Introduction

Aune is the global brand of a Chinese audio company founded in 2004 and is predominantly known for its desktop and portable class DACs and amplifiers. Indeed, the very first—and only, until today—Aune product we examined here before was a portable DAC/amp. But something interesting has been happening in China over the last 1–2 years, with a lot of brands seeing the rapid pace of development of headphones and IEMs, and deciding to get into the action. There are innumerous IEM brands on the market today, and we are seeing a similar trend happen with headphones too. We have seen debut headphones from the likes of FiiO and MOONDROP, with others adding to their portfolio using dynamic drivers, planar magnetic drivers, electrostatic drivers, and even ribbon drivers! Today we examine Aune's entry to headphones with the AR5000, and pair it up with the recently released S17 Pro headphones amplifier too.


The Aune AR5000 is an open-back, over-ear dynamic driver set of headphones that tries to look and feel more premium than its price tag may suggest. It uses CNC-machined aluminium given a champagne gold plating to help achieve this goal and there is apparently enough novelty in the construction to warrant a utility and design patent application too. Inside is a new dynamic driver assembly, or so claimed by Aune anyway, which is quite easy to drive off even portable sources. Aune also highlights comfort of the AR5000 in addition to a rich, relaxed sound. While the AR5000 is the primary topic of this review, we will also go over the Aune S17 Pro Class A headphones amplifier that is arguably a star in its own right. Let's thank Aune for providing review samples to TechPowerUp and begin with a look at the AR5000's specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The Aune AR5000 ships in a large box with a decorative white cardboard sleeve over a thicker black box. The sleeve has the brand logo and product name on the front in addition to salient features—the Hi-Res Audio sticker is pretty much guaranteed on such products these days—and a large render of the headphones from the side. We get an exploded view of the drivers on the back along with product specifications in multiple languages. The sleeve slides off the top or bottom, and we see the black inner box has a texture finish with the Aune logo present on the front. The lid lifts off easily to reveal a large quick start guide going over the use and maintenance of these headphones. Underneath is a separate accessory box and then the headphones are placed in a foam sheet with a cutout to snugly hold them in place. There's also a soft fabric cloth between the headphones and the base layer to prevent any scratches. I am definitely getting some older HIFIMAN packaging vibes here, we've seen others go for something similar recently too. Inside the accessory box is just the cable, which we will look at on the next page—Aune does not provide a storage/carry case or pouch for the AR5000.


In addition to the S17 Pro amplifier, Aune also sent over two additional accessories to use and show off in this review. The first is an upgrade cable called the Aune AR3. It ships is a fancy looking box in a similar champagne gold color as the headphones themselves. It's also padded on the outside and has a soft lining inside. The box opens up to reveal the cable in a vacuum-sealed plastic pouch, which feels contrary to the rest of the unboxing experience. The cable sells for $49 separately if you are interested, and we will also examine this in more detail on the next page.


The second accessory is a headphones stand which ships in pieces that you need to assemble yourself. Aune provides everything necessary though, including the screw and Allen key. The stand is composed of a sturdy base with silicone feet for added grip and the Aune logo on the top side, a circular rod of defined height, and the stand plate with more of the silicone padding where the headphones will rest. The three main pieces are made of aluminium and finished in black with a beveled edge to the base. It costs €29.90 (inc. VAT) from the Aune EU store, and you can bundle it with the headphones for a discount.