Shure's new Aonic 40 headphones are more affordable takes on the 2020-released Shure Aonic 50, which we described as "strong performers" in our four-star review. The cheaper Aonic 40 are quite tempting prospects, then – not least as they boast more advanced noise-cancelling and a longer battery life than their pricier siblings.
Like the Aonic 50, these newcomers are wireless. And this time that's combined with three levels of noise-cancelling modes to choose from (the Aonic 50 only had two). They also have an Environment Mode – at the press of a button, this lets in outside sounds, so you can hear your surroundings. We found the Aonic 50's noise cancellation a mixed bag in terms of effectiveness (subtle in one mode, hissy in another), so we hope the Aonic 40 bring improvements in this area.
A customisable equaliser lets users fine-tune their audio output, too. And when it's time for a hands-free call, the dual beamforming mics come into play.
Battery life is a healthy 25 hours in total – that's five more than the Aonic 50, though still a little shy of the 30 you get from the Sony WH-1000XM4. And as for fast-charing features, plugging them in for 15 minutes gets you a decent five hours from them.
The Aonic 40 fold down for easy storage while traveling and are made from glass-filled nylon and aircraft-grade aluminium alloy.
The Shure Aonic 40 are available now from Shure.com for £215 ($249, roughly AU$400), and come in white/tan or black finishes. We'll bring you a full review as soon as we can.
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