[Kevintj604]

I haven't heard vo or vc but have listened to enough high end cans to now know if someone tells me a or b is much much better than these ...well... thats just your opinion jack

I own both an Aeolus as well as a VC and I'd never use the word "better" to describe one vs another.

Both are different enough to own in a collection and although they display the signature ZMF house sound they both share strengths and weaknesses that make them unique in the market.

I agree with most of the shared sentiments in this thread that Aeolus is a gem in ZMF's lineup. I've owned three separate units and i've now landed on the one that I'll keep for life. Timbre is one of the attributes that I index for the most in a headphone along with bass response and Cocobolo has the best tonality, attack & speed from the three that I've owned.

 

[FiGuY1017]

The more I listen to these the more they remind me of a meaty susvara. They are full bodied yet precise. I think I agree, these are keepers for life

 

[Dawgfish]

I own both an Aeolus as well as a VC and I'd never use the word "better" to describe one vs another.

Both are different enough to own in a collection and although they display the signature ZMF house sound they both share strengths and weaknesses that make them unique in the market.

I agree with most of the shared sentiments in this thread that Aeolus is a gem in ZMF's lineup. I've owned three separate units and i've now landed on the one that I'll keep for life. Timbre is one of the attributes that I index for the most in a headphone along with bass response and Cocobolo has the best tonality, attack & speed from the three that I've owned.

I feel the same way about my VO and Aeolus, and quite frankly all of the ZMFs. They all bring something to the table and all have their own unique strengths. The ZMF house sound is perfectly in line with my preferences. Zach and crew have done a superb job developing their lineup.

 

[ardbeg1975]

• I say high impedance because there are a few OTL tube h/p/a with low output impedance. For example, Schiit Valhalla II and Linear Tube Audio MZ3. Both are wonderful with ZMFs - with amazing clarity via the MZ3.
• The high(er) output impedance OTL h/p/a - such as Woo WA2 and WA3 - have a lower ‘damping factor’ with the ZMFs and have that extra ‘release energy’ .

This might be heresy but I think I prefer the VC and Aeolus more with the Folkvangr than the MZ3 despite the excellence of the MZ3. (Sadly), the MZ3 lost the cage match with the 300B amp and was released to a now (I hope) very happy second owner. I could not justify (in my own head nor could my desk accommodate) owning two OTL amps.

 

[FiGuY1017]

Just got the universe suede I guess I'm in the minority, much prefer the perf lambskin

 

[VanHai]

Just got the universe suede I guess I'm in the minority, much prefer the perf lambskin

I am not sure what is the ratio, but there are a lot of people who prefer perf lambskin over suede. My Aeolus have perf lambskin but modded.

 

[FiGuY1017]

I mean they sound good but they don't have the same fun sound, which if I want a more neutral signature I listen to Susvara

 

[DenverW]

Just got the universe suede I guess I'm in the minority, much prefer the perf lambskin

I’m the same, not because I don’t like the suede (I do!) but because I like the differences in sound between the eikon suedes on the auteur vs the lambskin on the Aeolus. With suede on both they’re closer.

 

[PankajBihari]

Just got the universe suede I guess I'm in the minority, much prefer the perf lambskin

Guess I'm in that minority too, because I feel the same. It brings such a nice contrast to the rest of my gear.

 

[Mhog55]

How power hungry are these cans? I've moved to daps only, and have been quite interested in the Aeolus for a while now. Is roughly 700mw enough to push these to full potential, or is something closer to a full watt a better fit? Are they more or less difficult to drive than the HD 650?

 

[ardbeg1975]

700mW should be more than enough,

 

[jinxy245]

I'm always wary of ratings, how they're measured, 700mW into how many ohms, peak or RMS etc. etc. It can definitely depend upon the amp IMO. According to Zach that output should be more than enough though (IIRC 200 mW into 50 ohms is enough juice).

 

[Mhog55]

I'm always wary of ratings, how they're measured, 700mW into how many ohms, peak or RMS etc. etc. It can definitely depend upon the amp IMO. According to Zach that output should be more than enough though (IIRC 200 mW into 50 ohms is enough juice).

700 into 32 ohm. I get it, ratings and measurements can be tricky, just trying to get an general idea of what it takes to push these without under driving them.

 

[ardbeg1975]

700 into 32 ohm. I get it, ratings and measurements can be tricky, just trying to get an general idea of what it takes to push these without under driving them.

Ok, more specifically, most ZMFs as I recall hit driver saturation at ~350-400 mW so if you can push 200-300 mW into 300 ohms that should be plenty.

 

[Deceneu808]

How power hungry are these cans? I've moved to daps only, and have been quite interested in the Aeolus for a while now. Is roughly 700mw enough to push these to full potential, or is something closer to a full watt a better fit? Are they more or less difficult to drive than the HD 650?

I've used these for many months with a BTR5 with great success. 700mw should be more than enough. You'd be surprised but for normal listening sessions you only draw a few tens of mw. It should get your feet tapping no problems