Shure Aonic 215 (Gen 2)

We liked Shure's original Aonic 215 earphones, even if they felt like a beta product in some ways. A year and half later, the Aonic 215 (Gen 2) true wireless earphones are here with the same $229 price, and what initially looks a lot like the same basic features. What’s new? The earphones are now water resistant to a degree, the on-ear controls have been expanded to include volume and mute, and most importantly, the in-app EQ has been tweaked so that you can set a custom sound profile and use it whenever you want, not just when the app is running. This changes the entire Aonic 215 sonic experience, primarily because the EQ is light-years beyond the simplified, watered-down versions we see in most competing models. It makes the second-generation Aonic 215 the best wire-free earphones for audiophiles, and earns them our Editors' Choice award.

Improvements All Around

After doing a double take at the original Aonic 215’s design, I have to admit the look, fit, feel, and concept have grown on me. I’ve worn countless true wireless in-ears at this point, and they generally fall into two design camps, with a thin stem like the Apple AirPods Pro, or with chunkier, stemless design like the Sony WF-1000XM4. But Shure's Aonic 215 earphones are in a class of their own. Available in black or blue models, they feature detachable ear hooks that house the wireless pairing circuitry. What does this mean? If you detach these pieces and attach a cable (sold separately), you now have old-fashioned cabled in-ears. 

The on-ear controls are mostly mirrored, which makes memorizing what they do easy. For starters, a press-and-hold for five seconds puts them in pairing mode, while a two-second hold powers them on and a four-second hold powers them off. A single press controls playback, while two presses switches the ambient listening mode on or off. A single press and hold of the left earpiece lowers volume, and the same on the right earpiece raises volume. Single button presses also handle call management. You can customize how all of these controls work in the app.

The over-ear adapters help with stability, but the earpieces are chunky enough to already feel exceptionally secure. The IPX4 rating here is pretty average in terms of water resistance, but it's better than the original, which weren't water resistant at all. The earpieces can withstand light splashes from any direction, so light rain and sweat are OK. Avoid rinsing them off in the sink or submerging them, and the case isn't water resistant, so make sure the earpieces are fully dry before docking them. 

An excellent array of ear tips are included. The earpieces ship with foam tips in place by default, and for my money, this is the best option as they block out surrounding noise, create a secure fit, and can help the drivers achieve better bass response. You get a few pairs of foam tips in different sizes, standard silicone tips (three pairs in various sizes), and even an earwax cleaning tool. 

The case is, well, massive. It’s a clamshell style zip-up case, and it needs to be large in order to fit the earpieces and the over-ear adapters. There's a USB-C port on its bottom panel—a USB-A-to-USB-C cable of generous length is included—and a status LED on the interior can be seen through a tiny window on the top panel. If you’re looking for the kind of charging case you can put in your pocket, the roughly 4-inch diameter here probably won't work for you.

The ShurePlus Play app for Android and iOS is well designed and gives you control over Environmental Mode (Shure’s ambient listening mode); it can be switched on or off, adjusted with an in-app fader, or paused when the Pause Plus feature is enabled (two taps does the trick). You can also customize the default settings for the on-ear controls to a high degree, and enable a red busy light on the earpiece that indicates to others that you’re on a call. Of course, the app is also home to the customizable EQ, which we'll discuss in the next section. The earphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.0, and support AAC, AptX, and SBC codecs.

Shure estimates battery life to be up to eight hours, with the charging case carrying 32 hours. Your results will vary with your volume levels.

Aonic 215 (Gen 2) EQ and Sound Quality

The in-app EQ almost makes me want to cry. So many manufacturers assume users can't grasp the very basic, easily understandable visuals of an EQ graph—even when accompanied by the obvious increase or decrease in bass, mids, or treble—and thus create a simplified EQ graph that makes no sense and often doesn’t really seem to do much. Shure’s EQ is the exact opposite.

First off, there are clearly named presets for those who don’t want to bother: You can select Low Boost, Vocal Boost, or simply EQ Off, and you’re done. But if you want to tinker around, this EQ is highly responsive. Dragging a curve on the graph upward in the bass realm actually results in a noticeable increase in bass depth—and these drivers can deliver a serious bass boost if that’s what you’re after, though their default is a far more accurate sound signature. You can save presets and name them, and each preset you create gets its own icon that is a tiny, pretty-much-accurate version of the curve you created. It's a beautiful thing.

When it comes to loading the EQ preset onto the earphones so that it's the default setting and works outside of the app (something that wasn't possible with the original model), it's as simple as setting it and forgetting it. Even if you power the earphones down and back up, the EQ will remain in place. It changes the entire user experience, and is hands-down the best true wireless EQ we've tested. 

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Testing the audio with the EQ off is still a pleasure, as the drivers here are well tuned and highly capable. By default, they don’t really have a flat response setting, so audiophiles looking for real accuracy will need to work with the EQ a bit to get things transparent. With the EQ off, on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones deliver powerful low-frequency response, but things aren’t dialed up much—the drivers deliver the bass as it is, and don’t distort at top, unwise listening levels. 

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the general sound signature. The drums have a natural depth to them, but the lows aren't seriously boosted here—even if the sound signature isn’t actually flat response, it leans in that direction. Callahan’s baritone vocals get a pleasant low-mid richness, but have enough high-mid presence for things to remain clear. The acoustic strums have a natural, crisp presence, and generally speaking, this is a far less sculpted sound signature than what we generally hear when testing.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives an ideal high-mid presence, allowing its attack to retain its punchiness, while the vinyl crackle and hiss takes a subtle step forward in the mix. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with solid depth, but nothing like the insanely deep bass we hear on heavily bass-boosted in-ears. The vocals are delivered with excellent clarity and brightness, and yet not much added sibilance.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound wonderful. The lows are sitting where they should in the mix, playing a supporting role but not thinned out or absent. The higher-register brass, strings, and vocals are delivered with ideal crispness and detail. 

But if what I just described sounds a little staid to you, you can definitely spike the results, or subtly tweak them with the EQ. I like a little more bass depth sometimes, especially to give kick drums some more roundness. Dialing that up a bit—and then the high-mids slightly to account for the increase in bass depth—sounds great. Simply put, the adjustable EQ here is an audiophile's dream.

The mic offers solid intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone, we could understand every word we recorded. The mic’s signal is bright, and though typical Bluetooth audio artifacts are present, callers should have no issues understanding you on a clear mobile connection. 

Wire-Free Sound for Audiophiles

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the update to the in-app EQ here—you previously could only hear how awesome it sounded while inside the Shure app. No one wants that! It’s like finding out your new driver's license is only valid in the DMV parking lot. The second-generation Aonic 215 earphones are freed from this constraint, and the result is glorious. The best EQ we’ve tested can now be your default setting across the board. Add a modest water-resistance rating and fully customizable on-ear controls, and you’ve got a winner. In this price range, most cable-free in-ears have noise cancellation, and if that's what you're after, the aforementioned AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM4 are your top two options, with the Sony model offering the best noise cancellation we’ve tested and the AirPods offering seamless integration with iOS. But as far as pure audio performance is concerned, we haven't tested another pair that sounds as good as the Aonic 215 by default and offers as much freedom to adjust the sound to your liking, earning the earphones our Editors' Choice award.