[Barnstormer13]

A 2nd hand pair of camphor burl VCs arrived today. I’ll attach a picture or two tomorrow when it’s not night time and the lighting is better. I think this is the first piece of audio equipment I’ve owned that qualifies to be in the “High End” forum- a sure sign I’m spending too much money on this hobby. They do sound fantastic. It’s too early to offer much in the way of impressions, but they’re obviously very fast and detailed, with a big dose of the ZMF house sound.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I also just got my first pair of ZMF headphones today. A Verite Closed. After about 5 hours of listening, here are some initial impressions. First, these headphones are huge. Fortunately, they don't feel heavy on my head. It came with 2 sets of pads and I have no idea which ones are which because they aren't labelled and they look very similar. They do sound different though. One is very neutral. The other is warmer. I prefer the warmer pads. In addition, I am amazed at the soundstage of these closed back cans. I keep having to remind myself these aren't open back. Very clean sound. Great separation, detail and resolution.

I started listening with the VC directly connected to my Hugo 2. I was a bit surprised how neutral the sound was. I expected it to be warmer. But as I mentioned before, that changed when I swapped pads. Settling in with the second pair of pads, the VC sounds great with all genres of music. That also surprised me. Very clear and transparent sound. Then, I decided to pair it with my Bottlehead crack and that is when things got very interesting. For certain genres of music like modern pop, the VCs really came alive. Really deep, rich and textured bass response. The type of response that has been lacking with my HD800S even when eq'ed. Interestingly, Jazz music was okay and Classical music wasn't very good with this set up. The Hugo 2 is the much clearer and more transparent amp so for Classical music, it was better to directly connect the VCs to the Hugo 2. Then, I got my HD800S out and they sound the best for classical music.. The BHC really added a nice warmth to the VCs. Right now, I am listening to my 80s music playlist and it sounds great as well. Some classic rock didn't sound very good at all. The headphones and amp revealed the poorer quality of the source music.

Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase. I was looking for a complementary set of headphones to my HD800S and I believe I have achieved that goal. More later as I get more listening time, do some more A/B testing and including the Hiby R6 2020 that also arrived today.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Awesome! Looking forward to hear from you then

Okay. I paired my Hiby R6 2020 with the Verite Closed. I have it on high gain using Tidal as my music source. Also connect with 4.4 balanced. The bottom line is if you listen at low or moderate volume levels, this pairing will work. If you are a bass head or like loud music, I wouldn't recommend it because there isn't enough head room for it. During normal listening, I have it on low volume levels at it is at 40 out of 100. Moderate levels will be at 50-60. It isn't my favorite pairing with the VC, but it is very enjoyable.

As an aside, I paired the VCs with a Lotoo Paw S1 and that sounded amazingly good. Not quite as good as the R6 2020, but totally enjoyable. I was surprise at how well that little dongle sounds and how much power it could deliver. For $115 (used), it's unbeatable from a price/performance point of view.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

SIAP, but it wasn't obvious how to put the earpads on. This video was very helpful.

 

[Elvandarfist]

Okay. I paired my Hiby R6 2020 with the Verite Closed. I have it on high gain using Tidal as my music source. Also connect with 4.4 balanced. The bottom line is if you listen at low or moderate volume levels, this pairing will work. If you are a bass head or like loud music, I wouldn't recommend it because there isn't enough head room for it. During normal listening, I have it on low volume levels at it is at 40 out of 100. Moderate levels will be at 50-60. It isn't my favorite pairing with the VC, but it is very enjoyable.

As an aside, I paired the VCs with a Lotoo Paw S1 and that sounded amazingly good. Not quite as good as the R6 2020, but totally enjoyable. I was surprise at how well that little dongle sounds and how much power it could deliver. For $115 (used), it's unbeatable from a price/performance point of view.

Thank you for your kind report
Well I might need to step up to the R8 or to add a Romi BX Plus then, if I still want to enjoy the VCs at its best.

Any chance, someone has the VCs and the Hiby R8?

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Thank you for your kind report
Well I might need to step up to the R8 or to add a Romi BX Plus then, if I still want to enjoy the VCs at its best.

Any chance, someone has the VCs and the Hiby R8?

I would get a proper desktop AMP and DAC if you want to get the most out of these headphones. My favorite pairing right now is with my Bottlehead Crack, but not everyone likes that tube amp sound. I find it glorious and a direct hit with the sound I have been looking for.

 

[Elvandarfist]

I would get a proper desktop AMP and DAC if you want to get the most out of these headphones. My favorite pairing right now is with my Bottlehead Crack, but not everyone likes that tube amp sound. I find it glorious and a direct hit with the sound I have been looking for.

I know that the best would be a desktop setup, but I'd like to be able to enjoy my music while watching over my sleeping one year old son at nap time (currently my only free time ) ...and also in vacation, even if it won't happen that often.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I know that the best would be a desktop setup, but I'd like to be able to enjoy my music while watching over my sleeping one year old son at nap time (currently my only free time ) ...and also in vacation, even if it won't happen that often.

Awesome idea!

Here an alternative that you may want to consider. You can get a Lotoo Paw S1 and use that as your portable solution. It sounds really good and they often times go on sale for around $110 here on head fi. Then, get a proper desktop solution for your critical listening needs.

 

[Barnstormer13]

Thought I’d throw up some headphone porn pics... My new to me Verite Closed Camphor Burl

 

[Currawong]

@Currawong just did a video review of the R6 2020. He said that it doesn't drive full sized headphones very well. Not enough head room. I'll still test it out. It wasn't one of my intended use cases, but I would like to know how well it can drive full sized headphones by themselves.

Most DAPs of that size are OK with full-sized headphones at a moderate volume, but they aren't going to be anything like a good desktop set-up. Battery life, power, functionality -- pick two, and all that.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Most DAPs of that size are OK with full-sized headphones at a moderate volume, but they aren't going to be anything like a good desktop set-up. Battery life, power, functionality -- pick two, and all that.

That is exactly what I learned in my own test. It does sound really good at moderate to low volume levels. If you want to crack up the volume with bass heavy music, it runs out of gas and starts to distort and get very shouty.

 

[Galapac]

Thought I’d throw up some headphone porn pics... My new to me Verite Closed Camphor Burl

That’s an interesting specimen of the Camphor Burl, is it the unfigured version?

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I finally received my custom headphone stand from Borykworkshop on Etsy. This stand was handmade in Ukraine by a very talented man named Yurii Boryk. I opted for an Olive Ash Burl veneer with the body of the stand made of Ukrainian Ash. There is so much Ash wood represented here with my Manchurian Ash VC’s on the stand! I think it turned out spectacular!

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I also got a black oak stand made for my blacked-out Argons.

 

[wenbinbin2010]

Thought I’d throw up some headphone porn pics... My new to me Verite Closed Camphor Burl

You should post a wider picture of your listening station! That leather chair looks comfy. I imagine hours are lost just sitting there listening to music and looking out the windows.