[AudioDuck]

Strongly agree with others here - both my Atriums and VCs changed more than any other headphone I've had through burn in. Was just listening to my VCs this evening and was marveling how much I enjoy them and how they've really bloomed since I first got them. They're special.

I’m beginning to suspect that my VCs aren’t even burned yet.

Not that I have any complaints whatsoever- quite the contrary- but I don’t think they have more than 25-30 hours of play time…

 

[Wes S]

The VC's definitely sound better with burn-in as everyone has mentioned, however I actually think it takes more than 100 hours and it's more like around the 300 hour mark that they really come alive.

 

[whirlwind]

I just spent 30 minutes spraying my VC on the rubber washer under gimble to get rid of annoying squeak only to find out all I had to do was raise the splitter on my headphone cable a couple of inches.

 

[busseysound]

The VC's definitely sound better with burn-in as everyone has mentioned, however I actually think it takes more than 100 hours and it's more like around the 300 hour mark that they really come alive.

Agreed. Seemed like 250 or 300 and the "richer" life was coming through.

 

[jgwtriode]

Agreed. Seemed like 250 or 300 and the "richer" life was coming through.

Unequivocally! I have found that even running Tara Labs Cascade Burn-in occasionally helps liven up the sound and detail just a bit. It may be a bit of the Sheffield Labs TDMS. Time Domain Magnetic issues. Lost my disc for that and now they are completely unavailable. I wonder if the Tara Labs Cascade does some of the same things. I generally run it once every other week for at least 20 plus hours just because it just seems to subtly improve everything rerunning it periodically.

Happy listening

jgwtriode

 

[jgwtriode]

Just a little side note for those of you who tinker with clamping force and seal. I like my VC's with a fair amount of pressure to make sure I get a good tight seal. Again I find a bit of rebending every few weeks helps keep them nice and snug. Everything is just a bit more precise and refined after doing this and there is a slight extra snap and kick to the lower frequencies and the PRAT.

Happy listening,

jgwtriode

 

[intedinator]

Just a little side note for those of you who tinker with clamping force and seal. I like my VC's with a fair amount of pressure to make sure I get a good tight seal. Again I find a bit of rebending every few weeks helps keep them nice and snug. Everything is just a bit more precise and refined after doing this and there is a slight extra snap and kick to the lower frequencies and the PRAT.

Happy listening,

jgwtriode

Same here. In my experience seal integrity changes the amount of bass; ear-to-driver distance changes the impact of bass (direct vs reflected sound?); and the ear-to-driver angle (pad rotation, headphone angle on head) changes the soundstage. That is an over simplification, as there are interactions between all of those adjustments (e.g. rotating pads to improve seal also adjusts distance and angle slightly, and any change will have some impact on tonality). Aside from an overtly broken seal, the changes in sound appear to me to be trade-offs between different kinds of goodness, and provide some easy tuning based on mood and genre. I do also find myself adjusting the clamping force every couple of weeks, which makes me wonder if the band relaxes over time.

 

[jgwtriode]

It does seem that the steel band does relax it a bit over weeks of use. So I find at least every couple of weeks it needs tweaking and I notice the PRAT, slam, noise level and detail drift off just a bit. So at that point bend it some more and then enjoy that pleasingly snug feeling. Love how the crescent band just wraps and literally embraces your head. Even with the weight of the VC's you don't feel it with the crescents. Also tinkered with the rigidity of my under computer platform. Shimmed the Mapleshade three point brassfooters; which make the overall structure slightly more rigid; which you can feel, shimmy test, and also hear in terms of more precise sound.

Happy listening,

jgwtriode

 

[jgwtriode]

New years eve listening....nothing better to do when your old and single. But decided to do more tuning on my platforms with very pleasing and noticeable results. Yanked one of the mapleshade tripoints at the bottom of my 7 layer computer iso stack. Replaced it with a DH cone which I built up to the same level as the tripoints. Used Mad Sci Carbon Ceramic Graphene Sample pucks in multiples to create proper height. I also found aluminum shims on top the other two brass tripoints, as well as above my DIY Carbon Ceramic Footer worked wonders. These sit under a DIY Ikea lack shelf double layer air table. It uses 4 8" bladders and one Central 10" filled to 1/3!

Moving from hard to harder is the sense I generally have layering cones and shims. So to impedance match the aluminum I glued a quarter between the mad sci puck stack and the aluminum shim. The result is even slightly more rigidity. Immediate improvement in PRAT, slam, detail and weight of bass with highs a bit more airy. Midrange better balanced and slightly more present. And even better integration and flow. Then did one other change to better match my smaller brass cones under my Mapleshade block that is under my digital stack. I had used nickels as shims to match height of single DH cone under it. Had some thin brass plate which I have cut other shims I use in the system. Placed brass shim above the cones under my other Mapleshade block, again better impedance match to the cones. I also shim the cones at the point which feeds into my double layer Ikea lack shelf DIY air table. Four 10" air bladders between them filled about 1/3. This, the shims improved tone and harmonics particularly in the mids, but also added a hint more texture in the bass and a slightly sweeter bloom in the highs. This tweaking cost me nothing but time and fiddling with existing materials. But sounds like I upgraded almost a component level. Made at least as big a difference as switching the fuse in my Gustard U18 from stock to Synergistic Orange. VH had them 30% off so it seemed worthwhile and it definitely was.

Pardon the state of it. Lighting at night not the best! Still tweaking the computer. System is in progress so case is open. The second picture was my old oppo DAC! Yup system is at the foot of my bed. Rent a down stairs basement apartment. Airmid OTL sits under the DAC at a 45 degree angle, so I could squeeze a single layer DIY air table in
their.

Yeah I know I'm nuts, but ya got have your priorities. LOL!

Merry Listening and some Happy New Gear,

jgwtriode

 

[George Hincapie]

I must have around 50 hrs or so on my new VC, so just back with a quick update.

They sound so much better; the issues I identified on delivery with soundstage depth and width are gone. Detail is much improved.

I compared them to my Arya SE this evening for the first time. Still a great headphone, but I find myself preferring the presentation of VC.

So, in essence, panic over and I'm happy!

I have a couple of new cables coming to try also.

 

[David A Silva]

I must have around 50 hrs or so on my new VC, so just back with a quick update.

They sound so much better; the issues I identified on delivery with soundstage depth and width are gone. Detail is much improved.

I compared them to my Arya SE this evening for the first time. Still a great headphone, but I find myself preferring the presentation of VC.

So, in essence, panic over and I'm happy!

I have a couple of new cables coming to try also.

They will continue to break in. I gave mine 10 days running. Sweeter days are ahead my friend!

 

[AudioDuck]

They will continue to break in. I gave mine 10 days running. Sweeter days are ahead my friend!

This thread has inspired me to rig up my VCs with my DAP running 24/7, as it only had 20-30 hours on it. It’s at an appropriate listening volume with the DAP plugged in, gently nestled in its protective case so it doesn’t disturb anyone. It’s on day five now…

I think I’ll make it to seven days (~180-200 hours total play time by this weekend) before I do some in-depth listening with my tube amp. Excited to see how significant the changes are!

 

[nigel801]

has anyone tried Shanling M9 or M7 with VC and can share their experience and if cheaper M7 is a good match. Thanks

 

[yrstruly]

Hi all. Another day another pad question...

I only have the stock pads so far. 95% of the time have been using the Universe lambskin - have loved the timbre, detail, bass response and 3d presentation. Have recently started giving the Auteur lambskins a go and do enjoy the more spacious soundstage and more balanced/less dark FR, however the bass feels a wee bit flat for my liking and also feel like I'm missing some of the transients that were present with the Universe. I do find with the Universe things can get a bit fatiguing with more aggressive music (probably due to proximity of ears to drivers?), even though the bass response lends itself to that music really well.

Keen to try some new pads...assume the Universe Hybrids or the Auteur Hybrids would be the next best bet. Are the differences between those the same as between their lambskin equivalents?

 

[9bphillips]

Hi all. Another day another pad question...

I only have the stock pads so far. 95% of the time have been using the Universe lambskin - have loved the timbre, detail, bass response and 3d presentation. Have recently started giving the Auteur lambskins a go and do enjoy the more spacious soundstage and more balanced/less dark FR, however the bass feels a wee bit flat for my liking and also feel like I'm missing some of the transients that were present with the Universe. I do find with the Universe things can get a bit fatiguing with more aggressive music (probably due to proximity of ears to drivers?), even though the bass response lends itself to that music really well.

Keen to try some new pads...assume the Universe Hybrids or the Auteur Hybrids would be the next best bet. Are the differences between those the same as between their lambskin equivalents?

Check out the Autuer Hybrid. It's like the Autuer Lambskin but more refined. It's the only pad I use with my VC.