[dematted]

Thanks for your sharing. Without a doubt, VO is most detailed and resolving among all ZMFs. Am just a little reserved with some other comments I read that the mids in the VO is a bit recessed and timbre is not at same level as the Aeolus. I suppose each ZMFs have its own strengths. Will definitely keep my Aeolus; even if I decide to get the VO. Enjoy your new VO !

From what I recall from most people's impressions as well as actual FR plots, most of the mids are not particularly recessed: rather, it's the upper-midrange just where the presence region starts that is recessed. From what I've heard from people whose ears I trust, this can be partially ameliorated through 1) using verite or universe suede perforated pads, 2) Tasteful EQ bump to the 3HZ region, and 3) tube amplification, particularly of the more neutral sort.

 

[Insidious Meme]

3) tube amplification, particularly of the more neutral sort.

Hmm. I may have just the thing once I get a hold of VO's.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Just spent ~1 hr listening to the new VO in my office system--first on the V281/MHDT Labs Orchid; now on the G109-A/Audio GD DAC-19, hopping around from genre to genre. A few preliminary observations:

I can't hear the midrange recession others speak of. Perhaps my hearing isn't good to pick it up; or the recession, though present in graphs, isn't large or extended enough to affect the music (maybe both). In any event, what I hear in the VO is a remarkable top-to-bottom tonal consistency w/o any frequency bumps or dips of consequence.

This VO sounds even better than the loaner VO did last year--it's slightly smoother & more accurate/detailed in the bass. Considering the loaner VO impressed me greatly, this is a very pleasant surprise.

Other points:

• Resolution: This headphone is very high in resolution, making it easy to hear into the music & identify reverb tails, edits in the mix, layering of instruments, etc. All that detail is presented in a calm, relaxed way; it's just there, easy to hear, but not emphasized, insistent, or aggressive.
• Beauty: I can't emphasize this enough--unlike other high resolution headphones I've heard, the VO conveys every bit of sonic beauty present in the recording (as well as all that detail). I just heard several classical pieces (instrumental or choral) that I know have especially ravishing sound--combining beautiful compositions, performances & musical interpretations. It's striking to me how clearly & effortlessly that ravishing sound quality comes through on the VO. So sonic beauty is being resolved here fully as well as subtle musical detail.
• Resolution redux: I'm hearing subtle differences between familiar audio components--items I hear nearly every day, but now I hear things I don't usually perceive. Just one example: I noticed differences in how bass is conveyed on the inexpensive but nice sounding delta-sigma DAC I was using for burn-in vs the NOS & multibit DACs in my office. I'll have to bring that D/S DAC in here and check that out. Differences between DACs are pretty subtle, but the VO lets me hear them rather easily.
• Bass: Bass isn't emphasized here any more than other frequencies. Still, this is exceptional bass in terms of quality and timbral accuracy. On the VO I hear the natural weight real music has in the lower registers.
• Natural tone: Voices and instruments sound exactly as they should. There's an unforced, natural quality to music on the VO. This is quite pleasing and relaxing...not all headphones can do this.

IMO this is a killer headphone. Until the VO, I hadn't heard this particular combination of extreme clarity + gorgeous sonics. I'm very impressed by what ZMF accomplished here...and very glad the VO is back in my hands again.

 

[NovaFlyer]

That's awesome. Definitely makes me want to buy a Verite more. Whatever you do though, keep your 6XX...I've found that even with the craziest upgrades, I always find myself returning to the HD 6x0 series for some listening sessions. I suppose YMMV, though!

I'm definitely keeping my HD6xx, they are great cans, especially for the price. They will also make a good way to let friends compare / contrast between different cans at various price points. It was great seeing friends listen to dedicated audio gear as compared to their iPhone earbuds, etc - the expressions on their faces and hearing them say "Wow, wow!" Now I have some TOTL cans to share, can't wait to see their reactions with those.

 

[Ficcion2]

We’re on a similar boat with the HD6XX and Verite.
I’ve also got a Matrix Audio Element M DAC and a Feliks Euforia.

I’m listening to my 6xx as I type this after a 6 hour session with my Verite + Euforia.

I’ve been listening to my favorite songs and am slowly ear training to notice differences.

Sure, the Verite sounds nothing like the 6xx right off the bat but it’s taking me time to solidify those differences in my mind and what makes it a TOTL product.

Just now listening to Hadrien Feraud’s self titled album the Sennheiser is missing the texture, dynamics, soundstage, detail retrieval and holography I can distinguish when using my Verite through the Element M and Euforia versus the Sennheiser.

Funny enough I had a friend and my brother over and they couldn’t tell me what they heard differently between the Verite and 6XX.

My brother said they sound the same.

 

[dematted]

Yeah, I think to a lot of people that aren't actively listening to lots of high-end audio gear, any piece of gear on the level of verite and 6XX will sound pretty fantastic, and differences between them will tend to blur together as a result.

 

[NovaFlyer]

We’re on a similar boat with the HD6XX and Verite.
I’ve also got a Matrix Audio Element M DAC and a Feliks Euforia.

I’m listening to my 6xx as I type this after a 6 hour session with my Verite + Euforia.

I’ve been listening to my favorite songs and am slowly ear training to notice differences.

Sure, the Verite sounds nothing like the 6xx right off the bat but it’s taking me time to solidify those differences in my mind and what makes it a TOTL product.

Just now listening to Hadrien Feraud’s self titled album the Sennheiser is missing the texture, dynamics, soundstage, detail retrieval and holography I can distinguish when using my Verite through the Element M and Euforia versus the Sennheiser.

Funny enough I had a friend and my brother over and they couldn’t tell me what they heard differently between the Verite and 6XX.

My brother said they sound the same.

Definitely sounds like we're on the same path. I really like the Schiit multi-bit DAC, so it will be good to experience another DAC. I did want to get the Schitt Gungnir, but the challenge of streaming was a key factor, as well as Roon ready. I've been looking at Sonore, which can stream over ethernet and is Roon ready, but I run into the ethernet challenge I previously mentioned. In the future, I may give that a try in my office where running an ethernet cable isn't an issue. I also looked at Auralic and Lumin streamers.

Regarding the difference between the HD6xx and the VO, the best way fo rme to describe the difference is that with the VO, I feel like I'm next to the instrument. For example, with guitars, it seems like I can hear individual strings (obviously dependent on the type of music, but especially with acoustic). With drums, it's a quicker response, i.e. faster, as compared to the HD6xx.

 

[Ficcion2]

Yeah, I think to a lot of people that aren't actively listening to lots of high-end audio gear, any piece of gear on the level of verite and 6XX will sound pretty fantastic, and differences between them will tend to blur together as a result.

Honestly, it happened to me too.

I jumped from popular Sennheisers and portable
DAC/amps to my main sound and hours of listening to very familiar songs to really notice how wonderful Verite timbre sounds.

Definitely sounds like we're on the same path. I really like the Schiit multi-bit DAC, so it will be good to experience another DAC. I did want to get the Schitt Gungnir, but the challenge of streaming was a key factor, as well as Roon ready. I've been looking at Sonore, which can stream over ethernet and is Roon ready, but I run into the ethernet challenge I previously mentioned. In the future, I may give that a try in my office where running an ethernet cable isn't an issue. I also looked at Auralic and Lumin streamers.

Regarding the difference between the HD6xx and the VO, the best way fo rme to describe the difference is that with the VO, I feel like I'm next to the instrument. For example, with guitars, it seems like I can hear individual strings (obviously dependent on the type of music, but especially with acoustic). With drums, it's a quicker response, i.e. faster, as compared to the HD6xx.

I could tell the sound difference right away as “better” but slowly going between components and headphones (especially from high end to entry) really helps cement what goes missing.

That’s what I love about the Verite too. The instruments sound like the real deal tone.

Guitars and basses with fresh twangy strings come through. The nasal honky mids from a sax and so on.

I think the Element series from Matrix isn’t a bad choice especially if you want to simplify your chain and the Mini I looks really really nice.
Though dedicated streamers may have a better UI and provide perhaps a more refined sound.

 

[robo24]

I'm one of those who experiences somewhat recessed vocals with the VO more than their other headphones. I don't see it as a problem in any way, just a difference. It's most obvious to me going from it to the Auteur. Vocals just feel like they pop out more and are the main thing in music on the Auteur while with the VO they don't. The VC I also experience as not as recessed as the VO, but then all the sound feels more close and enveloping to me, and more distant and spread out on the VO. This is with suede pads on all, Eikon perf on Auteur and Universe perf & solid on the VO & VC respectively. It's nice when you really can't go wrong with any of the lineup!

 

[Eldair]

Anyone tried these with Schiit stuf like Gungnir mb and Mjolnir 2? Would like to hear some experiense about synergy.

 

[Zachik]

I've had my Vérité Open for a month now, been able to listen to it everyday and it's just stunning. It handles everything I listen to (rock, jazz, classical, soundtracks) with ease and adds a sense of openness and separation.

So... do you hate me for making you try ZMF headphones?

 

[NickT23]

Will be keen to hear your impressions on the VO vs the Aeolus(after the burn-in); whether it evokes the same emotions like the way Aeolus does to you I am still on the fence whether I should also get the VO as I am already very happy with the Aeolus... so far.

Yeah, for some reason, VO vs Aeolous is very underrated and not many make comparison....

 

[Pharmaboy]

I'm one of those who experiences somewhat recessed vocals with the VO more than their other headphones. I don't see it as a problem in any way, just a difference. It's most obvious to me going from it to the Auteur. Vocals just feel like they pop out more and are the main thing in music on the Auteur while with the VO they don't. The VC I also experience as not as recessed as the VO, but then all the sound feels more close and enveloping to me, and more distant and spread out on the VO. This is with suede pads on all, Eikon perf on Auteur and Universe perf & solid on the VO & VC respectively. It's nice when you really can't go wrong with any of the lineup!

Interesting post. While I don't hear recessed vocals on the VO (at all, really), I did hear what I thought was slightly excess energy in the upper midrange on the Auteur. And that was pretty consistent over the 4 or 5 pairs I heard, all different woods--most at shows, one (camphor) here in my system. Note that the Auteur never sounded unpleasant or off-putting (no ZMF dynamic does). But it did seem like a headphone I would carefully match to source components to enjoy.

I happen to be quite sensitive to excess energy in upper mids/lower treble--have been so since I first got into audio in my late 20s, so this preference predated any age-related hearing loss. For all I know this maybe also by why I don't hear any recessed mids in VO (it's pretty hard to nail down perception vs reality in audio).

Re the VO, something that greatly impresses me is that nothing "pops out" on it. I heard it on 2 DACs & amps yesterday: overall the sound was uniform & balanced, with nothing jumping at me, also nothing appearing recessed, forcing me to concentrate to hear it. I don't know if there's a word for this type of sound, but I experience it as very pleasing: I can let my guard down and let the music come through to me w/o trying to mentally account for this or that tonal anomaly.

Maybe your "distant and spread out" comment (for VO) means that same thing. No way to know.

In next day or two I'll try the VO on a 3rd DAC; also on my OTL tube amp (Woo WA3). BTW, the pads on the VO are universe perf lambskins, and the sound is so good it's hard to imagine swapping pads (though I probably will as time goes by).

 

[NovaFlyer]

I think the Element series from Matrix isn’t a bad choice especially if you want to simplify your chain and the Mini I looks really really nice.
Though dedicated streamers may have a better UI and provide perhaps a more refined sound.

Agree there are more refined solutions out there and I started exploring them. But this is my first effort in breaking away from being connected to my computer and I wanted an easy and simple solution that doesn't take a lot of effort to listen to my VO in a more relaxed setting, which is why I was seeking a Roon endpoint as well. I'll see how this works out, which I'm sure it will be great, and as we all do, upgrade at some future point. And it looks like the mini will be delivered early next week, a nice quick turn around from Apos, so it will be a great Thanksgiving.

So... do you hate me for making you try ZMF headphones?

You are a very bad influence. Hope you're doing well in these crazy times!

 

[Zachik]

You are a very bad influence. Hope you're doing well in these crazy times!

Doing well buddy - miss you and the other crazies (yes, @Watagump - I am talking about you)...
I am still not over the fact we had no 2020 CanJams or ZMFestivus (other than NYC that did not work for me, schedule wise)
I am going to throw a colossal fit if 2021 CanJams start getting cancelled. Seriously!!!