Shure AONIC 50 Gen 2 ANC headphones launch with spatial audio and low-latency lossless Snapdragon Sound

Three years ago, Shure, known for its legendary professional microphones and monitoring headphones for the studio and stage, made its first foray into wireless noise-cancelling headphones with the AONIC 50. Now, it has launched a long-overdue update with some key improvements to bring it on par with the competition in premium wireless headphones.

Perhaps the biggest new feature is the introduction of spatialized audio using a proprietary algorithm with three modes – Music, Cinema and Podcast. The headphones are also equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound and aptX Adaptive technology, which brings key improvements like lossless audio support, low-latency and robust bluetooth connection with a 100 meter range that avoids drop-outs or glitching even in busy environments. Another claimed important improvement is in the ANC department – what Shure calls “advanced hybrid noise cancellation” – which is just as well, since reviewers found the first gen’s ANC to be somewhat mediocre.