[Marutks]

I use hybrid pads ( Universe and Auteur ) because they are comfy and they sound good.

 

[johnnypaddock]

What are the go to pads for the VC? Which pads do you guys prefer and why? I am currently in the process of finishing up my review of ZMF pads for the Auteurs and can certainly use some info to do the same for my VC.

I love both of the stock pads with the VC, with the Auteur lambskin being my preference. I find that they offer a larger, more open soundstage than the Universe. For me they allow the VC to get closer to the crazy 3D effect that happens with the VO. They have nice deep bass extension, and I find the thicker pads slightly more comfortable also.

With the Universe, I find the midrange is a little more accentuated with a smaller/more focused soundstage. The bass doesn't seem to go as deep, but it hits with more impact. The presentation is a bit more direct.

I haven't tried any alternate pads yet, because i'm so happy with these two.

 

[shafat777]

I love both of the stock pads with the VC, with the Auteur lambskin being my preference. I find that they offer a larger, more open soundstage than the Universe. For me they allow the VC to get closer to the crazy 3D effect that happens with the VO. They have nice deep bass extension, and I find the thicker pads slightly more comfortable also.

With the Universe, I find the midrange is a little more accentuated with a smaller/more focused soundstage. The bass doesn't seem to go as deep, but it hits with more impact. The presentation is a bit more direct.

I haven't tried any alternate pads yet, because i'm so happy with these two.

In that case, i highly recommend the Auteur hybrid pads for the VC. It has all the benefits of the auteur pads: 3d soundstage, holographic vocals, instrument separation and punchy bass, but it also adds a little mid bass which helps give the voices a little more depth. Also, i feel the suede materials cleans up the low-end a little bit, giving the VC more control over the deep bass. If you have money to spare, give those a shot. Zach suggested those and thats what ive been using.

I guess based on your experice, im gonna try the universe pads a shot to help me write my reviews. Thanks for the info.

 

[johnnypaddock]

In that case, i highly recommend the Auteur hybrid pads for the VC. It has all the benefits of the auteur pads: 3d soundstage, holographic vocals, instrument separation and punchy bass, but it also adds a little mid bass which helps give the voices a little more depth. Also, i feel the suede materials cleans up the low-end a little bit, giving the VC more control over the deep bass. If you have money to spare, give those a shot. Zach suggested those and thats what ive been using.

I guess based on your experice, im gonna try the universe pads a shot to help me write my reviews. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll keep it in mind and probably will give those a shot at some point. I'm actually kind of surprised at how much I still love the VC. Every time I listen to it I'm happy with the sound.

 

[vonBaron]

What are the go to pads for the VC? Which pads do you guys prefer and why? I am currently in the process of finishing up my review of ZMF pads for the Auteurs and can certainly use some info to do the same for my VC.

My fav are sheepskin Universe.

 

[Klmahnn]

I listen to mostly electronic and prefer the Universe pads for the punchier sound. Some people (across several reviews on the web) have mentioned the Auteur pads doing something "weird" to the sound - my listening skills aren't developed enough to detect this - I also very much enjoy switching occasionally to the Auteurs. Note that this "weirdness" is probably by design to achieve a certain euphony, and might be desirable to some (or most?). My brother produces music and found that the Auteur pads sounded off to him (I can't remember the specifics - something about the kick among other things) and so his hearing obviously aligns with those reviewers / commenters.

YMMV at the end of the day. While most have specifically not recommended the Eikon suede pads, others have stated the VC sounds "weird" without them. Swapping pads is another step in the fine-tuning process. Trying to establish and follow consensus is probably not going to get you closer to your ideal (I realise that this is for review purposes, but probably worth noting that).

 

[Klmahnn]

In that case, i highly recommend the Auteur hybrid pads for the VC. It has all the benefits of the auteur pads: 3d soundstage, holographic vocals, instrument separation and punchy bass, but it also adds a little mid bass which helps give the voices a little more depth. Also, i feel the suede materials cleans up the low-end a little bit, giving the VC more control over the deep bass. If you have money to spare, give those a shot. Zach suggested those and thats what ive been using.

I guess based on your experice, im gonna try the universe pads a shot to help me write my reviews. Thanks for the info.

Interesting. I have the Verite, BE2, Eikon suede and now the Auteur hybrid on the list of pads to try!

 

[vonBaron]

Auteur pads give me too dark sound.

 

[bdh]

Auteur pads give me too dark sound.

If these are new headphones, you need to give them 200-300 hours of use to open up fully. But even then, they are definitely not bright headphones.

 

[zach915m]

Hey all! Tomorrow 12/16 we will have our second release of stabilized Verite Closed sets available! We should have around 18 sets or so and we will be making them live for release at 6PM, with the new sets viewable at 5PM CST.

We only have Verite Stabilized closed this week, and next we will have a few more aeolus stabilized sets as well.

 

[Vangelis]

It’s likely on the ZMF web site but, I can’t find information on the stabilized wood for the Vérité closed. Is the stabilized wood generally considered an improvement in sound over the Monkey Wood? Anyone know the price for stabilized?

 

[zach915m]

It’s likely on the ZMF web site but, I can’t find information on the stabilized wood for the Vérité closed. Is the stabilized wood generally considered an improvement in sound over the Monkey Wood? Anyone know the price for stabilized?

It's harder because of the stabilization process and has less decay because of that, it's also a touch heavier than MonkeyPod. As far as it being an improvement in sound or not, that's totally subjective, they both sound like Verite Closed for sure and are tuned the same!

 

[MaggotBrain]

After perusing this thread for months and hearing about tube amps bring out the best of the VC, I decided to bite the bullet and get one. I found a good deal on a custom amp, the Ultrasonic Studios Citadel that reportedly works well with dynamics as well as planars.
I finally got the interconnects that allow the amp to work its best - in PMs with the builder even though it has both RCA and XLR inputs, the XLRs sound better. Because I have the XLRs from the Chord Dave dedicated to the ATC speakers, I found a work-around by using my audio-gd Master 9 as a preamp with RCAs into the audo-gd and then xlrs to the Citadel. I heard of this trick by browsing the Susqvara thread as those are notoriously hard to drive and the Master 9 preamp reportedly adds enough muscle to drive them well when using tubes. Plus, it makes a-b comparison of the solid state and tube amp a breeze. And even after a few days of using the tube amp, I can say with certainty that complements the VC sound signature well.

Tonight, for instance, I did a deep dive on a Qobuz playlist I found - “1990 in 50 Albums“. I figures this would be a cool experiment because as a middle aged dude who once used my hard earned grass cutting and ditch digging money to buy CDs and cassettes for my teenage self, a lot callouses and cuts were acquired in buying these tunes - it was truly a labor of love. The list starts with “Policy of Truth“ by Depeche Mode from the Violator album - the tube amp takes some sandpaper to the sharp edges of the digital beats, and kind of like my current hairline - a little smoothness on top. “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo” by a Tribe Called Quest was another I really enjoyed with the VC and the tube because it managed to do something very few headphones manage to do - make early hip hop (with its sampled sources and usually not so great mastering) actually sound the way I think sounds best. The tube applies some foundation makeup to the face of the songs, covering up the pock marks an uber-revealing solid state amp would bring out. “Been Caught Stealing“ by Janes Addiction with its awesome bass line shines on the VC, and it brought back memories I had of seeing the amazing show they put on at Lollapalooza in ‘91. “Round and Round” by Prince and Tevin Campbell highlighted how the VCs make the sweet sounding vocals shine. ”The Humpty Dance” is fitting for a tube amp, because sometimes you like your oatmeal lumpy. The mad playlist concluded with a song I haven’t heard in ages and truly one of the more perplexing global hits - “Sadeness” by Enigma - which combined Gregorian chants and pan flutes and disco beats as an ode to sadomasochism. The 90s were weird times - a few days ago I was listening to some Irish music as a change of pace while getting some reading done and the Chieftains singing “Cotton Eye Joe” came on and I did a double take because why would a respected standard bearers of their craft cover a silly Swedish club song but as it turned out the song is a standard from the 1800s and is about marriage being delayed by STD-induced eye goop. I suppose every generation will have weird one-offs they have to explain to future generations - my kids will have to explain why Mumford & Sons were once a thing, I guess - kind of like cicadas once every 17 years a pop group with a banjo will leave detritus on the grounds that Dexys Midnight Runners trod before them. The tube sound, all in all, is as comfy and soothing as the suede pads on my VC, and this little trip to happier times provided a nice respite. I get what y’all are saying about tubes now.

 

[cdanguyen08]

Not gonna pick up a Stabalized VC but im sure excited to see the new ones! I love looking at each new set. Each one a different piece of art.

 

[Galapac]

After perusing this thread for months and hearing about tube amps bring out the best of the VC, I decided to bite the bullet and get one. I found a good deal on a custom amp, the Ultrasonic Studios Citadel that reportedly works well with dynamics as well as planars.
I finally got the interconnects that allow the amp to work its best - in PMs with the builder even though it has both RCA and XLR inputs, the XLRs sound better. Because I have the XLRs from the Chord Dave dedicated to the ATC speakers, I found a work-around by using my audio-gd Master 9 as a preamp with RCAs into the audo-gd and then xlrs to the Citadel. I heard of this trick by browsing the Susqvara thread as those are notoriously hard to drive and the Master 9 preamp reportedly adds enough muscle to drive them well when using tubes. Plus, it makes a-b comparison of the solid state and tube amp a breeze. And even after a few days of using the tube amp, I can say with certainty that complements the VC sound signature well.

Tonight, for instance, I did a deep dive on a Qobuz playlist I found - “1990 in 50 Albums“. I figures this would be a cool experiment because as a middle aged dude who once used my hard earned grass cutting and ditch digging money to buy CDs and cassettes for my teenage self, a lot callouses and cuts were acquired in buying these tunes - it was truly a labor of love. The list starts with “Policy of Truth“ by Depeche Mode from the Violator album - the tube amp takes some sandpaper to the sharp edges of the digital beats, and kind of like my current hairline - a little smoothness on top. “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo” by a Tribe Called Quest was another I really enjoyed with the VC and the tube because it managed to do something very few headphones manage to do - make early hip hop (with its sampled sources and usually not so great mastering) actually sound the way I think sounds best. The tube applies some foundation makeup to the face of the songs, covering up the pock marks an uber-revealing solid state amp would bring out. “Been Caught Stealing“ by Janes Addiction with its awesome bass line shines on the VC, and it brought back memories I had of seeing the amazing show they put on at Lollapalooza in ‘91. “Round and Round” by Prince and Tevin Campbell highlighted how the VCs make the sweet sounding vocals shine. ”The Humpty Dance” is fitting for a tube amp, because sometimes you like your oatmeal lumpy. The mad playlist concluded with a song I haven’t heard in ages and truly one of the more perplexing global hits - “Sadeness” by Enigma - which combined Gregorian chants and pan flutes and disco beats as an ode to sadomasochism. The 90s were weird times - a few days ago I was listening to some Irish music as a change of pace while getting some reading done and the Chieftains singing “Cotton Eye Joe” came on and I did a double take because why would a respected standard bearers of their craft cover a silly Swedish club song but as it turned out the song is a standard from the 1800s and is about marriage being delayed by STD-induced eye goop. I suppose every generation will have weird one-offs they have to explain to future generations - my kids will have to explain why Mumford & Sons were once a thing, I guess - kind of like cicadas once every 17 years a pop group with a banjo will leave detritus on the grounds that Dexys Midnight Runners trod before them. The tube sound, all in all, is as comfy and soothing as the suede pads on my VC, and this little trip to happier times provided a nice respite. I get what y’all are saying about tubes now.

Tube amps definitely have there place. Hard to measure the human condition that one gets from listening to headphones through one but it definitely has an unmeasurable mystique that engineers have yet to reproduce in solid state designs.