[Hoegaardener70]

They are vastly different loads- what were you driving them with?

ifi Pro iCan with WE396A tubes. It's great with my ab-1266tc, so I do not think this was the problem. The VC has a very dull upper body - might work well with guitar and rock, but it lacked for classical, in my opinion.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Exactly this.

Although as a Head-fier, I learnt to be wary of enthusiasm as well. My example is the ZMF Verite Closed, which is lauded by everyone (So it seems at least). I got it to replace my Stellia, and found the Focal so much better. I am usually very bad in deciding with gear I have bought already, but this one was crystal clear. Lesson: Head-fi enthusiasm is great, but it might not work for everybody.

I own a VC and it is very finnicky. It does not sound great with most sources. And, you need to get the pads right or it's terrible, too. But, when you get the right pairing, there is nothing like it.

 

[antdroid]

I agree-there is no such thing as complete lack of bias. Lack of awareness, on the other hand.... (LOL).

There is lots of talk today about brands, and it seems like things are now 'Brands' that were not before. IOW, 'brand' has become something of a synonym/surrogate term for 'image'?! Self-promotion seems to be at an all-time high (in general, not yours...) The internet has become the affordable Vanity Press of this age.... That's the backdrop for me, in terms of my curiosity about current sensibilities. In any event - I appreciate your comments, and sensibilities.

On a much more serious note, I have a customer who was raving about the Mahlkonig EK43, and I freaked out when I found out how much it cost. Then I saw one on a cafe countertop- it is friggin huge!, like Washington Monument huge - I have a small kitchen, and make cofeee only for myself- that thing would be stooopid in my kitchen!

I have a Eureka Atom 75 speicialista that i 'singler dose' for my Ratio 8 brewer (and a Kalita wave from time to time). I bought a Sette 270wi for the Breville Barista Touch I was using, but just bought the Breville Dual Boiler, and it is awesome. I also have a Baratza Forte BG, that i installed ceramic burrs in, and have it and the Sette dialed in for 9 bar, 1-2 ratio 30 second shots for latte a caps.... (I am applyinmg the audiophile/head-fi overkill to coffee as I also home-roast on a Quest M6.

My audio fuel setup is:
Behmor Roaster -> Eureka Mignon Perfetto -> Rocket Appartamento Copper

Haven't roasted in along time though!

 

[MatW]

I auditioned the Stellia and wasn't able to tolerate it, the Verite Closed made me go gaga from day 1 and hasn't let go since (for more constructive feedback on those wondering, lower treble (I think) on the Stellia made them immediately fatiguing to me. The Verite I found to be much fuller, expansive and detailed while being as natural as I've listened to).

At this level I don't doubt they're both relative peers in quality - it can come down to nothing but taste if all else is equal.

Similar to my experience. I sold the Stellia, still own the VC.
On a different note, I'm hardly using my closed backs anymore, since I got into IEMs..

 

[davidmolliere]

Yet another year for @Deezel177


"Bon anniversaire" as we say in french
May this one bring you some musical gifts!

 

[gLer]

Happy happy @Deezel177!

 

[Scubadevils]

Nicely said I'm glad too that this hobby help maintain a healthy enthusiasm during the resting part of my day. Music helps me recharge my body, and allows my mind to wander/wonder more freely into a creative explorative state. The IEMs equip me with an interactive layer in accessing that dream-like landscape, with their small size seamless fit (portability), and immersive listening experience. Especially during the night when everything is quieter, and you're preparing to go to sleep. It is a useful to help you wind down relax and de-stress yourself

I'm really glad that I got out of the watch collecting hobby. You get so little (in function) for so much buying luxury watches. They're more of jewelries and collectibles to me. And priority seems to be more on the aesthetic side, and serving as accessories to fashion and an expression of your personal style. Nothing wrong with that, but I thought I could better express my cheap-a** self with a Casio F91 than a porcelain dial limited edition Seiko

Spoiler

Yes spot on - the ability to switch off and connect to music with this hobby is wonderful. On a working day, I'll listen in the morning and if an opportunity arises during the day, I'll plug in and zone out for a bit too. I adore the meditative experience then at night, choosing an album and immersing myself in the music before bed. Then of course the associate music exploration, Bandcamp has become my modern day equivalent of browsing a massive music store, not quite the same though.

Bit of a watch fan too but I'm more disciplined there in that I only purchase every couple of years, due one this year

 

[normie610]

Similar to my experience. I sold the Stellia, still own the VC.
On a different note, I'm hardly using my closed backs anymore, since I got into IEMs..

But you still listen to your open backs, no?

 

[MatW]

But you still listen to your open backs, no?

Yes, open backs rule.... None of my closed backs come close..

 

[mico1964]

as i am nearing 4 years without any (c)iem/dap buy (cause funds are low) , i am curious ?

what's the longest you have gone without buying anything (ok , daps and iems , i will let cables off the hook)

i know that this is a hobby where ''you have money=you buy stuff' but curious about your self-restraint

so , shoot your time off putting the hand in the wallet

One year: from January 2020 (U12t) to February 2021 (Odin).

 

[fuhransahis]

Yes, open backs rule.... None of my closed backs come close..

Similar-ish journeys for us! I now rarely use IEMs due to mostly working from home nowadays.

I also had Empy before VC and thought the latter simply outclasses the former for my tastes.

Though, now that I'm thinking of upgrading tube amps, it's all getting to be a bit much and more I'm considering going back to IEMs again.

But once I go back to IEMs I may miss headphones... and... well you know lol.

Thing for me is I usually have to sell my current flagship to fund the next purchase.

Curious as we seem to have similar-ish tastes in tuning overall from your gear (minor nitpicks above, most your gear is gear I've been interested in ) which of your IEMs do you think comes closest in tuning to the VC and/or Empy?

 

[Rockwell75]

What is "a review"? and what is a "reviewer"?

As far as this hobby seems to be concerned a reviewer is anyone who decides to write & post a semi-formal report about a particular piece of gear. They can be professional reviewers with their own site/distribution platform, someone who works for a shop that sells (or doesn't) the piece fo gear in question or some lay member at a forum like this one who takes the time to share their thoughts in a semi-structured fashion.

The presumption is that these opinions are expert, in some form or fashion, and not finanicially biased.

Like so much else in this world given the current economic system we live under this hobby is only possible by virtue of the fact that there are people who want and are able to make money at it. Head Fi in particular exists primarily as a platform for companies to peddle their wares-- the fact that we can all gather and form a community here is secondary. As such there will always be a natural tension between the money interests on the one side and the integrity of the hobby on the other. Often (and ideally) there can be a balance. When people make products it’s natural that they want to generate some exposure to these products through marketing, samples, hype, reviews etc. This is totally normal. But the people who make these products want and more importantly need them to sell regardless of whether they’re trash or gold. At its worst Head Fi can seem like a sea of industry PR people that can be hard to navigate through to discern what is hype and what is helpful information. My experience is that the $$ influence is present to one degree or another all the time everywhere in this hobby-- even among groups and people who slam "shill reviewers who give everything 10/10" and aim to "keep it real" by being aggressively negative, but who are in fact are often just advancing some other marketing agenda or set of interests.

Is this just confusing to boomers (which I asm one), or has the boundary changed? (editing to add the follwing content

I think the boundaries have changed. In a traditional sense a "review" is ideally a piece of objective journalism-- something written to accurately & objectively give an overview of a product so that someone reading it will know if it is for them or not. Lately it often seems that the line between journalism and marketing is very blurry indeed. But fortunately the landscape for us customers has changed a lot from the earliest days us boomers remember. Back in the day we depended on reviewers for information so there was more of a hope/need/expectation that they would be able to maintain their objectivity. These days we have forums like this where everyday folks can read impressions of & communicate directly with others of similar temperament and not have to depend exclusively on reviewers or marketing material. Personally I think it's naive and foolish to rely only on "professional" reviewers or any one source of information. I've been at this for a few years now and when I want to get to the bottom of whether a piece of gear is for me or not I take in all the information I can-- marketing material, professional reviews, independent reports via conversation & PM, youtube videos, and so on. Ultimately every one of us has the capacity to decide for themselves which sources of information resonate with them and/or if a particular reviewer or source of information is full of Schiit, insincere or unreliable...and move on. There are a seemingly unlimited array of personalities around here and a similar array of different review styles & approaches. There is more than enough information out there for anyone who's not a complete muppet to read and decide what works for them and what doesn't.

I taught business ethics at the university level for 18 years, so I tend to think this way, and perhaps approach things from a different perspective. Now I am in retail, so feel free to call me hypocritical. I will say that part of my sales technique is to start my discussions with customers by listing all of the reasons/features/characteristicsa of a product that I think would prevent them from ordering one). People often acuse sales folks of being manipulative/dishonest and/or pushy. But proper retailers are the ones who give you back your money if you don't like what we've recommended.

I think the most helpful thing a sales person/someone giving advice can do is try and find out what a person actually needs & is looking for and push them towards that-- independently of whether they themselves like it or not. I myself do not at all enjoy really flat/reference tuned IEMs like the u12t & IER M9-- but I have no problem recommending them to someone if I get the sense that type of sound is what they're looking for.

 

[fzman]

@Rockwell75 , you make a number of great points. When I taught, it was from the perspective that Good Ethics = Good Business. I think it is a mistake to think otherwise. IOW, the goal/point of doing business is to produce goods and/or services. The RESULT, if one well, is profit. It is a mistake to conflate the goal ith the result.

You are correct that a manufacturer that has a pile of paid-for inventory, must sell it to make money. If it's a pile of junk, and the attractive price is below the level of profitability, that vendor has a problem. Deception seldom helps, for the reasons mentioned below.

As far as the best methods upon which to make purchasing desicisions--that's an entirely different matter. I am not an advocate of caveat emptor, but i do believe that the buyer has some obligations/accountability for protecting their own interests. The internet has made it much easier to get information, and much harder to hide it. Alas, it has also made it much easier to fling massive fecal projectiles and promulgate the Male Bovine variety especially well.

Most importantly, what coffee gear do you have/use, to further estabish or destroy your credibility (lol -- major JK)

 

[fzman]

Speaking of reviewers: Happy Birthday @Deezel177 .

 

[fuhransahis]

Happy birthday @Deezel177!