[Stillhart]

   
 
hmmmmm....... et tu Brute?

 
Who me?  Nothing to see here.  You must have been thinking of someone else.
 
<innocent whistle>

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

 
As a matter of fact, I did, and there was.  

  The short answer is that you can pretty much use my Liquid Glass impressions as a gauge.  Because the Sylvania tubes I'm using tend to be a little lighter down low, and thus a little solid-statish, the LG and LC ended up sounding a little similar in that regard.  Also, I should note that I still have the Omni and Liquid Carbon here, together, at the same time - at least for another day or two.  Is there a genre, or band, or song, or specific part of a song that you want me to check out and report on?

 
I'm more excited now, and thanks for your offer.  If you have time, and the tracks, I'll take you up on it.  Since others might enjoy your perspective, but I won't make a long list.
 
First guitar.  I like listening to Paco DeLucia, John McLaughlin and Al DeMeola "Friday Night in San Francisco"
 

 
I was wondering how the Omni did separating the three acoustic guitars?  Lesser headphones kind of melt the three into one, and to be fair these guys play amazingly well together, so their play is right on top of each other.  Also how is the micro details of their play.  These guys are truly gifted, but can you still hear the subtle sound of their hands sliding up and down the neck to hit the next chord?  This album really showed me the difference between the Alpha Dogs and Alpha Primes.
 
And for female vocals, how about Corinne Bailey Rae.  I love "Like a Star"...
 

 
I swear I can hear her lipstick....lol.  I was wondering how female vocals were presented on the Omni?  Is her voice as sexy as they are with an HD650?
 
 
My last curiosity is with percussion instruments.  And I'll ask you to listen some Fleetwood Mac.
 
Tusk
 

 
and Big Love
 

 
Tusk is very well known in these parts for having a very organic percussion presentation, sometimes in the front and sometimes in the back of the song.  But its not the tightest, so how crisp does can the beats get?  Also, how strong is the tuba?  Tuba has always been my best sound reference for mid bass punch.  And I tend to go to this song or Paul Simon's "Boy in a Bubble".
 
Big Love on the other hand, they decided to go with a more electric/synth drum kit.  Obviously a very popular 80s and extremely crisp, maybe to a fault because lesser headphones can bleed strikes together, because decay isn't up to par with the production.  I've always loved Fleedwood Mac for production quality.  And currently I enjoy my MDR-Z7s most for percussion.
 
Thanks again Warren.  I don't know what you have and don't have, but at least you have the crappy youtube stuff for reference.

 

[zach915m]

Just wanted to let you guys know that I have a few spots left on the ZMF Omni tour if anyone is interested.  Details are here:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/772902/zmf-omni-pre-order-sale-and-head-fi-impressions-tour-sign-up#post_11724348
 
Also there's 10 sets left of the Pre-Order that includes the Case/OCC cable.
 
Thanks for all the support so far, it means a lot to me!

 

[warrenpchi]

 

  As a matter of fact, I did, and there was.  

  The short answer is that you can pretty much use my Liquid Glass impressions as a gauge.  Because the Sylvania tubes I'm using tend to be a little lighter down low, and thus a little solid-statish, the LG and LC ended up sounding a little similar in that regard.  Also, I should note that I still have the Omni and Liquid Carbon here, together, at the same time - at least for another day or two.  Is there a genre, or band, or song, or specific part of a song that you want me to check out and report on?

 
I'm more excited now, and thanks for your offer.  If you have time, and the tracks, I'll take you up on it.  Since others might enjoy your perspective, but I won't make a long list.
 
Thanks again Warren.  I don't know what you have and don't have, but at least you have the crappy youtube stuff for reference.

 
Lol, I was about to head on over to TIDAL to find these... but having breezed through the mp3 compression part of the Philips Golden Ears thing a year ago, I decided to see if I could discern what you asked via the YT videos alone.  So, without further ado, here we go...
 
Quote:

 
First guitar.  I like listening to Paco DeLucia, John McLaughlin and Al DeMeola "Friday Night in San Francisco"
 

 
I was wondering how the Omni did separating the three acoustic guitars?  Lesser headphones kind of melt the three into one, and to be fair these guys play amazingly well together, so their play is right on top of each other.  Also how is the micro details of their play.  These guys are truly gifted, but can you still hear the subtle sound of their hands sliding up and down the neck to hit the next chord?  This album really showed me the difference between the Alpha Dogs and Alpha Primes.

 
It did just fine keeping the three guitars separate and very distinct from each other.  As for micro detail, and with regard to the specific example of sliding up and down the neck, the Omni did remarkably well.  It wasn't just a matter of hearing the slides, I could discern pitch while they were sliding, so as to know when they were doing it quickly, or slowly, or even changing the speed mid-slide.
 
Quote:

 
And for female vocals, how about Corinne Bailey Rae.  I love "Like a Star"...
 

 
I swear I can hear her lipstick....lol.  I was wondering how female vocals were presented on the Omni?  Is her voice as sexy as they are with an HD650?

 
Lol, I dunno about lipstick... but I love that I can hear her smile while she's singing.  Her voice sounded plaintively and innocently sultry if that makes any sense?  Pleadingly seductive in a homely kind of way, with lots of detail.  BTW, if you like her, you might like Sophie Zelmani.
 
Quote:

 
My last curiosity is with percussion instruments.  And I'll ask you to listen some Fleetwood Mac.
 
Tusk
 

 
Tusk is very well known in these parts for having a very organic percussion presentation, sometimes in the front and sometimes in the back of the song.  But its not the tightest, so how crisp does can the beats get?  Also, how strong is the tuba?  Tuba has always been my best sound reference for mid bass punch.  And I tend to go to this song or Paul Simon's "Boy in a Bubble".

 
Honestly, not being too familiar with this track, I'm not sure how tight it should be.  But it sounded fine to me, and I could hear the sounds of fingers sliding off the drum skins after certain strikes, especially in the beginning.  I don't know if I would use the word crisp to describe it, maybe more like punchy?  I wouldn't describe the tuba as being particularly overwhelming, but they certainly had some nice growl to them when higher notes were played.
 
Quote:

 
and Big Love
 

 
Big Love on the other hand, they decided to go with a more electric/synth drum kit.  Obviously a very popular 80s and extremely crisp, maybe to a fault because lesser headphones can bleed strikes together, because decay isn't up to par with the production.  I've always loved Fleedwood Mac for production quality.  And currently I enjoy my MDR-Z7s most for percussion.

 
This was excellent, as mids and upper mids are terrific with the Omni, which lends itself to handling snares and their harmonics well.  Actually, it funny that you mention the Z7.  I also have a Z7 here for review, and the first time I heard the Omni on Zach's rig, I noted in my listening notes that it sounded somewhat like a planar version of the Z7.  That didn't make it into my write-up, as I thought that wouldn't be an anecdote that too many people could relate to, but that was my initial thought.
 
Hope all of that helps?  

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

That was wonderful feedback Warren.  Thank you for taking the time...

 

[warrenpchi]

You're welcome of course!  

 

[gixxerwimp]

Zach lets you order one or the other. I usually order both and wrap the headband around the buffalo strap.  
Edit: I got ninja'd.

 
You might have gotten ninja'd, but I just realized I've been doing wrong the whole time. When I read somewhere that the Vibro/BW were even comfier with both the Pilot Pad and strap, I assumed the Pilot was wrapped around the Fostex headband and the strap was underneath. I've been happily wearing my Purplehearts that way pretty much since I got them a month ago. I just now tried wrapping the Pilot around the leather strap and it literally floats on my head. The extra height also lets me extend the sliders more so the cups are angled better to eliminate the pressure points.
 
Doh!    

 

[gixxerwimp]

 

warrenpchi /img/forum/go_quote.gif  

ButtUglyJeff /img/forum/go_quote.gif  
First guitar.  I like listening to Paco DeLucia, John McLaughlin and Al DeMeola "Friday Night in San Francisco"
 
 

Spoiler: Test 1

 
I was wondering how the Omni did separating the three acoustic guitars?  Lesser headphones kind of melt the three into one, and to be fair these guys play amazingly well together, so their play is right on top of each other.  Also how is the micro details of their play.  These guys are truly gifted, but can you still hear the subtle sound of their hands sliding up and down the neck to hit the next chord?  This album really showed me the difference between the Alpha Dogs and Alpha Primes.

 
It did just fine keeping the three guitars separate and very distinct from each other.  As for micro detail, and with regard to the specific example of sliding up and down the neck, the Omni did remarkably well.  It wasn't just a matter of hearing the slides, I could discern pitch while they were sliding, so as to know when they were doing it quickly, or slowly, or even changing the speed mid-slide.

 
 

ButtUglyJeff /img/forum/go_quote.gif  
And for female vocals, how about Corinne Bailey Rae.  I love "Like a Star"...
 
 

Spoiler: Test 2

 
I swear I can hear her lipstick....lol.  I was wondering how female vocals were presented on the Omni?  Is her voice as sexy as they are with an HD650?

 
Lol, I dunno about lipstick... but I love that I can hear her smile while she's singing.  Her voice sounded plaintively and innocently sultry if that makes any sense?  Pleadingly seductive in a homely kind of way, with lots of detail.  BTW, if you like her, you might like Sophie Zelmani.
 

 
 

ButtUglyJeff /img/forum/go_quote.gif  
My last curiosity is with percussion instruments.  And I'll ask you to listen some Fleetwood Mac.
 
Tusk
 
 

Spoiler: Test 3

 
Tusk is very well known in these parts for having a very organic percussion presentation, sometimes in the front and sometimes in the back of the song.  But its not the tightest, so how crisp does can the beats get?  Also, how strong is the tuba?  Tuba has always been my best sound reference for mid bass punch.  And I tend to go to this song or Paul Simon's "Boy in a Bubble".

 
Honestly, not being too familiar with this track, I'm not sure how tight it should be.  But it sounded fine to me, and I could hear the sounds of fingers sliding off the drum skins after certain strikes, especially in the beginning.  I don't know if I would use the word crisp to describe it, maybe more like punchy?  I wouldn't describe the tuba as being particularly overwhelming, but they certainly had some nice growl to them when higher notes were played.
 

 
 

ButtUglyJeff /img/forum/go_quote.gif  
and Big Love
 
 

Spoiler: Test 4

 
Big Love on the other hand, they decided to go with a more electric/synth drum kit.  Obviously a very popular 80s and extremely crisp, maybe to a fault because lesser headphones can bleed strikes together, because decay isn't up to par with the production.  I've always loved Fleedwood Mac for production quality.  And currently I enjoy my MDR-Z7s most for percussion.

 
This was excellent, as mids and upper mids are terrific with the Omni, which lends itself to handling snares and their harmonics well.  Actually, it funny that you mention the Z7.  I also have a Z7 here for review, and the first time I heard the Omni on Zach's rig, I noted in my listening notes that it sounded somewhat like a planar version of the Z7.  That didn't make it into my write-up, as I thought that wouldn't be an anecdote that too many people could relate to, but that was my initial thought.
 
Hope all of that helps?  

 
 
These "tests" looked interesting, so I gave them a listen on my Purplehearts out of my iPad2. Passed all IMO, though I'm not nearly as accomplished a critical listener as many on here. It'll be quite interesting to compare them against the Omni when I get my hands on them.
 
That video for Tusk didn't work for me, and the one I found on YouTube didn't sound that great. I played the FLAC I have of the Greatest Hits CD and the percussion was way tighter and had much more punch. As Warren said, there wasn't much strong tuba to be heard, except for a couple of fortissimo farts.
 
 
Edit: To take my words out of warrenpchi's quote.

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[warrenpchi]

@socks mk2, I think you and @zach915m are in the same state.  Maybe even the same general metropolitan area?  Wondering if it might be possible for you two to meet up sometime for an audition?

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[zach915m]

I was hoping to try them out last Saturday at ChiUniFi 9, but ended up missing the event.
I was thinking the same thing last night, but life is hectic for me atm and I'm sure Zach is busy himself.

I name dropped Levaix as he was helpful before when I looking into the Sig Pro and alternatives. Any input is always welcome of course.

Heyhey!  I spend most of my waking moments making headphones these days, so any company is welcome to break up the day!  I'm sure @levaix will have some good insight as well, but you are more than welcome to stop by any time to listen to the ZMF's on my rig.  Also welcome to bring your rig if desired and other phones to compare.  No pressure too, if you decide my phones aren't for you, it's all part of the fun!
 
I live in "West Town" in the Chicago and Ashland area.  Anyone else is welcome too, just PM me or email me through ZMFheadphones.com to set-up a time to stop by.

 

[warrenpchi]

^ This is why I love Head-Fi.  

 

[Levaix]

Hmmm. Maybe @Levaix can help sway me in my decision making.

How/where would you place Omni's and TH900's relative to Sig Pro's?
A > B > C in terms of vocals, sub bass, mid bass, treble, transient response, image size, XYZ imaging, anything else relevant. Are all 3 less, more or similar in quantity across the board?

An example would be the TH900 being much more LF bass response than the Sig Pro. I suspect the TH900 has the most sucked out mids as well of the three. Thanks in advance.

edit: the reason I ask is I'm curious if both the Omni and TH900 are similar to the Sig Pro with distinct emphasis on certain aspects of the overall sound. Also, I'm curious if the TH900 and Omni are on different polarizing ends of eachother with the Sig Pro in between both.

I'm just not sure what would be better for my music collection between the Omni and TH900. I'll be keeping my Sig Pro for portable use.

Hmm... None of these posts actually tagged me for some reason, lol.

Tbh, I'm not actually sure how helpful I can be here. As much as the TH900 impressed me, I haven't heard it in months. I also haven't gotten the chance to really extensively A-B the Sig Pros vs. Omni.

TH900 and Omni just have different presentations. TH900 is kind of like the SP on steroids, which is both ridiculous and awesome. Omni is... different. lol Sorry, I wish I could be more specific. Your comment about the mids is correct.

I'm actually trying to decide between these exact two headphones for my next set!

 

[GCTD]

My order confirmation said I was #3, but in the spreadsheet it says I'm #10. Is that a raise for concern? Also, can I trouble you for a signature on top of the Pilot Pad with a white marker for my Omni order through Paypal under G Donayre?