[Traiguen]

Please help me make a decision.

These are my options. ZMF Verite Open, He1000se or Diana V2. but i am open to other cans as well.
I love the ZMF house sound.

If you enjoy the ZMF house sound - as I do, I have the Verite Open, I think going this route would be your safest bet. Verite Open is a beautiful headphone and its sound; clarity & good bass has been praised to no end. This is a fun and engaging headphone.
The Diana V2 is a striking headphone IMO because of its clarity and transparent sound, but it is not as comfortable as the Verite.
I have no experience with the HE1000SE, I had the HE1000V2 and I did not like it at all. Also, if you enjoy the sound from your tube set up, Verite Open will benefit from it as well. The Hifiman and the Abyss being planar magnetic would probably benefit more from a SS amp rather than a tube one.

 

[ScornDefeat]

Plz help me steer in the right direction as i consider this to be my last major headphone purchase (famous last words LOL). I want something that my current headphones dont have. I will sincerely appreciate any help/suggestion/wisdom.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. God bless and Happy holidays.

Shaffy

While the post above me saying that with your Auteur, Empy and Verite you should save your money and stop the search, I can't help but add more fuel when somebody is in the hunt for TOTL gear

For something different from the Empy, Auteur and VC (I demoed Empy, owned Auteur and own VC), out of the cans I have extensive experience experience with, I would suggest taking a good look at the following in this order:

• Final Audio D8000; these work well with both tube amps (output transformer coupled, primarily, though) and SS amps, although they thrive on strong balanced drive. Bass is faster and more layered than Empy or VC, with very good impact (although VC has more overall bass quantity). Overall, a very versatile, mostly neutral planar with very solid technical chops and resolution that bests VC and Empy.
• Rosson RAD-0: Tonally, these are closest to VC and Empy than the others in my list; they are somewhat like a HD650/HD6XX on crack lol. Imagine that general tonal characteristic but with much more bass slam and a bit more resolution. This headphone has an intimate soundstage that differs a lot from the VC. RAD-0 didn't work for me from tube amp well, so I'd recommend it with the SS option only.
• Audio-Technica ADX5000: This one is definitely the most different from what you have already than the other two above, as it leans bright. Also, definitely don't recommend with a SS amp as it'll lack bass impact and be too hot at the top end, but this pairs beautifully with both OTL and OTC tube amps. Technical chops are very high end, with the addition of pinpoint accurate imaging, natural soundtage and natural tonality. Overall, I compare this most directly to the ZMF Auteur, except ADX5000 is definitely a bit brighter but also brings with it definitively higher technical chops (particularly with detail retrieval and imaging) while losing some of Auteur's pleasant lower end warmth.

 

[shafat777]

@ScornDefeat and @Traiguen

You cheeky bastards LOL. Thanks for the suggestions bud. Personally I am not a big fan of RAD-0. I borrowed my buddies for a few days and didnt really like it. If i was go planar, I would probably get the He1000se or abyss v2. The VO intrigues me more from as aesthetic perspective than sound. Id imagine it sound like an Open VC....? maybe? But cant beat ZMF when it comes to look. He1000se, again, gives me nightmares of the days when i payed $1600 of my hard earned money for the arya (back in the college days) and get driver issues....TWICE!!! Which brings me to the Abyss. This is a headphone that ive always was fascinated with. Looks, sound, etc. Ive been reading reviews of it and so far it sounds like something that i might enjoy. However, it doesnt look comfy, especially with lack of swivel. Also, since i typically buy aftermarket cable for my HP, I already have the cables for a possible hifiman (3.5 mm) and ZMF so those two would save me some money.

Part of me wants to take a leap of faith with the He1000se as these would be the tyupe of headphone (large oval planar) that i currently dont own but then again, flashbacks of the nightmare LOL. As you can see, i am sooooo screwed right now. Not sure what to do. Keep the tips coming plz.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I'll leave this here.

Damn, that's pretty!! What wood is it?

 

[ScornDefeat]

@ScornDefeat and @Traiguen

You cheeky bastards LOL. Thanks for the suggestions bud.

Part of me wants to take a leap of faith with the He1000se as these would be the tyupe of headphone (large oval planar) that i currently dont own but then again, flashbacks of the nightmare LOL. As you can see, i am sooooo screwed right now. Not sure what to do. Keep the tips coming plz.

Haha, gotta give me credit at least when I said you should save your money...but the allure is there lol.

If you're really looking for something sonically vastly different than your current lineup, than you probably can't much different than the He1000se, which sounds as different from the Auteur/VC as you can get. I spent about an hour with it in my local audio shop about 2 months ago and it definitely brings something different to the table; seemed to have very solid detail retrieval and resolution capabilities, wide (and tall) soundstage, with a ton of air. Ultimately, I found the headphone kinda uncomfortable (cup shape didn't mesh with me), and the headphone felt pretty cheaply built; on top of that, while I really enjoyed the beautiful sense of air, tonality seemed unnatural to me compared to ZMF Auteur or AT ADX5000, and bass was a bit lacking in quantity. As such, I decided to buy the Final D8000 instead after demoing both in the same session. But I do think He1000se could be the ticket for you if you want something different than your current load out.

 

[shafat777]

@ScornDefeat

I give you credit for ruining my sleep for the night as i was gonna settle with your original advice but here you are.....i think i m leaning more towards the He1000se and Abyss Diana V2 is a no go because of the comfort. I listen to music fro hours at a time and that headphone doesnt look that comfy due to the lack of padding and shallow ear pads. So, now its a toss up between the He1000se or VO.

 

[ProfFalkin]

Please help me make a decision.

I would like to purchase a open-back headphone. I currently own a ZMF VC camphor Burl, Meze empyrean, ZMF Auteur, LCD-X and HD660s. I am looking for something that will add a different flavor/ sound signature to my collection. I run these headphones with Feliks Audio Elise and GSX-mini. I also sometimes use my old faithful cap modded Liquid platinum.

These are my options. ZMF Verite Open, He1000se or Diana V2. but i am open to other cans as well.

I love the ZMF house sound. My VC is literally my fav headphone. Especially with the Elise, its something that I keep coming back to, no matter what else I own. Its also my most used combo. VO will be my cheapest option, but there will be a long wait time. But i also do own a VC, so my question is just how much will the VO sound different compared to the VC?

Next up is the HE1000se. I always wanted to own a big hifiman can. I hear the 1000se is the king of detail retrieval. Thats one aspect, ive always been curious about. On the other hand, i have had nothing but QC issues with Hifiman headphones. I have personally owned 3 pairs on sundaras and 2 pairs of Aryas and all of them had awful channel imbalance. As a result i am terrified of getting a dud, even if its a he1000se at a cheap price of $3500. Its gonna cost me almost 1k more than the VO minus the wait time.

Lastly, the Diana V2. I know nothing about this headphone and honestly it will be my last resort.

Plz help me steer in the right direction as i consider this to be my last major headphone purchase (famous last words LOL). I want something that my current headphones dont have. I will sincerely appreciate any help/suggestion/wisdom.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. God bless and Happy holidays.

Shaffy

Aeolus w/ Uni suede perf pads.

You like the ZMF sound, you have Auteur and Verite, well then... Aeolus gives you that bit of fun you're looking for.

The problem with the Diana is you have to wear it.

HFM sounds lifeless compared to what you have.
The two Verite (O vs C) sound close enough I'd say pick the one you prefer and call it good.

Just my 2¢. Happy Holidays!

 

[shafat777]

@ProfFalkin

Can you plz elaborate on the "lifeless"ness of Hifiman Sound. I actually really enjoyed the Arya sound. It was crisp clean. The channel imbalance was the reason i returned it. Otherwise i would still have it.

 

[robo24]

@shafat777 I can only comment on the ZMFs since I have both Verites. Since one of the things you're looking for is something different, I think the Verite Open is very similar and I intend on keeping both, and probably getting a LTD VO some day, but wouldn't advise it if someone put importance on a different flavor. While I do think they're different enough to be worth having both, but in general would say get something else if difference is important. If money is no object, then sure, get the VO AND something else!

 

[shafat777]

@robo24 Trust me, I intent on getting the VO sooner or later, because of its looks and i just want to have something that pretty in my collection. With that being said, Its only been 6 months since my auteur and 2 months since I got my VC so its still kinda new, burning in. As a result, I would like to take a break from purchasing a zmf can this time around. However, with ZMF novemebr going on and Zach dropping new sets everyday, its hard not to fascinate about a VO. The new Desert Ironwood LTD VO sure looks amazing but a little on the heavier sound (550-600g) so i m probably gonna pass on this LTD run. Can you recommend anything else that you might have enjoyed? Maybe like a Z1R?

 

[wenbinbin2010]

@ScornDefeat and @Traiguen

You cheeky bastards LOL. Thanks for the suggestions bud. Personally I am not a big fan of RAD-0. I borrowed my buddies for a few days and didnt really like it. If i was go planar, I would probably get the He1000se or abyss v2. The VO intrigues me more from as aesthetic perspective than sound. Id imagine it sound like an Open VC....? maybe? But cant beat ZMF when it comes to look. He1000se, again, gives me nightmares of the days when i payed $1600 of my hard earned money for the arya (back in the college days) and get driver issues....TWICE!!! Which brings me to the Abyss. This is a headphone that ive always was fascinated with. Looks, sound, etc. Ive been reading reviews of it and so far it sounds like something that i might enjoy. However, it doesnt look comfy, especially with lack of swivel. Also, since i typically buy aftermarket cable for my HP, I already have the cables for a possible hifiman (3.5 mm) and ZMF so those two would save me some money.

Part of me wants to take a leap of faith with the He1000se as these would be the tyupe of headphone (large oval planar) that i currently dont own but then again, flashbacks of the nightmare LOL. As you can see, i am sooooo screwed right now. Not sure what to do. Keep the tips coming plz.

Purely just bringing this up because you mentioned headphones with the same cable input type as your ZMFs...have you looked into the Heddphone? I personally haven't heard it yet, but have been tempted a few times into it based a review, just seems to have lost a lot of the initial hype around here.

 

[robo24]

@robo24 Trust me, I intent on getting the VO sooner or later, because of its looks and i just want to have something that pretty in my collection. With that being said, Its only been 6 months since my auteur and 2 months since I got my VC so its still kinda new, burning in. As a result, I would like to take a break from purchasing a zmf can this time around. However, with ZMF novemebr going on and Zach dropping new sets everyday, its hard not to fascinate about a VO. The new Desert Ironwood LTD VO sure looks amazing but a little on the heavier sound (550-600g) so i m probably gonna pass on this LTD run. Can you recommend anything else that you might have enjoyed? Maybe like a Z1R?

Unfortunately, aside from what I currently own, I haven't be able to try any high end headphones. I get it about the looks, as I got a good deal on my VO as used, but I expect at some point I'll spend another grand after selling to have the same headphone in a different wood. It's getting off topic, but I do have the SR-007 and that's quite a bit different from my collection of dynamics.

 

[Zachik]

It's getting off topic, but I do have the SR-007 and that's quite a bit different from my collection of dynamics.

Agreed - for something very different sounding, electro-static is a good complement to dynamic and planar headphones.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

@ScornDefeat

I give you credit for ruining my sleep for the night as i was gonna settle with your original advice but here you are.....i think i m leaning more towards the He1000se and Abyss Diana V2 is a no go because of the comfort. I listen to music fro hours at a time and that headphone doesnt look that comfy due to the lack of padding and shallow ear pads. So, now its a toss up between the He1000se or VO.

VO will sound different than VC, that's for sure. Airier, seems cleaner response on midrange and treble, with less bass punch. Of course, VO would sound more similar to VC than any other headphone you mentioned though.

Diana V2, I think this headphone different enough from VC, that worth to keep them side by side to complete each other. Diana V2 is about more neutral, faster, cleaner, more intimate presentation, generally leaner sound than VC, but I wouldn't call it thin sounding too. Diana V2 is different enough for me to keep it side by side with VO (which is has less difference in sound when you compare V2 to VC). I also think Diana is comfortable to use 3-4 hours. If I want to add dekoni nugget, this just perfect.

Hifiman HE1000SE, has the most unique sound signature here. American boys, no matter how different they sound, always strike to something closer to neutral, and try to produce the "right" sound. While HE1000 SE will make your music sounds like HE1000SE's music. There's a hint of melow, sweetness, lush, airy feel that make hifiman is hifiman. If you something that most different in sound, then easy answer is to grab Hifiman. I can't help much about your concern of QC problem, but here in Indonesia I don't find many problem reported, in fact, it's considered rare problem (for Arya, HE1000SE and Susvara).

 

[shafat777]

@TheMiddleSky

The grille on the VO alone justifies a purchase. LOL. Top that with zachs craftsmanship and customer service, its by far one of the best looking and possibly best sounding (dont own one) hp out there. My VC is kinda new, still burning in, thats why I decided not to get the VO. Additionally, i am still in the process of tuning my Elise so it plays well with the VC and Auteur. I have some tubes coming in the mail that will hopefully extend the mid range of the VC even more. With that being said, I will most definitely get a VO in the not too distant future. The new LTD runs are a little too heavy for me so i ll just wait for the next LTD runs. To be honest, i will get a VO sooner or later, despite what it sounds like. I just want those grilles sitting on my desk.

In the end, Justin from Headamp gave me a huge discount on a brand new HE1000se, so i decided to pull the trigger on that. Hopefully those will give me the different sound signature that i am looking for.