I also own a Verite Open and would disagree. In fact that's one on my favorite things about switching back to the Mg.
Though it's a bit more nuanced, the Verite has more immediate "kick" on certain drums or bass frequencies, as well as higher sustained bass pressure (likely tied to it feels noticeably more closed than the Mg). Where as the Mg feels like it's moving more total air.
Another way to put it is the Verite punches while the Mg slams. It feels like the Mg driver is extending physically more.
On the topic, I regularly compare both against the Arya Stealth in this department. It has better punch & slam than people give it credit for, but neither on the level of the aforementioned. Where it shines is deep sub bass sustain. On deep ambient tracks with a lot of this, the bass depth and atmosphere is like no other, further accentuated by how open it is.
One interesting thing I noticed is applying bass boost. The Mg feels less sensitive to increase in perceived bass pressure compared to the other two. Seems like it's optimized for a certain balance.
Well, it's good that I hadn't spent all that money, then on the Verites, though their soundstage must be something.
I probably will go back to using my Martin Logan 60XTs most of the time once I buy a house. Or, wait until I get a deal on a ZMF product and use them in place of a set of bookshelf speakers. The speakers had out-resolved every set of headphones I've had. I had sold both Clear OGs and Audeze LCD-3s over those, and hadn't bought Clear Mgs until I had been banished to a small hotel room. Signature, with their aluminum drivers, is closer to the Focal headphone signature than the Audeze one (a lively midrange). They also have mid bass resonance and phase shift problems that I don't face with headphones; it will never be as clean below a certain frequency. I will likely keep my IEMs and sell my open back headphones, once my situation changes. The imaging of the Moondrops being almost as good at the Utopias (at least the ones that have DLC dynamic drivers), had changed things for me.
I had Arya v2s, and had liked the soundstage, but they had a hollow, plastic timbre that I had noticed the most with female vocals and simple guitar tracks. I had returned them after a month. The soundstage was so large, that it had sounded unnatural. Audeze soundstage is in between HiFiMan and Focal's (just right). With the Arya v3s, they would have fixed this and probably improved dynamics, but I can't justify owning two sets of open back headphones. I had loved how the synths had sounded when playing Lorde's Royals on the Arya v2, but not her voice. I have to say I prefer HiFiMan bass over Audeze (though it always sounds thinner in true HE-1000 fashion).
I boost the bass with my Clear Mgs too, and still feel that you need a closed back to get the most natural sounding bass below a certain frequency. Of course, this can differ depending on what type of instrument you're listening to. I can try and repair natural declines, but I can't cheat open baffle physics with any EQ I apply.
The Audeze LCD-X 2021s I had sold, have completely different sounding bass to HiFiMan or Focal, but had problems of their own: what I perceive to be lesser microdynamics. Those, had provided a larger sound, but had always felt closer to omnipresent, one note, "brawn over finesse" bass, when compared to the Clears, even after EQ. I could hear more textures in bass guitars with the Clears and the Arya.
LCD-3s have a wonderful organic warm midrange, but sound dark even after EQ, and don't measure up compared to newer headphones, to me. Probably a slow seller for them and are $450 more than the Clears. Neither of the Audezes had sounded flat and balanced even after EQ.
and openess are excellent on these. But if you just plan on using these for music listening, the dynamics & openess & imaging is top of the line for me. Put on something like AC/DC & enjoy. They play like speakers. I believe they had to tone down the og clear because these are meant to be blasted. And man are they meant for jamming out!
