[demi9od1]

i hear you, i'm struggling with the pads myself. i love the wide open stage the auteur pads present, but i like the immediacy and bass of the universe pads. i ordered the universe hybrid pads, hopefully they'll ship this week. i'm hoping it's a good bridge between the two.

Let me know what you think.

 

[erics75]

Let me know what you think.

definitely. another member was asking about the Eikon suede pads on the VC, and i'm currently listening to that now. once i have a bit more time today to get a handle on the sound, and a quick swap back to the universe pads to confirm, i'll write up a brief summary. so far it's ok, nothing special, but nothing horrible either.

 

[Monsterzero]

Happy new decade everyone! I wonder what ZMF has in store for us in 2020?

 

[Wes S]

Happy new decade everyone! I wonder what ZMF has in store for us in 2020?

Same to you man! I am hoping for a lower budget headphone, or an open back planar. . .

 

[chrisdrop]

Happy new decade everyone! I wonder what ZMF has in store for us in 2020?

No more! Unkle! I can't have more ZMF headphones!

 

[Monsterzero]

I can't have more ZMF headphones!

Of course you can!
Im with @Wes S . A proprietary planar headphone with the trademark ZMF sound would be groovy! Ive even told my wife im not buying anymore headphones...done...finished...unless ZMF comes out with a planar.

 

[felix3650]

Of course you can!
Im with @Wes S . A proprietary planar headphone with the trademark ZMF sound would be groovy! Ive even told my wife im not buying anymore headphones...done...finished...unless ZMF comes out with a planar.

Yeah right...we believe you...we really do
BTW Zach, a plannar would really fit the equation

 

[erics75]

It's interesting DMS (deleted?) and now Zeos (hinted in a VC unrelated vid) preferred the Eikon suede pads for the VC. Seems to contrast with pretty much every other impression/suggestion I've read/heard.

ok after a few hours with the Eikon suede pads, then an hour back on the universe pads, i think i have a handle on the basic sound. i won't go into deep detail as it's only a few hours. but here is what i was consistently hearing with the Eikon suede:

the Eikon suede (ES going forward) seemed to soften everything. leading edges and attack seemed a bit softer and more rounded. i kept envisioning a light curtain the sound was passing through. it wasn't significant, i could still pick out fine detail pretty easily, but it did give the VC a softer, more relaxed sound.

the ES flattened the frequency response overall. from subbass to mids to treble, it was pretty even across the board. if anything stood out, i'd have to say the treble. so a fairly flat response with a bit of a lift at the top.

the ES closed the soundstage noticeably vs the universe pads, which constrict the stage noticeably from the Auteur pads. you get the picture, a pretty closed and intimate stage, very forward and static. all sounds stayed close to my ears, with limited movement.

the ES made the VC very average sounding overall. it wan't bad at all, but it didn't stand out either. i could see how someone who dislikes the VC tuning with the Auteur pads might like this. it's a more generic but still technically capable sound. i personally would not use them vs the universe or Auteur pads, but just my preference.

some notes i jotted down on specific songs that really stood out to me as way off from the VC with universe pads:

David Bowie - Rock n Roll Suicide - the three dimensional stage collapsed. sounded very in my head. also, those wonderful mid bass drum hits were dull and lacking impact. made a very dynamic recording sound compressed.

Dire Straits - Money for Nothing - the drums sounded like hard plastic. very odd tonality overall, and treble was a bit fatiguing.

Fleetwood Mac - Golddust Woman - where did the drum impact go?!?!? i love the drums on this track, and now it was dull and compressed (see a pattern emerging?)

The Clash - Brand New Cadillac - guitar solo lacked bite, despite treble lift

Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower - this one threw me, guitar solo was too hot, unlike Brand New Cadillac. i had to turn down volume, it zinged me around 2:15 into track

The Doors - The End - lots of minute micro detail/plankton in this recording, but the ES made the plankton soft and indistinct.

The Cars - Lets Go - opening drums lacked impact. vocals a bit too forward due to treble lift.

Led Zeppelin - Over the Hills and Far Away - opening guitar work plankon/micro detail soft. with the universe pads you can really hear hands moving around the guitar's strings/neck, but with the ES pads, it was less resolved. also vocals were a touch hot here. ps - the opening guitar to start the track off is one of my most beloved tunes, just magical to me.

Well that's about all i have. my comments make it sounds bad, but honestly, it wasn't that that bad. but the ES pads take the best parts of the VC and temper them significantly. if someone is doing that, i honestly think the VC isnt' for them. they'd be better off saving some $ and going with another headphone. the closest thing i can think of to the VC with ES pads is the Eikon with lambskin stock pads, but less subbass.

 

[Monsterzero]

Yeah right...we believe you...we really do
BTW Zach, a plannar would really fit the equation

Honestly,the VC are so perfect for me that I have no interest in other headphones. Its musical,impactful,holographic,fast....perfect for everything I throw at it.

ok after a few hours with the Eikon suede pads, then an hour back on the universe pads, i think i have a handle on the basic sound. i won't go into deep detail as it's only a few hours. but here is what i was consistently hearing with the Eikon suede:

the Eikon suede (ES going forward) seemed to soften everything. leading edges and attack seemed a bit softer and more rounded. i kept envisioning a light curtain the sound was passing through. it wasn't significant, i could still pick out fine detail pretty easily, but it did give the VC a softer, more relaxed sound.

the ES flattened the frequency response overall. from subbass to mids to treble, it was pretty even across the board. if anything stood out, i'd have to say the treble. so a fairly flat response with a bit of a lift at the top.

the ES closed the soundstage noticeably vs the universe pads, which constrict the stage noticeably from the Auteur pads. you get the picture, a pretty closed and intimate stage, very forward and static. all sounds stayed close to my ears, with limited movement.

the ES made the VC very average sounding overall. it wan't bad at all, but it didn't stand out either. i could see how someone who dislikes the VC tuning with the Auteur pads might like this. it's a more generic but still technically capable sound. i personally would not use them vs the universe or Auteur pads, but just my preference.

some notes i jotted down on specific songs that really stood out to me as way off from the VC with universe pads:

David Bowie - Rock n Roll Suicide - the three dimensional stage collapsed. sounded very in my head. also, those wonderful mid bass drum hits were dull and lacking impact. made a very dynamic recording sound compressed.

Dire Straits - Money for Nothing - the drums sounded like hard plastic. very odd tonality overall, and treble was a bit fatiguing.

Fleetwood Mac - Golddust Woman - where did the drum impact go?!?!? i love the drums on this track, and now it was dull and compressed (see a pattern emerging?)

The Clash - Brand New Cadillac - guitar solo lacked bite, despite treble lift

Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower - this one threw me, guitar solo was too hot, unlike Brand New Cadillac. i had to turn down volume, it zinged me around 2:15 into track

The Doors - The End - lots of minute micro detail/plankton in this recording, but the ES made the plankton soft and indistinct.

The Cars - Lets Go - opening drums lacked impact. vocals a bit too forward due to treble lift.

Led Zeppelin - Over the Hills and Far Away - opening guitar work plankon/micro detail soft. with the universe pads you can really hear hands moving around the guitar's strings/neck, but with the ES pads, it was less resolved. also vocals were a touch hot here. ps - the opening guitar to start the track off is one of my most beloved tunes, just magical to me.

Well that's about all i have. it sounds bad, but honestly, it wasn't that that bad. but the ES pads take the best parts of the VC and temper them significantly. if someone is doing that, i honestly think the VC isnt' for them. they'd be better off saving some $ and going with another headphone. the closest thing i can think of to the VC with ES pads is the Eikon with lambskin stock pads, but less subbass.

Great selections of tunes!

 

[whirlwind]

Happy new decade everyone! I wonder what ZMF has in store for us in 2020?

Well, I am hoping for a kick butt planar

 

[LoryWiv]

Divorce is probably a bad path! How about VC + choose-a-tube-amp and roll tubes for the various expressions? Once you have the amp, tubes are (sometimes ) < several pairs of kilobuck headphones!

Agree! Even with my Auteur I find that tube rolling has a major impact on bass presence.

 

[Monsterzero]

Agree! Even with my Auteur I find that tube rolling has a major impact on bass presence.

Oh man,tubes can make or break a headphone. Lots of great tubes out there,but not all will sound good with a given headphone/system.
Ive been running a pair Ken Rad 6J5s,which are basically one half of a 6sn7 each. Ken Rads are known for tremendous slam,and yeah with the VC it rocks hard. I just rolled in some 6j5 equivalent of the Sylvania Badboys,and man does that take the staging to a whole other level,and im not sure im missing much slam from the Ken Rads.

 

[Failed Engineer]

My VCs arrived yesterday and putting them through their paces a bit. Zach is an artist. These are works of art, both physically and sonically. My only other ZMF experience is the Auteur I just sold and you can tell Zach has a "house" vision of sound he executes on his line. My primary amp for these will arrive in the next couple months, but right now through a Yggy and GS-1 they sound comforting. They'll play a complementary role to the Utopia.

I was worried about the reported recessed mids with the Auteur pads, and while that is true compared to the more aggressive Utopia, it's more different as opposed to offensive. I think for my preferences I'll probably prefer the Universe Pads but I'll keep the Auteurs on at least for a month. They are also the first closed headphones I haven't immediately dismissed within a couple hours of headtime.

At the moment, the VCs are making me feel so connected to Liz Longley's voice.

 

[zzzmonster]

yes, but a lot cheaper than what i'm doing...Atticus for rock/metal/fun, Auteur for classical and vocals, and VC for everything else. at this rate i'll have to budget in a divorce lawyer when the wifey figures out how much all this stuff costs!

were you expecting Atticus levels of bass? i don't mean that in a mean/jerky way, i'm genuinely curious. imo bass seems to be the one area i see the most differences of opinion regarding the VC. some describe it as being quite bass heavy, others closer to neutral. i personally think it's between the Atticus and Auteur. it doesn't have the Atticus' visceral and omnipresent midbass slam, nor is it as linear and neutral as the Auteur. it walks a fine line between them. for me it's more than enough bass, but i can see where someone might want more fun factor, which is where the Atticus is unrivaled. just my opinion though. i will say this, the VC's bass changes quite a bit depending on the amp i'm running. on my Lake People RS08 it's linear and fairly neutral. on my bottlehead crack it's a bit slower, but has more overall presence. on my Vali 2 with 6CG7 tube, it's most bassy, though a touch sloppy compared to the other amps. that's more a reflection of the Vali, not the headphones themselves. the VC is anything but sloppy. just in comparison to the other amps. so long story short, if you can, try other amps, you might find something that lets you stick with one set of pads, and still be happy with all genres.

Well, I think I will take the same path as you: Atticus for rock/metal/fun/English Vocals, Eikon for Piano and Chinese Vocals, and VC for Classical. My ZMF are only used for travelling, can use open cans / speakers at home

 

[Zachik]

A proprietary planar headphone with the trademark ZMF sound would be groovy!

Planar cans are heavy! Add wood cups, and we'll end up with 700+ gram headphones!!!
(timely) new year resolution: hit the gym, and start working on neck muscles...