[zach915m]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to chime in and say that I am happy to become an Aeolus owner as well!
Having been out of the game for some time (bought an AK240 and JH audio CIEMs and called it back in 2015), I wanted to upgrade my desktop audio for my home-office setup. After reading a lot about ZMF, the quality, the sound, and the warranty - I was sold.

I am lucky enough to have a great dealer nearby here in Switzerland that just got the demo in.
Even with the lockdown I had the option to demo the set and decide afterwards (which is great!).
I will be picking one up once their normal stock arrives, and from what I heard so far I am loving the sound.

They also offered me to buy this set, but somehow I cannot get over the small imperfections that this one has (only looks, the sound is great).
The "AE" seems to be smudged into something else, and the left pad already had a weird mark on it when it came new out of the box in the store (see pictures, can this be a B-stock model?). I hope this will not be an issue with the new ones that they receive...

Anyway, I love the sound and can't wait for my complete order to arrive (upgraded 4-wire copper cable, ZMF stand, etc.).

I had a demo unit from the German zmf dealer. It was not perfect also. The grill was not perfectly fitted. I think it was a b-stock unit they use as a demo unit. It was an older model like yours. New Aeolus are shipped with a different kind of stock pads with tighter stitching. Those on your demo unit are universe pads, not the new Aeolus pads.

My new aeolus was perfect no flaws at all. Zmf has a strict quality control for every set they make. So don't worry, enjoy waiting for your personal master piece

The demo units that our dealers in EU get are provided to them when they first become a ZMF dealer to help necessitate demos and tours. They are usually b stock units and them they get used quite a bit. We just got a few back from a dealer after around a year of use and they were definitely a bit of a mess!

Anyways yes the demo units in EU from most of our dealers are b-stock units, they are not supposed to use the new units as demo's and have them used before they are bought, but ofcourse that's up to them. If you ever have an issue with a headphone you get from a dealer you can always email us directly if the dealer is unsure what's going on etc.

And yes K55 is our dealer now in Switzerland! We're excited to be working with them!

 

[JCANs]

The demo units that our dealers in EU get are provided to them when they first become a ZMF dealer to help necessitate demos and tours. They are usually b stock units and them they get used quite a bit. We just got a few back from a dealer after around a year of use and they were definitely a bit of a mess!

Anyways yes the demo units in EU from most of our dealers are b-stock units, they are not supposed to use the new units as demo's and have them used before they are bought, but ofcourse that's up to them. If you ever have an issue with a headphone you get from a dealer you can always email us directly if the dealer is unsure what's going on etc.

And yes K55 is our dealer now in Switzerland! We're excited to be working with them!

Thanks for the reply, Zach!
I can only imagine how great the stock models are going to look, as the one that I saw/enjoyed was already a beauty.

I am also very happy with K55 being a ZMF dealer (it is a great local shop)!
Even though I am already happy with the Aeolus, I am pretty sure that more ZMFs will follow!
I still need a closed-back at some point...

For anyone wondering about the weight... I consider myself quite the power user as I am using the headset while working at home.
This means that I am using the Aeolus for quite some time every day. After the first few days I did notice that it was a bit heavier than my HD700 (which is not hard), but now I do not even notice it anymore (the comfort is great!).

 

[JCANs]

I'm sure the Elise is a very good amp, but I hope that you are aware that the temptation to go down the tubes rabbit hole will probably cost you a lot of money. It's not a cheap amp and the tubes are very expensive.

Appreciate the "warning," but no worries - I am far from buying a new amp at this point.
The cost of tubes is indeed something I need to look at properly before ever buying one of those amps.
I think that I am most worried about my "usage," as my solid-state amp is running at least 8-9 hours a day (the Ifi stack is holding up nicely).

I am not sure if this would be good with a tube amp and costs associated with new tubes...

Edit: added a picture to share my Sunday goodness... coffee and the Aeolus... (disclaimer: the machine was not on yet, I cannot endanger the poor ZMF)...

 

[YtseJamer]

Appreciate the "warning," but no worries - I am far from buying a new amp at this point.
The cost of tubes is indeed something I need to look at properly before ever buying one of those amps.
I think that I am most worried about my "usage," as my solid-state amp is running at least 8-9 hours a day (the Ifi stack is holding up nicely).

I will receive the new Schiit Jotunheim 2 ($399) in the next couple of weeks, so if you want, I can let you know if it's a good amp for the Aeolus. The bar is high, because for my tastes the Liquid Platinum is perfect with the Aeolus.

 

[Renexx]

Once you start the tube game you will lose alot of money while increasing your tube collection.

I never believed in tubes before I tried it myself. You will love the increased soundstage, lush mids and soft treble. It's really a wet sound and has a nice synergy with Zmf headphones.
After changing tubes it feels like you just bought a new amp that's awesome.

Still eagerly waiting for my Zmf Vérité in desert ironwood to be shipped so I can enjoy it on the euforia
Hopefully that will be my personal endgame.

 

[JCANs]

I will receive the new Schiit Jotunheim 2 ($399) in the next couple of weeks, so if you want, I can let you know if it's a good amp for the Aeolus. The bar is high, because for my tastes the Liquid Platinum is perfect with the Aeolus.

Sure thing, that would be great!

 

[InstantSilence]

Which zmf headphones have the easiest listening experience, no treble peaks, no upper mids, lower treble shoutyness? Don't want much bass, I do want forward vocals if possible.
Yet still has high resolution and clarity

 

[YtseJamer]

Which zmf headphones have the easiest listening experience, no treble peaks, no upper mids, lower treble shoutyness? Don't want much bass, I do want forward vocals if possible.
Yet still has high resolution and clarity

The Aeolus with the Universe suede perforated pads.

 

[InstantSilence]

The Aeolus with the Universe suede perforated pads.

Would you describe its signature please?
Does resolution take a big hit?

 

[YtseJamer]

Would you describe its signature please?

 

[InstantSilence]

Is the Atticus a lot different? Does it compromise a lot compared to this Aeolus?

 

[YtseJamer]

Is the Atticus a lot different? Does it compromise a lot compared to this Aeolus?

 

[InstantSilence]

The Atticus looks like it leaks a lot of sound, so it's semi open?
But the Aeolus is wide open.

 

[stevehecht]

Hearing many people saying how great a synergy the LP has with the Aeolus.

What specific things do you think it brings out of the Aeolus that other amps seem to miss?

I realize that this is probably a tired subject for many by now, but I am trying to figure out whether to upgrade my Vali2 with the Lyr3 or the Liquid Platinum in the context of powering a soon-to-be-acquired Aeolus. My impression from reading so far is that they are each an excellent choice with one or the other having slight advantages in one area or another.

Of course the overall sound quality is my primary consideration, but all things aural being (more-or-less) equal I would want to go with the Lyr3 because I am very comfortable with the signature of the Vali2 and supposedly the Lyr3 runs in the same groove but much improved all the way around. Also I would also prefer the Lyr3 because it runs on one tube instead of the LP's two, and cost and storage of tube options becomes an issue. A few words of wisdom from some of you will suffice. FloydCouncil and a couple of others have already offered their insights about this, so thank you. (BTW, I am still considering the Tuba amp that ProfFalkin recommends.)

 

[Nick-s-f]

Is Universe Perforated Suede generally considered the go-to pad for Aeolus?

I ask because my Aeolus was among the pre-order batch from 2 years ago (received Feburary 2019). They had the stock pads but I only listened to them for a few hours and put them away, I then proceeded to use Atticus or Eikon for all of my listening while Aeolus sat unused those 2 years.

I considered selling them for some time until I watched Metal571's Aeolus review recently; he mentioned the Universe Perforated Suede pads as a neutral alternative. I took a chance and ordered them. Once they arrived, I first listened to Aeolus with the stock pads and figured out why I didn't like them..the stock pads put a veil or restriction over the sound that I just cannot get over.

Okay...then I put on the Uni.Perf.Suedes and gave a short listen..it didn't take long for things to finally make sense. The restricted sound was gone and what is left is exactly what all the hyped reviews (especially Zeos) were talking about. This is now probably the most transparent headphone I've ever heard, it is just so clear and engaging and commands your attention to the music..but it never hurts you. It reminds me a LOT of the Campfire Andromeda, but is more visually pleasing, less bright and less amp picky.

This hp went from disliked to number 1 in my collection all because of the pad change, it made that much difference....am I crazy?!