SHURE ENOUGH Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2

The second-gen Aonic 50 headphones deliver more battery and a confident sound - at an equally confident asking price

£349 shure.com

There's no shortage whatsoever for high-end, top-quality over-ear cans - a space in which Shure is vying for the crown with its second-generation Aonic 50. But given that these new over-ears are priced at a similar level to the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2, does Shure successfully stand apart? 

A subtle new design feature of the Gen 2 Aonic 50 is the all-black finish. Personally, we'd prefer a lick of silver or metallic flourish to give an additional point of interest; the all-black approach is more subdued than the headphones they replace. The left earcup houses the 3.5mm jack; however, the USB-C port on the right earcup can also be designated for hi-res listening (up to 32-bit/384kHz), which goes to show just how studio high-res capable these cans are.