That Burl is awesome! Congrats!!
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hahaha had to plug it in for a second. It’s actually my preferred source because it’s so neutral/reference and HAS THE POWAH. Really brings out all the Aeolus has to offer. Up next is grabbing a copilot and perf suede pads 
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Cushy boy pads!!! THIS IS THE WAY!!! get suede pilot pad!!
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They build it to last 2-3 years longer than the warranty on the compressor so they have a fudge factor for the ones that fail early.
There’s more refrigerators from the 1950s still running than from the 1990s
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Could anyone help me out and throw out some suggestions… I think I’ve landed on a ZMF Aeolus for my next headphone. I was going to build a DAC / AMP setup around it. Budget for the DAC and AMP is about $1,400 (ouch, maybe less? This is crazy). I have a Asgard 3 already, but pretty sure it won’t make it into the setup. Looking to have a real good synergy here.
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I’d suggest finding a used tube amp under your 1,400 limit. Lots of good stuff can pop up for under that amount. Ampsandsound, woo audio, dragon inspire,Hagerman tuba,bottle head crack and other models,LTA Mz2, schiit,
Decware, etc.
Start with looking into all these companies/models and hope a used one pops up for a good deal if it doesn’t retail in your price range. Great thing about buying used is if you get it at a good price you can always turn around and resell it and get most your money back.
Also the schiit Bifrost 2 is a very popular Dac and not too expensive and is worth looking into. Schiit has a trail period too in case you want to send it back if it’s not to your liking.
Older models of Chord dacs can be had for a good price too like the chordette and 2qute.
Bottle head crack is awesome and super cheap but you have to build it as it comes as a kit.
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Welcome to the forum @Bob .
My son has the same Asgard 3/6XX setup as you and I really enjoyed listening to that.
I’d advise changing one thing at a time, so you get a good feel for what each new item is giving you.
I tried the Asgard 3 in my own system, with a Bifrost 2 DAC (as @Earmuffs also suggested) and I found it opened up the sound compared to the internal DAC, so I’d suggest that as your first upgrade. It certainly sounded good with my ZMF Verite ( and my son’s 6XX) and you may find you like the Aeolus on the A3 with BF2, which will save you some money. Even if it’s not to your liking, the BF2 will be a good DAC foundation for you to explore other amps.
I now have an Aeolus, and can try it out on various amps when I get home from vacation, but there are plenty of Aeolus owners on this forum who can give you more timely advice.
Edit: Just wanted to add that your biggest gap right now is the lack of an external DAC, which is why I suggested starting with a BF2 and seeing how that sounds. Hopefully that will sound like an upgrade to the A3. I also wanted to mention that there’s a danger here that you’re going to “sidegrade” if you get another amp with what’s left of your budget. As @Earmuffs said, looking for a much better used amp is a great idea, or if the A3 sounds fine, use that for now and save for a better amp later on.
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Ok, cool. I’ll consider getting a Bifrost 2 or a better DAC and using my Asgard 3 for a bit.
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Exactly, the DAC of your choice. The BF2 just happens to be the one I own, so I have experience of the A3 with internal DAC card vs BF2, and I could hear a difference.
Once you have a DAC, the world’s your oyster, and you can start obsessing about TOTL tube amps. Or watch the recent video about tube amps below $1000.
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Or go your own way and enjoy the wallet friendly nature of solid state!
(Or one of each!)
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Hi I am new to the forum and love what I see here so thanks in advance to anyone who can assist me with my dilemma.
I seem to be jumping on the ZMF bandwagon and getting an Aeolus as well.
I have a Schiit bifrost 2 as my dac and was thinking about getting a new amp. As many have stated on this forum tubes are the way to go. I don’t think I am ready at this point for tubes and would like to stick to solid state for now. Maybe one day I will get a bottlehead crack, just not at this point.
Have any of you heard the headlamp GSX mini or Violectric v280 with the Aeolus?
Any other amps at around $2000 worth looking into for this pairing?
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@PaisleyUnderground has ZMF’s and can tell you about the Burson Soloist and Schiit Jot 2. Those are not close to $2,000, we’ll see if someone has an idea for something considerably better for an extra $1,000.
He is traveling now so it might be a day or two before he can reply.
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I’m with you, no Samsung for me either Sony for TVs. Had at least two Samsung TVs fail on me.
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Hey @Jake welcome friend! I know you said you are not ready for tubes yet which I understand. However the Aeolus really shines off Tubes. As far as solid state maybe @ProfFalkin could recommend an amp in your price range?
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Thanks For replying @MRHifiReviews. Love the YouTube channel btw.
The more I read on the forum I have to admit I am warming up to the idea. I heard great things about the GSX-mini ad the Violectric that they are less analytical and more warm sounding which I like, but I am sure they will not be able to match the warmth and spaciousness of a good tube amp.
Just getting back in to the hobby so that is the reason I am a little apprehensive.
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I have not.
I don’t even know what his preferences are. I could start listing high end amps, but it’s a crap shoot as to if Jake would like any of them. What do you want an amp to do for your Aeolus? More treble, more bass, more stage, etc?
The solid state amps I prefer with Aeolus are unobtainium - Blackwidow 2, ECP 3F. You might be hunting the used market for quite a while before one of those show up, and when it does you better be Johnny-On-The-Spot to get it.
Jotunheim 2 is pretty good.
If the Monoprice Liquid Gold sounds anything like the original, that might be something. I haven’t heard the Monoprice version.
It’s been a while since I had mine, but I remember my Wells Milo quite fondly.
I’m not a huge HeadAmp GSX fan. Sure, they are lean, quick, and clean, but they also seem shouty and fatiguing too.
I know a lot of people praise Violetric, but of the 3 or 4 models I’ve heard, none of them wow’d me to the point I’d spend that kind of money on them. I’d rather get an iFi Pro iCan for that $$, it’s fairly close in sound and has a metric crap ton of options by comparison, and even has a very easy to use Tube mode.
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Thank You @NickZ I appreciate it. It will be a couple of weeks before I purchase anything looking to do my research as to not regret this big purchase item.
Thanks for the reply @ProfFalkin.
What I am looking for is a warmer sound signature with a little more open of a soundstage.
I might just have to go tubes to get that experience.
Actually that is a great call @ProfFalkin solid state with tubes and pairs very good with the Aeolus, the Professor strikes again!
Thoroughly enjoyed that amp with my Aeolus @Jake
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DNA Starlett for $2k, great match for any ZMF
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