Shure AONIC 5 Wired Sound Isolating Earbuds - High Definition Audio with Natural Bass, Triple Driver Technology, Secure Fit, Detachable Cable - Compatible with iPhone & Android (Black) | Perfect for Music Lovers, Audiophiles & Travelers

Yes, they’re expensive. But Im telling you I have no regrets. Over the past few years I’ve owned Bose Quiet Comfort, Sennheiser Momentum, Shure Aonic 215, Bang & Olufson H95 and Beyerdynamic DT770. I listen to a lot of music, movies and pod casts. The Bose were good but lasted less than 2 years before one side just stopped working. The Sennheiser Momentum are built to last, great features and great sound but they’re just not that comfortable after an hour or two. The H95’s were good but just good and for $800 you’d think they would surprise you. I first bought the Shure 215 and really like them. Then I lost one of the ear pieces. If I could kick my own ass, I would have. I decided to replace them but this time I bought the Shure Aonic 5. I paid $689 to get the bluetooth adapter. I know it’s a lot of money but, they are sturdy and built to last. Im hoping it’s my last pair for a long time. I will be updating this review. The sound quality of the Aonic 5 is unmatched in its price range and below. To get something better you’d have to spend nearly a 1k. It mids are strong and clear and the highs are crisp without sounding tinny and the base is perfectly balanced. The bass gives you that solid thump without sounding like a pair of Beats.If you’re going to invest the money into a pair of Shure earbuds, go the extra mile and get the bluetooth adapters. They are very comfortable and wrap your ear to keep them in place. If you wear your earbuds for extended periods of time, the quality of sound is very important to you and you demand quality and durability then you want the Shure Aonic 5 with bluetooth adapter.If you're thinking about something for listening music at your work - don't buy these. Seriously. You will not be able to do any work - you will just listen perfectly sounded and balanced music from these earbuds - and you will want to listen each sound again and again wondered how many details you missed before.Expensive? Yes. Incredible sound? Without question. Don’t buy these if you are looking for bass to overwhelm you. These earbuds do not color the sound, they deliver clear separate instrumentation unlike any other ear buds I have heard. I absolutely love these.Okay... When I first got these, I was kind of disappointed because I actually expected them to be Bluetooth. But... Wow, Wow, Wow!!! The sound quality on these wired earbuds is the best quality I have EVER experienced... I mean - EVER!!!I am going to come back in a couple of days and update this review with some more specifics and accompanying photos. I just wanted to really "quick-like" share my experience thus far... Oh, and the first song that I listened to with these (as chance would have it), was Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and holy ~ WOW ?! It was like I was listening to it either live and/or for the very first time. The audio shifting from left to right and the intricate pick up of all the high and low frequencies with these things was dizzying, but in a GREAT way!These earbuds have seriously defined to me what people refer to as an "Audiophile." Superior quality that you can hear, feel and see! In case you don't understand what it is that I am trying to convey, let me sum it up with this ~I FRIGGING LOVE THESE EARBUDS!!!***Update***So, I just uploaded a bunch of photos of these ear buds (as I said I would ?)... I included a series of pics, that shows how you remove the earbuds from the cable and how to remove and replace the "tubes." There are 3 separate tubes that you can use in the earbuds, to further customize the audio. They come with the grey tubes (neutral) installed and then have 2 other tubes to choose from. The black ones increase the decibels by 2.5 and the clear tubes decrease the sound output by 2.5 decibels.Changing out the tubes is somewhat "technical," with a bunch of small parts and I highly recommend that you get yourself a clean "work station" where you can keep everything in order. I used the empty case that the accessories came in, to keep all the tiny parts from not getting lost. Because of the degree of difficulty in customizing these earbuds, I would not necessarily recommend these for younger people and/or people with arthritis or difficulty manipulating small parts.It also comes with a HUGE array of different types of ear cushions to choose from. I have played around with different combinations of both the tubes and the different "cushions" and I have to say that after all the fiddling around, I prefer the combination of the tubes and cushions that came from the factory ?? But, it is really cool to know how many different options you have, to truly make these earbuds just the way you want them.If there are better earbuds or even headphones out there, I would love for someone to tell me which ones... Because (yet again), I LOVE THESE THINGS!!!If you can reasonably afford these, just do it... You really have nothing to loose. If you don't think that they are the best earbuds or headphones out there, I am sure that you will be able to return to Amazon. But, if these are in your budget and you order these and test them out, I highly doubt that you will ever consider parting with these.These are a fantastic upgrade from the SE535s. The sound quality and separation is excellent and well balanced when listening to lossless output. They are pricey but in terms of the quality of the sounds delivered feel worth every penny.Ich möchte hier die Shure AONIC 4 und AONIC 5 in einer Rezension zusammenfassen.Es gibt nicht nur preislich einen Unterschied, auch klanglich. Allerdings trifft das Meiste auf beide“ In Ears“ zu und ich werde speziell auf die Unterschiede eingehen.Grundsatzfrage:Wozu heute noch verkabelte „In Ears“ wo es doch schon sehr gute Bluetooth Kopfhörer (Jabra, Bose, Jaybird, Sony etc.) gibt? Die Frage ist einfach zu beantworten: Der Sound ist einfach besser!Reine Bluetooth Earbuds haben einfach mit der Physik zu kämpfen. Man ist gezwungen auf kleinstem Raum sämtliche Bedienknöpfe und dazu noch die Empfänger zu verbauen. Aus diesem Grund sind die meisten dieser Earbuds relativ groß, auffällig und teilweise sitzen sie nicht besonders. Alle oben genannten Earbuds habe ich selbst im Test gehabt und will an der Soundqualität prinzipiell gar nicht meckern. Was möglich ist, hat man auch versucht umzusetzen. Und sie haben auch alle ihre Berechtigung, die Fragen sind nur, will man Musik vom Handy oder vom hochwertigen MP3 Player konsumieren, hört man Pop, Rock oder Klassik?Shure geht mit den AONIC Kopfhörern wieder seinen eigenen Weg. Der Platz, den man sonst eben für Empfänger und Druckknöpfe benötigt, nutzt Shure hier um zusätzliche Treiber zu integrieren. Was die Kopfhörer nicht nur leichter macht, sondern auch soundtechnisch an die Spitze hebt.AONIC 4:Dies ist der preiswertere Kopfhörer der Reihe und hat zwei Treiber integriert. Einer ist rein für den Bass zuständig, während der zweite den Part der Höhen und Mittenübertragung gleichermaßen übernimmt. Im Gegensatz zu „Fullrange“ Treibern, muss hier nicht einer allein das ganze Spektrum an Frequenzen übernehmen – und das hört man!Ich habe von Mozart über ein Ennio Morricone Konzert bis hin zu Dune mit dem Queen Cover „Who wants to live forever“ alles Mögliche darüber gehört und ich gebe ungern zu: Ich hatte Tränen in den Augen. Einen solch präzisen Sound habe ich noch nicht mal über Bose und B&O Bügelkopfhörer wahrgenommen. Und wem das noch nicht reicht, greift zum…AONIC 5:Dieser ist im Grunde fast baugleich, nur verfügt selbiger sogar über drei verschiedene Treiber.Höhen, Mitten und Bass werden komplett separat übertragen.Hört man das? Nur junge Leute bis ca. 25 Jahre.Im Laufe der Zeit nimmt das Gehör deutlich ab. Angefangen von den hohen Frequenzen über die Mitten bis…na ja. Ich selbst kann die feinsten Nuancen nicht mehr wahrnehmen, war aber auch 20 Jahre DJ und beim Radio. Berufsgeschädigt also ;-)Handling:Wie in der Überschrift erwähnt, sind die beiden Modelle eher für längere Zugfahrten oder dem Monitoring vor Ort konzipiert. Also, lang im Ohr zu bleiben. Schnell raus und wieder rein macht damit keinen Sinn. Ehe man die wieder über den Bügel fest und damit perfekt positioniert hat, kann schon Zeit vergehen. Dafür sitzen sie unglaublich gut. Zu keiner Zeit drückt irgendwas und man hat nach 5 Minuten schon fast vergessen, dass da was im Ohr steckt.Da es keine Bluetooth Kopfhörer sind (lässt sich aber mit einem Modul nachrüsten) hat man hier leider keine Hearthrough Funktion. Da beide Kopfhörer sehr gut die Umgebungsgeräusche dämpfen, sollte man die Teile für eine gepflegte Konversation schon aus den Ohren entfernen.Ich besitze seit ca. 15 Jahren schon „In Ears“ dieser Firma. Diese nutze ich noch heute an diversen Kameras. Soviel dann auch zur Langlebigkeit. Verbessert, abgesehen vom unglaublichen Sound, wurden in den neuen Modellen die Schutzgitter gegen Ohrenschmalz etc. Früher wurden aufklebbare Gitterchen mitgeliefert, welche dann direkt auf den Ausgangsröhrchen platziert werden mussten. Heute sind diese bereits in den Ohrstöpseln integriert! Vereinfacht die Sache ungemein!Fazit und Empfehlung:Muss man so viel Geld ausgeben?Wenn ihr nur eine normale und relativ anspruchslose Wiedergabe via Smartphone haben wollt, wäre diese Ausgabe „Perlen vor die Säue“. Ist nicht böse gemeint, aber hier steckt soviel mehr drin was ihr dann aber leider überhaupt nicht „erhören“ könnt, da wäre eine solche Investition Quatsch.Wer aber Wert auf exakte Wiedergabe legt und auch ein solches Zuspielgerät sein Eigen nennt, der ist hier bestens aufgehoben und ich garantiere, niemand wird den Kauf bereuen.Trotz des relativ hohen Preises (besonders beim AONIC 5) komme ich nicht um die 5 Sterne herum.Der Sound ist eben überwältigend.Having enjoyed over two decades of being a DJ and film buff, I have owned more pairs of headphones/earphones than I can possibly remember. I also own a very expensive pair of Shure headphones which are superb. These therefore were to be my "holy grail" of earphones; the last pair I ever need to buy...!PACKAGINGOn arrival, it was apparent you are being treated given the ludicrous amount of overpackaging. Shame on Shure all round here; a waste of environmental resources.FITTING & COMFORTFitting the headphones was fiddly. With dozens of different sized fittings, it took a while to find the best one. You then first put the earphone in your ear, then twist the stiff wire up and around the ear which secures it in place. The result is a comfortable sturdy fit, but not hugely better than standard in-ear fittings.The units were still a comfortable fit after a couple of hours of movie watching.AUDIO QUALITYAudio quality really is the champion here. With both films and music sounding better than any other earphones I have owned. Films were by far the winner, with deep strong bass and high-pitched sounds both delivered well.Be mindful that if you are listening to lower quality 128/192kbps audio then there’s little point in investing here. The higher the fidelity audio, the better the result.CALL QUALITYCall quality was also very good. The internal microphone performs well, and snug fitting of the earphones means they are suitable on the move. Be mindful however that an additional wireless adaptor is needed for wireless operation.NOISE REDUCTIONThis aspect is the most disappointing for me. The blurb promises up to 37db of noise reduction, yet I could still hear my family in the background during music and movies. Outside traffic noise was reduced somewhat but nowhere near as well as promised.VERDICTWhile these are good enough to replace my other sets of earphones, the result does not justify the price tag. At nearly £500 I would have expected the gold standard in every area. Because of that, I feel the overall value doesn't justify an honest recommendation.The packaging for these is either luxurious or excessive depending on how you see it. It undeniably contributes to the cost and while the contents are similarly exhaustive there’s a lot that will go to waste. The upside of all this is, it took me a fair bit of tinkering before I found something that I was satisfied with. Out of the box, it was a bit disappointing.Included are three filter nozzles. The default that comes attached is Neutral. Changing the nozzle for the first time is a bit of a nerve wracking task on such an expensive product but the provided tool and instructions allow for swift, safe and successful results. The other two nozzles are labelled as Bright and Warm and I prefer them both to Neutral but Warm has become my preference.Similarly, the earbuds that come attached did not deliver the optimum sound to my ears. In fact, it was wholly underwhelming. After a lot of swapping and comparisons I was able to settle on a pair that allowed me to truly appreciate what’s on offer here. I like the large regular foam earbuds and they’re especially comfy but in the end I found the most consistently excellent to be the silicone soft flex ones. This was a surprise, they don’t look the best, they don’t feel the best, but they work best for me. I got the feeling that the Comply foam earbuds SHOULD be the premium ones but I didn’t get on with them.So with all that out of the way, time for the important stuff. Yes, with everything sorted, they sound mightily impressive. More impressive than anything else I’ve used. Better than the Bowers & Wilkins which have been my trusty high end headphones for years. To be fair, the area where the B&W have this beat is if you’re a bass fanatic. When switching from those, the bass can feel a little lacking here but it quickly begins to make sense to the overall sound. Detail is superb and clinical. I hear things that I don’t normally pick up on. They’re probably always there but these bring them out clearer. The clarity is next level.Volume, track navigation and call management are handled by the in line remote which can switch between iOS and Android. The detachable cable allows these to be turned into wireless earphones with the £175 adapter, available separately. On top of £480, that’s a spicy meatball, but I’ve been considering it!Wireless/Bluetooth is my preference nowadays but there’ll always be a place for wired and I’m incredibly grateful to have these around. When I want the best possible audio at my disposal, the Aonic 5 will be the ones I reach for.The elephant in the room here is that price of £480. For full clarity and for those that can’t already tell from the Vine badge, I was given these for free to review. Crazy, really. The price can feel that way too. Almost the cost of a brand new PlayStation 5 and Sony’s new Pulse 3D headset would be a hard sell to me at this point in time. I could live with something for half the price. Frankly I could live with something for lass than a tenth of the price, but damn if that life wouldn’t be worse without these now, and it’s only the price that makes me feel the need to go with four stars instead of five. It can’t be ignored. When you hold them in your hands, you certainly don’t see £480. When you put them in your ears, you kinda begin to hear it.Wonderfully comfortable over long periods and they stay in place immaculately. The noise isolation is good enough that anyone in the house is going to have to scream close by to get my attention. And even then I might choose to ignore them and carry on listening.I was pleased to try these 'Shure AONIC 5 Wired Sound Isolating Earbuds, High Definition Sound + Natural Bass, Three Drivers, In-Ear Fit, Detachable Cable, Durable Quality, Compatible with Apple & Android Devices – Black'. I have some really nice wireless buds but they do have the habit of falling out at the wrong moment.You get a 7" x 3" Shure branded drum shaped box that stands up on its edge with the help of two steadying silicone buttons on the 'base' - the material loop is then on the top. With the box and all that it is in it, it looks and feels substantial - a lot more than I was expecting from a pair of ear buds. It would make a very presentable gift for someone. Inside you get the ear buds set in foam indentations and in the middle void there is a preformed black leatherette looking, zipped carry case. Also various foam and silicone attachments for the ear buds. The inside of the carry case is velvety and has a mesh pocket on one side. There are also gadgets to alter the sound quality (although I am happy with it just the way it is), and a tool to do such. There is also a bigger jack that the small jack will fit into for appliances that have large jack apertures. You also get an instruction booklet, although it is rather scant on instructions having minimised the size to fit in all the different languages. Finally there is a safety booklet.I am sitting here listening to London Grammar through these comfy ear buds. It took me a while to get the fit right. It is not intuitive fixing them in your ears with the wire coming up from the back of your ear and over the top. Once I realized that the top part of the wire bends and stays in the right position and swapping the buds around, so that the remote hangs down my left side, I was away. The squidgy foam ends to the buds compresses nicely to fit into your ear canal, then once in it expands to make a great seal. All in all they are now perfectly fitted, comfortable and secure. If you need to change the foam part you just pull gently on them until they pull off the integral stalk and change for your desired shape/size. They are definitely sound isolating as they say - sound from around you is hardly heard at all.The quality of sound that I am getting from listening to my album is sublime. It almost feels like she is singing inside my head. Everything is crystal clear and you hear every nuance of the music. I don't even think the sound from a big traditional set of earphones, that I used to have, could beat the sound quality I am getting from these ones. I am tempted to leave the sound up too much, as it is so good but have resisted to protect my hearing.I have an android phone and so you have to slide the switch on the reverse of the remote from i to A. I started following the instructions to pair them with Bluetooth via my phone but then realised that that instruction was for if you make them into wireless buds, with a kit that you have to buy as an extra. The booklet also talks about how you can charge it up with the USB cable but these items are not in this set and are extras it seems. This is where the instruction booklet lets this product down. You can operate your phone via the remote and mic, as it is, with the mini jack plugged in - it works well. The cable length is about 46" from where the wire bends to go around the ear to the jack.These come with a 2 year warranty. This is stated on the box but there is not a warranty inside the box at all and nothing about it is written in the 2 booklets. Perhaps it was missed out of my box.In summary - I didn't know that sound could be so good through earbuds - it is the best I have heard. They fit well, with lots of different size foams to suit all sorts of ears. I do think that at the price of £479.00 the additional fittings needed to make them into wireless buds should have been included. Having said that, I am enjoying having the wired ones that stay put and if they do fall out they are attached to the cable and don't roll across the floor. I contemplated giving four stars rather than five, for the few negative factors but if you want fantastic sound and can afford the selling price, then for that they really deserve the full 5 stars.