Teufel Aureol
Published: Oct-12-2016
NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons flat’ sharp peaks and ‘wiggles’. I do not use smoothing because some info about sound quality is lost when plots are smoothed.
Aside from a small correction of the microphone itself also some correction in the lowest frequencies is applied to the plots to compensate for the perceived loss of bass when using headphones. This is described HERE in more detail.
A ‘horizontal‘ frequency response curve on the shown frequency response plots on this website thus indicates a perceived ‘flat’ tonal signature.
ALL measurements are made with a good SEAL on a flatbed measurement rig.
The shape of your head, bone structure, pad size, pad ‘softness, (compliance), hair or no hair and or wearing glasses may (drastically) change the frequency response of some headphones, so… your personal experience may differ substantially from these plots.
Frequency response (tonal balance) is the most sound-determining aspect of headphones. A horizontal line shows audible neutral response in the plots on this website. Deviations in different severities at different frequency bands have an effect on the sound character.
The bigger the deviation the stronger the effect.
Below an aid to help determining the sound character of headphones with relation to the frequency response.
Teufel Aureol® Real
(Picture is from The Teufel website)
The Teufel Aureol® Real is an open circum-aural (around the ears) headphone with velour earpads.
It has interchangeable headphone cables. They come in white and black.
A short cable for portable usage with a (male-male) 3.5mm stereo plug to 3.5mm stereo plug and a longer cable with a (male-male) 3.5mm stereo plug to 6.3mm stereo plug (all gold plated). The cable sheath is red cloth and the cable is thin and supple and above all virtually free of microphonics. This means the cable rubbing against clothes isn’t audible where in a lot of other headphones this can be annoyingly loud.
The connectors fit sturdy enough so they don’t fall out easily when pulled on slightly but do come out when yanked harder which is a good thing. Easy to change wiring as well when needed.
The wearing comfort is high and the headphone is very light in weight (185 gram). The clamping force is just right IMO, not too tight (may lead to headaches) and not too loose so they fall of your head or move position when moving the head.
The velour pads are comfortable and sized for ‘average’ ears. So those that have protruding pinnae and those who hate it when the drivers touch the Pinnae should look elsewhere (pad height is 20mm). Those with very big ears may not be able to tuck them in the pads as the inner diameter is 50mm.
The headphone is open and therefore sounds from the outside are easily heard, but it also works the other way around. Those around you will clearly hear what you are listening to which may not be appreciated by them.
Plays loud enough from small portable players.
Bass is just enough in level , would have liked it to be a bit more ‘fun’. Open and clear mids, upper mids/highs show faint amounts of distortion at higher levels, highs extension is good but not refined, a bit course.
All cymbals sound the same with a ‘shhhh’ sound.
No obvious resonances, measures well except for the highs, no squeaking parts when handling the headphone or when on the head, cheap looks and feel.
Needs to be turned up in level to sound better than average.
Exemplary channel balance (Left, Right) in the second one I received. The first one I received did not, see plots below. This was quite audible as well as measurable.
Even though the extension in the highs is good it still lacks ‘air’ and the smallest nuances. The large dips and peaks don’t do the sound much good. All highs sound the same and ‘shhhh’ alike.
Another sign for the treble issues can be found in the distortion plots. (left channel)
The distortion in the bass is quite decent (-40dB) slowly dropping to -50dB. Around 7kHz the distortion increases again to reach audible levels again (-30dB opposite 1kHz). This and the jagged response indicate a poor treble quality.
The CSD below (right and left channel superimposed) shows the poor treble quality is not due to ringing (longer lasting resonances)
The spectrum plot (a CSD but seen from above and in another scale) also show the headphone is quite well damped and doesn’t have worrying long lasting resonances.
summary.
+ non microphonic cable, short one 3.5, long one 6.3mm, bag not worth mentioning, nice pads, normal clamping force, high comfort, ‘honest’ sound (tonally correct/flat) but nothing that really stands out becomes shouty at higher levels, boring at lower levels. Non fatiguing, You can try it at home for a few weeks and return it if you do not like it.
– highs a bit course, undefined and not sparkling at all, increasing highs doesn’t improve the sound.
Not performing well over a wide volume range, lifeless at lower levels and leaning to ‘shouty’ at higher levels due to the unrefined treble.
Bass could be a tad fuller as well.
price point is too high € 100.- (£ 80.-), would have been a decent buy at just over half the going price.
Not boring, not ‘fun’, not lively, not sparkly, not dynamic but on the ‘polite’ side. could be recommended as a monitor.
Sounds VERY similar to the HD438 which is priced lower and has better highs. The newer HD439 has a bit more bass than the HD438 and might be a better buy. A comparison of this headphone with some other headphones can be found in this thread.
DIY-Audio-Heaven 