Would require some help and recommendations upgrading my headphones, headphone amp and DAC.

[buke9]

Have been looking at Verite as well, but would have to try them at some place if possible to see if the difference is enough to justify also the price increase. Will check some reviews from Youtube!

The difference is quite noticeable but is enough for you to justify the extra expense that will be up to you to decide. I think it is a much better headphone than the Eikon and Atticus but just my opinion.

 

[warrenpchi]

The difference is quite noticeable but is enough for you to justify the extra expense that will be up to you to decide. I think it is a much better headphone than the Eikon and Atticus but just my opinion.

I just realized that none of us said "sorry about your wallet" in advance.

 

[buke9]

I just realized that none of us said "sorry about your wallet" in advance.

Kind of given when your looking at ZMF .

 

[Disfigured]

I just realized that none of us said "sorry about your wallet" in advance.

Thank you. Though as long as the end result pleases, my wallet is also happy. Considering that I'm updating the whole set, I was prepared to empty my wallet..and my savings..maybe sell an organ..or two..

 

[Disfigured]

Being a child of the Eighties, it triggers my nostalgia in wonderful ways! I actually just received this a couple of days ago:



I was lagging on picking up the record, but since their older stuff has been going out of print lately, I decided to get it before it was too late. Ambient Inks (they press/fulfill vinyl for The Midnight) was also kind enough to give me .wav downloads for it, so bonus.

Also, though I hate to complicate your decision, ZMF's Auteur is fantastic for Synthwave.

Have great time with that record. Think I have listened to that artist before but not quite sure. First songs were quite enjoyable so will definitely run through the album in the next few days. Also thanks for the recommendation regarding the Auteur!

 

[Disfigured]

The difference is quite noticeable but is enough for you to justify the extra expense that will be up to you to decide. I think it is a much better headphone than the Eikon and Atticus but just my opinion.

The hifi shop that I went to listen to the Eikon also has Atticus and Verite. Might go there again next week to try all of them again.

 

[Monsterzero]

There is the ZMF Atticus if the Eikons wore you down a bit as they are not quite as neutral as the Eikons

I wouldnt recommend the Atticus for faster genres of metal. The decay lingers too long making faster stuff become a blur in the midbass region, besides the OP says:

I love bass, but not too much. Really enjoy when I can hear multitude of lower frequencies and clearly hear the bass lines throughout the songs without it getting muddy and unrecognizable.

Have been looking at Verite as well, but would have to try them at some place if possible to see if the difference is enough to justify also the price increase. Will check some reviews from Youtube!

The price is very, very justified. Ive owned every ZMF other than the Eikon, and the Verite, especially the closed version, is leagues ahead of the others. That isnt knocking the Atticus, Aeolus, Eikon, Auteur or Verite open. Its just that the VC is just so damn good.

Understand however that the VC ( as well as the VO and Auteur) are quite revealing and will expose the weak links in your system, whether its the amp or DAC , file quality or production value, if it isnt up to the task you will hear it with these headphones.

As always when discussing ZMF dynamic headphones tube amps will (and should) be mentioned. While great sound can be had via solid state amp with ZMF headphones, most owners will agree that a good tube amp takes ZMF headphones to the next level.

The difference is quite noticeable but is enough for you to justify the extra expense that will be up to you to decide. I think it is a much better headphone than the Eikon and Atticus but just my opinion.

No, its not just your opinion. Its my opinion too

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I wouldnt recommend the Atticus for faster genres of metal. The decay lingers too long making faster stuff become a blur in the midbass region, besides the OP says:



The price is very, very justified. Ive owned every ZMF other than the Eikon, and the Verite, especially the closed version, is leagues ahead of the others. That isnt knocking the Atticus, Aeolus, Eikon, Auteur or Verite open. Its just that the VC is just so damn good.

Understand however that the VC ( as well as the VO and Auteur) are quite revealing and will expose the weak links in your system, whether its the amp or DAC , file quality or production value, if it isnt up to the task you will hear it with these headphones.

As always when discussing ZMF dynamic headphones tube amps will (and should) be mentioned. While great sound can be had via solid state amp with ZMF headphones, most owners will agree that a good tube amp takes ZMF headphones to the next level.

No, its not just your opinion. Its my opinion too

With the VC, you have to be prepared to work at it to get the right pairing that sounds great to you. It's very unforgiving. I paired the VC directly with a Chord TT2 and it sounded terrible. It is very picky on what it will sound good with. Some type of full sized tube amp is best.

In contrast, I paired the VC with a Primaluna EVO 400 tube amp and EVO 100 tube DAC and it was the single best headphone experience I have ever had.

The VC is completely the opposite to the Focal Utopia which sounds great on everything.

 

[Disfigured]

I wouldnt recommend the Atticus for faster genres of metal. The decay lingers too long making faster stuff become a blur in the midbass region, besides the OP says:



The price is very, very justified. Ive owned every ZMF other than the Eikon, and the Verite, especially the closed version, is leagues ahead of the others. That isnt knocking the Atticus, Aeolus, Eikon, Auteur or Verite open. Its just that the VC is just so damn good.

Understand however that the VC ( as well as the VO and Auteur) are quite revealing and will expose the weak links in your system, whether its the amp or DAC , file quality or production value, if it isnt up to the task you will hear it with these headphones.

As always when discussing ZMF dynamic headphones tube amps will (and should) be mentioned. While great sound can be had via solid state amp with ZMF headphones, most owners will agree that a good tube amp takes ZMF headphones to the next level.

No, its not just your opinion. Its my opinion too

With the VC, you have to be prepared to work at it to get the right pairing that sounds great to you. It's very unforgiving. I paired the VC directly with a Chord TT2 and it sounded terrible. It is very picky on what it will sound good with. Some type of full sized tube amp is best.

In contrast, I paired the VC with a Primaluna EVO 400 tube amp and EVO 100 tube DAC and it was the single best headphone experience I have ever had.

The VC is completely the opposite to the Focal Utopia which sounds great on everything.

The revealing aspect will definitely turn me off fast. I have a tendency to constantly search for new music and some of the metal (as they often can be) are not well produced and same goes for some underground hip-hop. Would rather have something that can smooth those imperfections out to not make me hate otherwise good music.

Not sure I would be prepared to go through the work of finding the right pairing. I thought that ZMF VCs would be available in the hifi store, but they are out and might take a while before they get them again so do not know if I even have the chance to test them out in the end. Aeolus and Eikon are the ones I can test and compare at the moment it seems. No other shops have ZMFs in here so Eikons might be the ones I will go for.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Being a child of the Eighties, it triggers my nostalgia in wonderful ways! I actually just received this a couple of days ago:



I was lagging on picking up the record, but since their older stuff has been going out of print lately, I decided to get it before it was too late. Ambient Inks (they press/fulfill vinyl for The Midnight) was also kind enough to give me .wav downloads for it, so bonus.

Also, though I hate to complicate your decision, ZMF's Auteur is fantastic for Synthwave.

I positively love Daytona and included it on my Campfire Honeydew testing playlist because it performed so well on those IEMs.



Assume you're familiar with GUNSHIP, Atrey, and Makeup and Vanity Set? Enjoying all of their material as of late.

@Disfigured don't discount something like the Denon AH-DX000 (2000, 5000, 7000) series, either. They're not quite up to the same level as ZMF, but you can sometimes snag a pretty good used deal on them and my D5000 do a phenomenal job of taming some of the crud recordings that are out there while still providing the necessary slam when it's present.

 

[Monsterzero]

The revealing aspect will definitely turn me off fast. I have a tendency to constantly search for new music and some of the metal (as they often can be) are not well produced and same goes for some underground hip-hop.

Yeah I listen to many genres as well, including death, speed, melodeath, progressive black metal, pagan folk metal, etc....
Both Verites will expose the poor production value inherent in a lot of metal.

Some metal like Amon Amarth or Parasite Inc have upped the production value, and when heard thru the VC and a good upstream chain you will know why you dropped a boatload of cash. Musicality, texture, staging, holographic imaging and dynamics in spades.

Not sure I would be prepared to go through the work of finding the right pairing. I thought that ZMF VCs would be available in the hifi store, but they are out and might take a while before they get them again so do not know if I even have the chance to test them out in the end. Aeolus and Eikon are the ones I can test and compare at the moment it seems. No other shops have ZMFs in here so Eikons might be the ones I will go for.

ZMF makes each headphone by hand. The wait time from when you place your order for a ZMF to the time you actually get it is around two and a half months.

Also remember that ZMF makes several different pads that can have a massive impact on the sound signature. Earlier in this thread you mentioned some jazz was too bright on the Eikon. You may want to look into the various pads they offer to help dial in your preferred sound.

I posted a chart on how each pad sounds in the VC thread.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-verite-closed-new-closed-back-zmf-flagship.911505/#post-15076947

 

[warrenpchi]

Have great time with that record. Think I have listened to that artist before but not quite sure. First songs were quite enjoyable so will definitely run through the album in the next few days. Also thanks for the recommendation regarding the Auteur!

Thanks! Also, I should mention about the Auteur, that while I think it sounds brilliant with Synthwave due to its warmth, I probably would not recommend it for metal.

I positively love Daytona and included it on my Campfire Honeydew testing playlist because it performed so well on those IEMs.



Assume you're familiar with GUNSHIP, Atrey, and Makeup and Vanity Set? Enjoying all of their material as of late.

Gunship of course, but not so much the others... but now I've got artists to explore! Thanks!

 

[zach915m]

The revealing aspect will definitely turn me off fast. I have a tendency to constantly search for new music and some of the metal (as they often can be) are not well produced and same goes for some underground hip-hop. Would rather have something that can smooth those imperfections out to not make me hate otherwise good music.

Not sure I would be prepared to go through the work of finding the right pairing. I thought that ZMF VCs would be available in the hifi store, but they are out and might take a while before they get them again so do not know if I even have the chance to test them out in the end. Aeolus and Eikon are the ones I can test and compare at the moment it seems. No other shops have ZMFs in here so Eikons might be the ones I will go for.

Hey Thanks for checking our headphone my man!

What store were you able to visit? we've been lucky to have some amazing dealers in the EU and beyond. I can try to let you know when the next shipment is going out to help you coordinate when you might be able to hear them.

 

[Disfigured]

I positively love Daytona and included it on my Campfire Honeydew testing playlist because it performed so well on those IEMs.



Assume you're familiar with GUNSHIP, Atrey, and Makeup and Vanity Set? Enjoying all of their material as of late.

@Disfigured don't discount something like the Denon AH-DX000 (2000, 5000, 7000) series, either. They're not quite up to the same level as ZMF, but you can sometimes snag a pretty good used deal on them and my D5000 do a phenomenal job of taming some of the crud recordings that are out there while still providing the necessary slam when it's present.

Will remember Denon as well! They are much easier to find in multiple stores so can test them out.

 

[Disfigured]

Yeah I listen to many genres as well, including death, speed, melodeath, progressive black metal, pagan folk metal, etc....
Both Verites will expose the poor production value inherent in a lot of metal.

Some metal like Amon Amarth or Parasite Inc have upped the production value, and when heard thru the VC and a good upstream chain you will know why you dropped a boatload of cash. Musicality, texture, staging, holographic imaging and dynamics in spades.

ZMF makes each headphone by hand. The wait time from when you place your order for a ZMF to the time you actually get it is around two and a half months.

Also remember that ZMF makes several different pads that can have a massive impact on the sound signature. Earlier in this thread you mentioned some jazz was too bright on the Eikon. You may want to look into the various pads they offer to help dial in your preferred sound.

I posted a chart on how each pad sounds in the VC thread.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-verite-closed-new-closed-back-zmf-flagship.911505/#post-15076947

I was prepared for decent wait. Thinking that in 1-2 months I would place the order if ZMF is the one I will go for (quite likely it is). Also based on the reviews I've been watching from Youtube, the pads definitely seem to have exponential impact on the sound signature sometimes. Appreciate the link and will definitely check it out!