Shure AONIC 40 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Shure AONIC 40 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones is actually the first Shure product that I owned. As the number 40 in the product name suggests, AONIC 40 has a 40 mm dynamic driver which makes it in the same range as the Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones and Apple AirPod Max.

AONIC 40 is Shure’s mid-range wireless noise-cancelling headphones. They have another higher-end which is the AONIC 50.

At a retail price of S$399, it is S$100 cheaper than WH-1000XM4 and S$450 cheaper than Apple AirPod Max.

Shure AONIC 40 - Box Front — Shure AONIC 40 – Box Front

Shure AONIC 40 - Box Back — Shure AONIC 40 – Box Back

Shure AONIC 40 - Box Open — Shure AONIC 40 – Box Open

Shure AONIC 40 - Box — Shure AONIC 40 – Box

Like most headphones, all the packaging contents are inside the carrying case.

Shure AONIC 40 - Carrying Case — Shure AONIC 40 – Carrying Case

Shure AONIC 40 - Carrying Case - Open — Shure AONIC 40 – Carrying Case – Open

The default packaging comes with a protective zippered carrying case, 3.5mm audio cable, and USB-C charging cable.

Shure AONIC 40 - Box Contents — Shure AONIC 40 – Box Contents

Two colors are available, White/Tan and Black.

Shure AONIC 40 - Front — Shure AONIC 40 – Front

The build feels plasticky. AONIC 40 can be folded and collapsed, making it more portable.

Shure AONIC 40 - Back — Shure AONIC 40 – Back

Shure AONIC 40 - Joint — Shure AONIC 40 – Joint

Weight-wise, it is between the WH-1000XM4 (254g) and AirPox Max (386g), coming in at 310g. I have no problem wearing it for the whole day, it is as comfortable as the WH-1000XM4, and the WH-1000XM4 is more comfortable than the AirPox Max.

Shure AONIC 40 - Ear Cup — Shure AONIC 40 – Ear Cup

Despite it being comfortable, I think the fit can be better. When I wear it, I find the headband arc is slightly bigger than my head (either that or my head might be too small), so the headphones do move out of place when I turn my head vigorously.

Shure AONIC 40 - Head Band — Shure AONIC 40 – Head Band

AONIC 40 supports Bluetooth 5.0 and Bluetooth multipoint pairing that allows you to connect to two devices simultaneously.

The controls are on both sides of the headphones.

On the left is the power button. Press and hold for two seconds to turn off and on the headphones. Holding for more than 6 seconds will trigger the Bluetooth pairing process. Pressing the power button twice allows you to check the battery status (it will announce it from the headphones).

Shure AONIC 40 - Left Controls — Shure AONIC 40 – Left Controls

On the right, there are four buttons, volume up, volume down, center, and ANC. The USB-C charging port and the wired 3.5 mm connection is also located on the right.

Shure AONIC 40 - Right Controls — Shure AONIC 40 – Right Controls

In terms of battery life, it provides up to 25 hours of battery life which is more than the 20 hours on AirPod Max but less than the 30 hours on WH-1000XM4. Your mileage might varies (YMMV), but during my tests, I managed to get 25 hours of battery life and still have another 10% of battery left, so I guess it can easily do about 28 hours.

Shure AONIC 40 - Charging — Shure AONIC 40 – Charging

I love the ShurePlus PLAY app which is on both iOS and Android. In terms of UI/UX, it is probably the best-looking headphone companion app that I have used. You can update the firmware and adjust various settings on the AONIC 40 via the app.

Shure PLAY iOS App - Device — Shure PLAY iOS App – Device

Shure PLAY iOS App - Equalizer — Shure PLAY iOS App – Equalizer

Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) works well. It manages to cancel away the noise when I am vacuuming. I find the ANC is pretty much the same as WH-1000XM4 and AirPods Max for untrained ears like mine.

Sound-wise, it sounded good as well. The vocal is crispier than the WH-1000XM4 and on par with the AirPods Max. The bass is good for bass lovers like me.

Shure Singapore recently launched their e-commerce shop, shop.shure.com.sg, and for the entire month of June 2022, Shure has a Gift with Purchase (GWP) promotion for the AONIC 40. Any purchase will come with a free drawstring bag (while stocks last).