[bryceu]

I'm looking for a closed-back solution but I'm currently not in a position for a second Verite.
If you could only have one closed-back headphone to pair with the VO, and you can't pick VC, what would it be?
It doesn't have to be limited to ZMF offerings. I would appreciate anyone's experience/suggestions.

 

[heliosphann]

Great just what I thought. Yeah the LP did the Verite no favors. I thought that the LP was not clearly better than my THX, just more laid back, less detailed. Just wondering how much better the MJ2 is as far as detail, treble extension and soundstage?

What tubes did you have in the LP? That can make a pretty big difference.

 

[Phantaminum]

Great just what I thought. Yeah the LP did the Verite no favors. I thought that the LP was not clearly better than my THX, just more laid back, less detailed. Just wondering how much better the MJ2 is as far as detail, treble extension and soundstage?

I think they're about the same. From memory the MJ2 has more slam but other then that they're both a bit different in their presentation.

The LP is more laid back while the MJ2 is more aggressive. As an example: I did not enjoy the Hifiman HEX V2 on the MJ2 but thought the Ananda sounded great out of Liquid Platinum. Flipping it around, I thought the Aeon Flow Open sounded fantastic out of the MJ2 but found it really boring out of the LP.

 

[Torq]

If you could only have one closed-back headphone to pair with the VO, and you can't pick VC, what would it be?

My first choice, if Vérité Closed isn't an option, would be the Focal Stellia:

If the reason for not being able to go for a Vérité Closed would also preclude the Stellia, then of the other flagship closed-backs I've owned, I would probably go with either the HD820 (which very much doesn't work for everyone) or the the Eikon - though both are quite a departure from the Vérité (and Stellia):

All pictured are mine ... or were at the time, the TH900 MK2 and MDR-Z1R have since been sold (they were never going to get any use after the Stellia showed up, let alone once the Vérité Closed arrived).

 

[mixman]

What tubes did you have in the LP? That can make a pretty big difference.

That's just it.....I didn't think the tubes changed the sound enough. I had the stock EH, Gold Lions and JJ tubes. I was advised that most NOS tubes wouldn't be for me because I already thought the LP was too laid back. The problem was is the very nature of the LP could not be changed even with tube rolls....which was it's laid back overly warm sound.

I think they're about the same. From memory the MJ2 has more slam but other then that they're both a bit different in their presentation.

The LP is more laid back while the MJ2 is more aggressive. As an example: I did not enjoy the Hifiman HEX V2 on the MJ2 but thought the Ananda sounded great out of Liquid Platinum. Flipping it around, I thought the Aeon Flow Open sounded fantastic out of the MJ2 but found it really boring out of the LP.

So basically, most amps at this price point just offer a different set of compromises, strengths and weaknesses as opposed to a clearly better sound than others at this price point?

 

[JLoud]

I have the Soy Z1R and really like them. They have great bass slam and dig deep. But are a very relaxed sound. Easy to listen to for hours, but still detailed. They just don't scream "Look at Me!" as so many other TOTL headphones do. A nice contrast to my LCD4 and Abyss Tc. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Phantaminum]

That's just it.....I didn't think the tubes changed the sound enough. I had the stock EH, Gold Lions and JJ tubes. I was advised that most NOS tubes wouldn't be for me because I already thought the LP was too laid back. The problem was is the very nature of the LP could not be changed even with tube rolls....which was it's laid back overly warm sound.



So basically, most amps at this price point just offer a different set of compromises, strengths and weaknesses as opposed to a clearly better sound than others at this price point?

That's the way I see it.

I'll say that the MJ2 is a little more sensitive to tube rolling compared to the LP so it's about pairing it with the right headphone that really makes the biggest difference. With the caveat - to my ears of course.

 

[bryceu]

Thanks @Torq for the suggestions. Stellia is out of my budget as well. HD820 got a brief listen at CanJam but didn't leave much impression. Definitely considering Eikon. Your photos are always so nice!

@Phantaminum I feel like the Mj2 changes from tube rolling more than I expected considering its hybrid design. More so than the Valhalla 2 did, more than the ZDT Jr, but not as much as the BHC does.

@JLoud Cool thanks. I'll watch some reviews and look more into the Sonys.

 

[nishan99]

Here's a summary of my notes I took from my time spent at the Schiitr with my ZMF Verite (VO) a couple weeks ago. Hoping this serves some people to get impressions of how the VO pairs with various Schiit amps. All listening was done with the Verite lambskin pads, and any amp that features XLR output, only the XLR was tested.

• Jotunheim (+ Multibit Card) - Hi-Gain 9:30 o'clock - Nice dynamics. Bright. Nice detail resolution. Very nice slam/impact, bass transients are fast. Layering and separation could be better, can get congested sounding. Black background.
• Asgard 3 (+ Multibit Card) - Hi-Gain 12 o'clock - Not as dynamic as Jotunheim. A bit lacking in sub-bass, full and present mid-bass. Somewhat busy and congested. Treble seems uneven, although not as bright as Jotunheim. Slam is good, but not as fast as Jotunheim. Stage is more 3D than Jotunheim, felt similar to ZDT Jr in this regard, more frontal depth to stage. Seemed "powerful" but didn't have full control of driver.
• Valhalla 2 (+ Bifrost) - Hi-gain 11 o'clock - Slight noise from tube + scratch from volume pot. Highs are dry and pronounced. Bass has quantity but also bloomy. Stage depth is good but imaging is blurry. Poor dynamics. Mid texture is good and engaging. Highs uneven, somewhat aggressive sound. Upper-mid dip of Verite is more noticeable here. Feels V shaped.
• Lyr 3 (+ Multibit Card) - Hi-gain 10am - Coherent sound. Significantly rolled off detail. Lacking snap and speed. Poor micro-dynamics. Flat stage, poor imaging.
• Mjjolnir 2 (+ Gungir Multibit) - Hi-gain 9:30 o'clock - Major improvements to separation and layering. Powerful and full sound, while maintaining excellent detail and texture. Very articulate and fast. Bass texture is great, slam is excellent. Micro-dynamics are superb. Mostly linear sound, although some songs felt slightly bright. Pleasantly airy. Nice stage width.

*As a side note I felt the Gumby is creating a good deal of the sound improvements with the Mjolnir 2. I tested both the Gumby fed into Jotunheim, and the Jotunheim's MB Card fed into the Mj2 as well. The layering and separation of the Gumby is clearly superior, as well as detail retrieval and staging. However, the Jotunheim was unable to deliver these improvements in the same fashion that the Mj2 was. Tonally the Mj2 was superior to the Jotunheim when paired with the Jotunheim built in MB card.

Overall I spent about 3 hours listening to the various amps and DACs.
In order of preference I would say; Mjolnir 2, Jotunheim, Asgard 3, Lyr 3, Valhalla 2.
The Lyr 3 suffered from too much detail roll-off to be worth considering with the Verite in my book.
The Valhalla 2 had that least linear sound signature with too many other faults.
The Asgard 3 was generally "good" but didn't excel in any area other than nice stage depth.
The Jotunheim had a lot of positives but it was definitely bright, but since the Verite isn't a brighter headphone I think this pairing was good.
The Mjolnir 2 (with or without the Gumby) had the least negative adjectives in my notes, and the most positive. The Mj2 seemed to have the best control of the VO driver and nice stage benefits of having tube (hybrid) design.

*Another side-note: FWIW, I've previously owned the Modi 2 Uber, Modi Multibit, Magni 3, Asgard 2, Valhalla 2, Jotunheim. I wouldn't call myself a proponent nor opponent of Schiit products. I have had success and enjoyment from owning their gear over the years, but I wouldn't go out of my way to own their products either.

Since my visit to the Schiitr I purchased a used Mjolnir 2 and have been enjoying it. I have a Liquid Platinum coming in the mail tomorrow as well and look forward to spending a good amount of time comparing those two.

Cheers.

Nice impressions and I am looking for your LP vs MJ2 impressions.
Although I advise you to try and use low gain with some amplifiers, ideally keeping the volume knob around 12-1 o'clock, it does sound better that way in my experience.

That's just it.....I didn't think the tubes changed the sound enough. I had the stock EH, Gold Lions and JJ tubes. I was advised that most NOS tubes wouldn't be for me because I already thought the LP was too laid back. The problem was is the very nature of the LP could not be changed even with tube rolls....which was it's laid back overly warm sound.



So basically, most amps at this price point just offer a different set of compromises, strengths and weaknesses as opposed to a clearly better sound than others at this price point?

You may look at this amp (not in the same price point
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/oblivion-ultrasonic-studios.902926/

 

[mixman]

That's the way I see it.

I'll say that the MJ2 is a little more sensitive to tube rolling compared to the LP so it's about pairing it with the right headphone that really makes the biggest difference. With the caveat - to my ears of course.

Nice impressions and I am looking for your LP vs MJ2 impressions.
Although I advise you to try and use low gain with some amplifiers, ideally keeping the volume knob around 12-1 o'clock, it does sound better that way in my experience.



You may look at this amp (not in the same price point
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/oblivion-ultrasonic-studios.902926/

I see you both own this amp and I would gather this is a real step up from something like an MJ2 or LP? I like the look, although it seems large. How long is the wait for the build?

Right now I am probably still looking at more of an interim amp, or at least a different flavor form the THX until I get to the over $1K amps.

 

[nishan99]

I see you both own this amp and I would gather this is a real step up from something like an MJ2 or LP? I like the look, although it seems large. How long is the wait for the build?

Right now I am probably still looking at more of an interim amp, or at least a different flavor form the THX until I get to the over $1K amps.

No I don't, I just stumbled upon this amp when I was searching for an upgrade from the THX.
Yeah it's huge and the build time is around 1 month. i didn't buy it because of its massive size and shipping cost.

 

[nishan99]

When you the feel texture thawing down your chest!
(verite lambskin pads+EQ)

 

[TylersEclectic]

I'm looking for a closed-back solution but I'm currently not in a position for a second Verite.
If you could only have one closed-back headphone to pair with the VO, and you can't pick VC, what would it be?
It doesn't have to be limited to ZMF offerings. I would appreciate anyone's experience/suggestions.

Personally, I daily used the Focal Elegia, they aren’t going to wow you, but they shouldn’t disappoint either! I find them to be the closest thing to a closed back Clear. But depending on your sound profile preference, another really fun closed back is the Campfire Audio Cascade (I recommend getting the XL pads for it). Or depending on use case...a pretty good Bluetooth option is the Audeze Mobius...has a ton of tech built into it...but is “gamer” targeted. Hope that gave you some options to research and rabbit hole on

edit: I really need to get better at reading ahead before responding lol @Torq suggestions are spot on, I’ve not owned the Stellia but it is probably my second favorite sounding closed back. 1= Verite Closed, #3 is HD820 (with proper fitting/seal) #4 Focal Elegia, #5 CA Cascade, #6 TH-X00 (but these actually feel more semi open/closed, as they leak noise both in/out)

 

[bryceu]

Personally, I daily used the Focal Elegia, they aren’t going to wow you, but they shouldn’t disappoint either! I find them to be the closest thing to a closed back Clear. But depending on your sound profile preference, another really fun closed back is the Campfire Audio Cascade (I recommend getting the XL pads for it). Or depending on use case...a pretty good Bluetooth option is the Audeze Mobius...has a ton of tech built into it...but is “gamer” targeted. Hope that gave you some options to research and rabbit hole on

edit: I really need to get better at reading ahead before responding lol @Torq suggestions are spot on, I’ve not owned the Stellia but it is probably my second favorite sounding closed back. 1= Verite Closed, #3 is HD820 (with proper fitting/seal) #4 Focal Elegia, #5 CA Cascade, #6 TH-X00 (but these actually feel more semi open/closed, as they leak noise both in/out)

Right on, Maybe I’ll just have to wait awhile and pick up a VC, and settle for in ears in the meantime.

 

[Marutks]

Is ZMF Verite as comfy as Focal Stellia headphones? Can you wear them for long time with no issues?
Do you know if Verite cans had discounted price at CanJam London?

I bought my Stellia cans at CanJam London. They are super comfy. So much better than audeze!