[Wildcatsare1]

How many hours the Aeolus need for burn-in ?
i got my pair yesterday , and it sound muffled , boomy , veiled , even my HD660 sound way clearer
not sure if this is burn-ing issue or if i had a bad pair.

Do you have access to a better tube amp than the Crack?

 

[GU1DO]

Do you have access to a better tube amp than the Crack?

i am playing them on solid state amps ,, the Audio gd C2 and the XI Audio Formula S

 

[GU1DO]

even if i cover the cup side , there is no effect on sound ,, really they sound closed all the time

 

[Wildcatsare1]

i am playing them on solid state amps ,, the Audio gd C2 and the XI Audio Formula S

Being 300ohm, the low ohm output of solid state amps can leave the impression of a bit of midrange suckout.

 

[GU1DO]

Being 300ohm, the low ohm output of solid state amps can leave the impression of a bit of midrange suckout.

they dont get better after burn-in ?
i dont think its an amp issue , i have 2000ohm headphones and they dont sound muffled or veiled on my amps.
i will try them on the crack and lets see how they sound.

 

[ProfFalkin]

I own the Eikon, Auteur, Aeolus, and Verite. I have owned the Atticus, Vibro mk2, and Ori*.

Every single one benefited from burn in. Some more than others. The ones that benefit the most, in order, would be Verite >>>> Aeolus / Atticus > Auteur > Ori > Eikon >> Vibro.**

* Back when it was still the Omni.
** This is an opinion based on my experience. Ymmv. Remove all objects from ear canal before use. Consult a doctor before discontinuing use of Aeolus. Try perforated suede pads if you experience rash, blisters, trouble breathing, or muffled sounds while using Aeolus. Do not swallow or ingest Aeolus. Topical use only.

 

[itsikhefez]

I own the Eikon, Auteur, Aeolus, and Verite. I have owned the Atticus, Vibro mk2, and Ori*.

Every single one benefited from burn in. Some more than others. The ones that benefit the most, in order, would be Verite >>>> Aeolus / Atticus > Auteur > Ori > Eikon >> Vibro.**

Which ZMF headphone would you recommend complements the Aeolus the most ? My other headphone at home is the HD650 and I still go back to it occasionally, although Aeolus gets most of the head time.
I’ve had the HD800S in the past and they were a bit too thin for me. Preferred genres are all types of Rock (classic, alt, grunge, punk etc)

 

[ewwgin]

Which ZMF headphone would you recommend complements the Aeolus the most ? My other headphone at home is the HD650 and I still go back to it occasionally, although Aeolus gets most of the head time.
I’ve had the HD800S in the past and they were a bit too thin for me. Preferred genres are all types of Rock (classic, alt, grunge, punk etc)

I am curious about this as well. Thinking of getting either an Auteur or a Verite to complement my Aeolus in the future.

 

[GU1DO]

I own the Eikon, Auteur, Aeolus, and Verite. I have owned the Atticus, Vibro mk2, and Ori*.

Every single one benefited from burn in. Some more than others. The ones that benefit the most, in order, would be Verite >>>> Aeolus / Atticus > Auteur > Ori > Eikon >> Vibro.**

* Back when it was still the Omni.
** This is an opinion based on my experience. Ymmv. Remove all objects from ear canal before use. Consult a doctor before discontinuing use of Aeolus. Try perforated suede pads if you experience rash, blisters, trouble breathing, or muffled sounds while using Aeolus. Do not swallow or ingest Aeolus. Topical use only.

Thats good to hear because i can't believe that my HD6XX/660 have better resolution ,,
so my question was how long it need before i judge the sound ?

 

[ProfFalkin]

Which ZMF headphone would you recommend complements the Aeolus the most ? My other headphone at home is the HD650 and I still go back to it occasionally, although Aeolus gets most of the head time.
I’ve had the HD800S in the past and they were a bit too thin for me. Preferred genres are all types of Rock (classic, alt, grunge, punk etc)

I am curious about this as well. Thinking of getting either an Auteur or a Verite to complement my Aeolus in the future.

I never understood the concept of having one headphone to compliment another. Like, having one headphone for jazz, another for rock, etc. I just want headphones that sound good. I rarely listen to genres of music outside of rock/metal, blues, and edm. I also do not prioritize head stage as being overly important in headphones. If I want staging and imaging, I listen to speakers. So instead of basing my answer off of that premise, I'll just say this: My favorite ZMF headphones are the Eikon, Verite, and Auteur.

At work, the Eikon kicks my butt with the subbass, and generally gets the majority of my head time. Closed = not disturbing anyone. Plus, it's fun toe-tapping sound with EDM and metal. Aeolus + suede pads is kind of like an Auteur Jr. - neutral enough but still really musical. With the regular Aeolus pads, it swings a bit more to the fun category. Sometimes I appreciate the lighter weight of the headphone versus the Eikon.

The Auteur or Verite is pretty much end game with any amp worthy of the title, like the ECP DSHA 3F, Eddie Current Aficionado, Wells Milo, DNA amps, etc. (I don't like the Verite at all with gooey tube amps. They are better with clean or warm SS amps like the DSHA 3F or EC Black widow 2, or super resolving and neutral tube amps like the Aficionado, Stratus, or Pendant.)

I honestly don't know which one I like more, but it's pretty easy to make the recommendation here based on what someone else prioritizes for sound. If you like the more open sound, detail retrieval, and speed of the Utopia / HD800 then get Verite. If you want something a little more neutral and intimate, get Auteur. It seems I've been swapping between the two for weeks at a time, and they're both excellent, and I don't think I'll ever crown a winner.

 

[lentoviolento]

Which ZMF headphone would you recommend complements the Aeolus the most ? My other headphone at home is the HD650 and I still go back to it occasionally, although Aeolus gets most of the head time.
I’ve had the HD800S in the past and they were a bit too thin for me. Preferred genres are all types of Rock (classic, alt, grunge, punk etc)

I have not tried them all like the mighty proffalkin, i only tried atticus, ori auteur and aeolus. Verite is coming, like the got winter. Sooner or later it will come. For now, the better complement would be auteur, to me it was very neutral. But with your kind of music you would probably get some listening fatigue. I get fatigued but i am very treble sensitive, i did a test last year and i hear until 19000khz. Maybe it is the reason, i don't know.

Speaking of aeolus, yesterday evening a friend of mine who loves music but she is not an audiophile came to my house, i hooked up aeolus to violectric v200 and let her listen to various songs.. She was astonished, she couldn't believe she could here the audience coff in the background listening to one of jack savoretti's live songs. She also couldn't believe the price of the setup... "normal" people look at us in funny ways...

 

[ProfFalkin]

Thats good to hear because i can't believe that my HD6XX/660 have better resolution ,,
so my question was how long it need before i judge the sound ?

100+? I don't know if I can say for certain. Verite was a rollercoaster for 250+.

Keep in mind, I'm not a huge proponent of the burn-in concept on anything except transducers. I think it's mostly psychosomatic placebo gibberish. If I hadn't experienced for myself on ZMF headphones, I would be dismissive of it.

For example, IMO, anybody who says they need to burn in a headphone cable is so full of crap they could double as a septic tank. You don't need to gently massage the electrons as they go through the copper. Sorry, I just don't believe in any of that.

Edit: While I'm normally not openly critical of other people's gear, and I've never heard the XI Audio Formula S, I have heard enough AGD stuff to say that if you want resolution out of your ZMF headphones, get a better amp. (Take that with a grain of salt, as I'm only trying to help.) Do Zach a solid and get a Pendant with clean sounding tubes. Haha.

 

[GU1DO]

100+? I don't know if I can say for certain. Verite was a rollercoaster for 250+.

Keep in mind, I'm not a huge proponent of the burn-in concept on anything except transducers. I think it's mostly psychosomatic placebo gibberish. If I hadn't experienced for myself on ZMF headphones, I would be dismissive of it.

For example, IMO, anybody who says they need to burn in a headphone cable is so full of crap they could double as a septic tank. You don't need to gently massage the electrons as they go through the copper. Sorry, I just don't believe in any of that.

OK , thanks .. i will give it 150hrs if it doesn't get better , then i think i have a bad pair
about the burn-in thing ,,i don't dismiss the fact that we all hear in a different ways , so maybe it is real , for me i could hear the difference in DAC's and Amp's more than cables.
Anyway its not a big deal, just enjoy the music.

 

[zach915m]

How many hours the Aeolus need for burn-in ?
i got my pair yesterday , and it sound muffled , boomy , veiled , even my HD660 sound way clearer
not sure if this is burn-ing issue or if i had a bad pair.

1. Burn them in.

2. If the sound is too warm for your subjective taste/set-up, try the perforated suede universe pads.

I don't think it can be understated how different we as different people experience things based on our listening volume, music preference, subjective taste, gear of choice etc etc etc. I work at booths showing off ZMF's all the time, and something that happens all time that always astonishes me, is that we will have all three of our open models sitting there, one person will listen and then define our line-up verbally to me, be happy with one model, then takeoff. Someone else will come sit down a few minutes later, listen to the exact same headphones on the exact same set-up, and define the headphones to their tastes and preferences totally differently.

I've tried my best to accommodate as many varied tastes with pad swaps within each headphone model. I made the decision early on to use the aeolus (different version of universe pads) on the aeolus as stock because it gives a warmer response like the Atticus in an open headphone. BUT what I've found is that many people prefer an more neutral, open and airy sound, and that the Universe suede perforated quickly becomes their preference, because many people have heard the Sennheiser models and want the Aeolus to sound closer to that curve. SO I'd suggest the following:

1. If you want a open atticus, get the stock pads. The stock aeolus pads are punchy and smooth sounding, it's got a mid bass hump like the atticus and sound more open than atticus with a bigger stage.

2. If you want a more neutral, flat sound that has a little bit of romance and more air of a traditional open headphone get the Universe Perf suede pads.

3. If you want a very flat headphone, with a little less dynamics but an accentuation of a flat frequency response curve get the Verite pads.

 

[Hansotek]

OK , thanks .. i will give it 150hrs if it doesn't get better , then i think i have a bad pair
about the burn-in thing ,,i don't dismiss the fact that we all hear in a different ways , so maybe it is real , for me i could hear the difference in DAC's and Amp's more than cables.
Anyway its not a big deal, just enjoy the music.

In my experience, there are typically the largest changes from 0 to 50 or 60 hours, smaller changes from 50-100 and a few more minor refinements between 100-150. I've burned in 3 or 4 sets of those drivers and the progression has been pretty similar.