[erics75]

So will the initial offering at the release offer a choice of pad that is installed when shipped?
Also, have any of few people who have heard the CC used a Chord DAC? (I have a DAVE, which I feel is neutral but can be a little bright.)

Sorry, for DAC duties i'm using a Border Patrol NOS R2R dac, it's slightly warm sounding and very smooth overall. My only Chord comparison would be the Quetest, which is much brighter than the Border Patrol. Not sure how the Quetest stacks up the Dave tonally, but if you do that might help you get an idea how bright it will be. I like warm warm in all my gear so i'm an outlier.

 

[heliosphann]

How would you compare the Aegis to the DNA specifically in the bass department for the CC?

If the thick tamps down the treble vs the protein i could see them giving the impression of being bassier even if they're not actually so. I want to give the protein the day to get used to them, then tomorrow i'll mount the thick on for some comparison. And it's not like the protein are lacking bass, I think the treble is just dominating my attention. The treble is really good as I've not experienced any fatigue yet, despite the total treble quantity being a bit north of my preference. Guitar tracks are so exciting it, it's an experience. I'm just curious after a few hours how i'll be feeling. But so far so good!

I do need to rethink my amp situation for work I think. I'm not a huge solid state amp user, but other than the DNA, lack a tube amp with enough grunt for planars. The Jot 2, while very good for a solid state, is just a bit too sterile for my tastes. I'm missing the DNA immensely right now. I cannot wait for Friday and the Aegis! That's going to be my work amp once in hand, i'm beyond excited.

Speaking of the launch, do you anticipate a quick sellout? Like if we're not hammering the order button the minute of launch are we going to miss out?

I compared the Stratus to the Aegis when I did a review of the DIY Aegis.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aegis-diy-tube-headphone-amplifier.965530/post-17224730

 

[erics75]

Eye opening end of the day today with the CC. Spent the work day listening on a Jotunheim 2. Overall it sounded good, but also slightly thin and steely. I kept thinking just ignore it, it's in need of burn in. But got home and fired up my Stratus and listened to the CO. What a difference! Warm, engaging, impactful, you name it, the CO was it. Totally different from the CC I spent the day listening to. So I grabbed the CC, swapped the cable from the CO, and off i went. Gone was the thin steely sound signature I spent the day listening to. Grain of salt it wasn't that that thin and steely, but it definitely wasn't a sonic profile i'd be married to. But on the Stratus? Oh yeah, I think i need one in my life for sure. It's just warm enough and decay just long enough that I don't hear any thinness or harshness. And I am cranking the volume on purpose to test my comfort limits. The AC I can crank up very loud. The CC not quite as much but not far off.

So what's the point of my drivel? Common sense I guess....AMPS MATTER! Now the bad part, I don't have a good tube amp that can power the CC at work I really don't want to listen to the Jot anymore, it's not to my liking. I might grab my Asgard 3 and give that a run. It's warmer overall, and still packs a punch. I could try my Hagerman Tuba, though that is not a very powerful amp. We'll see. One thing is for sure though, I really want the Stratus at work, it's an amazing match for the CO and CC. Plenty of power, amazing tonal balance, bereft of any harshness or metallic undertones. It's just so dam big!

EDIT - This is where system building is crucial. I built my whole system around high impedance dynamic drivers. Other than the Stratus, I don't have any high level amps that synergize well with planars. Side note, i'm listening to the CC/Stratus while typing and my urge to headbang to the music is intense. So much more engaging and musical than the Jot 2/CC. Like apples to elephants different. If I only heard the Jot 2, i'd have returned the CC demo and passed. But hearing it on the Stratus has me looking through my gear to see what's getting sold to fund either it or the CO. Wooo goosebumps right now with this combo!

EDIT V2 - I'm so tired today I just wanted to curl up in bed after the kiddos passed out, but here I am hours later still listening. That's when you know you're listening to something special. One more track.... just one more.....

 

[heliosphann]

Eye opening end of the day today with the CC. Spent the work day listening on a Jotunheim 2. Overall it sounded good, but also slightly thin and steely. I kept thinking just ignore it, it's in need of burn in. But got home and fired up my Stratus and listened to the CO. What a difference! Warm, engaging, impactful, you name it, the CO was it. Totally different from the CC I spent the day listening to. So I grabbed the CC, swapped the cable from the CO, and off i went. Gone was the thin steely sound signature I spent the day listening to. Grain of salt it wasn't that that thin and steely, but it definitely wasn't a sonic profile i'd be married to. But on the Stratus? Oh yeah, I think i need one in my life for sure. It's just warm enough and decay just long enough that I don't hear any thinness or harshness. And I am cranking the volume on purpose to test my comfort limits. The AC I can crank up very loud. The CC not quite as much but not far off.

So what's the point of my drivel? Common sense I guess....AMPS MATTER! Now the bad part, I don't have a good tube amp that can power the CC at work I really don't want to listen to the Jot anymore, it's not to my liking. I might grab my Asgard 3 and give that a run. It's warmer overall, and still packs a punch. I could try my Hagerman Tuba, though that is not a very powerful amp. We'll see. One thing is for sure though, I really want the Stratus at work, it's an amazing match for the CO and CC. Plenty of power, amazing tonal balance, bereft of any harshness or metallic undertones. It's just so dam big!

EDIT - This is where system building is crucial. I built my whole system around high impedance dynamic drivers. Other than the Stratus, I don't have any high level amps that synergize well with planars. Side note, i'm listening to the CC/Stratus while typing and my urge to headbang to the music is intense. So much more engaging and musical than the Jot 2/CC. Like apples to elephants different. If I only heard the Jot 2, i'd have returned the CC demo and passed. But hearing it on the Stratus has me looking through my gear to see what's getting sold to fund either it or the CO. Wooo goosebumps right now with this combo!

Pietus Maximus can be a workhorse at work.

 

[erics75]

Pietus Maximus can be a workhorse at work.

After getting spoiled with the Stratus at home I think the only solution at this point is an Aegis for work Try as I may, I just cannot go back to solid state, it just makes me long for my tube gear. I'm going to give the Tuba a run tomorrow, it's transformer coupled so hopefully will have enough grunt to drive the CC adequately. I already know it's got the tone I love, so power is the only real concern.

 

[Wes S]

After getting spoiled with the Stratus at home I think the only solution at this point is an Aegis for work Try as I may, I just cannot go back to solid state, it just makes me long for my tube gear. I'm going to give the Tuba a run tomorrow, it's transformer coupled so hopefully will have enough grunt to drive the CC adequately. I already know it's got the tone I love, so power is the only real concern.

The Aegis is a smart choice, and the pairing with the CC is just bonkers. I have found the CC's to really come into their own with some good burn in. The grip and power is intoxicating, with resolution in spades. . .

 

[SLC1966]

Caldera Closed and Verite Closed

I thought I would throw in a comparison between the Caldera Closed and the Verite Closed.

In general the Caldera Closed comes across as more balanced. Everything is equal. Smooth and fast. With a tinge of darkness.

The Verity Closed on the other hand has the midbass bump and a treble bump. Mids are not recessed but bass and treble are a tiny bit more elevated. There is a darker fun going on with VC. CC has a dark fast fun.

It is like ZMF wanted a fast dark DD with great resolution for the VC. And with CC they wanted a fast dark Planar with great resolution. The only difference in those superlatives are “DD” and “Planar.”

The stage of the CC is wider than VC in my opinion. VC is closer to the stage. The notes are closer with the VC but there is still this 3D thing going on. CC is more left to right and wider and sitting further back from the stage. And of course, the notes are faster with CC as to be expected.

VC likes to get right to the point. Minimal foreplay. With CC the foreplay is a little longer. Both are a joy. There is just a different way of getting to the apex with each.

Again, I must say how impressed I am with the ZMF lineup. Each of these high end ZMF headphones compete with other top tier HPs. None of the ZMF top tier HPs is an improvement over the other. Each offers a quality good time with many climaxes in store.

 

[Wes S]

Caldera Closed and Verite Closed

I thought I would throw in a comparison between the Caldera Closed and the Verite Closed.

In general the Caldera Closed comes across as more balanced. Everything is equal. Smooth and fast. With a tinge of darkness.

The Verity Closed on the other hand has the midbass bump and a treble bump. Mids are not recessed but bass and treble are a tiny bit more elevated. There is a darker fun going on with VC. CC has a dark fast fun.

It is like ZMF wanted a fast dark DD with great resolution for the VC. And with CC they wanted a fast dark Planar with great resolution. The only difference in those superlatives are “DD” and “Planar.”

The stage of the CC is wider than VC in my opinion. VC is closer to the stage. The notes are closer with the VC but there is still this 3D thing going on. CC is more left to right and wider and sitting further back from the stage. And of course, the notes are faster with CC as to be expected.

VC likes to get right to the point. Minimal foreplay. With CC the foreplay is a little longer. Both are a joy. There is just a different way of getting to the apex with each.

Again, I must say how impressed I am with the ZMF lineup. Each of these high end ZMF headphones compete with other top tier HPs. None of the ZMF top tier HPs is an improvement over the other. Each offers a quality good time with many climaxes in store.

Good stuff! Having both headphones on hand, I concur with everything said.

 

[iamoneagain]

Eye opening end of the day today with the CC. Spent the work day listening on a Jotunheim 2. Overall it sounded good, but also slightly thin and steely. I kept thinking just ignore it, it's in need of burn in. But got home and fired up my Stratus and listened to the CO. What a difference! Warm, engaging, impactful, you name it, the CO was it. Totally different from the CC I spent the day listening to. So I grabbed the CC, swapped the cable from the CO, and off i went. Gone was the thin steely sound signature I spent the day listening to. Grain of salt it wasn't that that thin and steely, but it definitely wasn't a sonic profile i'd be married to. But on the Stratus? Oh yeah, I think i need one in my life for sure. It's just warm enough and decay just long enough that I don't hear any thinness or harshness. And I am cranking the volume on purpose to test my comfort limits. The AC I can crank up very loud. The CC not quite as much but not far off.

So what's the point of my drivel? Common sense I guess....AMPS MATTER! Now the bad part, I don't have a good tube amp that can power the CC at work I really don't want to listen to the Jot anymore, it's not to my liking. I might grab my Asgard 3 and give that a run. It's warmer overall, and still packs a punch. I could try my Hagerman Tuba, though that is not a very powerful amp. We'll see. One thing is for sure though, I really want the Stratus at work, it's an amazing match for the CO and CC. Plenty of power, amazing tonal balance, bereft of any harshness or metallic undertones. It's just so dam big!

EDIT - This is where system building is crucial. I built my whole system around high impedance dynamic drivers. Other than the Stratus, I don't have any high level amps that synergize well with planars. Side note, i'm listening to the CC/Stratus while typing and my urge to headbang to the music is intense. So much more engaging and musical than the Jot 2/CC. Like apples to elephants different. If I only heard the Jot 2, i'd have returned the CC demo and passed. But hearing it on the Stratus has me looking through my gear to see what's getting sold to fund either it or the CO. Wooo goosebumps right now with this combo!

EDIT V2 - I'm so tired today I just wanted to curl up in bed after the kiddos passed out, but here I am hours later still listening. That's when you know you're listening to something special. One more track.... just one more.....

Do you have a preference for the CO over the CC or vs versa with the Stratus, just on sound quality alone?

I love my CO and doubt I’d sell it for a CC, it’s more of a curiosity. I can’t afford to own both, so doubt I’d switch. Be a different story if I could add another headphone to my mix. One of the advantages of an open headphone is I can hear my family when I pause and don’t have to take them off. Even with the Expanse, I had to remove them to clearly hear them from across the room. So closed really would only work for me when I have alone time. And when that happens I rather just have an open airy headphone anyways.

 

[erics75]

Do you have a preference for the CO over the CC or vs versa with the Stratus, just on sound quality alone?

I love my CO and doubt I’d sell it for a CC, it’s more of a curiosity. I can’t afford to own both, so doubt I’d switch. Be a different story if I could add another headphone to my mix. One of the advantages of an open headphone is I can hear my family when I pause and don’t have to take them off. Even with the Expanse, I had to remove them to clearly hear them from across the room. So closed really would only work for me when I have alone time. And when that happens I rather just have an open airy headphone anyways.

It's too early for me to say definitively. The CO is a well broken in demo unit, the CC appears to be brand new, never used. So i'm putting hours on it as much as possible to get it broken in before doing a heavy comparison. I can say preliminary right now, if nothing changes, the CO would be my choice sonically, though I need a closed back as i tend to listen at work mostly. But it's just the better sounding unit at this point in time. But again, it's well broken in, whereas the CC is not. I'd estimate I've put maybe 30ish hours on it so far, so very very early in the break in process. And I've noticed it already mellowing out quite a bit. My hope is they'll be sonic equals like the AC and AO. Slightly different tuning, but overall equal to me in enjoyment. I had the CC running last night on a side system while listening to the CO on my Stratus, and it was addicting. This is the first planar in a long time that has me excited.

 

[zach915m]

After getting spoiled with the Stratus at home I think the only solution at this point is an Aegis for work Try as I may, I just cannot go back to solid state, it just makes me long for my tube gear. I'm going to give the Tuba a run tomorrow, it's transformer coupled so hopefully will have enough grunt to drive the CC adequately. I already know it's got the tone I love, so power is the only real concern.

Aegis and Stratus = dream combo!!! I guess they can share rectifiers so some "savings" there.

 

[erics75]

Eye opening end of the day today with the CC. Spent the work day listening on a Jotunheim 2. Overall it sounded good, but also slightly thin and steely. I kept thinking just ignore it, it's in need of burn in. But got home and fired up my Stratus and listened to the CO. What a difference! Warm, engaging, impactful, you name it, the CO was it. Totally different from the CC I spent the day listening to. So I grabbed the CC, swapped the cable from the CO, and off i went. Gone was the thin steely sound signature I spent the day listening to. Grain of salt it wasn't that that thin and steely, but it definitely wasn't a sonic profile i'd be married to. But on the Stratus? Oh yeah, I think i need one in my life for sure. It's just warm enough and decay just long enough that I don't hear any thinness or harshness. And I am cranking the volume on purpose to test my comfort limits. The AC I can crank up very loud. The CC not quite as much but not far off.

So what's the point of my drivel? Common sense I guess....AMPS MATTER! Now the bad part, I don't have a good tube amp that can power the CC at work I really don't want to listen to the Jot anymore, it's not to my liking. I might grab my Asgard 3 and give that a run. It's warmer overall, and still packs a punch. I could try my Hagerman Tuba, though that is not a very powerful amp. We'll see. One thing is for sure though, I really want the Stratus at work, it's an amazing match for the CO and CC. Plenty of power, amazing tonal balance, bereft of any harshness or metallic undertones. It's just so dam big!

EDIT - This is where system building is crucial. I built my whole system around high impedance dynamic drivers. Other than the Stratus, I don't have any high level amps that synergize well with planars. Side note, i'm listening to the CC/Stratus while typing and my urge to headbang to the music is intense. So much more engaging and musical than the Jot 2/CC. Like apples to elephants different. If I only heard the Jot 2, i'd have returned the CC demo and passed. But hearing it on the Stratus has me looking through my gear to see what's getting sold to fund either it or the CO. Wooo goosebumps right now with this combo!

EDIT V2 - I'm so tired today I just wanted to curl up in bed after the kiddos passed out, but here I am hours later still listening. That's when you know you're listening to something special. One more track.... just one more.....

Update:

Brought my Hagerman Tuba in to swap with the Jot 2.

First, the bad... The Tuba is struggling to power the CC. I'm at 3pm on the volume knob for decent but still lower than normal volume. Also, it's lacking in dynamics and punch compared to the Jot. It's a more relaxed and dynamic driver like listen. But there's good too!

The good... Huge tonal improvement over the Jot! The Tuba gives the CC a slower decay, softer impact, and overall a warmer more tube driven presentation. I'd take this any day over the Jot. And to be honest, dynamics are not bad. I know i'm giving up a lot of punch and slam from my hours with the CC/Stratus. But this is still highly musical and engaging. I'm having way more fun today than yesterday on the Jot.

So hats off to the Tuba for salvaging my work listening with the CC! I was nervous I'd be stuck with the Jot until an Aegis arrives. But this will hold me over just fine.

 

[erics75]

Aegis and Stratus = dream combo!!! I guess they can share rectifiers so some "savings" there.

Ha! I was thinking that when reviewing the product page for the Aegis. I have a nice EML rectifier as well as some nice sounding RCA tubes.

So in your opinion when tweaking the sound of the Aegis is there any area to focus more attention and budget on? I know for my Stratus it's all about the power tubes and rectifier. My Kenzie is the opposite, it's all about the input tube, it doesn't seem to care what power tubes are in.

 

[zach915m]

So hats off to the Tuba for salvaging my work listening with the CC! I was nervous I'd be stuck with the Jot until an Aegis arrives. But this will hold me over just fine.

Hmm - I need to dust off my MassDrop EC Mini amp, I've always loved that thing, it's perfect desk sized. Anyways got me thinking!

Ha! I was thinking that when reviewing the product page for the Aegis. I have a nice EML rectifier as well as some nice sounding RCA tubes.

So in your opinion when tweaking the sound of the Aegis is there any area to focus more attention and budget on? I know for my Stratus it's all about the power tubes and rectifier. My Kenzie is the opposite, it's all about the input tube, it doesn't seem to care what power tubes are in.

I think the driver tubes seem to change the sound quite a bit followed closely by the input and rectifier. In three stage tube amps like this all the tubes seem to make changes, but I think with the Aegis being a cathode follower that the driver tube *might* seem to do more, but that's very subjectively to my ears.

@L0rdGwyn what do you think?

 

[jamato8]

Hmm - I need to dust off my MassDrop EC Mini amp, I've always loved that thing, it's perfect desk sized. Anyways got me thinking!

I think the driver tubes seem to change the sound quite a bit followed closely by the input and rectifier. In three stage tube amps like this all the tubes seem to make changes, but I think with the Aegis being a cathode follower that the driver tube *might* seem to do more, but that's very subjectively to my ears.

@L0rdGwyn what do you think?

If all the tubes are decent, I have always found the driver tubes to be the most influential.