Sage retails for $599 or £457. The Aeolus hesitates a bit further from this line than I would prefer, and is a bit slower to resolve edges than the auteur, so its treble feels a bit less lively. Cuffie: Senny HD600 ed HD6xx , HD25 e HD201, HifiMan he6 & Susvara, ZMF Auteur & Aeolus, Audeze LCD2 rev2, Grado 80 Auricolari: VE Monk, HiFiMan ES100, Nuforce ecd3 Cinema: TV LG 55B6V A/V ONKYO TX NR-747 Lettore UHD: Panasonic UB-700 Cavi HDMI AudioQuest Pearl 2.0 Dali Zensor 3+Vokal, Sub+Surround ⦠Beyond those broad strokes comparisons, I would really need an Atticus on hand to give insight. However, the mids are now transitioned into from a less booming, but still punchy, bass range, and are followed by treble that I think needs just a bit more bite on some classical tracks, but which makes a lot more recordings sound good. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, Bottlehead Crack->ZMF Auteur Teak, HD 600|LG V20->64Audio U6, Soekris 1541 - ECP T3 - Aeolus | HD 6XX | PM-3 | ES100 - MD Plus, ZMF Aeolus | Focal Elex | HD 700 | HD 6xx | Monolith THX 788. And lots of vocal. ZMF Aeolus LTD Blackwood . Fantastic review and comparisons. Noble in-ears have a more precise sound than most others, so you feel more connected to the music. Nice review OP! The KSE1200 sells for $1,999 in the US, £1,769 in the UK and AU$2,999 in Australia. I believe HD600 + Aeolus is a nice combo, the Aeolus with stock pads is very bassy and fun, and a good all-rounder with suede pads. First up: a bold, dramatic design, the Heritage HP-3 ($1,199) is a reference-quality headphone, which is a first for Klipsch! I was trying to get a set of Clears or Elex here in time, but it didn't happen. Impact in the midrange struck a nice balance, providing a sense of dynamism, without forcing sounds. These headphones are way better complements than they are competitors. The Porta Pro Wireless retails for $80 in the US, £90 in the UK, and AU$130 in Australia So how does the Bluetooth 'Pro stand up to comparison, the sound had a familiar flavor, but they're not identical. Acoustic instruments benefit from this quality as well, but I think because of how much time we spend hearing voices every day, the Aeolus really struck me with regards to them. Given that I have just gone over build in my Vérité review, I wonât go on too long, but let me give an overview of the build of the Aeolus. Thanks for looking over this best-of-the-best headphone gallery -- see you next time! There are numerous competitive offerings around this price, but few make so obvious the ways in which the HD800 misses the mark in enjoyability. To be fair, wood choice could make a difference here, as might the Vérité pads, both of which are user-selectable to varying degrees. LTD. New 2020/2021 woods available now. I would argue that even the Hifiman Arya has a better timbre than the Clear, but some may disagree. Zach is constantly churning through both exotic and unique runs of tree material for his headphones, with pre order options including limited editions of anything and everything he can get his hands on. It's an update of Audeze's original LCD2, but the Classic is much lighter and more comfortable, and it's the lowest ever price for an over-the-ear Audeze headphone. From the former, the song focuses on the female vocalist, and impact from the bassline. Heard as its own headphone, the bass from the Aeolus is quite satisfying, carrying over some sweetness from the midrange, which we will discuss in a moment. I'm going to post verite pad comparisons soon, but I haven't had a chance to compare just yet. The quality, and specifically the enjoyability of the Aeolusâ midrange really is hard to overstate. The 99 Neo's ($249, £229) sound is clear and richly balanced, and these closed-back over-the ear headphones do a good job hushing external noise. Focal is best known as France's leading high-end speaker brand, but starting last year it introduced two spectacular headphones, the Elear and the Utopia. I also own an LCD-3F, which is being similarly sidelined. Beginning with the bass, the auteur maintained and reproduced subbass texture better than the did Aeolus. 2, RV 315, Summer III, by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by Adrian Chandler, on The Four Seasons and Concertos for Bassoon and Violin âin tromba marinaâ, Tamacun - Remastered, by Rodrigo y Gabriela on, Rodrigo y Gabriela (Deluxe), Warm Foothills, by Alt-J on, This is All Yours, Boomerang, by The Uncluded, on Hokey Fright, Little Sadie, by Crooked Still, on Shaken by a Low Sound, True Affection, by The Blow, on Paper Television, Second 2 None, by Mura Masa and Christine and the Queens, on Mura Masa, ã©ã»ã ã»ã, by Snailâs House, on Ordinary Songs. Nice review, always have a smile on my face when listening with the Atticus. One catch: it's an open design, so it doesn't hush external noise from planes, trains, buses and so on. The Auteur is the first open-back ZMF headphone, and there will soon be three models. It's a lush-sounding headphone. The headphone comes with both Apple Lightning and standard cables. Iâve tried to select widely available songs across a spectrum of music that I like and am familiar with. Beyond the fact that I would feel a bit guilty ignoring the Vérité, it is good at being the microscope with musicality that the HD800 never was, and the headphone with slam and speed that doesnât drill detail into your ears with its metallic tuning. Micro dynamics are resolved well, although not at summit-fi (Utopia, 009, Vérité, etc.) I'm coming from HD 600 and modded HD 6XX. ZMF Aeolus; ZMF Atticus; ZMF Auteur; ZMF Eikon; ZMF Verite; ZMF Verite Closed; Subscribe to get notified of new posts! All other ZMF headphones before the Auteur were all closed-back designs; the big news here is that the Auteur is open-back, and right away the sound grew more spacious. I own all of these headphones, and have listened to each of them for a few months at the least (except the Vérité, which is here for review as well). In the end, I think only serious detail-heads would trade the natural tone of the Aeolus for that extra 5-10% of imaging specificity. There is a bit of dip around 7-8k, but this was only really noticeable on a tone generator. Letâs begin to unpack how each of these headphones reproduces music. What I mean here is that the Aeolus presents warm, with an emphasis on liquidity. Just be aware the iSine doesn't hush external noise one bit. On Bubble Tea, by dark cat, the Aeolus and HD800 create wildly different experiences. This made in the US headphone prices start at $1,599 with solid teak ear cups. RRP $1200 excluding VAT linked the recent z review if your not aware as to what these are. Just watched his review...damn, I haven't seen him that happy in a while. It's the sort of headphone you fall in love with from the second you hear it. It was a super-comfy, extremely open, natural-sounding 'phone. MrSpeakers headphones have long been Audiophiliac favorites, but they've really come up with something special with the Aeon Flow ($800). are reproduced, but youâll need to listen if you want to really absorb each, and although each detail feels represented, there is undoubtedly more to be pulled out of the mix by a headphone that prioritizes absolute resolution. Let me know if I can answer any other questions. I have owned my auteur for about a year, and have been excited for a while to compare the open designs for each of these drivers to each other. Not a stock option, but if people are interested, Iâll let you know. I tried the aeolus and i liked my auteur (blackwood) better. Tonally, they are nearly identical to the full-lambskin pads, except that they have just a little more presence in the upper midrange, and the bass is very slightly turned townâa ⦠The auteur really nails what I prefer for treble reproduction: a little controlled shimmer, just shy of venturing into being splashy or glaring. ): On binaural recordings, the Aeolus can reach wide, and cast a large stage, however, as Iâve found to be the case across the ZMF line, Zachâs headphones wonât make songs sound wide arbitrarily. Similarly, overall detail retrieval is strong, and detail presentation feels neither forceful nor aggressive. The Aeolus, for similar reasons as those just mentioned, is solid, but not outstanding in transient reproduction. I did order the Verite pads along with the Aeolus, for $60 it seemed like a worthwhile option to explore, would love to hear any thoughts you have on that whenever you get around to it. The suspension strap and spring steel combination easily adapt, and continue impress with the comfort they provide. Technicalities (Imaging, soundstage, detail retrieval, transients, dynamics, separation etc. Pictured above, from left to right, we have the ZMF Auteur, 1More Triple Driver On Ear, Hifiman Susvara, and the Koss Porta Pro Wireless. I'm a sucker for a pre-order deal and a deadline (Sunday Dec 16th, BTW). Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. The ZMF oval lambskin pads provide a more laid-back alternative to the protein pads. If you read my Vérité review, you know that the auteur is the more neutral of those two headphones. EDIT: I bought the Verite pads as well, how do they compare? While on the subject of options, the Vérité pads can be added to any Aeolus order for $60. So, which headphone do you recommend ? Meanwhile, the HD800 plays back a rapid and airy track, with greater detail, but also a fair amount of shrillness from the high-frequency chime notes. Not a stock option, but if people are interested, Iâll let you know. In that time, the Atticus has built a cult following for its rich, smooth, and musical tuning, with serious thump. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. ZMFâs main variant of choice is undeniably wood. Around the mid/upper bass or lower midrange, the timbre of the Aeolus began to win me over. The auteur came across as a bit bright, compared to the mids of the Aeolus, both because they are elevated in volume, and because of the auteur is less lush in its tuning. The Auteur is probably the better headphone as far as technicalities and detail, and is much more neutral compared to the Aeolus. The Audiophiliac picks the best headphones, from $26 to $6,000, New movies coming out in 2021: Snyder Cut, Marvel and more, 2021 best new TV shows to watch, stream, obsess about, The most venomous animals on Earth, ranked, 60 super-cool kitchen gadgets you can get for less than $50. The naturalness with which it presents music makes me forget that I have heard it another way before, and has me bobbing my head, enjoying. Where the Aeolus is downsloping, mid-bass-to-mids focused, and all about musical liquidity, the HD800 is bass-light, all about technical finesse, and quite lively in the treble region. That's really the best compliment I can give. Bearing all of this in mind, I was very excited to get my hands on the Aeolus for review, and hope to provide useful information for the community, especially given the (soon-ending) pre-order period. The image is a touch more defined on the auteur, and also a bit more three dimensional. I listen to my auteur with the auteur pads, and so with it am listening to what I consider one of the most neutral high-end headphones available today. The overall treble presentation continues the trend of smoothness from the rest of the frequency response, although I find this effect to be a bit too pronounced during critical listening. Cuffie: Senny HD600 ed HD6xx , HD25 e HD201, HifiMan he6 & Susvara, ZMF Auteur & Aeolus, Audeze LCD2 rev2, Grado 80 Auricolari: VE Monk, HiFiMan ES100, Nuforce ecd3 Cinema: TV LG 55B6V A/V ONKYO TX NR-747 Lettore UHD: Panasonic UB-700 Cavi HDMI AudioQuest Pearl 2.0 Dali Zensor 3+Vokal, Sub+Surround ⦠The grill design is a matter of taste, and for my part, I think the grill on the auteur may still be my favorite, partially due to the auteur being my first ZMF open-back. All told, it took me a bit of time to understand the actual imaging performance of the Aeolus. With that said, if I havenât listened to music yet on any given day, and I reach for either headphone, I usually have a larger and more pleasant impression sooner listening with the Aeolus. The 1More Triple Driver's aluminum ear cups each house a 42mm graphene dynamic driver, a separate 10mm piezo-ceramic tweeter, and a passive bass reflector. The only reason I haven't bought any ZMF cans is because I have no way to audition them in the land down under. Grand 20 core Silver ZMF Aeolus Eikon Atticus Verite Auteur upgrade cable ⬠349.00 â ⬠909.00 The one and the only, specially for ZMF headphones â ⦠If youâd like comparison notes, let me know what exactly youâd like to know, and I will do my best to answer. ZMF Aeolus (Pref. It would be all too easy to overlook the Final Audio Design E3000 in-ear headphones ($55, £49 or AU$99), but that would be a mistake. Drum and acoustic guitar pairings sound damn good in a similar way. Preference across genres here is really hard to decide. You could always send me a pair for comparison ;), New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I have grown used to the auteur, and so, in most cases, prefer it to the Aeolus. As the new middle child in the ZMF open-backed line, the auteur is likely the reference point of most interest in regards to the Aeolus and Vérité releases. That said, the Aeolus never ventures into the land of sibilance, and makes less well recorded music, which can be quite irritating in the treble range, much easier to listen to. What really differentiated these headphones in terms of their bass, beyond FR differences, is how the bass impact from each of these headphones presented. As a result, however, the auteur loses out on the lushness that the Aeolus gives to many acoustic instruments, which feathers the edges of notes into what youâd be more likely to hear in a live performance. The Atticus and Aeolus feature a warm tilted tuning, which became known as the âZMF House Soundâ (slightly warm, spacious, clarity without sibilance) through our modified t50rp headphones. Atticus, the closed sibling of Aeolus, has been a popular high-end flavor-can for the community since it came out about two years ago. Technicalities of these headphones are not worlds apart, but they are worth getting into. What this conveys overall is a fast and detailed rumble to the auteur, and a more liquid and dark tone to the Aeolus. Page 548 of 549. Aeolus - the "divine keeper of the winds" Aeolus, known as the âdivine keeper of the windsâ in Greek mythology, is our answer to those wanting an âopen version ZMF Aeolus - ARK Audio Personal service. To get right to sound, the Aeolus is just a freaking fun headphone, with a nice jump in technicalities and evenness as compared to the Atticus, that makes it so easy to listen to. Vérité vs. ZMF Aeolus (Universe pads): The Vérité and Aeolus are certainly not in the same price category, but given that the release of two new ZMF headphones invites comparison, and that I have the Aeolus in for review as well, letâs get into it. Let's dive in. Focal Clear is selling at $970+ an ZMF Aeolus is about $1200+. The warmer FR makes the timbre less annoying than the Utopia. It probably doesnât help the Aeolusâ case that I am coming off of the Vérité review right now, but the edges of notes on the Aeolus fade in the way that they might in an a modestly damped venue. suede Universe pads) 1200: Bright neutral: Tonally, a vast improvement over the Aeolus with stock pads, bringing in extra clarity and bite. Viices, by Made in Heights, on MADE IN HEIGHTS, Touch, by Daft Punk, on Random Access Memories, House of Cards, by Radiohead, on In Rainbows, Peace Train, by Cat Stevens, on Teaser and the Firecat, The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in G Minor, Op. B: A: Dynamic: Open Circumaural: Zeppelin & Co demo unit: 78: 57: 21: 1200: B+: Final Audio D8000: 4000: Bright: High treble-to-midrange contrast makes things sound ⦠The E3000 is the best budget in-ear headphone I've heard in ages. Oh, and it sounds better than any Audeze headphone I've heard to date. I've tried some other stuff here and there but this will be my first substantial upgrade over the trusty Sennheisers. Above all other headphones that I have done close listening with, the reproduction of voices on the Aeolus feels the most human. It should be unsurprising, then, to hear that between the Aeolus and the auteur, the latter is again the more neutral. Ho-hum rules the day, so when I popped in these Creative Aurvana Trio headphones, my ears perked up -- the sound was anything but ordinary. The closest upgrade to HD600 would be the ZMF Auteur, the Aeolus is warmer than HD600 and closer to HD650 sound. * indicates required. Ty for this, sometimes reading through detailed posts can be a slog and I'm often wondering where the point is, and how long I have to dig to find it. More than any headphone in this review, including the Vérité, I found myself bobbing my head, or up and dancing, listening to the Aeolus. Would really like a chance to listen to the open back ZMFs in a quieter setting but I was definitely a fan of the build quality, aesthetics and comfort while my listening impressions were very positive (coming from an LCD2F). Sundara sells for $499 in the US, £449 in the UK and AU$699 in Australia. Master Silver ZMF Aeolus Eikon Atticus Verite Auteur Blackwood upgrade cable ⬠239.00 â ⬠639.00 True Hi-End masterpiece made out of 12 cores of 5N purity silver! Both are open-back in-ear, planar-magnetic designs. Overall, the rich and impactful sound, coupled with the strong-enough resolution of the Aeolus makes it easy to recommend to those searching for a new headphone to enjoy, in the $1,000 price range. Voices are so natural, so full of life, so engaging. The Audeze LCDi4 ($2,495, £2,399) is one of the most transparent and open sounding in-ear headphones on the planet. Overall, the technicalities of the Aeolus are very consistent with the tuning of the headphone, which makes for a coherent experience that is easy to dive into and enjoy for many hours. KZ is one of those companies, like FiiO before it, that really pushes the performance envelope of budget audiophile gear. The idea behind the Aeolus was to create an open-back version of ZMFâs legendary Atticus - a closed-back pair that was and still is renowned for its thundering, riotous sub-bass. I will offer brief impressions with the Vérité pads, later on, time permitting. The Aeolus sounded a bit elevated in the midbass compared to the auteur as well, and had a weight to its sound that the auteur lacked. That said, the warm tuning and lush presentation of the Aeolus presents a more refined and audiophile-friendly version of what the Atticus made available a few years ago: a high-end intersection of pleasure and resolution. You can buy a pair for around $1,200 in the stock sapele wood, but Zach will make you a pair in just about any wood you like. Dynamic reproduction, in terms of impact, goes slightly to the Aeolus, however the precision that microdynamics, especially, demand are better reproduced by the auteur. That was my experience with these as well. It has a larger sense of scale than most competing headphones; the LCD2Cs' sound rich, warm, and hugely satisfying. 1More quickly established itself as the budget audiophile headphone maker of choice. Both are within my ⦠In the songs that gel with the Aeolusâ tuning (read: most rock, jazz, vocal, electronic, and hip-hop music), its midrange beats that of the auteur, but for genre-agnostic midrange consistency, the auteur would be my pick. The price is right, too; just $130, £90 and AU$140. The Triple Driver sells for $250 in the US, £212 in the UK and AU$349 in Australia. The $399/£366 iSine 10 sounds remarkably clear and spacious; no other in-ear headphone at this price can touch it. A capella and tracks with a strong vocal presence satisfy in a visceral way that I donât often feel when listening to headphones. These in-ear headphones really hush external noise without electronics or batteries, and the sound falls in line with Etymotic's house sound -- very clean, clear, with a smooth frequency response -- the MK5 is an accurate sounding headphone. This is Shure's top dynamic driver in-ear headphone; it's the one I grab when I'm not reviewing an in-ear. The first headphone to give the Abyss AB 1266 headphone a run for the money, Susvara's sound is hyper-transparent and pure. First, the new aluminum-and-leather headband makes for a more comfortable fit, and materials are upgraded for improved durability. But uber-performance and hand-crafted build quality never comes cheap; Diana can be yours for $2,995, £3,450 or AU$4,299. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. aeolus def had better bass but i just eq about 3.5db at 100hz to my auteur and tube them and i get satisfying and accurate bass with much better vocal clarity and highs. I'll try a pad roll sometime soon. Aeolus is a new dynamic, open-backed, circumaural headphone from ZMF Headphones, and it is also the realization of a frequent community request. Front to back, the Aeolus also had solid staging, about on par with its vertical presentation, which surprised me. With that out of the way, I will say that the bass on the Aeolus is not as elevated in its slamming as that of the Atticus, and that it blends into the midrange more seamlessly. Upon listening to a Blackwood headphone, the ⦠Toward the latter, control of decay is good, but not excellent on my unit. Thank you for taking the time to do this! 8, No. ZMF Auteur. It's also more comfortable than the AB-1266 and Hifiman's very own HE1000v2 headphone. Not bad considering ZSA's rock bottom budget price, $26 in the US, £26 in the UK, and AU$28 in Australia. What the Aeolus sacrifices in absolute resolution, staging, and speed compared to the HD800, they more than make up for in terms of musicality, impact, and vocal realism. The Aeolus will be run in Sapele as the stock wood, and Ziricote for the first LTD run. The HD800 is faster, so in this sense, its dynamic swings feel quite pronounced, but given the large gap in impact it gives up to the Aeolus, dynamics on the latter feel more...dynamic. ZMF Auteur Review May 31, 2018 AudioHead 2 Comments Auteur, Review, ZMF Headphones. Granted, they are both 300 ohm, open-backed, circumaural, dynamic driver headphones, but the similarities end there. As mentioned, midbass is slightly elevated relative to sub-bass, and is where the TPE driver of the Aeolus shines. I donât listen to FLAC for the bulk of my music, and I am most familiar with the tracks to be mentioned, so these 320 kbps versions will be my reference. Speed also goes to the HD800, but dynamics are really a tossup. © 2021 CNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. As I mentioned in my Vérité review, the Aeolus really saved the day when I wanted to listen to more mainstream hip hop and some electronic music. The Aeolus is not meant to be a better Atticus, but instead an offering that gives listeners access to the lush timbre of the Atticus, while trading-off pros and cons where you might often find divides between open and closed headphones. I agree with the comments that Zach at ZMF Headphones watching that fellow on YouTube with the many, many headphones...raving about the ZMF Aeolus ⦠5 weeks old. Both headphones are finished beautifully, and built durably. The cups on the unit I have are a pale, unoxidized mahogany, and feature a less ornate grill pattern than that found on the auteur and Vérité, opting for a more sloping and angular pattern. The rise into the lower treble also plays a part in giving back a bit of energy to balance the lush tone of the midrange. Alphabetical sort of Headphone Reviews by Critics from around the web. Obviously, I need to review the unit from a familiar baseline, but Iâd imagine that there are also systems out there that would help with decay. Any chance you have the clears to compare? I think the Verite pads will be interesting, likely going in the auteur direction. Sennheiser's newly revised model, the new flagship IE800 S looks similar, but sounds like a more refined device. The Aeolus represents a maturation of that concept, which tempers some of the more exaggerated sonic features of the Atticus, while retaining its character, and bringing a higher level of resolution through its open design. While listening to the Aeolus for fun, or in the background, this more gentle treble presentation is ideal, but when I really want to hear that last bit of bite from violins, or a little edge from the high notes of a sax riff, notes are a bit softer in their attack than I would like. More often than weâd probably all like to admit, thatâs all we want out of a headphone, a good time with the music. In line with, and I believe acoustically related to image placement, is the ability to faithfully and quickly reproduce transient edges. Universe Pads vs. Vérité Pads Not a stock option, but if people are interested, Iâll let you know. Still, it's a sweet and nonfatiguing sound; very easy on the ears. A quieter room definitely helps, but as you say, you can at least gauge rough preferences at a show. Build is not really a category that deserves much time. Thank you to Zach and ZMF for creating the Aeolus, and sending them over for me to check out. Get all the expert product reviews on Headphone models. Across a range of songs, the peaky treble of the HD800 makes it hard to justify over the Aeolus especially, given its polar opposite, musical reproduction.
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