[DeweyCH]

Swapped from my BE2 perf lambskin pads to some Auteur perf suedes I had. Mids and trebles seem a lot more forward and lifelike, while the bass seems a bit fuzzier. Does this jive with others' experiences? They are INSANELY comfy, though. So thick and pillowy.

 

[skhan007]

Swapped from my BE2 perf lambskin pads to some Auteur perf suedes I had. Mids and trebles seem a lot more forward and lifelike, while the bass seems a bit fuzzier. Does this jive with others' experiences? They are INSANELY comfy, though. So thick and pillowy.

I'm pad rolling this week, as well. Yes, I had the same experience with the perf lamb Auteur pads on my VO.

Right now, I'm narrowing down what I think sounds best. I like the perf lamb Be2 a lot, followed by the perf suede Universe, followed by the perf lamb Universe.

Curious if most VO owners just stick with one pad or do they swap around on occasion?

 

[DeweyCH]

I'm pad rolling this week, as well. Yes, I had the same experience with the perf lamb Auteur pads on my VO.

Right now, I'm narrowing down what I think sounds best. I like the perf lamb Be2 a lot, followed by the perf suede Universe, followed by the perf lamb Universe.

Curious if most VO owners just stick with one pad or do they swap around on occasion?

I tend to swap around occasionally. They make such a difference.

 

[helljudgement]

Has anybody heard the VO with the Benchmark HPA4? Somebody has highly recommended this amp to me and I'm curious.

That is a good amp and I’ve heard it once with the vo a couple of years ago. It sounds good with the vo but overall I prefer the vo with tube amps. Its very clean sounding unlike tubes which tend to colour the sound a bit so it becomes kind of a preference thing. Also I found that tubes amps tend to have better soundstage both in terms of depth and width.

But the hpa4 does have more power than most tube amps so that might be a good consideration if you plan to buy other headphones beside vo. But if vo is your only headphones I’d highly recommend trying some tube amps that are within the price range of the hpa4.

 

[Nick-s-f]

I did some pad rolling recently and found the VO to take well with any pad I tried on it.

--Perf. Universe Lamb: VO is the most fun and I want to go through my entire music library with these pads. The way music is presented (stage) is not like anything else I've tried and the speedy drivers tie it all together nicely.
--Perf. Universe Suede: These pads have a similar effect on VO as Aeolus; more neutral and a bit more "ordinary". Bass presence takes a hit, but its not overdone. I would recommend this pad as the safest option.
--Verite pads: I unexpectedly like these pads the most, very monitor-like. VO is more focused, fast and the low-end is just right.

I think there is an extremely narrow peak somewhere in the low treble on VO with both universe pads that shows up very rarely on poor recordings (mainly poorly recorded metal).

Verite pads remove this peak and never stray out of neutral territory, but unlike Aeolus the Verite bass remains very authorative and deep. I originally bought the Verite pads for Aeolus but hated that combo..too lean.

It was quite a shock how good Verite pads are on the VO.

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

Curious if most VO owners just stick with one pad or do they swap around on occasion?

It's still early days for me as I received my VO only a couple of months ago. I've enjoyed the Be2 and Vérité pads, both lambskin, but I prefer the Universe pads. What's been surprising is that I enjoy swapping between the lambskin and the suede versions of the Universe pads. I'll need more time to figure out the benefits and drawbacks of each, but I'm finding that I'll reach for one or the other depending on mood, how tired I am, and which type of music I'm listening to. I hear the suede taking the edge off the leading edge of notes, I suspect, with the attack being less forceful or snappy, perhaps, and this can be a good thing when I want a mellower listening session.

Obviously, having four sets of pads isn't enough so I just ordered a pair of the Universe hybrid pads, which might make for the best of both Universes. I can see myself eventually sinking deeper into the pillowy delights of ZMF with some Auteur pads as well. Lord help me.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I did some pad rolling recently and found the VO to take well with any pad I tried on it.

--Perf. Universe Lamb: VO is the most fun and I want to go through my entire music library with these pads. The way music is presented (stage) is not like anything else I've tried and the speedy drivers tie it all together nicely.
--Perf. Universe Suede: These pads have a similar effect on VO as Aeolus; more neutral and a bit more "ordinary". Bass presence takes a hit, but its not overdone. I would recommend this pad as the safest option.
--Verite pads: I unexpectedly like these pads the most, very monitor-like. VO is more focused, fast and the low-end is just right.

I think there is an extremely narrow peak somewhere in the low treble on VO with both universe pads that shows up very rarely on poor recordings (mainly poorly recorded metal).

Verite pads remove this peak and never stray out of neutral territory, but unlike Aeolus the Verite bass remains very authorative and deep. I originally bought the Verite pads for Aeolus but hated that combo..too lean.

It was quite a shock how good Verite pads are on the VO.

Verite Pad on VO, always my first choice since 2 years ago and even till now.

 

[johnnypaddock]

I've had a strong preference for the Universe lambskin since early on, and it's been a long time since I went back to the Verité pads... You all are making me want to try them again. Just one of the great things about ZMF headphones, really.

 

[skhan007]

Well I'll jump in here on the pad rolling dialogue. I'm about two weeks into ownership of my VO camphor burl. I've been pad rolling and trying to see how my ears are favoring some over others. Here are the pads I currently have:

Auteur perf lamb (came with my Auteur)
Universe perf lamb
Universe perf suede
Be2 perf lamb
Be2 perf suede
Verite solid lamb

I find the suede pads to dampen or absorb some of the highs, mellowing out the sound overall and making the low frequencies a bit more forward. I also found the Verite pads to be a bit too lackluster for me. Evens everything including staging, so a bit "meh" to my personal preferences. That being said, I'm liking the Universe perf lamb and Be2 perf lamb right now. This may change, however, as I'm continuing to swap around and listen. I'm also noting that different recordings and genres make a difference (obviously). There may not be a "good for everything" pad option for me. So, right now for prog rock (listening to Dark Side of the Mood this morning), the Universe perf lamb sound brilliant.

 

[helljudgement]

Use the verite pads for about 9 months before buying the BE2 perf lambs and have since been using the BE2 for over a year. A sort of blend between universe and verite pads. The universe pads presents the best technicalities, seem to sound grander with a more unique staging quality that other pads can't replicate and easier to pickup details in the mix but the tonality is a bit too warm/dark for my liking thus my preference for verite pads initially. Been considering making a switch back to universe pads just to see if my preference changes.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Well I'll jump in here on the pad rolling dialogue. I'm about two weeks into ownership of my VO camphor burl. I've been pad rolling and trying to see how my ears are favoring some over others. Here are the pads I currently have:

Auteur perf lamb (came with my Auteur)
Universe perf lamb
Universe perf suede
Be2 perf lamb
Be2 perf suede
Verite solid lamb

I find the suede pads to dampen or absorb some of the highs, mellowing out the sound overall and making the low frequencies a bit more forward. I also found the Verite pads to be a bit too lackluster for me. Evens everything including staging, so a bit "meh" to my personal preferences. That being said, I'm liking the Universe perf lamb and Be2 perf lamb right now. This may change, however, as I'm continuing to swap around and listen. I'm also noting that different recordings and genres make a difference (obviously). There may not be a "good for everything" pad option for me. So, right now for prog rock (listening to Dark Side of the Mood this morning), the Universe perf lamb sound brilliant.

Always good to hear these impressions.

As I am sure you know, the VO should use the perforated pads. The solids are for closed backs. Again, I know you know , not trying to be annoying, actually appreciate the impressions you provided because it solidifies the advice from others that solid pads should not be tried on ZMF open backs.

Personally I would advise trying the Verite perf lambskin pads. I had the Be2 perf lambskin on my VO for a few months and it is a top notch experience. A few days ago I switched to the Verite perf leather pads and I like what I hear, it's even better so far. There's an increase in performance almost, everything went up a tiny level - detail, speed, clarity. I hear that the downside for some people is that they are fatiguing and uncomfortable. So far I don't find it to be the case, but the fatiguing part could be dependent on the music played. The uncomfortable part I guess you determine as soon as you try them. For me they are fine in that respect.

 

[skhan007]

Always good to hear these impressions.

As I am sure you know, the VO should use the perforated pads. The solids are for closed backs. Again, I know you know , not trying to be annoying, actually appreciate the impressions you provided because it solidifies the advice from others that solid pads should not be tried on ZMF open backs.

Personally I would advise trying the Verite perf lambskin pads. I had the Be2 perf lambskin on my VO for a few months and it is a top notch experience. A few days ago I switched to the Verite perf leather pads and I like what I hear, it's even better so far. There's an increase in performance almost, everything went up a tiny level - detail, speed, clarity. I hear that the downside for some people is that they are fatiguing and uncomfortable. So far I don't find it to be the case, but the fatiguing part could be dependent on the music played. The uncomfortable part I guess you determine as soon as you try them. For me they are fine in that respect.

Thanks, I appreciate the recommendation. I'll get around to getting the verite perf lambskin pads and see what think.

Another thing I've noticed this week is the very prominent difference between A/B testing with SS vs. my tube amp. For example, right now with Universe perf lamb pads on the VO, I'm going back and forth listening to music with my Bottlehead Crack Speedball w/NOS tubes and the headphone amp in the RME ADI-2 DAC.

There is some more bass extension with the BHC, but the high end frequencies are softened, blurry (less detailed/crisp) and obviously this is a different presentation for my perception of detail and clarity in the VO. With the ADI-2 output, it's crystal clear, very detailed, and precise, but definitely less warm as the bass is tighter (nothing a little EQ could not address however, but it's not going to be "warm"). These days, I find myself leaning towards the analytical side of listening and preferring the SS presentation more.

 

[qboogie]

I'm pad rolling this week, as well. Yes, I had the same experience with the perf lamb Auteur pads on my VO.

Right now, I'm narrowing down what I think sounds best. I like the perf lamb Be2 a lot, followed by the perf suede Universe, followed by the perf lamb Universe.

Curious if most VO owners just stick with one pad or do they swap around on occasion?

I haven't taken the BE2 pads off since I put them on my VO. They're just so ideal

 

[shafat777]

Some photos i recently took of my Ironwood VO

 

[RobertSM]

Some photos i recently took of my Ironwood VO

Knockout pair of Ironwood VO! Excellent photography to boot!