tusing
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2014
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If one more person writes a review for these without sharing pics of their gorgeous pair, I think I'm going to scream.
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Pshaw I say.If one more person writes a review for these without sharing pics of their gorgeous pair, I think I'm going to scream.
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.
My cables are all diy, made by a guy in Philippines. I used a 8 core silver for VC (not silver occ - the price too rich for my blood), 8 core occ copper for Eikon, 8 core silver/copper hybrid for Atticus. Luckily I ordered 3 instead of 1 as I originally wanted the copper for VC, hybrid for Eikon and silver for Atticus. It was a blind purchase that turned out well in the end. Total price of 3 cables all terminated in 4.4 balanced was USD 560, cables are all sleeved
I have found the same to be true,but I will take it one step further.The Verite is reminding me how important a strong chain is at this level of performance. This week I had quite a head slap moment....
Backstory - When deciding on buying a VC, I took my best dac home to box up and sell, to help fund the VC. That dac is the Ayre Codex. I have a Metrum Amethyst coming in for an extended loan in a month or so, so figured I can just swap in one of my cheaper dacs from the house while I wait for the Metrum, which was my Grace m9xx. I always found the Grace dac to be a nice dac, smooth, a touch warm, and very inoffensive. That was mainly with midfi headphones though. It was never used in a high performance system. When the VC arrived there were things that were bothering me a bit. Glare in the treble, harshness at times, and just an overall frustrating treble response, not to mention slightly stiff bass. Always liking the Grace in the past, I never thought it was the culprit, I just assumed it was me learning the VC.
Fast forward a few months, and the Codex is not selling. It's not well known, somewhat expensive, and kind of an odd design. It has gotten zero attention, other than a few people trying to steal it from me for $500 or less. So I gave up selling it and brought it back to work to replace the Grace.
Slap my head! All the sonic issues i was having with the VC were due to the Grace dac. I was shocked by how much better everything sounded with the Codex back in the mix. Glare and harshness? Nope! Stiff bass? Not at all, finely textured and responsive. Not only was it far smoother and more organic sounding, but it was also more detailed. Lesson learned - I AM AN IDIOT.... (you'd think i'd remember that by now....)
I'm rediscovering the VC as we speak. This headphone really demands a quality chain behind it. I was quite taken aback by just how significant the dac change was. The Auteur and Atticus were much more forgiving of the Grace dac in the system, but the VC ruthlessly exposed it's flaws. I sold my beloved Auteur yesterday to fund a higher end amp to go with the Codex/VC, excited to hear what changes that will bring!
EDIT - I really disliked the Auteur pads on the VC when I got it, and switched to the Universe pads pretty quickly. Well i'm listening to the Auteur pads again as the Codex has cleaned up much of what I didn't like, and I'm liking it! I still like the closer stage and stronger bass slam of the Universe pads, but I don't dislike the Auteur pads anymore.
Thanks @erics75, we can all learn from your experience. For interest, what high end amp did you go with?The Verite is reminding me how important a strong chain is at this level of performance. This week I had quite a head slap moment....
Backstory - When deciding on buying a VC, I took my best dac home to box up and sell, to help fund the VC. That dac is the Ayre Codex. I have a Metrum Amethyst coming in for an extended loan in a month or so, so figured I can just swap in one of my cheaper dacs from the house while I wait for the Metrum, which was my Grace m9xx. I always found the Grace dac to be a nice dac, smooth, a touch warm, and very inoffensive. That was mainly with midfi headphones though. It was never used in a high performance system. When the VC arrived there were things that were bothering me a bit. Glare in the treble, harshness at times, and just an overall frustrating treble response, not to mention slightly stiff bass. Always liking the Grace in the past, I never thought it was the culprit, I just assumed it was me learning the VC.
Fast forward a few months, and the Codex is not selling. It's not well known, somewhat expensive, and kind of an odd design. It has gotten zero attention, other than a few people trying to steal it from me for $500 or less. So I gave up selling it and brought it back to work to replace the Grace.
Slap my head! All the sonic issues i was having with the VC were due to the Grace dac. I was shocked by how much better everything sounded with the Codex back in the mix. Glare and harshness? Nope! Stiff bass? Not at all, finely textured and responsive. Not only was it far smoother and more organic sounding, but it was also more detailed. Lesson learned - I AM AN IDIOT.... (you'd think i'd remember that by now....)
I'm rediscovering the VC as we speak. This headphone really demands a quality chain behind it. I was quite taken aback by just how significant the dac change was. The Auteur and Atticus were much more forgiving of the Grace dac in the system, but the VC ruthlessly exposed it's flaws. I sold my beloved Auteur yesterday to fund a higher end amp to go with the Codex/VC, excited to hear what changes that will bring!
EDIT - I really disliked the Auteur pads on the VC when I got it, and switched to the Universe pads pretty quickly. Well i'm listening to the Auteur pads again as the Codex has cleaned up much of what I didn't like, and I'm liking it! I still like the closer stage and stronger bass slam of the Universe pads, but I don't dislike the Auteur pads anymore.
The amp is still up in the air, I haven't decided yet. I'm really interested in a good OTL like a Decware, Ampandsound, Eddie Current, Dragon, or Glenn (and possibly more, still researching). BUT... I do love solid state amps and am really really interested in the Headamp GSX Mini. I like the idea of not having to deal with obsessing over tubes (which i will...). But so many have said high end tube amps bring the most from their ZMF, so i'm hesitating. i'm also hoping i can hit up a meet or two locally if there are any coming up so i can sample some different models.Thanks @erics75, we can all learn from your experience. For interest, what high end amp did you go with?
Yes, you willI like the idea of not having to deal with obsessing over tubes (which i will...).
A great solid state amp! Would have already bought one, if I had room (or budget) for yet another ampreally really interested in the Headamp GSX Mini
Nice! Did you swap out the SPL/RME combo for the Fidelice?Sorry for the red...but this was in reference to how I feel the aesthetic of the Fidelice stuff looks like H.A.L. From 2001: A Space Odyssey
the VC is my go to for majority of my listening to demo gear...usually will swap between it, my VO and Aeolus...ZMF headphones just hit the right spot for me. Love these headphones, wish more people could hear them lol....but then ZMF will be swamped even more so than they are...catch 22 lol seriously though I hope they continue this upward rise, they deserve it!
No, that is still my “reference setup” I was just demoing the Fidelice gear... it is really good, but doesn’t replace my Phonitor RME combo. Maybe if the price was more in line... also that Fidelice DAC is massive! It competed well with my reference system, but aesthetically and cost performance wise it wasn’t for me.Nice! Did you swap out the SPL/RME combo for the Fidelice?