For me, brain burn in was deep. The Aeolus was a headphone that introduced nuances that I have not experienced before. This headphone demanded and emphasized an importance of breaking from A/B comparisons in favor of comparing long listening sessions.
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I got some Aeolus pads B stock today from “Hot Cup Summer Sale, Pt 2” (perforated lamb). They look like A stock to my eyes, I don’t see any stitching or other obvious errors…
I’ve always wanted to try them on my Aeolus, see how they differ from the Universe pads. I’ll report back, more fun with ZMF pad swapping! 
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I have verite and auteur headphones but lately been gravitating to my Aeolus. Such an awesome headphone for pure blissful enjoyment!
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Universal Perforated Lambskin on my Aeolus were very unpleasant for me to listen to. However, I may be somewhat biased due to being overly sensitive to in-cup reflections caused by lambskin and leather pads. Temporary use of velour pads worked amazingly well until I could get Universal Perforated Suede pads. Universal Perforated Suede pads have sweetened my Aeolus, reviving tonal balance that had been slightly overly damped by velour.
Thanks, but I tried the U perf suede, didn’t much care for them. I gave them about a week, then switched back to U lamb perf.
That’s why I wanted to try Aeolus pads, just for fun.
Old adage of YMMV holds true
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Trying things just for fun might just be the best way to do things in this hobby!
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How did you like your Aeolus pads? I love the warmth that they bring, turning the Aeolus into a very fun headphone.
I’m kind of undecided at the moment…
I feel like they definitely make it even more punchy, but with a downward tilt to upper mids or treble, with some loss of clarity to my ears.
I guess I’m a bit like goldilocks in the 3 bears, with U suede too bright, aeolus too dull, U lamb perf just right? 
Still haven’t formed final opinion yet though, it could be that my ears got used to default pad, as I’ve spent the most time with it.
I agree with your findings, but I found that when I had the “just right” pads on, the Aeolus was competing with my Verite and RAD-0 and it wasn’t getting any use. The Aeolus pads introduced a new flavor that was complementary to my other headphones, not competing.
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Haha! I hear you, no pun intended!
As an aside, when I first got my Burson Soloist GT, I was absolutely blown away by the elevation in clarity I heard from Aeolus. It almost pushed it into fooling me it was a Focal Clear! 
The GT is the big Soloist, aka “the beast”.
I did a double take with it, I’d been using a Jot 2/Lyr 3, which are no slouches.
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So I revised my Aeolus pads opinion (mostly 
)
With certain genres or types of music they sound great, like reggae, EDM/Industrial (eg The Presets or The Chemical Brothers, NIN for industrial). Obviously, they bring forward punch and slam even more, and makes the headphone flat out fun , and with other rock categories as well.
I see your point regarding Verite comparison too.
Also, I think my ears are adjusting to the new sound on the headphone…
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That’s exactly what I found, with the same type of music. It’s a lot of fun, isn’t it?
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Hello all, hope everyone is doing well.
I’ve started to save a bit for an Aeolus and wanted to know if they would be considered complementary to an LCD-2 (my current go-to over my K702). I picked up a custom balance cable for it from Audio Sensibility and am really liking the headphones more. I’m not sure if that’s al because of the cable or more attributed to the balanced output from the Jot 2.
I’ve had my LCD-2 since 2018 and am just now really starting to enjoy them more. Would getting an Aeolus be more of the same or is it different enough to own both? Any insight/anecdote/words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
Happy listening
Your questions are a little tough to answer, in that a bit more information would be helpful…
Aside from the K702, what other dynamic driver headphones are you familiar with (or listened to)? What kind of sound are you looking for? Your budget? Were you thinking Aeolus new or used?
The reason I ask is that Aeolus needs significant burn in time when new, like 100-200 hours. Really. It changes a lot from brand new to burned in.
I’m sure you’ve read through this thread, but when mine were new they were just “fine”, nothing special and definitely not punchy or having much “slam” like I read about. I was kind of disappointed at first tbh.
Now it’s a completely different story. They’re fun, dynamic, with a fair amount of resolution and detail but a generally more “relaxed” sound. They are not in your face, demanding you pay attention like say Focal Clears.
Which brings me to my next point, other headphones that are broadly similar in price…
The Focal Clear OG, which is $900, is a truly amazing headphone value. Both it and Aeolus sound great with a Jot 2 (I know from personal experience), but are rather different listening experiences. The Focal has fantastic detail and resolution, and great bass slam in the low end. It is probably more resolving than Aeolus. But it can be tiring in the sense of being a more “in your face” presentation. The Aeolus is a more chill listen.
I can’t speak to your LCD-2, or any Audeze for that matter. I can say Aeolus is a very different listen from the planars I do have, Rosson RAD-0 and a DCA Aeon 2 Open. The planars are just more detailed sounding, but the Rosson is not a fair comparison… However, I still enjoy my Aeolus a lot
IDK, hope this helps some. Also, Aeolus isn’t fussy with amplification, it sounds great with most amps I should think. Plus pad rolling is fun, you can “tune” your sound with swaps!
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I can’t say I’m familiar with any other dynamic headphone. I briefly listened to the Focal Elear at a show and spent around 10 minutes with a friends HD800. Compared to the LCD-2, the Elear and HD800 sounded thinner (same goes for my K702).
I’m hoping for a more laid back headphone than the LCD-2. The Aeolus seems to fit the bill from what I’ve read online. I’m not looking for hyper detail or immense soundstage. I’m leaning more to getting a used unit instead of new.
For me the ZMF Aeolus is extremely complimentary to my planar dynamic headphones including my Audeze LCD-X 2021. With you already enjoying the LCD-2, I think you are looking in the right direction for a contrasting alternate flavor in the Aeolus.
robson’s comments urge me to share my related experiences. I recommend that when you get Aeolus to prepare for lots of brain burn-in as the laid back, relaxed mellowness seemed a bit alien at first until I had given them at least a week’s play. A/B comparisons didn’t and still don’t work for me with the Aeolus as the sound is just too mellow compared to others. However, comparing long listening periods to other headphones, I always prefer the Aeolus over my other headphones.
I agree with his comment that they are easy to run from many amplifiers. However, Aeolus will benefit further when paired with amazing higher end amplifiers.
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Thanks @robson and @hottyson.
I’ve experienced taking a while to get used to a new piece of equipment before with my 2-channel setups, not so much with headphones. What you have both mentioned regarding your experiences with the Aeolus compared to other headphones you own makes my decision to get one a little easier. Although I’m now I’m also thinking about getting a different amp for it eventually. Maybe a Burson Soloist and use its power amp mode connected to the Jot 2’s balanced output.
From what I can tell the ZMF connectors are the same as my LCD-2. I should be able to use my balanced cables on an Aeolus as well, correct?
Thanks again
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You are correct!
What @hottyson said is very true about Aeolus “scaling” with a better amp. When I got the Burson the improvement in detail and resolution was quite noticeable, along with expanded soundstage due to the amp upgrade.
Let us know if you get one, and what you think of it!
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My Questyle CMA Twelve pairs the best of my amplifiers to fulfill my subjective audible desire. The tall cathedral like stage is somewhat narrow compared to my other great pairing amps but holograph effect is off the chart compared to other amps. So I award this amp pairing a rating of A++ for my tastes.
My Headamp GS-X mini brightens the Aeolus up creating a perception of wider soundstage. My Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 provides added extra detail. These two I award an amp pairing rating of A+ for my tastes.
My Schiit Jotunheim 2 (in low gain mode) pairing performance is just slightly behind those three expensive pairings but I still rate the pairing an A. So, you are in luck having already an amp that pairs well with the Aeolus. Unless you really want to spend the extra money for a higher end amp, you should be good to go with the Jotunheim 2 that you already own. What a bargain at only $400 for what you will squeeze out of the Aeolus with that amp. However, I love amps and I totally relate to one’s desire for a higher end amp to increase performance of your entire collection including the Aeolus.
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@robson and @hottyson
Thanks for the additional info about amps. I can relate with having multiple amps as I’ve got 3 integrated amps and an older AVR for TV duties. I almost pulled the trigger on a GSX Mini and was considering a Burson as well before getting the Jot 2. I figured the Jot 2 is a great value and was a safe bet of an upgrade over the rHead.
I’m aiming to get an Aeolus around Christmas. There’s a Canary LTD and a couple of Sapele listed right now I’m keeping an eye on. Hopefully there’s one available when I’m ready to buy.
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