Under $1k the Rebel Amp and Flux labs FA-10 are both worth a look. Some good impressions of both on here.
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Iām curious if people gravitate towards a specific wood, softer or harder? My Eikon are the camphor which of course is the softer wood. Is there a sound difference going to a harder wood, from 950 to 1830 to 3670 janka? How does that change the sound? Trying different zmf headphones, I guess I never really paid attention to which woods Iāve been listening to.
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Harder woods have better damping and more āsnapā on transients. So sounds will have a more pronounced leading edge. For example, mid bass will sound a little more forward and hit a little bit harder. High hats will have a more defined initial hit and quicker decay of shimmer.
Softer woods tend to have a slightly larger soundstage due to more resonance/reverb/less damping.
However, the quality of the driver is the most important aspect of these qualities. The hardness of the woods will only have a nominal effect on those attributes. So, as Zach always says, choose the wood that looks the best to you and donāt worry about the minute sonic differences.
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Sounds good. Iāve always purchased second hand but I thought about picking up either an Aeolus or VO as Iād be the original owner and stick with that headphone. Iāve owned Aeolus, VO, VC and Eikon but still a hard decision to choose between them. Iāve got the Eikon to tide me over for the three months while I wait for one to be made.
Iām gravitating towards either the VO blackwood or Aeolus bocote. If you look at how bright or warm, the Eikon is if Iām reading it correctly, leans towards the brighter side, then the VO is warmer and Aeolus being more warm but not as warm as the Atticus. I gravitate towards the warmer side but you wouldnāt think so with the Eikon. Doesnāt matter closed or open for preference but since I have the Eikon for closed, might as well go for an open.
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I have a Blackwood Verite thatās supposed to arrive tomorrow. Iāll post pics here for sure if/when they get here.
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Thatās funny, thatās what I am interested in. How long did it take to get it? Trying to decide whether to spend 1800 or 2700ā¦
The Blackwood is beautiful, but that denser wood brings along some extra weight.
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Iāll tell ya, itās been a rough waiting game. I placed my order on May 31. If FedEx doesnāt suck, it will be here tomorrow. It was supposed to arrive last Sunday but got delayed in Chicago due to gang violence. Joking. Fingers crossed it arrives tomorrow.
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The headband system for ZMF is so comfortable, the weight is a non-issue to me.
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I just looked again at the weight, 600 +/- 20 for the blackwood and 500 +/- 30 for the Aeolus. Thatās definitely something to think about. Eikon is the same weight at the Aeolus.
Again, good thing I have the Eikon, I may be able to put it out of my mind for three months.
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Have you tried the co-pilot? Worth adding. I use them on my ZMFs and Dan Clarks.
Something to consider for sure. Comfort is an important factor for me.
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Not sure if you meant to reply to me, but I have never used the copilot. I have never felt the need to modify any of my ZMF headphones, because they are supremely comfortable to me in stock form.
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I think I have the co-pilot but never honestly tried it, itās been in storage. The Eikonās have been comfortable. Iām sure the 100 gram difference wouldnāt be too bad for the blackwood.
Yes the reply was meant for you. $50 tweak from ZMF. Makes comfortable headphones more comfortable. Not much of a modification. Hook and loop padding for the headband strap.
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These are truly beautiful - congratulations. I love that, in the right light, you can see the grain, which is lovely. If I were to get a pair of these, and Iām highly tempted to do so, Iād likewise go with the same grilles and rods as you - thanks for posting the pics!
(Youāre not helping me resist temptation!)
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Thank you! I absolutely love them. The lighting was not good for these photos as it was cloudy and rainy when I took them. In the sunlight, you would be able to see a lot more grain and wood gradations. But I figured, less than ideal pictures is better than no pictures.
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I saw you post in another forum that theyāre very comfy in spite of the weight. Thatās good to hear; the weight of the African Blackwood with the steel grilles and rods has been one of the reasons why Iāve been hesitating about getting these headphones.
For reference, my heaviest headphones have been the LCD2-Classic at 544g, and Iāve never had any problems with them, although I seldom listen for more than 4-6 hours in a day. I wonder if another ca. 100g with the Blackwood would be insignificant or if it would cross some kind of tipping point, with my head lolling over to one side!? It seems like the weightās not an issue for you.
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