The Verite Closed in Desert Ironwood versus the HiFiMAN HE1000 Version 1: A Brief Comparison
Reason for posting: This
might be a worthwhile read for people familiar with the HE1000, since they could use that headphone as a reference point to get an idea of how great the VC really is. I was blown away in 2015 when I first heard the HE1000 in 2015. I managed to get picked as a beta tester and wrote a
review on the Official HIFIMAN HE1000 Impressions Thread.
I still stand by everything I said back then. I realize that these headphones are five years old and that HiFiMAN has since come out with the HE1000 V2 (which I heard once [limited listening] and which I thought sounded almost exactly the same as mine, which is the version one). Also, as everyone knows, they've since come out with the HE1000se, which I haven't heard. Even so, the HE1000 V1 today sound as good as they ever did in absolute terms (well duh!), and I think they're still (at least potentially) relevant in the discussion of ultra high end headphones.
The chain: Lenovo computer with USB output ==> Arcam irdac ==> Parasound R/EQ-150 equalizer
(it's always on bypass, so maybe I should delete it from the chain, but I haven't) ==> MicroZOTL 2 amplifier
with its original (switching, entry level) power supply ==> Headphones
Headphone cables:
HE1000: ZMF Verite Silver Hybrid, 4 stranded, 6 feet long (this was a
remarkable improvement over the HiFiMAN stock cable)
Verite Closed: ZMF 2K Copper, 4 stranded, 10 feet long
I've been listening back and forth between the Verite Closed (VC) in desert ironwood and the HiFiMAN HE1000 V1 (HE1K
v1). They both sound fabulous. There are several areas where, in my opinion, the VC outshines even the fabulous HE1Kv1:
1. Detail Resolution: I now think that the VC has even more
detail resolution than the HE1000, which to me is
very significant because one of the things that made the HE1K famous back in 2015 was its phenomenal detail resolution, due at least in part to its "nanometer thickness" diaphragm
(to this day I never learned the actual thickness of its diaphragm--although certainly it's extremely thin, it was never clear to me whether it was actually only one nanometer or somewhat thicker than that). To me the detail of the VC is reminiscent of the detail of the Focal Utopia (which I heard once at a headphone meet), but without (what I perceived to be) the Utopia's occasional stridency bordering on harshness (at times).
2. Transient Attack/Impact: From almost the very beginning, one of the criticisms (from many but not all listeners) of the HE1000 was its relative "lack" of transient attack/impact, in spite of being a very fast headphone. Although I agreed with this at the time, I also felt that this criticism was rather overblown by many people. However, now that I've heard the VC, it's much more evident what those people were talking about. One of the most striking differences between the two headphones is the VC has much better
transient attack/impact.
Crucially, this is NOT achieved by adding low end boom or high end sizzle. As highly resolving as the HE1Kv1 is, the VC is more so. Obviously this overlaps (a lot) with the superior detail resolution noted in number 1. Example: On
some recordings of "Seven Nation Army" the drum has an impressive snap that's very primal. The HE1kv1 sound very good but the VC are far superior at conveying the power and immediacy of Meg White's drums. The VC actually approach (but do not match) the magic of my 2 channel system on this (it has 2 Rel Storm III subwoofers set up in stereo). The HE1Kv1 sound quite good with the drums on that song, but they
don't approach the sound my 2 channel system.
3. Treble Extension/Detail: Something that surprises me is that the VC also has greater
treble extension/detail than the HE1000 (I think it's both detail and extension but I don't know if I'm correctly separating those two things in my head, so I'll just say extension/detail). Anyway, I am hearing significantly more treble detail/extension and this is
without any perceivable harshness {after burning in (Purist Audio System Enhancer CD played multiple times through them)}. After listening to something on the HE1Kv1, then listening to the same thing on the VC, new details seem to emerge. I wasn't expecting that. I really would have expected the opposite.
4. Bass: Another area of VC superiority is the
bass. The bass on both headphones is really superb, but the VC is noticeably better in several respects. The
overall bass impact is far, far superior on the VC. The
depth of deep bass extension seems to be about equal for the two headphones. However the
deep bass of the
VC is
tighter, whereas that of the
HE1000 is a bit
more resonant and also
softer, with
less impact. The
midbass punch is also far superior on the VC (even though it isn't terrible on the HE1000), which of course relates back to the overall bass impact.
5. Midrange: To my ears, the
midrange is incredible on both headphones. I
think (but I'm not at all certain of this) that the midrange tonality of the VC is slightly more "correct" than that of the HE1000, but they both sound extremely good to me.
Those are my thoughts on comparing the two high end headphones, both of which I think are amazing. Overall I think the VC is superior, and in the related areas of transient attack/impact and overall bass impact, the VC is
significantly superior to the HE1Kv1. This seems like a noteworthy achievement, particularly given the fact that some people thought the HE1000 might be the best headphone in the world when they debuted.
Bottom Line: At this point, the VC are far and away the finest headphones I've ever heard.