[CaptainFantastic]

I’ll let you know how it is after I get mine. I should have a tracking number any day now.

How do you know yours will ship soon? Does ZMF send status updates still? I haven't had any since my order, so I assumed they dropped that approach.

 

[ken6217]

I don’t think so. I just have to email Zach on another subject and happened to ask him.

 

[ThanatosVI]

@zach915m now get my AC Olive LTD finished and bring it on the way to me, I am already well prepared and waiting!

Very nice headphone stand

 

[goldwerger]

@zach915m now get my AC Olive LTD finished and bring it on the way to me, I am already well prepared and waiting!

I love your stand!

Where did you get it?

 

[AudioDuck]

Was tied up at work and didnt realize it was shipped until it showed up yesterday evening at my front door! Those looks damn so stunning in person than in picture!

Right off the bat noticed it requires a bit more oomph for amp volume pot, say if my VC is at 10'0 clock position for my normal listening this needs to be at least at 11 'clock position for my ears to have same volume level. May be coz of different drivers? Not a knock by any means just a quick observation and gonna let this burn over the weekend.

The fit and comfort are very nice btw - feels more comfortable than VC to me and VC is no slouch either.

Wow, that is a gorgeous set- congratulations. Absolutely lovely figuring in the wood.

 

[geoffalter11]

Good afternoon AC aficionados... Today is a Cherry Wood AC day. I love the slightly longer decay giving the headphone a little bit more time to take in the pocket with a more visceral bass drum and subbass. The bass isn't bigger, but the perceived weight is a welcome change from the faster decay of the Olive. It creates a slight euphonic characteristic and the sounds just seem to take their time and unfold at the pace of the music. It allows me to catch my breath on "out there" jams, it keeps me firmly ensconced inside the pocket and I can hear the soloing instruments floating above the melody. Rhythm instruments are clearly heard and macro dynamics excel. This is a really fun listen. It just begs me to pick it up over and over. Once I adjust away from the Olive and to the Cherry the sounds become one. They aren't so different that they stand on their own, but part of a collective whole with varying flavors. Like going to an ice cream shop, or the differences in tubes where they take on different flavors up to the tolerances of the tubes.

In high end listening, the changes become more subtle. They don't smack you over the head. They saturate, resolve and show off their unique qualities all the while dousing you with musical goodness. My dopamine is peaked, my hairs are standing up on the back of neck as Goose's double drummers create a polyrhythmic delight of bass drums, bongos, marakas, and cymbals crashing and trailing off. Everything is there with a richness and resolution that can only come from the "right" kind of note saturation.

As always, I am anchored by my Matrix X2 Pure streaming 32/384k files to my Icon Audio HP8 MK2 Signature. This amp has become my high impedance scalpel and provides a dopamine test on a regular basis. For those who want one of the best tube amps on the planet look no further and you won't break the bank either. But, I cannot promise you won't spend a lot on 6SN7 tubes and 12AX7 tubes. There are some beauties out there and they make the HP8 pure.

 

[geoffalter11]

That hasn’t been my experience. There are only 3-4 videos up at all, and while I’ve seen a few comparisons to the AO there are few who discuss the VC as a direct comparator.

Also I’d like to hear from members who may not have the time/inclination to post a video.

Fair ask. I will put a section in my review of the AC. I am a few weeks out.

 

[ken6217]

Good afternoon AC aficionados... Today is a Cherry Wood AC day. I love the slightly longer decay giving the headphone a little bit more time take in the pocket with a more visceral bass drum and bass experience. The bass isn't bigger, but the perceived weight is a welcome change from the faster decay of the Olive. It creates a slight euphonic characteristic and the sounds just seem to take their time and unfold at the pace of the music. It allows me to catch my breath on "out there" jams, it keeps me firmly ensconced inside the pocket and I can hear the soloing instruments floating above the melody. Rhythm instruments are clearly heard and macro dynamics excel. This is a really fun listen. It just begs me to pick it up over and over. Once I adjust away from the Olive and to the Cherry the sound become one. They aren't so different that they stand on their own, but part of a collective whole with varying flavors. Like going to an ice cream shop, or the differences in tube where they take on different flavors up to the tolerances of the tubes.

In high end listening, the changes become more subtle. They don't smack you over the head. They saturate, resolve and show off their unique qualities all the while dousing you with musical goodness. My dopamine is peaked, my hairs are standing up on the back of neck as Goose's double drummers create a polyrhythmic delight of bass drums, bongos, marakas, and cymbals crashing and trailing off. Everything is there with a richness and resolution that can only come from the "right" kind of note saturation.

As always, I am anchored by my Matrix X2 Pure streaming 32/384k files to my Icon Audio HP8 MK2 Signature. This amp has become my high impedance scalpel and provides the dopamine test on a regular basis. For those who want one of the best tube amps on the planet look no further and you won't break the bank either. But, I cannot promise you won't want to spend a lot on 6SN7 tubes and 12AX7 tubes. There are some beauties out there and they make the HP8 pure.

Great review. Probably not what I want to hear since I’m getting the olive

I think one of the YouTube videos had said the bass was a little more boomy and less defined on the softer wood for the AC?

 

[geoffalter11]

Great review. Probably not what I want to hear since I’m getting the olive

I think one of the YouTube videos had said the bass was a little more boomy and less defined on the softer wood for the AC?

I don't think it is boomier. I think the decay being a tad slower gives the perception of boomy, but it is just as linear, however with a bit more accentuation. The Olive is faster, but the bass is every bit as impactful. Just different flavors of the same tuning, in my opinion. I love them both. I will highlight their full characteristics when I do my full review. I am lagging...

You made a great choice with the Olive. I love the Olive. I also love that slower decay of the Cherry which gives the music a bit more time to take shape, We are talking seconds, not eons. It is a subtle difference, but a difference there is...

 

[Monsterzero]

Great review. Probably not what I want to hear since I’m getting the olive

I think one of the YouTube videos had said the bass was a little more boomy and less defined on the softer wood for the AC?

I don't find the bass on the softer wood "boomier" or less defined than on the harder wood, rather the bass is just stronger and sticks around a bit longer on the softer wood.
The bass quality is fantastic on both really.
Again, personal preferences, upstream gear and musical tastes are the three most important factors IMO when trying to decide which wood type to choose.
For example, I found the bass to be too strong out of the Airmid when I had my Lampizator DAC and when listening to the soft wood AC. Further even after moving the Merason DAC 1 into my chain and rolling in a pair of Western Electric 421a along with Tung Sol 6J5s, the bass was too strong for my tastes when listening to trance. Now if I swapped in a pair of 5998s (no, the 5998s and 421a do not sound the same) that tamed the bass enough for me. Same goes for when I drive the AC with the Violectric 550 pro.
With the harder wood AC I have yet to find a single instance where the bass was too much for me.

 

[goldwerger]

I personally prefer the hardwood greatly, since I am one those guys that found that subtle difference to be an advantage in creating a clean separation between the bass and mids and an overall "tighter" presentation. I do think the pad choice makes a bigger difference, so you can easily fine-tune it with pads to a greater degree: Caldera Thin will really dial up the bass, and Suede will maintain lots of bass elevation but a bit more gentle transition for my preference. The Caldera Thin may offer a bit more decay, and the Suede a bit faster attack, and one of these will be an obvious winner to you in your chain.

 

[ken6217]

I don't find the bass on the softer wood "boomier" or less defined than on the harder wood, rather the bass is just stronger and sticks around a bit longer on the softer wood.
The bass quality is fantastic on both really.
Again, personal preferences, upstream gear and musical tastes are the three most important factors IMO when trying to decide which wood type to choose.
For example, I found the bass to be too strong out of the Airmid when I had my Lampizator DAC and when listening to the soft wood AC. Further even after moving the Merason DAC 1 into my chain and rolling in a pair of Western Electric 421a along with Tung Sol 6J5s, the bass was too strong for my tastes when listening to trance. Now if I swapped in a pair of 5998s (no, the 5998s and 421a do not sound the same) that tamed the bass enough for me. Same goes for when I drive the AC with the Violectric 550 pro.
With the harder wood AC I have yet to find a single instance where the bass was too much for me.

I think the quote was something along the lines if if you are a basshead, go with the softer woods. If you are not a basshead and listen to a lot of different genres, go with the harder wood. I was incorrect regarding boomy in your video. I thought I heard that somewhere.

Again, as you mentioned, it also depends on your associated equipment.

 

[geoffalter11]

I think the quote was something along the lines if if you are a basshead, go with the softer woods. If you are not a basshead and listen to a lot of different genres, go with the harder wood. I was incorrect regarding boomy in your video. I thought I heard that somewhere.

Again, as you mentioned, it also depends on your associated equipment.

All true. Bottom line they are both great headphones. I don't hear as big of a difference as @goldwerger between the woods. I do hear a difference, but not enough to sway me from disliking one more than the other. However, if I were to choose I would pick the harder wood as I like the speed while still getting a lot of decay and stage depth. I could happily live with both. I do agree that the pads make a bigger difference. I prefer the lambskin's on the Olive and the Suede on the Cherry. But, the suede's make my ears hot, so I will always use lambskins.

 

[Monsterzero]

I think the quote was something along the lines if if you are a basshead, go with the softer woods. If you are not a basshead and listen to a lot of different genres, go with the harder wood.

Yeah that is my quote, and I still agree with that sentiment, but if you read between the lines and came away with the impression that the bass was quantity and not quality on the softer wood, then perhaps I lead you astray.

There's only so much detail I can add to a video and still keep the review short, concise and to the point. There's no real value in me talking about my DAC and amp, cables, music preferences in detailed depth in a review, as I'm probably definitely the only human on the planet with the Merason>Airmid>AC chain. Yet, as you know, all of ones chain will have an impact on what reaches your ears.

Further only you know what peferences you have when it comes to how you prefer various genres of music to sound. I won't even get into how the various pads will influence all of the above. For me, I almost always end up prefering the stock pads and my reviews are based upon those unless otherwise noted.

Best way to summarize it is: Both the soft and hard wood variants of the AC will deliver gobs of hard hitting and deep tight rumbling bass, but the softer versions will take that bass up a notch or two, while still keeping the bass quality.

Apologies if my review did not make that clear.

 

[ken6217]

Yeah that is my quote, and I still agree with that sentiment, but if you read between the lines and came away with the impression that the bass was quantity and not quality on the softer wood, then perhaps I lead you astray.

There's only so much detail I can add to a video and still keep the review short, concise and to the point. There's no real value in me talking about my DAC and amp, cables, music preferences in detailed depth in a review, as I'm probably definitely the only human on the planet with the Merason>Airmid>AC chain. Yet, as you know, all of ones chain will have an impact on what reaches your ears.

Further only you know what peferences you have when it comes to how you prefer various genres of music to sound. I won't even get into how the various pads will influence all of the above. For me, I almost always end up prefering the stock pads and my reviews are based upon those unless otherwise noted.

Best way to summarize it is: Both the soft and hard wood variants of the AC will deliver gobs of hard hitting and deep tight rumbling bass, but the softer versions will take that bass up a notch or two, while still keeping the bass quality.

Apologies if my review did not make that clear.

No need to apologize. I actually came away with the wrong impression the first time, and when I went back to it now I got the opposite impression. Probably because I was laying in bed and happened to see the video and didn’t realize there was a new headphone and I was hoping you were gonna say it sucked so I didn’t have to get a new headphone.

I go through phases in terms of wanting bass quantity versus quality. I listen mostly classic rock and would rather go over quantity versus quality. The rest of my components clean can clean everything up.