[Spandy87]

I don’t think I’ve read a single comment that suggests Verite is better on SS.

I've seen plenty. A lot of people have been praising the GSX mk2

 

[ProfFalkin]

I prefer SS. The bass is too bloomy (for me) on high impedance otl tube setups. I think the BE driver performs better with very high damping.

I think that's also why Monster is getting more bass (among other factors) on vintage receivers. High impedance output.

 

[jinxy245]

I prefer SS. The bass is too bloomy (for me) on high impedance otl tube setups. I think the BE driver performs better with very high damping.

I think that's also why Monster is getting more bass (among other factors) on vintage receivers. High impedance output.

It seems it's more a matter of preference as opposed to 'one is better than the other'.
Like so much else in this hobby it's a YMMV thing.

 

[Pharmaboy]

The schiitr is actually the name of Schiit Audio’s official retail store, a place where you can go and try out their amps/DACs with your headphones (or any they have on hand) without worrying about people trying to sell you on stuff. I can see the misunderstanding though

http://www.schiit.com/schiitr

I'm not misunderstanding a thing. The 2 guys that started Schiit fully intend the multiple bathroom entendres that attach to their brand.

 

[Monsterzero]

I prefer SS. The bass is too bloomy (for me) on high impedance otl tube setups. I think the BE driver performs better with very high damping.

I think that's also why Monster is getting more bass (among other factors) on vintage receivers. High impedance output.

Bass is def tighter on my old receivers vs. GOTL. I will be getting different tubes when my wallet recovers to find a happy medium.

 

[Redmetal1897]

I may be completely misunderstanding how amps work, but for those with GOTL and the Verite, did you try the hexfred SS with the Verite? Would that not give it the SS sound?

 

[Monsterzero]

I may be completely misunderstanding how amps work, but for those with GOTL and the Verite, did you try the hexfred SS with the Verite? Would that not give it the SS sound?

I asked Glenn to send me a hexfred but he keeps forgetting

 

[heliosphann]

It seems it's more a matter of preference as opposed to 'one is better than the other'.
Like so much else in this hobby it's a YMMV thing.

Definitely this.

 

[Mrstump5]

Sorry, this is a bit later than I wanted it to be, but I have been quite busy keeping up with my business. Here are my initial thoughts on the Verite.

I’d like to start by giving a huge thank you to Zach for lending me the Verite and Aeolus before launch.

This is not going to be a massive in-depth review with lots of comparisons and such, instead, this is my thoughts on what makes the Verite special, what you should expect if you are lucky enough to be able to buy a pair and why I have come to love them.

From the first moment I put the Verite on, the thing I noticed more than anything else was just how light it is. Coming from headphones like the Eikon, Auteur and my HE6, it is immediately impressive just how light these are. It is very remarkable that an all wood, metal, and leather headphone of this size can even be this light. Combined with the ZMF headband, it makes for what is in my opinion, the most comfortable headphone you can buy today off the shelf. The clamp is just right, there is plenty of size adjustment for the smallest head to the largest, the pads are not too thick or too thin, the ear openings are plenty large, its weight doesn’t hurt my neck, and they don't move excessively as I turn my head. It’s like the “ahhhhhhh just right” of headphone comfort.

Then I turned them on, and my first auditory impression was one of being disappointed, the mids were recessed and hollow, and it was completely off-putting. However, within about 8 hours of listening, that was completely gone. Never have I heard a headphone change so much with use. It was totally amazing to hear, and it made me glad I chose to use them instead of just putting them on one of my other amps and letting them burn in for a while first. I had expected some change, just because of what I knew of their driver construction, but the scale of the change took me totally by surprise. Some people may prefer a headphone that sounds its best the second you take it out of the box, but I personally found it to be a very enjoyable experience to be able to actually hear the change in the drivers happening. Now, I can’t say if this will be the way production units will ship, I know in the past Zach has normally burned in pairs some before shipment, and I know this pair didn’t because of the time constraints Zach is under trying to get two new headphones out in so short a time, but if you put yours on, and are not blown away, give it a while, you will be.

Now that that’s out of the way, on to actual impressions of the sound, I do apologize being nearly 500 words in before getting to it, but I felt it was important to take you with me on the journey of using the Verite so far. The most immediately impressive thing about the Verite is the speed of the driver, its fast, really fast, which trickles down to affect all other aspects of the sound in surprising ways. Most notable, is what it does for the soundstage as well as instrument placement and separation. The way it throws a stage is wonderful, its wide, detailed, accurate, and clean I think a lot of people would refer to it as “holographic.” It has tight powerful bass, with more of that excellent speed, mids are strong and clear, and treble is sharp and really benefits from just how fast these are. Cymbals and metallic instruments, in particular, lack any of the muffle or bleed that will often keep them from sounding their best. Resolution and detail retrieval is beyond excellent, again aided by that signature speed.

As to what I would personally use them for, I found the Verite to be absolute monsters for EDM and Electronica, and to be my personal choice for movie watching and games, but where I personally think they shine their brightest, is for live classical music, I have never felt more drawn into Yo-Yo Ma’s Bach Cello Suites than I did with the Verite. The detail combined with the speed, stage, and tone just makes them amazing in my opinion for classical. It is beyond enjoyable to be able to hear the micro vibrations and variations that a bow makes as it is pulled across an instrument, I've never been one to say things like ”it sounds just like being there!” I don’t like when people say things like that, because as someone who has grown up among world-class musicians often being forced to listen to them practice for hours upon hours, I can tell you, it doesn’t, not really. However, the Verite came closer and made me feel more like I was in the room with the instruments than I have ever experienced from a pair of headphones before and I found it to be a real treat to hear.

For my final section, I want to address the question I have seen of “what do I get, the Verite or the Auteur?” For me personally, the answer is both. They each do their own things which makes them more complementary than comparable. They have similar tones, in that they were both clearly tuned by Zach, you can distinctly tell they are ZMF headphones by their sound balance, but beyond that, they sound different. The Verite is not an “upgraded” Auteur, nor the Auteur a baby Verite.

I hope this has been in some way helpful to some of you making the choice to buy, I am sorry it’s not really a complete review, I’ve only had them about a week and a half so far, and I would like more time to listen to them before I am finished, so I will probably revisit this at some point in the coming weeks. Zach is also sending me his Pendant at some point soon, so I plan on trying them with it in addition to my personal collection of amps, so when I do that, I will probably post some updated thoughts. If any of you have questions for me, I’ll help as I can.

Whqt amp and dac did you use during this review?

 

[Daemon Ursus]

Whqt amp and dac did you use during this review?

At the time of review, I had a Yggy B, Metrum Onyx, AGD NFB1, IHA1, and Massdrop THX 789 AAA. I swapped between all of them, and the Verite sounded good with any combination of them. However, my personal preference for using them was the Yggy outputting to the IHA1 with a set of matched bad boy's and a metal base Mullard.

 

[Daemon Ursus]

At the time of review, I had a Yggy B, Metrum Onyx, AGD NFB1, IHA1, and Massdrop THX 789 AAA. I swapped between all of them, and the Verite sounded good with any combination of them. However, my personal preference for using them was the Yggy outputting to the IHA1 with a set of matched bad boy's and a metal base Mullard.

Something else I would like to add, I am probably going to write a revision of the review in the coming weeks. Now that the Verite has somewhere around 4-500 hours on it, my opinion of it has only improved. As I stated in that review, they changed more than any other headphone I have ever tried as the burned in, and when I wrote that, they only had 50-60 hours of use on them. They continued to refine for a long while and I would say they finally stabilized at about 300ish hours of use. Past that, if they have changed it has been to such a small degree that I am unable to tell the difference. My reason for bringing it up is that they have become my personal favorite pair of headphones, I listen to headphones for most of the day as I work, and while I do swap around, I keep being drawn back to the Verite. I can't wait to get my personal LTD edition in the coming months.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

What am I, chopped liver?

You’ll get as good as Zeos one of these days, it just takes time @Hansotek.

Don’t forget, Zeos has been doing this for 2 years. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

 

[Spandy87]

You’ll get as good as Zeos one of these days, it just takes time @Hansotek.

Don’t forget, Zeos has been doing this for 2 years. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

As good? The main difference between the two is that you get actual information from @Hansotek

Please... Never become 'as good'

 

[Monsterzero]

As good? The main difference between the two is that you get actual information from @Hansotek

Please... Never become 'as good'

I think Bunny was using a bit of sarcasm in that post.

 

[Spandy87]

I think Bunny was using a bit of sarcasm in that post.

Phew!