About to shake things up? - Aune AR9000 & AR3000 First Impressions
At Vienna High-End 2026, Aune turned heads with the flagship AR9000 and a shockingly good, ultra-affordable open-back prototype called the AR3000.
Fresh off our coverage of Vienna High-End 2026, the Aune booth unexpectedly turned out to be one of the biggest highlights of the entire show. We originally walked up to their table with the sole intention of evaluating their new flagship dynamic driver headphone, the AR9000. However, after spending some quality time with their lineup, the real plot twist of the show ended up being an upcoming, far more affordable open-back model called the AR3000.
AR9000: The Flagship
The AR9000 will be entering the market at roughly $1,500, and our initial impressions suggested it may be comparable to a punchier alternative to the Sennheiser HD800S. It manages to fill in the crucial 1 kHz to 2 kHz midrange region beautifully, creating a very balanced foundation. The trade-off here is that some "soundstage"-centric listeners might find the presentation a bit more intimate than the more detached, diffuse sound of the HD 800S. However, we'd contend that soundstage is a bit less important when the core tonal balance is solid.
When GoldenSound ran a quick on-head manual tone sweep, it revealed that the ear gain at 3.5 kHz is a little bit low, but the rest of the response is remarkably coherent. While the official measurement charts taken on test fixtures indicate a prominent 6 kHz peak, Resolve didn't notice any of the harshness or "clackiness" that GoldenSound detected. Instead, he picked up an elevation around 8 kHz.
Slight quirks aside, AR9000 was one of the most normal-sounding headphones at the entire show... which brings us to AR3000.
The Aune AR3000: The (Shocking) Prototype
While the flagship AR9000 was a solid opening act, the upcoming AR3000 prototype was genuinely shocking. It aims to land at a much cheaper, highly accessible (but not yet finalized) price point, but its overall presentation is arguably even more compelling for daily listening.
Where the flagship AR9000 goes for a more exciting, bombastic presentation, the AR3000 pivots completely toward an incredibly natural, organic presentation of timbre.
During Resolve's on-head sweep of the AR3000, he did notice a slight dip in energy around 5.5 kHz and 8 kHz. Because of this relaxed treble, some traditional audiophiles might find it lacks a tiny bit of absolute liveliness and sparkle in the top end.
However, the complete absence of any harsh peaks or grain gives it a smooth, natural character that makes it an effortless listen. For a budget-oriented prototype, the sheer competence here is incredibly exciting.
Final Thoughts
Aune has seriously brought their A-game this year, delivering a duo that exemplify what targeted tuning across two vastly different price points perhaps ought to look like. The AR9000 is a formidable contender in the $1,500 bracket that provides a more tonally complete alternative to established flagships.
Meanwhile, the AR3000 prototype proves that highly natural, extremely balanced presentations are capable of trickling down to the entry-level market faster than ever. Once the AR3000 officially leaves the prototype stage and hits production, Aune is going to have a massive winner on their hands, and we cannot wait to get final production units into the lab for a full breakdown.
