For me they seem to give the Verite a more natural timbre while not totally removing character of the cans. I found the bass overwhelming with leather U pads, and they were just too dark for me. Everything just feels more cohesive now. With other ZMF cans suede had too many tradeoffs, not with the Verite. It seems to be assertive enough that it doesn't lose its character when getting the neutral tilt of the suede.
I briefly tried the BE2 and Verite pads, but was not immediately won over. Will return to those after longer burn-in. Once these are really set will be doing a bunch of tube/pads rolling to find optimal combo. Currently running MJ2 with GE JAN 5670W tubes.
I'm going to have to try them then. I prefer the FR of the Verite pads, but I have comfort problems with them, so I keep returning to the lambskin universe pads. I wonder if Zac does a suede Eikon pads because I really like the comfort of those...
I used suede eikon pads on my auteur and they were incredible. @ColtMrFire actually turned me on to those. I regularly swapped between them and the default Auteur pads depending on what I was listening to. It seems there are not a lot of Auteur/Eikon pad impressions on Verite though.
I like the tonality of the U-Suede pads on the Verite but dynamics take a big hit where the attack feels a bit soft and restrained. Timbre doesn't seem as natural as leather pads either, but obviously YMMV.
I tried lambskin Eikon pads on my Verite C for about a short time - it turned them into 16 inch battleship bass cannons :) it was fun for about 2 hours, but probobly won't be doing it again ;)
@Inoculator@crenca I would be careful using Auteur/Eikon pads with the Verite. at least from experience, the Auteur Suede, the bass rolls off a bit and introduces some sibilance. I'm guessing the pad depth is messing with the low end tightness and extension
@tommytakis, ah good to know before I ordered them. IMO the Verite timbre (particularly in the vocal region) has enough problems already, and to take away their technicatlites it seems you might as well at that point switch to the Eikon/Auteur...
@crenca if you want a slightly brighter sound but want the comfort of the Universe pads, try the Universe Hybrids. it's slightly brighter than Universe leather but retain the timbre and dynamics of the leather.
@tommytakis I guess I am just a wuss when it comes to attack, because lambskin universe was too much for me. Could be the pairing with the MJ2 though, might be a better fit when paired with my Liquid Platinum (stuck at work under quarantine). I like Universe suede because it seems to basically give me a more technically proficient Auteur that has meatier bass and sits me a few rows closer to the music.
@tommytakis will do. In your opinion does any pad get a more natural, less "thick/congested" yet still full bodied timbre in the vocal region out of the Verite?
The Verite pad helps but between the comfort issues and it not really solving the problem I don't find it worth it. Even a relatively bright amp/dac combo like Jot/GunMBA2 does not solve it for me, and EQ only seems to mask it a bit. I am hoping the Starlett I have on order helps...
@Inoculator I'm guessing it's also MJ2's incredible slam factoring into your fatigue w/ Universe lambskin pads haha. yeah don't get me wrong, I like the Universe Suede as well it's def the most easy going pad to listen to. I have a feeling your opinion might sway a bit after longer burn in as well (I also preferred U.Suede then switched back to U.L/Verite pads)
@crenca hmm I can't say for sure since it's been a while since I owned the Verite, but I would say Verite pads + good tube amp will most likely do what you are craving. I really liked the Verite+Verite pads out of ZDS and Starlett. But maybe the Universe Hybrid might be a happy compromise for you since you have the comfort issues
FYI, the Liquid Platinum is a terrible pairing with Verite. Does it zero favors; does nothing to highlight what the Verite does well.
I actually like the Verite lambskin pads the best, but this was after using them for a while (no idea how many hours sorry). Before break-in it seemed like the headphones were a touch brighter, but loosened up over time.
Read these "rules" AND introduce
yourself before your first post
Being true to what the artists intended
(opinion / entertainment piece)
Comments on Profile Post by Inoculator