Aune AR5000 MK2 review: brighter, bolder, better built

Intro:

I reviewed the original AR5000 earlier and thought it was a strong first effort from Aune. Excellent sub-bass extension, sensible mid and treble tuning, and a comfortable fit made it a credible alternative to the long-standing Sennheiser HD6X0 series at a similar price point. A solid debut overall.

That said, one issue surfaced in the community over time: the plastic hinge on the headband cracking under prolonged use. My own unit held up fine, but the pattern was hard to ignore.

That brings us to the AR5000 MKII. The headband has been redesigned in full metal, and Aune says they have revised the tuning as well. As it turns out, the changes go further than a typical ‘MK2’ refresh. Let’s get into it.

Detailed measurements can be found in the final section of this article.

Disclaimer: This unit was provided by Aune for review. I was not paid for this review, and everything written here reflects my own thoughts. There are no strings attached, and no affiliate links are used.

Purchase link: Aune kindly asked if I could include their Amazon link, so I am adding it here for reader convenience since I appreciate them sending the unit over for review. This is not an affiliate link, and I do not earn anything from clicks or sales: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GXHMFCMB

Pros:
+ Punchy, impactful bass
+ Precise imaging and open stage; impressive clarity and air
+ Updated metal headband

Cons:
– Treble runs a bit hot out of the box
– Upper midrange slightly recessed versus the OG
– Benefits meaningfully from EQ or a pad swap

Specs & Comfort

RRP: $339 USD / $539 AUD
Design: open-back, over-ear
Driver: 50 mm DD (‘MLD diaphragm’)
Sensitivity: 113 dB / 1 Vrms @1kHz
Impedance: 28 Ω at 1kHz
Connector: dual 3.5 mm TRS
Weight: 365 grams, excluding cable
Clamping force: light
Accessories: 1.5m cable with interchangeable plugs (3.5 mm, 6.35 mm, 4.4 mm)

Build and Comfort:

Build quality is excellent. The headphone looks premium, and the new metal headband gives it a more solid, planted feel in the hand. It is a meaningful improvement over the OG, and it addresses the most common durability concern with the previous model in one move.

There is another change worth flagging. On the OG, my ears would occasionally brush against the inside of the ear cup baffle, making a faint scratchy feel against the mesh. Not a dealbreaker, just occasionally distracting. On the MK2, this is no longer an issue. Aune has switched the baffle cover material and added a touch more clearance between the ear and the driver.

Comfort remains a strong suit. The suspension headstrap distributes weight well, clamp force is gentle, and the headphone is light enough to wear all day without fatigue. Easily one of the more comfortable over-ears I have used.

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Sound

For more comparisons, visit my squiglink database.

Overall impression
The AR5000 MK2 sounds notably different from the OG, and the shift is obvious from the first track. Where the OG aimed for a slightly warm, largely neutral tuning, the MK2 leans into a mild V-shape. The sub-bass and mid-bass are more elevated, and the treble sits noticeably brighter across the board.

It is the kind of revision that almost reads as a different product rather than an iteration. If you found the OG a bit short on excitement, this is the rework you were probably hoping for.

Bass
This is where the MK2 makes its strongest case. There is a touch more warmth than the OG, but it does not come through as muddy or overly thick. Bass is dynamic and punchy, cleanly elevated from the sub-bass through to around 250Hz without bleeding much into the mids.

The OG had excellent extension on paper, but in practice it felt a bit soft and loose, short on mid-bass slam. This may be caused by the high f0 frequency on the OG. The MK2 fixes that. It hits with proper authority, while the texture stays tight and well controlled. The character reminds me of Focal’s dynamic drivers, with their physical and immediate bass impact. That is high praise for an open-back dynamic at this price, and arguably above it.

Midrange
The midrange is articulate and well-bodied, though less linear than the OG and slightly recessed through 1-3kHz. This appears to be a deliberate tuning decision. Aune has increased the front cavity depth by adding clearance between the driver and the ear, which is also what fixes the ear-touching-baffle issue from earlier. Subjectively, that creates a larger sense of space, but it also softens the forwardness of midrange instruments. In some ways, this reminds me of the tuning logic of Hifiman headphones, like the Susvara.

Timbre stays largely correct, and midrange tonality is still well judged. It gives the MK2 a broader, grander presentation at the expense of some bite and immediacy. But if you specifically valued the OG’s linearity, this moves in a different direction.

Treble
This is the most divisive part of the tuning. Treble is clearly brighter than the OG. There are no major peaks to single out, so the brightness feels as broadly elevated rather than sharp or peaky. There is no serious timbral fault, but the overall treble level sits above what many listeners will be comfortable with. This also sounds consistent with a lighter front-damping approach compared to the OG, though I would not want to overstate that without teardown confirmation.

Well-mastered tracks generally hold up fine. Push it with something hot, though, and the limits show. “White Dress” by Lana Del Rey is a useful stress test, and the MK2 does not do well with it: the accentuated highs tip into uncomfortable territory. On better-recorded female vocals with a more restrained top end, it pulls back to merely borderline, with sibilance sitting right at the edge of sounding irritating.

For reference, think Sennheiser HD800S or Hifiman HE1000 V2 level for brightness. If that range already pushes your tolerance, the MK2 will too. The upside is that the sense of air and clarity is noticeably stronger than on the OG, making the MK2 feel like a headphone of a higher calibre.

For more comparisons, visit my squiglink database.

Other impressions:

Spatial presentation
Staging is very good and a step up from the OG. Width and depth both feel more expansive than before, and the overall presentation comes across as open rather than congested. Like the OG, the angled driver design gives the MK2 a strong sense of directionality, making instruments easy to place across the field. For a mid-fi open-back, it is an impressive performer, and one of the areas where the new tuning pays off. For gaming, the clear positional cues also make it a strong option, somewhat reminiscent of the Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 1.

Clarity
Clarity is excellent and clearly improved. Some of that follows naturally from the brighter treble, since added energy up top tends to lift perceived detail. But because there are no major peaks driving it, the clarity feels broadly natural rather than forced or artificially etched. Small details in upper harmonics, room cues and percussion decay are easier to pick out than on the OG, though the trade-off is that poor recordings and sharp mixes are more exposed.

Dynamics
Dynamics are another standout. Compared to the OG, this almost feels like a muscle-car of a headphone: authoritative impact when the music calls for it, paired with enough contrast to render quieter shifts and nuances. It handles both ends of that scale better than most at the price. It comfortably outperforms the Sennheiser HD6 series and the HD490 Pro here, and only falls just shy of the Focal Clear, which is a very high bar to measure against.

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Conclusion:

At $339 USD/$539 AUD, the AR5000 MK2 is an impressive performer in a lot of categories. It takes the OG’s blueprint but takes the tuning to a different direction. The bass is impactful and hard-hitting, staging and clarity are both clear steps up, and the build now feels as solid as the sound. Aune has taken real, considered swings here, and most of them land.

The sticking point is treble. It is bright enough that I cannot see it suiting everyone out of the box, and for treble-sensitive listeners it will likely be a dealbreaker. The good news is that this seems fixable. I have suggested to Aune that they include a second set of pads, which would let buyers dial the brightness back to a more neutral balance while keeping most of the other performance intact. EQ is also a simple option here. As it is, the potential is high, it just needs a bit more polish to fully realise that potential.

So the recommendation comes with a condition. If you want something that sounds smooth and enjoyable out of the box, this might not be ideal. But if you are comfortable with EQ or pad swaps, or you simply enjoy a mildly V-shaped tuning, the MK2 is a strong offering. Fit and comfort are excellent, and once tuned to taste, it is an easy headphone to live with.

If there are other comparisons you would like to see, let me know in the comments.

Value Grade:

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Recommended EQ setting

Copy and paste the below into a TXT file, then import it to EqualizerAPO or similar apps. It is advisable to adjust the bass and treble filters to your own taste (i.e. below 300Hz and above 3kHz):

Preamp: -7.0 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 6.5 dB Q 0.800
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 210 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 0.900
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 960 Hz Gain -1.0 dB Q 3.000
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1800 Hz Gain 3.5 dB Q 1.500
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3600 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 3.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 5400 Hz Gain -3.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 8200 Hz Gain -2.0 dB Q 3.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 15000 Hz Gain -2.0 dB Q 1.000

If your goal is to EQ the response to match the Harman Target, consider the AutoEQ function provided by Squiglink as a convenient starting point. I personally recommend customising the filters to better suit your own hearing, especially in the treble. While the AutoEQ provides a useful baseline, individual adjustments can often significantly improve your listening experience.

If you’re new to EQ, I’d recommend checking out this video by Resolve from The Headphone Show — it’s a really solid intro and walks through the basics in a clear, no-nonsense way. Great place to start!

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Measurements

Frequency Response:

The response is obtained by an average of 5-6 positional variations. The FR shown on the graph is unsmoothed.

Comment: Bass extension is excellent for an open-back. The main departures are a mild 1-3 kHz recession and elevated energy from 6 kHz upward, both consistent with the brighter, more V-shaped character described above.

Positional Variation:

This graph illustrates how headphone placement on the head affects perceived tonal balance: with the ear positioned at the front (blue), centre (green), and back (red) of the headphone. The FRs shown on the graph are 1/24 octave smoothed.

Comment: Positional sensitivity is moderate, with variation concentrated in the upper midrange and brilliance region.

Leakage Tolerance:

This graph demonstrates how leakages to the front volume can result in FR change: blue (good seal), purple (thin arm glasses), red (thick arm glasses). The FRs shown on the graph are 1/12 octave smoothed.

Comment: Typical open-back behaviour, where bass below 100 Hz is the most sensitive to seal disruption. Glasses wearers may notice some sub-bass loss, especially with thicker frames.

Linearity and Compression:

Linearity and dynamic compression testing plots the headphone’s frequency response at two input levels to show how it reproduces signals as loudness changes. Any divergence between the high-level and low-level curves points to where the transducer’s dynamic range begins to compress or distort. Here, the measurements are superimposed to allow direct comparison. The FRs shown on the graph are 1/6 octave smoothed.

Comment: Essentially no compression visible at 104 dB. The driver handles high SPL well, which leaves comfortable headroom for bass EQ.

Impulse Response:

The impulse response test measures the initial response, overshoot, and decay of a transducer upon receiving a signal. An initial upshoot indicates a normal/non-inverted polarity, vice versa.

Comment: Normal, non-inverted polarity with a clean initial response and reasonably controlled decay, characteristic of a well-damped dynamic driver.

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD% 2nd-9th) & Excess Group Delay (94 dB):

These measurements are conducted in quiet, normal room conditions (as opposed to an anechoic chamber), meaning there may be some influence from ambient room and external noise. These results should be considered a preliminary assessment of performance, primarily for identifying major issues, and do not reflect the best-case performance scenario. Any peaks or dips around 9 kHz are likely artefacts from pinna interaction or phase cancellation, rather than inherent features of the device under test.

Comment: Distortion is low across the spectrum, with no concerning peaks. Excess group delay is clean once the usual ~9 kHz artefact is accounted for.

Channel Matching:

Channel matching graphs are intended for quality control checks and do not relate to the perceived sound profile. A specialised configuration is used in this test to capture differences between channels, mitigating interference from positioning on the rig and the asymmetry in the GRAS pinnae design, a legacy of KEMAR. The left (blue) and right (red) channels are measured using a flat plate coupler with an IEC60318-4 ear simulator.

Comment: Channel matching is excellent.

Electric Phase & Impedance:

The above graph shows the measured impedance (green) and electric phase (grey), measured under free-air condition (minimal front volume coupling).

Comment: Typical moving-coil behaviour, with a resonance peak around 70 Hz. This f0 sits lower than the OG, which lines up with the improved bass impact noted earlier.

END OF THE ARTICLE

Disclaimer: This review was not sponsored by any company or affiliated entity. Any links or product references are provided for informational purposes only and are not associated with any financial compensation or affiliate arrangement.