Well let's face it, when you own a pair of great headphones and use them a lot you get used to how they sound and it allows you to make better mix decisions. With the ARC system it actually gives your headphones that extra 10%. They do make them sound better and more enjoyable. Either for critical listening or casual music enjoyment.
I like that there are more than one preset that you can set up and access from the unit without needing to open the app on the computer. I have my 5 headphones set and ready to go with the press of a simple button combination. I really do like this unit. THe big volume dial is also a welcomed touch. It sits right next to my laptop and I can easily adjust if needed.(I will be adding a piece of white tape to the knob so I can always get it back to a reference point.

Why only 4.5 stars, you ask? Well, I think the option of being able to mimic your headphones to sound like NS10s or ilouds etc (there are a ton of speaker emulations). I don't feel like they sound as if I am in front of the selected speaker. I have tried and they are not even close.

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The studio setup program that everybody else is using is not the one that came with mine.its a frequency program. That doesn't work with the headphone unit.i can't switch between speakers it doesn't have the studio.screen that let me see speakers and headphones that I can visually see. No stereo width. Rooms or n p thing like that

I bought this for my HD650, purely for non-pro listening. Specifically for the built-in calibration curve, the stereo crossfeed function and the ability to use those two straight from a phone.

Compared to the usual audiophile headphone DACs that I already use, the On-Ear delivers a more natural sound and much more realistic soundstage similar to a good studio monitor setup. The sound is so effortless that I can listen on this for hours without any fatigue. IHMO, this is easily superior to costlier "purist" headphone DACs that only focuses on ridiculously high HPA wattages and super low distortion ratings.

Gets plenty loud with phone volume at 90% and the knob at 11 o'clock position. Plug in anything more efficient than a HD650 will be louder.

Low power consumption at only 1W for my use case.

Please note a Windows PC or a Mac is required to IK Product Manager + ARC On-Ear software to configure the device first.

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The new ARC ON EAR is a solid, well built and stable product. It works equally well from moderate to higher end headphones. I used a variety of headphones from inexpensive tracking to moderately priced ( ATH-50x) to higher end (AKG 712 PRO) and found that the impedance matching is excellent for full frequency response. The best feature, as you would expect, is the EQ correction. It is no surprise that the lower quality headphones benefit the most from the EQ since they are far from flat, and that the higher end phones need less correction but still benefit from the various curve choices and edits (in other words, the phones doing their job and what you paid for). The STUDIO feature gives a nice adjustable stereo spread and the ambience is quite nice to listen to. The speaker selection is more subtle (unless you do extremes like iPhones or those "80s white cone speakers"!). An excellent product introduction. Highly recommended.

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My initial findings is this is a must have for creatives on the go! We don't always end up in the most optimum listening environments, and so sometimes that can be pretty challenging, but the ARC ON•EAR helps with the challenge. I initially wanted to get this before I left to go out of town cause I wanted to take it to his paces on the plane ride, but I didn't get it before I left out so immediately when I got back, I brought it with me to a conference that I'm attending and I've been taking it through its paces and I just have to say the ability to be able to simulate a room and or listen on various virtual headphones & speaker emulations is definitely a plus at this price point! It's a well built piece that deserves the opportunity to help us creatives! Thanks to my friends and Sweetwater for getting it to me. I'll do it a bit more in depth review when I get the time, but my initial findings are definitely positive.!

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I've been using the ARC On-Ear for a few weeks now, and it's completely changed how I mix on headphones. The room correction and monitor emulation are spot-on — it actually feels like I'm working in a treated studio, even when I'm traveling. The sound is clear, balanced, and incredibly accurate, and the build quality is top-notch. Easily one of the best investments I've made for my setup.

Unfortunately, the unit I received was underpowered. It had less power than the built in headphone amp in my MacBook Air.
This unit may work if you only listen at low volume.

Right when it started to get loud, it started to distort. Tested with Sony MDR 7506 headphones, which are relatively easy to drive. I also tried using Dan Clark Noire X, those where even worse, a serious lack of volume before distortion. Keep in mind both headphones are listed in the app and have tunings available to use.

I tried different cables, different ports, and tried a powered hub. Same issue in each case. Turned off all features in the app, still no change.

I personally would need an additional amp between the Arc On Ear and my headphones.

Unit was returned because it lacked the power to drive my headphones.

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