Well, timing is everything isn't it? Now it looks like I'm copying heliosphann, but I too had these headphones on loan for a while...this writing is difficult for me and has been a long time coming (thanks for your patience Zach!!)
Anyway...
The Truths of ZMF
I fell in love with the ZMF “house sound” when I heard the Vibro MKii at my first Head-Fi meet in 2015. That led me to becoming a ZMF owner in 2017 when I received my order for the 1st run of the cherry Eikon. There’s something about Zach’s tuning that just resonates with my preferences, and the Verite series is no exception. I was quite fortunate that Zach was able to lend me a Silkwood Verite Open (VO)& a MonkeyPod Verite closed (VC) for an extended listen.
The looks are striking, IMO quite beautiful, but I imagine not everyone would agree. It seems to me however that the excellence in build quality is all but undeniable. It’s no secret that Zach loves working with wood, and that passion shows. The fit and finish is top notch, and comfort is deceptively good for the weight of the headphone. I never had any issues other than warm ears to distract me from the listening experience, that includes the VC (approximately 450-475g) which is heavier than the VO (approximately 410-420g).
Before I offer my listening impressions, I’ll start with a little about myself and other points of interest. I’m over 50 years old and have less than perfect hearing. I’ve been a music lover for as long as I can remember, and my preferences lean toward the warm side of neutral. I’m a huge believer in the “my ears/your ears” axiom, and I believe the signal chain makes a difference. Feel free to liberally add as many mental IMOs and YMMVs as you want while reading.
My chain for playback is various WAV, FLAC, & MP3 files from my refurbed HP Elite Desk via USB to a Gungnir D/S (Gen5 USB) to either my ifi Pro iCan or DNA Sonnet 2. Although both headphones have a distinct preference for tubes, they both sounded fantastic from the ifi. I burned in both headphones for over 200 hours before critical listening. Whereas both are relatively easy to drive for 300 ohm headphones, they definitely benefit from better amplification and scale with more revealing sources as well.
Isolation with the VC is top tier in my experience, blocking at least as much noise as any other headphone I’ve heard. This isn’t surprising since Zach has stated this is the most “closed” headphone he’s made with only one port on each earcup. The VO of course doesn’t isolate at all, being Zach’s most “open” headphone to date. Even though that is the case, it seems obvious that this is a partially open design. Cup reverb is indeed part of the charm of the sound signature, but it doesn’t sound claustrophobic either. Obviously the VO has minimal isolation being a mostly open backed headphone.
The Pads
Before I go any further, any discussion of ZMF headphones in general, and the Verite series in particular would be incomplete with out at least touching on the pad choices. The different pads don’t change the personality of the headphone if you will, but they can fine tune the listening experience significantly. The different pad options can be confusing, but one rule of thumb makes it a little easier: Perforated pads match with the open headphones, and the solid pads with the closed back variety. Using that rule, I’ll forego using “perforated” & “solid” when referring to the pads on a particular headphone for the sake of brevity.
With the Verite Open, the pads on hand were the stock Universe pads, the Verite pads & the Universe suede pads, each bringing a slightly different sonic flavor. I quickly settled on the Universe (lambskin) pads as my favorite sounding. They made the VO the most open and spacious sounding, and they gave the mids the most lush presentation of the 3 (which aligns best with my preferences). The Verite pads brought the midbass down a notch or two, keeping the subbass in tact. It also closed in the headstage a bit without collapsing it. The Universe suede was somewhat of the middle ground, with a touch more mid bass added and “opening up the venue” a bit. The attack of the notes were also just a touch slower to my ear.
The pad options for the Verite Closed were the Auteur pads and the Universe pads. My preference was for the Auteur pads as they have the larger headstage, and has the more lush presentation of the mids. I thought that the Universe pads were the more “alive” of the two, faster and more “in your face”. Whereas I think I could live with any of the open pads, I just wasn’t enamored with the Universe pads.
The Usual Rundown
Both the VO & the VC have a wide and expansive headstage, not sounding exaggerated, nor too narrow in any direction. Very Goldilocks for my tastes. The VC is quite notable for being the most spacious sounding closed back headphone I’ve ever heard. I don’t like to say it sounds “open” because there is little air movement passing through the headphone, however the sense of space is beguiling. The headstage actually sounds about the same size to me, maybe the VO being a little wider but it sounds as if the VC puts you in a larger venue if that makes sense.
Resolution is among the best I’ve heard from any headphone. Many people seem to be looking for the 2nd coming of the HD650 and attribute that moniker on many headphones. The Verite is not that headphone. At all. The similarity I do hear between them is in how delicately nuances are translated to the ear. There is a ton of information with either headphone, but for the most part it’s not “in your face”, despite the speed of the Verite(s) driver(s).
Bass is very well extended, rather tight, and impactful. More of a sub bass emphasis than mid bass, though bass as a whole is very well represented. This is not strictly what most would call a neutral tuning, but I found it very tastefully done, as well as addicting to listen to. Not surprisingly, the VC is the more hard hitting of the two, but the VO is no slouch at all. Everything from acoustic bass, which was a joy to listen to, to all matter of EDM was wonderfully engrossing for my tastes.
The midrange I found lush overall, The VO a little dip in the upper mids/lower treble, but nothing egregious to my ear. The VC has a bit more of a pronounced dip and a rise in the trebles compared to the VO, but again the tonality is very similar between the two. I found no fault to male nor female vocals, though those who prefer the linearity of the Auteur may be disappointed to a degree.
Treble seems to be a bit more rolled off with the VC, but not a bother at all to my ears definitely smoother, less rough. Either the VO or the VC seem to be extended well enough, certainly past the limits of my aging ears. There was sufficient air and shimmer, but never passing into glare nor sounding strident excepting maybe the most poorly recorded songs, and this could easily be revealing the limits of my D/S DAC.
Some Comparisons
I thought it might be helpful to throw in a couple of comparisons with the two ZMFs I personally own. Since those headphones are the previously mentioned Cherry Eikon & a Sapele Aeolus, it follows that I’d compare the Eikon to the VC & the Aeolus to the VO.
To start with the VO/Eikon, I’ll say that though the VC is definitely a class above, the comparison was closer than I thought that it would be. The most notable difference is that the VC has a wider headstage, seemingly throwing sound around my head in a manner that belies a closed back headphone. The Eikon is indeed not deficient to my ears in this regard, in fact it was the widest sounding closed back I’d heard until the VC. The VC also had the distinction of handling busy passages better as well as bit better detail retrieval overall.
The Eikon on the other hand has more of a sub bass kick that I still enjoy. Mid bass is somewhat on par level wise, though the VC is tighter. Eikon also has a more hollow sounding female vocal range with some recordings, as well as more incisive treble, in particular around 5khz. Unfortunately that’s a double edged sword for me since I find it can be a bit fatiguing with the wrong recording, though that’s not often in my case. Both are indeed a very enjoyable listen, but the VC would be my preference.
Moving on to a comparison of the VO/Aeolus, the VO’s speed is the 1st thing I think of. The fast attack (guitar/violin string bite, drum snap) is the most lively I’ve heard from a dynamic driver headphone (though by all reports Focal’s Utopia either matches it or beats it). The Aeolus is more smooth sounding, though not smeared nor indistinct. This is most obvious with a direct comparison I think, since the VO is sharper, but not sharp per se. The VO has more detail but I don’t think it’s by a wide margin. More sub bass with the VO, though the Aeolus does have good extension even if it doesn’t hit as hard.
Aeolus is more lush sounding overall, but again I never find it to be mushy. There’s more mid bass here, but it’s not overpowering. Bass doesn’t bleed into the mids, which are lush yet detailed. There’s also less treble here in comparison with the VO, but I rarely find it to be lacking. The VO isn’t too sharp, just more present in comparison. I definitely wouldn’t call the headstage small but when being compared to the VO, which is more expansive, you can’t help but notice the difference. The most welcome benefit of the Aeolus’ tuning is that it’s more forgiving of poor recordings and is never sibilant.
Zach has outdone himself with his latest creations. The VO/VC are beautiful looking and incredible sounding headphones. Between the beautiful craftsmanship and enrapturing sound ZMF has created both an open back & closed back flagship that I’d personally love to own.
