Closer Examination

The cable that comes with the Drop + Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X headphones is an updated DCA DUMMER (Distinctly Un-Magical) cable that goes for $100 by itself! There isn't a lot of information available about the conductor composition and design here but Dan Clark himself took the time to let me know this uses a silver-plated copper conductor—quite rare to see in the price range the Aeon Closed X operates in, helping to distinguish the set further. This latest version forgoes the nylon sleeve in favor of a thinner rubber sheath over the conductor. It does make for a lighter and more pliable cable although it is still easier to manage if you are familiar with roadie-wrapping your cables. I can't speak for the longevity of the rubber sheath, but Dan added that it's durable and there haven't been any issues with it. The Aeon Closed X version of the cable is single-ended with a 3.5 mm TRS connector that comes with a screw-in 1/4" (6.35 mm) adapter as seen above—both are gold-plated for oxidation resistance. This is housed on DCA-branded hardware in a silver finish before we get to the all-black cable itself, including the Y-splitter. The cable is 2 m in length and terminates in two Hirose 4-pin circular connectors that are one of the better headphone cable connectors I have used to date. Black/red-colored strain relief helps identify the left/right channels and the metal jackets are easy to work with too.


The Aeon Closed X is based off the original Dan Clark Audio Aeon headphones line and doesn't have the collapsible headband assembly in the Aeon 2 that makes for a more portable solution. Regardless, the design immediately tells me this is a Dan Clark creation, including with the use of Nitinol (nickel/titanium) alloy in the headband that is somewhat memory forming. This allows for those two thin strips to get used to your head shape over time but are already shaped to be highly accommodating for the human head. It also keeps the headphones light without sacrificing much in the way of sturdiness either. These headphones have a relatively wide leather suspension band with Dan Clark Audio and L/R markings on it. The suspension band is held in place via screws on either side but there is still some give, to where it can be both a benefit—in allowing the user to position the headband more precisely over the top of the head—and a con in being fidgety and sometimes prone to unintentional movement. The headband meets a plastic frame on either side where we also see "Aeon" and "Flow" branding.


The suspension band can be moved up or down over the headband to allow for vertical sizing as seen above and the serial number can also be seen here on the inside. Here too it's not as chic as a few other implementations or even adopting the usual steel band with clicky steps, to where it is less than trivial to have both sides at the same position. That said, you do not need to keep adjusting this since the suspension band does stay in place once set. Just remember there is a soft stop going up even if it may not seem like it given the curve of the band only having so much room going up. I can't claim this will be large enough for everyone but there's enough motion up and down combined with the flexible headband to accommodate the vast majority of users.


Now we get to the plastic frame properly with a cantilever-style support to the ear cups themselves. There isn't much in the way of cup swivel but the single support point results in more leeway around the head, to where you should be able to easily fit them over the ears. The cups also rotate vertically enough to further work around different head shapes too. As such, the Drop + DCA Aeon Closed X does enough to tick my comfort and fit check boxes.


The Aeon Closed X is, as the name suggests, a closed-back set complete with a genuine carbon fiber insert/baffle for aesthetics. The cups themselves are also made of plastic given a light glossy finish, without feeling cheap. Drop's own favorite midnight blue color makes a showing here to make for a black and dark blue aesthetic overall. The cups are positioned parallel to each other and have a specific shape meant to follow the ears more naturally. This continues with the ear pads too, whereby a closer examination inside reveals the fourth set of tuning materials do indeed come pre-installed. Removing them, and indeed installing any of the others, is simple enough as they too follow the same overall shape. Now we can see the four sets together in increasing order of damping strength, going from black foam to black felt to 1-notch white felt to the 2-notch white felt material. DCA also suggests experimenting with combinations of these as seen fit.


Removing the tuning materials now makes for an opportune time to examine the pads and drivers separately, which was done after all testing was completed of course. The ear pads are again made of faux leather and feel quite nice, to where it's only a positive in appealing to vegans or those who can't use leather, without having the build quality issues of cheaper such protein leather implementations. I can also say that this set did not have any issues that have affected some DCA Aeon series headphones in having the foam filling not be uniformly packed, and I understand that this production issue has been resolved. The pads are simply stuck in place via a sticky layer that goes underneath an indent built around the baffle in the ear cups itself. Now we also get a closer look at the 62 x 34 mm planar magnetic drivers with a single-sided magnet assembly. There's also a layer of dampening paper placed here, so I would encourage users to first try out the headphones without any tuning material in place before adding more in. Drop says the dampening paper over the drivers in the Aeon Closed X has fewer plies compared to before, to make for a more even tonality.


The ear pads are quite easy to take off given the sticky layer which is also easier to orient and install back in place. But this also feels like a less secure install and sealing mechanism for those who like to pad roll or are simply concerned about passive isolation/bass response. The pads are contoured to be thicker on the back than the front while also allowing enough room to where most people should not worry about their ears touching the drivers. Even so, DCA has a fabric cover here to minimize any dust/hair affecting the driver assembly. These are the same pads that come on the newer DCA Aeon Flow 2 down to the use of the partially fenestrated design on the inside, with the goal being to minimize sound reflections going back into the ear.


On the bottom of the ear cups, towards the middle, is where we find small cutouts for the cable connectors itself. Now we see the mating ends for the same Hirose 4-pin connectors on the cable. Connecting the cable is best done following the procedure described in the quick start guide, whereby you hold the plastic "boot" and then rotate the metal jacket inward until the notches and openings align and the connection clicks in place. Do the same on the other side and now you will notice the cable naturally positions itself to the front and away from the user so as to not have it simply drape over your neck/chest. Removing the cable connector is as simple as just pulling back the metal jacket, and I am quite a fan of this connection mechanism! What this does mean is relatively poor compatibility with aftermarket cables should you wish to change the cable length from the default 2 m here, or even go for a different color or material alike. I will also point out that the ear cup design makes it easy to place the DCA Aeon Closed X on the desk facing you quite easily, to make for a set of headphones you can quickly take off and put back on without much fidgeting needed or taking much room on your desk. There's no need for a dedicated headphones stand thus, although having one is a good idea in general—just remember to support these by the metal headband and not the suspension band.