[shanecoughlan]

Those look like outdated distortion plots BTW - the midrange distortion issue has been fixed since about June 2018 if I'm not mistaken.

The plots I used are late August from @cskippy

 

[abm0]

The plots I used are late August from @cskippy

Nevertheless, I was left with the impression the issue was permanently fixed. @Garuspik can you confirm?

 

[Garuspik]

@abm0 - yes, those spikes on THD were fixed long ago. Thanks @cskippy for measurements and advices.

 

[AlexDeLarge]

Nice. What changes to the sound did you notice? Even if it was very little... I'm curious which pads you guys prefer and why. I may have to get a smoother sounding pair but I will have to wait for my new amp to arrive before deciding.

Just to butt in, I've tried a couple of different pairs of microsuede pads with the Verums. The Brainwavz XL and ZMF Ori's. Both made them sound flat and dead. I switched to a pair of Dekoni Elite leather pads that I had originally bought for my old DT880's and those sounded great.

 

[magor34]

Just to butt in, I've tried a couple of different pairs of microsuede pads with the Verums. The Brainwavz XL and ZMF Ori's. Both made them sound flat and dead. I switched to a pair of Dekoni Elite leather pads that I had originally bought for my old DT880's and those sounded great.

Are those the regular sheepskin or the perforated ones?

 

[AlexDeLarge]

Are those the regular sheepskin or the perforated ones?

Regular, not perf.

 

[shanecoughlan]

@abm0 - yes, those spikes on THD were fixed long ago. Thanks @cskippy for measurements and advices.

Happy to update the overview handout. Does anyone have an updated set of measurement images?

 

[Currawong]

I currently own a tube amp, but I feel it's very sub-par as it's some chinese brand that was around $100. I enjoy the sound it does provide compared to just connecting directly to my DAC, but I'm sure It's my weakest link in my audio set, any thoughts on tube amps that would pair nicely would be appreciated. My DAC most likely isn't great either, I'm using my AG03 audio interface as a DAC, so any ideas on improving those would be great.

I'm going to throw in a suggestion for a Lyr 3. It'll be good and versatile enough to last you for a long time, and you can play around with tubes if you wish, or not if you don't.

What might be a good start to drive your new headphones is the Topping NX4DSD. It’s small, powerful and Amir saw some great numbers from it at ASR. I just ordered one.

I wouldn't encourage people to buy cheap and unreliable products, as the Topping products have turned out to be. It's very easy to make a circuit measure very well, as long as you don't mind killing the dynamics of the music. Not to mention that measurements are taken using sweeps and tones that don't exist in music. They are fine for showing an engineer whether or not a circuit is working properly, but are deceptive when people don't know what the measurements actually mean. This is compounded when the person measuring has a reputation for manipulating settings and facts to make things look better or worse, depending on their agenda.

 

[shanecoughlan]

I wouldn't encourage people to buy cheap and unreliable products, as the Topping products have turned out to be. It's very easy to make a circuit measure very well, as long as you don't mind killing the dynamics of the music. Not to mention that measurements are taken using sweeps and tones that don't exist in music. They are fine for showing an engineer whether or not a circuit is working properly, but are deceptive when people don't know what the measurements actually mean. This is compounded when the person measuring has a reputation for manipulating settings and facts to make things look better or worse, depending on their agenda.

Citations please.

Edits, to be clear:

On reliability I am guessing you are referring to this product, one problematic device, but I do not have references available that indicate any systemic issues with Topping. Here are the numbers for the NX4DSD and - independent of this - I can confirm the product is nicely put together. I am not alone in having a favorable view. Price is not a determination of intrinsic quality. Just look at this 20 USD audio player.

Regarding measurable audio accuracy, I am at a loss to identify how circuits that measure well across dynamic range “kill the dynamics of music.” I’m genuinely concerned about this assertion, as it borders on saying “the provable science is wrong.” If there is a corpus of scientific evidence proving otherwise I would be interested to see it.

Finally, you infer Amir has a bias. I think that needs to be substantiated given that he openly publishes consistent measurements for many, many devices that can be replicated by any party using the same measurement tools.

 

[Currawong]

Off-topic: Maybe now he does, but after using a heat gun to warm up a DAC, and having 5 people refute his Yggdrasil measurements last year (see here) nothing he posts can be trusted. He was a Microsoft manager, not an engineer. So as far as I'm concerned, he can join the Mr. couple-of-bits-of-foam-on-a metal rack "proprietary measurement system", baker-who-built-amps-that-fall-apart-and-trashes-his-competitors and film animation-expert-who-knows-everything-about-audio-science-and-photography as people who should be ignored. It seriously gets tiresome. That is all I will say on the matter.

 

[D3athbySp0rk]

I'm going to throw in a suggestion for a Lyr 3

Funny enough, I was considering the Valhalla 2 with a set of cans that were higher ohm, till I settled on the verum one. First time I've heard of the of the Lyr 3, which has peeked my interest. Digging around on some threads on here there's some interesting topics regarding the various tubes and how results can vary. Sound like quite some fun experimenting with various tubes, finding a sound signature I enjoy.

I'm not looking for the ultimate end-game as some on here. I'm the search of "incredibly good" to the average individual. Considering, I don't have quite the trained ear as some. And, I frankly don't have the budget to build up collection to compare. But I'm not against the idea of spending upwards of up to $1,000 on a amp/pre amp after thorough research if it suits my needs. Ideally, price vs. performance is my interests. With highest quality possible being the goal.

That said, the Lyn 3 defiently is on my radar. Thank you for its introduction.

 

[shanecoughlan]

Off-topic:

Off-topic: Maybe now he does, but after using a heat gun to warm up a DAC, and having 5 people refute his Yggdrasil measurements last year (see here) nothing he posts can be trusted.

@Currawong, thank you for that link. @jude conducted an interesting analysis and I believe deserves extra credit for striking a balanced and open tone. One thing I really appreciate about Head-Fi is the way people choose to communicate.

@fpantalone, I frequently illustrate my ineptitude. As I always say, I am here for fun. I hope my posts reflect that and also reflect a mind with an interest in objective learning.

 

[shanecoughlan]

Digging around on some threads on here there's some interesting topics regarding the various tubes and how results can vary. Sound like quite some fun experimenting with various tubes, finding a sound signature I enjoy.

Indeed! The nature of the distortion is where you can have a ton of fun. I am not sure where you are based, but hopefully there are audio shops or audio groups where you can bring your Verum 1 and find the pairing you like. It would be great if you can share your experience to build out more information about these headphones.

 

[shanecoughlan]

Some important news from @Garuspik for all parties waiting for their headphones:

“Hello. I know that I'm very delaying with last ~ 50 plegdges and orders made through website. Let me explain what is going on:

I've already assembled more then 150 cups (including grills, magnetic system etc). So basically I havу >75 of assembled headphones without headband.

Unfortunately my lathe machine where I produce titanium knobs was broken ~4 weeks ago and I was waiting for parts to repair it. I've finally received them and hope finish repairs tomorrow and start producing those knobs that're delaying all the process.”

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...hile-planar-magnetic-headphones/posts/2525712

 

[abm0]

The plots I used are late August from @cskippy

Not exactly. They were posted on HeadFi in August but they had already showed up elsewhere in May 2018, followed later by someone else's graphs in July 2018 where the midrange distortion was no longer visible.