ZMF Verite Open

[TheMiddleSky]

here in AU, everything is full price

Sometimes A2A has great deal that we, SEA people, can only envy.

 

[Traiguen]

I just received my new Verite Open in Desert Ironwood and I have to say that they are so incredibly beautiful that I just feel like staring at it!!! I love the contrast between the Ironwood and the silver rods & grille. And as a pleasant surprise, the Lektrik S upgrade cable matches the Ironwood color very well....
The weight, being much heavier than the stock version in Silkwood, did not bother me at all.
I am getting a Feliks Audio Elise next week so I hope I will be able to experience the "beautiful tube sound" which has been very elusive to me in previous setups.

 

[Sean_MR]

I just received my new Verite Open in Desert Ironwood and I have to say that they are so incredibly beautiful that I just feel like staring at it!!! I love the contrast between the Ironwood and the silver rods & grille. And as a pleasant surprise, the Lektrik S upgrade cable matches the Ironwood color very well....
The weight, being much heavier than the stock version in Silkwood, did not bother me at all.
I am getting a Feliks Audio Elise next week so I hope I will be able to experience the "beautiful tube sound" which has been very elusive to me in previous setups.

That looks gorgeous. So much brighter than the photos on the website surprisingly which make it look much darker, but I like it!
Do you really not notice the weight at all? That thing is supposed to weigh ~600g; if that’s comfortable to wear that’s very impressive!

 

[Traiguen]

That looks gorgeous. So much brighter than the photos on the website surprisingly which make it look much darker, but I like it!
Do you really not notice the weight at all? That thing is supposed to weigh ~600g; if that’s comfortable to wear that’s very impressive!

I have not had it for more than 1hr yet, so up until now I have not felt it too heavy, the weight is so well distributed that I think, for me, it will not be an issue.

 

[Colozeus]

I just received my new Verite Open in Desert Ironwood and I have to say that they are so incredibly beautiful that I just feel like staring at it!!! I love the contrast between the Ironwood and the silver rods & grille. And as a pleasant surprise, the Lektrik S upgrade cable matches the Ironwood color very well....
The weight, being much heavier than the stock version in Silkwood, did not bother me at all.
I am getting a Feliks Audio Elise next week so I hope I will be able to experience the "beautiful tube sound" which has been very elusive to me in previous setups.

Wow, stunning!

 

[Paladin79]

I just received my new Verite Open in Desert Ironwood and I have to say that they are so incredibly beautiful that I just feel like staring at it!!! I love the contrast between the Ironwood and the silver rods & grille. And as a pleasant surprise, the Lektrik S upgrade cable matches the Ironwood color very well....
The weight, being much heavier than the stock version in Silkwood, did not bother me at all.
I am getting a Feliks Audio Elise next week so I hope I will be able to experience the "beautiful tube sound" which has been very elusive to me in previous setups.

I keep waiting for a friend to receive his Verite's so he can compare them with one of my amps. Right now he has Focal Utopias, as do I, but the Verite has me curious.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I'm lurking on zmf verite, but a bit scared if it might be too bright and cause me a fatigue. Long time I was listening on PM-3 which had rolled of treble, but amazing vocals and relaxed tuning that made it easy for long sessions. As an upgrade for the desktop use I got Focal Clear which even though technically good, but causing me fatigue very quickly. Now I drilled down to Verite, LCD-3 and maybe Arya, to be honest I miss that lush sound of planar and maybe dynamics can't even bring to the table such qualities?
For now I'm sticking with SS L30 Amp

It's hard to imagine anyone being more treble-averse than me. Any elevation of the upper mids-to-treble and/or overly insistent, edgy quality gives me a migraine in no time.

I have a silkwood VO w/the stock universal pad. I fell in love with that sound instantly & have zero wish to change pads. This is not a bright headphone, despite all that speed & detail; it's remarkable to have high resolution without brightness.

I, too, love the lush sound of (some) planars (have owned LCD-2.1, pre-fazor LCD-3, Empyrean, HEX v2), but this VO & my blackwood Aeolus have taken dynamic drivers to new heights for me...

 

[NovaFlyer]

I just received my new Verite Open in Desert Ironwood and I have to say that they are so incredibly beautiful that I just feel like staring at it!!! I love the contrast between the Ironwood and the silver rods & grille. And as a pleasant surprise, the Lektrik S upgrade cable matches the Ironwood color very well....
The weight, being much heavier than the stock version in Silkwood, did not bother me at all.
I am getting a Feliks Audio Elise next week so I hope I will be able to experience the "beautiful tube sound" which has been very elusive to me in previous setups.

Awesome looking. I have the Vérité (burl wood) paired with a Feliks Echo...sounds incredible. Enjoy your new acquisition!!!

 

[Roasty]

the VO stock cable is good, but in my opinion the Danacable LR is a better match.
quick a/b on single test track "613" on Different Pulses by Asaf Avidan.

the differences i could make out:
stock cable
- slightly more forward. more emphasis on upper mids and highs.
- less soundstage width
- very slightly less low end rumble and extension

LR overall has the better balanced sound. whether or not the subtle differences are worth the >1k usd asking price... well, that's for the individual to decide. it is quite the heavy cable too..

on a side note.. after having spent some time with the Verite Open desert ironwood, and comparing with the other headphones in my signature, well one thing is clear, the other headphones cost more for a reason. technically, and realistically, the VO is not on the same level as the TC/Susvara/Utopia. but one thing that the VO has really going for it, is the sheer enjoyment and unadulterated pleasure that it provides time in and time out. the way the music is presented, completely surrounding you, lots of bass and mid bass (although not as punchy or tight) and controlled (veiled? smoothed over?) highs, enjoyable mids and luscious vocals.. almost like a jack of all trades kind of thing going on.

Sure, it doesnt have the bass of the TC, it doesnt have the clarity, airiness and transparency of the Susvara, it doesnt have the effortless detailed and controlled highs or wonderful natural timbre of the Utopia, but what it does give me is a balanced sound signature that is agreeable to my ears, no matter how i may be feeling that day or whether i had a crappy day at work, and ultimately i always get a guaranteed enjoyable session of listening with the VO.

i do think it is worth having a VO in stable. it is a headphone which i can just hook up to a an amp and just rock out for a few minutes or for one or two songs. It is a really fuss free headphone. i dont have to worry about positioning, sibilance, amp power etc etc. it is heavy as heck tho! the desert ironwood does have some heft. even the 1266 feel light on my head compared to the VO.

of course, the above is my own opinion. feel free to agree/disagree.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

the VO stock cable is good, but in my opinion the Danacable LR is a better match.
quick a/b on single test track "613" on Different Pulses by Asaf Avidan.

the differences i could make out:
stock cable
- slightly more forward. more emphasis on upper mids and highs.
- less soundstage width
- very slightly less low end rumble and extension

LR overall has the better balanced sound. whether or not the subtle differences are worth the >1k usd asking price... well, that's for the individual to decide. it is quite the heavy cable too..

on a side note.. after having spent some time with the Verite Open desert ironwood, and comparing with the other headphones in my signature, well one thing is clear, the other headphones cost more for a reason. technically, and realistically, the VO is not on the same level as the TC/Susvara/Utopia. but one thing that the VO has really going for it, is the sheer enjoyment and unadulterated pleasure that it provides time in and time out. the way the music is presented, completely surrounding you, lots of bass and mid bass (although not as punchy or tight) and controlled (veiled? smoothed over?) highs, enjoyable mids and luscious vocals.. almost like a jack of all trades kind of thing going on.

Sure, it doesnt have the bass of the TC, it doesnt have the clarity, airiness and transparency of the Susvara, it doesnt have the effortless detailed and controlled highs or wonderful natural timbre of the Utopia, but what it does give me is a balanced sound signature that is agreeable to my ears, no matter how i may be feeling that day or whether i had a crappy day at work, and ultimately i always get a guaranteed enjoyable session of listening with the VO.

i do think it is worth having a VO in stable. it is a headphone which i can just hook up to a an amp and just rock out for a few minutes or for one or two songs. It is a really fuss free headphone. i dont have to worry about positioning, sibilance, amp power etc etc. it is heavy as heck tho! the desert ironwood does have some heft. even the 1266 feel light on my head compared to the VO.

of course, the above is my own opinion. feel free to agree/disagree.

Totally agree on most part. A bit surprised me about weight though, ironwood does the solid job (weight) there!.

 

[PsilocybinCube]

the VO stock cable is good, but in my opinion the Danacable LR is a better match.
quick a/b on single test track "613" on Different Pulses by Asaf Avidan.

the differences i could make out:
stock cable
- slightly more forward. more emphasis on upper mids and highs.
- less soundstage width
- very slightly less low end rumble and extension

LR overall has the better balanced sound. whether or not the subtle differences are worth the >1k usd asking price... well, that's for the individual to decide. it is quite the heavy cable too..

on a side note.. after having spent some time with the Verite Open desert ironwood, and comparing with the other headphones in my signature, well one thing is clear, the other headphones cost more for a reason. technically, and realistically, the VO is not on the same level as the TC/Susvara/Utopia. but one thing that the VO has really going for it, is the sheer enjoyment and unadulterated pleasure that it provides time in and time out. the way the music is presented, completely surrounding you, lots of bass and mid bass (although not as punchy or tight) and controlled (veiled? smoothed over?) highs, enjoyable mids and luscious vocals.. almost like a jack of all trades kind of thing going on.

Sure, it doesnt have the bass of the TC, it doesnt have the clarity, airiness and transparency of the Susvara, it doesnt have the effortless detailed and controlled highs or wonderful natural timbre of the Utopia, but what it does give me is a balanced sound signature that is agreeable to my ears, no matter how i may be feeling that day or whether i had a crappy day at work, and ultimately i always get a guaranteed enjoyable session of listening with the VO.

i do think it is worth having a VO in stable. it is a headphone which i can just hook up to a an amp and just rock out for a few minutes or for one or two songs. It is a really fuss free headphone. i dont have to worry about positioning, sibilance, amp power etc etc. it is heavy as heck tho! the desert ironwood does have some heft. even the 1266 feel light on my head compared to the VO.

of course, the above is my own opinion. feel free to agree/disagree.

I appreciate your thoughts.

I'm looking forward to a/b testing the VO vs. the Utopia. The Utopia sounds amazing, but I do occasionally want something a bit more laid back and with a larger stage.

Like you said, it's likely worthwhile to have both in the stable. My VO is set to arrive tomorrow according to UPS so I'm pretty excited!

 

[Fatdoi]

I appreciate your thoughts.

I'm looking forward to a/b testing the VO vs. the Utopia. The Utopia sounds amazing, but I do occasionally want something a bit more laid back and with a larger stage.

Like you said, it's likely worthwhile to have both in the stable. My VO is set to arrive tomorrow according to UPS so I'm pretty excited!

for me in wine terms.... Utopia is like a concentrated Bordeaux Cab Sav, very complex and lots of information to digest and VO is like a rich Burgendy Pinot, good relaxing wine still with complexity, character and flavor.... just choose your poison
Playing Kyung Wha Chung Bach Partita No.2 Deca....... omg

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Interesting to see how black grill turn into "silver" when hit by light at the right spot.

 

[Traiguen]

for me in wine terms.... Utopia is like a concentrated Bordeaux Cab Sav, very complex and lots of information to digest and VO is like a rich Burgendy Pinot, good relaxing wine still with complexity, character and flavor.... just choose your poison
Playing Kyung Wha Chung Bach Partita No.2 Deca....... omg

I don't know about the Verite Open and the Burgendy Pinot but.... with a good wiskey & and album from Fink... you cannot go wrong!!!
I had for a while the Focal Utopia and the Verite Open side by side, I enjoyed both and I thought that they were more alike than different but the Verite is so much more beautiful, lifetime warranty for the driver, better options - multiple pads and a much better price. So, the Utopia went back and the Verite stayed.

 

[PsilocybinCube]

I don't know about the Verite Open and the Burgendy Pinot but.... with a good wiskey & and album from Fink... you cannot go wrong!!!
I had for a while the Focal Utopia and the Verite Open side by side, I enjoyed both and I thought that they were more alike than different but the Verite is so much more beautiful, lifetime warranty for the driver, better options - multiple pads and a much better price. So, the Utopia went back and the Verite stayed.

I've only had my VO for a couple of days. I do love it. Don't get me wrong. I may change my mind after burn-in, but I find them to be quite different and there is a lot about the Utopia I prefer tonally. However, I'm a bit of a soundstage freak and in that respect, the VO is the winner.

Sometimes I like a Malbec. Sometimes I like a Cab.

I always like a big IPA, but I don't know the headphone analogy for that yet.