[Bkido]

Here's a shot taken with a better camera.

Really nice picture and a really nice set you got there. Love the grain of the cups.

 

[Deceneu808]

This thread is nsfw. Can't wait until I grab a pair of these. Can we skip October and go straight to November ?

 

[lucasratmundo]

I'm really enjoying the VC with the WA33 (high impedance, low gain). Compared to the Pendant SE, the WA33 a big step up in terms of soundstage, imaging and detail.

 

[SoundJedi]

After Auteur, Universe and BE2 lambskin, I am finally getting to try the Auteur Hybrids on VC.

So far really liking what I hear. The signature has a bit more energy and is less laid back than solid Auteur pads without being as aggressive and closed as the Universe pads. Someone said the hybrids give an experience in between and I agree. Technicalities are also in between, it's a very nice balance.

Somehow vocals sound even better. The mids are so sweet!

Stage might be a tiny bit smaller than solkd Auteur but I don't think it affects VC negatively. Resolution and layering are very good.

The Auteur Hybrids are also more comfortable, the suede makes for a very secure yet soft fit. My ears feel nicely cushioned.

So far probably my favourite pads in terms of overall experience.

 

[Bkido]

After Auteur, Universe and BE2 lambskin, I am finally getting to try the Auteur Hybrids on VC.

So far really liking what I hear. The signature has a bit more energy and is less laid back than solid Auteur pads without being as aggressive and closed as the Universe pads. Someone said the hybrids give an experience in between and I agree. Technicalities are also in between, it's a very nice balance.

Somehow vocals sound even better. The mids are so sweet!

Stage might be a tiny bit smaller than solkd Auteur but I don't think it affects VC negatively. Resolution and layering are very good.

The Auteur Hybrids are also more comfortable, the suede makes for a very secure yet soft fit. and my ears feel nicely cushioned.

So far probably my favourite pads in terms of overall experience.

Exactly my experience with all the pads that I tried for now. Especially the comfort is not to be neglected. I've put the Auteur lambskin back on to compare something and don't feel nowhere near as nice as the hybrids and get sticky fast when it's warm out. How are te BE2 btw? On the pad-chart from ZMF they seem to be on the brighter side. I have a pair here but didn't get around trying them out yet and since I like the current sound so much I doubt they are my cup of tea.

 

[SoundJedi]

Exactly my experience with all the pads that I tried for now. Especially the comfort is not to be neglected. I've put the Auteur lambskin back on to compare something and don't feel nowhere near as nice as the hybrids and get sticky fast when it's warm out. How are te BE2 btw? On the pad-chart from ZMF they seem to be on the brighter side. I have a pair here but didn't get around trying them out yet and since I like the current sound so much I doubt they are my cup of tea.

I didn't think much of the BE2 tbh, they are my least favourite of the 4. They're a bit firmer than the others, so not as comfortable. They made the sound brighter and bass suffered a lot. Stage was also smaller. Technicalities were maybe on par with Universe.

I basically don't see anything the BE2 do better than Universe, and Universe is more comfortable with better bass.

 

[Busyman201]

Any tube amp suggestions for the VC? I can stretch my budget to 1k but it's optimum for below 600usd, was thinking about the xduoo ta26 but not sure if its good enough as a darkvoice upgrade

 

[Deceneu808]

Any tube amp suggestions for the VC? I can stretch my budget to 1k but it's optimum for below 600usd

Bottlehead Crack or EU equivalent Eufonika H5/H7

 

[Busyman201]

Bottlehead Crack or EU equivalent Eufonika H5/H7

thx, what are the difference between these and the darkvoice? since most budget otl tube amps are using the 6sn7/12ax7+6080 combination

 

[zach915m]

Any tube amp suggestions for the VC? I can stretch my budget to 1k but it's optimum for below 600usd, was thinking about the xduoo ta26 but not sure if its good enough as a darkvoice upgrade

The mass drop ZDT Jr is great if you can find one.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

We missed ZMF at CanJam Socal, but given just how many ZMF headphones I saw by attendees, it was very well represented. It was definitely prominent in the Ampsandsound section of The Source AV booth. And, everyone wanted to compare the DCA Stealth to the ZMF VC. Since I had mine with me, many people asked to listen to them.

By the way, I got a chance to hear the Stealth in 2 different venues. First time, I didn't like it. Then, I went to the Dan Clark Audio demo room to listen to it on a great system in a quiet environment. It was good. But nothing compared to the VC. The Stealth is tuned to Harman which you can do with the VC. But, you can't tune the Stealth to the VC.

 

[YtseJamer]

T

Any tube amp suggestions for the VC? I can stretch my budget to 1k but it's optimum for below 600usd, was thinking about the xduoo ta26 but not sure if its good enough as a darkvoice upgrade

I'm using the Quicksilver tube amp with my VC. It's a very good amp but it's a bit above your budget ($998).

http://quicksilveraudio.com/products/headphone-amplifier/

 

[Deceneu808]

thx, what are the difference between these and the darkvoice? since most budget otl tube amps are using the 6sn7/12ax7+6080 combination

The Darkvoice is just all over the place, in a good way but cheap chinese components. Crack & Eufonika use higher quality components and overall they sound less veiled and clearer while still maintaining the warm tube sound you would expect. Unless you are willing to do some mods to the DV I'd just go straight to the Crack or the Eufonika. Down side to the Crack is that you have to build it yourself

 

[Bkido]

Any tube amp suggestions for the VC? I can stretch my budget to 1k but it's optimum for below 600usd, was thinking about the xduoo ta26 but not sure if its good enough as a darkvoice upgrade

I can confirm that the ZDT Jr. is a lovely pairing with the VC. I have one but nowadays not so easy to come by I think depending where you live. To get the right voltage version is an additional thing to consider since it's not switchable.
I also heard good things about the Feliks Audio Echo Mk2 but haven't heard that combination myself but maybe worth looking into.
http://feliksaudio.pl/en/products.php

 

[nicholas1213]

I got a pair of RAD-0 last week to replace my LCD-X and also hoping to compliment the VC with a pair of open planar, and would like to throw in some comparison here after about 5 days of listening back and forth between them. The VC is fully burned in while the RAD-0 has around 80hrs on it. Both are paired with Gle3n amp (1 tube mode on VC, 2 tube mode on RAD-0), and Hugo2 as source.

Compared to VC, RAD-0 is fairly neutral with a hint of warmth at the mid. It has better clarity and instrument separation, plus the extension of both treble and bass are really good. Treble has more sparkles but never fatigue nor sibilance, and the bass goes deeper but more controlled. I especially like how the mid sound on the RAD-0, which switching back and forth with VC will kind of trick your mind that VC sounded a tad veil. However I believe it is more of the closed vs open nature. For vocal or acoustic songs, I prefer RAD-0 over VC. Generally those songs that can be presented more 'politely'.

What the RAD-0 lacks of is the slam and excitement that the VC excels with. VC sounds much more immersive with the sense of space, which I find really enjoyable especially for songs involving more instruments (full band, live concert etc). Listening to VC is more engaging and more enjoyable especially when you need the hard hitting drum and bass. Both are quite similar in detail retrieval, but presented in different way. VC sounds more coherent and the details are nicely blended in as a whole musical body, while on RAD-0 it is easier to pinpoint those details as each of them are more pronounced and well separated.

Needless to say, in terms of comfort, VC wins hands down. RAD-0 is known to have the crazy clamping force. It does improve after few days of usage, however the hotspot on top of the head is still there due the headband design. Maybe a zmf co-pilot pad will help?

Aesthetically both of them are gorgeous in their own way. Both are built top notch, and does bring me smile each time looking at them.

Guess I will be stuck with these two for a while as they are just so musical, with their strength compliments each others. It will be difficult for me if I were to pick one of them over the other - my gut feeling if I am only allowed to keep one, I will probably favor VC over RAD-0 as it can be more difficult to find another pair that can do what the VC does (except Aeolus) - it just has the magic to pull you into the music at almost all genres.