[Monsterzero]

Great response, perfectly positions the Aeolus against the Atticus, which is what many will want to know. The big question for me - Aeolus compared to Auteur...

I havent done a proper a/b with these two,but gimme some time and I will get back to you on that....and you dont want me to use tubes,correct?

 

[Phantaminum]

I havent done a proper a/b with these two,but gimme some time and I will get back to you on that....and you dont want me to use tubes,correct?

 

[Bern2]

I havent done a proper a/b with these two,but gimme some time and I will get back to you on that....and you dont want me to use tubes,correct?

I would vote for a SS review.
Bern

 

[Monsterzero]

The big question for me - Aeolus compared to Auteur...

Songs used for this a/b. Locally stored lossless files.















I chose a bakers dozen songs that im quite familiar with and that im very fond of. I also tried to mix up the genres to the best of my musical preferences. Im mainly a rock/metal/blues/trance guy and it shows. For jazz,classical and hip/hop I will let others with more experience chime in. I stay in my lane.
I think this comparison is a bit more complicated than Aeolus vs. Atticus as well,so one or two songs doesnt do this comparison justice IMO.

From the GOTL

Bird of Paradise- The Aeolus sounds more intimate and warmer. The guitar stands out more with more treble presence and detail,and because of this im able to hear/feel the the texture to the bass guitar better on the Auteur. Auteur>Aeolus

Midnight Blues- The opening guitar part comes out real forward and a bit sharp on the Auteur. The same section on the Aeolus is more relaxed and not as prominent. When the bass kicks in around 1:45 the growl is more prominent on the Aeolus. There is def more detail coming from the Auteur. Its close and both sound excellent. Aeolus>Auteur.

Do it Again- The opening bass section is very meaty on the Aelous,less so on the Auteur,but the Auteur its less romantic sounding. A matter of preference. When the vocals kick in the Auteur is cleaner and instruments and percussion have more room to breathe. @2:40 when the keyboards(?) kick in again on the Auteur its more in your face. The added air is a plus on the auteur. The bass lends itself well on the Aeolus. Aeolus=Auteur

Baby,its You- Right off the bat,the Auteur's soundstage sounds wider and deeper. Oddly the height of the stage sounds better on Aeolus. The vocals sound slightly more forward on Auteur. When things get busy around 1:50 both handle the instruments quite well. The Aeolus is def more intimate here. Aeolus>Auteur by a hair.

Four Walls- The bass just growls in the beginning of the song on the Aeolus,but its the Aeolus' undoing around :45. It sounds too busy. The Auteur bass is considerably less but still satisfying,but it slices through the busy parts better. The guitar part around 2:00 def shows off the superior staging of the Auteur. If youre a basshead youll love the Aeolus here,otherwise Auteur>Aeolus.

Static- Surprisingly the drums sound meatier on the Auteur on this one. Who knew. This one isnt close. Auteur>Aeolus.

Gimme Shelter- The opening guitar sounds almost ethereal on the Auteur,warmer on Aeolus. Merry Clayton's breathtaking backing vocals are slightly easier to hone in on with the Aeolus,but not by much. when she belts out @ 2:40 "Rape,Murder" It pops more on the Auteur. Are you confused yet?! Theres no clear winner here but I slightly prefer Aeolus>Auteur.

Burn One Down- The height and depth of the staging is better on the Aeolus,as is the slam on the bongos. The Auteur has a cleaner,tighter sound. But given the context of this song,I picture myself sitting around a campfire at the BurningMan(where I first heard this amazing song years ago) I much prefer the Aeolus>Auteur.

You Never Knew My Mind- Listening to Chris Cornell (RIP) interpret Johnny Cash (RIP) on both headphones made me stop listening critically and just....listen. This song kills me. Auteur is airier and there is more separation,but the warmth of the Aeolus on this track is preferred. Aeolus>Auteur,but both sound brilliant here.

Save Us- There is a better sense of depth and width on the Auteur. The twin guitars sound really good. There is better texture on the guitar on the Aeolus,more chunk if you will. The leading edges of the guitars are better on the Auteur,but the drums have more slam on Aeolus. This one is really a matter of preference of presentation. Cant go wrong on either. Aeolus=Auteur.

Bridges of Fire- Note to myself: Bridges of Fire has MUCH more gain than Save Us! Wow! Okay my ears are recovering. Abbath's croaking is more forward on the Auteur,but the guitar has better texture on the Aeolus. Aeolus>Auteur by a pretty wide margin.

Time Flies- The rumble of the bass line on the Aeolus is much more prominent. I much prefer the guitar on the Auteur here. Again its subjective but im not missing the bass on the Auteur as much as im missing the reverb tone of the guitar on the Aeolus. Auteur>Aeolus.

Slipstream- For a psytrance song Slipstream is mastered rather bass light,and the Aeolus adds some slam to it that the Auteur cant mess with. However the 3D depth of the Auteur is better here vs. Aeolus. Aeolus is more exciting sounding,but for getting lost in this I prefer Auteur>Aeolus.

I realize most of everything I wrote is rather subjective but Im not the type of guy who puts on a pair of headphones and can say with authority " Say Bill these sound great except for that notch at 2.7kHz"

Honestly the Aeolus fared much better than I thought it would.

To boil it down as I hear them....

The Aeolus is warmer,more intimate,with a better sense of height(on a cpl songs that I could notice a difference) and better slam.
I felt the guitar and vocals were more prominent on the Auteur with better 3D imaging and width and separation. Better extension on the highs and detail was superior.

Take from this informal shootout what you will but it boils down to preferences really, and as I said before,given the price difference this was much closer than I anticipated and really puts the Aeolus in a sweet bang for the buck spot....heck I preferred the Aeolus on several tracks. Both are exceptional sounding headphones

If I have time I will redo the shootout on the Gilmore Lite Mk 2 tomorrow.

Hope this helps.

 

[gLer]

Songs used for this a/b. Locally stored lossless files.















I chose a bakers dozen songs that im quite familiar with and that im very fond of. I also tried to mix up the genres. I think this comparison is a bit more complicated than Aeolus vs. Atticus as well.

From the GOTL

Bird of Paradise- The Aeolus sounds more intimate and warmer. The guitar stands out more with more treble presence and detail,and because of this im able to hear/feel the the texture to the bass guitar better on the Auteur. Auteur>Aeolus

Midnight Blues- The opening guitar part comes out real forward and a bit sharp on the Auteur. The same section on the Aeolus is more relaxed and not as prominent. When the bass kicks in around 1:45 the growl is more prominent on the Aeolus. There is def more detail coming from the Auteur. Its close and both sound excellent. Aeolus>Auteur.

Do it Again- The opening bass section is very meaty on the Aelous,less so on the Auteur,but the Auteur its less romantic sounding. A matter of preference. When the vocals kick in the Auteur is cleaner and instruments and percussion have more room to breathe. @2:40 when the keyboards(?) kick in again on the Auteur its more in your face. The added air is a plus on the auteur. The bass lends itself well on the Aeolus. Aeolus=Auteur

Baby,its You- Right off the bat,the Auteur's soundstage sounds wider and deeper. Oddly the height of the stage sounds better on Aeolus. The vocals sound slightly more forward on Auteur. When things get busy around 1:50 both handle the instruments quite well. The Aeolus is def more intimate here. Aeolus>Auteur by a hair.

Four Walls- The bass just growls in the beginning of the song on the Aeolus,but its the Aeolus' undoing around :45. It sounds too busy. The Auteur bass is considerably less but still satisfying,but it slices through the busy parts better. The guitar part around 2:00 def shows off the superior staging of the Auteur. If youre a basshead youll love the Aeolus here,otherwise Auteur>Aeolus.

Static- Surprisingly the drums sound meatier on the Auteur on this one. Who knew. This one isnt close. Auteur>Aeolus.

Gimme Shelter- The opening guitar sounds almost ethereal on the Auteur,warmer on Aeolus. Merry Clayton's breathtaking backing vocals are slightly easier to hone in on with the Aeolus,but not by much. when she belts out @ 2:40 "Rape,Murder" It pops more on the Auteur. Are you confused yet?! Theres no clear winner here but I slightly prefer Aeolus>Auteur.

Burn One Down- The height and depth of the staging is better on the Aeolus,as is the slam on the bongos. The Auteur has a cleaner,tighter sound. But given the context of this song,I picture myself sitting around a campfire at the BurningMan(where I first heard this amazing song years ago) I much prefer the Aeolus>Auteur.

You Never Knew My Mind- Listening to Chris Cornell (RIP) interpret Johnny Cash (RIP) on both headphones made me stop listening critically and just....listen. This song kills me. Auteur is airier and there is more separation,but the warmth of the Aeolus on this track is preferred. Aeolus>Auteur,but both sound brilliant here.

Save Us- There is a better sense of depth and width on the Auteur. The twin guitars sound really good. There is better texture on the guitar on the Aeolus,more chunk if you will. The leading edges of the guitars are better on the Auteur,but the drums have more slam on Aeolus. This one is really a matter of preference of presentation. Cant go wrong on either. Aeolus=Auteur.

Bridges of Fire- Note to myself: Bridges of Fire has MUCH more gain than Save Us! Wow! Okay my ears are recovering. Abbath's croaking is more forward on the Auteur,but the guitar has better texture on the Aeolus. Aeolus>Auteur by a pretty wide margin.

Time Flies- The rumble of the bass line on the Aeolus is much more prominent. I much prefer the guitar on the Auteur here. Again its subjective but im not missing the bass of the Aeolus as much as im missing the reverb tone of the guitar on the Aeolus. Auteur>Aeolus.

Slipstream- For a psytrance song Slipstream is mastered rather bass light,and the Aeolus adds some slam to it that the Auteur cant mess with. However the 3D depth of the Auteur is better here vs. Aeolus. Aeolus is more exciting sounding,but for getting lost in this I prefer Auteur>Aeolus.

I realize most of everything I wrote is rather subjective but Im not the type of guy who puts on a pair of headphones and can say with authority " Say Bill these sound great except for that notch at 2.7kHz"

Honestly the Aeolus fared much better than I thought it would.

To boil it down as I hear them....

The Aeolus is warmer,more intimate,with a better sense of height(on a cpl songs that I could notice a difference) and better slam.
I felt the guitar was more prominent on the Auteur with better 3D imaging and width and separation. Better extension on the highs and detail was superior.

Take from this informal shootout what you will but it boils down to preferences really, and as I said before this was much closer than I anticipated.

If I have time I will redo the shootout on the Gilmore Lite Mk 2 tomorrow.

Hope this helps.

Simply excellent. We need much more content like this on HF! Look forward to impressions with the Gilmore as I’m a SS guy.

 

[felix3650]

@Monsterzero

Excellent impressions. Love that psytrance track
Can you try the Aeolus with this track too? It has enough ambience and articulate effects to put make it or break it with some headphones:

EDIT:
This one too


Thanks!

 

[Monsterzero]

I would vote for a SS review.
Bern

Simply excellent. We need much more content like this on HF! Look forward to impressions with the Gilmore as I’m a SS guy.

@Monsterzero

Excellent impressions. Love that psytrance track
Can you try the Aeolus with this track too? It has enough ambience and articulate effects to put make it or break it with some headphones:

EDIT:
This one too


Thanks!

Per request the Aeolus vs. Auteur via Gilmore Lite Mk 2.
Im going to use the same thirteen tracks as above for continuity sake. I will forgo the Sansui 881 as its quite similar sounding in macro dynamics to my GOTL. I highly suggest vintage receivers to drive ZMF headphones if you cannot afford a big $ dedicated SS headphone amp,or dont want to mess with tubes. For more info on vintage receivers as headphone amps please visit this thread.

Do it Again- Interesting. Theres not much difference in tone here,slightly more warmth to the Aeolus. The Aeolus has more weight to the bass,but neither has thunderous bass. The Auteur sounds cleaner. Auteur>Aeolus for the cleaner sound and not much bass from either set.

Midnight Blues-Both sets give a holographic floaty sound to the opening guitar part. The Aeolus sounds more closed in and slightly more bass weight. The vocals have more air around it on Auteur. The snare rim shots have a little more pop on Auteur. The guitar solo around 3:30 still has more edge to it,and a bit jarring on Auteur. I prefer Aeolus>Auteur for the warmth to guitar.

Bird of Paradise- More bass weight to Aeolus. The vocals are more laidback on Aeolus. On Auteur the "S"s have a bit of sibilance on Auteur. Auteur sounds cleaner @ 1:55 when keyboards kick in Aeolus>Auteur. Me no likey sibilance.

Baby its You- The opening keyboard hook comes from way over from the left on Auteur,not so much on Aeolus. Both have good bass weight,but the staging is much more impressive on the Auteur. Auteur>Aeolus.

Four Walls- The bass weight again goes to the Aeolus,but not to the degree that I was hearing on the GOTL. The busy part isnt a stumbling block like it was on the GOTL for either set. Auteur>Aeolus ever so slightly.

Static-The 3D depth and staging is so much more impressive on the Auteur. Apparently the Aeolus doesnt like Tony Carey. Auteur>Aeolus,again not really close.

Gimme Shelter- The Aeolus def sounds more closed in right from the onset. More bass weight from Aeolus. The differences in the female vocals isnt as pronounced. I had to go back and forth a couple more times on this song vs. others to determine I prefer Aeolus>Auteur here.

Burn One Down- Good bass weight on bongos from both sets,but Aeolus def beefier. Better height staging on Aeolus again. Snares pop much more on Auteur. Apparently Aeolus loves Ben Harper. Aeolus>Auteur by a fairly wide margin.

You Never Knew My Mind- Chris Cornell's hauntingly beautiful vocals have better timbre on Aeolus,but are more forward and better air on Auteur. Electric guitar has better dynamics when they kick in around 1:50 on Auteur. Both sound great but I prefer Aeolus>Auteur simply for the way it portrays the greatest rock singer ever not named Freddie.

Save Us- Aeolus has more bass weight. The Aeolus sounds more closed in,kinda like a small club vs. medium sized hall stage. Im digging the Auteur>Aeolus for wider staging and a better separation between twin guitars.

Bridges of Fire- *Turn volume way down- Better everything across the board for the Aeolus. Apparently Aeolus loves some Abbath.

Time Flies- Bass has more weight on Aeolus. Predictably to me,the differences between the tone of the guitar and reverb isnt as pronounced on SS vs. tubes,because of this and added bass weight I go Aeolus>Auteur.

Slipstream- Everything sounds livlier with more depth on Auteur. On Aeolus female vocals are just kinda there,whereas on Auteur theyre vibrant and more forward. Auteur>Aeolus by a wide margin.

By request- Audio was taken from YouTube links and im not familiar with either song,so a cpl grains of salt can and should be added.

After the Rain- Opening keyboards pop more on Auteur,with better depth as well. Bass weight is solid on both. When bass kicks in at :58 the Auteur handles it better,tighter,cleaner. Auteur>Aeolus.

Shot in the Dark- Either the quality of this link is bad or the mastering isnt that great. Perhaps a combo of both. Bass is a little distorted on both sets. Keyboards have more life on Auteur. Bass is unimpressive on both sets,but again I dont know how this song is supposed to sound. Non decision.

To my ears and my gear I cannot see a situation where I would ever opt for the GLM2 over my GOTL for ZMF headphones. That being said,its not a bad pairing for either per se,its just not as good as the GOTL.

 

[gLer]

Per request the Aeolus vs. Auteur via Gilmore Lite Mk 2.
Im going to use the same thirteen tracks as above for continuity sake. I will forgo the Sansui 881 as its quite similar sounding in macro dynamics to my GOTL. I highly suggest vintage receivers to drive ZMF headphones if you cannot afford a big $ dedicated SS headphone amp. For more info on vintage receivers as headphone amps please visit this thread.

Do it Again- Interesting. Theres not much difference in tone here,slightly more warmth to the Aeolus. The Aeolus has more weight to the bass,but neither has thunderous bass. The Auteur sounds cleaner. Auteur>Aeolus for the cleaner sound and not much bass from either set.

Midnight Blues-Both sets give a holographic floaty sound to the opening guitar part. The Aeolus sounds more closed in and slightly more bass weight. The vocals have more air around it on Auteur. The snare rim shots have a little more pop on Auteur. The guitar solo around 3:30 still has more edge to it,and a bit jarring on Auteur. I prefer Aeolus>Auteur for the warmth to guitar.

Bird of Paradise- More bass weight to Aeolus. The vocals are more laidback on Aeolus. On Auteur the "S"s have a bit of sibilance on Auteur. Auteur sounds cleaner @ 1:55 when keyboards kick in Aeolus>Auteur. Me no likey sibilance.

Baby its You- The opening keyboard hook comes from way over from the left on Auteur,not so much on Aeolus. Both have good bass weight,but the staging is much more impressive on the Auteur. Auteur>Aeolus.

Four Walls- The bass weight again goes to the Aeolus,but not to the degree that I was hearing on the GOTL. The busy part isnt a stumbling block like it was on the GOTL for either set. Auteur>Aeolus ever so slightly.

Static-The 3D depth and staging is so much more impressive on the Auteur. Apparently the Aeolus doesnt like Tony Carey. Auteur>Aeolus,again not really close.

Gimme Shelter- The Aeolus def sounds more closed in right from the onset. More bass weight from Aeolus. The differences in the female vocals isnt as pronounced. I had to go back and forth a couple more times on this song vs. others to determine I prefer Aeolus>Auteur here.

Burn One Down- Good bass weight on bongos from both sets,but Aeolus def beefier. Better height staging on Aeolus again. Snares pop much more on Auteur. Apparently Aeolus loves Ben Harper. Aeolus>Auteur by a fairly wide margin.

You Never Knew My Mind- Chris Cornell's hauntingly beautiful vocals have better timbre on Aeolus,but are more forward and better air on Auteur. Electric guitar has better dynamics when they kick in around 1:50 on Auteur. Both sound great but I prefer Aeolus>Auteur simply for the way it portrays the greatest rock singer ever not named Freddie.

Save Us- Aeolus has more bass weight. The Aeolus sounds more closed in,kinda like a small club vs. medium sized hall stage. Im digging the Auteur>Aeolus for wider staging and a better separation between twin guitars.

Bridges of Fire- *Turn volume way down- Better everything across the board for the Aeolus. Apparently Aeolus loves some Abbath.



Time Flies- Bass has more weight on Aeolus. Predictably to me,the differences between the tone of the guitar and reverb isnt as pronounced on SS vs. tubes,because of this and added bass weight I go Aeolus>Auteur.

Slipstream- Everything sounds livlier with more depth on Auteur. On Aeolus female vocals are just kinda there,whereas on Auteur theyre vibrant and more forward. Auteur>Aeolus by a wide margin.

By request- Audio was taken from YouTube links and im not familiar with either song,so a cpl grains salt can and should be added.

After the Rain- Opening keyboards pop more on Auteur,with better depth as well. Bass weight is solid on both. When bass kicks in at :58 the Auteur handles it better,tighter,cleaner. Auteur>Aeolus.

Shot in the Dark- Either the quality of this link is bad or the mastering isnt that great. Perhaps a combo of both. Bass is a little distorted on both sets. Keyboards have more life on Auteur. Bass is unimpressive on both sets,but again I dont know how this song is supposed to sound. Non decision.

To my ears and my gear I cannot see a situation where I would ever opt for the GLM2 over my GOTL for ZMF headphones. That being said,its not a bad pairing for either per se,its just not as good as the GOTL.

Thanks for this @Monsterzero. Akeaysca pleasure to read your impressions. I’ll remember this if I decide to get back to tubes one day. Until then I’ll just have to endure the ZMFs on lesser equipment

 

[Monsterzero]

Thanks for this @Monsterzero. Akeaysca pleasure to read your impressions. I’ll remember this if I decide to get back to tubes one day. Until then I’ll just have to endure the ZMFs on lesser equipment

Grab a bright-ish vintage receiver,Yamaha,Sony,Pioneer,Akai for a cpl hundred bucks and youre getting 99% of the bass slam that you would on a good OTL. The brightness will match well with the Aeolus' inherent warmth. You wont get as much 3D imaging and perhaps detail retrieval but for a fraction of the price,and no hassling with tubes a receiver will get you about 94% there. For reference I'd give the GLM2 pairing with both sets about 65-70% of what im hearing from the GOTL.

 

[felix3650]

By request- Audio was taken from YouTube links and im not familiar with either song,so a cpl grains salt can and should be added.

After the Rain- Opening keyboards pop more on Auteur,with better depth as well. Bass weight is solid on both. When bass kicks in at :58 the Auteur handles it better,tighter,cleaner. Auteur>Aeolus.

Shot in the Dark- Either the quality of this link is bad or the mastering isnt that great. Perhaps a combo of both. Bass is a little distorted on both sets. Keyboards have more life on Auteur. Bass is unimpressive on both sets,but again I dont know how this song is supposed to sound. Non decision

The first one, as 99% of psy/trance music is digitally produced in high quality.
The second song is a CD master (DR compressed), so yeah, not the best of it. I have an 24/192 LP rip (got it digitalised by a friend who's a fan of the band) which sounds more clear and defined. Plus youtube quality plays a good part in it too.
Again thanks for the impressions

 

[xenithon]

Thank you for the incredibly insightful impressions, including the comparisons across amp types.

I am also quite interest in how the Aeolus changes with pad swapping. I ask only because I noted marked differences in the Auteur when swapping pads, and wondering if the Aeolus is similar in terms of being able to tweak the sound with pads (e.g., add a little more air and soundstage width to counter the inherent warmth and potential thickness).

 

[Monsterzero]

Thank you for the incredibly insightful impressions, including the comparisons across amp types.

I am also quite interest in how the Aeolus changes with pad swapping. I ask only because I noted marked differences in the Auteur when swapping pads, and wondering if the Aeolus is similar in terms of being able to tweak the sound with pads (e.g., add a little more air and soundstage width to counter the inherent warmth and potential thickness).

I have been told that the Verite pads on the Aeolus makes it sound more neutral,not sure how it will change the staging though. I havent tried it yet but I intend to do so before I have to send these back to Zach at the end of the week.
Stay tuned.

 

[Mizicke5273]

http://www.zmfheadphones.com/zmf-originals/aeolus-ltd

Grille's in polished silver/aluminum and brass available for the Ziricote version. Not in yet though, will post pics when they are done.

Any update on the pics of the Aeolus LTD with the silver/aluminum or brass parts?

 

[zach915m]

Any update on the pics of the Aeolus LTD with the silver/aluminum or brass parts?

Should have pictures sometime in December, finishing all the production parts now!

 

[Mizicke5273]

So there would still be time to adjust our order if we decide one of the other options look better?