elevated.

In short, the AR5000 offers a convincing take on the ‘neutral’ sound. It generally achieves an effortless balance, with a slight emphasis on upper treble frequencies. By comparison, the HD600 feels more ‘conservative’, with more ‘flesh and blood’ in the upper bass and lower mids. The AR5000, on the other hand, distributes the energy more evenly across the spectrum. Perhaps itt could best be described as a more balanced HD400pro or HD560S, with a fuller midrange.

Other qualities (technicalities):

• Soundstage and Imaging
  The AR5000’s lateral soundstage is quite expansive, surpassing the HD6 series and slightly exceeding the HD400pro (HD560S), especially when it comes to the sense of openness and airiness. However, it falls short in portraying depth, with a tendency for music elements to blur together. Vocals often seem a bit forward, and bass notes tend to sound ‘diffused’. I am a bit surprised at this performance, as angled drivers typically mean better imaging clarity and definition. I am unsure of what caused this, perhaps it has to do with the front damping scheme.
  

• Clarity
  The AR5000’s clarity is mediocre. In comparison, the Moondrop Para and Hifiman Sundara, both planar models, stand out in this price bracket. But those are planars, so the comparison might not be entirely fair. Among dynamic drivers, the AR5000 ranks similarly to the HD600, which is slightly ahead of the HD6XX. Comparing to the HD600, the AR5000 renders high-frequency instruments like violins and cymbals with more crispness. When compared to the HD400pro/HD560S, the AR5000 maintains better control during complex passages.
  

• Dynamics and Impact
  The AR5000’s dynamic range is adequate for its price range, but not exceptional. The contrast between loud and soft passages is less pronounced compared to, for example, the Hifiman Sundara. It aligns more closely with the HD560S in this regard and slightly outperforms the HD6 series, which can sometimes blur bass notes. The AR5000’s microdynamics are subtly more nuanced, though its punch is similar to the HD6 series, which feels slightly weightier.

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Conclusion and value:

The Aune AR5000 marks a commendable entry into the headphone market. While it doesn’t revolutionise the price category, it demonstrates Aune’s potential in headphone design. The tonality is well-balanced, though it doesn’t particularly excel in any aspect, making it a versatile but somewhat bland choice. The added treble sparkle may be problematic with overly bright recordings, and its technical performance, while solid, may not fully satisfy the seasoned ones in the hobby. It might seem like I’m being harsh on these, but in a market that’s getting increasingly competitive, it’s just the only way to go.

I can imagine that for many, the more conservative tuning of the HD600 remains preferable, but the AR5000 offers its own set of strengths: a wider soundstage, linear sub-bass, and better treble clarity. For me, the choice between the two would largely depend on the genre.

In conclusion, at an RRP of US$320, the AR5000 offers decent value as a package of unproblematic build, design, and sound. While it might not redefine the ‘neutral’ benchmark, it stands as a strong alternative to the established Sennheiser HD and Beyerdynamic DT series. For a new brand in the headphone market, I think this is quite impressive.

Pros: balanced tuning; realistic mids; excellent subbass extension for an open-back; decent treble clarity; broad horizontal stage; comfort.

Cons: sound profile is a bit bland; stage depth is limited; upper treble tuning can use some refinement; imaging is on the intimate side (though some may prefer it); technical capabilities not quite matching planars in similar price range.

Recommendation rating (BETA):

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MEASUREMENTS

Frequency Response Average (unsmoothed):

Bass extension cutoff is 10hz instead of 20hz on the extende frequency response measurement, so as to fully capture frequencies which though may not outside of the ‘audible range’, may be felt by our ears, bones and muscles and enhance the sense of ‘impact’. The response is obtained by an average of positional variations. The graph is unsmoothed to better show the peaks and dips that might be audible.

Positional Variations:

This graph shows how the tonality might be affected when you wear the headphones differently on the head.
Of note, here positional variations play a large part in determining the sound you get from the AR5000. Wearing the headphones with your ears positioned in the front (blue) of the ear cup would give you the most upper midrange focus and generally smoother treble response, comparing to wearing it in the middle (purple) or back (red) of the ear cup.

Leakage Test:

This graph demonstrates how a small leakage (simulated using thin-armed glasses) can result in FR change.

Impulse Response:

Impulse response contains information about transducer movement when a test tone is played.

Impedance matching:

This graph demonstrates how the headphone’s FR changes with different levels of Output Impedance from the headphone amplifier. Blue (0.1 ohms), purple (10 ohms), pink (75 ohms), red (150 ohms).

Channel Matching:

Channel matching graphs DOES NOT RELATE TO SOUND PROFILE.
a specialised configuration is used to capture channel differences to mitigate the interference from positioning on rig and the asymmetricity in GRAS pinnae design (legacy of KEMAR).
the Left (blue) and Right (red) channels are measured on a flat plate coupler with an IEC60318-4 ear simulator.

Electric Phase & Impedance:

The above graph shows the measured impedance (green) and electric phase (grey).

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Notes on EQ

The AR5000 doesn’t require much EQ as it is quite well tuned. Personally, I would dial down 13.5kHz and give it a bass boost, and call it a day.

If you would like to EQ the AR5000 to the Harman Target 2018, here’s a preliminary setting of filters that you could use. This file is generated by manually adjusting the filters after using the AutoEQ function on Squiglink:

Preamp: -7.0 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 1.7 dB Q 1.400
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 30 Hz Gain 6.0 dB Q 0.500
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 160 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 0.600
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 220 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 1.500
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1800 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 1.800
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 2900 Hz Gain -0.5 dB Q 3.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5100 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 3.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 6800 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 3.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 11000 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 3.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 14000 Hz Gain -4.0 dB Q 3.000

END OF THE ARTICLE

Disclaimer: all the headphones tested here are my personal units unless otherwise stated. All the links and recommendations provided are not associated with me in any financial manner.

EDIT 13/02/2024: added impedance curve measurement