[cats4cans]

I really feel we need a riff on Dr. Suess for situations like this. I’m just debating if it should be about trolls in the style of “One Fish, Two Fish”. Or if something along the lines of “Green Amps and Cans” would be more appropriate. You could drop ia bunch of band names and then end up loving the gear by the end. Seems more positive.
“Horton Hears a Who” seems a little too obvious though.

 

[JerseyD]

@Andyf1973 , if you are listening to your VO through the Hugo+Euphoria, and it sounds “muddy,” I respectfully suggest that something is wrong. Have you listened to a few other headphones with the Hugo+Euphoria and thought they sounded great? If so, there may very well be a problem with your VO.

Personally, I had a dac and amp combo that for some reason sounded muddy via the VO, but good with the Auteur Classic. I swapped out the dac and have loved the VO ever since. If you have or can borrow another dac you can test, it would be a worthwhile experiment.

Is there a ZMF dealer in your area? I understand you might hesitate to spend the money to send them back to ZMF for a check up, but it may be the right thing to do. The incredulity people are expressing over the very thought of the VO sounding muddy has veered into the personal, which is unfortunate- but it is based on the VO being such a clear sounding headphone, and your seeming unwillingness to have yours checked out.

 

[Leto Dal]

But that's what you have tried to do ... My opinion is the polar opposite of yours so you have proceeded to shout me down and throw childish insults to try and shut me up so if its all the same I'd rather refrain from interacting with you.

As a final shot down under have a watch of CMA's review that he's just posted on the DCA Stealth ... Loves the headphone and comments that after listening to it the VO and LCD 5 sounded dull, dark and lifeless. So yeah maybe that's also my opinion on this HP.

Wasnt CMA just recently euphorically claiming VO to be on pair with Caldera in clarity and detail resolution-wise being that magical headphone that he missed on release but is super addicted to now?

Havent seen his DCA Stealth review yet but now I am curious lol

Other than that, as some people above suggested - check your headphone, something sounds very off. From the whole totl ZMF lineup VO is probably one of the most "unveiled" sounding alongside with Caldera to my ear.

Very weird to see comments like the stuff above on head-fi btw, it always was a happy place, where people tend to respect each otethers opinions especially in something as subjective as audio.

 

[dbull12]

Wow the last page or so has gotten..odd with some of the insults thrown around. As long as opinions are shared respectfully no one should be subjected to personal attacks. (Edit: Probably could've used better wording. No one on here should be subjected to personal attacks, period. And we should try our best to be respectful about our differing opinions.)

Anyway, I've been very fortunate to have a Verite on loan and will post more detailed impressions after more time with it, but after a little over a week I can say that it fits my preferences for an open back basically perfectly and will definitely be the next headphone I buy. It sounds very clear in comparison to my Atticus (as expected) and its imaging, layering, and holography are addictive all while being completely non-fatiguing to me with excellent tonality and timbre for my taste. I find Harman upper mids and lower treble very shouty and fatiguing so the bit of a "dip" in that area works really well for me.

I could see how someone might find a Verite muddy or veiled if they're listening to it directly after listening to a thinner, brighter, and highly resolving headphone - something like an X9000, SR1a, or maybe even HE1000se. Then maybe the more fleshed out notes and warmer signature would lead to it sounding less clear, but I do think in isolation it's quite a clear sounding headphone

 

[574613]

@Andyf1973 , if you are listening to your VO through the Hugo+Euphoria, and it sounds “muddy,” I respectfully suggest that something is wrong. Have you listened to a few other headphones with the Hugo+Euphoria and thought they sounded great? If so, there may very well be a problem with your VO.

Personally, I had a dac and amp combo that for some reason sounded muddy via the VO, but good with the Auteur Classic. I swapped out the dac and have loved the VO ever since. If you have or can borrow another dac you can test, it would be a worthwhile experiment.

Is there a ZMF dealer in your area? I understand you might hesitate to spend the money to send them back to ZMF for a check up, but it may be the right thing to do. The incredulity people are expressing over the very thought of the VO sounding muddy has veered into the personal, which is unfortunate- but it is based on the VO being such a clear sounding headphone, and your seeming unwillingness to have yours checked out.

I tried a friends HE1000 stealth on both the H2 & AE and whilst not my kind of HP there were no apparent issues. To be fair I don't think there is a problem with my set of VO's they just don't work for me. I can appreciate their timbre which I do think is excellent and it's just the BE2's that sound muffled. I should explain that I came from Diana V2's to the VO's so in some ways from one extremely resolving hp to something a lot warmer in its signature.

Appreciate the humility so thanks ...

 

[574613]

Wow the last page or so has gotten..odd with some of the insults thrown around. As long as opinions are shared respectfully no one should be subjected to personal attacks.

Anyway, I've been very fortunate to have a Verite on loan and will post more detailed impressions after more time with it, but after a little over a week I can say that it fits my preferences for an open back basically perfectly and will definitely be the next headphone I buy. It sounds very clear in comparison to my Atticus (as expected) and its imaging, layering, and holography are addictive all while being completely non-fatiguing to me with excellent tonality and timbre for my taste. I find Harman upper mids and lower treble very shouty and fatiguing so the bit of a "dip" in that area works really well for me.

I could see how someone might find a Verite muddy or veiled if they're listening to it directly after listening to a thinner, brighter, and highly resolving headphone - something like an X9000, SR1a, or maybe even HE1000se. Then maybe the more fleshed out notes and warmer signature would lead to it sounding less clear, but I do think in isolation it's quite a clear sounding headphone

Wasnt CMA just recently euphorically claiming VO to be on pair with Caldera in clarity and detail resolution-wise being that magical headphone that he missed on release but is super addicted to now?

Havent seen his DCA Stealth review yet but now I am curious lol

Other than that, as some people above suggested - check your headphone, something sounds very off. From the whole totl ZMF lineup VO is probably one of the most "unveiled" sounding alongside with Caldera to my ear.

Very weird to see comments like the stuff above on head-fi btw, it always was a happy place, where people tend to respect each otethers opinions especially in something as subjective as audio.

Yeah CMA was more than enthusiastic about the VO's and did wax lyrical about them ... I've not heard the Stealth so can't compare them but have heard the Aeon line and liked them although that was a few years ago.

I came from the Diana V2 so perhaps I was always going to find the VO less resolving so perhaps I need to adjust to them. The VO has the best timbre I've heard to date on a HP I just miss the precision and sense of air that I got with the Diana's. That being said the timbre on the Diana sounded off and with some content it was like scraping nails on a chalk board ha ha ...

Yeah the comments earlier were a step too far imo.

 

[JackarlTwo]

Be nice folks! Or there's no Christmas presents next year! Seriously though, it's okay to not like a headphone. If a person finds a headphone "muddy" or not to their expectations/ liking then that's okay. The Verite in particular can be really opinionated from my understanding.

I guess a good advice is to always try to demo a pair before spending money on ANY headphone. I understand it's not always possible for a lot of people, and a lot of us are basing our decisions from forums/ reviews etc. I "blind bought" Atrium based on a lot of reading, knowing what I want and I couldn't be happier, and it's always going to be a risk buying something you haven't heard before.

 

[Pelilin]

Yeah CMA was more than enthusiastic about the VO's and did wax lyrical about them ... I've not heard the Stealth so can't compare them but have heard the Aeon line and liked them although that was a few years ago.

I came from the Diana V2 so perhaps I was always going to find the VO less resolving so perhaps I need to adjust to them. The VO has the best timbre I've heard to date on a HP I just miss the precision and sense of air that I got with the Diana's. That being said the timbre on the Diana sounded off and with some content it was like scraping nails on a chalk board ha ha ...

Yeah the comments earlier were a step too far imo.

I actually not an ZMF fans i have some other headphones like you do, but reading your old description of your Verite sound profile i wonder if yours is faulty because mine doesnt sound like that at all. There is something wrong here IMO you should lend a demo or someone around you who have Verite to check just to be sure.
I just read somewhere that you said Atrium is shouty. I dont know what to say here because i have ask people around in the local community including me since i have demo'ed Atrium, it is dark and recessed up there. Im confused.

I wonder is HRTF have anything to do with your experience.

 

[psy472]

I actually not an ZMF fans i have some other headphones like you do, but reading your old description of your Verite sound profile i wonder if yours is faulty because mine doesnt sound like that at all. There is something wrong here IMO you should lend a demo or someone around you who have Verite to check just to be sure.
I just read somewhere that you said Atrium is shouty. I dont know what to say here because i have ask people around in the local community including me since i have demo'ed Atrium, it is dark and recessed up there. Im confused.

Lucky you get to demoed before you buy. Maybe it wasn’t for you. ZMF has the issue of their earpads affecting their tuning so you see pad swapping a lot on the ZMF thread.

What pads or source gear did you use?

 

[Pelilin]

Lucky you get to demoed before you buy. Maybe it wasn’t for you. ZMF has the issue of their earpads affecting their tuning so you see pad swapping a lot on the ZMF thread.

What pads or source gear did you use?

I am not a fan but i consider ZMF tuning very good. You see audio's are like food. I didnt say that the steak is bad it is like going to 3 michelin star restaurant steak and it is very good but maybe because they use salty sauce while i like sweet sauce doesnt mean it is not TOTL steak. So TOTL ZMF are very very good but why i am not a fan? Maybe because i like something to have more bass in quality and quantity and this is very subjective. The midrange and treble with my VO is very very good it is my taste but it lack just more bass like the Atrium, unfortunately Atrium treble is too dark for my taste. Do i consider ZMF TOTL trully can be end game material for some people? Absolutely.

I also have tried Caldera and didnt like it. It might have extra 1db in the sub bass while the mid bass is the same with VO but the overall presentation is more technical neutral with crazy micro details but the sound presentation was boring not quite my taste. Is still TOTL and can beat many other expensive gear? Absolutely.

Problem with how Andy describe ZMF's is that it somehow doesnt match many experience with the Atrium and VO so i wonder is it a unique case.

 

[574613]

I actually not an ZMF fans i have some other headphones like you do, but reading your old description of your Verite sound profile i wonder if yours is faulty because mine doesnt sound like that at all. There is something wrong here IMO you should lend a demo or someone around you who have Verite to check just to be sure.
I just read somewhere that you said Atrium is shouty. I dont know what to say here because i have ask people around in the local community including me since i have demo'ed Atrium, it is dark and recessed up there. Im confused.

I wonder is HRTF have anything to do with your experience.

I think it was the fact I came from the Diana V2 to the warmer VO that threw me to be honest … I can appreciate the VO as being technically proficient and offering a natural timbre but I much prefer the precision and airiness you get with something like the Diana:

That being said when you EQ the VO with the extremely comfy universe pads you do bring them towards a more neutral presentation whilst maintaining note weight that the universe delivers. Caldera pads take that even further but you do loose that weight to the sound that is preserved with the universe pads.

 

[johnnypaddock]

With most ZMF's I have a clear preference for certain pads, but with the VO I always find myself going back and forth between the BE2 and the Universe. I find the BE2's to be a little more neutral, harder hitting, with a smaller but maybe more clearly defined soundstage. With the Universe pads, the 3D soundstage is really something else... CRAZY good.

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know if the Universe pads have changed over the years? I recently got a new set that looks more perforated than the ones I've used for several years. The dimensions look exactly the same. I haven't had a chance to compare the sound, but I thought this was interesting.

Old pads on the left, new ones on the right:

 

[574613]

With most ZMF's I have a clear preference for certain pads, but with the VO I always find myself going back and forth between the BE2 and the Universe. I find the BE2's to be a little more neutral, harder hitting, with a smaller but maybe more clearly defined soundstage. With the Universe pads, the 3D soundstage is really something else... CRAZY good.

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know if the Universe pads have changed over the years? I recently got a new set that looks more perforated than the ones I've used for several years. The dimensions look exactly the same. I haven't had a chance to compare the sound, but I thought this was interesting.

Old pads on the left, new ones on the right:

Certainly more perforations on the newer pair …

 

[LXMc]

With most ZMF's I have a clear preference for certain pads, but with the VO I always find myself going back and forth between the BE2 and the Universe. I find the BE2's to be a little more neutral, harder hitting, with a smaller but maybe more clearly defined soundstage. With the Universe pads, the 3D soundstage is really something else... CRAZY good.

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know if the Universe pads have changed over the years? I recently got a new set that looks more perforated than the ones I've used for several years. The dimensions look exactly the same. I haven't had a chance to compare the sound, but I thought this was interesting.

Old pads on the left, new ones on the right:

That's interesting with the pads - I havent had any duplicates with me at the same time but have noticed my Auteur lambskins have tighter perforations like on the right there, and my Auteur hybrids are more spaced out like the left. Personally I found the hybrids warmer with added mid-bass but I don't know whether to chalk that up to the material or hole spacing. Curious if you find a difference between these.

 

[Pelilin]

I think it was the fact I came from the Diana V2 to the warmer VO that threw me to be honest … I can appreciate the VO as being technically proficient and offering a natural timbre but I much prefer the precision and airiness you get with something like the Diana:

That being said when you EQ the VO with the extremely comfy universe pads you do bring them towards a more neutral presentation whilst maintaining note weight that the universe delivers. Caldera pads take that even further but you do loose that weight to the sound that is preserved with the universe pads.

Have you tried Meze offerings? If i remember abyss diana v1 was airy too it is more into neutral instead of warm. ZMF offering are all always a tendency to be warm and thick in character.