[canfabulous]

Ltd Aeolus' might just be the prettiest headphones in existence. Especially with rose gold hardware. That burl wood just looks amazing. Not that I don't love my regular ones, but had I been able to choose, I'd have gone with the Ltd ones.

@canfabulous

I absolutely recommend getting universe suede perforated pads. The comfort goes up another notch, and the sound is great. It's just enough to give your brains some variation, without losing the Aeolus essence. You might like the sound more, or you might prefer the stock form more - either way it's absolutely worth it to have them. You might not find them from EU dealers right now (I think there might be a pair at ark audio) but ordering directly from ZMF shouldn't be a problem. I think they use FedEx to ship intl orders for now, so it shouldn't take forever to get there. It's less than $100 for basically a whole other pair of headphones, like Aeolus 1.1 or something.

Thanks - I think the universe suede perf pads seem to be a must buy. I’ll do some searching to see if I can track down within the EU first to minimise shipping charges.

 

[canfabulous]

My Aeolus arrived yesterday. I was lucky to get it from a dealer in Europe so I did not have to wait at all. By the way thanks to Stefan from headphoneauditions.nl who patiently helped me in choosing Aeolus as I had no chance to audition beforehand. Also thanks to everyone who contributed to this topic.
Coming from my time with HD800S first impressions were mixed yesterday as I was not ready for the amount of bass. Anyway this is normal as I always take some time to adjust and appreciate new gear. I already started to feel like I am getting used to the overall presentation today and it is clearly at a different level when it comes to invoking emotions when I listen to my favored tracks.

Lastly they are absolutely georgous, much better in real life imo.

They are lovely - hope you enjoy them!

 

[canfabulous]

I recently got two cables for my Aeolus from SkyAudioCables at ebay (uk based). They're affordable, but still extremely high quality, and their customer service is incredible. Can't recommend them enough!

(Edit: Here's a link for the ebay item: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Custom-Hea...805081?hash=item2865b138d9:g:nB8AAOSwdYFeqy9R - note that you can msg them for more options for a more custom order, they are happy to help with anything!)

You can also msg them on ebay for even more customization for your order (specific brand connectors, colours not in the chart etc.).

These are the cables I got; 4 meter balanced XLR and 1.5 meter SE 3.5mm half-sleeved.



Both cables are extraordinarily light, tangle-free and the very opposite of stiff. There's also no microphonics issue like I've had with OIDIO cables. I've been thoroughly impressed by both the level of support and quality of work from SkyAudio. I honestly think their work easily competes with much more expensive options. I even changed my mind in the middle of them making one of the cables, and they happily started over to accommodate my wishes and make sure I got exactly what I wanted. On top of that, I received my cables within days instead of weeks or months. You can probably tell it was a good experience.

Thanks very much - I’m checking them out and will probably order a cable - the prices seem reasonable.

 

[Natarian]

For my personal taste, I did not really like the sound of the universe perf lambs (stock) but really enjoy Verite Perf and Universe Perf Suedes.

 

[Natarian]

Technically there is no such pad, and it's actually a suede BE-2, as Bevin informed me. They're excellent on the Aeolus IMO. They kind of turn them into a junior Verite Open. For me they make it more neutral and detailed as they do on the Verite vs. the Universe suede.

Which would you say you enjoy more on the Aeolus, the BE2 Suede or the Universe Perf Suede? Is it worth getting both?

 

[robo24]

Which would you say you enjoy more on the Aeolus, the BE2 Suede or the Universe Perf Suede? Is it worth getting both?

Definitely the Universe ones. I'm probably the wrong person to ask because I have every suede incarnation and would probably say get them all! Realistically though, the BE-2 is the only other one I use on them so it makes a good 2nd choice, especially if you don't do leather. I don't, so can't really comment on them in comparison.

 

[Marlowe]

I was really lucky in that the UK based dealer for ZMF had a pair in stock - I had them in my hands 28 hours after my wallet took the hit!

That hardly seems fair--the wait seems a required component of the initiation to ZMF. Today marked exactly seven weeks since I placed my Aeolus order and it hasn't changed its status on the production sheet for about five. Though I have moved from around forty on the list to six, though for some inexplicable reason I dropped to seven this afternoon LOL. (I'm a naturally obsessive person and since I'm retired and live alone I have a lot of time to obsess, really no more or less now than before Covid-19. Not really complaining since I was well aware of the wait before I ordered. But I'd be lying if I said I was not really anxious to finally get my hands on the Aeolus.)

 

[canfabulous]

That hardly seems fair--the wait seems a required component of the initiation to ZMF. Today marked exactly seven weeks since I placed my Aeolus order and it hasn't changed its status on the production sheet for about five. Though I have moved from around forty on the list to six, though for some inexplicable reason I dropped to seven this afternoon LOL. (I'm a naturally obsessive person and since I'm retired and live alone I have a lot of time to obsess, really no more or less now than before Covid-19. Not really complaining since I was well aware of the wait before I ordered. But I'd be lying if I said I was not really anxious to finally get my hands on the Aeolus.)

Haha, if I could share with you whilst you wait, I would.

 

[smoothb0re]

I think I might have my holy grail of comfort here. The perf suede pads are just incredibly nice. My only slight gripe is how my comfort strap is either a little too long or too stretched out, as my head seems to hit the actual headband more and more (I have a friend who's strap doesn't do this and there's a lot more space left between the strap and headband, so I assume mine just got stretched a lot somehow). It's a real shame, as without that minor issue, these would be literal perfection to me. I've kept the strap out of the way when hanging them on the stand, so that shouldn't be the reason for this.

Would @zach915m have a suggestion or solution for this? I thought of making new holes for the strap, but I don't know if that'd be a good idea as I don't have the tools to work leather, plus the strap seems pretty stretched around the connection points. I'm sort of scared I'll ruin it and be stuck with nothing. Do I need to, like, order a new strap? I assume changing it wouldn't be too difficult. I previously figured I'd like a suede strap, but didn't see any straps for sale back then. It's not a huge deal at all, but fixing it would make 'em literally perfect comfort wise.

On a completely different note, I gotta give ZMF some serious credit. I had big expectations when I made the decision to switch from years of big Audeze and Hifiman planars to ZMF dynamics, but honestly I've still been blown away. Not only by the products, but how the company does things. They haven't lost that passion we all have, or sold their souls on the corporate altar - instead they genuinely seem to care about us customers, and the community as a whole. That's a pretty big deal, and not something that should be taken for granted. Things like their genuine and warm community interaction, and the way they go about their warranty make them a rare gem in our world. Please never change!

I hesitate to call the Aeolus my "endgame" for one reason - I plan on getting more ZMF headphones to add my little collection. I just got to hear a Verite C and Eikon, and I don't think I can not have them in my life to complement the lovely Aeolus. It'll take a while until I can make the purchase with how things are now, but good things are worth waiting for! On top of that, I feel ZMF have earned my loyalty at this point, and I definitely want to support them in the future.

 

[ProfFalkin]

I think I might have my holy grail of comfort here. The perf suede pads are just incredibly nice. My only slight gripe is how my comfort strap is either a little too long or too stretched out, as my head seems to hit the actual headband more and more (I have a friend who's strap doesn't do this and there's a lot more space left between the strap and headband, so I assume mine just got stretched a lot somehow). It's a real shame, as without that minor issue, these would be literal perfection to me. I've kept the strap out of the way when hanging them on the stand, so that shouldn't be the reason for this.

Would @zach915m have a suggestion or solution for this? I thought of making new holes for the strap, but I don't know if that'd be a good idea as I don't have the tools to work leather, plus the strap seems pretty stretched around the connection points. I'm sort of scared I'll ruin it and be stuck with nothing. Do I need to, like, order a new strap? I assume changing it wouldn't be too difficult. I previously figured I'd like a suede strap, but didn't see any straps for sale back then. It's not a huge deal at all, but fixing it would make 'em literally perfect comfort wise.

On a completely different note, I gotta give ZMF some serious credit. I had big expectations when I made the decision to switch from years of big Audeze and Hifiman planars to ZMF dynamics, but honestly I've still been blown away. Not only by the products, but how the company does things. They haven't lost that passion we all have, or sold their souls on the corporate altar - instead they genuinely seem to care about us customers, and the community as a whole. That's a pretty big deal, and not something that should be taken for granted. Things like their genuine and warm community interaction, and the way they go about their warranty make them a rare gem in our world. Please never change!

I hesitate to call the Aeolus my "endgame" for one reason - I plan on getting more ZMF headphones to add my little collection. I just got to hear a Verite C and Eikon, and I don't think I can not have them in my life to complement the lovely Aeolus. It'll take a while until I can make the purchase with how things are now, but good things are worth waiting for! On top of that, I feel ZMF have earned my loyalty at this point, and I definitely want to support them in the future.

The strap is held in by two screws. You can loosen the screws and pull the strap tight.

 

[smoothb0re]

The strap is held in by two screws. You can loosen the screws and pull the strap tight.

I know, yes. It is as tight as it can be without trying to make new holes.

 

[canfabulous]

I think I might have my holy grail of comfort here. The perf suede pads are just incredibly nice. My only slight gripe is how my comfort strap is either a little too long or too stretched out, as my head seems to hit the actual headband more and more (I have a friend who's strap doesn't do this and there's a lot more space left between the strap and headband, so I assume mine just got stretched a lot somehow). It's a real shame, as without that minor issue, these would be literal perfection to me. I've kept the strap out of the way when hanging them on the stand, so that shouldn't be the reason for this.

Would @zach915m have a suggestion or solution for this? I thought of making new holes for the strap, but I don't know if that'd be a good idea as I don't have the tools to work leather, plus the strap seems pretty stretched around the connection points. I'm sort of scared I'll ruin it and be stuck with nothing. Do I need to, like, order a new strap? I assume changing it wouldn't be too difficult. I previously figured I'd like a suede strap, but didn't see any straps for sale back then. It's not a huge deal at all, but fixing it would make 'em literally perfect comfort wise.

On a completely different note, I gotta give ZMF some serious credit. I had big expectations when I made the decision to switch from years of big Audeze and Hifiman planars to ZMF dynamics, but honestly I've still been blown away. Not only by the products, but how the company does things. They haven't lost that passion we all have, or sold their souls on the corporate altar - instead they genuinely seem to care about us customers, and the community as a whole. That's a pretty big deal, and not something that should be taken for granted. Things like their genuine and warm community interaction, and the way they go about their warranty make them a rare gem in our world. Please never change!

I hesitate to call the Aeolus my "endgame" for one reason - I plan on getting more ZMF headphones to add my little collection. I just got to hear a Verite C and Eikon, and I don't think I can not have them in my life to complement the lovely Aeolus. It'll take a while until I can make the purchase with how things are now, but good things are worth waiting for! On top of that, I feel ZMF have earned my loyalty at this point, and I definitely want to support them in the future.

Hope you manage to get the strap issue sorted. I think it’s part of what comes with a hand made product - I think I may need a new metal filter on my right ear cup as it’s slightly bent so sometimes pops in and out as I put the headphones on and then move (minor issue - maybe I can fix it...)

What did you think of the verite C compared to your Aeolus? (I think that’s where I am going next).

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Removed the little stopping screws. Screws were starting to eat some of the wood and make the channel longer.

Anyone removed the bop mesh filters? My ears touch against it with verite pads and is annoying to hear it flexing every now and then. Universal suede's give enough space where it doesn't touch, but I think I lean towards the verite pads.

Any update on how it's been without those stopping screws? Any over-extension incidents or all good?

 

[Klmahnn]

I think I might have my holy grail of comfort here. The perf suede pads are just incredibly nice. My only slight gripe is how my comfort strap is either a little too long or too stretched out, as my head seems to hit the actual headband more and more (I have a friend who's strap doesn't do this and there's a lot more space left between the strap and headband, so I assume mine just got stretched a lot somehow). It's a real shame, as without that minor issue, these would be literal perfection to me. I've kept the strap out of the way when hanging them on the stand, so that shouldn't be the reason for this.

Would @zach915m have a suggestion or solution for this? I thought of making new holes for the strap, but I don't know if that'd be a good idea as I don't have the tools to work leather, plus the strap seems pretty stretched around the connection points. I'm sort of scared I'll ruin it and be stuck with nothing. Do I need to, like, order a new strap? I assume changing it wouldn't be too difficult. I previously figured I'd like a suede strap, but didn't see any straps for sale back then. It's not a huge deal at all, but fixing it would make 'em literally perfect comfort wise.

On a completely different note, I gotta give ZMF some serious credit. I had big expectations when I made the decision to switch from years of big Audeze and Hifiman planars to ZMF dynamics, but honestly I've still been blown away. Not only by the products, but how the company does things. They haven't lost that passion we all have, or sold their souls on the corporate altar - instead they genuinely seem to care about us customers, and the community as a whole. That's a pretty big deal, and not something that should be taken for granted. Things like their genuine and warm community interaction, and the way they go about their warranty make them a rare gem in our world. Please never change!

I hesitate to call the Aeolus my "endgame" for one reason - I plan on getting more ZMF headphones to add my little collection. I just got to hear a Verite C and Eikon, and I don't think I can not have them in my life to complement the lovely Aeolus. It'll take a while until I can make the purchase with how things are now, but good things are worth waiting for! On top of that, I feel ZMF have earned my loyalty at this point, and I definitely want to support them in the future.

I had this issue when I bent the headband into more of a V shape to avoid a hotspot on the top of my head.

What should work is if you bend the headband to make it as flat as possible instead and then adjust the rods to get a tighter fit. This pulls more on the strap as you’re putting them on your head and puts more distance between it and the headband and actually works better for avoiding a hotspot.

 

[smoothb0re]

I don't want to start bending stuff just to realize I screwed up the perfect fit they have for me. If nothing else works, I'll try to get a local leather worker to make a new strap for me. Whatever the case may be, I'll wait for @zach915m to weigh in before I decide what to do.