You may be a newbie, but you’re off to a fast start w/an intriguing collection of headphones.
As for settling down…well, good luck with that!
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The ZMF silver cable is great, but I am too cheap to pay +$400 for a cable, so I have ordered from other sources, but they are still not genuine ZMF cables 
I have a Forza Noir HCP cable too and could imagine to get one more for my Aeolus, they are high quality and look great. Periapt is too simple for a ZMF IMO.
Plussound has come cables that could fit me as well, but I need to see the silver one I have coming from Satin cables in Vietnam first.
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What amplifier/DAC are you using? The HD6XX and HD600 respond very positively to powerful amplification–the HD58X is not as sensitive.
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Right. My wife noticed the trend when I purchased the 2nd one. 
See my previous post:
This is all I have today. The plan is to purchase 3 more amps down the road: a THXish, a Class-Aish and a tubbish (pure or hybrid, still not decided).
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What earpads are you getting w/your Aeolus?
Universe suede perf pads as well as the Uni Aeolus pads that are standard. I like the suade and they are rec’ed highly with those, so why not give them a try.
I also get the suede strap.
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I can also totally recommend the Verite pads, which I heard at length on my friend’s Aeolus. It’s a terrific sound, a little more neutrality & focus than the perforated universe suedes (which do sound amazing on this headphone).
I’ll soon get a pair of Verite pads and switch to them now & then.
IMO the best part is this is the opposite of the unpredictable sonic results one gets when pad-rolling w/aftermarket pads. Here the Aeolus retains that fun, immersive sound whether it’s stock pads, perf. suede universe, or Verite pads. Mostly what changes w/differing pads is the level of the midbass.
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I am just wondering what sound change the Blackwood gives, compared to Sapele or other woods. Have you seen anything on this?
I will soon have the opportunity to directly compare my blackwood Aeolus to my friend’s sapele one: same DAC, amp, cables & music (just switch cables from one to the other). While not instantaneous switching, that should give me a better idea than comparing it via sonic memory (flawed).
I think I hear a bit more bloom & “glow” on notes of acoustic instruments; also that this Aeolus is slightly warmer-sounding overall, though that could simply be pads not yet broken in/compressed from use (my friend & I use the same pads, but his HP is ~1.5 yrs older). Of course, any differences I hear could be entirely in my mind. It’s a pretty subtle thing.
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Current headphones
- Sennheiser HD6xx wanted to have a reference headphone
- Focal Elex was interested in hearing how Focal headphones sound since I used Focal Monitors.
- Dan Clark Aeon Flow Open just was curious about its sound signature; it started another journey looking at amplifiers, with the right amp they are a unique experience brings intimacy to your music.
- Hifiman Ananda After reading a few reviews, I was curious and found them on sale.
- Rosson Audio RAD-0 I love rock music, these feel at home playing it, they ended up being easy to drive and my what I reach for first
- Audeze LCD-4 it is my first Audeze headphone, picked it up Openbox.
Showing up sometime soon
- HE-1000 SE - Was looking for little more then Ananda for orchestral and instrumental music, also picking up Openbox.
- ZMF Vertie Ltd Purpleheart ( patiently waiting, In the final phase before shipment “Assembly and QC” ) Just the most beutiful looking headphone, looking forward to hearing with all the great reviews on this marque headphone.
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What a killer collection @angstorms I am looking forward to your thoughts on the two new headphones you are adding to see how they compare to what you have now!
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Collection is as follows:
V Moda M100 Master - Closed back for work
Sennheiser HD559 - Because my brother isn’t using it
AKG K142HD - First set of “good” headphones that I got for free years ago and fixed. <3
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My current setup is headamp gsx mini, little dot mkvi, chord qutest and rme adi 2 dac. These are my current headphones:
Utopia: my king
Verite C Ironwood: second best. Dont look like a closed headphone.
He1000 v2: best planar I own.
Autuer teak: for me a advanced hd600.
Audeze lcd 3: Amazing mids but just that.
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What a setup. Great headphones in your collection.
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Fun topic!
Work: Ayre Codex dac balanced out to a Phonitor E, unbalanced out to a ZMF Pendant. Headphones are Atticus, VC, and Eikon. Yeah, ZMF fanboy here, I love Zach’s tuning. The Atticus is my wild child; fun, crazy, and exhilarating. Pairs best with my favorite genres, rock and metal. The VC is my analytical set, for digging deep into the music. It’s also my best headphone for well recorded audio like Jazz, Classical, etc. The Eikon is my subbass master, for when I’m listening to bass-centric stuff.
I like having two different amps for variety. The Phonitor is my neutral solid state amp, when I want honesty in my playback. I also feel it’s the best amp for the Atticus as it doesn’t double down on the warmth like a warmer amp would. Plus I just love the bass control a good solid state delivers. The Pendant is more romantic and musical sounding, especially with the tubes I’m using. I love it with the VC as it calms the upper mids a bit. I’m very very sensitive to the 4-6K region, and the VC has lots of energy there. The Pendant lets me listen loud while not getting fatigued. Same volume on the Phonitor and I’ll feel like my ears are being spiked a bit. The Eikon seems to like both amps equally.
Portable: Dragonfly Red with a Porta Pro, Momentum 2.0, or Nightowl. I love this setup in the house when hiding from the kids! When daddy is “pooping” for an hour or two, he’s really just rocking out and decompressing from hours of legos and action figure fights haha. Tip for parents needing a break, tell the kiddos you need to go to the bathroom, grab a portable rig, and enjoy!
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Listed from most to least used (nowadays):
- Hifiman Susvara - Home listening
- 64 Audio U12T - On-the-go listening or whenever I want noise isolation
- Koss KSC35 Wireless - Working around the house
- JVC HA-MX100 - I rarely use these since I don’t really have a use for closed back headphones, but I keep them around because they sound very nice. Similar sort of tonal balance to ZMF headphones now that I think about it.
- Koss Pro/4X - For some good ol’ sub-bass listening (after a bit of EQ)
- Creative Aurvana Live drivers in Fostex T20 (1970s model) chassis - Was a project that I was in-too-deep on. I broke the CAL’s front baffle to extract the drivers. Doesn’t sound too bad surprisingly.
- Sony MH755 - Back-up for the U12T
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Lol!!! This is hilarious 
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TRUTH!!! lol I use my N6ii and any number of my headphones and go hide… lol
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This so funny because it’s so true.
I know we all love our kids, and would do anything for them, and I know that there are times where we want to just escape!
I loved this post for its honesty and humor. 
Cheers!
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Only two–
Campfire Audio Solaris SE
Empire Ears Legend X
After a lengthy search I found these two best satisfied the two major poles of my tastes-- a balanced and spacious signature (Solaris) and a more bassy one (Legend X). Both are well layered, detailed, textured and technically excellent.
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