[SurgeTO]

Being able to just put such a system as bedside setup is just simply awesome!

The lightbulb above adds a nice touch, it has a reflective layer, but all is good (if you know what I mean haha!)

Thanks for letting me know! Glad it wasn’t more revealing

 

[DeweyCH]

i've been using salires since they first came out and there is nothing to worry about. The headband has a steel band going through it, it won't bend unless you bend it by force. Zach often bends the headbands to have a mild peak at the top which is what yours appears to have. most of my sets came from Zach with the peak as well, and look just like yours on the stand. after over a year of use the bend is the same now as it was the day my first salire arrived.

That's great insight, thank you!

 

[SurgeTO]

I'm not getting great sound isolation. Should I bend the band around my head more? I have an average sized, round head

 

[nicholas1213]

I'm not getting great sound isolation. Should I bend the band around my head more? I have an average sized, round head

Have you tried rotating the earpad around? I can achieve a fairly good seal regardless which earpad that I am using..

 

[Nostoi]

Just received my first ZMF headphones! In Olive, which came out just as I had envisioned. The yellow rods and black metal complement the yellow/black olive wood colors perfectly.

Nevermind the VC. Dat DAC, tho

 

[SurgeTO]

Nevermind the VC. Dat DAC, tho

I highly recommend begging/borrowing/stealing the funds for a NAGRA Tube DAC. I've never head a DAC sound like vinyl (I know, I know, it's a cliché by now...). My poor bank account!
They do come up on the pre-owned market from time to time. I have seen an almost new one sell for about USD15K... still a ton of money, but a lot less than the MSRP of $27K. You don't need their isolation base and upgraded power supplies, which will push the MSRP to over $40K. There is no speaker-induced vibration, and the two standard PSUs are high quality linear units.
There is an active forum here discussing the HD DAC (the predecessor to the Tube DAC), and the Tube DAC.

 

[LeMat]

Thanks for letting me know! Glad it wasn’t more revealing

And your profile picture shows you have, or had, a Stellia Any comparison with the VC would be appreciated as it's probably to most obvious comparable. Thanks!

 

[Nostoi]

I highly recommend begging/borrowing/stealing the funds for a NAGRA Tube DAC. I've never head a DAC sound like vinyl (I know, I know, it's a cliché by now...). My poor bank account!
They do come up on the pre-owned market from time to time. I have seen an almost new one sell for about USD15K... still a ton of money, but a lot less than the MSRP of $27K. You don't need their isolation base and upgraded power supplies, which will push the MSRP to over $40K. There is no speaker-induced vibration, and the two standard PSUs are high quality linear units.
There is an active forum here discussing the HD DAC (the predecessor to the Tube DAC), and the Tube DAC.

Probably if I sold all my gear, I could just about get one. But that would only leave me with a pair of Koss Porta Pro's, which I suspect probably wouldn't do the NAGRA justice.

But srsly, fantastic looking DAC. Hope to demo one day.

 

[erics75]

I'm not getting great sound isolation. Should I bend the band around my head more? I have an average sized, round head

are you wearing glasses? that can have a huge effect on isolation. how tight does the clamp feel overall? is it sitting loose on your head? or does it feel like it has at least a bit of clamp to maintain a seal around your ears? if you feel more clamp would help, bending the headband definitely will help. i had to bend a few of my sets to increase clamp. this video from Zach was a big help

 

[SurgeTO]

And your profile picture shows you have, or had, a Stellia Any comparison with the VC would be appreciated as it's probably to most obvious comparable. Thanks!

It's too early to compare, as I want to break in the VCs for at least 200 hours first.

But, right off the bat I noticed that the VCs have a wider and more 3D soundstage, convey a greater sense of "being there", i.e., at a live concert.
The Stellia seem a bit more detailed, perhaps analytical, but again, with only about 4 hours on the VCs, it's a not fair comparison. I am not a great reviewer and cannot describe what I'm hearing like many people here, so take my comments as such!

The VC's L/R channel balance seems perfect; whereas the Stellia's are off by 0.5dB. I am returning them to Focal for a repair or replacement -- that was disappointing with the Stellia, as was their squeaky/noisy headband; but they are fixing that too.

 

[johnnypaddock]

That video is really helpful. One thing that I've always found strange is that I have a reasonably large head, either 7 1/2" or 7 5/8" in fitted hat size, but my ZMF headphones always seem to require the lowest rod setting. Anything higher and the cups would start to go below my ears. Is this something others have run into? I'm wondering if I tried giving the headband a certain adjustment if it would allow for a higher placement on the rods.

 

[erics75]

That video is really helpful. One thing that I've always found strange is that I have a reasonably large head, either 7 1/2" or 7 5/8" in fitted hat size, but my ZMF headphones always seem to require the lowest rod setting. Anything higher and the cups would start to go below my ears. Is this something others have run into? I'm wondering if I tried giving the headband a certain adjustment if it would allow for a higher placement on the rods.

i'm the same way. my head is big but i have to use the lower rungs on the rods or it's too low on my head. if you bend the headband to be wider and more U shaped vs V shaped, it will pull the cups up a bit. but then you might affect the clamping pressure and seal, and also get a hot spot on the top of your head. i just use the low rung rod setting and live with it. another adjustment you could to, but it will make the clamp pretty tight, is bend the ends of the headband in towards your head. it decreases the distance of the top of the headband to the rod, allowing for more rod travel. but it will make them clamp really tight, and possibly overclamp on the bottom of your ear while being weak above the ear. i tried it once but found it really messed with the overall fit, and undid it.

 

[johnnypaddock]

i'm the same way. my head is big but i have to use the lower rungs on the rods or it's too low on my head. if you bend the headband to be wider and more U shaped vs V shaped, it will pull the cups up a bit. but then you might affect the clamping pressure and seal, and also get a hot spot on the top of your head. i just use the low rung rod setting and live with it. another adjustment you could to, but it will make the clamp pretty tight, is bend the ends of the headband in towards your head. it decreases the distance of the top of the headband to the rod, allowing for more rod travel. but it will make them clamp really tight, and possibly overclamp on the bottom of your ear while being weak above the ear. i tried it once but found it really messed with the overall fit, and undid it.

Thanks... I'm really happy with the comfort on all of them. The only reason I might try adjusting my Auteur is that the Eikon pads are so big that I can't get them centered over my ears without adjusting something on the headband. I seem to prefer the Auteur pads anyway, but I want to give the Eikons a fair chance.

 

[shafat777]

Thanks... I'm really happy with the comfort on all of them. The only reason I might try adjusting my Auteur is that the Eikon pads are so big that I can't get them centered over my ears without adjusting something on the headband. I seem to prefer the Auteur pads anyway, but I want to give the Eikons a fair chance.

If you like the auteur pads, then I'd strongly suggest the auteur hybrid pads. These are my go to pads for both the auteur and the vc

 

[johnnypaddock]

If you like the auteur pads, then I'd strongly suggest the auteur hybrid pads. These are my go to pads for both the auteur and the vc

Thanks. I actually find the difference in sound between the hybrid and lambskin pads to be very subtle. I've always preferred the lambskin, but it's close.