[TylersEclectic]

In which way does the VC beat the Stellia (except soundstage, which isn’t really hard to beat)?

Well, for me I find the VC more "enjoyable" "fun" etc. I won't go into soundstage as that is obvious. I find tonal balance better with the VC. Lows are much better in my opinion with the VC. Mids have more engagement for me as well. Highs are more in line with what I prefer as well, for me, they have a nice shimmer.

I think that the Stellia might have better imaging and detail retrieval, but only just better, and not worth splitting hairs unless you are going for that sort of thing.

Now if you are going for a more "laid back" analytical sound the Stellia is great...and before I heard the VC the Stellia was what I would say is the best closed back on the market. But I've now heard the VC and it is now my "best" closed back on the market for my use case.

Also to note, I'm basing all of the Stellia points off of limited listening of other peoples Stellias. I think when @Torq gets back and I have to relinquish the VC back to him with tears in my eyes, and heart in my throat. That he will be able to give a much better comparison to the Stellia, as he has them on hand and has more experience with the Stellia than I do.

 

[teknorob23]

Well, for me I find the VC more "enjoyable" "fun" etc. I won't go into soundstage as that is obvious. I find tonal balance better with the VC. Lows are much better in my opinion with the VC. Mids have more engagement for me as well. Highs are more in line with what I prefer as well, for me, they have a nice shimmer.

I think that the Stellia might have better imaging and detail retrieval, but only just better, and not worth splitting hairs unless you are going for that sort of thing.

Now if you are going for a more "laid back" analytical sound the Stellia is great...and before I heard the VC the Stellia was what I would say is the best closed back on the market. But I've now heard the VC and it is now my "best" closed back on the market for my use case.

Also to note, I'm basing all of the Stellia points off of limited listening of other peoples Stellias. I think when @Torq gets back and I have to relinquish the VC back to him with tears in my eyes, and heart in my throat. That he will be able to give a much better comparison to the Stellia, as he has them on hand and has more experience with the Stellia than I do.

this is great thank you. Ive been listening to Stellia's daily for about 9 months and without having heard the VCs, they moved the game on by some margin from every other CB i've heard almost comparable to the way Chord blew away the DAC market with the launch of the first Hugo, but they're not perfect and i agree with pretty all your findings and i cant wait to make the comparison for my self. Got to say really enjoying this thread its definitely helping to take my mind off the wait

 

[erics75]

Like-wise, i dont think i've ever been really annoyed by pair of headphones before, but to me they felt almost like they were an unfinished prototype. I dont want to go to off topic down such a negative rabbit hole, but two stand out low points for me we were the artificial soundstage. They appear wide but it relies entirely on over emphasising kick drums, snares and cymbals to create an illusion of width. Then the way mid range and treble dont really mesh and how super sensitive they are to positioning. I'll stop there but i expect so much better from Sennheiser as i was big fan of hd800.

Anyway back on topic, i've listened to most of the ZMF's, but none of them really chimed enough for me to get the credit card out until i heard he VO, which i nearly went for but common sense prevailed because Open Backs are just not viable for and then as if by magic the VC appears! i just hope the ship/plane doesnt get delayed find the UK.

What about the VO peaked your interest, that the other ZMF's did not?

I've liked all ZMF's, and loved the Atticus/Auteur, so just curious what the VO did for you that the others didn't. Though i found the technical abilities of the VO to be astounding, i personally found it less musical and engaging vs the Auteur or Atticus. What threw me off a bit on the VO was the mids. they seemed a bit farther back and more dispersed than i'm used to with ZMFs. that took some of the engagement factor away for me. what i really loved about it though was it's speed and resolution. it was HD800-like in it's ability to quickly present a large and well defined stage, where i could easily focus in on one element of the score without it being lost in the overall presentation. and to do that without sounding thin or clinical is quite impressive.

 

[attmci]

I’ve reviewed the HD820 on another site, and I found it quite excellent....with the caveat that it needs a good seal around the ears to sound its best. So glasses, beards long hair can throw off the sound, took me awhile to figure that out...and technically I didn’t realize it until after my review. That being said the 820 is very similar to the HD800 in all aspects when you get a proper seal, but as far as closed backs the Focals beat it with the Elegia and Stellia.

But for me the VC beats all of the above. Except in one aspect...and that is walk around ability and portability. Both of which are non-issues for me, I don’t mind carrying the seahorse case to work and using my N6ii for walking around the house and office. I just wouldn’t walk in public with them... nor any over ear really...that is what my Andromeda’s are for.

Good point.

However, all cans have room to improve. I haven't heard any of those here. That's just me. You guys can ignore.

 

[attmci]

I’m learning how to better associate FR with what I’m hearing, and to my novice knowledge the graphs represent what I’m hearing, and show just how close these two are. Also shows the lows/mids/highs differences. Wow, I’m getting learn’d lol!

The VC is more sensitive than VO.

 

[SmashBruh]

The VC is more sensitive than VO.

That's strange. The VO used to be listed as 99db/mw on the ZMF website same as the VC... I wonder if only the newer VOs are less sensitive or if it was always just mislabeled?

 

[kumar402]

I for one preferred the treble of VO with perf Universe Pad. Looks like VC with Universe pad closed is closest to it. There is some peak around 8K but it’s not enough to bother me and the peaks around 12~13K are not high enough to bring metallic taste so VC with universe pad looks fine for me.

 

[Wheel Hoss]

What about the VO peaked your interest, that the other ZMF's did not?

I've liked all ZMF's, and loved the Atticus/Auteur, so just curious what the VO did for you that the others didn't. Though i found the technical abilities of the VO to be astounding, i personally found it less musical and engaging vs the Auteur or Atticus. What threw me off a bit on the VO was the mids. they seemed a bit farther back and more dispersed than i'm used to with ZMFs. that took some of the engagement factor away for me. what i really loved about it though was it's speed and resolution. it was HD800-like in it's ability to quickly present a large and well defined stage, where i could easily focus in on one element of the score without it being lost in the overall presentation. and to do that without sounding thin or clinical is quite impressive.

I’d be interested in more thoughts along these lines i.e. comparing the various ZMF closed backs. I have a feeling most of us are more likely to own multiple ZMFs than a ZMF and a Focal or Hifiman. If you love Zach’s aesthetic, there really is nothing else like it.

I’m wondering if I will ever take the plunge on the VC, or is the Atticus my endgame. I use the Atty in my home studio as a recording tool for my mid-centric old time country music, and the tonality of Atticus + tubes is rather ideal for my music. But I do wonder about the holographic imaging of the VC and what I might be able to hear when I use my cans as studio monitors. Like will I be able to hear everything better and thus layer parts more easily? Is that worth 2 grand?

I’m pretty satisfied where I’m at, but I would love for anyone who has heard both the Atticus and the VC (@Monsterzero I’m looking at you ), please chime in!

 

[Monsterzero]

I’m pretty satisfied where I’m at, but I would love for anyone who has heard both the Atticus and the VC (@Monsterzero I’m looking at you ), please chime in!

I loved my Atticus,but I felt the midbass was too strong for some genres. Once I heard the VO,I sold off the Atticus to afford the VO. I have not missed the Atticus at all. I get plenty of dynamics and slam from the VO,but now the VC has come along and upped the dynamics quite a bit.

As you know,I absolutely love the VC. Is it worth selling your Atticus to get it? I would,but I cant answer that for you. Your budget,gear,preferences all play a role in making that decision.

 

[SmashBruh]

I loved my Atticus,but I felt the midbass was too strong for some genres. Once I heard the VO,I sold off the Atticus to afford the VO. I have not missed the Atticus at all. I get plenty of dynamics and slam from the VO,but now the VC has come along and upped the dynamics quite a bit.

As you know,I absolutely love the VC. Is it worth selling your Atticus to get it? I would,but I cant answer that for you. Your budget,gear,preferences all play a role in making that decision.

Btw Monster, what would you say are better complements? the Auteur + VC or the VC + VO??

 

[Monsterzero]

Btw Monster, what would you say are better complements? the Auteur + VC or the VC + VO??

Man,thats a hard question to answer.
I would say in my system,with tubes playing a major factor in it(both my amp and DAC have multiple tubes I can roll) the biggest variance would be between the VO and VC.

With both the Auteur and VC I prefer the most neutral pads,whereas with the VO I use the Universe pads,which are the warmest and deepest imaging. With tube rolls both the Auteur and VC sound great with the exact same tubes,whereas on the VO those same tubes dont do it for me. So for me, in my system,with my preferred sound,preferred tubes,and preferred pads,I would say VO &VC.

Theres a whole lot of variables in play there,so im just giving you my opinion,based upon all those variable,but as they say....YMMV.

Sorry I cant be more definitive.

 

[Malcolm Riverside]

Has anyone reviewed the VC Ltd edition headphones yet? The standard version has obviously been getting great reviews and I’ve corresponded with Zach a bit about the differences between the two wood versions, but it seems like no one has gotten to take the Desert Ironwood version home yet. I know ZMF has had them at a few shows at least. Anyone got any comparison notes from RMAF or CanJam London at least?

 

[SmashBruh]

Has anyone reviewed the VC Ltd edition headphones yet? The standard version has obviously been getting great reviews and I’ve corresponded with Zach a bit about the differences between the two wood versions, but it seems like no one has gotten to take the Desert Ironwood version home yet. I know ZMF has had them at a few shows at least. Anyone got any comparison notes from RMAF or CanJam London at least?

Oh! May I ask what he said about the differences between the two?? I’ve been meaning to email him about the exact same thing!

 

[Monsterzero]

I think @Hansotek has the ironwood version.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

@Wildcatsare1 and @Monsterzero - you guys are up late! Starting to think that VC would be really bad for my beauty sleep...

I have been staying up late, the isolations goo enough for my Wife to sleep peacefully while King Crimson is jamming !