[Zachik]

Both are fantastic headphones. Want laidback,airy get the VO. If you want the headphone equivalent of a Mike Tyson left hook,get the VC.

But sometimes I want laid-back, while other times I want the Tyson hook...

 

[Monsterzero]

But sometimes I want laid-back, while other times I want the Tyson hook...

Welp,then you know what the answer is. Get both.
Seriously,if you dig the tonality of the Verite open,you will dig the tonailty of the VC. The differences in the presentation makes them complimentary headphones and will make most other headphones unnecessary.

 

[KcMsterpce]

I love variety with my headphone/IEM collection. Also, you can have the exact same setup, and go from one album to a different album and have different sonic results, simply because not every album is produced with the exact same specs and recording conditions.
Thus, I have never had "One Headphone to Rule Them All". However, over the years I've come to realize that for me personally, I can have 2-4 different headphones that are roughly 80% similar in performance and sound signature, and I lean to one over another based on 1) how I feel at the moment; 2) what volume I want to listen at; 3) which device(s) I am playing through; 4) the amount of "microdetails" I'd like to hear in the music versus "sheer fun", and any other number of determining factors...
So for me personally, I can't just have a single headphone that does everything for me, at all times. I realize that my aural flavors match Zach's preferences in a freakishly similar fashion. I have my Eikon for closed back closeness and "slam". It does wonders with the Fun Factor.
Then, I will switch over to my Verite and I instantly fall in love with its spaciousness, precision, clarity and overall tonal balance across the frequency spectrum. There are some albums that are slightly anemic in presentation - lacking "oomph" or weight, and the Verite doesn't fulfill my satisfaction as much as it does when listening with the Eikon.

My personal take on the whole shebang is that if you like the way ZMF headphones are tuned in the most widespread generality possible, then there is a fair chance that you will enjoy specific elements from one headphone model to another (and even wood type).
Is there a single headphone that will make you happy in every single album, and coincide with all your audio desires at all times? For me, that is a definite "no". There are too many conditional and environmental factors - both subjectively and objectively - that need to be considered. If you have a specific music type that you enjoy, then it's easier. I'm all over the place, though. I love musicals, prog rock, jazz, classical, many facets of rock, pop, R&B, and even some rap and country every now and again. That makes my headphone and equipment choices more widespread, to match what I want to listen to at any given moment.

Finally... what is great about ZMF are the choices in switching out pads. Give that a go, and you might come to realize that you have more than one headphone, even if you only OWN a single pair of ZMF cans. This also adds to the complexity of conditional factors tremendously.

This hobby is not simple. Nor is it conclusive.

 

[teknorob23]

And C) both the VO, and VC are much better headphones than the Empyrean, any day of the week.

that is of course, in your opinion and according to your personal preferences

 

[Klmahnn]

Z Reviews just released a video on the Stellia - there is also a reference / one sentence comparison to the Verite Closed (at the every end, 15:15).
It’s not a positive one for the VC.

I personally would not interpret this as knocking the VC so much as name dropping it to start building hype around a possible upcoming review. In terms of the comparison to the Stellia, I think he was specifically talking about the "total package" and presentation of it that won out on the Verité.

I'm not a fan of the looks of the Stellia, and I also don't like all that leather and hyperbole encasing the manual, cables etc. While I do appreciate a decent unboxing experience / total package (box, accessories, accompanying literature etc.) it isn't a huge factor in my overall opinion of the headphone. I especially don't like the idea that a lot of my money is going towards these unnecessary extras, and I believe many people are the same thinking back in particular to Audeze offering the LCD-X at a discount price without their case etc.

Z also mentioned that the Stellia works for a narrow range of music/tracks and is very amp picky. So far, VC reviewers have mentioned how it seems to be extremely flexible with genres and seems to just generally sound fantastic without all the caveats the Stellia has, so actually my interpretation of that review (call it wishful thinking perhaps) is that the VC is the superior headphone, at a better price, where the minimal extras ensure most of your money are going where it matters most, and not to mention the great lifetime warranty on the drivers (vs the Utopia's driver issues), the handmade master craftsman aspect to ZMF headphones with lovely wood, and not to mention how great ZMF is as a company...

Having said all this I would still love to hear the Stellia, however, like with the rest of Focal's offerings, I'm not drawn enough to purchase them to trial at home. Something that I have not been shy about with many other headphones.

 

[teknorob23]

I personally would not interpret this as knocking the VC so much as name dropping it to start building hype around a possible upcoming review. In terms of the comparison to the Stellia, I think he was specifically talking about the "total package" and presentation of it that won out on the Verité.

I'm not a fan of the looks of the Stellia, and I also don't like all that leather and hyperbole encasing the manual, cables etc. While I do appreciate a decent unboxing experience / total package (box, accessories, accompanying literature etc.) it isn't a huge factor in my overall opinion of the headphone. I especially don't like the idea that a lot of my money is going towards these unnecessary extras, and I believe many people are the same thinking back in particular to Audeze offering the LCD-X at a discount price without their case etc.

Z also mentioned that the Stellia works for a narrow range of music/tracks and is very amp picky. So far, VC reviewers have mentioned how it seems to be extremely flexible with genres and seems to just generally sound fantastic without all the caveats the Stellia has, so actually my interpretation of that review (call it wishful thinking perhaps) is that the VC is the superior headphone, at a better price, where the minimal extras ensure most of your money are going where it matters most, and not to mention the great lifetime warranty on the drivers (vs the Utopia's driver issues), the handmade master craftsman aspect to ZMF headphones with lovely wood, and not to mention how great ZMF is as a company...

Having said all this I would still love to hear the Stellia, however, like with the rest of Focal's offerings, I'm not drawn enough to purchase them to trial at home. Something that I have not been shy about with many other headphones.

For what its worth, I have been listening to the Stellia daily for over 9 months. Prior to this I owned the Utopia and a range of other pretty good headphones and for my listening preferences:

• 50% electronica (john hopkins - daft punk - jeff mills - autechre - new order) - nils frahm and everything in between)
• 20% indie guitar music (the national, talking heads, Pavement, PJ Harvey, My bloody valentine, wedding present, Thurston Moore, Pixies)
• 20% new folk/female vocalists (this is the kit, Cate le bon, laura veirs, soak, tori amos, etc) and the other
• 10% hiphop jazz and anything that takes my fancy.

I listen via Feliks Audio Euforia tube amp running from H2 Dac and the Stellia are the best closed back headphones i have heard and in the top 3 of headphones of any type. Using a tube amp i find they perform well with all types of music reproduced in 16/44 files and above. They dont have the widest or deepest of stages until you add the Euforia which drastically improves both, which in turn improves layering and texture, while allowing them to show off their (and the hugo2 backed up by SoTM network player) incredible dynamism, imaging and ability to retrieve detail. They are not perfect, but they are incredible consistent and i've yet to find their limit in terms of scaling with improvements in the chain.

I am super excited about the arrival of VC, but i am also long enough in the tooth to know that they might not be better, just different and with headphones my purchasing rationale is more around finding a new filter every 9-12 months through which to listen to the music i love. Its probably taken 25 years to work this out, but i have no end game, i love music first but hifi comes a very close second, followed by mountain biking, oh and of course please insert wife/kids in the correct place in this order . Looking at my hifi habit, its never really been about purchasing more series of rentals, some longer and with a higher rental cost than others. The VCs will come, i will hopefully love them and then they'll go in about 6-12 months time.... but who knows i suppose there is always a first time and might keep them for ever, just like gambling addict hopes the next big win on horses will be so big it will satisfy his need to bet again.

Thats me anyway and i'm sure i'm unique in my habits!

 

[Zachik]

Welp,then you know what the answer is. Get both.
Seriously,if you dig the tonality of the Verite open,you will dig the tonailty of the VC. The differences in the presentation makes them complimentary headphones and will make most other headphones unnecessary.

I knew you'd say that!!!
Resistance is futile. I know that. Only a matter of time before my Verite will have a closed companion...

 

[PointyFox]

I hated the Stellia when I tried it. I had assumed it was a new bottom of the line model and took it off after about 10 seconds. I would have given it longer if I knew how expensive it was. I've heard / owned ZMF headphones and every model I've heard is better than the Stellia, at least to me compared with the Stellia I heard at the last CanJam.

 

[noplsestar]

For what its worth, I have been listening to the Stellia daily for over 9 months. Prior to this I owned the Utopia and a range of other pretty good headphones and for my listening preferences:

• 50% electronica (john hopkins - daft punk - jeff mills - autechre - new order) - nils frahm and everything in between)
• 20% indie guitar music (the national, talking heads, Pavement, PJ Harvey, My bloody valentine, wedding present, Thurston Moore, Pixies)
• 20% new folk/female vocalists (this is the kit, Cate le bon, laura veirs, soak, tori amos, etc) and the other
• 10% hiphop jazz and anything that takes my fancy.

I listen via Feliks Audio Euforia tube amp running from H2 Dac and the Stellia are the best closed back headphones i have heard and in the top 3 of headphones of any type. Using a tube amp i find they perform well with all types of music reproduced in 16/44 files and above. They dont have the widest or deepest of stages until you add the Euforia which drastically improves both, which in turn improves layering and texture, while allowing them to show off their (and the hugo2 backed up by SoTM network player) incredible dynamism, imaging and ability to retrieve detail. They are not perfect, but they are incredible consistent and i've yet to find their limit in terms of scaling with improvements in the chain.

I am super excited about the arrival of VC, but i am also long enough in the tooth to know that they might not be better, just different and with headphones my purchasing rationale is more around finding a new filter every 9-12 months through which to listen to the music i love. Its probably taken 25 years to work this out, but i have no end game, i love music first but hifi comes a very close second, followed by mountain biking, oh and of course please insert wife/kids in the correct place in this order . Looking at my hifi habit, its never really been about purchasing more series of rentals, some longer and with a higher rental cost than others. The VCs will come, i will hopefully love them and then they'll go in about 6-12 months time.... but who knows i suppose there is always a first time and might keep them for ever, just like gambling addict hopes the next big win on horses will be so big it will satisfy his need to bet again.

Thats me anyway and i'm sure i'm unique in my habits!

That was really well said - thank you for sharing your thoughts ...

 

[zach915m]

Make me a market ...
How long before the VC ltd ed sells out ?
Minutes? Hours? Days?

We have access to enough wood to make about 90 sets - many of those have sold. I initially was going to make 40 sets but demand was higher so we bought another 50 sets of wood. I believe we have about 15 sets left - we will either sell those out or just cut off orders Oct 7th when the discount also goes away.

Scanned through the posts and didn’t see a reply to this... has anyone who ordered through Acorn Audio received the spreadsheet already?

Acorn pre-ordered very early on - if you're in the first batch from Acorn you are at or near the top of the list.

Apologies for the slight off-topic, but given how much impact burn-in has on HPs and other equipment, do high-end manufacturers perform any burn-in before shipping? It seems it would make sense at least for TOLT equipment. I bought my Stellia open box and think that the original buyer might have kept it if he/she had tried it after burn-in. The improvement has been very significant.

We do 12 - 36 hours on all the Be sets depending on how fast we want to get them out.

 

[Admiral Kolchak]

We do 12 - 36 hours on all the Be sets depending on how fast we want to get them out.

Zach, that's brilliant. The burn-in in my Stellia Be drivers has been nothing short of miraculous. It's a totally different HP than one month ago.

 

[chrisdrop]

Acorn pre-ordered very early on - if you're in the first batch from Acorn you are at or near the top of the list

That is the best news I have heard all day !!

 

[mixman]

Most of the genres I listen to need dynamics to sound great. Metal,hard rock,rock,pagan folk,trance. The VO has dynamics. The VC is like the VO on steroids in the dynamics department. Additionally most of those genres(except trance) need fantastic mids. With the VC bringing the presentation in closer,I can feel and hear the mids better on the VC. And with the great mids,the VC can shift gears effortlessly and handle Americana,folk,blues superbly. Im still amazed at how fast,impactful and rigid it can make thrash metal sound,and then I put on some mellow stuff,and the VC delivers a creamy fluid sound.

Some of my favorite headphones ever have a forward sound to them. The K240 sextetts are ridiculously in your face,as are the ATH AD2000s,so my preferences lean that way already. Now im not saying the VC is as aggressive as those headphones,but if you prefer a more laidback sound,the VO is the way to go.




New toy syndrome? Nah. Ive been into headphones for awhile now. Anytime I get a new headphone,my listening habits dont change. I listen about 2-3 times per week. I simply cant listen to headphones more than that. I can do speakers in the evening here,so although music is playing as long as im awake,headphones get only 10-16 hours per week.
That has changed since the VC arrived. I have listened pretty much every night. I look forward to it. Its become an event for me. I will chill with the wife and watch some TV,and then shes off to sleep. I begin eyeing the clock around 10:30,turn on the Glenn,let it warm up for 30 mins,and then from 11:00 til 3:00 its VC time. I didnt do that with the VO,or any other headphone Ive owned,or had on loan,and some mighty fine sounding headphones have been here too.

Additionally,the VC cured my tube rolling habit. With the VO I'd roll different tubes pretty much every single listening session. With the VC,I found an awesome roll,and I have no interest in rolling others in. It sounds perfect to my ears.

TL;DR

Both are fantastic headphones. Want laidback,airy get the VO. If you want the headphone equivalent of a Mike Tyson left hook,get the VC.

Are you going to still keep your VO?

 

[Monsterzero]

Are you going to still keep your VO?

Yup,but not sure on the rest of my headphones. Im going to keep the HD250 as its bass is killer and all my AKGs because they are worth more to me for sentimental value than what I can get for selling them.
Sony MDR was sold today. Vintage DT990 and AD2000s are already in classifieds. Im taking the rest of my stable on a day by day basis.

When the AD2000s came out way back when they were considered to be the fastest dynamic headphone available. Not anymore. They were my fast metal and trance headphone,but the VC smokes it on both genres,as does the VO for trance.

 

[TylersEclectic]

Welp,then you know what the answer is. Get both.
Seriously,if you dig the tonality of the Verite open,you will dig the tonailty of the VC. The differences in the presentation makes them complimentary headphones and will make most other headphones unnecessary.

This is exactly it, the presentation is different enough to warrant both, while at the same time they are very close in performance. Also, the VC is a very laid back headphone also, it just puts you in a more intimate setting. So I think depending on the genre of music and volume it’s just as relaxing/laid back as the VO. I would say that the VO is more “analytical” and the VO is more “romantic/intimate” I’m using strong words here as both perform very well in all settings. I guess a better analogy is VO puts you further from the action say dead middle of seating at an orchestra/venue. While the VC is more middle 1-3 rows back, both are equally engaging, the VO is just slightly less “intimate”.