[whirlwind]

Notice most folks here want to wait for the closed variants of ZMF. Is this because they are better or is it for your situation needs as you need to block out noise. I just bought my first ZMF veritie and only went closed as I heard they were slightly better especially with SS amp (never had closed backs before). Will soon find out as I should have time for a listen tonight when I get home.

I am not so sure that most people prefer closed backs to open headphones, but many do.

Closed headphones isolate much better, so less noise for others to hear. I have a listening room and our TV room is about 15 feet away from it, my wife can sometimes hear the music depending on how loud I am listening if she is watching tv. When I wear my close backs, they isolate so well that she hears nothing no matter how loud I am listening.

On the reverse side of this, If I am wearing my open backs and she is in the other room talking, now I am not bothering her, but open backs also allow outside noise in, so now she is bothering me. This can be disturbing at times as people try to get their system's as quiet as possible, some can't even stand a small amount of hiss in their chain, so outside noise coming in can be a real bummer.

Open backs throw a bigger stage and you get a bit more detail in your music. more space and separation and detail.....more air and brighter sounding

Closed headphones have another great advantage for me other than isolation. They provide more of an impact in the low end of the music and you get a nice small touch of reverb that just makes the music feel organic and very immersive. This is something that I never hear people talk about, but it is real to my ears and I really dig it.
I like my type of music to have a lot of weight to it.

So it is definitely a give or take thing and I use both depending on my situation at the time and what mood I am in and how loud I plan to listen.
If I am only going to listening for a short time, I usually crank the volume a bit.

The VC has the best sound stage that I have personally ever heard in a closed back headphone.

I have heard the Atrium and I loved the headphone, it is top notch sound , no doubt.
In the end, I liked the mids a bit more back in the stage and I just felt more immersed in the sound of the VC, but that is just a preference thing.
I find the front row is not always the best seats, and I feel the VC seats me back just enough.

I will own a Caldera and I am on the fence whether I will get an open or closed headphone.

I think ZMF open and closed headphones are equally beautiful.

Beauty is also in the eye of the beholder, we don't all like the same things, but luckily Zach provides something for everybody in that regard.

IMO there are no better looking headphones on the planet and especially if you love the look of wood.

I don't think there have been very many times that I don't give my VC's a good look before putting them on my head.

 

[Ateefi]

I am not so sure that most people prefer closed backs to open headphones, but many do.

Closed headphones isolate much better, so less noise for others to hear. I have a listening room and our TV room is about 15 feet away from it, my wife can sometimes hear the music depending on how loud I am listening if she is watching tv. When I wear my close backs, they isolate so well that she hears nothing no matter how loud I am listening.

On the reverse side of this, If I am wearing my open backs and she is in the other room talking, now I am not bothering her, but open backs also allow outside noise in, so now she is bothering me. This can be disturbing at times as people try to get their system's as quiet as possible, some can't even stand a small amount of hiss in their chain, so outside noise coming in can be a real bummer.

Open backs throw a bigger stage and you get a bit more detail in your music. more space and separation and detail.....more air and brighter sounding

Closed headphones have another great advantage for me other than isolation. They provide more of an impact in the low end of the music and you get a nice small touch of reverb that just makes the music feel organic and very immersive. This is something that I never hear people talk about, but it is real to my ears and I really dig it.
I like my type of music to have a lot of weight to it.

So it is definitely a give or take thing and I use both depending on my situation at the time and what mood I am in and how loud I plan to listen.
If I am only going to listening for a short time, I usually crank the volume a bit.

The VC has the best sound stage that I have personally ever heard in a closed back headphone.

I have heard the Atrium and I loved the headphone, it is top notch sound , no doubt.
In the end, I liked the mids a bit more back in the stage and I just felt more immersed in the sound of the VC, but that is just a preference thing.
I find the front row is not always the best seats, and I feel the VC seats me back just enough.

I will own a Caldera and I am on the fence whether I will get an open or closed headphone.

I think ZMF open and closed headphones are equally beautiful.

Beauty is also in the eye of the beholder, we don't all like the same things, but luckily Zach provides something for everybody in that regard.

IMO there are no better looking headphones on the planet and especially if you love the look of wood.

I don't think there have been very many times that I don't give my VC's a good look before putting them on my head.

Very nice. I agree not seen any other headphones that looks as good as ZMF make.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Thanks I have a TT2 and also a pathos arium

Personally, VC with BE2 Leather Pad is superb pairing with TT2

 

[Monsterzero]

I wonder if the resin imparts different sonic characteristics in comparison to the wood. Does anyone know?

The stabilized and poured resin sets mimic the sonic characteristics of the higher janka scale woods

 

[intedinator]

I completely agree sound matters more than looks. That's why I never bought ZMF before. Thought it would be more style the substance.
When I started to look for one that's when I wanted one of the nicer woods, couldn't wait for the right one so got monkey pod for the now see how things go.

Lots of good responses here from VC owners. I’ll add that another artistic characteristic you are paying for, in the best sense, is Zach’s unique tuning of his designs. @zach915m has very time consuming process that leads him to each of his products. I think his process is informed by his own very-evident passion for music and his experience as a luthier and film producer. It takes some time to absorb and understand the VC from different perspectives to fully appreciate it. In the end, the VC might not be for you, but if you spend the time with it, you’ll probably admire it. And the good resale values indicate others do as well. I’m not sure if ZMF starts first with the idea of what a headphone should look like and finds a sound for it, or works toward a sound and then finds a form for it, but the aesthetics and the acoustics are part of the whole expression in a way that, due to the boutique nature of ZMF’s business model, doesn’t necessarily require the same compromises as a higher volume product.

 

[wolfstar76]

I have a qustion for those who have experience of the ZMF November B stock sales:

The B stock sales starts from 10:30am EST on 18th, unfortunately, I will be on an airplane by that time. I heard that inventory from those special sales will be gone in just seconds, not sure it is only for rarity or also for B stock.

I will be able to order only after the evening of 18th, if this is the case, I will miss the B stock sales.

 

[George Hincapie]

I have a qustion for those who have experience of the ZMF November B stock sales:

The B stock sales starts from 10:30am EST on 18th, unfortunately, I will be on an airplane by that time. I heard that inventory from those special sales will be gone in just seconds, not sure it is only for rarity or also for B stock.

I will be able to order only after the evening of 18th, if this is the case, I will miss the B stock sales.

Internet on aircraft is a thing you know...

 

[smutnyjoe]

I just wanted to say hi to everyone in this thread. I've recently joined the ZMF family with my first ZMF headphones: Verite Closed. And I love them, especially listening from the Chord TT2 -> Violectric v550. I'm afraid I'll be a great ZMF fanboy, haha

 

[David A Silva]

@smutnyjoe - congrats on your beautiful VC! Enjoy your tunes!

 

[AudioDuck]

I just wanted to say hi to everyone in this thread. I've recently joined the ZMF family with my first ZMF headphones: Verite Closed. And I love them, especially listening from the Chord TT2 -> Violectric v550. I'm afraid I'll be a great ZMF fanboy, haha

A lovely setup, congratulations! Now we just need to lure you to the “dark side”… we have TUBES!

 

[sp33ls]

Really? I find that difficult to believe. The closed versions look plain, the open versions look beautiful with the ornate metalwork. Subjective obviously. Of course how they sound should be a far higher priority than how they look, but I completely understand that when paying north of £2,000 for a pair of headphones one may wish to have their cake and eat it!

I also prioritize sound over aesthetics. That being said, I do subscribe to the minimalist camp when it comes to aesthetics. There's beauty in simplicity, especially when it's done right. ZMF == wooden cup headphones with beautiful, natural sonics at artisan-level quality. I love that aspect, so give me allll the wood. Subscribing to the "less is more" ideal, I enjoy seeing designs that lean into and maximize that theme.

In short, the VC aesthetics are beautiful because of its shape and minimalistic design which then highlights the wood itself and the craftsmanship that comes along with that. I go hiking almost every weekend out here in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm just a sucker for all of nature's designs. I adore the subtle complexities in my VC's wood grain.

Sonically, my ears have preferred Zach's closed-backs more than the tuning of his open-backs. Could be a coincidence, or could be that I just enjoy having a bit more decay and sub-bass rumble. Zach really understands the acoustics of how to tune closed-back headphones -- and I'm even more excited now with the Atrium Damping System.

I also have the good fortune of having a nice 2-channel loudspeaker setup. In some ways, there's overlap here with my open-backs. So I like to lean into closed-backs for the things speakers cannot offer -- isolation and a different, more intimate presentation.

Like @whirlwind said, beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.
Objectively speaking, ZMF does not make ugly headphones.

 

[Ateefi]

So second day of listening to my my first ZMF, all i can say is yeah i like them, didn't think i would get on with closed back but you wouldn't think they were.
Now i want to try them all

 

[9bphillips]

So second day of listening to my my first ZMF, all i can say is yeah i like them, didn't think i would get on with closed back but you wouldn't think they were.
Now i want to try them all

I don't even consider my VC as a closed back because it absolutely doesn't sound like one. The 3dness of the VC makes it not sound closed at all. I am very happy I chose the VC over the VO especially now that I have the Atrium too.

 

[Steve Wilcox]

So second day of listening to my my first ZMF, all i can say is yeah i like them, didn't think i would get on with closed back but you wouldn't think they were.
Now i want to try them all

I bought the monkeypod VCs a couple of years or so back and listen mainly on a Pathos Aurium. I was influenced by @Monsterzero's comparison with the Verite Opens - he marginally preferred the VCs based purely on listening preference. There are plenty of times when isolation is useful for me so the choice became a bit of a no brainer. I can't imagine you'll be anything less than pleased as punch with your purchase.

I'd be interested to hear how you like the TT2 v Aurium with the VC. I have a Chord Qutest in my chain and also a Mojo for portable use and really enjoy these.

 

[smutnyjoe]

VC with TT2 is a great match. Adding v550 modifies a sound a little by adding a little note weight but everything is flatter (not by much). I switch between them depending on the album, I'd say 50/50.

I've been struggling with a decision on which DAC to keep (Spring3 KTE or Chord TT2) for months but with ZMF VC I'm leaning towards TT2, even though Spring3 has more, hmm, bass rumble in most songs (not all). TT2 delivers so much clarity, speed, and, most important, energy, that you can't unhear it. I guess it is similar with Qutest.