Wahhhhhhh but I donât do impressions lol. So far I think they are pretty great. I think they are a good option for the price, but I do think their capabilities have been overstated. I think they have been tuned very well, and are enjoyable to listen to for sure, they are decently revealing and non offensive. Build and comfort are actually pretty good. I donât like them on a tube tho lol, itâs just not suited for a tube imo. There are a few thoughts that are mostly useless lol
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Good stuff but what about dynamics, stage and imaging? And what neutral/natural-targeted headphone would you consider buying instead for more or less the same money?
Woah now I never said I would do a review lol
Dynamics are good but donât blow me away or anything, but also not compressed, fairly average. Stage is wider than a 650 but not very large or anything, imaging is pretty good I would say. Spatial recreation is respectable for the price, but IMO itâs strengths are itâs timbre, FR, and presentation moreso than other technicalities.
For what headphones I might buy instead, it depends on my use case? I feel like for the price you can get more technically capable headphones, but if you are a sucker for a 650 like sound and want something kinda similarly tuned but for use on a solid state, this would be a great choice. It reminds me most of the kennerton vali but imo I like the tuning more. For me though, again I think it would depend on what I want for the alternative headphone pick
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Thanks! Iâm always on the lookout for a true neutral-tuned headphone without compromises in technicalities. But not in buying mode right now. Mainly, wanted to get your eval of the Borealis out there for the forum in general. My own take from what youâve written is they would be a better option at a lower price point. Perhaps lower than their makers can afford to turn them out at.
I can kinda see that, but I would say itâs moreso a headphone aimed a more specific audience, those who really like the senn signature and want something inspired by it with a higher end sound. I donât know if it would be the best pick for most lol
hi handsome, we know each other dont we, anyhow, i too came across maxâs review and was kinda dumbfounded as to how glorious it was reported as being. Have you picked up on anything since you last wrote about it sir m0n?
I think they are pretty great if you fit the target market (someone looking for something with a tuning close to a 650 but better technicalities), otherwise imo I donât think itâs the greatest thing since sliced bread
whats your daily driver these days anyway and whats your use case for each? thanks for the quick followup sir m0n
I really donât have a daily driver, but I do have use cases for all the stuff I own, it just might take a long while to explain it all lol
For $900 this gets close to Clear performance. Though you can get a used Clear for a $1000âŠ
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I can get behind a utilitarian design. But for $900, Iâd like to see a better head strap than that seatbelt lol
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Just bought the new weight-reduced Bori. About ~80 grams lighter. Really makes a difference with long listening sessions (I tend to go for 5-6 hours). Itâs been a good 3 years since I last heard them and I definitely missed this sound. Especially good with my Studio B.
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Nice, I saw the restock notification a few days ago, it sold immediately as expected.
Edit: it not they lol 
Theyâre waiting for a big batch of parts. Hopefully for all parties itâs sooner rather than later.
Aurorus Audio Borealis review
I recieved them on the loaner tour and had a week of using them exclusively, with and without equalizing. I didnât read any other reviews or look at frequency response charts first. They were powered on a Topping A70Pro and E70 9028Pro (5 volt mode) stack using an optical USB cable and powered hub for a really quiet noise floor.
Quick summary:
Comfortable and good weight distribution.
Good stock, but excellent and worth the price with the Audiosciencereview equalizer profile.
Easy to drive, but needs a mild amplifier for preamp reduction (1 watt @ 32Ω).
Fit and design:
The first impression was I thought they were missing the grills, but then found out itâs in the design, probably for acoustic reasons. I do wish they had something like the Arctic airflow edition grills which would really finish them off if it didnât affect the soundstage.
They are comfort kings, the wide soft headband really makes them feel light, but pretty bulky. Also the pads are the first perforated design I really like. Iâve tried several and they always curb the treble too much, but these pads donât have that issue. Probably because of the cloth pad face and just perforated on the sides. Much better than any Dekoni fenstrated sheepskin pads which make the treble sound muffled.
The headband looks pretty easy to remove for cleaning with the screw right there. I wish the attachment strip was a little more rigid so it wasnât so floppy because of the size. Also if there was another set of guides further up before the frame bends, it would help them feel more stable. The cable is single ended and a ribbon type, which is literally tangle-proof and feels like itâll last. Itâs not so long youâll roll over with with a computer chair, or so short youâll get clotheslined standing up to answer the phone. I should have measured the pads to see what else they could fit, they really got it right. I do wish the headband pad had a Velcro attachment so could be easily removed for cleaning.
Power requirements: Easy to drive, the A70Pro/E70 never left low gain, even with equalizing with a preamp reduction. I had a Hifiman HE6se at the same time and it was really clear how far technology has come. With these, a JDS Atom stack or similar will be fine. Itâs all about a quality source and black noise floor, any stack that can do 1.5 watts into 32 ohm and youâre all set.
Sound, detail resolution, and soundstage:
When I first heard them, they reminded me of the original Hifiman Arya for the sound profile with the climb from 500hz to 2khz that can make female vocals sound present but a little too bright depending on the singer. Ellie Goulding, Cyndi Lauper, Sia tracks were more obvious, where you could hear the emphasis sounding a little too sharp pm the highs. The 5khz peak needs to be shaved down a little, which is easy. The bass was just right for me since I play Destiny 2 a lot and prefer a bass rolloff in explosion rich environments. For music it takes some bass boost, but donât get too greedy as bass distortion can be an issue with too much (I used half of the Amirâs ASR profile).
Without equalizing them, I was happy but they needed some tweaking. I went over to the Audiosciencereview and Amir did a really good job working out an EQ profile based on the measurements he did.
I loaded them into APO/Peace and it was a dramatic change for the better. I just cut the bass boost in half, since theyâd be use in games as well as music. If they were tuned this way out of the box, theyâd a better than many kilobuck headphones on the market today. I think the soundstage is right at the limit, since it sounds natural and accurate as well as large enough.
Gaming was really good out of the box, and even better when loading Amirâs EQ settings with half the bass boost. I mention it since at this price point, having one pair that can do everything well is really important. Iâve had several much more expensive headphones and would not trade these for the Heddphone or Audivina.
Value for money and final thoughts:
At $899 itâs competitive, but the Hifiman Arya Stealth fixed the original version tuning, and itâs stiff competition. If they had the tuning of the Amirâs Audiosciencereview EQ profile, theyâd be a home run. The other things are minor like a thinner headband pad thatâs clip attached or Velcro for cleaning, and a set of Arctic style grills for a polished look. Buyers at this price have balanced amplifiers, it should come with a balanced cable set, or even better a multikit with different plugs to stand out in a crowded field. Also a nicer branded case like the Audeze one would help sell at this price point. If you equalize them, theyâre worth the price.
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