[Pharmaboy]

What do you mean by your "theory became irrelevant"? It seems like what you thought would happen (more slam of bass, less reverb in mids/treble - also what do you mean by shiver?), no?

And you're saying you keep meaning to compare the Sapele with the Blackwood but aren't because you just love listening to the Blackwood over the Sapele so much that you aren't even bothering? Thanks!

What I meant is the sound of the blackwood Aeolus hijacked my audio mind. Suddenly I was too busy soaking in that great sound to care about my theory. @jinxy245's sapele Aeolus had the same effect on me (pre-blackwood Aeolus): I just forgot about other headphones & listened (call it "The Aeolus effect"). One of these days I'll compare the 2 headphones, but it seems less urgent than it once did.

• As @jinxy245 says, "I honestly don't think it's that one is so much better than the other, it's just that the Aeolus is so good."

Interestingly enough, though the VO doesn't sound especially like the Aeolus, it has the same effect: I go into it thinking I'll listen for this or that, but that whole comparative frame of mind quickly goes out the window.

Months ago I posted detailed comparisons of the Aeolus & VO. A head-to-head comparison is pretty straightforward, but that one was challenging because I had to force myself to stay focused & not get carried away with either headphone (both of them kinda hypnotize me...).

 

[MacMan31]

So I put some Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin pads on my HD6XX and to my ears they now sound pretty close to my Aeolus. The Aeolus has a touch more "air" and perhaps a bit more warmth due to the wood cups. But they are they are pretty close to each other now. The Aeolus is definitely a great headphone and could last someone a lifetime. However in my view the headband is the biggest weakness. It is a real pain in the a** to change head band straps/pads as the screws are on the inside of the head band and the head band often comes apart from the piece which holds the ear cups to the head band. The pilot pads is pretty comfortable but certainly could use some improvements. Ether make the velcro much stronger or put little "wings" on the ends with holes to use the screws just like the normal head band straps.

 

[granularclouds]

So I put some Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin pads on my HD6XX and to my ears they now sound pretty close to my Aeolus. The Aeolus has a touch more "air" and perhaps a bit more warmth due to the wood cups. But they are they are pretty close to each other now. The Aeolus is definitely a great headphone and could last someone a lifetime. However in my view the headband is the biggest weakness. It is a real pain in the a** to change head band straps/pads as the screws are on the inside of the head band and the head band often comes apart from the piece which holds the ear cups to the head band. The pilot pads is pretty comfortable but certainly could use some improvements. Ether make the velcro much stronger or put little "wings" on the ends with holes to use the screws just like the normal head band straps.

That's really interesting to hear, I'll have to try.

 

[Bimbleton]

WHEW Holy cow guys I ordered an Aeolus! I buy maybe one piece of audio gear every 3-4 years, and did a lot of research and read a lot of your excellent testimonials before purchasing. I’m so excited to be a part of the ZMF gang!

Now to find a portable DAC/amp for my phone that’ll power these (thinking maybe a THX Onyx or Hidizs S9) and someday updating to a desktop tube amp! HOORAY!

 

[domi]

Received my pair yesterday, so far so good!

Does anyone use EQ with their Aeolus? Any settings you recommend besides the AutoEq ones?

 

[erroneous]

Received my pair yesterday, so far so good!

Does anyone use EQ with their Aeolus? Any settings you recommend besides the AutoEq ones?

Let them break in for 150+ hours before talking about EQ

 

[erroneous]

I honestly don't think it's that one is so much better than the other, it's just that the Aeolus is so good. The wood choice becomes a fine tuning, but not a prerequisite for good sound. Knowing @Pharmaboy as I do, I think he means once he heard his own Aeolus he was happy enough not to care about the wood differences. Thus his theory was irrelevant. I'm sure he'll chime in when he's able.

Totally agree with Jinxy. If you find that your preferred sound signature is Aeolus, then you dial it in with wood choice.
Wood doesn't change the signature AT ALL. It just dials in certain things like clarity, speed, slam, etc.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

WHEW Holy cow guys I ordered an Aeolus! I buy maybe one piece of audio gear every 3-4 years, and did a lot of research and read a lot of your excellent testimonials before purchasing. I’m so excited to be a part of the ZMF gang!

Now to find a portable DAC/amp for my phone that’ll power these (thinking maybe a THX Onyx or Hidizs S9) and someday updating to a desktop tube amp! HOORAY!

If you're spending Onyx kind of money, then I'd seriously consider a Chord Mojo. You can get them for excellent prices used on ebay. You'll get more bang for your buck and it can be used with your desktop as well. The IFI xDSD and IFI xCan are also great options for portability, the xDSD being good for desktop use as well (the xCan is bluetooth focused but sounds great for the money).

I've never tried the Aeolus with devices as small as the Onyx, I'm not sure if it could provide the power you need.

 

[Bimbleton]

If you're spending Onyx kind of money, then I'd seriously consider a Chord Mojo. You can get them for excellent prices used on ebay. You'll get more bang for your buck and it can be used with your desktop as well. The IFI xDSD and IFI xCan are also great options for portability, the xDSD being good for desktop use as well (the xCan is bluetooth focused but sounds great for the money).

I've never tried the Aeolus with devices as small as the Onyx, I'm not sure if it could provide the power you need.

Thanks for the suggestions, will be looking into it!

Being relatively new to DAC/Amps, was wondering what cable termination people recommend? I chose a 2.5mm balanced, but was wondering what a safe choice is for maximum comparability with lots of gear.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

Thanks for the suggestions, will be looking into it!

Being relatively new to DAC/Amps, was wondering what cable termination people recommend? I chose a 2.5mm balanced, but was wondering what a safe choice is for maximum comparability with lots of gear.

Most smaller and portable DAC/Amps will use a 3.5mm single ended connection. The IFI xDSD and xCAN accept 3.5mm and 2.5mm balanced. The Chord Mojo is 3.5mm only. Don't feel you have to have something balanced, there are plenty of high end amps out there that only offer single ended (not balanced) and sound better than many balanced alternatives.

I'd say get your preferred DAC/Amps, then worry about your cables.

 

[ColdsnapBry]

New holster for my Aesolus. Works a lot better than the perch that I had.

 

[breckstar]

If someone doesn't mind, could you lay out roughly how each pad sounds on the Aeolus? I'm a little confused, there's a lot of info floating around all over the place.

Also:


Is there a shortage of Aeoluses (Aeoli?) It looks like I can place the order, are they on backorder?

Here is the new pad guide on ZMF website:

Here is the pad description from ZMF:

Aeolus Pads: Punchy, warm, weighty. Not commercially available, on ZMFheadphones.com - the Aeolus pad comes only on the aeolus. It is the same design as the universe pad, made with a tighter stitched chrome based leather, and stiffer foam. This pad gives the aeolus the most warm "atticus" like sound, with punchy mid bass and smooth treble.

Universe Pads: Mellow warmth with punch and moderate treble. The same pad as used as one of the stock pads on the Verite, the Universe pads are a very even keeled sound, with a hint of warmth. Zach's co-favorite on the Aeolus with the Universe suede.

Universe Suede: Neutral with a smooth tilt and a touch of midrange magic. With our signature ZMF suede - you get a very neutral experience that keeps dimension and has just enough euphony to keep things interesting, highly recommended.

Verite Pads: Neutral, flat, extended. Want a dry airy sound that doesn't do anything extra? This is it!


I have only used the Universe Suede and Verite Leather. Both are more neutral sounding, less mid bass hump. the US pads made it feel a little soft (softer leading transients) than the VL pads so I preferred the VL over the US. I got those because I did not want the mid bass hump that the stock pads gave. Still is a warm headphone but pretty close to were I like the sound to be. I want to try Auteur and Aeolus side by side at some point along with my VC to kind of get the range of all of them.

I believe he was speaking to the Stabilized LTD. There were like 8 or so available. No shortage of stock aeolus as far as anyone is aware.

 

[Bimbleton]

Here is the new pad guide on ZMF website:

Here is the pad description from ZMF:

Aeolus Pads: Punchy, warm, weighty. Not commercially available, on ZMFheadphones.com - the Aeolus pad comes only on the aeolus. It is the same design as the universe pad, made with a tighter stitched chrome based leather, and stiffer foam. This pad gives the aeolus the most warm "atticus" like sound, with punchy mid bass and smooth treble.

Universe Pads: Mellow warmth with punch and moderate treble. The same pad as used as one of the stock pads on the Verite, the Universe pads are a very even keeled sound, with a hint of warmth. Zach's co-favorite on the Aeolus with the Universe suede.

Universe Suede: Neutral with a smooth tilt and a touch of midrange magic. With our signature ZMF suede - you get a very neutral experience that keeps dimension and has just enough euphony to keep things interesting, highly recommended.

Verite Pads: Neutral, flat, extended. Want a dry airy sound that doesn't do anything extra? This is it!


I have only used the Universe Suede and Verite Leather. Both are more neutral sounding, less mid bass hump. the US pads made it feel a little soft (softer leading transients) than the VL pads so I preferred the VL over the US. I got those because I did not want the mid bass hump that the stock pads gave. Still is a warm headphone but pretty close to were I like the sound to be. I want to try Auteur and Aeolus side by side at some point along with my VC to kind of get the range of all of them.

I believe he was speaking to the Stabilized LTD. There were like 8 or so available. No shortage of stock aeolus as far as anyone is aware.

Thanks for posting the pad comparison. ZMF's website is surprisingly well designed. Went with the Aeolus and Universe Suede pads to start with, and an XLR termination. Hopefully, I can find XLR -> 3.5/2.5 adapters for all my needs.

 

[jinxy245]

Thanks for posting the pad comparison. ZMF's website is surprisingly well designed. Went with the Aeolus and Universe Suede pads to start with, and an XLR termination. Hopefully, I can find XLR -> 3.5/2.5 adapters for all my needs.

ZMF has some of their own of course, if not there are plenty of other options...I have one of their XLR-1/4" adapters and it works wonderfully.

https://shop.zmfheadphones.com/collections/cables/products/zmf-adapters

 

[Bimbleton]

Ooh, thanks for the adapter link!

Just out of curiosity, anyone who has ordered a ZMF recently (and received it) — how long did it take from order date?