[Nostoi]

I believe I read that @Monsterzero has experience with every ZMF can except for Eikons. Hopefully he can answer some questions.

I'd be interested to this, especially concerning which variant of the Vérité pads gives the Vérité Closed the flattest and most linear response.

 

[Nostoi]

After reading Nostoi and Makubex's recent reviews, I'd love to see a shootout between the AWKT and Stellia for detail capabilities!

I would also very much like to see this comparison.

 

[DJ XtAzY]

Man I really want to pad roll with my VC, but my wallet is feeling thin at the moment with a new amp purchase (DSHA-3F). Currently I'm happy with the Autuer and Universe pads (just swapped back to universe). But yea definitely give the VC a little bit of runtime in the background when not in use.

 

[Nostoi]

Man I really want to pad roll with my VC, but my wallet is feeling thin at the moment with a new amp purchase. Currently I'm happy with the Autuer and Universe pads (just swapped back to universe). But yea definitely give the VC a little bit of runtime in the background when not in use.

Universe pads are warmer than Auteur, right? I've not tried them yet. Listening to Auteur right now and they're great, but if the Vérité pads slightly tamed the mid-bass, they'd be perfect.

 

[zach915m]

Universe pads are warmer than Auteur, right? I've not tried them yet. Listening to Auteur right now and they're great, but if the Vérité pads slightly tamed the mid-bass, they'd be perfect.

We have Be-2 solid pads in now and are listed for sale on the Verite earpads page.

Those would be a good place to start to just make the low end flatter.

 

[Nostoi]

We have Be-2 solid pads in now and are listed for sale on the Verite earpads page.

Those would be a good place to start to just make the low end flatter.

Thanks so much, Zach! Will order in a moment. Are the Be-2 pads more linear than regular lambskin Verite pads?

 

[zach915m]

Thanks so much, Zach! Will order in a moment. Are the Be-2 pads more linear than regular lambskin Verite pads?

The Verite pads are the most neutral. So if going for flattest/brightest respinse verite pads would be that.

The Verite driver in the open and closed version is 300 ohms, so while I realize most closed headphones use drivers that are easy to drive, the verite will reward you when using more capable systems.

That's not to say portable players won't sound good, but with our headphones being high impedance, most portable players are low impedance out {with moderate power} , which may make the V closed sound less dynamic than it is, due to the higher damping factor.

 

[Ryno1330]

Hi friends. I know this isn't exactly the right thread for this but I like the group and info here and I primarily use closed-backs so I'm following here.

I'm looking for a recommendation for a gift for my office manager. They don't have to be closed back but he listens to primarily classical, jazz, oldies. That's different from my styles. He's never had good headphones. Any ideas in the 300-700 range that would be a good first set?

 

[bythebookiii]

Hi friends. I know this isn't exactly the right thread for this but I like the group and info here and I primarily use closed-backs so I'm following here.

I'm looking for a recommendation for a gift for my office manager. They don't have to be closed back but he listens to primarily classical, jazz, oldies. That's different from my styles. He's never had good headphones. Any ideas in the 300-700 range that would be a good first set?

ATH-MSR7B... no chance to fail.!

 

[Nostoi]

The Verite pads are the most neutral. So if going for flattest/brightest respinse verite pads would be that.

The Verite driver in the open and closed version is 300 ohms, so while I realize most closed headphones use drivers that are easy to drive, the verite will reward you when using more capable systems.

That's not to say portable players won't sound good, but with our headphones being high impedance, most portable players are low impedance out {with moderate power} , which may make the V closed sound less dynamic than it is, due to the higher damping factor.

Super, thanks. Just put in an order for the Veritie pads.

I run the VC from my Hugo 2 in addition to a Romi BX2 Plus (which outputs close to 6 Watts) but absolutely, they scale incredibly well, of course. I'm currently looking for a TOTL class-a desktop amp to pair with my Hugo 2 and which will retain the transparency of the Hugo 2 (any suggestions welcome).

 

[zach915m]

Super, thanks. Just put in an order for the Veritie pads.

I run the VC from my Hugo 2 in addition to a Romi BX2 Plus (which outputs close to 6 Watts) but absolutely, they scale incredibly well, of course. I'm currently looking for a TOTL class-a desktop amp to pair with my Hugo 2 and which will retain the transparency of the Hugo 2 (any suggestions welcome).

My two current favorite solid states are the Sparkos Labs Aries and the ECP Ravenswood 3f. I think ECP is doing another run soonish.

 

[TSelanne]

Well I just found this thread.... and like many others in here, I'm searching for one set of closed-backs to rule them all.

Prior to this journey, I had virtually no experience trying out / comparing headphones. I still listening to my Sony V600's from like 15-20 years ago (which I use primarily for wearing while drumming).

I started by looking at HP's in the sub $300 range, thinking that would be prudent for my budget. The msr7b is the clear winner in that category compared to what I tried.

Then I figured, "why not try something more expensive just to see what all the fuss is about?". And.... now my original budget is out the window haha. I've rationalized spending the money because, 1- I will likely not buy another pair for another 15-20 years, that's just how I operate, and, 2- I hear & appreciate the differences between higher & lower priced HP's, so to me it's worth it. I am authorized to buy one pair (yes I'm married).... so here we go!

What I've tried so far (ranked by price):

Sony MDR7506
Audio-Technica M50x
Sennheiser HD 569
Audio-Technica MSR7
Audio-Technica MSR7b
Audio-Technica M70X
Audio-Technica SR9
Focal Elegia
Ultrasone Signature DXP
Audio-Technica ATH-WP900
Final Audio SONOROUS VI
Beyerdynamic T5p 2nd Gen
Denon AH-d7200
Dan Clark Audio AEON 2
AUDEZE LCD-XC
Audio-Technica ATH-AP2000Ti
Denon AH-d9200
Mr.Speakers Ether C Flow 1.1
Fostex TH-900mk2 Premium
Audio-Technica ATH-AWKT Kokutan
Focal Stellia

I've made notes on most of these so I can remember what I heard / felt.... but to keeps things simple, I've returned most, and I'm currently left with these three:
Stellia
d9200
th900-mkII
Ether C Flow (hasn't arrived yet)

I'm having a really tough time deciding between these three. I thought the d9200 was the winner until I tried the Stellia and mkII's.


What I do find rather interesting, is that after trying all of these, I still have yet to find a set that hits ALL of my criteria: really good isolation, comfortable (to the point I can wear them 3+ hours without issue), and a sound quality that sounds great across all genres. To the sound quality point, I'm realizing that's very very subjective, and to a certain extent impossible. I've found that one set of HP will always sound better with a specific genre as compared to another. For example, the Stellia is the clear leader when it comes to Classical music.... it's really unbelievable how amazing it sounds compared to the rest. Yet I don't find it as attractive when listening to metal (which I listen to the most). I find the d9200 and mkII's better sounding for metal than the Stellia.

Need to vent: What is up with the MKII's only coming with a 6.3 connector!?!? /vent

My next step is testing different pads on the mkII's and d9200 to see if I can find something a little more comfortable that won't kill the stock sound (or, although probably unlikely, improve it). Someone linked the Stax pads in another thread... I have to check those out.

Thanks for reading my rambles.... if anyone has suggestions I'd love to hear 'em. Cheers.

 

[MakubexGB]

We have Be-2 solid pads in now and are listed for sale on the Verite earpads page.

Those would be a good place to start to just make the low end flatter.

Is it possible to order the Be-2 solid in suede or solid hybrid?

Also, could you tell us what the height measurements of the Be-2 are? I'm curious about how they compare to the Verite pad's fit.

 

[Malevolent]

Well I just found this thread.... and like many others in here, I'm searching for one set of closed-backs to rule them all.

Prior to this journey, I had virtually no experience trying out / comparing headphones. I still listening to my Sony V600's from like 15-20 years ago (which I use primarily for wearing while drumming).

I started by looking at HP's in the sub $300 range, thinking that would be prudent for my budget. The msr7b is the clear winner in that category compared to what I tried.

Then I figured, "why not try something more expensive just to see what all the fuss is about?". And.... now my original budget is out the window haha. I've rationalized spending the money because, 1- I will likely not buy another pair for another 15-20 years, that's just how I operate, and, 2- I hear & appreciate the differences between higher & lower priced HP's, so to me it's worth it. I am authorized to buy one pair (yes I'm married).... so here we go!

What I've tried so far (ranked by price):

Sony MDR7506
Audio-Technica M50x
Sennheiser HD 569
Audio-Technica MSR7
Audio-Technica MSR7b
Audio-Technica M70X
Audio-Technica SR9
Focal Elegia
Ultrasone Signature DXP
Audio-Technica ATH-WP900
Final Audio SONOROUS VI
Beyerdynamic T5p 2nd Gen
Denon AH-d7200
Dan Clark Audio AEON 2
AUDEZE LCD-XC
Audio-Technica ATH-AP2000Ti
Denon AH-d9200
Mr.Speakers Ether C Flow 1.1
Fostex TH-900mk2 Premium
Audio-Technica ATH-AWKT Kokutan
Focal Stellia

I've made notes on most of these so I can remember what I heard / felt.... but to keeps things simple, I've returned most, and I'm currently left with these three:
Stellia
d9200
th900-mkII
Ether C Flow (hasn't arrived yet)

I'm having a really tough time deciding between these three. I thought the d9200 was the winner until I tried the Stellia and mkII's.


What I do find rather interesting, is that after trying all of these, I still have yet to find a set that hits ALL of my criteria: really good isolation, comfortable (to the point I can wear them 3+ hours without issue), and a sound quality that sounds great across all genres. To the sound quality point, I'm realizing that's very very subjective, and to a certain extent impossible. I've found that one set of HP will always sound better with a specific genre as compared to another. For example, the Stellia is the clear leader when it comes to Classical music.... it's really unbelievable how amazing it sounds compared to the rest. Yet I don't find it as attractive when listening to metal (which I listen to the most). I find the d9200 and mkII's better sounding for metal than the Stellia.

Need to vent: What is up with the MKII's only coming with a 6.3 connector!?!? /vent

My next step is testing different pads on the mkII's and d9200 to see if I can find something a little more comfortable that won't kill the stock sound (or, although probably unlikely, improve it). Someone linked the Stax pads in another thread... I have to check those out.

Thanks for reading my rambles.... if anyone has suggestions I'd love to hear 'em. Cheers.

I have been trying out tons of IEMs and headphones for the better part of a decade now, and I have yet to find one single product that plays every genre well. There really isn't one, I feel, since each genre has a specific set of aural requirements that, when taken as a whole across the entire music spectrum, no single headphone is able to meet. For example, dance music (typically) requires a strong bassline and a clear and present treble region, thus affording an energetic and engaging sound. Any headphone that is anemic in its bass response will sound really bad with dance music.

Hence, don't sweat about finding an all-in-one; it probably doesn't exist. The next best solution is to find something that can play most types of music well; or at least, one that plays your favorite music well.

With that said, your final list of headphones is an interesting, eclectic mix. I've gone through the same process of elimination, and I was left with the Denon AH-D9200 (from that shortlist). It's an impressive closed-back, replete with detail and a high-quality low-end presentation.

Let us know what you eventually decide to keep.

 

[zach915m]

Is it possible to order the Be-2 solid in suede or solid hybrid?

Also, could you tell us what the height measurements of the Be-2 are? I'm curious about how they compare to the Verite pad's fit.

We just have lambskin for the solid material right now.

They are 23mm tall at the thickest point and the ear cavity is 2mm smaller than the Verite pads. They are between the Universe and Verite pads in sound and size.