[jinxy245]

Im really undecided about the Verite closed, I don't get the impression that people's minds are blown by how amazing these are...

I'm not sure where you're reading, I think most of the comments here are quite positive. I mean no headphone is perfect, and people do have different tastes, but for my preferences, there is absolutely no other closed back headphone I'd rather have. You're in Chicago, if you're in the market I'd highly recommend you check them out.

 

[Monsterzero]

I'm not sure where you're reading, I think most of the comments here are quite positive. I mean no headphone is perfect, and people do have different tastes, but for my preferences, there is absolutely no other closed back headphone I'd rather have. You're in Chicago, if you're in the market I'd highly recommend you check them out.

+1
After hearing and owning some really good sounding(and expensive)headphones,like the Utopia,Stellia,VO,HD800,Empyrean among others,the VC is by far and away my favorite headphone. It does everything I could ever want a headphone to do...except make me coffee.

 

[Àedhàn Cassiel]

I've also bought Mr. Speakers Ether CX after he hyped it up so much... it's so neutral and boring, it can suck the life out of you.. needless to say, I don't like it..

I know I could buy the arya and I would love it, but its an open back and I really want a closed back for the isolation.


I want a really nice dynamic, powerful closed-back headphone that has nice slam, nice detail and sounds musical and ethereal and can be used as an "all arounder".
Verite closed has a lot of hype, but when I read through the comments I get the impression that people are trying to like this headphone, instead of actually liking it...

Im really undecided about the Verite closed, I don't get the impression that people's minds are blown by how amazing these are...

I was extremely hesitant about imagining selling my LCD-4 and being left without an open-back option at all. Going from the 4 to the C, the most noticable thing was that I can't blast the volume as loud before it starts piercing, but I figured that's probably a good thing for my long-term health, and I started getting used to turning the volume back down a bit.

I decided to take a couple weeks using the VC only before putting the 4s back on, to decide if can really bring myself to terms with selling them then. Well, I did that yesterday, and the 4s suddenly didn't wow me by comparison at all. Actually, thanks to VC brain burn-in, they sounded strange and ever so slightly muddy. I was more than comfortable re-casing them and putting the VCs back on without having an old-new-toy experience with my 4s.

My only complaint is that when I asked if there was any chance of a loan so I could A/B it with a Stellia I saw a huge sale on and review, I was told ZMF is too small to do loaners for reviews at all when I'm obviously seeing reviews admit they got them on loan all over. Still more than happy I took the blind leap, though. I'm personally done with open-back headphones for a long time and feeling no real sense of loss over that.

Are open-backs still better than closed-backs? Well, yeah. Better enough to justify them being non-portable, chained to one spot in your house, and not always viable even then? IMO, no way in Hell. I didn't think this about the Eikon (my preference over the Atticus) when I had an LCD-3, but I do think it about the VC while owning an LCD-4. It's great to be able to take my music on the go and not have to adapt to a change in signature because of it.

 

[zach915m]

My only complaint is that when I asked if there was any chance of a loan so I could A/B it with a Stellia I saw a huge sale on and review, I was told ZMF is too small to do loaners for reviews at all when I'm obviously seeing reviews admit they got them on loan all over. Still more than happy I took the blind leap, though. I'm personally done with open-back headphones for a long time and feeling no real sense of loss over that.

When we release a headphone like the v closed - we make about 15 sets that are show demos, review units and in house demo units, it may sound like a lot but after shows, and getting a few review units to people who have been asking to review something of ours for years and emailing consistently, we still don't have enough units to distribute to all the potential reviewers on our review list.

We have established reviewers and print publications who I would love to get a headphone to and I feel terrible for not getting a unit to them yet. Some who have been asking for a long long time. It unfortunately puts me in the position where I have to say no to a lot of people who want to hear our product, as by the time we've announced a headphone, our review units already have a back log that will keep them occupied for the better part of a year.

Sorry for any miscommunication regarding this, we really do want as many people as possible to hear our work!

 

[Àedhàn Cassiel]

When we release a headphone like the v closed - we make about 15 sets that are show demos, review units and in house demo units, it may sound like a lot but after shows, and getting a few review units to people who have been asking to review something of ours for years and emailing consistently, we still don't have enough units to distribute to all the potential reviewers on our review list.

We have established reviewers and print publications who I would love to get a headphone to and I feel terrible for not getting a unit to them yet. Some who have been asking for a long long time. It unfortunately puts me in the position where I have to say no to a lot of people who want to hear our product, as by the time we've announced a headphone, our review units already have a back log that will keep them occupied for the better part of a year.

Sorry for any miscommunication regarding this, we really do want as many people as possible to hear our work!

Well fortunately (because I'm very happy with the end result), you still communicated more accurately than the other seller – who was getting me on their side by affirming my suspicion that the VC pre-order price window had passed. I believe they were genuinely confused as I was by the pre-order price being shown alongside an 'out of stock' message, but it turned out the Ironwood was still a bit cheaper than their open box Stellia price, and I worked that out just in time to land a pre-order. Considering I only found out about the VC at all because I popped back in after months of absence looking for an Eikon, I feel pretty damn lucky. Any sooner and I'd have disappeared with the Eikon; any later and I would have missed the pre-order window and likely never heard one. Endgame by accident!

 

[DrpsDrpr]

I want a really nice dynamic, powerful closed-back headphone that has nice slam, nice detail and sounds musical and ethereal and can be used as an "all arounder".
Verite closed has a lot of hype, but when I read through the comments I get the impression that people are trying to like this headphone, instead of actually liking it...

Im really undecided about the Verite closed, I don't get the impression that people's minds are blown by how amazing these are...

I think if the reaction to the VC seems at all tempered, it’s because most of the people who have heard the open Vérité and/or much of ZMF’s lineup already are listening to it, so we already know what to expect. Standards are already really high for ZMF’s stuff, and there’s been a ramping up in quality as Zach has continued to innovate on his designs, I feel. If I were going from the earliest, low-cost hi-fi headphones I began listening to straight to the VC, it would absolutely blow my mind.

I don’t want to downplay the quality of the VC in that regard, because the more I listen to it and compare it to its open sibling and the Auteur, which are bar-none my two favorite headphones that I’ve listened to up until the VC, the more it sounds like a refinement and culmination of Zach’s oeuvre up to now- basically the summit of ZMF headphones currently, in my opinion. It’s effectively everything I want out of a dynamic headphone in terms of technicalities, and with the exception of very minor preferential tonal EQ, it hits every single mark dead-on. I can’t think of any other headphone, either in ZMF’s lineup or in general, that would suit my purposes better as an all-rounder. How good and “just-right” this headphone is is less a slap in the face, mind-blowing moment, and more a slow, dawning realization- at least for me.

It features all of the qualifiers you listed, excepting perhaps “ethereality,” because while I feel the VC does have the cleanest instrumental separation, the blackest background, and superior resolution even to the VO, the quality of ethereality in planar headphones trumps the best dynamic headphones. But that’s a sacrifice I’ll happily make for the superior impact quality of dynamics. Everything else is present and excellent in the VC. And unlike the VO or Auteur where I feel like there are just one set of pads for each headphone which bring out the best individual listening experiences for them, I think the use case for pad rolling the VC is really good. I’m super interested to try solid Vérité pads on it to see how it measures up to the VO with those pads. The one thing the VO does exceptionally well, over the VC, is placing you inside the music, the 3D effect is so good coupled with the punchiness and impact of that headphone that it’s singly justifying keeping it alongside the VC- but if the Vérité pads bring the VC closer to that sound, I’m not sure I’d listen to the VO as much.

The VC’s just such a cohesive, technically impressive headphone, all while retaining an honest, musical, and engaging tonality. The fact that it’s closed and offers great noise isolation is really just the cherry on top. It’s the whole package.

 

[erics75]

but when I read through the comments I get the impression that people are trying to like this headphone, instead of actually liking it...

i can see why you'd think that, the comments can be underwhelming at times, or nitpicky. but one thing to keep in mind is VC owners are largely those who've been fortunate enough to have owned some the best equipment out there, so the competition is quite stiff. if one were to go from a midfi headphone like the DT1770, for example, the differences would be quite amazing. but going from a Utopia or HD800S to the VC, it's not such an epic shift in performance. it's more what tuning you like most vs outright technical ability when dealing with totl equipment. that being said, this thread has been largely very very positive. many here have said the VC is their endgame. that's with heavyweights still out there like the Utopia, etc. in that context, how much more positive can it be when people are choosing the VC over those other sets? and remember, there is no perfect equipment, period. you have to find the equipment that works best for you and your preferences.

you're in Chicago, Zach is in Chicago.... might want to hit him up and see if he has in person demos....

 

[zzzmonster]

VC imho is an upgraded dt 1770, which complimented my Eikon and Atticus. If only Atticus midbass is less dirty and the treble reached higher....

 

[chrisdrop]

Another tale of Universe pads...

After reading this epic old head-fi article? (.. novel?) I broke out the Universe pads with a purpose. I recommend reading the ref'd article with a beer and your feet up. That guy has really thought about how to talk about experiencing sound. The Auteur pads have been lovely and on my headphones almost all of my time with the VCs.

In the spirit of that article, my objective was to try to imagine the headstage more in front of me (as opposed to more left-and-right and far apart - coming from the sides). I put some time into getting my valve setup complimentary and I am really enjoying the Universe pads. The bass is pretty epic and I do have a clearer mental image of the sound more in front of me. The headstage is no slouch. I have been just enjoying the music and less focussing my listening on the system. It could just be the novelty of a swap. I certainly love the way the VC sounds w/ the Auteurs and the Hybrid Auters this week too. When getting everything complementary, they all shine.

I thought I'd post since so far I had been a mostly Auteur pads advocate. I am having a very good experience with the Universe pads at the moment.

These headphones really are lovely.

This post by Zero 7 - Swimmers

 

[Wes S]

Another tale of Universe pads...

After reading this epic old head-fi article? (.. novel?) I broke out the Universe pads with a purpose. I recommend reading the ref'd article with a beer and your feet up. That guy has really thought about how to talk about experiencing sound. The Auteur pads have been lovely and on my headphones almost all of my time with the VCs.

In the spirit of that article, my objective was to try to imagine the headstage more in front of me (as opposed to more left-and-right and far apart - coming from the sides). I put some time into getting my valve setup complimentary and I am really enjoying the Universe pads. The bass is pretty epic and I do have a clearer mental image of the sound more in front of me. The headstage is no slouch. I have been just enjoying the music and less focussing my listening on the system. It could just be the novelty of a swap. I certainly love the way the VC sounds w/ the Auteurs and the Hybrid Auters this week too. When getting everything complementary, they all shine.

I thought I'd post since so far I had been a mostly Auteur pads advocate. I am having a very good experience with the Universe pads at the moment.

These headphones really are lovely.

This post by Zero 7 - Swimmers

That song is awesome, and sounds incredible on my Aeolus. I can only imagine how stunning it must sound on the VC!

 

[Magol79]

Another tale of Universe pads...

After reading this epic old head-fi article? (.. novel?) I broke out the Universe pads with a purpose. I recommend reading the ref'd article with a beer and your feet up. That guy has really thought about how to talk about experiencing sound. The Auteur pads have been lovely and on my headphones almost all of my time with the VCs.

In the spirit of that article, my objective was to try to imagine the headstage more in front of me (as opposed to more left-and-right and far apart - coming from the sides). I put some time into getting my valve setup complimentary and I am really enjoying the Universe pads. The bass is pretty epic and I do have a clearer mental image of the sound more in front of me. The headstage is no slouch. I have been just enjoying the music and less focussing my listening on the system. It could just be the novelty of a swap. I certainly love the way the VC sounds w/ the Auteurs and the Hybrid Auters this week too. When getting everything complementary, they all shine.

I thought I'd post since so far I had been a mostly Auteur pads advocate. I am having a very good experience with the Universe pads at the moment.

These headphones really are lovely.

This post by Zero 7 - Swimmers

I have also been doing some pad swapping on the VC just now and man, the Universe pads really kicks the bass up to epic levels. I just switched back to the Auteur pads and the bass is still awesome, but the Universe pads.. Jeezuz.
I don't think I will keep the U-pads on long term, but I will definitely switch to them now and then for that ultimate bass induced delirium.

 

[chrisdrop]

That song is awesome, and sounds incredible on my Aeolus. I can only imagine how stunning it must sound on the VC!

Really glad you enjoyed it @Wes S. I bet it sounds great on your Aeolus. They are beautiful headphones and I wish I had them too. That song w/ the VCs & the supporting amp/ valve setup contributed to some great listening happiness this weekend. The production is excellent and that is something that awesome headphones can really show off. Top of the line headphones (like all ZMF headphones) help let me appreciate not just the musicians, but the work of the studio engineers/ production more fully.

On a lighter note; music is so personal. Sharing music usually feels like this:

 

[zzzmonster]

I think the disparate comments regarding zmf headphones is the stock cable is limiting the capabilities of the headphones. I originally felt the vc was just more resolved than dt 1770, but after my cables arrived, it sounded 100% better, just like my Atticus and Eikon. Ditch Zach's stock cables!!!!

 

[heliosphann]

I have also been doing some pad swapping on the VC just now and man, the Universe pads really kicks the bass up to epic levels. I just switched back to the Auteur pads and the bass is still awesome, but the Universe pads.. Jeezuz.
I don't think I will keep the U-pads on long term, but I will definitely switch to them now and then for that ultimate bass induced delirium.

Totally agree. I still primarily keep the Hybrids on, but I'll swap on the Uni pads if I know I'm going to be listening to something with crazy bass.

 

[johnnypaddock]

I think the disparate comments regarding zmf headphones is the stock cable is limiting the capabilities of the headphones. I originally felt the vc was just more resolved than dt 1770, but after my cables arrived, it sounded 100% better, just like my Atticus and Eikon. Ditch Zach's stock cables!!!!

I've been thinking about a cable upgrade for my VC, but I need a minimum of 10' for my setup and they start to get expensive at that length. Which cable do you prefer with yours? I know some manufacturers offer returns, so that can help.