The hd800s measures less clean but doesn't sound less clean . It just sounds just as clean but more present. IMO one of those cases 99 of 100 people would like it better if they weren't biased by a review or graph ahead of time.
Are you sure about that? OP said he found the Hd650 fatiguing, verite more aggressive than hd650 imo. That being the case of the ZMF lineup I'd think Aeolus would be a better bet for laid back character if and only if the wm1z can drive it effectively @ 300ohm.
I highly doubt that the HD650 could have been fatiguing (to anyone, including bats) - I would guess that the chain was the culprit in that case.
He could get a Schiit Fulla or Hell and the Verite would still sound great from it. The better the gear the better of course.
I think I enjoyed the DT 990 more often as I found the sound signature more lively with my music. That may be where I am remembering the fatigue from. I know they are cheaper and supposedly inferior to the HD650s though.
The Verite manages to be lively and non-fatiguing at the same time, Zach really created something special here.
Yeh I would also say though 99% of "audiophiles" / "audio enthusiasts" are biased by what they are "supposed" to like per "audiophile ideals" vs. what they actually like
Like in your case, you haven't heard headphone at all but are making a case on "audiophile ideal" when the actual thread when said distortion was found most (including the guy who designed the original SDR mod) believed that the added 2nd distortion improved the overall bass response of the headphone before it was discovered. The only really effective argument against it is if you are going to massively boost/EQ the bass on HD800v1 instead, but that has its own tradeoffs as well, and IMO less desirable overall than the simple 2nd order tweak senn made on hd800s.
