The Shure Aonic 50 is a full-size active noise canceling wireless headphone. Stylish classic design, high-quality assembly, support for all current codecs, and really high-quality sound. Let’s figure out in which market segment this model will compete with competitors and whether it is worth the requested money.
Sony, Bose, and JBL, headphone manufacturer with a long tradition: Denon. The company is best known for its hi-fi receivers. The AH-GC30 also offers headphones that want to score with ANC and a long runtime.
Pros and Cons
| Shure AONIC 50 | Denon AH-GC30 |
| Good ANC | Hybrid wired/wireless design |
| Multipoint connectivity | Comfortable |
| Passthrough listening | Sound quality average |
| Good price/performance | ANC exceeds basic expectations. |
| High price / No auto-off feature | Short charging cable |
| Noise-cancelling is a mixed bag | Not much for calling features |
Specification
| Shure AONIC 50 | Denon AH-GC30 | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Model | AONIC 50 | AH-GC30 |
| Brand | Shure | Denon |
| Released | December 26, 2020 | March 8, 2019 |
| Dimension | 273 x 273 x 81 mm | 210 x 154.94 x 89.91 mm |
| Weight | 334 g | 287 g |
| Earpiece Connection | Wireless | Wireless |
| Type | Over-Ear | Over-Ear |
| Foldable | No | Yes |
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz to 22 kHz | 5 Hz to 50 kHz Wireless |
| Sensitivity | 98 dB SPL/mW at 1 kHz | 98 dB SPL/mW at 1 kHz |
| Colours | Black, Brown, White/tan | Black & White |
| Driver | 50mm | 45mm |
| ANC | Yes | Yes |
| Impedance | 39 Ohms | 16 Ohms |
| Controls | Yes | Yes |
| Codecs | aptX HD/apt-X/AAC/SBC | aptX HD/apt-X/AAC/SBC |
| Battery Life | 20 hrs | 20 hrs |
| Bluetooth Ver | 5.0 v | 5.0 v |
Design
At first glance, of course, the AONIC 50 looks a lot like any other pair of expensive noise-canceling headphones. Removable leather and memory foam ear cushions attach to durable plastic ear cushions, connecting to the leather rim via aluminum temples. They tilt at a 90-degree angle so that the AONIC 50 can lie flat and are very damped through the hinges.
Each earbud bears the Shure logo, and it reappears on the inside of the headband. The look is not entirely anonymous, but it is definitely subtle. Whether you opt for the black or brown finish (only options are available), it’s debatable whether the Shures looks more expensive than, say, the Sony WH-1000XM3, at around $ 50 / £ 50 less than the AONIC 50’s asking price.
Secure earmold fit and headband adjustment (plus 334g weight) are the only real indicators of where your additional spending might go.
The AONIC50 has no articulation frame other than the foldable flat headphone, so the roughly 15cm diameter hard travel case is slightly larger than most. That said, at least it offers ample storage space for the included USB-C charging cable and 2.5mm to 3.5mm analog cable.
While the left earbud only has a 2.5mm jack for use if you run out of battery (or if you want to indulge in in-flight entertainment), the right side is fine. There’s a USB-C connector (the AONIC 50 should go from “flat” to “full” in two hours) that functions as a data port, as well as a charging port, and an on / off button that also prepares these noise-canceling headphones for connection. Bluetooth.
Further along, the edge of the earpiece is two more sets of controls. The first is a three-button arrangement, with volume up and volume down handling; buy two external buttons – the center button can deal with play/pause, next track, previous track, answer. / end / reject call ‘and’ activate google assistant ‘or at least it will happen when you are familiar with the required button presses.
A second control matrix toggles between active noise cancellation on / off and environment mode on – this latter feature amplifies external sounds, so having a conversation while wearing headphones (or just simply staying safe when out) Take it easy.
Box includes:
- 1 – AONIC 50 wireless headphone
- 1 – protective case
- 1 – cable with 3.5 mm audio output
- 1 – USB-C cable for charging
The design and the quality of materials of the Denon AH-GC30 are great. A mixture of synthetic leather for the upholstery, plastic, and metal makes the Denon headphones appear quite noble and high quality. It is operated using a total of five buttons. Whether louder or quieter, skipping or pausing songs, checking the battery level, accepting phone calls, or switching ANC on and off: you don’t miss any function here.
The headphones are packed in a practical Japanese way. In a compact cardboard pull-out box, covered with a dust jacket with marketing and technical information, rests a transport case, and in it a needle, and in that needle Koscheev’s death. Joke. In the wardrobe trunk – they, AH-GC30. On top of the case is a short and clear instruction. As an inexperienced person in the field of wireless headphones, this came in handy.
The headphones include, set of cables in the case: two for analog connection (with and without a headset) a micro-USB for digital. Why couldn’t type-c be done? It’s a trifle, but type-c has already firmly entered our life; it is a must-have in terms of the quality of audiophile life. But the cable itself is convenient, flat, and from personal experience, such cables are much more practical to use. All these conductors are not scattered around the case but carefully packed in a bag with the Denon logo, made of a soft material to the touch, probably made of microfiber.
Features
The wireless connection is via Bluetooth 5, which is more than enough to a) provide 20 hours of battery life ) receive Hi-Res audio files like Tidal Masters powered by MQA without alarms. Support for all standing codecs (including aptX HD, LDAC, and aptX Low Latency) is also included.
The AONIC 50 is controlled either physically (with the physical interface located on the right earpiece, seemingly under the wireless earphone law) or through the ShurePlus PLAY app (iOS and Android). Unlike any number of nominal competitors, there is no touch control here – and only rather limited involvement of Google Assistant voice control. The AONIC 50 also lacks accelerometers, so it will keep playing until you explicitly tell them not too much – even if you took them off and folded them down.
Behind the fabric-covered interior of each earbud is a 50mm dynamic speaker supported by a neodymium magnet. Shure claims the frequency response of this driver is from 20Hz to 22kHz.
There is no audio response from Google Assistant here, but the AONIC 50 microphones ensure your commands are executed every time. With Shure’s mic experience, call quality is about the same as a product like this.
The following technical data are declared:
- Emitter – dynamic, 50 mm;
- Frequency range 20 – 22,000 Hz;
- Sensitivity – 97.5 dB;
- Impedance – 39 Ohm;
- Detachable cable;
- Bluetooth version – 5.0;
- Support for audio codecs SBC, aptX, aptX LL, aptX HD, AAC, LDAC
- Active noise cancellation system (works well, does not create unnecessary interference and does not put pressure on the head);
- Ambient Sound function (also known as ENC or the ability to listen to sounds from the environment);
- setup via the ShurePlus ™ PLAY app;
- premium headphone amplifier;
- listening in high definition up to 32 bit / 384 kHz using a USB-C cable;
Denon AH-GC30- The headphones are equipped with 40 mm speakers, which is remarkable – these are the proprietary FreeEdge drivers, previously used only in the flagship Denon AH-D9200 headphones. They use a “floating diaphragm”, which Denon says helps to reduce resonances and achieve “more accurate piston movement.” The impedance of the AH-GC30 is 16 ohms and has a sensitivity of 98 dB / mW – any portable device can handle this load. In the 5.0 model, Bluetooth support for aptX codec has already been implemented in the last generation of the AH-GC20 headphones. In the new one, support for advanced aptX HD has been added to it – now the wireless sound does not give in to wired sound so openly.
- Bluetooth receiver with HD aptX and AAC support
- Signature FreeEdge Emitters
- CVC voice enhancement system
- Active noise reduction with three modes of operation
Along with aptX HD wireless audio coding for CD-quality audio, the advanced Clear Voice Capture noise reduction system improves the quality of the received signal. It provides ambient noise cancellation, adaptive equalization, automatic gain control, echo cancellation, wind noise cancellation, and environmental-dependent volume control to ensure the purest vocal quality, even in noisy environments.
With Auto Standby Mode, you’ll never forget to turn off your headphones to conserve power and conserve battery life.
New Ambient Monitor- Click to listen. Hear flight attendant announcements or surrounding conversations with the built-in environmental monitor. Just tap the AH-GC30 earbud, and the built-in microphone makes sure you hear what’s going on around you.
Denon Audio App- The free Denon Audio smartphone app is the perfect complement to the AH-GC30, giving you control with many functions. The app is available for iOS and Android.
Sound Quality
At the moment, we say with confidence that in terms of sound, this is one of the best wireless full-size headphones. When listening via Bluetooth, the first thing you notice is how well the low frequencies are worked out. They are there and are quite deep; they have good control, they are slightly pressed. There is no thumping here; the bass does not dominate.
The middle is just great. Stage width is excellent—excellent separation of instruments and their positioning.
The treble is also excellent. They are not oversimplified and sound right. And even if the music is overloaded with instruments, everything plays well; there is no dirt.
The Shure Aonic 50 has left more than just a pleasant impression with this listening. But what a surprise it was when we connected them via cable to the Hi-Fi player. The sound is at the highest level! And even at high volume with not the best recording quality. The speed characteristics are excellent – both punching, and attack, and decay.
The Aonic 50’s advanced configuration and control options are available in the ShurePlus Play app for iOS and Android. The application allows you to adjust the noise reduction level. A fully functional software player with an equalizer is available, which also supports Hi-Res Audio. In-Play, you can edit tone and voice prompts for system notification, such as power on / off, connection confirmation, and low battery alerts. Play also allows you to update the headphone firmware.
Probably the essential criterion for headphones is sound. However, the Denon AH-GC30 delivers a somewhat restrained music experience. The sound is pretty sharp. Treble comes too much into the foreground, and hissing is too penetrative, especially in the long run. With classical music, that’s still okay. Rock or pop music lacks dynamics and bass. Anyone looking for audiophile headphones that offer a harmonious and natural sound with satisfactory definition and richness of detail is wrong here.
In addition, Denon advertises active noise cancellation, i.e., the ANC, for the AH-GC30. But that is hardly noticeable. Whether switched on or off: The ambient noise is kept away due to the well-closing ear pads, but the ANC mode can hardly amplify it. The ambient sound mode, which is supposed to allow announcements from airport or suburban train speakers to flow into the playback audibly, only works to a limited extent. If you only hear soft music, you can listen to the announcement. But you hardly understand what the person is saying. If you pause the music and switch back and forth between the modes, you will hardly notice any difference between the ANC or normal mode.
You can’t adjust the sound using the equalizer. If you load the optically dusty Denon Audio app onto your smartphone, there is an equalizer. But you can’t use it outside of the app. This means that you can only change the sound of locally stored music and the TuneIn radio built into the application. But if you listen to music via a streaming service, you have to get by without sound settings.
Connectivity
The Aonic 50 is connected to the source in three ways:
• Via Bluetooth: AptX HD, AptX Low Latency, AAC and LDAC – everything is there.
• Analog 2.5-mm cable (impedance 39 Ohm at 97 dB / mW sensitivity).
• Via USB. Moreover, it is formally supported 32 bit / 384 kHz.
That is, the headphones can be used in a completely passive mode, even if they are sitting down. All cables are included.
As for the proprietary application for smartphones, it seems to consist of two parts: the headphone control panel and the proprietary player. You can adjust the level of noise reduction, “normal” and “maximum”, as well as adjust the degree of acoustic transparency. Well, update the firmware.
If you download and install the Denon Travel App from the App Store for iOS, the smartphone immediately begins to swear, they say, the application can slow down the system.
The program has a paid equalizer; business people from Denon should look at other manufacturers offering their utilities for free. Including a good equalizer, as is done by Bang & Olufsen. Well, the built-in TuneIn radio and well-known travel apps are also not very attractive. I did not understand if it was possible to update the headphone software through the program.
The headset supports connection to two devices at once; it was possible to pair it with a smartphone and a tablet without any problems. If you connect an audio cable, the headphones turn off immediately, but the active noise canceling system works; this is a plus. I did not take measurements, but you can count on about 30 hours of work in this mode.
And, the most exciting thing is that in wired mode, the sound quality of the headphones becomes better. Enabling/disabling active noise canceling also affects the sound quality.
Another of the features – everything is in order with the range of work. Bluetooth Class 1 is used since the connection was not lost on the floors, moving around the apartment, and going into any room.
Voice quality is outstanding; the official website says it supports the Clear Voice Capture function, apparently, another version of DSP. In a relatively quiet room, you can be heard well; the interlocutors do not complain. This is, of course, a big plus for large wireless headphones.
Conclusion!
They are at the top end of the market in terms of price, but Shure gave established class leaders something to worry about on its first try. However, there are a few major contenders here, obviously – and they are generally more affordable than Shure.
Sony’s class-leading WH-1000XM4 is the default choice for this type of product – there is no area of performance that they do not excel at. But as good as Sony’s sound, they are not as complete to listen to as the AONIC 50.
The 700 Noise Canceling Headphones and the Bowers & WilkinsPX Wireless are also beneficial alternatives. There is very little to get out of the mighty Momentum 3 Wireless from Sennheiser or JBL Club One, either. It’s a long list, admittedly.
Overall, if you want great-sounding wireless headphones without a steep learning curve, the AONIC 50 will help you.
The Denon headphones fit well, even if they might be a bit too tight for one or the other. But they are particularly suitable for listening to music while doing sports. The reserved and too sharp sound is a bit disappointing. Active Noise Canceling (ANC) is barely noticeable compared to normal mode. Likewise, the ambient sound mode, which is supposed to amplify ambient noise. It doesn’t work well, even with soft music.
On the other hand, the quality and the choice of materials are excellent. The headphones not only look good, but they also feel good. In addition, the Denon AH-GC30 has a pretty good battery life of 20 hours.
