ericx85
100+ Head-Fier
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Glad to hear! Dont slave away and take your time. Work at your best!
ZMF Verite Open
- Thread starter heliosphann
- Start date
It's an exciting time for people, I'm sure.
My headphones will likely arrive once I leave the country for a week, but will be here (hopefully) once I get back.
I plan to do an unboxing video. Then, break them in for a bit before finally taking my first listen. It's already pretty tortuous to wait for them to arrive, but then not being around once they show up, and THEN waiting a week AFTER THAT.... it's more taxing on my patience than being five years old, and Christmas is four weeks away!
My headphones will likely arrive once I leave the country for a week, but will be here (hopefully) once I get back.
I plan to do an unboxing video. Then, break them in for a bit before finally taking my first listen. It's already pretty tortuous to wait for them to arrive, but then not being around once they show up, and THEN waiting a week AFTER THAT.... it's more taxing on my patience than being five years old, and Christmas is four weeks away!
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omniweltall
Headphoneus Supremus
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You can tell from his craftmanship.Also, Zach was up until 2AM doing quality control... Now that's dedication.
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I had a chance to have significant time with Vérité (and Aeolus) on Friday! I went to a local audio shop here in Los Angeles called Upscale Audio to check out turntables. I didn’t even realize they sold headphones and it turned out they not only had a great selection (ZMF, Focal, Abyss, etc), but they also had Vérité and Aeolus to demo. What an awesome surprise!
(I apologize in advance, I got a bit wordy in this review)
For a little context, my main headphone rig at home is the HE1000se driven by a Wells Milo amp and Schiit Bifrost Multibit DAC and to me the sound signature this chain produces is absolutely perfect. So do I really need another headphone, no. However, ever since first hearing ZMF’s offerings at CanJam SoCal a couple years ago, seeing the heirloom quality of their craftsmanship and meeting Zach and his wife, I’ve known I want to add a pair to my stable. I’ll be very proud to own them and more than happy to do my small part to support such an awesome company.
I’ve previously demoed Eikon, Atticus and Auteur numerous times. Initially I really wanted the Eikon, but that was until I heard the Auteur and then I fairly quickly decided Auteur was the one for me. To be honest, after hearing Autuer, the Eikon didn’t really do it for me anymore. Not that I couldn’t appreciate the sound, but the Auteur trounced it IMO. I think I just definitely prefer the sound of an open back. I can also appreciate Atticus but it isn’t for me. My only hesitation on buying Auteur was that I was a little worried it might be a bit too polite and not have enough low mids and energy/bark for when I want to listen to some rock or rap. With the jazz, classical and vocal based tracks I listen to it was absolutely perfect. I also figured I should wait to see what the Vérité brought to the table.
This brings me to my Vérité demo. The amp used was the Feliks Audio Euforia and the DAC was the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+. First off, I greatly enjoyed the Euforia amp. It sounded great with every headphone I used and I’m in the market for a tube amp as well, especially for when I purchase a ZMF headphone. BTW Upscale Audio said they were the main US distributor now of Feliks Audio amps.
I demoed the Vérité, Aeolus and Auteur... in that order and then finished with the Vérité again. Needless to say the craftsmanship, fit and finish we’re second to none on each headphone. I do prefer the design of the Vérité and Auteur grill more than that of the Aeolus.
The Vérité at first sounded warm (but not necessarily what I’d call thick and syrupy like an Audeze heapdhone) and a bit colored and I had a moment of thinking oh no I’m not gonna be into it. But then the details came piercing through the warmth, transparency was apparent like a clear window, sounds starting coming from all angles and the imaging was incredibly impressive and realistic. The size and quality of the soundstage actually caught me off guard. I’m used to it on my planars but for some reason didn’t expect the expansive yet cohesive sound from a dynamic headphone. The overall combination of sound characteristics I was hearing felt very unique in a great way. I guess I don’t normally attribute a warm sound signature with great transparency and handling details and nuances so delicately and precisely. Very cool first impression.
When I went to Aeolus it immediately reminded me of Atticus but with more air and a bigger stage. I really liked the presence of the music and in particular the way vocals were presented just smooth as silk. Sounded great with rock. But the sound is a little too colored for me.
When I went to the Auteur it felt very neutral (which I tend to like) and composed and handled certain genres just like I would expect out of a reference type headphone. However when I put some rock on it just didn’t bring the energy in the mids. It was a little lackluster and for the first time I felt like it was missing something. I did keep in mind that I had just come from Aeolus, but still it wasn’t quite there for me across all genres.
To finish up my demo I went back to the Vérité and there it was like a breath of fresh air... just a great all around sound that brought a smile to my face with everything I put on. One thing I immediately noticed when going back to Vérité was it sounded more musical than the Auteur, which to me means a bit fun, organic, engaging and makes me wanna tap my foot. I felt like the Vérité had the smoothness, presence and life of the Aeolus with the soundstage, transparency and accuracy of the Auteur. It reminded me a bit of when I first heard Chord products, particularly the Mojo. To me the Hugo (first version) would be comparable to the Auteur and the Vérité comparable to the Mojo. Btw I was in the camp that preferred the Mojo to Hugo 1. Hope that comparison makes sense.
In conclusion, I can’t unhear to the Vérité and it’s now the ZMF I want to own if I had to choose just one. To me it takes the best elements of each headphone in the ZMF family and somehow ties them into one heapdhone. It’s balanced but fun. It’s got great presence and energy but it doesn’t sacrifice composure and delicately handling details. The soundstage is right up there with any other flagship headphone I’ve enjoyed.
Unfortunately, I was so swept away in my listening I didn’t get a single photo to share. Big fail on my part! Sorry guys.
(I apologize in advance, I got a bit wordy in this review)
For a little context, my main headphone rig at home is the HE1000se driven by a Wells Milo amp and Schiit Bifrost Multibit DAC and to me the sound signature this chain produces is absolutely perfect. So do I really need another headphone, no. However, ever since first hearing ZMF’s offerings at CanJam SoCal a couple years ago, seeing the heirloom quality of their craftsmanship and meeting Zach and his wife, I’ve known I want to add a pair to my stable. I’ll be very proud to own them and more than happy to do my small part to support such an awesome company.
I’ve previously demoed Eikon, Atticus and Auteur numerous times. Initially I really wanted the Eikon, but that was until I heard the Auteur and then I fairly quickly decided Auteur was the one for me. To be honest, after hearing Autuer, the Eikon didn’t really do it for me anymore. Not that I couldn’t appreciate the sound, but the Auteur trounced it IMO. I think I just definitely prefer the sound of an open back. I can also appreciate Atticus but it isn’t for me. My only hesitation on buying Auteur was that I was a little worried it might be a bit too polite and not have enough low mids and energy/bark for when I want to listen to some rock or rap. With the jazz, classical and vocal based tracks I listen to it was absolutely perfect. I also figured I should wait to see what the Vérité brought to the table.
This brings me to my Vérité demo. The amp used was the Feliks Audio Euforia and the DAC was the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+. First off, I greatly enjoyed the Euforia amp. It sounded great with every headphone I used and I’m in the market for a tube amp as well, especially for when I purchase a ZMF headphone. BTW Upscale Audio said they were the main US distributor now of Feliks Audio amps.
I demoed the Vérité, Aeolus and Auteur... in that order and then finished with the Vérité again. Needless to say the craftsmanship, fit and finish we’re second to none on each headphone. I do prefer the design of the Vérité and Auteur grill more than that of the Aeolus.
The Vérité at first sounded warm (but not necessarily what I’d call thick and syrupy like an Audeze heapdhone) and a bit colored and I had a moment of thinking oh no I’m not gonna be into it. But then the details came piercing through the warmth, transparency was apparent like a clear window, sounds starting coming from all angles and the imaging was incredibly impressive and realistic. The size and quality of the soundstage actually caught me off guard. I’m used to it on my planars but for some reason didn’t expect the expansive yet cohesive sound from a dynamic headphone. The overall combination of sound characteristics I was hearing felt very unique in a great way. I guess I don’t normally attribute a warm sound signature with great transparency and handling details and nuances so delicately and precisely. Very cool first impression.
When I went to Aeolus it immediately reminded me of Atticus but with more air and a bigger stage. I really liked the presence of the music and in particular the way vocals were presented just smooth as silk. Sounded great with rock. But the sound is a little too colored for me.
When I went to the Auteur it felt very neutral (which I tend to like) and composed and handled certain genres just like I would expect out of a reference type headphone. However when I put some rock on it just didn’t bring the energy in the mids. It was a little lackluster and for the first time I felt like it was missing something. I did keep in mind that I had just come from Aeolus, but still it wasn’t quite there for me across all genres.
To finish up my demo I went back to the Vérité and there it was like a breath of fresh air... just a great all around sound that brought a smile to my face with everything I put on. One thing I immediately noticed when going back to Vérité was it sounded more musical than the Auteur, which to me means a bit fun, organic, engaging and makes me wanna tap my foot. I felt like the Vérité had the smoothness, presence and life of the Aeolus with the soundstage, transparency and accuracy of the Auteur. It reminded me a bit of when I first heard Chord products, particularly the Mojo. To me the Hugo (first version) would be comparable to the Auteur and the Vérité comparable to the Mojo. Btw I was in the camp that preferred the Mojo to Hugo 1. Hope that comparison makes sense.
In conclusion, I can’t unhear to the Vérité and it’s now the ZMF I want to own if I had to choose just one. To me it takes the best elements of each headphone in the ZMF family and somehow ties them into one heapdhone. It’s balanced but fun. It’s got great presence and energy but it doesn’t sacrifice composure and delicately handling details. The soundstage is right up there with any other flagship headphone I’ve enjoyed.
Unfortunately, I was so swept away in my listening I didn’t get a single photo to share. Big fail on my part! Sorry guys.
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ericx85
100+ Head-Fier
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Great round up! Sounds more and more like my Utopias are getting sold
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Here's some pics of each version of the Silk Verite. Sorry for the wait on these, I will have a full gamut of pics up on the ZMF Lookbook page on the website by the end of this coming weekend.
One note, the wood will always have some variation, we try to pic wood sets that match the grille selection as best as possible.
I will post some Pheasant pics tomorrow!
One note, the wood will always have some variation, we try to pic wood sets that match the grille selection as best as possible.
I will post some Pheasant pics tomorrow!
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Hour 1..
I like these pics better than mine!!!! ^^^^^^
Nice set-up!Here are a couple shots of the pheasant so far from production. Nobody really ordered Brass for the Pheasant, but I'll make a sample soonish to show that off and will bring it to NYC CanJam.
Edit: There are some Brass orders FYI, no Brass YET!
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UsoppNoKami
100+ Head-Fier
I like these pics better than mine!!!! ^^^^^^
Here are a couple shots of the pheasant so far from production. Nobody really ordered Brass for the Pheasant, but I'll make a sample soonish to show that off and will bring it to NYC CanJam.
Edit: There are some Brass orders FYI, no Brass YET!
Hahaha Zach , that edit was gold.
I was gonna say, you could start making mine
cheers, KJ
Really attractive photos, and I'm sure they will sound even better than they look. BTW which cable is that pictured with your Verite? Looks like a beauty!
Taverius
Head-Fier
I'm not gonna mind if you start making mine, you know?I like these pics better than mine!!!! ^^^^^^
Here are a couple shots of the pheasant so far from production. Nobody really ordered Brass for the Pheasant, but I'll make a sample soonish to show that off and will bring it to NYC CanJam.
Edit: There are some Brass orders FYI, no Brass YET!
Enjoying the sound so far! Quite a different presentation compared to Utopia and 4Z, I think more laid-back but on par w/ details and resolution. I would say they're in the same league as other flagships with regards to technical proficiency. Will spend some more time w/ them and burn-in before further comments.
Cable is a Norne Einvaldi. I always use Norne cables for my headphones.
ericx85
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I felt the same way during my demo of them. The combination of laid back but with technical proficiency felt very fresh and I really welcomed it.
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