Has anyone ordered a ZMF Aegis amp? Iāll be very curious as to impressions from any buyers.
Iām very, very close to ordering one, but unfortunately I would have to sell some of my current stuff to be able to afford it. I canāt decide whether or not to take the plunge yet. I donāt really have anything I want to part with, so this is making the decision even harder.
I have no doubt itās a great amp, but Iāve finally settled on a nice solid state amp (Mjolnir 3) that keeps me out of the never-ending and expensive hunt for vintage tubes. The Aegis would also be the most expensive audio purchase Iāve ever made, so I donāt want to take the decision lightly.
If I cave in and order the thing, Iāll be sure to post my thoughts on it. The best tube amp Iāve heard/owned is a Quicksilver, so I expect this to be a pretty big step up.
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I feel you on that, Iām at the same place with my DSHA-3FN. Itās magic with my ZMF dynamics, and of course great with Focals.
Sameā¦
No doubt, despite what a good amp the Quicksilver is.
Keep us posted, Iād love to know if you end up getting one. 
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Iām probably going to borrow one soon. Iāll post impressions if I do.
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You may want to wait until it comes out and users start posting impressions. No doubt shortly thereafter there will be a few people selling it used as well. Also, if youāre happy with your setup now thatās not to be taken lightly! Iām pretty impressed they got Cayin to make it, and impressed with Cayin for agreeing to it. Although, purely personal, Iām not a fan of the looks at all. It looks like a mish-mash of art deco, industrial andā¦sponge painting? On the transformer covers. Itās aesthetically confused IMO
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Iām actually going to get the chance to have a loaner Aegis for a week at home sometime in the next few months, so I really shouldnāt rush into a purchase just to get the $200 release discount. Iāll try to maintain some semblance of self-control. Itās hard though!
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Any used discount for the inevitable quick flippers will be more. And the ability to try it in your chain before putting down money is priceless.
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I think it has enough āhead-fi hypeā that ZMF will sell out of the first batch, and that will keep used prices high for a few months at least. Prices wonāt likely stabilize until there is another FOTM to attract peoples attention.
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I go back and forth about the cosmetics of the amp. I think I like it overall, though Iām glad they went from that teal color to brown/gold on the transformer covers. As someone who loves ZMF headphones, I feel like it gives off the same vibe. It certainly doesnāt look like any other headphone amp Iāve seen. I definitely understand how its looks could be polarizing though.
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My tentative plan is to wait to get the loaner, see how I like it in my system at home, and then possibly buy the loaner unit at the end of the tour. If that doesnāt work out, Iāll probably wait on an open-box or demo unit directly from ZMF. I like having that 5-year warranty on something so expensive.
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Yes, it does go with the zmf headphone aesthetic, and in that sense it works. Maybe itās the transformer covers I donāt like the most, but the faceplate seems a bit too busy for me as well. But I absolutely canāt knock the creativity or the uniqueness of the look. Generic looking it is not! And thatās always a good thing in my book
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The bottom of the faceplate has me thinking that it is on a plywood slab. I could leave the sponge paint but everything else i think is nice.
I heard there will be a black version fwiw
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Do you mean the whole amp might be black or just the transformer covers?
No idea Iām sorry, if I get more information Iāll share it but best to just ask Zach. I think heāll give a straight answer.
I asked Keenan, aka L0rdGwyn, the designer of the Aegis, and he said it must be in reference to the change in colors for the production units. Originally the transformer covers had a lot of green, and now they are just black and gold/brown. Also, the pre-production amp chassis was gray and the production units are matte black.
The pictures on the ZMF website are of the production units, so there are no plans to make any more changes to the amp moving forward.
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Bummer. Iām not in the market for an amp but the aegis was high on my list when I was and I would definitely go with a diy version (probably built by a pro) over the ZMF version just based on looks
For those who donāt know, there are clear indications of a new Hifiman TOTL planar headphones launching on June 3rd for $8K MSRP
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Sounds like it will be positioned above the Susvara, rather than replacing it, which is interesting.
Though still a lot of conflicting information circulating.
Will be interesting to see what it ends up being.
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