ZMF Verite Closed

I received a VC review unit yesterday and already got in a few hours of listening and all I can say is wow. I'm going to write up a full review eventually, but for those of you curious about VC, they are excellent. Now let me preface my background because I am a regular reviewer for Zach and I own both Auteur and Atticus and have long proclaimed that ZMF house sound just really fits my preferences. So consider my fanboi-ism and take what I say with a grain of salt and all that.

If you are familiar with Verite open then the VC sounds just like it, but just "more". More in your face, more aggressive, more visceral. Sort of reminds me of Utopia actually. The main difference between VO and Utopia to me is that VO has more space which feels "laid back", though that term is very relative here since VO isn't really a laid back headphone by any means. It is just as fast and dynamic as Utopia, but Utopia is just more in your face like you are sitting on stage with the band. VO is like sitting 10 rows back. But VC basically closes that spacing gap that VO has and brings you front and center in the way Utopia does. VC also manages to not sound particularly closed in the way that Atticus and Eikon do. I actually forget I'm wearing a closed back. You get all the speed, dynamics, punchyness, and timbre that makes VO superb, but with the benefits of a closed back.

Previously, I have been declaring VO my absolute favorite headphone of all time (for my tastes and preferences) and was saving up to buy my own. But now I am going to seriously sit down and A/B VO and VC with my music collection and see which one I prefer. Even though I don't need another closed back, VC is worth considering regardless of open or closed. I still think I might end up with VO just because I like the added headspace and I like the overall look with the grills, but I also really like how juiced up VC feels. I wouldn't be disappointed with either.

Until I get my review out, feel free to ask questions or comparisons. I currently have ZMF Verite open, Verite closed, Aeolus, Auteur, and Atticus on hand (so all ZMF dynamics but Eikon). Not to mention the rest of my collection listed in my sig.

EDIT: pics or it didn't happen

 

So, do you feel the VC completely replaces/outclasses your Atticus? Or do you think you'll keep it? If so, then could you possibly list what the Atticus does better than the VC?

Also, how much more spacious would you say the VO sounds? I love my VO personally however it's always frustrated me how far away the vocals sound. Also, Universe pads vs Universe pads- which would you say sounds warmer? The VC or VO? Or are they equal in warmth?

 

I don't think I will ever get rid of my Atticus. VC doesn't compete against Atticus IMO. If anything, I would say it overshadows Eikon since they are both sub-bass heavy, quick, and closer to neutral with sub-bass/warmth emphasis. Atticus is not even trying to be anywhere close to neutral. Atticus has the most character of any headphone I have heard. It is a total guilty pleasure headphone. And it has some of the most lush and rich mids I have heard. It is also way more mid-bass heavy and warm compared to VC. I don't recommend Atticus for everyone and I certainly don't think it works well as an all rounder headphone. It has a very specific purpose. But for those that like that sound love Atticus.

Basically like I said before, VC is super in your face, aggressive, and like you are front row of a concert. You can hear the separation and placement of instruments, but the absolute space isn't big. VO has a lot more space to work with, both width and depth. Just by bringing the stage closer with VC vocals sound closer too. I actually don't find vocals on VO to be an issue for me, perhaps try playing with different pads, EQ, and/or source gear. All ZMFs do well with tubes and I find that to be true with VO. If you find a mid-centric tube amp that would probably help you out.

Universe pads on VO are warm, whereas universe pads on VC are neutral. So yeah universe pads on VO are warmer. I prefer Verite pads on VO personally.

If you are wanting to add a closed back to your collection, I think Atticus is the better complement to VO, especially if your complaint about VO is vocals. VC is really similar to VO as they have the same timbre and same snappy transient response. Just that VC is pushing everything closer.

 

Yeah if anything I'd sell the Aeolus, and not because it fills the same role.

Because when VC gets here and Atticus doesn't have to get press-ganged into generic all-rounder closed-back duty with Eikon Suede pads and it can go back to its original pads, I'll have to see if I still a have a role for it.

Although knowing my hard-on for woodwork, it's staying.

 

Hi, so all VC owners should just sell their Eikon?

 

Your forgot the important part: sending me the money upon selling

I admit my Eikon and the ZMF house sound has grown on me, but I also would like more snap crackle pop transients I get with my Clear. I am also chasing the closed HP dragon because you people don't understand what it is like in my house...the noise, my god the noise!

So I probably will end up ordering these...

 

That's a tough call since Eikon is the one ZMF dynamic I don't have on hand to do direct comparisons with. I've auditioned Eikon quite a few times, but it has been maybe a year or so since I last heard it. It was also my least favorite of the ZMF dynamics, which is why I never considered buying it. Though I definitely feel VC has more overlap with Eikon than Atticus between the two.

My impression of Eikon was that it was quite sub-bass emphasized, slight warmth, and a bit sharper in treble. VC is also sub-bass heavy, but not overpowering in the way I feel Eikon is. So if that absolute sub-bass weight/heft/slam is important, I think it probably still wins out. Also, if you really like the sharper treble of Eikon then that is something to consider too since VC is still tilted dark with a more "safe" treble presentation. But personally, I just think VC is better all around and a step up in technicalities (which the asking price reflects).

You sound like the perfect target user for VC. Isolation is excellent. And snappy transient response is the strength of VO/VC. Once I figure out which one I am buying, my Elear and Elex are getting the boot since I won't really have any role for Focals.

 

Oh, are you not keeping both the VO and VC? Do you think there's enough overlap between them for one to satisfy the need for the other??

I too have quite a few ZMFs (Auteur, Atticus and VO) and just placed an order for the VC. I was hoping my VC would take the places of both the Atticus and VO but by the sounds of your posts I may soon end up keeping four ZMFs

 

Shortly after the VC got here, my Atticus was sold. It was my Reference for rock, but the VC is just so damn fast, with the great tone of the VO. As Taco put it above, the VC moves you forward 10 rows (too the front row, shades of Bob Ueker!), with dynamics and impact turned up a notch as well!

 

So both VO and VC are review units, but my game plan was originally to buy VO (before I heard VC). I still want to buy one of them, I just haven't decided yet. I definitely don't want both because I don't want to get rid of either Atticus or Auteur and I feel like VO and VC are so similar. Again, they have very much the same type of FR, timbre, transient response, etc. The main difference is the space. I think if I was going to only own 2 headphones, one being open back and one being closed back, they would be a solid pair to have for handling anything you throw at them. But I like more diversity. For me, rather than have both VO/VC, I would prefer to have one and then the next set I'm looking at is the RAAL SR1a for something completely different.

Yeah I can definitely see how in your use case VC just ouright beats Atticus. For my usage, I really only pair Atticus with tube amps and listen to vocal heavy music like acoustic, singer songwriter, folk, blues, etc. Atticus is the most special sounding headphone in that department and always stuns me how good it is. I often times get so busy buying and reviewing new gear that Atticus hardly gets touched for months at a time. But then I come back to it and as soon as I hear it I just keep thinking I could sell my entire collection and be happy with only Atticus. It just has that magic to it.

 

How is the isolation from ouside noise of the VC compared to the Atticus?

 

Better. VC is as closed as closed backs get whereas Atticus is just a bit less isolating. I can't hear anything out of VC when other people are listening to it either.

 

Stoked!



But in all seriousness, @I_want_all_the_tacos

Do you feel the more "in your face" soundstage of the VC is worth the trade off in terms of width with regards to the VO?

 

I'm fortunate enough to have a set that just finished burning in a couple of days ago. I'm still getting my bearings sonically speaking, but if you don't mind closed headphones, the VC is incredible.

It's often said as a compliment that a closed back sounds open, and though I've never found that to be quite the case, the VC is as close as I've ever heard.

It may be an "in your face" sound, but it never sounds confined or closed in to me. It simply sounds like you're a couple of rows closer I think. Just from my initial listening, I could easily live with either version, I honestly don't feel like I'm missing out with the VC at all.

Of course YMMV, whether it's worth it to you or not. If you prefer the isolation, these are definitely the way to go IMHO.

 

For someone who doesn't have a dedicated room for listening, having a closed variant that can come close to performance of open one or even surpass it is like dream come true.
Also in summer when the fan and AC is running. using an open headphone requires lot of planning. Like cooling room way down so that you can switch off AC and have a listen for 15-20 mins before you repeat the cycle. A closed back with good seal for noise cutoff and that sounds as good as Open Verite then count me inerested.

 

Excited to see more impressions around here. Over on Head-fi I feel like the hype train is off the tracks, and really from just a couple members impressions. I certainly know Zach can deliver, just worried people are getting too caught up in the "this is the ultimate headphone to end all headphones" narrative.

 

I always figured "hype train" was their core business model.

 

Isn't a hype train that's off the tracks slower/never to reach Hypeville?

Check out the headphones.com forum thread for another VC train on the tracks for Hypeville. The Raal SR1a thread was the one that suffered from attention diversion with this latest FOTM (maybe even became derailed?).

 

I enjoyed the Atticus for what it’s worth. True closed back but found that they couldn’t breathe as well as open backs (duh). Had fun with my semi-closed Emu Teaks and felt it did a better job there. Most other closed back headphones I tried made me feel claustrophobic so I’m keeping a healthy does of skepticism for the VCs. Even if the hype train is going full bullet train speed ahead.

Although...Zach does make some beautiful voiced cans.

 

I think the biggest thing fueling the hype train at this point is that a) the open version of this is still very well-regarded a year later, so had its hype cycle land on "well regarded"; and b) there's strong consensus that this at least isn't worse than the open version.