GoldenEar AON

Marc,
I'm sure you will get opinions but the one that matters most is yours. Most will tell you that what they own is best.
What you need to do is take a CD that you are very familiar with and go listen to the speakers you are considering.
Good luck in your search.

I am very new to high end audio, so I don't have much experience to base this on. But I thought I'd mention that I walked into a sound shop just 2 days ago and asked to hear some bookshelf speakers. They played some Aon 3s for me. I tried to not get too excited about them, because I knew they were out of my price range. But I have NEVER heard bookshelf speakers with that strong a low end. I was shocked. They sounded fantastic to me.

I have also heard them and they are amazing. I think my next set will be the triton cinema. Unless i win lotto. Just remember whatever you get the speakers have a break in period.

My opinion is that you would be happy with the Aons.

The man behind Golden Ear is Sandy Gross. Sandy was one of the founders of Definitive Technology and before that Polk Audio. His new mission is making great speakers at decent prices.

I got a AON 2 last week to use as a center with a pair of Triton 2's. Outstanding performance so far.

FYI:

 

http://www.avguide.com/review/goldenear-technology-aon-3-bookshelf-monitor-playback-59?utm_campaign=Weekly%20Email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email-501&utm_content=Audio-Technica%2C%20B%26W%2C%20Paradigm%2C%20PSB%20%26%20Ultimate%20Ears%20%27Phones%2C%20GoldenEar%20Speakers

I'm interested in the Aon2 speakers to fit into a small apartment. Has anyone seen the frequency response graphs for the Aon2 or Aon3? How close can the Aon2 be mounted to the wall before it starts to sound boomy?

http://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=421:goldenear-technology-aon-3-loudspeakers&catid=55:full-length-reviews&Itemid=4

Measurements are included. You should be fine sticking these close to the wall as the passive radiators are located on the side, not the back.

They look like nice speakers and measure well.

I found the following frequency response from Soundstage: http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=762%3Anrc-measurements-goldenear-technology-aon-3-loudspeakers&catid=77%3Aloudspeaker-measurements&Itemid=18

Believe these are the graphs that ack_bk were referring to. I have yet to find similar graphs for the Aon 2?

Steve

Here is my Aon3 Setup. It is powered by an Onkyo 3008 and paired with SVS PB1000. Greetings from Manila.

Due to space constraints and WAF, I'm thinking of using the Aon 2 on the wall. Would appreciate feedback if anyone has any experience of mounting the Aon 2/3 on wall. How did it sound and would it be better to move the speakers off the wall as my buddy suggested?

Would also like to know if there's any other color available for the Aon 2 besides black?

Steve

You can have any color you want, as long as it is black...I have the AON 3's on the wall for surrounds. They sound just fine. Would like to be able to tilt them in to the listening area more though.

Next week I'll most likely be acquiring left and right AON 3's. I was originally going to get a third AON 3 to serve as a center channel for my TV. Has anyone tried 3 AON 3's for fronts? Would you recommend that combination vs AON 3 left/right and a GE sat center channel?

I plan to later either acquire 2 more AON 3 for backs OR get the Triton 3 or 7 for fronts and move the AONs to be rear channels.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. The only for sure items are the left/right AON 3 for now.

I am going to audition a set of Aon fairly soon. They are like 15 miles away...so not too bad. I am waiting on my mains now... I think I have found my surrounds but always worth a shot. At a grand they are not cheap surrounds but they seemed to be designed exceptionally well for that task in mind.

I know one person compared the Sonus Faber Venere to the Aon and said the Aon sounded better... I really liked the Sonus Faber Venere too.

I hope Sandy or another at Goldenear takes an opportunity to read and consider -

Sandy G has been very clear on his philosophy about center speakers and picking up the difference of lower frequencies by other speakers. The logic is sound in what needs to be done but why is the customer forced to go this route? Ideally, a center should come close or match the lower end of the left and right channel.

In an AON only environment, using an AON as a center channel would be logical yet it is difficult due to constraints of the AONs needing to be vertical given they cannot be put on their sides.


Perhaps taking the top portion of the Triton 2 or Triton 7 and setting it on its side with a passive radiator on top would be a good solution. The two mids would use the D'Appolito array set up. If this is too close in style to the Def Tech centers for your taste and marketing then perhaps design it based on the AONs.

AON inspired design - turn two AON 2 on their side with the base of each facing each other. Sandwich in between the base the tweeter section and electronics. Remove the passive radiator from the sides facing downwards but leave the ones facing upwards. Hopefully, there is no issue with the two passives on top being at that less acute angle to one another.

While I like the Sat series, its not for me and like others, it makes one think twice about getting a Goldenear set up for both music and home theater. Not everyone can place a sub near the center channel of an all bookshelf system.

I would prefer if the center crossover was sitting around 60/80 and not 120 and I believe many others would also agree - especially for SACD play and other multi-channel music. Honestly, the AON only 5.0 system is a great idea for small spaces that want big sound.


Edited by Phrehdd - 3/9/13 at 3:44pm

I am happy to hear that the AON 2 makes a good center speaker. Was there a reason you did not opt for the Sat50 center (or Sat60)?

I am considering for now (almost there) to get AON 3 L/R and was not sure how I am going to handle the center speaker given that I would prefer something that was with a crossover near 80 as opposed to 120.

Did you try the Sat 50 center? Unfortunately, when I went to listen to the AONs and Tritons, they did not have an AON available as a center.

Ultimately, I am hoping to move the AON 3 to the back, and get Triton 7's for the front thus, starting out with a 3.0 system then 5.0.

As a former owner of both the Aon 2 and Aon 3 speakers, I can say the Aon 3 was the one I kept, and I returned the Aon 2. I was using it for 2-channel music and movies at the time. They are great speakers, for sure--ugly, but awesome. Currently own a pair of Sonus Faber Venere 1.5's, which I'm happy with in their desktop application, but certainly liked the Aon 3's more. I live a constant battle with swapping out gear (I want to hear as much as I can!!!), but I'm certainly sorry I sold the Aon 3's.

I pulled the trigger and have three AON 3's on their way to my home on Tuesday. These will be the FL, FR and center for my 65" plasma. I am hoping to get later the Triton 7 (if they sound as good as the reviews from the show) and use those for my fronts and move the AON 3's to the back later this year.

I'll just say that the AON 3 when demonstrated were worth the listen and the price. They are great for movies, TV, and for us low end music lovers. Luckily, I don't blast my system at super high levels as the AONs do take a slight hit. At low, normal to moderately loud, they are a super bang for the buck. I'll probably test out some subs in a month or so including GE's offerings. When one lives in a medium to small dwelling, there is no need to compromise on getting decent sound and GE proves that.

Now to go investigate the different ways to avoid speaker stands in favour of various wall mounts/shelving.
Edited by Phrehdd - 3/17/13 at 8:24pm

Hi Phrehdd,

I'd be interested in your thoughts on what type of brackets you'd consider to wall mount the Aons. How far off the wall you'd think is right? Compared to speaker stands, would it be better?

Steve

Alas Steve, I am still pondering all of the above. Given that I live in a flat, I am wary of wall mounts but it really can be my best choice.

If I go with stands, left and right will be metal stands and most likely Sanus and around 30" tall. If I go for wall mounts it will be the Pinpoint AM40 plus some additional considerations. If using stands, I'll have to get creative in handling the center channel as the speaker is 14" tall.

Just ball parking here - I think the Aons would do well if needed to be placed close to the wall with acoustic material behind them. Thus with the AM40, it would be something like this in mounting -

Wall, plywood with treatment, Pinpoint mount, then speaker. Speaker would ideally allow about 3-4 inches space from the back.
The plywood also serves to let me put the mount where I want it and not be a slave to where there is internal wall frame/stud. I can choose where to drill into the plywood to match the wall for solid anchoring and then choose where to put the mount on the plywood.

With stands, I can move the speakers forward a bit and allow 12-18" space from the wall.

Another idea I had was to get the following and fortify them as they are really nice looking -




They are veneered wood material and run about 115 bucks each at 30" height. They are also made at 42" height. The catch (other than being hollow) is that the top and bottom are 11" square. My mind gets me into all sorts of trouble with conjuring ideas of getting speaker stands and inserting them into the pedestals. I like these pedestals because they mirror the shape somewhat of the AONs. It would help turn the odd shaped AONs into a more novel and interesting bit of eye candy. They come in black, cherry, medium brown etc. Given that the bottom has to be attached, alternative bases could be made for them.

So in short - Metal stands or the Pinpoint AM40 with acoustic treatment on plywood for mount to the wall. Other option is to use the pedestals as stands refortified or insert speaker stands.

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UPDATE

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I opted for now to get the Sanus metal 30" stands for front channels. The center is my next project as I rigged a stand and it works well but is rather unsightly.

Depending on how the 30" stands work out (height-wise) I'll make a decision whether to get more AONs to complete a 5.1 system or wait a bit and audition the Triton Seven and rotate the AONs to the back/rear wall. I came up with this notion as I have not fully committed to all AON. I can say if I did/do, I am sure I'll be happy. I have been breaking in the speakers now for about a week or so with various types of music and TV shows and some blu ray movies. In the last couple of days there was a bit of a difference as the speakers started to open up a bit more. This was most noticeable on 96/24 flac music (HDTracks) and to GoldenEar's credit, one of my neighbors came by and really was impressed with the sound (even though it still is not set up correctly).

If the 30" height does not work out, I'll go to the wall mounts and use the 30" stands for rears (I can always add height via noise absorption/suppression material as needed).
Edited by Phrehdd - 3/26/13 at 5:04pm

I have had the Aon 3's as surrounds for awhile now. Love'em........ I am pushing them with a Yammy RXA 2000 for center and the surrounds. A Bryston 4b SST for the front Triton Twos.. Sounds exceptional in all aspects. Wish my walls were taller for my surrounds, I made some swiveling aluminum mounts for the Aon's but they sit to low in the "KNOCK YOUR HEAD ZONE" . So they are mounted flush at this time.Still sound great but still wanna get them tilted to the listening area more. Maybe next home or if I get a lot of free time. Yeah right...........

Dyelooper - Your AONS mounted looks great!

I purchased the Sanus 30" metal stands for my fronts and honestly - though they are for the most part very solid, I really didn't like how they handled vibrations (very thin cork between top plate and the vertical poles and some sort of rubber/plastic gasket between the base and the vertical poles). For now they will do and my AON 3 center is on a very low solid base (weighted wood box marginally angled to point the AON about 5 degrees upwards).

My guess is when I do get around to the Triton Seven later this year, I'll end up moving the AONs to the rear as I have stated before and wall mount them. The Sanus I'll probably sell or turn them into plant stands (sorry Sanus).