[Monsterzero]

Do you still prefer your VC over your VO, Monster?

I do but @L0rdGwyn 's amp design, Airmid, brought the two much closer together in my system.
My Glenn amp is currently at his home, hoping he can impart some of the magic of the Airmid into my GOTL.

 

[Lexingtonian]

the Verites will also have a faster impulse response vs. The Auteur.

Moving from an Aeolus as my first ZMF to the VC being my second, this was the first biggest difference I heard as the "Speed" is on another level on both the Verite's coming from other ZMF's.

I just feel that the Verite trumps it in most areas, save the mids.

This is an excellent TLDR or short summary of the difference between the two for me. I now have both the Auteur and VC's and these two are excellent compliments to have in the same collection together!

 

[erics75]

New member here, apologies in advance if I come across naive in my experience in the forum, as well as in the broader audiophile landscape.

TLDR: What are the main differences in sound signatures between the Auteur and the VC from a non-audiophile perspective?

Details:

As someone who has always purchased the latest and greatest NC Bose headsets for the last 2 decades, and as someone who really didn't understand what true hi-fi could mean, last spring I stepped into the work of high-end headphones. My primary goal after months of research was to find a potential end game headphone system to use daily at home, that created a soundstage and experience that I could relax with and also enjoy my favorite music in a new way.

I landed with a system that I love: Apple Music Lossless/Hi-fi Lossless -> Monolith by Monoprice THX Balanced Dac Amp -> Feliks Audio Echo (with Matsushita tubes) -> ZMF Auteur Maple Ambrosia with Suede Eikon pads. (the Eikon's add a little more bass presence and roundness IMO)

I honestly don't know how to use the right terms to describe what I hear, but the words balanced and linear (volumewise) are things I think I have grown to recognize with this setup. I also hear individual instruments like I have never before coming from a space, that when I close my eyes, is massive. I hear a distinct difference when I listen directly out of the balances port on the THX vs the Echo too. The THX seems "clearer", more "precise", perhaps faster??? The Echo is super relaxing and what I interperate as holographic, but also blurry, in a chill way. Both setups are awesome and have their place depending on the day.

So all is good, then the ZMF bug bites his jaws down a little more...and in May, I get the Zach email announcing a limited batch of about to be released, gorgeous stabilized VCs...holy heck. Based on looks alone, I want. Little did I know that after 25 years of Mario kart skill, (enough to casually still own my son), I was in no league to score a set upon release. So I wait until the next batch in Sept...I make it to the CC payment, sold out... and now I await the infamous November "schedule" from Zach.

Here's my issue: besides the amazing looks of the stabalized VC, I am also considering non-stabilized VCs too if the woods tickle my fancy. I know they will appease my wife a tad more due to reduced sound leakage at night compared with the Auteurs, but I don't really understand what more I would get from VC sound wise even after combing and lurking this forum and others. So here is the ask from you all:

Any chance any of you experts could help a newbie like me understand what the additional $$$ for the VCs means compared to my amazing Auteurs audio wise, but in a way a non-audiophile could understand? Without being able to audition the VCs, seems like a leap of faith without understanding.

Humbly, thanks in advance.

PurdueLion, Chicagoland.

The VC will be darker sounding, with more bass presence and weight. Highs have as much extension but aren't as forward sounding, meaning though both reproduce treble frequencies with similar ranges, the Auteur's treble is just a bit louder. The VC sounds faster, meaning transients have more snap and attack. For example the pluck of a string on the VC will be more incisive, manifesting and decaying faster, with greater nuanced detail. The VC soundstage feels bigger, despite being a closed back.

From a technical perspective the VC is just an all around step up from the Auteur. Where things get tricky though is tone, timbre, and overall musicality. This is totally subjective, but I just prefer the tone and timbre of the Auteur more. I think it sounds more natural and real. Listening to live music then listening to a recording of it sounds best to me out of the Auteur. It most closely resembles the live version. That's where engagement is a stronger for me with the Auteur. I still own my Auteur, but recently sold my VC.

I would say if you value technical performance first, either Verite model should be a first choice within the ZMF lineup. But if you're more a tone/timbre/engagement guy, then only a personal audition will tell you what's best for you. I still love the "lowly" Atticus most of all above all other headphones (the new $5K models recently announced by Dan Clark, Meze, and Audeze are excluded, haven't heard them yet).

 

[L0rdGwyn]

I do but @L0rdGwyn 's amp design, Airmid, brought the two much closer together in my system.
My Glenn amp is currently at his home, hoping he can impart some of the magic of the Airmid into my GOTL.

Two down, eight to go.



Chassis cutout for each needs to be widened manually, each socket takes almost an hour, so going to take a few days. Then I will add the CCS loads and replace the cathode resistors. Bias point for the 6SN7 and 6J5 will be nearly the same as the original. Adding the CCS load allows the electrolytic cathode bypass capacitor to be removed, getting an electrolytic cap out of the signal path, which will improve the sound considerably on its own. Electrolytic caps are clarity and soundstage killers and add a harshness to the treble. The signal goes directly through the cathode resistors with the bypass capacitor removed, so the quality of the cathode resistors becomes much more important. I am using Kiwame carbon films which will replace the originals, they are very good sounding resistors.

 

[saidentary]

The ZMF Verite Closed through the MicroZOTL 2 amplifier and Arcam irDAC actually appear to do this justice. This is what dancing really is:

Sing sing sing: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers--This is what people were talking about!

Click this!

 

[Snowshine]

Eeeeyyyuuppp. Definitely not going to be needing another closed back... ever.

Even the owner's card is made of wood!

EDIT: Now, once I'm free to throw more money down a hole and set fire to it, I am quietly open to suggestions for a first tube amp to pair with the VCs. I'm told ZMFs and tubes are a match made in heaven.

 

[RonPlata]

Any comparisons between the VC and the LCD-XC 2021?

 

[Wes S]

Eeeeyyyuuppp. Definitely not going to be needing another closed back... ever.

Even the owner's card is made of wood!

EDIT: Now, once I'm free to throw more money down a hole and set fire to it, I am quietly open to suggestions for a first tube amp to pair with the VCs. I'm told ZMFs and tubes are a match made in heaven.

I love the Sapele! Such an underrated wood, and in my opinion other than Cocobolo it's some of the prettiest wood out there.

 

[Deceneu808]

Eeeeyyyuuppp. Definitely not going to be needing another closed back... ever.

Even the owner's card is made of wood!

EDIT: Now, once I'm free to throw more money down a hole and set fire to it, I am quietly open to suggestions for a first tube amp to pair with the VCs. I'm told ZMFs and tubes are a match made in heaven.

What kind of budget do you have in mind for a tube amp ?

Sapele looks great btw with that lovely glossy finish.

 

[Snowshine]

What kind of budget do you have in mind for a tube amp ?

Sapele looks great btw with that lovely glossy finish.

I'm definitely looking ~1000AUD. The Valhalla 2 is definitely appealing to me, with my setup of VC/DT1990s/LCD-2s, but I've heard some worrying stories that it either A. sounds solid state or B. doesn't have a whole lot of power, but I've no personal experience with either - I guess the Lyr 3 is also an option then. I also just like the idea of supporting smaller companies outside of China to try and keep the space competitive in general.

 

[Blackbriar0216]

Try Wooaudio Tube Amps. They sound fantastic. Soundstage opens up like some high end open back's soundstage to an extent that you will start questioning if it is even closed back anymore. Everything sounds grand if you know what I mean. Tonality, Timbre everything just sounds right to my ears through woo audio tube amp. Even their entry level sounds good. I had tried WA22.

 

[Deceneu808]

I'm definitely looking ~1000AUD. The Valhalla 2 is definitely appealing to me, with my setup of VC/DT1990s/LCD-2s, but I've heard some worrying stories that it either A. sounds solid state or B. doesn't have a whole lot of power, but I've no personal experience with either - I guess the Lyr 3 is also an option then. I also just like the idea of supporting smaller companies outside of China to try and keep the space competitive in general.

I have no experience with Schiit products. What I can recommend is something from Eufonika or the classic Bottlehead Crack as a quality budget amp. Maybe even a Feliks Echo MK2

 

[Dbriv]

I'm definitely looking ~1000AUD. The Valhalla 2 is definitely appealing to me, with my setup of VC/DT1990s/LCD-2s, but I've heard some worrying stories that it either A. sounds solid state or B. doesn't have a whole lot of power, but I've no personal experience with either - I guess the Lyr 3 is also an option then. I also just like the idea of supporting smaller companies outside of China to try and keep the space competitive in general.

The Quicksilver Audio tube amp also pairs nicely with the VC

 

[duranxv]

Try Wooaudio Tube Amps. They sound fantastic. Soundstage opens up like some high end open back's soundstage to an extent that you will start questioning if it is even closed back anymore. Everything sounds grand if you know what I mean. Tonality, Timbre everything just sounds right to my ears through woo audio tube amp. Even their entry level sounds good. I had tried WA22.

With stock tubes?

 

[erics75]

I'm definitely looking ~1000AUD. The Valhalla 2 is definitely appealing to me, with my setup of VC/DT1990s/LCD-2s, but I've heard some worrying stories that it either A. sounds solid state or B. doesn't have a whole lot of power, but I've no personal experience with either - I guess the Lyr 3 is also an option then. I also just like the idea of supporting smaller companies outside of China to try and keep the space competitive in general.

There's quite a few amps that pair well with the VC around that price: Bottlehead Crack with Speedball, Feliks Echo (MK 1 or 2, they sound the same), Valhalla 2, Hagerman Tuba, and Woo WA3 or WA6. I personally would go full tube amp vs hybrids. I found hybrids to sound too compromised vs a full tube amp. They still sound more solid state than tube state, and all I tried lacked the air and spatial qualities full tube amps bring. At your budget I think an OTL like the Echo would be your best bet. It can easily power all the headphones you listed, and sounds really nice. I really liked how my VC sounded on the Echo. If you can stretch your budget and see a used unit show up, a Decware CSP2 or CSP3 is killer, as are Ampsandsound amps like the Pendant, Mogwai, and Kenzie. Not sure how often those show up down under, or at what price, but if you do see one and can afford it, I would say don't even hesitate, just grab it.