Jeebus, he even has a chart! Hell yeah!
Great reading there. Thanks for that.
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These were very helpful and vivid impressions, and you articulated a couple of things that I’d been aware of about the Vérité - after a couple of auditions at CanJam - but hadn’t been able to express properly or understand clearly, such as the comment about never having “experienced a headphone that presents so much detail with so little emphasis or edge.” Thank you!
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Your comparison, well done by the way, points to why I’m on the fence about the Aeolus. Sounds fun but I’m not sure if it’s different enough from the VO.
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Thanks @Pharmaboy, what an amazing comparison. LOL, I think the big takeaway is that we can use your findings to justify that there isn’t enough of a difference to get both (like @perogie) or just enough of a difference to get both (probably me).
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How do you like the mhdt orchid? Ever compare it to anything else?
Really excellent writeup @Pharmaboy.
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I should have done a better A/B with the Aeolus I owned and the VO and Auteur I had on loan. But then I only had one amp I considered my go to. But now I have two amps as go to’s, and a VO incoming. Should be interesting if your conclusion stick on my end.
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Excellent writeup. How different are speed and decay? Sorry if I missed it.
Is there a big difference in using lambskin vs suede pads on the Aeolus?
Do you find yourself reaching for a certain headphone for particular types of music?
Your writeup makes the Aeolus more compelling for me (not necessarily less for the Verite)!
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The results of your Verite post-EQ measurement are quite amazing, at least on paper (pretty much the exact FR I’m looking for). With that said, that’s a lot of filters! 
Do you have a revised Verite EQ with similar results but less EQ filters?
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I will work on that yeah. The main thing is that each pad has a different profile, so there are bound to be differences - but ideally I use no more than 4 or so filters, so I’ll try to get it more dialed in.
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You rock brother! Thank you.
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Let me be more definitive about this: I wouldn’t sell either one, even if needed to get a kidney transplant. What makes each one sonically unique for me (rousing, make-me-smile Aeolus sound; tonally pure sonic beauty on VO) is PLENTY to want to keep both forever.
The thing is: those special qualities of each are IMHO present to a greater degree in each HP than any others I’ve heard (and I’ve heard/owned some killer HPs).
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Thanks @Pharmaboy, after the initial disappointment of thinking the ZMF November stock had been sold out in 2 minutes, I bought a pair of Zebrawood Aeolus when the page came up again. If it’s already built, I should get it without a wait!
Thanks again for all your help.
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The best way to conflate average knowledge into authoritative knowledge is to use a chart. It’s the last refuge of (epistolary) scoundrels…
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Get a pair of suede Uni perf pads. Thank me later
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You missed speed & decay because I totally forgot to add it (!?!). Here goes:
– VO has great speed/fast decay (consistent w/its resolution and less diffuse soundstage)
– Aeolus has average/above-average speed and somewhat longer decay (consistent with its more diffuse soundstage).
The VO is speed-king, and not just in this comparison.
Re Aeolus pads, I only briefly heard the stock pads on my friend’s Aeolus last year. Neither of us liked that sound much, so he quickly shifted to Verite pads (big sonic change in direction of air, detail, less diffuse sound–but still that fun Aeolus vibe). Later he tried the perforated universe pads & we both went nuts for that sound.
When I purchased my blackwood Aeolus earlier this year, I spec’d that it come w/the perforated suede universes on & the 2nd pads be Verite. I’ve tried both on my Aeolus–love 'em both but still prefer the suedes.
Maybe this is weird, but any headphone I really fall in love with tends to satisfy me a lot on pretty much every genre. That’s definitely true of the Aeolus & VO. They kill on strong beat+bass stuff like electronic & reggae–but also kill on the most ethereal classical music.
For awhile I had a pre-fazor LCD-3, and found that really was a specialty headphone–amazing for classical, chamber, acoustic music of all kinds, but not any music that pounds. Ended up selling.
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I love that Orchid. As it happens, I compared it to 2 other DACs (at different times):
– Audio GD NOS 19: lovely sound, but not quite as refined and smooth as Orchid; also more noticeably bassy
– My inexpensive but good-sounding d/s DAC, Peachtree Audio DAC iTx (compared them last week). While the iTx commits fewer sins of exaggerated tonality than other d/s DACs I’ve heard, and also has slightly better bass definition than the Orchid–the Orchid wins it running away in everything else. As soon as I drop the Orchid in, I hear all that air, space, and larger soundstage (sounding less digital & more real).
2 other great things about the Orchid (if you’re me):
– compact size makes it easy to fit into crowded desktop
– and the distributor consented to add a 2nd RCA output pair (both pairs live at all time), which greatly helps in my complex desktop system.
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Took the plunge and ordered the Vérité Ironwood LTD open. Let the waiting begin.
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Im not sure how the DAC in a dialysis machine sounds but I get your point!
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LOL, I’ll thank you now. Thanks!
I just sent them an email to switch the pads. I already have a lot of ZMF pads still unused (because I haven’t got around to taking the uni leather ones off my Verite), but not the suede Uni, so this will be one more to add to the comparison pile.
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