[erroneous]

From their website:
For all stock wood ZMF’s you have 14 days from the date of delivery to decide if you want to keep them. If you want to return, you must inform us and provide return tracking within those 14 days. The customer is responsible for all shipping fees.

So just get a stock wood and you're good. Even better, buy one used and if you don't like it, sell it for the same price.

 

[zach915m]

From their website:
For all stock wood ZMF’s you have 14 days from the date of delivery to decide if you want to keep them. If you want to return, you must inform us and provide return tracking within those 14 days. The customer is responsible for all shipping fees.

So just get a stock wood and you're good. Even better, buy one used and if you don't like it, sell it for the same price.

Probably worth adding the next paragraph too - but yes all non LTD headphones are returnable:

For headphones that are ordered or shipped, the return/cancellation fee is 10% of the total price of the headphone and accessories including cables. If earpads were added to the order, the earpads are non-returnable aside from the earpads that arrived on the headphone. If the headphone has not shipped, the earpads will be refunded.

 

[ProfFalkin]

The problem with the Phi is that you have to wear it.

I have no useful advice.

Edit: What Zach said.

 

[pkcpga]

I put this out on the Abyss Diana thread and did not get much feed back, hence it is appearing here. I have a pair of ZMF Vibro II which I enjoy the tonal balance and layered presentation of. Now I want a big jump in headphone performance and the Abyss Diana Phi is on the short list. Any comparisons out there between the ZMF VC and the Diana Phi. I am wondering if the Diana Phi is in another league or generally considered a clear step above the VC. I would imagine that the VC is warmer (in the ZMF house sound) but could still be very detaile. Are there areas of performance where the ZMF is more compelling or engaging? A year ago I would’ve thought, wait till the next show and listen then. It might be sometime before we can return to headphone meets and trade shows like Axpona where we can hear all the phones under one roof. For now I have to make purchase on a leap of faith and in the case of ZMF there is no return policy, so, I’m trying to determine if I should listen to the Diana Phi first where I might have returned privileges.

I personally think they are very different headphones. I own the LCD 4’s the Diana Phi competitor, the reason I bought those over the Diana Phi was the poor timbre on the Diana Phi and the Diana Phi poor tonal balance issues. Diana Phi also doesn’t have the dynamics of the LCD4’s or the ZMF. Diana Phi is a detail retrieval machine, like my Utopia’s, LCD 4’s are nearly there but balance out better with their low end and dynamics. For dynamic, I mean soft to loud and soft to slam. Everything on the Diana Phi is more subtle with clean but almost metallic lines. It’s lack of dynamics and punch tends to speed up the music, a bit too much for my taste, not as natural sounding for myself. I’d personally try the Abyss headphone before buying. I really like my ZMF VC, it has a great overall sound and natural musical impression. Yes the LCD 4 and Utopia have a bit more detail, but I still find myself listening to the VCs more. I personally think you have to decide if you want to add a detail king type of headphone to your stable or a natural very good at everything but not king of one thing type of headphone. Since the ZMF VCs are very good at almost everything but not king of any one area, which for me makes them very enjoyable for long listening. While the utopias are fine for an intense listening session but not great for a long listening session for myself. With a little EQ the LCD4s can be great for a long listen, they just aren’t as comfortable as the other two. It really depends on what type of headphone you want to add to your collection, they fall in different categories, “Jack of trades” verse “detail king”, both can be an “end game” headphone just depends on what you’re after. If you’re after detail kings, I’d recommend trying a few before buying, HiFi Sus, Focal Utopia and LCD 4, along with the Diana Phi and see which you like. They all bring something different to the table with extreme detail retrieval. Also see if your dac and amp are up to the challenge of the Diana Phi, HiFI Sus or LCD 4, they require a good amount of power and a great dac. The Utopia is easier to power but also upscales to the dac. I’m using the Chord Dave with Pendant or Pass Labs hpa1.

Only disclaimer is I had a hard time getting a seal with the Diana Phi the Abyss rep had to adjust it on my head and I wound up trying one with a different pad, still didn’t seal well. It’s really a must try in person can.

 

[breckstar]

edit: someone already answered.

 

[DeweyCH]

Is the UPS "Follow My Delivery" feature helpful or just pure torture?

 

[pkcpga]

Is the UPS "Follow My Delivery" feature helpful or just pure torture?

Torture when they drive all around your house multiple times before stopping.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I put this out on the Abyss Diana thread and did not get much feed back, hence it is appearing here. I have a pair of ZMF Vibro II which I enjoy the tonal balance and layered presentation of. Now I want a big jump in headphone performance and the Abyss Diana Phi is on the short list. Any comparisons out there between the ZMF VC and the Diana Phi. I am wondering if the Diana Phi is in another league or generally considered a clear step above the VC. I would imagine that the VC is warmer (in the ZMF house sound) but could still be very detaile. Are there areas of performance where the ZMF is more compelling or engaging? A year ago I would’ve thought, wait till the next show and listen then. It might be sometime before we can return to headphone meets and trade shows like Axpona where we can hear all the phones under one roof. For now I have to make purchase on a leap of faith and in the case of ZMF there is no return policy, so, I’m trying to determine if I should listen to the Diana Phi first where I might have returned privileges.

Why compare Diana Phi with VC? not VO?

Diana Phi is different enough compare to VO, and even more different in character, tonal, timbre when you compare to VC. Since it's a VC thread, and most likely people here like VC so much, it's understandable if people here would think Diana Phi has a bit weird in timbre and character. Of course vice versa would happen when you asked in Diana thread.

Diana Phi is about being clear, fluid, a little bit midcentric, speed, and plenty of detail. Diana also significantly need more synergy with your system to shine. VC is about being dynamic, slam, warmer, thicker sounding headphone with special wood reverb by being close back. Also, even a simple Rupert Neve Headphone amp is enough to enjoy the VC. Of course some higher amps will please you even more.

If you have no way to test both headphones, then I think your best bet is stick with ZMF brand.

 

[DeweyCH]

Hello gorgeous...

 

[DeweyCH]

Hi,

I’m looking for a complementary cheap SS setup (< 500 $) for my office which can drive both my Verite Closed and my Utopia to a minimum/decent level (it’s an office setup, so not for analytical listening…). I don’t have that much desktop space so I am currently using a Lotoo Paw S1, which is quite impressive considering its small size, but definitely not the best for driving those high-end cans… I’m looking to scale up a bit in terms of power and soundstage, with a natural/analogue kind of sound and decent resolution (if it’s possible in this price bracket).

From a quick search, I found these few options (but never had the chance to try any of them):

• Schiit Modi 3/Magni 3 stack
• Cavalli Liquid Spark stack
• Chord Mojo
• Ifi Zen DAC
• Aune X1S Pro

Any recommendations?

I just got my VC today but my SMSL SU-8/SH-8 stack drives them really nicely via the balanced output.

 

[zworykin]

Is the UPS "Follow My Delivery" feature helpful or just pure torture?

Hey, at least they finally showed up. Mine were on a truck Saturday - but the "follow my delivery" showed that truck literally not moving all day from wherever it was apparently parked. Then that night I got an email that the delivery rescheduled for today. But all day today the tracking page just said "check back tomorrow for a delivery date." Just now, I got another email saying they're scheduled for tomorrow.

I'm about ready to head over to the distribution center and start knocking on doors...

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Just some ramblings. I have been using my cocobolo Auteur for a few years and I am very happy with it, but would like to add to VC by the end of the year. I heard it at ZMFestivus 2019, and of course it is fantastic and pairs well with my tube obsession I really liked the ironwood limited at launch, maybe I will wait for a new limited high-density wood later this year. For high Z headphones pairing with tube amplification, think this is about as good as it gets!

 

[JL3001]

Hey, at least they finally showed up. Mine were on a truck Saturday - but the "follow my delivery" showed that truck literally not moving all day from wherever it was apparently parked. Then that night I got an email that the delivery rescheduled for today. But all day today the tracking page just said "check back tomorrow for a delivery date." Just now, I got another email saying they're scheduled for tomorrow.

I'm about ready to head over to the distribution center and start knocking on doors...

I went through a similar struggle with FedEx when they shipped mine. Zach shipped it out days before Christmas last year. The package arrived at my city's distribution center on Dec 23rd, and because of the holiday crush they held it at the facility for several more days. I finally got it on Dec 29th.

Christmas without the cans was rough. I was checking the tracking page every 5 minutes for days!

 

[Monsterzero]

Just some ramblings. I have been using my cocobolo Auteur for a few years and I am very happy with it, but would like to add to VC by the end of the year. I heard it at ZMFestivus 2019, and of course it is fantastic and pairs well with my tube obsession I really liked the ironwood limited at launch, maybe I will wait for a new limited high-density wood later this year. For high Z headphones pairing with tube amplifications, think this is about as good as it gets!

About damn time LG!

 

[whirlwind]

Just some ramblings. I have been using my cocobolo Auteur for a few years and I am very happy with it, but would like to add to VC by the end of the year. I heard it at ZMFestivus 2019, and of course it is fantastic and pairs well with my tube obsession I really liked the ironwood limited at launch, maybe I will wait for a new limited high-density wood later this year. For high Z headphones pairing with tube amplification, think this is about as good as it gets!

With all of your tubes and amps I think you will enjoy the heck out of these.....I agree the ironwood looks very sexy!
The hardest part is picking the wood, I am sure there will be more high density woods to pick from in the future.
I wanted to get a pair long before I did, but tubes kept getting in the way of my wallet!
Your biggest problem will be deciding what amp to plug them into