ZMF Verite Open

[shafat777]

Thanks for the nudge guys (@robo24,@shafat777). Just ordered the Caldera suede pads. Look forward to compare it with the current uni suede pads on my VO.

Always glad to nudge LOL. Just keep in mind that any Caldera pad (except for the ultra perf) will alter the change of the VO sound due to the solid inner lining of the pads. This will affect low end quite a bit. If you have a warmer amp, it may even be a drastic change in sound. With my Bliss, the caldera pads (caldera suede and ultra perf) sound just right with but its bloomy and a little muddy with my Elise MK2 OTL.

 

[AudioPowerHead]

Always glad to nudge LOL. Just keep in mind that any Caldera pad (except for the ultra perf) will alter the change of the VO sound due to the solid inner lining of the pads. This will affect low end quite a bit. If you have a warmer amp, it may even be a drastic change in sound. With my Bliss, the caldera pads (caldera suede and ultra perf) sound just right with but its bloomy and a little muddy with my Elise MK2 OTL.

Thanks. Am going in with my eyes open. I’ll try it on both my SS and tube amps and see how they sound vs my current favourite of uni suede. It’s going to be 50/50 for me (i.e. either love or hate it). I shall see (hear)…

 

[WillieB]

I'm listening with Caldera Suede myself this morning, and wow. What a drastic change. I'm on A&S Bigger Ben with 1960s Orange label GE 12AX7, 17mm plates and TAD 6L6GC STR Redbase. This is not really a warm tube roll. I am using 5U4G, though so a little more of a wet sound than with 5AR4. These pads of course made VO very Bass-centric. I pulled a lot of the EQ out of that end right away, but that still doesn't balance it totally. The main problem is that the bass is just overrunning a lot of the sweetness and typical midrange magic that I love with the VO. As I was typing this I pulled the low shelf down to 65-70 Hz and it's much better so this is definitely a mid-bass issue. I will say that as I listen, I am getting acclimated to it. I really think I would like to try the ultra perf at this point, but suede may be a little too far of a deviation from what I love about the VO. I guess that lines up somewhat with the expected/experience results of others.

 

[AudioPowerHead]

Received my set of Caldera suede pads today.

Initial listening impressions (comparing with my default uni suede pads) on VO:
- More spacious staging. Musical notes floating in and out from greater distances.
- Mid bass punches with a lot more authority. Bass impact can be felt a lot more and is insanely good !
-Upper mids slightly more forward; less laid back.
- Vocals still lush sounding but clarity and separation do take a very slight hit.
-Treble has less sparkles, slight roll-off at the top. Less bright, tilts towards the darker direction.
- Tonality changed to be slightly more linear from below the upper mids region. A somewhat flatter w-shaped sound profile.

Too early to tell if it will replace my current favourite uni suede pads but so far I like hearing the different sound presentation.

 

[Ezumin]

Normally I use the Universe Suede pads on my VO, however I used my Universe Lambs to compare to the Caldera Lambskin Ultra Perfs.

With my GS-X mini the Universe Lambs have slightly better bass and it makes the mids a little bit richer. Caldera Ultra Perfs de-emphasized the bass a tad, thinned out the mids some and had a little bit better sound stage.

When I used my tube amp, I could use tubes to enhance the virtues of each pad.
The Melz 1578's further enhanced the rich mids that the Universe Pads had to make the VO's have even richer vocals.
The RCA JAN CRC 6692 further enhanced the sound stage the Caldera Ultra Perfs improved upon.

For me, the Caldera Ultra Perfs are a fun addition. I hope that Zach will make them in suede...

 

[Pharmaboy]

For weeks I've been listening almost exclusively to my new ZMF Caldera (an extremely impressive design & sound), also my Final D8000 for comparison purposes. So it has been weeks of planars while I prepare to review the Caldera.

Tonight for the first time in nearly a month I'm listening to classical music (Frederick Delius) with my silkwood VO with the stock perforated lambskin pads. The amp is the very fine (yet compact and affordable) Icon Audio HP8 with all NOS tubes.

I really missed this headphone! What a lovely sound this is--a sound I always get lost in. This headphone has such pleasing tone & instrumental timbre that it actually doesn't need a transformer-controlled tube amp to get where it's going. But I'm not complaining. This is wonderful sound.

(sometimes it's so good to be in this hobby/obsession...)

 

[goldwerger]

For weeks I've been listening almost exclusively to my new ZMF Caldera (an extremely impressive design & sound), also my Final D8000 for comparison purposes. So it has been weeks of planars while I prepare to review the Caldera.

Tonight for the first time in nearly a month I'm listening to classical music (Frederick Delius) with my silkwood VO with the stock perforated lambskin pads. The amp is the very fine (yet compact and affordable) Icon Audio HP8 with all NOS tubes.

I really missed this headphone! What a lovely sound this is--a sound I always get lost in. This headphone has such pleasing tone & instrumental timbre that it actually doesn't need a transformer-controlled tube amp to get where it's going. But I'm not complaining. This is wonderful sound.

(sometimes it's so good to be in this hobby/obsession...)

The VO are such enjoyable headphones. So distinctly differentiated from both the Caldera and Atrium. I have the same experience every now and then when I go back to them. They just have such a wonderfully natural timbre.

 

[johnnypaddock]

LOVE the VO... Nothing like it, really!

 

[Monsterzero]

Listening tonight with the VO, using Tung Sol 6J5s and GEC 6AS7G in the Airmid and being fed by the Merason DAC-1

Come and make me holy again

 

[helljudgement]

What a lovely sound this is--a sound I always get lost in.

There's a seductive quality to it that you won't find anything else like it. Absolutely stunning and remains as one of my favorites.

 

[Rollnrock]

Fully agree with all of you, this headphone has a sound absolutely engaging and adictive

Tonight following the recommendation of Monsterzero (thanks!) and listening to the great Ritchie Blackmore. Awesome!

 

[Monsterzero]

Fully agree with all of you, this headphone has a sound absolutely engaging and adictive

Tonight following the recommendation of Monsterzero (thanks!) and listening to the great Ritchie Blackmore. Awesome!

Phenomenal album! Blackmore is a legend, but don't forget the pipes that a young Gillan had and Jon Lord was hands down the best keyboardist in rock history.

 

[Rollnrock]

Phenomenal album! Blackmore is a legend, but don't forget the pipes that a young Gillan had and Jon Lord was hands down the best keyboardist in rock history.

Yeah, absolutely. The keyboards here are magistral, and the "battle" between the guitar and the vocals in Strange Kind of Woman is great

Edit after a deepper listening: ...but the guitars sound so well in the VO...I've been looking for this sound almost two years, and the VO gets it

 

[Monsterzero]

Yeah, absolutely. The keyboards here are magistral, and the "battle" between the guitar and the vocals in Strange Kind of Woman is great

Edit after a deepper listening: ...but the guitars sound so well in the VO...I've been looking for this sound almost two years, and the VO gets it

Deep Purple is in my Top 5 favorite bands ever. They've had quite a few different lineups, and each iteration has had their shining moments, but DP MKll with Gillan,Blackmore, Glover, Paice and Lord remains my favorite. Each musician is/was a master of their craft, and they created some of the most memorable and complex music in the history of the hard rock genre.

For me, "Child In Time" was their magnum opus. With a great headphone one is able to focus in on each individual musician and what I hear is absolute musical brilliance. This performance in 1970 in front of the most boring crowd in rock history, is a perfect example of a legendary band at the height of their careers and the screams Gillan hits throughout this live performance is nothing short of amazing.

 

[Contrails]

One of my favourite music videos on YouTube.

For me, "Child In Time" was their magnum opus. With a great headphone one is able to focus in on each individual musician and what I hear is absolute musical brilliance. This performance in 1970 in front of the most boring crowd in rock history, is a perfect example of a legendary band at the height of their careers and the screams Gillan hits throughout this live performance is nothing short of amazing.