[nnotis]

I think we are living in a fine era - there is a multitude of great options in the headphone sphere; from the budget picks, all the way to the top-end. At the summit, there are many heavy hitters

Agreed. For anyone who was on the hunt back in 2007 and 2008, it's especially so. All of the best headphones from the 2000s had been discontinued. The HD800s and JH13s finally broke that drought in 2009.
As for the VC wait, I'm currently on week 12. Perhaps ZMF got bogged down filling leopardwood orders, or got slammed with other models. I don't know. The point is that with such a small company, there's bound to be huge variability in turn around time, so mentally prepare for a wait.

 

[Rowethren]

Just put the Verite pads on my VC (thanks @chrisdrop) definitely feel the ear contact mentioned. Not sure I like that much at all! Sound wise they seems to add a bit more immediacy to the sound and lifts the treble but the music is more in your head than around it like you get with the Auteur pads. I will give them a fair trial but I have a feeling these won't be for me. Always fun to try new things though even if they don't work out.

 

[Klmahnn]

I've heard neither of these (have ordered the VC), but here's a quote from the epic review of the Verite headphones on audiophilestyle.com, written by Josh Mound:

"Given the extreme challenge of creating a true flagship closed-back headphone, it’s with no exaggeration that I say that the Vérité closed is the best closed-back headphone I’ve ever heard. It handily beats the disappointing Sennheiser HD820 and the solid, if uneven, Focal Stellia. Anyone who wants the quality of a top-notch open-back headphone in a closed can should look no further."

I had both at the same time and whilst I actually enjoyed the 820 I vastly preferred the VC. The 820 is now sold (as are the rest of my headphones, Nightowl and 800S pending).

 

[canfabulous]

I'd love to get into the Verite's but they are hard to find used, and its a 10-week wait for new ones. And it sounds like I would need a new amp. First world problems, eh? LOL

That’s the exact same issue I now have! Rediscovering headphones and getting sucked into head-fi is turning out to be very expensive!

P.s. glad to hear it sounds like you got your money back!

 

[robo24]

I think my Leopardwood VC order was ready at about 8-9 weeks but I changed my order and have more of a wait. 10 weeks seems realistic at this point, especially given COVID and them also setting up a new work site. I think they maybe got a surge of orders during the shutdown. I know I ordered two myself.

 

[qboogie]

@Monsterzero , hoping that you don't mind that I post this to the forum instead of PMing. So that I and others can benefit

1 Are you saying that the VC's mids are clearer and more forward than the VO's? If you could estimate a % difference, what would you say?

2 Which VC pads are you using and are you rolling specific tubes on GOTL that bring forth the mids/ vocals?

3. Can you recommend particular tubes that bring out vocals. I'll soon have a Feliks Echo OTL tube amp

I listen to a lot of music with female vocals and I've always felt the recessed mids were the VO's only slight disappointment. So much so that I'm taking the verite closed dive. My chain consists of Silkwood VO with BE2 pads + Forza Noir Hybrid cables to TT2/Mscaler. I don't tend to EQ.

Thanks for your help

 

[Monsterzero]

1 Are you saying that the VC's mids are clearer and more forward than the VO's? If you could estimate a % difference, what would you say?

Yes,for me and my system the mids are more immediate and dynamic vs. the VO. However this is more complicated than what it would seem to be.
I roll very,very warm tubesfor the VO as I found that it maximized the holographic presentation of the VO. When getting that "3D-ness" something had to be pushed to the rear,and often times it was the mids,mainly guitars and sometimes vocals.
The VC doesnt seem to have that ridiculous depth that the VO has,which isnt to say that its not there. Quite the contrary. The VC is quite holographic,but ive yet to be able to manipulate it with tube rolls to the degree of the VO .

2 Which VC pads are you using and are you rolling specific tubes on GOTL that bring forth the mids/ vocals?

I prefer the default pads,Auteur non-perf. To my ears it was the best combo of depth,width,height,detail and bass. You can get stronger bass(if thats your thing) with other pads,but I found that the staging suffered.

My current tube combo that ive been stuck on for several months is:

GEC U18/20 rectifier
pair of GEC L63 w/ adapter
GE 6x 6BX7s. Ive been meaning to roll in some Sylvania 6BX7s but havent gotten around to it.

In my system the tubes listed above and with the Auteur non-perf pads give the VC a beautiful nice,clean,tight,fast sound with next to no bass bloom,which is the sound that I prefer. It fails with no genre of music and at no time have I ever been left wanting for an element thats not there.

. Can you recommend particular tubes that bring out vocals. I'll soon have a Feliks Echo OTL tube amp

I have not heard the Echo,so I cannot say. Each amp is different,and while there are some tubes that are generally regarded as superior to others,its hard to predict how any given tube will sound in your amp.

I would recommend finding the Echo thread and read what other owners are using for tube rolls.

Tubes can be quite expensive so when you go shopping for NOS GEC,or WE or Fivre tubes be prepared to pay for them.

Also beware of scammers and fake tubes. Believe it or not lots of people will slap a GEC logo on a $5.00 Russian tube and sell it for $300.00

EDIT:

Understand that the tubes I use in my system is how I prefer it to sound. There are other GOTL+VC owners in this thread and they may prefer a totally different tube combo. Zach himself uses a different roll than I do,so the takeaway is there is no right or wrong tube combo here. Its all about your system and personal preferences.
If you have yet to hear the differences swapping tubes can make be prepared to have your mind blown.

 

[saidentary]

Now that I have the ultimate closed dynamic on order, I've started shopping for a reasonably priced complimentary open planar to match the VC. So far I've been looking at the Hifiman Arya and Audeze LCD-X. Anyone have opinions or other suggestions on how they may compliment the VCs? Cheers

I still own the HiFiMAN HE1000, version one (HE1000 V1). I still think it sounds great. I heard the HE1000 V2 and it sounded quite similar to me. It’s been said that the HE1000se is better than either of them. I have no idea if that’s true and I don’t really care that much. However, a number of people got quite upset when these two newer versions came out and some people started selling their original version for a much lower price than what it originally retailed for. To state the obvious, none of this means that the V1 is any worse than it ever was. I would suggest looking for a used HE1000 V1. It sounds as great as it ever did, I can attest to the fact that it is a great headphone, and you may be able to get one for a ridiculously low price used. I don’t know. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[qboogie]

Yes,for me and my system the mids are more immediate and dynamic vs. the VO. However this is more complicated than what it would seem to be.
I roll very,very warm tubesfor the VO as I found that it maximized the holographic presentation of the VO. When getting that "3D-ness" something had to be pushed to the rear,and often times it was the mids,mainly guitars and sometimes vocals.
The VC doesnt seem to have that ridiculous depth that the VO has,which isnt to say that its not there. Quite the contrary. The VC is quite holographic,but ive yet to be able to manipulate it with tube rolls to the degree of the VO .


I prefer the default pads,Auteur non-perf. To my ears it was the best combo of depth,width,height,detail and bass. You can get stronger bass(if thats your thing) with other pads,but I found that the staging suffered.

My current tube combo that ive been stuck on for several months is:

GEC U18/20 rectifier
pair of GEC L63 w/ adapter
GE 6x 6BX7s. Ive been meaning to roll in some Sylvania 6BX7s but havent gotten around to it.

In my system the tubes listed above and with the Auteur non-perf pads give the VC a beautiful nice,clean,tight,fast sound with next to no bass bloom,which is the sound that I prefer. It fails with no genre of music and at no time have I ever been left wanting for an element thats not there.


I have not heard the Echo,so I cannot say. Each amp is different,and while there are some tubes that are generally regarded as superior to others,its hard to predict how any given tube will sound in your amp.

I would recommend finding the Echo thread and read what other owners are using for tube rolls.

Tubes can be quite expensive so when you go shopping for NOS GEC,or WE or Fivre tubes be prepared to pay for them.

Also beware of scammers and fake tubes. Believe it or not lots of people will slap a GEC logo on a $5.00 Russian tube and sell it for $300.00

EDIT:

Understand that the tubes I use in my system is how I prefer it to sound. There are other GOTL+VC owners in this thread and they may prefer a totally different tube combo. Zach himself uses a different roll than I do,so the takeaway is there is no right or wrong tube combo here. Its all about your system and personal preferences.
If you have yet to hear the differences swapping tubes can make be prepared to have your mind blown.

Thank you Monster for the in depth answer. I appreciate the guidance. The world of tubes seems insanely sophisticated

 

[SteveM324]

Now that I have the ultimate closed dynamic on order, I've started shopping for a reasonably priced complimentary open planar to match the VC. So far I've been looking at the Hifiman Arya and Audeze LCD-X. Anyone have opinions or other suggestions on how they may compliment the VCs? Cheers

That's easy, buy a used VO.

 

[SteveM324]

Now that I have the ultimate closed dynamic on order, I've started shopping for a reasonably priced complimentary open planar to match the VC. So far I've been looking at the Hifiman Arya and Audeze LCD-X. Anyone have opinions or other suggestions on how they may compliment the VCs? Cheers

Oh, I didn't catch that you want a planar. I'm not sure why the open headphone needs to be a planar, but I would still buy the VO over any comparably priced planar. I find having the VO and VC complementary.

 

[Monsterzero]

Thank you Monster for the in depth answer. I appreciate the guidance. The world of tubes seems insanely sophisticated

You're welcome. As to the tube world being sophisticated,no,not really. Remember the tube path for which ever amp you choose has been walked many times before by others who can offer you advice and answer your questions.
The members in the Glenn thread patiently answered all of my tube questions for well over a year and have got me to the point where im fairly confident that I wont blow up my amp or headphones and know which tubes sound like what.

I will admit that at first tubes can be overwhelming but ask questions and do some reading and soon enough you will know what is what.

 

[qboogie]

Now that I have the ultimate closed dynamic on order, I've started shopping for a reasonably priced complimentary open planar to match the VC. So far I've been looking at the Hifiman Arya and Audeze LCD-X. Anyone have opinions or other suggestions on how they may compliment the VCs? Cheers

Go with the Arya or the HEDDphone.

I know this is a VC thread but bear with me...

I proudly own the VO and owned the LCD-X for a year. My approach to owning complimentary headphones is such that when switching from the main pair (Headphone A)to the complimentary pair (Headphone B) the first thing you should immediately notice is a healthy combination of A's weakness and B's clear advantage. The experience I had with switching from the VO to the LCD-X made me realize how crazy veiled the X's mids are compared to the VO (which already has those recessed mids) and NOT "wow that meaty planar bass." The VO's dip in the mids is practically a canyon on the LCD-X and I found I was trying to convince myself they were worth keeping.

When switching from the VO to the HEDD or Arya, I immediately hear the spaciousness, surgical clarity and detail that the latter two bring, but I also miss and appreciate the romantic warmth and holographic-ness of the VO. That's what headphone complimentarity is to me.

 

[Klmahnn]

I wont blow up my amp or headphones and know which tubes sound like what.

This is one of the factors putting me off tubes. Is it not possible to wreak havoc with even just a faulty tube?

Go with the Arya or the HEDDphone.

I know this is a VC thread but bear with me...

I proudly own the VO and owned the LCD-X for a year. My approach to owning complimentary headphones is such that when switching from the main pair (Headphone A)to the complimentary pair (Headphone B) the first thing you should immediately notice is a healthy combination of A's weakness and B's clear advantage. The experience I had with switching from the VO to the LCD-X made me realize how crazy veiled the X's mids are compared to the VO (which already has those recessed mids) and NOT "wow that meaty planar bass." The VO's dip in the mids is practically a canyon on the LCD-X and I found I was trying to convince myself they were worth keeping.

When switching from the VO to the HEDD or Arya, I immediately hear the spaciousness, surgical clarity and detail that the latter two bring, but I also miss and appreciate the romantic warmth and holographic-ness of the VO. That's what headphone complimentarity is to me.

This is how I feel when switching to the 800S but then I also realise that I'm missing out on like half the FR when I switch back.

 

[SteveM324]

This is one of the factors putting me off tubes. Is it not possible to wreak havoc with even just a faulty tube?

I've had vacuum tube headphone amps for the last 15+ years without any issues. In the tube amps that I've owned, when a tube starts going bad, it gets noisy and that's when I replace the tube. It's not a big deal and I always buy back up tubes of the ones that I like so there's no down time.