[Bassic Needs]

I recommend the Drop THX AAA 789. I don't think there's anything to be gained going to a more expensive amp. It can drive the VC at about 60% power and its measurements put it in like the top 1% of amps.

at 13:20

 

[Nostoi]

at 13:20

See also here - https://darko.audio/2020/10/moving-upfield-sparkos-labs-aries/

"One might think of it as the previously-reviewed Drop x THX AAA 789 amplifier taken to its logical extreme, without suffering that model’s somewhat constricted staging. Folks who dig the Drop device will be thrilled with the performance of the Aries, as would just about anyone else looking for extreme accuracy in their amplifier."

///

To be honest, I've had the 789 and a few of the variants, and they're not in the same ballpark. The former to my ears was very dry, analytical, and not terribly engaging, the latter is resolving, exact, but very musical. I would say the one area where one should be prepared to spend good money in one's audio chain is with the amp.

 

[Bassic Needs]

Has anyone A/B'd the Sparkos Aries and ZMF Pendant on the Verite Closed?

 

[audiowhatfi]

at 13:20

Heck yes! There are amps that can add some of their own uniqueness to the sound (warmth, sparkle, etc). These THX amps are just plain neutral so present the sound of the headphones. really depends on what you are looking for but for the price of a used THX or even topping A90 you can power the ZMF headphones and if you don’t like the presentation from the amp it’s not as if the price of the amp can’t be someone recouped by selling and trying something different. I really liked the Asgard 3 with my zmfs (added warmth, apparently I like some warmth lol) and that amp was 200 usd. Some great choices out there for sure. Then you can roll over into tube amps which I have zero experience, but there are plenty on here that could chime in about the tubey goodness.

 

[Nostoi]

Has anyone A/B'd the Sparkos Aries and ZMF Pendant on the Verite Closed?

I hope to soon (I'm deciding between Pedant SE and MHA200 with a leaning toward former)

 

[Bassic Needs]

I hope to soon (I'm deciding between Pedant SE and MHA200 with a leaning toward former)

I assumed I would get the Pendant SE, but somewhat reluctantly so. I'd rather avoid the tube rolling guessing game, tube price inflation, limited life time of tubes, etc. If a solid state choice is competitive, I'm very interested.

 

[Nostoi]

I assumed I would get the Pendant SE, but somewhat reluctantly so. I'd rather avoid the tube rolling guessing game, tube price inflation, limited life time of tubes, etc. If a solid state choice is competitive, I'm very interested.

I agree with that. When I had tube amps before, I spent an inordinate amount of time (and money) looking for NOS "holy grail" tubes on ebay, most of which didn't sound terribly impressive (in the end, the best sounding tubes were like $50 or something as opposed to $500). Plus, it was hard to verify much of their authenticity. Having said that, I do want to see how Pendant SE compares but I'm unlikely to go down the tube rolling route again.

 

[erics75]

I assumed I would get the Pendant SE, but somewhat reluctantly so. I'd rather avoid the tube rolling guessing game, tube price inflation, limited life time of tubes, etc. If a solid state choice is competitive, I'm very interested.

If your headphones are all high ohm dynamics like ZMF/Sennheiser another tube option is the Ampsandsound Kenzie. It uses tube types that are cheap and readily available. It’s not good for hard to power planars though. What I like about it is the tubes it uses don’t vary the sound much so you don’t have to worry about tube rolling. As long as the tubes are quiet you’re good to go.

 

[AngryTank]

I’m very satisfied with the $90 I spent on tubes with my Pendant SE, now I’m hoping when I get my VC, that it sounds just as good, I would really like to avoid buying multiple tubes, but I’m going to try and put off spending exorbitant amounts on tube rolling.

 

[JelStIy]

Is there a consensus opinion on how vocal-heavy songs sound on the VC? When I ordered them, I went by the “official” reviews, which gushed about the vocals, but it seems that the opinions of real world users are more varied.

 

[LoryWiv]

I agree with that. When I had tube amps before, I spent an inordinate amount of time (and money) looking for NOS "holy grail" tubes on ebay, most of which didn't sound terribly impressive (in the end, the best sounding tubes were like $50 or something as opposed to $500). Plus, it was hard to verify much of their authenticity. Having said that, I do want to see how Pendant SE compares but I'm unlikely to go down the tube rolling route again.

Ah but but it's such fun! Expensive, maddening and and on some occasions very much worth it fun (IMO).

 

[johnnypaddock]

For whatever reason, I switched to my Hybrid tube amp this evening and started comparing headphones. I was surprised how good the VC sounded from the hybrid.

Ultimately I found the sound fatiguing compared to my tube amp so I switched back but there were areas where the VC shone. Now I’m wondering if maybe I just haven’t heard the VC with a good enough SS amp. Anyone prefer their VC through a SS amp?

My favorite amp for the VC is the GSX-Mini... It actually has a similar sound to the Pendant with upgraded tubes in my experience, although with a much lower noise floor. Fast as hell, detailed without being bright/harsh, great dynamics and sounds great with all types of music. It is rock solid with an even handed presentation. I love it with the VO and Auteur as well. It falls just short of the spooky 3D space around instruments that great tube amps can provide, but its strengths more than make up for it. Great amp, especially with the VC.

 

[lalawilson168]

For whatever reason, I switched to my Hybrid tube amp this evening and started comparing headphones. I was surprised how good the VC sounded from the hybrid.

Ultimately I found the sound fatiguing compared to my tube amp so I switched back but there were areas where the VC shone. Now I’m wondering if maybe I just haven’t heard the VC with a good enough SS amp. Anyone prefer their VC through a SS amp?

Yea I dont quite understand why the OTL tube magic which should match higher impedance HPs (also with Eikons and Auteurs) are to my ears completely not applicable to the VCs. I run my VCs on the FA-12 and sounds awesome, I tried it on Magni Hersey or Whammy, all sound good, but just not my OTL tube amps, which again, I have no idea why.

 

[Nostoi]

Ah but but it's such fun! Expensive, maddening and and on some occasions very much worth it fun (IMO).

It was kinda fun going on the search, but many of the tubes that were meant to be "holy grail" where Russian, and figuring which the Russian/Ukraine sellers on Ebay were legit was arduous. The ones I ended up liking the best where a matched pair of Hungarian Tungsram E88CCs, which were cheap as chips. That's the thing - with tubes, you basically have to demo yourself until you find something you like. No reviews can help, because it's all dependent on the total system.

 

[whirlwind]

Yea I dont quite understand why the OTL tube magic which should match higher impedance HPs (also with Eikons and Auteurs) are to my ears completely not applicable to the VCs. I run my VCs on the FA-12 and sounds awesome, I tried it on Magni Hersey or Whammy, all sound good, but just not my OTL tube amps, which again, I have no idea why.

That is very weird about the VC not sounding good with an OTL amp as they are a very nice match.
Just goes to show you different strokes for different folks and just how subjective sound can be.

On the SS note, I have never heard the GS-X Mini...but I own its big brother and the amp is a real work horse and a fantastic piece of gear.
Great for the times when you want a completely black back round and a neutral sound....some say it is bright, but when paired with R2R dac it is anything but.