[breckstar]

I hear Verite lambskin and Universe suede are quite similar FR on the Aeolus. I can report back when my Universe Suede pads come in since I have the Verite pads to test against.

I only have the V-L and U-S pads. From measurements they do the same thing FR wise, but they do sound different. U-S has a little more slam in the lows and soft leading edges for treble. The V-L is kind of the opposite. Does not slam in the lows as much as U-S and has better/crisper leading edges for treble. I think the slam comes from the depth of the pad and the softness comes from suede.

That is what I am interested in the BE2 pads and what they do to the sound. I have seen measurements showing that pad gain/change is not linear between the headphones (BE2 being closer to verite pads on the verite than universal on the new chart below) but if the BE2 is closer to the verite as people report FR wise for aeolus, the other sonic traits, could be different (staging, imaging, transient response, etc). And the fact it comes in three variants (L, S, Hybrid) could be quite fun to play with.

Spoiler: zmf pad chart

 

[SteveM324]

Welcome to the club man! By the way, this has to be the best club I have ever been a part of, and I love seeing more and more good people joining. I definitely suggest pairing them with the BHC. You mentioned the vocals, and I totally agree. I am a vocals first kind of guy, and the Aeolus has the best I have heard.

Yup, I agree. I live in the midrange and the Aeolus is absolutely superb with vocals. Zach tuned this headphone perfectly.

 

[Stefano Z.]

I hear Verite lambskin and Universe suede are quite similar FR on the Aeolus. I can report back when my Universe Suede pads come in since I have the Verite pads to test against.

Very curious to hear you back on this topic!

 

[bryceu]

Very curious to hear you back on this topic!

This response gives some good details on the comparison, but I'll share when I do get the U-S.

I only have the V-L and U-S pads. From measurements they do the same thing FR wise, but they do sound different. U-S has a little more slam in the lows and soft leading edges for treble. The V-L is kind of the opposite. Does not slam in the lows as much as U-S and has better/crisper leading edges for treble. I think the slam comes from the depth of the pad and the softness comes from suede.

That is what I am interested in the BE2 pads and what they do to the sound. I have seen measurements showing that pad gain/change is not linear between the headphones (BE2 being closer to verite pads on the verite than universal on the new chart below) but if the BE2 is closer to the verite as people report FR wise for aeolus, the other sonic traits, could be different (staging, imaging, transient response, etc). And the fact it comes in three variants (L, S, Hybrid) could be quite fun to play with.

Spoiler: zmf pad chart

 

[SteveM324]

I’ve been burning in my Aeolus 24/7 using my SS Luxman P700u because I don’t want to use up tube life in my Auris Nirvana just for burn-in. I’ve put over 70 hours on them and I took a brief listen this morning. Compared to when I listened to them 3 days ago, they have definitely opened up and the bass is tighter and the treble is more defined. Of course midrange is still very natural. I briefly played them on my Nirvana this mornin. Wow, everything just got bigger and better on the big tube amp. I’ve had to bend the headband to make them more comfortable similiar to what I had to do with my VO when I first got it. I’m planning to continue with the burn-in for at least 200 hours and I’ll report back along the way.

 

[figgyburn]

H i,i am thinking about getting a pair of Aeolus.Will be buying them from Europe as there is no one in the U.K. that has them in stock(only one dealer stocks zmf )i believe. Will be buying sound unheard. At present i have on the dark side Nighthawk Carbons and,on the bright side Beyer DT990 pro(250) my amp is Audeze Deckard. I am looking for a middle ground headphone and have narrowed it down through various reviews to maybe Aeolous,Quad era 1 or Klipsch hp3.

Price wise the Aeolous from E.U. is approx £1,200($1,450)the Quads from U.K £600($725) and the Klipsch from Italy approx £900($1,100)The klipsch U.K.dealer price is £1,300($1,575).

I am a boomer so my high frequency on a graph drops like a wily-e-coyote cliff drop. As for my current headphone the hawks are the ones i use most but,sometimes the lack of high frequencies,not withstanding my hearing sometimes means it is pretty average sounding. The Deckard does have 3 gain settings and sometimes using the high gain brings out a bit more high end frequency sounds on the Hawks but. on the whole i prefer the mid gain setting.The dt 990's get used on tracks that i know has an over emphasized bass sound on the album and acoustic albums like Eric Bibb etc but,i feel most of the time the lack of bass on "normal"albums leaves a lot to be desired(i know it's a studio monitor type headphone but i got it cheap!).The Beyer treble does not bother me due to my hearing.

Now would the Deckard be suitable for all the headphones above or would i need to upgrade that,i have my eye on this guy but it may be overkill for the above headphones.

My main tastes are Classic rock,blues rock with a bit leonard cohen thrown in.
Any opinions will gratefully received.Many thanks John

 

[HumdrumPenguin]

Was there any pool so far on what Aeolus owners WITH MORE THAN 1 PAD liked the most? I'm killing myself choosing between the universe suede pads and the stock leather ones (I think they are perforated...) I'm not into anything bright (HD700/800/Beyers are all the horror), I love bass, but I also didn't want the the treble playing somewhere from Mars either. I have until a returned headphone reach the back seller (about a week) and the refund is processed to decide on what to go with the Aeolus. I'll be playing on a Drop 789 and Schiit Bifrost 2 mostly. Maybe a bit on the Asgard 3 (I normally use the A3 as a pre amp only for my powered speakers nowadays)

PS.: I only considered those two pads because the inner area for the ears is bigger by what I've seen, and I don't like when pads get uncomfortable to my ears.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I am very treble averse historically, even more so now w/tinnitus & migraine. My DAC & amps reflect my preferences, as so my headphones. Factor all this in vs my comments.

Both of your amps, especially the 789, are often described as relatively neutral, not the amps to use for "warming up" the sound of a bright headphone; and you admit to not being a fan of bright sound. Having said that:

• My favorite pads are the perforated universe suedes: the sound is somewhat less warm than w/stock pads, but still very musical/ear-friendly. The midbass is less elevated than w/stock pads, but still a small factor in this headphone's distinctive sound. I find the treble w/these pads to be ideal--a lovely sound, perfectly balancing detail & sonic relaxation.
• My 2nd favorite pads are the Verite pads: I listened to my friend's Aeolus for a number of weeks w/Verite pads & really liked the sound: IMO it's a distinct upgrade from stock pads. This is as neutral a sound as you'll get on the Aeolus, but still far from bright or edge: minimal midbass elevation, detailed but still musical treble, relatively flat top to bottom. I could easily live w/the Verite pads, and would be using them F.T. if not for hearing the perforated universe suedes.

For your amps, I'm guessing Verite pads might be too much neutrality (pure guesswork--I could easily be wrong). I would think the perforated universe suedes would be the "sweet spot" for you. But of course, it's all guesswork from a distance...

 

[HumdrumPenguin]

I am very treble averse historically, even more so now w/tinnitus & migraine. My DAC & amps reflect my preferences, as so my headphones. Factor all this in vs my comments.

Both of your amps, especially the 789, are often described as relatively neutral, not the amps to use for "warming up" the sound of a bright headphone; and you admit to not being a fan of bright sound. Having said that:

• My favorite pads are the perforated universe suedes: the sound is somewhat less warm than w/stock pads, but still very musical/ear-friendly. The midbass is less elevated than w/stock pads, but still a small factor in this headphone's distinctive sound. I find the treble w/these pads to be ideal--a lovely sound, perfectly balancing detail & sonic relaxation.
• My 2nd favorite pads are the Verite pads: I listened to my friend's Aeolus for a number of weeks w/Verite pads & really liked the sound: IMO it's a distinct upgrade from stock pads. This is as neutral a sound as you'll get on the Aeolus, but still far from bright or edge: minimal midbass elevation, detailed but still musical treble, relatively flat top to bottom. I could easily live w/the Verite pads, and would be using them F.T. if not for hearing the perforated universe suedes.

For your amps, I'm guessing Verite pads might be too much neutrality (pure guesswork--I could easily be wrong). I would think the perforated universe suedes would be the "sweet spot" for you. But of course, it's all guesswork from a distance...

Thanks for your thoughts. It just crossed my mind while browsing ZMF's site and taking a look at their expensive cables (just for the sake of looking, no intention to dropping 250 or 400 there) that I could go for one OFC balanced cable with an adapter to use on the Asgard. My initial intention was to get 2 OFC cables (xlr balanced/single ended 1/4). This saves me cash for potentially getting 2 pads (unless the adapter costs a mini fortune).

I'd still like to know more of other peoples opinion on the pads though...

 

[Wes S]

Was there any pool so far on what Aeolus owners WITH MORE THAN 1 PAD liked the most? I'm killing myself choosing between the universe suede pads and the stock leather ones (I think they are perforated...) I'm not into anything bright (HD700/800/Beyers are all the horror), I love bass, but I also didn't want the the treble playing somewhere from Mars either. I have until a returned headphone reach the back seller (about a week) and the refund is processed to decide on what to go with the Aeolus. I'll be playing on a Drop 789 and Schiit Bifrost 2 mostly. Maybe a bit on the Asgard 3 (I normally use the A3 as a pre amp only for my powered speakers nowadays)

PS.: I only considered those two pads because the inner area for the ears is bigger by what I've seen, and I don't like when pads get uncomfortable to my ears.

Just throwing my preference out there, and it seems I might be in the minority, but I use the stock perf leather. I feel the treble is not rolled off with the stock pads, and has plenty of air. I do like it warmer than most though , so take that into account. I always suggest going with stock pads, and getting a good feel for the sound, before pad rolling. Also, it really depends on the volume you listen at, and what kind of music as well.

 

[HumdrumPenguin]

Just throwing my preference out there, and it seems I might be in the minority, but I use the stock perf leather. I feel the treble is not rolled off with the stock pads, and has plenty of air. I do like it warmer than most though , so take that into account. I always suggest going with stock pads, and getting a good feel for the sound, before pad rolling.

Could you compare to the HD650 using stock pads please? I have it as well.

 

[Wes S]

Could you compare to the HD650 using stock pads please? I have it as well.

Sure. The bass extends much deeper on Aeolus, the mids are pretty close and a tad more shouty on the HD650 in the upper region, and the treble has better extension while still being as smooth on the Aeolus. Basically, the Aeolus with stock pads, is a perfect upgrade from the HD650, and just adds/fixes everything I always wanted from my HD650. I am only keeping my HD650 for testing out new tubes on my Bottlehead Crack tube amp, as my Aeolus is similar but better in every regard.

 

[HumdrumPenguin]

Sure. The bass extends much deeper on Aeolus, the mids are pretty close and a tad more shouty on the HD650 in the upper region, and the treble has better extension while still being as smooth on the Aeolus. Basically, the Aeolus with stock pads, is a perfect upgrade from the HD650, and just adds/fixes everything I always wanted from my HD650. I am only keeping my HD650 for testing out new tubes on my Bottlehead Crack tube amp, as my Aeolus is similar but better in every regard.

That's what I'm kind of looking for. When talking about making the HD650 perfect for me, I'd like to have voices slightly recessed from what they present, more bass extension and louder mid bass, same treble (a little bit less treble would be ok, but not more than that). It seems exactly like what you described. Do you know if Zac sells pads separately in case I'd like to purchase them in the future? I didn't see it on his website.

 

[laimonas23]

I additionally bought perforated suede pads seeking improved comfort, in the first place. These have larger opening and more room inside; the stock sometimes feel a bit hard on my ears. However, the suede ones rest on a wider area of my face, which is not always nice... At one time I kept constantly changing them trying to decide which fits better. Soundwise I prefer suede, sounds more balanced to me; when I change back to stock pads, also after listening to hd650, the Aeolus sound a bit funky and with special character, which takes some time getting used to again.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Thanks for your thoughts. It just crossed my mind while browsing ZMF's site and taking a look at their expensive cables (just for the sake of looking, no intention to dropping 250 or 400 there) that I could go for one OFC balanced cable with an adapter to use on the Asgard. My initial intention was to get 2 OFC cables (xlr balanced/single ended 1/4). This saves me cash for potentially getting 2 pads (unless the adapter costs a mini fortune).

I'd still like to know more of other peoples opinion on the pads though...

Way better than 2 completely separate cables is this: if Zach makes pigtail adapter that convert 4-pin XLR to 1/4" Single-ended, just get one of those along w/your balanced OFC cable. Then whenever you have a single-ended amp you want to use, plug the amp-end 4-pin xlr jack into the matching jack on adapter/pigtail, then plug the 1/4" jack into SE amp.

My main cable + pigtail/adapter came from another vendor, not ZMF, so not sure what you could do w/that OFC.

However, I have owned OFC cables (2 of them) and they're excellent. A very useful mid-point between stock cables & big-$$ cables. OFC cable, to my ears, sounds better than stock.