All about Aeolus in few clear lines. Stock pads are the warmest, suede perforated turn things a little more balanced. I believe there’s a video by @metal571 about Aeolus on the tube where he explains the tuning with pads.
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Thanks @PaisleyUnderground and @monochromios.
Found a UK distributor who stocks the pads as well so pad rolling an option.
One possibly dumb question - the headphone cable connectors are 4-pin mini-XLR?
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Not a dumb question. I wish there was a database somewhere to look this kind of information up.
Yes, they are 4-pin mini-XLR.
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One last thing to think about is whether your amp has enough power for ZMF headphones, which have an impedance of 300 ohms.
I saw in one of your posts that you had a Beyerdynamic A20 in your office, which I wasn’t familiar with, but when I Googled it, I saw a Reddit post from Zach (who runs the company) saying he loves the A20.
And it looks like your Limetree amp may be OK. Their manual says they prefer 32-200 ohm headphones but the switches under the amp can be set for headphones greater than 200 ohms.
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Thanks @PaisleyUnderground.
I think the Limetree should be fine (and it’s a cracking bit of kit for the size - not much bigger than a pack of cards).
It’s rated up to 300 ohms and seems to have more than enough grunt to drive my Amirons which have 250 ohm impedance.
Not an endgame piece of kit in any case - I’d love to get a tube amp at some point (but no way of really dealing with the heat), so I suspect the next purchase is likely to be a TOTL Swiss Army Knife SS amp (Phonitor / iCan pro, etc).
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I go all in in the warmth of the Aeolus then switch to the Verite when I want a different sound. If a person only had the Aeolus though it does have a different sound character when swapping the pads which is something I love about ZMF.
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Thank you very much, this is all really good to know!
The bass quantity doesn’t sound like a problem for me. The narrower soundstage might be an issue, though. But, then again, a narrower stage can sometimes be offset by good imaging, layering, and separation, I suppose. I’ve just auditioned the Empire Ears Odin and its smaller stage (than the Andros or the Solari) was less of an issue thanks to its glorious resolution. I guess, in the end, it all comes down to tradeoffs and how the overall presentation works. Engagement and musicality are priorities for me, too, so the Ely’s sound, and its way of presenting timbre, are very appealing.
Thanks for the warning about power, too - yep, I have a Sony DAP, the ZX2, so I’ll probably need something beefier. One day I might like to get a desktop amp that works well for IEMs, perhaps something like the THX 789 or the new Jot 2, which is supposed to be dead silent from its balanced output. (I rely on IEMs for a third of the year here as it’s too hot here for over-ear headphones in the summer). Do you have a desktop amp or do you stick to the Cayin?
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I don’t think the soundstage is narrow by any reasonable standard I just know a couple people who geek out about soundstage in particular who felt it was narrow coming from Andro. I honestly never really noticed as I was too drawn in to everything else to really notice.
Yeah I mentioned Sony in particular because I knew you had one of their daps.
No I do not have any desktop gear at all. I no longer have the n6ii I’m using a Shanling M8 now. It’s a pretty amazing piece of kit from an audio engineering perspective and is the nicest sounding portable source I’ve ever heard. It’s not the most snappy in terms of UI but it’s SQ is to die for-- especially the low end. Another drawback is that it uses Android 7…but that probably wouldn’t be that big a deal to someone who has a ZX2.
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You’re right, UI, operating system, and streaming capabilities aren’t issues for me in a DAP. (The ZX2’s a bit long in the tooth, now). SQ is the key consideration; I’d forgotten you have the Shanling M8. You did well to get one with the AKM chips (wait, the M8 has those, right?).
Thanks for clarifying about the soundstage - sorry, I read too much into your comment. That’s good to know.
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Yeah the M8 has two AK4499 chips which is their flagship DAC chip. I know the M6 is going to start shipping with Sabre chips due to the fire but I heard from a Shanling rep that they had a pretty good stockpile of chips for the M8 so they had no immediate plans to switch to anything else. When I had Solaris and Andro I was looking for the PAW S1 in DAP form…I never actually found it but the M8 does everything l love about the S1 (pitch black background, supreme clarity, tastefully dynamic etc.) and so much more.
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Cool, I’m glad the M8’s not affected, at least not any time soon. Here’s hoping AKM resumes production before Shanling sells all its M8s.
As it happens, I was just listening to the Paw S1 with the Empire Ears Odin and, for the first time, I found something to nitpick about it - well, not really. The S1 fell behind my ZX2 when it came to giving full rein to the Odin’s resolution. This had never been an issue with my Andromeda. (Obviously it’s unreasonable to expect the Paw to do justice to the Odin - we’re talking about a dongle that costs 5% of the IEMs, after all). The other qualities you mention of the S1 were all still there. It’s a great device.
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I am looking for a pair of IEM, primarily for listening to TV show and only secondarily to music from my Android or computer. I’d prefer wireless and IEM’s that shut out a good amount of noise.
My price range is:
$800ish or below (does it even make sense to spend that much for streaming shows? not looking to eek out the last few % of gains for big marginal costs)
I like to listen to:
podcasts, youtube, netflix, Britney – all through S10 or computer
I will be using them for: (Travel, commuting, home, gym, etc…):
Primarily around the home (while washing dishes, doing chores, but also at computer) and some gym and travel
Additional Information:
I currently have samsung wireless buds.
Thanks for the help!
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How important is shutting out room noises? What is your source? You use wireless now - do you need true wireless?
When you say “TV” where / how are they getting the sound from the TV? YouTube on computer? smart TV? Phone?
Enquiring Minds Want to Know.
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Sorry for the ambiguities. [Will go back and edit original post for clarity.]
I’d like wireless–makes doing the dishes, etc, easier. Shutting out room noise is also important. By “TV” I actually meant streaming from youtube, netflix, etc on S10 or computer.
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Dunu Zen + Qudelix 5k. Great for everything you said.
And because it is my favorite combo. 
If you provide sound preferences, myself and others can be more selective.
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Thanks for the input. One thing I am confused about: can you use the Zen directly off of a phone/computer with bluetooth without an additional DAC?
Sure. I use it with my apple dongle on my iphone frequently (technically the dongle is a dac). It’s an easy to drive IEM.
But if you do get the qudelix (or similar) you get a bit better sound. Qudelix can function as a wired or BT dac and amp. The qudelix pairs with your phone the same way your buds do. You can look up my comparison of it to the BTR5 on this forum. It is a bit more functional in some small ways on an iphone. You then plug the Zen (or any headphones) into the qudelix. I do recommend using the 2.5mm balanced plug.
One thing to note, your buds may have noise cancellation. These iems do not. While they do isolate, they don’t cancel like airpods or other true wireless.
And gym usage will be based on fit and sweat. Honestly, might stick to the current buds for that.
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Thanks for the info! Sounds great. But the Zen aren’t wireless, right? (I’m not sure what “True wireless” means.)
I’ll look into your reviews and research the Zen. Do you (or anyone else) have any suggestions for competitors I should look at? My desired sound signature is neutral-to-slightly-warm.
Does neutral mean harman target to you?
(I am guessing, yes, because most consumer wireless devices are)
With the qudelix ($109), you can drive just about any wired IEM on the market. I am going to list a few more that made my lists but I haven’t tried yet. Going based on reviews and comparisons to what I do have. Truck load of salt and all that.
Moondrop s8 ($699) - highly detailed but less impactful bass. More lean, less rich.
Dunu sa6 ($549) - again, less physical bass but very balanced
Thieaudio Monarch ($729) and clairvoyance ($699) should be on the list but there are supply issues right now. Monarch is lean and detailed, clairvoyance is richer and balanced.
Of course, blessing 2 dusk ($329), which is balanced like the clairvoyance or sa6. (Probably best bang for your buck in this kind of sound. And I own this one, and it’s why I bought the Zen)
This is a small slice of what I considered the best available for my sound desires. If we match, pick any of these and enjoy. If not, there is tons out there and lots of people here to advise.
If you want true wireless, the only thing I would seriously consider is the airpods max. Which obviously aren’t IEMs. And definitely not for exercise. But very good for everything else. My caveat? The dusk absolutely demolished them on sound quality (with the exception of bass impact).
I represent one guy’s opinion on the internet. Take that for what it is worth. 
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+1 on the Solaris. Campfire tends to be rather large but the Solaris is less so and the sound is phenomenal.Now, to be fair, I’m using the Hiby FR6 2020 and the Cayin C9, which might have something to do with my opinion. But straight off of my old R6 is still sounds wonderful.
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