ZMF New Headphones: Vérité and Aeolus

Sure.

That's the first thing that stands out, actual sub-bass, and slam. In case of Aeolus/Atticus, a whole lot of it.

There's nothing slow about any of those drivers, but the aeolus is rolled off, though not as much as the 2C, at least from looking at the FR and having other ZMFs.

If you're going in blind then I guess it depends on how bright you want a headphone, maybe. As far as I can tell, Aeolus with Veritè pads isn't as bright as Auteur. Aeolus is also cheaper and lighter, maybe the safer bet?

 

Yeah, I was under the impression the mentioned ZMFs had all quality bass, thanks for confirmation. Does Aeolus or Auteur get close to LCD-2C levels of subs, bass slam and clarity?

I'm a lover of subs and a hater of bass bloom /strong mid-bass emphasis, like a stock 650. The Aeolus/Atticus might be out of question for me then, if I get this right. Cheers.

 

The Auteur definitely does, though with a bit more clarity. The Aeolus, however, is meant to be a bit bloomy, even though I don't think it is near as bloomy as the HD650 has a tendency to be. That's part of the appeal of the Aeolus though.

 

Before I start, this was going to be a bit of a different review this week. Honestly, I had the mindset that this was just an "open Atticus" (being caused by just having an HD800 with me at the time,) but this headphone grew on me quite a bit and it honestly differentiates itself from the mindset of "open Atticus."

A note before this review starts: Zach provided me with a review set. This entire loan period was done with a THX AAA 789 and Modi 2 Uber.

The very first thing I noticed with the Aeolus is the bass. While it isn't NEAR as mid-bass heavy as the Atticus, it is still a touch more than even the HD650...but without the bloom and distortion that impairs the HD650. Despite being mid-bass heavy, it has an almost bio-dynamic characteristic to it, but it's faster and doesn't quite have the same amount of subbass. It does, however, have a noticeable amount of subass over the HD800 and HD650, as well as bass clarity, slam and punch.

However, the bass is not a perfect. The LCD 2 (2016 revision and a unicorn set) I got recently had more bass definition, speed and subass over the Aeolus. However, the heft and punch of the Aeolus makes it the more enjoyable experience out of the two headphones. The perfect example of this was the intro to the Mastodon song "Motherload," where you can clearly hear the definition of the drums and the subtle beat of the subbass with the LCD 2, where the Aeolus presents the subtle part much quieter. However, the actual solo hits harder with the Aeolus due to the midbass emphasis. If this were the Atticus, the entire section would sound much messier and incoherant.

The mids are a thing of beauty. The bass doesn't muddy them (in fact, they're cleaner than the Atticus,) and they stay fairly linear up to the upper-mids. Vocals are crystal clear, the speed is awesome, and the detail is very prevalent. I actually like them more than the HD650 (though, to be honest, they're fairly even in this section.) That said, there is a slight upper-mids dip that makes the Aeolus that makes it sound deeper/further away than the LCD 2, but not nearly to the same extreme as the HD800. It's barely a dip, compared to the Eikon, Atticus and HD800, but it's still there. I don't have much more to say about this section, as it is basically what you'd expect from a ZMF headphone that's tuned to Zach's preferences.

My opinion on the mids were formed by listening to A Perfect Circle and The Witcher 3 OST.

The surprising part is the treble. The part that the HD800 skewed my opinion of this headphone on. Honestly, I thought the treble was too lacking and made everything sound thicker than it actually was. In reality, the HD800 was thinner than I gave it credit for. What opened my eyes? Receiving this LCD 2 in the mail.

Now, the amount of treble with the Aeolus wasn't as much as the HD800 or the LCD 2. However, the extension of the treble was quite a bit better with the Aeolus than the LCD 2. The LCD 2 was louder, but it ended more abruptly and there was some detail missing at times. With the Aeolus, there was a lot more detail and cymbal crashes lasted longer (calling back to the Mastodon song I mentioned earlier,) but it wasn't as emphasized or as loud. The amount of air was still less than the HD800, but it wasn't nearly as deficient as you'd think.

The treble in general was very smooth, well behaved, and HD650-like. However, the air and extension was noticeably better.

As far as soundstage goes, it is wider, deeper, and more diffuse than the HD650 and LCD 2. To be honest, that doesn't really take much. Quite frankly, the HD800 blows it out of the water, unless you want a more intimate soundstage. It does have an unusually accurate imagery, nearly on par with the HD800.

The dynamics of this headphone are similarly fantastic. I would consider this LCD 2 to be a very dynamic headphone despite having an ortho driver, but the Aeolus blows it out of the water. In fact, I'd dare say it is more dynamic than the Atticus and HD800. This is the biggest strength of the headphone by far, as the dynamic range just sounds natural and appropriate in nearly every situation, something that I find is missing with the HD800 (with the exception of microdynamics,) and the LCD 2. It doesn't resolve as well as the HD800, but (despite my love for it) the HD800 does give a lot up to build up that part of its sound.

The biggest praise I can give this headphone is that I think it is a massively better value than the Auteur, and matches it in overall quality. It's still a flavor can, but, like the HD650, it's a flavor can that appeals to more people. I could actually own this as a solo can, something I can't say for the Atticus (without lack of trying, mind you.) The Atticus (and Eikon) were the first closed backs I could say were "good headphones" as opposed to "good for closed backs," and the Aeolus (and Auteur) are the more refined, grown up versions of those headphones. Though, to be blunt, I don't really consider either of open versions to "just" be open versions of the original closed dynamics. If you've wanted an upgrade to your HD650 while keeping the same sound signature, this would be the headphone to get (where as the HD600's upgrade would be the Auteur.)

 

As good info goes, that HD600 to Auteur analogy is up there. Thanks for the nice work.

 

@jexby, did you use the stock cable with the Verite?

 

Can anyone who has heard the production version of the verite say whether or not the soundstage is wider or more narrow than the auteurs?

 

I thought the size of the soundstage was very similar on both models.

 

I've got some Christmas bonus cash burning a hole in my pockets and I've decided to finally spring for a pair of ZMF's but the introduction of the Aeolus has really messed with me. I had previously been set on the Auteur but I started looking around at information and impressions of the Aeolus and I seriously don't know which one I should go for.

I currently own a pair of E-MU Teaks and some Sennheiser 58x's that I run out of a Schiit Modi Multibit and Arcam rHead. I really love my Teaks because of their great bass response and their smooth/natural mid and treble presentation. The Sennheiser 58x's don't really do much for me. I can't really say why, but I feel like they just sound flat or like they're missing soul in the sound. I have never listened to any other Sennheiser cans but I think I understand what people mean by the Sennheiser veil now, and I'm not a fan.

My music tastes also make this decision a bit difficult because they're kind of all over the place. Recently I've really enjoyed Kpop for its lively beats and how well female vocals in specific are recorded and mastered. Then again, I am also a bass player that loves all kinds of rock, jazz, blues, funk, and the list goes on. I really appreciate deep well-textured bass and crisp airy female vocals over all else.

I had decided on the Auteur before because everyone touts their natural tone, airiness, and great soundstage. The Aeolus on the other hand sounds interesting to me because from what I've read it sounds like it would maybe be like a better E-MU teak with strong bass, fairly intimate presentation, and smooth highs. My fear with the Aeolus is that the mid and treble will be smoothed to the point of missing the air that I'm looking for, while the Auteurs might be too neutral for my taste and come off too bright or kind of soulless like I feel towards my Senn 58x's.

I really wish it were easier to audition these but I don't see that realistically happening any time soon, so any kind of input is greatly appreciated.

 

My big question for you is this: do you prefer closed-back headphones, or open-back headphones?

[I've heard ZMF designs of both kinds, and own 2 ZMF closed-backs; also own & sold a pair of Teaks]

 

It's obviously difficult to tell you which you might like better, your best bet is always a demo whenever possible.

Of course that isn't always possible.

Auteur & Aeolus are both great headphones IMO. I doubt that you'd find the Auteur too neutral, nor the Aeolus too smoothed out, but in the end only your ears could tell you that. The chain will make a difference here as well, but these are good headphones that only get better.

I'd say (in an over simplified nutshell) that the Auteur has more sub bass, less mid bass (still present), more prominent mids and more sparkly treble.

The Aeolus has more of a mid bass emphasis, but still has decent sub bass, more lush mids (still detailed IMO not recessed) and good treble presence, but a step behind the Auteur.

There's definitely a family resemblance to the sound, and they're both awesome to my ears. I found the Aeolus more to my liking mostly because I crave more lush mids, but as in all things audio YMMV.

I hope that helps a little.

 

After reading this, my gut reaction is to go for the Auteurs. Maybe Hands is right too, I plan on keeping my Teaks so the Auteurs would probably differ enough to complement them instead of just being an incremental improvement.

I had decided a while back that my next pair of headphones would be open-back (mostly in pursuit of soundstage improvement), but I'd be interested to hear why you sided with the ZMF closed-backs instead Pharmaboy. I'm guessing you really loved the ZMF cans if you sold off the Teaks after getting them.

 

The ZMF headphones keep their value pretty well since they're great headphones and there's almost always a lead time on ordering them new. So it's not a huge risk to just try them, and, if you don't like them, sell them at a small loss. Hope you enjoy whatever you end up settling on!

 

How is Aeolus' resolving power/technicalities/plankton/micro-stuff compared to Auteur? I've read that Marvey put Atticus above Eikon in terms of dynamics and nuances, and wondered if this is the case for Auteur and Aeolus as well. Sorry if I've missed this tidbit somewhere in this thread.

 

When I bought the Ori 2+ yrs ago, my first ZMF headphone, there were no open back ZMF designs yet. Early in the sales cycle of the Eikon, I heard my friend @Jinxy245's cherry Eikon IMS at length & was so impressed. I wasn't in the market for a closed HP by then, but it became impossible to resist; I got a used padauk Eikon several months ago. These are physically beautiful & sonically very impressive.

I was also very interested in the Auteur, but my audition of them at CanJam in February was inconclusive: they had the brighter of the 2 pad options (which I didn't know it at the time), and I wasn't sure what to make of the sound. Finally heard a Teak Auteur 2-3 weeks ago. It had the warmer pads and sounded quite good. Still, I'm really not in the market for an Auteur now.

The E-Mu Teaks were different. I got them after the Ori, but before the Eikon. I'd previously bought & sold the similar TX-00s (the hot treble bothered me). The Teaks were much better. Loved that bouncy bass & organic sound. But the pads were uncomfortable & pad rolling failed, so I sold them. Truthfully, the Eikon betters the Teak's sound & the comfort is excellent (sometimes paying more gets you more).

 

Agreed. I have the Auteur and Eikon, and I still prefer the Eikon 65% of the time. Some things just shine on the Auteur though. If you want to stay closer to the E-MU sound, I'd go with the Eikon.

 

Yeah I definitely feel you in regards to pad rolling the Teaks. I've tried like 4-5 different pads and although their comfort has always improved dramatically, the sound just suffers without the stock pads.

Welp, I guess it's time to look into the Eikon rabbit hole for a while. I appreciate your input.