[Feilong4]

Just received the Verum 1 today. Seems like there's a tiny bit of imbalance favoring the left side. I thought I was imagining it but then I threw it on a MiniDSP EARS. I did 4 different trials and this imbalance was consistent.


Default MiniDSP EARS headphone compensation applied.

It's the holidays but I'll try to put enough time into evaluating them.

Edit: The peak at 4.5 kHz is most likely an artifact. A lot of the measurements I made on the MiniDSP EARS show this.

 

[Garuspik]

Try swap cable and check if anything changes. But come on, ~1 dB of imbalance it can be also imbalance of an amp working on low ohm load. I’ve seen it many times.

 

[Garuspik]

Also please check positioning and clamp equal to both sides. Verum 1 are big headphones and this +_1 dB can be achieved easily by not the same distance from microphones to drivers.

 

[Feilong4]

Try swap cable and check if anything changes. But come on, ~1 dB of imbalance it can be also imbalance of an amp working on low ohm load. I’ve seen it many times.

I don't have another dual entry 2.5mm cable on hand at the moment.

Two questions out of curiosity:

1. Was there a particular reason for using a low ohm load?
2. Were 3.5mm dual entry sockets in consideration in the production of these headphones (or basically, why 2.5mm sockets)? It seems 3.5mm dual entry cables may be more common, but I may be wrong.

I haven't read up much on the production of the Verum 1.

 

[Garuspik]

I mean swap channels on existing cable and check if anything changes also please align it more precisely and check that pads squeeze equally.

1. I wanted to make a headphone that can be driven by smartphones and portable players. Also thick traces minimize risk of tearing
2. Just made same sockets as many Hifiman and Oppo.

 

[Feilong4]

Also please check positioning and clamp equal to both sides. Verum 1 are big headphones and this +_1 dB can be achieved easily by not the same distance from microphones to drivers.

Yeah, I left 2 circles visible from the bottom on the headband adjustment to avoid any variables. I'm not sure if the clamping force is different on either side - it may be the case, but how would I remedy that problem if that may be the issue?

I mean swap channels on existing cable and check if anything changes also please align it more precisely and check that pads squeeze equally.

1. I wanted to make a headphone that can be driven by smartphones and portable players. Also thick traces minimize risk of tearing
2. Just made same sockets as many Hifiman and Oppo.

Ok, I just tested that though it still shows the little bit in difference.



Trial 5 though cable swapped in the same position.

Green, Blue - Left
Red, Purple - Right

I should've added, with a bit of mental burn-in or really after a while of listening, I can't really tell if there is an imbalance. I also have measured a few Hifiman headphones and both sides of each respective model matched very well, besides one being the Ananda which the headband doesn't allow the headphones to seal well on my MiniDSP EARS.

 

[Garuspik]

I should've added, with a bit of mental burn-in or really after a while of listening, I can't really tell if there is an imbalance.

Nice, so if there is no issue and your stand shows really close matching I’ll be waiting for your sound impressions

 

[JLoud]

I didn't do any measurements, not really a fan of them, but I didn't notice any imbalance. Is the imbalance present at high and low volume. Could be amp or possibly how the headphone reacts to low volume. Of course for me, if I can't hear it, I don't care. But we each hear and listen differently.

 

[jinxy245]

Nice, so if there is no issue and your stand shows really close matching I’ll be waiting for your sound impressions

+1 to that...I'd love to hear your impressions when you can.

 

[Todd]

Hi All,

The Verum 1 in Bubinga and Carbon are in stock. Order away!

Also, when I was testing and demoing the Verum 1 before I sent them out on the loaner tour, I did not hear/notice any channel imbalance. They centered the vocal and were good by me.

Todd

 

[JLoud]

During my demo of them I didn't notice any issues either. A very nice headphone and competitive at it's price point. I like a little more bass quantity, but they respond very well to EQ.

 

[Feilong4]

Firstly, a big thank you to Todd for organizing this tour and for allowing the opportunity to demo the Verum 1!

Build/Design:
The headphones feel pretty solid though seem unnecessarily bulky and unwieldy. The adjustment system is a bit tedious to adjust, having to unscrew the left and right indicating knobs and then adjusting the screws on the headband assembly. I guess it may help in reducing the cost of the headphones with a more simple design such as the one here. One may argue that it never needs re-adjustment once set, but it’s nice to have the freedom of moving the headband with ease. It seems the also simple design of the headband pivot system also helps in reducing the costs. I don’t mind this as much as I mind the headband adjustment system.

On a somewhat related note, I have some tiny hands so I have to hold the headphones in a particular way in order to put them on my head.

The thin cable is underwhelming but at the very least it's light and doesn't seem to kink. It comes with a screw-on 1/4" adapter.

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Fit/Comfort:
That said, I can’t say I have much to complain about the comfort. The headband pivot system coupled with the thick earpads work in ensuring a proper seal around my ears. The headband has a decent amount of cushion. The earpad opening is a bit small - I have smaller ears, and the top and bottom edges of my ears touch the walls of the earpads. It’s not uncomfortable but is something to note. My food scale measures 546 grams (to my surprise), but I don’t think the headphones feel very heavy. Weight distribution is excellent. However, my daily driver is a Hifiman HE-6 so my tolerance may be higher than most people.

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Sound:

Amp: Gustard H10, THX AAA 789
DAC: Topping D50

Preference:
I like a gentle rise from 100 Hz down to 20 Hz. I’m not a big fan of something that is too mid-bassy - typically, I don’t really like deviations that are 1-2+ db north of “flat” around 100-200 Hz . I generally like the 2-5 kHz range to be a bit laid-back - helps vocals and overall timbre to sound more natural (or at least to me). I find emphasis in this area to make vocals sound shouty and unnatural sounding. I really dislike being drilled by any sorts of sharpness or peakiness. So basically, neutral and smooth.

Bass:
Seems fairly punchy and tight for the most part. Extension towards the sub-bass seems to be very good though - I’m able to feel rumbles on the track “Doin’ It Right” by Daft Punk. I don’t feel that there’s any mid-bass bloat which seems to be synonymous with planar magnetics. It’s a very even response that’s hard to fault unless one likes more bass (which I do). I think it could use a bit more heft in the sub-bass. I bump up from 50Hz down by 3db or so.

Midrange:
For the most part, I think the response here is very good and is very close to what I find “neutral”. I pull back ~2.2 kHz by “2 db” with a Q value of “1.5” on EqualizerAPO). Without EQ, I think the upper midrange is just a tad bit too forward so vocals are a tiny bit too “shouty” when turning up the volume. One other thing I noticed is that everything seems to sound jumbled together on “busier” tracks and sound rather compressed. I don’t get that with the Hifiman HE-6. Otherwise, I think the detail and resolution here is very good for the most part.

Treble:
I think this is the weakest part about the headphones. It’s a rather uneven and odd response. Parts of the treble seem blunted whereas other parts are emphasized. For example, the initial crash of a cymbal is quieter than the shimmer that trails behind. Additionally on poorly mastered recordings, the headphones can be a bit sibilant and peaky. Some percussive tracks sound tame, dull, and not very dynamic. I think the detail and resolution here is ok but the unnatural response, I think, hinders the headphone.

Soundstage:
I don’t think these headphones sound particularly wide nor deep. I think they’re as wide as my HD660S. The Verum 1 seems to sound “bigger” I think due to a larger earpad volume and possibly coupled with a bigger driver. It sorta seems to sound like 2 walls of sound.

Imaging:
I think the imaging performance is a bit poor. As I mentioned in the midrange section, things start to sound jumbled together on “busier” tracks which then just sounds like 2 walls of sound. I think the HD660S has better instrument separation and localization than the Verum 1 - I don’t get that sort of “jumbled” sound with the HD660S.

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Measurements


Measured on a MiniDSP EARS. Default MiniDSP EARS headphone compensation applied.

Peak at ~4.5 kHz and dip at ~4 kHz are likely to be artifacts. Measurements of most other headphones show the two characteristics on this measuring system.

Disclaimer: The MiniDSP EARS is not a professional tool but does provide some level of insight into measuring particular characteristics of a headphone. Measurements made on MiniDSP EARS should not be compared to other measurements that is not done on the same system.

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Conclusion:
I think the Verum 1 is a very good headphone at 350 USD. The tonal balance is very well done. Bass and midrange performance is very good for the most part. Treble performance is a bit underwhelming. However, I do think this headphone does work well as an “ambient listening” since it has a relatively safe response.

If this is the sort of Verum house sound that is targeted, I’m very excited to see what’s in store for the future Verum Audio. Some things I’d like to see improved is the treble response, imaging, and the reduction in size of the headphone. Again, it’s very comfortable already but I think a less bulkier design is appreciable.

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Some of my test tracks:

-Daft Punk - “Give Life Back to Music”
-Daft Punk - “Doin’ It Right”
-Nier Automata OST - “Birth of a Wish”
-Nier Automata OST - “City Ruins - Rays of Light”
-Yasunori Nishiki (Octopath Traveler OST) - “Victors Hollow, Jewel of the Forest”
-Yasunori Nishiki (Octopath Traveler OST) - “For Light”
-Yasunori Nishiki (Octopath Traveler OST) - “My Quiet Forest Home”
-Yasunori Nishiki (Octopath Traveler OST) - “A Settlement in the Red Bluffs”
-Yasunori Nishiki (Octopath Traveler OST) - “The Sunlands
-Various guilty pleasures

 

[441879]

Hi All,

The Verum 1 in Bubinga and Carbon are in stock. Order away!

Also, when I was testing and demoing the Verum 1 before I sent them out on the loaner tour, I did not hear/notice and channel imbalance. They centered the vocal and were good by me.

Todd

Didn’t notice any significant imbalance either. Certainly didn’t notice it going quickly from one phone to another.

 

[ZoddTheImmortal]

Is Verum less bright than the hd 600?

 

[Feilong4]

Is Verum less bright than the hd 600?

Depends on what you mean by bright and whether you find the HD600 bright. The HD600 has more upper midrange (or what I say is ~2-5 kHz). I find the treble on the HD600 to be slightly easier on the ears since I don't find them to be harsh or peaky in that region. I found that the Verum 1 can a bit peaky and sibilant on select poorly mastered tracks. It's not too bad though.