[Barnstormer13]

This is probably a good time to talk about the right way to address product concerns. I think all of us at one point in time or another have been unhappy with something we’ve purchased online sight unseen. It happens for a lot of reasons and it’s not that uncommon.

1) Ask the forum members for advice first. Sometimes the product is fine and expectations may be unrealistic or there may be a misunderstanding on how it works.

2) Make a solid effort to work it out with the supplier. By solid effort, I mean try to reach a solution that works well for both parties and don’t bring unrealistic demands to the table. You may have to make some small compromises, like pay for shipping one way or install a supplied part.

3) Be polite and respectful in all your communications both on the forums and with the supplier. Nothing turns people off faster than disrespect.

4) keep complete records from the start of the transaction to its eventual resolution.

5) Don’t post a running complaint of the issue on the forums. Wait until the eventual resolution. Asking for advice, sure, but don’t post a negative review the first time you get pissed off. It just makes it harder to resolve and will probably get you flamed.

6) Sometimes you really do have a bad supplier or poor quality product. If that’s the case, there will be a lot of other people who have had the same problem. Do your research before you buy and avoid products / suppliers who have a consistent problem or be willing to live with it.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

@ckhirnigs113 wasn't this the same set you got? How did yours turn out?

My set was described as "Red-Stained Manchurian Ash (Rarity)". They must not have used the "Burst" staining technique with the darker stain at the rim of the cups on mine. All that being said, I had to do a double-take when I saw the pictures @undrande posted of his VC. I thought they were pictures of my set! They are indeed very similar to my VC. My cups also have the little spots where the stain didn't absorb quite as much, resulting in a little lighter wood showing through. I personally like this and think it makes them even more unique and special. I've posted pictures of them in the thread already, but here they are again to compare (the first one being the stock photo from ZMF):

 

[ProfFalkin]

5) Don’t post a running complaint of the issue on the forums. Wait until the eventual resolution. Asking for advice, sure, but don’t post a negative review the first time you get pissed off. It just makes it harder to resolve and will probably get you flamed.

This. So much this.

I do not believe I am alone when I say: I couldn't care less that some random dude is all hot and bothered by some random issue with some random product and wants to SJW his ego and feelings into some false sense of moral righteousness. Even if the product is a ZMF item. It's nothing personal. That stuff is just low IQ cancel culture twitter crap, and I don't need it.

What I do care about is that the vendor was given a fair shot to remedy the issue, and how they actually handled it. If ZMF tells someone "sucks for you, now bugger off" when an actual problem exists... THEN I want to know about it. That is something important that a hobby community needs to know about. Likewise, if they went above and beyond and completely resolved the issue, that's something a community needs to know about too.

If you haven't even reached out to ZMF about your issue / concern / whatever (or if you can't even be bothered to reply to Bevin via email) then don't post a flame/rant unless you want to get flamed back. Children whine about stuff, adults work towards resolutions. Don't be a child. The internet is not going to coddle you or your feelings. Sorry. It's the truth.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Trying a different set of pads today. This time the Universe Suede. First and foremost, these are the most comfortable and nice to the touch pads. I love the way the feel on my head. I like them so much that I am not sure if it is impacting my perception of their performance. But, they sound really great as well. I like them as much as the BE2 pads, but they are more comfortable. They preserve that ZMF sound, seems a bit smoother is the word I'd use. Probably easier to listen for many hours. Sound is more balanced that with the lambskin. So far, I think these are my favorite but I won't know until I listen to them all again.

 

[tkam]

I've owned a pair of VC LTD Leopardwood for several months now. It's one of the pairs with the 'wine' colored hardware that I bought from a fellow head-fier. These are without a doubt the best closed pair of headphones I've owned. Wonderful speed, resolution and dynamics and just the right amount of mid-range warmth ZMF phones are known for. The soundstage is surprisingly large for a closed phone as well, certainly not R10 levels but it's quite wide and the imaging is excellent.

 

[Àedhàn Cassiel]

This. So much this.

I do not believe I am alone when I say: I couldn't care less that some random dude is all hot and bothered by some random issue with some random product and wants to SJW his ego and feelings into some false sense of moral righteousness. Even if the product is a ZMF item. It's nothing personal. That stuff is just low IQ cancel culture twitter crap, and I don't need it.

What I do care about is that the vendor was given a fair shot to remedy the issue, and how they actually handled it. If ZMF tells someone "sucks for you, now bugger off" when an actual problem exists... THEN I want to know about it. That is something important that a hobby community needs to know about. Likewise, if they went above and beyond and completely resolved the issue, that's something a community needs to know about too.

If you haven't even reached out to ZMF about your issue / concern / whatever (or if you can't even be bothered to reply to Bevin via email) then don't post a flame/rant unless you want to get flamed back. Children whine about stuff, adults work towards resolutions. Don't be a child. The internet is not going to coddle you or your feelings. Sorry. It's the truth.

Seeing as his pair was disfigured, I'd be happy to take them off his hands for a few hundred dollars. That's enough to replace them with a more regular priced item like an HD600, yeah?

 

[robo24]

Trying a different set of pads today. This time the Universe Suede. First and foremost, these are the most comfortable and nice to the touch pads. I love the way the feel on my head. I like them so much that I am not sure if it is impacting my perception of their performance. But, they sound really great as well. I like them as much as the BE2 pads, but they are more comfortable. They preserve that ZMF sound, seems a bit smoother is the word I'd use. Probably easier to listen for many hours. Sound is more balanced that with the lambskin. So far, I think these are my favorite but I won't know until I listen to them all again.

I've only heard suede and protein ones, so the closed Auteur pads in both, and the Universe, Ori, Eikon, Oval in suede, along with some Brainwavz PU pads. The Universe suedes are my clear favorites, just as on the Open version. Now if only there was a solid suede Verite or BE-2 pad, as I love the suede BE-2 on the Open.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Anyone try pairing the Woo Audio WA8 with their VC? I love the idea of a portable tube amplifier I take with me when I travel. But it's got to sound great and different enough from my Hugo 2 that it's worth doing. I really love the pairing of my VC with my Bottlehead Crack and Bifrost 2. It sounds better than I expected it would. This makes the WA8 a very interesting possible pairing.

 

[breckstar]

I've only heard suede and protein ones, so the close Auteur pads in both, and the Universe, Ori, Eikon, Oval in suede, along with some Brainwavz PU pads. The Universe suedes are my clear favorites, just as on the Open version. Now if only there was a solid suede Verite or BE-2 pad, as I love the suede BE-2 on the Open.

Looks like solid BE2 suede is available: https://shop.zmfheadphones.com/coll.../zmf-auteur-pads-3wtwc?variant=37683709542563

 

[robo24]

Looks like solid BE2 suede is available: https://shop.zmfheadphones.com/coll.../zmf-auteur-pads-3wtwc?variant=37683709542563

Oh awesome! Wasn't there when I last checked 4 months ago when my VC shipped. Ordering now!

 

[Barnstormer13]

Trying a different set of pads today. This time the Universe Suede. First and foremost, these are the most comfortable and nice to the touch pads. I love the way the feel on my head. I like them so much that I am not sure if it is impacting my perception of their performance. But, they sound really great as well. I like them as much as the BE2 pads, but they are more comfortable. They preserve that ZMF sound, seems a bit smoother is the word I'd use. Probably easier to listen for many hours. Sound is more balanced that with the lambskin. So far, I think these are my favorite but I won't know until I listen to them all again.

borrowed a pair of Be lamb skin pads that hopefully show up next week. Looking foreward to seeing how they compare to the universe pads (which I prefer to the Auteur pads)

 

[lalawilson168]

Also, would owners recommend using the VC portably, or do you find it too heavy? If you do what portable amp/dac do you use with it?

Not portable at all. I mean you can but it's really not for portable use

 

[lalawilson168]

My girlfriend had never tried my VCs yet or anything higher than some Beats, so when she was by this weekend I put them on her head. She puts on a song and starts to listen.

Her first impression: "Why do I only hear sounds of one side...?"

I put them on, and realize that the song begins with instruments on the left, and the vocalist off to the right. I tell her to stick with it, and imagine being in the room with the artists.

So as I make dinner, she starts listening...and listening...and saying "wow" to herself every few minutes, and singing along with a few songs, and going through Spotify listening to all of her favorite artists. An hour later she takes a break and says, "This is like being at a concert!" She's never heard any headphones sound so live like these, and has goosebumps. One song even had her tearing up.

So yeah, now she understands why I got these.

Nice what's your signal chain and amp just out of int? @JL3001

 

[davesa]

Ordered the Suede BE2 pads - excited to try them, was looking to get another set of pads and I like the suede pads I have on my Auteur.

On the portable question earlier... I ordered mine with the Seahorse case, and I do plan on packing them to use on vacation ( when I drive ). Love sitting on the front deck of the cabin, looking at the lake, reading and listening to music. I have done this a lot with my Audeze XC.

I would not consider them portable like the IEM I have in my computer bag... I would not use the VC for walking around town.... but taking them to the office, or on vacation when I drive seems very achievable if you have the Seahorse case to put them in

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Ordered the Suede BE2 pads - excited to try them, was looking to get another set of pads and I like the suede pads I have on my Auteur.

On the portable question earlier... I ordered mine with the Seahorse case, and I do plan on packing them to use on vacation ( when I drive ). Love sitting on the front deck of the cabin, looking at the lake, reading and listening to music. I have done this a lot with my Audeze XC.

I would not consider them portable like the IEM I have in my computer bag... I would not use the VC for walking around town.... but taking them to the office, or on vacation when I drive seems very achievable if you have the Seahorse case to put them in

The last pair of pads I purchased is the Auteur suede. But, I like the sound of the Universe Suedes so much I don't feel like switching them yet. I like the suede far more than I expected. When I first purchased the VC, I thought I would prefer the Auteur lambskin. You really do need to pad roll to see which sound you prefer with these headphones.