ZMF Headphones - Official Thread

Welcome. Zu Dirty Weekend or Omega. These are high sensitivity, single driver, and also play nice with tubes. And wood.

3 Likes

super, will look into them!
also. where in ZMFā€™s own lineup would the upgrade of the Aeolus be in your opinion?

1 Like

Cool. Can you please elaborate on your question? It might also help to know your amp, DAC, favorite types of music, what other headphones you own? Also, do you currently own the Aeolus, and is the upgrade intended to be an addition or replacement?

2 Likes

All the ZMFs sound completely different. :wink: What bpcarb said. What pads do you have on the Aeolus? What are you trying to get going to another headphone?

1 Like

oh dear, you are right. aeolus with stock pads. wanting more detail and soundstage, thats about it really, these are great.

i feel that the suede uniā€™s fulfills this to some degree but it also takes away some of that warmth i think its called and the original pads hit harder than those if im hearing right, the suede uni just sound less thick coming from the original pads shipped with the aeo

1 Like

i feel that the suede uniā€™s fulfills this to some degree but it also takes away some of that warmth i think its called and the original pads hit harder than those if im hearing right, the suede uni just sound less thick coming from the original pads shipped with the aeo

music is uhhhh. ALL OF THEM.
im wanting to replace the aeolus if im able to get that sound but better in the ways i just described, if there is no such thing then i will keep them

ARES II dac togheter with the 789 amp sir. looking at the Singxer SA-1 amp right now, looks interesting.

To answer your question about what headphones i own, as to other headphones i own around this level i have the clears

2 Likes

Congrats on the Aeolus and welcome to the forum!!! @Saber_Goli

The first thing I would recommend is give your Aeolus the love :heart: they are asking for and get them a proper tube amp, or tube hybrid. They will reward you if you do! THX amps just donā€™t do any ZMF headphones their full justice from my experience. They will sound even better with some tube harmonics

Also let them play and burn in for 50 hours to let the drivers flex a little. On an OTL tube amp such as the Elise the stage expands and the headphones take well to euphonic characteristics of OTL, on the pendant the staging is better as well, with more than enough detail for my ears. The Aeolus truly scale up with the amplification you give them!

Then of course there are the pads, you can get a more neutral signature with the universe hybrid compared to the stock Aeolus pads. Aeolus was my first ZMF headphone and I still love them.

All ZMF headphones are unique and donā€™t necessarily sit anywhere but where they sit. Each one of them is vip to the show, with a unique flavor all their own.

The top of the food chain for overall technical performance would be the Verite Open when comparing to the Aeolus. However the Aeolus does some things quite special all its own as well such as its warmer signature and delicious midrange.

If you want more detail while still maintaining the benefits of the Aeolus look at a more synergistic amp pairing;

Also, I am not super familiar with that DAC but maybe @ProfFalkin or @TylersEclectic can chime in. The DAC makes a big difference in a listeners chain too in my experience.

If you are looking for one of the most detailed ZMF Headphones with an awesome 3D soundstage then The Verite might be something to consider but it will still ask you for a more synergistic amp pairing.

*Edits for spelling and grammar crap :poop: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

8 Likes

Not to say anything bad about the 789, but you will notice the performance of the Aeolus skyrocket going to a good OTL tube amp. Thereā€™s a ton of great stuff on the market that will give you everything wanted and more from the headphones you got. Marcello had good recommendations for excellent synergistic amps as Zach frequently comments on Ampsandsound and Feliks Audio being good pairings for his dynamics. Torq here in the forums wrote a spectacular review for the Pendant. Antdroid also had a very well written Elise MK2 review of his own on a separate thread. It might be in your best interest to watch Marcelloā€™s comparison between these two on youtube if you have a good chunk of time. I personally lean heavy into a combination of warmth, pleasing mid range euphony, and a well spaced holographic stage. My budget was fairly limited because I didnā€™t want to make a huge jump in head first, so my choice was the Echo. That amp blew my mind being a massive step up from hybrids. Love both the Aeolus and Clears using it.

7 Likes

I get why people like the Aries II. The tone is enjoyable, but at the end of the day itā€™s still a cheap resistor ladder DAC. The hallmark of that type of dac is a softer, rich, but less detailed sound. Coaxing the details out of that kind of topology requires a ton of design effort and exotic parts the Aries just doesnā€™t have. Itā€™s no secret I donā€™t like the Aries, and thatā€™s because itā€™s about as detailed as K9 poopoo smeared across your front lawn. The THX 789 is just putting that smeared poopoo under a magnifying glass. Not a great pairing, IMO.

Look at the Sonnet Morpheus, Holo Spring KTE III or Holo May DACs as examples of ladder DACs done right. Big price delta there vs the Aries, for a reason. I havenā€™t heard one yet, but the new Sokeris 2541 will probably mop the floor with the Aries, all day long and twice on Sundays. Any of these will get you much closer to the detail and sound stage youā€™re looking for while still having that R2R nos sound.

As for amp pairings, yes, a good tube amp would be my suggestion. As mentioned above, the Feliks and AmpsAndSound products have all been recommended for good reasons.

Good luck.

7 Likes

Feliks Audio Echo is a good entry level OTL Amp. Pairs nicely with my Aeolus

5 Likes

Good input has been offered above so I wonā€™t repeat. Currently, your amp seems to be holding back your chain, followed by your DAC. Iā€™d address these before upgrading your headphones.

As a starting point, thereā€™s the Schiit Jotunheim 2 solid state amp. Going up in price thereā€™s the Schiit Lyr 3 tube hybrid and then the Feliks Echo output transformerless tube amp. ZMFs pair especially well with tube amps.

For DACs, I like the Schiit Bifrost 2, which I own. Perhaps start with changing your amp and then further assess the rest of your chain. See DAC comparisons here:

Good luck.

10 Likes

I have not heard the DACā€™s you suggest, but I take your word re their better output over the ARES II. But for the price I think ARES II does a good job and it is hard to find a R2R DAC like it at that price point.

If I were to spend 2-5 times the amount of the ARES II on another R2R DAC, I would also expect it to perform a lot better. For me the price is important and I would rate the ARES II against the Bifrost 2 due to that and not the other DACs you mention. I canā€™t afford a DAC at $3500 (In Europe this equals more to $4300], so I am happy with a lower performing DAC.

Ares II: $780
Sonnet Morpheus: $3550
Holo Spring KTE III: Discontinued
Holo May DAC: $3798
Soekris 2541: $1350 (introduction price in 2020)

10 Likes

They seem great. They sure look to be an upgrade from what i have! Thanks for the elaborate response!

1 Like

They seem great. They sure look to be an upgrade from what i have! Thanks for the elaborate response mister! Dispite my lack of knowledge ive actually had my Aeolusā€™s since the pre-order. They are great. When it comes to choice of amp id rather keep a single setup rather than stack upon stack upon stack as my financial situation commands a more modest approach, and so with that my choice is a solid state amp rather than tube as tube im hearing can make things weird. at least at things that im looking at. :3

1 Like

Thanks for taking your time to respond!

I dont know how to feel about the marketing material but it is rather intriguing none the less for myself without knowledge of the internal working of these things, quote:

"Weā€™re calling Jotunheim 2 'the best $2400 amp that you can get for $400,'" said Jason Stoddard, Schiitā€™s co-founder. ā€œWhich is sure to aggravate some people. But when you look at whatā€™s out there thatā€™s fully discrete, fully differential, and features truly end-game touches like matched parts throughout (including front end JFETs matched to 1%, the tightest matching ever implemented for a production device), an Alps 27mm RK27114 quad-gang volume potentiometer, relay-switched input, gain, and output), youā€™ll realize that Jotunheim 2 has much more in common with a bespoke amplifier than something thatā€™s made to a price point.ā€

Obviously they wouldnt sell $2400 sound for $400 but yeah. Are you familiar with these implementations? Id love to know wheter or not its actually something you would find in higher end stuff.

Fankies :3

2 Likes

Totally understand the desire to want to keep it simple and maybe a double stack with your Dac. If that is the case I would definitely recommend considering the iFi Pro ICAN as that is an awesome amp with a multitude of features along with solid state amp as well. It may not be a extremely forward detail monster but there is plenty of detail and it still allows you to get weird (in a really good way) when you want with its tube modes. I had an extensive review period with it and it was terrific with the Aeolus in my opinion. Donā€™t be afraid to try tubes and believe everything negative you read about them, they are sonically an incredible listening experience especially with ZMF headphones. Though it still may run into the DAC you have not being the best pairing as it is a bit warmer sounding to my ears but in a good natural and dynamic way.

@Saber_Goli

4 Likes

heard good things about soekris, ifi ican too, both fitting neatly onto a desktop. have you heard the ares2?

all in all i think it would be kind of silly to sell my 1000usd chain which is held in high regard, each unit of which are held in high regard, 789 and ares2, just to buy an equivalent amp/dac or amp and dac for that price, maybe im simplifying a little and i probably am, im just not very knowledgeable about source gear stuff. im sure there are a better synergys out there for the ares2 though, mentioning the ares2 over 789 specifically because if im selling one and not both its the 789 thats gonna get sold

You bet. Thereā€™s extended discussion of the amp in this thread that you might find interesting.

1 Like

I also think the Pro iCAN is fantastic with ZMFs. I had the 789 for awhile, and even strongly preferred the Micro Black from iFi to it. Neither have their somewhat sterile sound that the 789 had for me. I get as much detail from the Pro iCAN as the 789, but that may be the Hugo or Soekris DACs Iā€™ve been using. While I donā€™t feel the stock tube modes add much, rolling them with some of the tubes recommended on the headfi thread for it, completely transform the tube modes and really make it feel like having 3 different amps in 1. Iā€™ve not heard a TOTL OTL or really any tube amp over $1k (despite being on calendar year 3 waiting for one to be built) so canā€™t speak to how the tube modes compare to such amps.

4 Likes

did pure performance change your iCan after tube rolling or did it just change your sound? fanks mister

i want a sound that is slightly warm, full bodied and very wide yet technical at the same time rather than clear and/or detail focused, i say it like that because i feel like you almost cant have them all at the same time but ive gotten the impression that the MSX mini may do all of it, clarity is very important to me