[ProfFalkin]

Is it easy to swap out the pads?

Extremely easy.

 

[koven]

@chowmein83 Nice impressions. I notice you use the word darker nearly 10 times.. I guess the Verite is, dark?

Perhaps that's why some people are enjoying it more w/ SS than tube, since tube amps usually darken the signature.

 

[pure5152]

@chowmein83 Nice impressions. I notice you use the word darker nearly 10 times.. I guess the Verite is, dark?

Perhaps that's why some people are enjoying it more w/ SS than tube, since tube amps usually darken the signature.

I don’t think it’s as simple as this, as freq response changes do depend on the tube used. It seems more like a matter of priorities: It seems people like SS for its faster transients and overall speed, which seem to accentuate verites technicalities, while tubes add more soundstage for that more holographic soundstage.

I haven’t listened to the verite personally yet, though, so take this with a grain of salt. It’s just from reading posts here and on other forums.

 

[yates7592]

There have been several in depth reviews posted now, and the surprising outcome (or maybe not so surprising) is that the impressions are quite varied. From dark, to warm, to not so warm as a/b/c. Maybe dependant on amp, DAC, pads, ears/mind? The consistent impression however is that they are absolutely stellar. Can't wait to receive my pair.

 

[Monsterzero]

@chowmein83 Nice impressions. I notice you use the word darker nearly 10 times.. I guess the Verite is, dark?

Perhaps that's why some people are enjoying it more w/ SS than tube, since tube amps usually darken the signature.

I didnt find the Verite dark at all. Warm-ish,yes. Dark,no.

I am running a pretty neutral/bright tube set,and my Sansui is warmer sounding than my GOTL,so perhaps the different amps involved between the various reviews are causing us to hear them differently.

 

[ericx85]

Considering I still love my Eikons, I really cant decide if I'll end up enjoying this more than my Utopia for my open can now lol. Still torn if I want to pull the trigger for a silk or pheasantwood

 

[yates7592]

Better hurry up - 4 no. Pheasantwood left.....

 

[Pharmaboy]

Just a thought, nothing more than a supposition (because I haven't heard the Verite yet): is it possible that some would say "dark" to represent the quality of great detail, focus & speed--absent any real brightness/peakiness?

I mean, we're so conditioned to associate "bright" with tons of detail, focus, speed--and "dark" with the relative lack of all 3.

A beryllium driver in a wooden headphone designed & voiced by ZMF...maybe this is "something completely different."

 

[chowmein83]

Just a thought, nothing more than a supposition (because I haven't heard the Verite yet): is it possible that some would say "dark" to represent the quality of great detail, focus & speed--absent any real brightness/peakiness?

I mean, we're so conditioned to associate "bright" with tons of detail, focus, speed--and "dark" with the relative lack of all 3.

A beryllium driver in a wooden headphone designed & voiced by ZMF...maybe this is "something completely different."

I do want to mention, that when I said that the Verite is "dark" I mean that it doesn't emphasize the treble nearly as much as other headphones do, including the Auteur, at least in my experience. However, that doesn't mean that the Verite is lacking detail - it is not, and in fact I firmly believe that the Verite is superior to the Auteur in this aspect by a not insignificant amount.

 

[omniweltall]

I did a side-by-side comparison between the Verite and Auteur. But it was a meet condition, and I only tested with a few tracks. And I wasn't familiar with the songs.

The Verite does sound dark, coming from the Auteur. It is immediately noticeable. Auteur has much more pronounced high and therefore feels more open and airy. The Verite does have slightly tighter bass. Details were roughly the same. Both have excellent soundstage. Not too wide, but 3D with good imaging. I find these two have very nicely tuned midrange. Both sweet and lush, clearly tuned by the same pair of hands. By the way, I think tube amps would match the ZMF better in my opinion. Would like to accentuate/keep that romantic midrange and soundstage quality. It is their main strength.

There was an Audeze MX4 around, and it sounded drier in comparison. Soundstage also felt flat and not well-rounded like the ZMF. Strangely, its high-mid and treble was more bothersome to me than the Auteur. Coarser. Did not expect that. But of course, better and deeper bass impact. Always loved Audeze bass. The ZMF simply cannot match here.

I also tested the Aeolus. It sounded more muffled after the Verite. More rounded. Less details. Less sparkle. Also darker tuning. It is hard to like it after trying the Verite. But overall, it has similar sound signature with the rest of ZMF. I would've probably liked it if I did not try the Verite.

For those who are buying the Aoelus, I suggest not to try the Verite

 

[felix3650]

Just a thought, nothing more than a supposition (because I haven't heard the Verite yet): is it possible that some would say "dark" to represent the quality of great detail, focus & speed--absent any real brightness/peakiness?

I mean, we're so conditioned to associate "bright" with tons of detail, focus, speed--and "dark" with the relative lack of all 3.

A beryllium driver in a wooden headphone designed & voiced by ZMF...maybe this is "something completely different."

As I've come to understand people associate light and temperature attributes to headphones based on the similar feeling they have when experiencing a warm/cold or bright/dark ambient:

Warm - the nice inviting feeling of a warm room, usually associated with more prominent lower frequencies. Cup reflections and/or tuning ports usually produce this effect. If it's of much higher intensity the headphone is called "bassy or bass heavy". TH900 and Atticus are warm examples.

Cold - the chillness of a cold shack on winter, lacking warmth and so more attention is drawn on the higher frequency range of the spectrum. Often a consequence of not being able to produce with enough intensity lower frequencies. Some cheap Cinese earbuds have this attribute due to the non perfect sealing of the ear canal.

Bright - at dawn, when the sun shines really bright and you can see everything around you however you have to put sunglasses cause it's irritating for the eyes. Plenty of small, well illuminated details are easily distinguishable. A more up-slope frequency response curve, not lacking in bass but as the frequency goes higher so does the percieved intensity. Sometimes resonances of high frequencies cause "peaks" and accentuate that particular frequency region giving the impression of "more detail". HD800 and T1 type of brightness.

Dark - at dusk, while still the same scenery but there is less light from the sun and you have to focus better on what's around you. Bigger object details are easier to distinguish rather then smaller more fine ones. A down-slope curve not lacking in high frequency detail but that require slightly more focus to percieve them. Think of the pre-fazor LCD2 or the LCD2C.

Now, as I percieve it, the Veritè seems like a (varying degree ofcourse) mix of warm (wood cups and tuning ports) with a slight darkness (slight down-slope curve) and with a little bit of brightness added (due to the nature of the Be coated driver most probably). Difficult to give it a general attribute...my thoughts

 

[JTon]

ZMF Verité Impressions Part 2 – Comparisons

Verité vs. Auteur, with both pads
Verité (which either set of pads) is darker than Auteur no matter which pads are used on the Auteur, mainly because the treble is noticeably lower than on the latter headphone. In other words, the Verité definitely feels less “airy” than the Auteur.

Speed, detail, and refinement are a noticeable step up compared to the Auteur. Bass seems to be slightly flatter than in the Auteur (which I think has a very slight mid-bass hump), with better texture and quality. Speed of bass seems to be about the same to me.

Dynamics are definitely better than in Auteur, which was already pretty decent itself. Again, I have to note how amazing the Verité is when it comes to this aspect.

The Verité’s soundstage width is about the same compared to the Auteur. Verité seems to have a slightly deeper stage though. However, I felt that the imaging and layering were noticeably more precise on the Verité, which has a more coherent and 3D soundstage. I believe a part of this has to do with the blacker background on the Verité.


Verité vs. Aeolus, with both pads
Verité (with either set of pads) is darker in a sense than Aeolus with either pads despite the latter's bass boost, mainly because the lower treble is noticeably lower on Verité. Speed, detail, and refinement are noticeably up compared to Aeolus. Also, the Verité sounds a lot more open than the Aeolus.

Verité has a noticeably deeper soundstage then Aeolus, but the width is only slightly more than that of the Aeolus with Verité pads. The Verité seems to have a somewhat wider soundstage than the Aeolus with Universe pads, though I think that might be somewhat due to the bigger bass emphasis on those pads.

More sub-bass extension on the Verité, for an overall flatter bass. However, Verité slams (at least nearly) as hard as the Aeolus, with better speed and texture.

Thanks for the impressions

I can't help but interpret your comparisons between Verite and Auteur/Aeolus as the Verite being hands-down superior (i.e. in a different league). Could you comment on the magnitude of the differences between the headphones? (i.e. are they really in a different league?).
And just for fun, if a headphone noob put on the Aeolus and the Verite which would you think the noob would prefer?

 

[heliosphann]

ZMF Verité Impressions Part 2 – Comparisons

At least for me, the most useful headphone impressions are the ones in which different models are being compared. So, after a lot of pad swapping, here are my comparisons between the Verité some of the headphones I had access to.


Verité vs. Auteur, with both pads
Verité (which either set of pads) is darker than Auteur no matter which pads are used on the Auteur, mainly because the treble is noticeably lower than on the latter headphone. In other words, the Verité definitely feels less “airy” than the Auteur.

Speed, detail, and refinement are a noticeable step up compared to the Auteur. Bass seems to be slightly flatter than in the Auteur (which I think has a very slight mid-bass hump), with better texture and quality. Speed of bass seems to be about the same to me.

Dynamics are definitely better than in Auteur, which was already pretty decent itself. Again, I have to note how amazing the Verité is when it comes to this aspect.

The Verité’s soundstage width is about the same compared to the Auteur. Verité seems to have a slightly deeper stage though. However, I felt that the imaging and layering were noticeably more precise on the Verité, which has a more coherent and 3D soundstage. I believe a part of this has to do with the blacker background on the Verité.

From your picture, it looks like you have Teak Auteur's and Pheasantwood Verite's? Might want to note that, as having been able to compare the Teak vs Blackwood Auteur's, I know there is very noticeable difference between the two. I personally did not find the Verite's to be significantly darker than the Auteur's. That gap would be widened if it the Auteur's were Teak instead of Blackwood, which I used for my comparison.

 

[Monsterzero]

Thanks for the impressions

I can't help but interpret your comparisons between Verite and Auteur/Aeolus as the Verite being hands-down superior (i.e. in a different league). Could you comment on the magnitude of the differences between the headphones? (i.e. are they really in a different league?).

IMO,yes theyre in a different league,but were also talking about more than double the price as well.
I enjoyed both headphones. Its not a situation where one is good and the other isnt. Its more of a situation where one is really good,and the other is spectacular.

And just for fun, if a headphone noob put on the Aeolus and the Verite which would you think the noob would prefer?

I think that a lot of it has to do with the peripheral gear and what it is that youre looking for from a headphone.
When I did my comparisons of both on my GOTL vs. a 1967 Sansui 881 I felt that the 881 got me very,very close to what I was hearing on the GOTL thru the Aeolus. Both had great impact and musicality. From either amp I could put on the Aeolus and enjoy them. As an Atticus owner,the Aeolus sounded like a refined and improved Atticus. Both are flat out rockers. Throw em on,crank it up and have a blast.

The Verite was more complicated. On the 881 it sounded very good,but the GOTL allowed the Verite to really show off its technical prowess. The 3D imaging especially.
Different tubes also made more than a subtle difference on the Verite as well.

I could rock out on the Verite as well,but I found myself really paying attention to what I was hearing on the Verite,and often times being left in amazement at all the different attributes it combined into a very unique presentation.

If you own or can afford a nice OTL and a plethora of tubes and really want to hear familiar music in a very unique way,and enjoy really listening and paying attention,buy the Verite.

 

[chowmein83]

Thanks for the impressions

I can't help but interpret your comparisons between Verite and Auteur/Aeolus as the Verite being hands-down superior (i.e. in a different league). Could you comment on the magnitude of the differences between the headphones? (i.e. are they really in a different league?).
And just for fun, if a headphone noob put on the Aeolus and the Verite which would you think the noob would prefer?

As MonsterZero said above, yes they are most definitely in a different league. Verite is really just that much better. For the headphone noob question, I would think they would prefer the Aeolus more, because it's closer to a more "exciting" sound signature. Plus, my brother who is a relative headphone noob prefers the Aeolus out of the two, so there's that.

From your picture, it looks like you have Teak Auteur's and Pheasantwood Verite's? Might want to note that, as having been able to compare the Teak vs Blackwood Auteur's, I know there is very noticeable difference between the two. I personally did not find the Verite's to be significantly darker than the Auteur's. That gap would be widened if it the Auteur's were Teak instead of Blackwood, which I used for my comparison.

Good point, that could be the reason why my impressions are the way they are. I'll try to confirm with @zach915m to see what type of the wood the Verite he sent over was.