Sharing my notes with the community; First amp impressions pairing ZMF Aeolus amplifier pairings
Blew my mind
- Ray Samuels Emmeline II The Raptor$1,200 - milky smooth tube amp
- Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 $900 dark, full, Sounds like the Darkvoice but mids are like flowing molten gold, and all brightness is removed, a fatter fuller bodied bloated XP-7
- Darkvoice 336SE $200 - tube amp with overwhelming envelopment, full bass, however it does have recessed mids
Sounds Better than good
- Ray Samuels Emmeline XP-7 $700 - Treble oriented more full bodies
- Singxer SA-1 $540 - (select switch to low z bias) mids oriented sound
Sounds Good
- Questyle CMA Twelve DAC/amp - $1,500
- Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk 2 $800 - heightened image separation
- Schiit Lyr 3 $500 tube hybrid
- Drop LCX + SDAC $220 really good performance, like a Singxer SA-1 with slight decrease in detail
- Drop x Alex Cavall Tube Hybrid $250 - good performance for cheap, but slightly anemic yet emotional presentation is still there
- Drop THX AAA 789 $200 First time this amp has moved above not good
Not good, but some credibility notes
- Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk 1 (discontinued) good for when I want less focus on bass, clear highs but avoiding sparkle
- Asgard 3 $250 - Nice for a non-harsh listening session, overly mellow muffle
I did not enjoy these
- Jotunheim 2 $400 This amp usually pairs well with most every headphone, WTHeck???
- RebelAmp $500 - This is usually my favorite amp, what is going on here???
- Beyerdynamic A20 ($500 discontinued) Wide soundstage but lacks dynamics, soft delivery
- SMSL SP200 $260 Narrow soundstage
I haven’t gotten around to some discontinued amps and none of the $100 amps yet. Many of these impression are subject to change when I get more listening in. I am only on day 2 of listening. However, I just wanted to get an overall initial listening impression on where my amps stand with the ZMF Aeolus and thought I would share.