American audio manufacturer Shure is best
known for its professional and purist-focused audio products, including
headphones and earphones. Its no-nonsense approach to the field has kept it out
of the general notice of the buying audience for the most part, but the company
wants to change that with its newest products. Part of its new Aonic sub-brand,
Shure has launched two new audio products - the Shure Aonic 215 and Aonic 50 -
at CES 2020. Both products are expected to go on sale globally in Spring 2020.
The Shure Aonic 215 is a pair of true
wireless earphones priced at US$ 279, and will look to
compete with the Apple AirPods Pro (Review). Based on the popular SE215 in-ear
monitors, the Aonic 215 utilises the same earbuds as the SE215 which have a
detachable cable. The Aonic 215 is therefore essentially just a pair of true
wireless modules for the SE215 earbuds, although the sales package will
naturally include the buds as well.
Battery life for the Aonic 215 is claimed
to be eight hours, with the charging case offering an additional three charges
to the earbud modules. The SE215 earphones are priced at around Rs. 8,000 in
India, so the true wireless modules have quite a premium attached to them,
especially considering that there is no active noise cancellation as can be
found on the similarly-priced Apple AirPods Pro.
The second product launched by Shure is
the Aonic 50, an active noise cancelling wireless over-ear headset. Priced at US$ 399, these headphones go up against premium options
such as the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 (Review) and Sony WH-1000XM3
(Review), and have a claimed battery life of 20 hours per charge.
The new products from Shure will go on
sale in the coming months, and the company has tied up with Maroon 5 frontman
Adam Levine to market the new products. Shure's focus on audiophiles and
professional audio users has meant that the company has a long way to go to
compete with brands such as Apple, Bose, and Sony. However, the launch of the
Aonic brand is a step towards bringing Shure to the attention of more regular
consumers.
