Some rather hurried and cursory thoughts on the ZMF Vérité Closed vs. the Audio-Technica ATH-AWKT (excuse any typos, etc.excuse the lame photo, too). I should also say, I feel as though I’m still adjusting to the Vérité Closed, so please take my impressions here lightly.
Despite a 1000€/$/£ difference between these, I essentially feel their competing in the same terrain (because, after all, after about 1500€/$/£, the law of diminishing returns is harsh).
In terms of comfort and build, clearly the Vérité Closed are the winners for their build and design. Not too much to say about this, as I think it’s widely known that the build on the ZMF is peerless. The build on the AWKT is not lacking by any means, but I’m aware that I have to be a tad more careful when handling them. In terms of comfort, I know some people have complained about the clamp and pad depth on the AWKT, but I myself find them very comfortable. The clamp pressure on the AWKT in my experience is much lighter than the Vérité Closed. I had a pair of Eikons before, and I know the clamping pressure eases out on the ZMF, but I certainly find the AWKT somewhat more comfortable despite the odd headband structure.
To the sound (I ran this test solely on my Hugo 2, using both outputs simultaneously). The Vérité Closed has a warm frequency range, which is nevertheless fairly linear and balanced. Bass is accented and not exactly bloated, but not what I would call precise or overly controlled. The bass extends well from the sub to mid region. There’s a bit of a peak around 100hz which then trails down at about 200hz. It gives the Vérité Closed a warm bottom end, which spills a little into the lower-mids. I have yet to pad swap and cable roll (and am probably short of the 200 hours of burn in time recommended), so it may well be that this accented lower end has the potential to have more control. Then again, part of the charm of the Vérité Closed is that they have a warmth that isn’t overly “romantic.” The mids on the Vérité Closed are outstanding in their depth and texture. I don’t think one can really fault them; vocals, guitars, synths all sound top notch.
As @Malevolent has mentioned, the treble is where things get contentious. I don’t find the need to EQ the Vérité Closed (unlike the Eikon, which had a fairly significant dip around 2k, and thus gave the top end a muted and overly smooth quality). The top end on the Vérité Closed (especially 3k) is perhaps a little too smooth. I feel like a little more airiness could be introduced here. The advantage is that the Vérité Closed avoids a false sense of detail through an artificially elevated treble.
What is really impressive about the Vérité Closed is that despite being a fairly warm headphone, technical performance is excellent. There’s no compromise in imaging, detail retrieval, soundstage, or resolution whatsoever. As a result, it’s an incredibly “natural” sounding headphone – nothing is pushed toward the listener in an aggressive way, yet all the details are nevertheless at the foreground.
Turning to the AWKT, the difference is striking. They are *hyper* engaging headphones without being analytical or harsh. In contrast to the Vérité Closed, the bass it tight, well controlled, with what I call excellent slam. Mid-bass is flat it not slightly dipped. The separation between the frequencies is just a pleasure to listen to. It gives the headphones an air of immense speed and clarity. The AWKT does not have the “thicc” sense of body the Vérité Closed does. It’s totally flat, before then ascending at the upper-mids in typical Audio-Technica style. I honestly love this tuning a great deal. It gives everything a sense of depth that is in the same measure totally transparent. One criticism might be that the AWKT does not have enough flesh in the mid-section, which I think is fair. These are by no means v-shaped; if anything, the tuning is more in line with the MSR7B without the peaky treble. Of which, treble on the AWKT is bright, airy, incredibly detailed without being sibilant (to my ears). Crispy. Clear. Clean. Perfect.
On a technical front, both these headphones are in the same ball park. The Vérité Closed has a wider soundstage, but in terms of imaging, separation, and detail retrieval both are on the same par. I would actually say that technically, the AWKT may even have the upper hand, especially in terms of detail retrieval. It’s hard to put a final word on this, because one thing I’ve found with all ZMF headphones is that they are prone to “grow” with usage and also alter notably with pads. When I receive my Plussound X8 cable and try some different pads, I will likely revise my thoughts on the Vérité Closed.
In sum, both of these headphones are outstanding; they both complement each other supremely well. The Vérité Closed offer a warm, organic, but technically excellent presentation at the expense of being sometimes overly polite. The AWKT are a vision of pure crystalline clarity. They hide nothing, and yet they’re also deeply “musical,” but at times possibly fatiguing. On a personal level, the AWKT speak to my sensibility in a more immediate way than the Vérité Closed, though I feel the charm of the latter is in a way more subtle and maybe more enduring. Time will tell. I’m happy to have them both.
Despite a 1000€/$/£ difference between these, I essentially feel their competing in the same terrain (because, after all, after about 1500€/$/£, the law of diminishing returns is harsh).
In terms of comfort and build, clearly the Vérité Closed are the winners for their build and design. Not too much to say about this, as I think it’s widely known that the build on the ZMF is peerless. The build on the AWKT is not lacking by any means, but I’m aware that I have to be a tad more careful when handling them. In terms of comfort, I know some people have complained about the clamp and pad depth on the AWKT, but I myself find them very comfortable. The clamp pressure on the AWKT in my experience is much lighter than the Vérité Closed. I had a pair of Eikons before, and I know the clamping pressure eases out on the ZMF, but I certainly find the AWKT somewhat more comfortable despite the odd headband structure.
To the sound (I ran this test solely on my Hugo 2, using both outputs simultaneously). The Vérité Closed has a warm frequency range, which is nevertheless fairly linear and balanced. Bass is accented and not exactly bloated, but not what I would call precise or overly controlled. The bass extends well from the sub to mid region. There’s a bit of a peak around 100hz which then trails down at about 200hz. It gives the Vérité Closed a warm bottom end, which spills a little into the lower-mids. I have yet to pad swap and cable roll (and am probably short of the 200 hours of burn in time recommended), so it may well be that this accented lower end has the potential to have more control. Then again, part of the charm of the Vérité Closed is that they have a warmth that isn’t overly “romantic.” The mids on the Vérité Closed are outstanding in their depth and texture. I don’t think one can really fault them; vocals, guitars, synths all sound top notch.
As @Malevolent has mentioned, the treble is where things get contentious. I don’t find the need to EQ the Vérité Closed (unlike the Eikon, which had a fairly significant dip around 2k, and thus gave the top end a muted and overly smooth quality). The top end on the Vérité Closed (especially 3k) is perhaps a little too smooth. I feel like a little more airiness could be introduced here. The advantage is that the Vérité Closed avoids a false sense of detail through an artificially elevated treble.
What is really impressive about the Vérité Closed is that despite being a fairly warm headphone, technical performance is excellent. There’s no compromise in imaging, detail retrieval, soundstage, or resolution whatsoever. As a result, it’s an incredibly “natural” sounding headphone – nothing is pushed toward the listener in an aggressive way, yet all the details are nevertheless at the foreground.
Turning to the AWKT, the difference is striking. They are *hyper* engaging headphones without being analytical or harsh. In contrast to the Vérité Closed, the bass it tight, well controlled, with what I call excellent slam. Mid-bass is flat it not slightly dipped. The separation between the frequencies is just a pleasure to listen to. It gives the headphones an air of immense speed and clarity. The AWKT does not have the “thicc” sense of body the Vérité Closed does. It’s totally flat, before then ascending at the upper-mids in typical Audio-Technica style. I honestly love this tuning a great deal. It gives everything a sense of depth that is in the same measure totally transparent. One criticism might be that the AWKT does not have enough flesh in the mid-section, which I think is fair. These are by no means v-shaped; if anything, the tuning is more in line with the MSR7B without the peaky treble. Of which, treble on the AWKT is bright, airy, incredibly detailed without being sibilant (to my ears). Crispy. Clear. Clean. Perfect.
On a technical front, both these headphones are in the same ball park. The Vérité Closed has a wider soundstage, but in terms of imaging, separation, and detail retrieval both are on the same par. I would actually say that technically, the AWKT may even have the upper hand, especially in terms of detail retrieval. It’s hard to put a final word on this, because one thing I’ve found with all ZMF headphones is that they are prone to “grow” with usage and also alter notably with pads. When I receive my Plussound X8 cable and try some different pads, I will likely revise my thoughts on the Vérité Closed.
In sum, both of these headphones are outstanding; they both complement each other supremely well. The Vérité Closed offer a warm, organic, but technically excellent presentation at the expense of being sometimes overly polite. The AWKT are a vision of pure crystalline clarity. They hide nothing, and yet they’re also deeply “musical,” but at times possibly fatiguing. On a personal level, the AWKT speak to my sensibility in a more immediate way than the Vérité Closed, though I feel the charm of the latter is in a way more subtle and maybe more enduring. Time will tell. I’m happy to have them both.
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