[Nostoi]

Camphor Burl has a rating of 1800, which is between monkeypod and Olive. That might mean more choices in pad rolling (completely debatable). Is it accurate to say most monkeypod owners preferr the Auteur Lambskin or some type of solid lambskin? I could be wrong.

I literally have no idea what this rating scheme is about.

I listen with my ears, not with graphs and ratings, and I'm fairly sure subjective preferences can't be quantified and classified in the way you're seeking to do.

 

[Wes S]

This is definitely a first for me, hearing that a certain pad works with a certain wood, and others don't. I think the rest of the gear in the chain and even cables used matter more than wood type. Also, we all have different preferences and ideas of what sounds "correct". I wish it were as easy as saying you have this wood use this pad, but following this thread from the start suggest otherwise.

 

[Tubewin]

Janka rating is a scheme? You don't think it could be helpful to know if a particular wood can affect sound, so that someone might not have to purchase 8 different pads to find out which pad might work best for what wood? It's not a rule that I'm trying to set, it's to find out a pattern that might help people decide what pads to go with. I don't gain anything from this but insight and knowledge. When I see a pattern I look into it. That's just my personality.

 

[Nostoi]

Janka rating is a scheme? You don't think it could be helpful to know if a particular wood can affect sound, so that someone might not have to purchase 8 different pads to find out which pad might work best for what wood? It's not a rule that I'm trying to set, it's to find out a pattern that might help people decide what pads to go with. I don't gain anything from this but insight and knowledge. When I see a pattern I look into it. That's just my personality.

Yup, I'm going to bail on this conversation.

@zach915m has given an unequivocal response above that confirms audible differences in wood is contingent on *subjective experience.* That same is no less true for pads.

We live in a world of indeterminate affective states and moods (I study them for a living), so while I wish you good luck with your pattern match quest, I doubt you'll gain the knowledge you're seeking.

 

[Tubewin]

Yup, I'm going to bail on this conversation.

@zach915m has given an unequivocal response above that confirms audible differences in wood is contingent on *subjective experience.* That same is no less true for pads.

We live in a world of indeterminate affective states and moods (I study them for a living), so while I wish you good luck with your pattern match quest, I doubt you'll gain the knowledge you're seeking.

Fair enough.

 

[breckstar]

Maybe I'm just to used to planar sound ( I own 6 ) but even my th900 that are considered V shaped don't have that veil. I don't want to knock these headphones because I do think they are very beautiful and comfortable so it's probably a case of different strokes for different folks

Have you tried eq? It’s free. I notice that if I boost the 3k-5k región (the big dip if you look at the FR) there is noticeably more life.

 

[Tubewin]

Yup, I'm going to bail on this conversation.

@zach915m has given an unequivocal response above that confirms audible differences in wood is contingent on *subjective experience.* That same is no less true for pads.

We live in a world of indeterminate affective states and moods (I study them for a living), so while I wish you good luck with your pattern match quest, I doubt you'll gain the knowledge you're seeking.

When there are enough "subjective [experiences]" that lean towards a particular direction, shouldn't there be some exploration and investigation to see if, nothing else, a pattern has formed? There are outliers, I was trying to find what the majority of people with certain woods chose what pads. Of course, I understand the subjective element to music and the way we hear sound in general. But that shouldn't stop someone from looking for a pattern, even though it may not always be true in every case, it may represent a majority of cases. I was just trying to see if my speculations had a leg to stand on. It was more to reaffirm or debunk a pattern that I was noticing out of curiosity, not to challenge other people's ideas and notions on what variable has the biggest impact on sound. Again, I respect your view, albeit not very open.

 

[zach915m]

In other ZMF related news - we are working really hard today to get a lot of Stabilized sets out - both VC and Aeolus:



This one is going "To the Moon"



Kareila - A Vivacious, deep and beautiful landscape!

Some photo's of the cards getting laser etched:

 

[kadinh]

Wow those are beautiful!

 

[Monsterzero]

I know @Monsterzero did a great video review which I can't find ATM, but @heliosphann and myself had some input about the

Oddly my review is on page one of this thread.

Wood density could definitely affect the sound... I mean there are a lot of reviewers on youtube and this forum that share an observable pattern. I can say for sure, Auteur Lambskin does not work for Olive wood. The Auteur hybrid accentuates sibilance and has harsher highs but overall is a good pairing (with the Olive model). There will be more olive owners soon, so we'll see I guess.

Zach clarified this above, and I have echoed the same sentiments a few times over the years. I can hear a slight difference in the amount of reverb injected into the sound, softer the wood more reverb off of the cups.

Having the luxury of having two VOs in my possession for several weeks and doing multiple a/b listening for different characteristics, I ended up keeping the VO that looked better.

TL;DR

Pad and tube rolling can both have a dramatic impact on the sound, wood janka rating only slightly....( to my ears, YMMV )

 

[Tubewin]

Oddly my review is on page one of this thread.

Zach clarified this above, and I have echoed the same sentiments a few times over the years. I can hear a slight difference in the amount of reverb injected into the sound, softer the wood more reverb off of the cups.

Having the luxury of having two VOs in my possession for several weeks and doing multiple a/b listening for different characteristics, I ended up keeping the VO that looked better.

TL;DR

Pad and tube rolling can both have a dramatic impact on the sound, wood janka rating only slightly....( to my ears, YMMV )

Definitely not arguing that pad and tube rolling has a more dramatic effect on sound nor am I disagreeing with you on Janka ratings. It was more that it "could" have an effect on what pads people chose.

 

[Monsterzero]

Definitely not arguing that pad and tube rolling has a more dramatic effect on sound nor am I disagreeing with you on Janka ratings. It was more that it "could" have an effect on what pads people chose.

Yup...We all hear and perceive things in our sensory experiences differently.

 

[Tubewin]

I mean I must have watched your review on VC's dozens of times in anticipation of receiving my own pair (Great review by the way). I remembered you said you liked the Auteur lambskin with the loan unit monkey pod VC's. Hearing that and other people's experiences had me curious, especially after receiving my own pair.

 

[robo24]

Out of curiosity, what type of VC's do you have? Reason why I ask is I'm starting to think that the Janka rating affects what pads people are choosing. For example Zeos was adamant about using Eikon suedes and he was listening to VC Ironwoods (which had a Janka rating of 3260!). Olive wood, according to The Wood Database, has a Janka rating of around 2700 and like Zeos, I prefer the suedes. And I'm going to assume that the monkeypod (Janka rating of 900) VC's might sound a little too slow and rolled off with the Eikon suedes. Curious to hear from others if there is a similar pattern.

Ultimately if your ears agree, that's all that matters. Mine are stabilized maple burl. If you didn't like the universe leather you may like the suede versions. For me they make the soundstage more impressively large and holographic. Opinions are all over the place on pads. One reviewer promoted solid suede pads on the Auteur, which for me completely ruins them. The thing about the pads is that used ones are for sale regularly and if you buy them new to try you can probably sell them for 2/3 of what you paid which to me seems like a justifiable expense to get the most out of such expensive headphones.

 

[Tubewin]

Ultimately if your ears agree, that's all that matters. Mine are stabilized maple burl. If you didn't like the universe leather you may like the suede versions. For me they make the soundstage more impressively large and holographic. Opinions are all over the place on pads. One reviewer promoted solid suede pads on the Auteur, which for me completely ruins them. The thing about the pads is that used ones are for sale regularly and if you buy them new to try you can probably sell them for 2/3 of what you paid which to me seems like a justifiable expense to get the most out of such expensive headphones.

I just purchased the BE2 solid suede and the Universe Suede pads. Should be interesting.