SR7000

Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" iMac (i5, 256GB SSD, 40GB RAM, Sonoma 14), 4TB external SSD with Thunderbolt 3, Audirvana Studio, Qobuz Sublime, Singxer SU-6 USB bridge, LHY Audio SW-8 & SW-6 switch, Laiv Audio Harmony; Active filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Power amplifiers: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos & Gold Note monos on subwoofer; Headamp: Enleum AMP-23R; Phones: Raal 1995 Immanis, HifiMan Susvara; Loudspeakers: Qualio IQ [on loan] Cables: Kinki Studio Earth, Furutech; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra on all source components, Vibex One 11R on amps, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, LessLoss Firewall for loudspeakers, Furutech NCF Signal Boosters; Room: 6 x 8m with open door behind listening seat; Room treatment: 2 x PSI Audio AVAA C214 active bass traps
2nd system: Source: FiiO R7 into Soundaware D300Ref SD transport to Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe; Preamp/filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Amplifier: Kinki Studio EX-M7; Headamp: Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Loudspeakers: MonAcoustic SuperMon Mini + Dynaudio S18 sub; Power delivery: Furutech GTO 2D NCF, Akiko Audio Corelli; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Audioquest Fog Lifters; Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~3.5 x 8m
Desktop system: Source: HP Z230 work station Win10/64; USB bridge: Singxer SU-2; DAC: Sonnet Pasithea; Headamp: Kinki Studio THR-1; Speaker amp: Crayon CFA-1.2; Speakers: Acelec Model One Headphones: Final D-8000 & Sonorous X, Audeze LCD-XC, Raal-Requisite SR1a on Schiit Jotunheim R
Upstairs headfi system: FiiO R7, COS Engineering D1, Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Headphones: Raal 1995 Magna, Meze 109 Pro, Fiio FT3
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; All-in-One: Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe; Loudspeakers: Zu Soul VI; Subwoofer: Zu Submission; Power delivery: Furutech eTP-8, Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: €639

Dragon scale. Add Sea Reference, Driftwood Throne and the misdirection to HBO's House of the Dragon seems complete. Hifi is full of big acronymical words which signify nothing or repackage ancient wine in shiny new bottles. Occasionally though a brand has a legitimate invention whose name just fits. My most recent case in point is the 'dragon scale' meta material which aune place behind their angled 50mm ceramic-coated polymer diaphragm of the SR7000 sealed headphone. Take a wild guess which part in the above collage that is. Point made. Perhaps KEF were first to introduce the term meta material relative to an acoustic absorber? Theirs looks like a medieval maze. Its geometric garden path dead-ends to trap the visitor unless one know exactly how to walk out. KEF's meta material for their tweeter has that same function – to trap sound waves which enter it off the back of the driver never to be heard from again.

At 50Ω, 106dB/1mW and 390g, aune's SR7000 promises to be a standard load. 5Hz to 45kHz bandwidth aims high and wide. Once we factor how much bigger this over-ear construction is than its driver, we realize how enormous this headphone must wear. Its stated ambition is to sound as open and spacious as an open-backed design.

If listening signs off, a key part of that success must be down to the dragon scale preventing acoustic reflections penetrating the diaphragm from behind to mix with and colour the direct sound. I was curious whether this dragon's puff had magic. The green colourway consistent with the Sea Reference moniker encapsulated in SR7000 also had me hot under the collar to solicit aune through their website's contact page.

Their prior AR5000 is a similar-looking open-backed design which sells for €329. At virtually double the SR7000 thus positions more elite. Being sealed, that could be unexpected. Perception on the street is that all else being equal, an open-backed headphone will stage wider, sound cleaner and offer more linear less ringy bass. Apparently the SR7000 means to counter the street. Again, key is to effectively deal with the drivers' pesky rear radiation which otherwise simply reflects off the cups' internal surfacing to cause phase shift, time delay and potential amplitude hot spots; what with speakers are room modes and associated resonances. A sealed headphone creates its own miniature rooms which ideally couple without air gap to our head. aune's second enabler for maximum direct sound is their seriously angled driver placement which aims to beam its output directly into our ear canal. Relative to just being a perfected sealed version of the AR5000 as a reader suggested, already the SR7000 driver is a completely different beast including its classic long-throw surround for which aune recommend 30-hour break-in with bass-heavy music to reach intended compliance. This top-down cutaway shows how the heavily angled transducer and dragon scale interface. In the background we see the included 3.5mm and 4.4mm OCC cabling and carrying case.