Verum Audio - Exciting high performance DIY planar

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by cskippy, May 24, 2018.

  1. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    ZMF Pilot pads are very small. It may fit the Verum's metal headband, but probably won't fit the leather strap. I have not used the Co-Pilot.

    The Verum One mk2 also have very small fit. I'm having a hard time fitting it on my head. Adding the Pilot Pad will only worsen it.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2020
  2. uncola

    uncola Friend

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    Yeah I agree, I'd say it has a small fit because I'm 6'3" and I expanded it to maximum size and it only just fits comfortably.. if my head or ears were bigger it would be too small for me. But at maximum, it fits perfectly on my head like a glove.
    The pads magnetic attachment system is soooo easy to use. When I had Sennheiser hd600 and hifiman he560 I remember struggling like hell with the stupid tabs. The magnets in this thing are beefy and thick as hell. Really gratifying to see the guts inside with nothing blocking our view. You can see the bar magnets and the traces of the planar driver out in the open with no treble destroying fabric in front of it when you take the pads off. It feels like a device made by an audiophile FOR audiophiles.

    magnet porn:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  3. mamtacless

    mamtacless New

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    As promised, this is my impression after listening to it for about 2 weeks. Received my headphone just like everyone else, it came in a crushed box. Luckily the headphone did not have any damage. Upon picking it up the color seems different. I ordered Boobinga and surely enough what I'm holding is Zebrano. Well, Zebrano would be almost my first choice so it's all good.

    Build quality looks solid. There's nothing on the headphone that seems to easily break. The screw on top of my headband does not have the V logo unlike the photo on Verum site. The leather fenestrated pads are angled and comfy to wear, it has a nice oval opening. The fake wood looks fake and feels fake too. Overall I am satisfied with the headphone built quality. It doesn't feel that heavy, I feel the M1060 is more heavy. But surprisingly V1 is 496gm while M1060 is 480gm. In comparison HE4XX is 420gm and HD 6XX is 251gm. I thought the headband adjustment would be cumbersome but it is easy and straightforward.

    The only thing I have issues with is the cable. I read before that earlier purchasers receive very thin cable that seems will easily break. Maybe because of that Verum changed to a braided cable that is very thick, but the thing is it's too thick and rigid. Compared to HE4XX and M1060 cables, it's way much thicker and harder to flex. Because the cable is harder to flex and heavier, I believe it exert a lot of pressure at the connector tip. The connector now is slightly bent and right side the audio will intermittently cut off when the cable is moved/touched. It got worse after days of using it, now a slight touch on the cable will cause the right side to lose audio. I ended up using HE4XX cable temporarily while looking for a replacement cable. I don’t know if others faced similar issues as me, I usually listen while sitting straight and have the cable going down to the floor then back up again, so that might cause more pressure on the connector.

    I compared it to 3 cans that I have and feel could compete with Verum One. The HD 6XX, HE4XX and M1060. Sorry guys, don't have premium cans. HD 6XX is totally stock, no change has been made to it. HE4XX pads have been swapped with angled leather fenestrated one as the original pads have started to disintegrate, I feel the new pads slightly boost it's low frequency while cut some of it's high frequency. My M1060 is a v2 with 2.5mm connector, the only mod done to it is added felt on most of the lines at the ear pad side, it helped to change it from very dark to warm sounding and bring the vocal more nearer instead of originally the vocal sounds far away.

    Onto the sound impression.

    Verum One (V1 from this moment on) have detailed treble without being sibilant. It is not as super sharp like HE4XX, but doesn't suffer hissing "s" sound that HE4XX have. It have more treble than M1060 but not by much, hard to notice the difference between both if doesn't concentrate on it. V1 is a lot better than HD 6XX, which in my opinion treble have always been HD 6XX weakness.

    Vocal on V1 is very clear, it is not as forward as HD 6XX, it's slightly laid back but still clear, detailed and no distortion. HE4XX feels almost the same but less refined. HD 6XX is the king for vocals, it's very forward and sweet sounding. M1060 is slightly more forward than V1 but not as forward as HD 6XX, I will say it sits between the 2 cans.

    Bass is where I have mixed feelings for V1. Maybe because I'm used to HD 6XX and M1060 heavier bass, I feel that V1 bass is lacking. It's sub-bass is very soft. It still has a good slam, just feels less full. It also lacks resonance or echoes that certain instruments such as cello or guitar make. This makes listening to such instruments feel less satisfying. HD 6XX has the most resonance and I usually prefer to use it when listening to music that emphasizes resonance. HE4XX is very similar to V1, lacking the oomph in bass.

    Sound separation and details retrieval is V1 strong suit. Every instrument details can be clearly heard without one masking the other. The soundstage is wide and easy to point where each sound is coming from. In comparison, other cans just aren't that good, though M1060 does come close to it.

    Listening to Lady Gaga - Shallow, the highs is sharp without over piercing, Bradley Cooper voice is clear while still can have the sharpness of guitar in background while HD 6XX less sharp. During Lady Gaga singing the piano start play, with HD 6XX the resonance envelops all the sides, with V1 resonance is almost not noticeable. Lady Gaga voice sounds sweet with sharp highs on V1, doesn't sound veiled like HD 6XX.

    2CELLOS - The Trooper (Overture) is full of resonance and sub-bass yet also has piercing high, comparing V1 with HD 6XX is like the opposite end of 2 sides. V1 have detailed highs but sorely lacking in sub-bass and resonance while HD 6XX give satisfying sub-bass and resonance but veiled highs. M1060 are in-between the two, it's high are not as detailed as V1 but doesn't sound dull, while it's bass and resonance are not as much as HD 6XX but still can be clearly heard.

    I turned to Niccolo Paganini's Caprice no. 5 by Sumina Studer for high frequency comparison. V1 shines when playing such music, the highs are very sharp and all the small details can be clearly heard. It has no problem reproducing the fast attack that this music has. HD 6XX is no slouch either, but listening with V1 feels more satisfying. M1060 and HE4XX are almost as similar as the V1. I also listened to the Augustin Hadelich version and the result is the same.

    I tried Tones and I - Dance Monkey for something more modern and bassy. HD 6XX have the most bass while M1060 is not that far away. With V1 the bass is there but doesn't take the main spot, vocals remain as the center stage. On some part, bass overpowering vocals in HD 6XX while it never happens with V1.

    Enough of my long rambling. In conclusion I feel V1 best matched for music that emphasizes high and mid frequency, and also vocal. It has a good slam for bass but it’s weakness on sub-bass and resonance will not satisfy those that prefer this type of sound. Overall it's a very enjoyable headphone. Except for the sub-bass, it has more similarity with HD 6XX, M1060 and HE4XX sound signature than difference.
     
  4. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    Nice review, mate.
     
  5. mamtacless

    mamtacless New

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    Thanks. I'm really impressed with this headphone.
     
  6. Dzerh

    Dzerh Friend

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    What amp did you use?
     
  7. mamtacless

    mamtacless New

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    I'm using Shiit Heresy with Topping E30
     
  8. Accrued

    Accrued Friend

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    My Verums just arrived and there's a screw missing on the headband xD

    Other than that, they sound amazing. They are definitely going on my stay list...

    I will listen to them for longer, but they are blowing me away. And for that price, they are a big contender of my cost to sound A-listers.
     
  9. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    Unfortunately, these things keep happening with Verum. Screw missing, broken sockets, uneven grills etc.

    Glad you like the sound though.
     
  10. Poimandres

    Poimandres Acquaintance

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    I don’t seem to have any issues with mine and I am really enjoying them balanced via the jot and modius.
     
  11. Emojiless

    Emojiless Acquaintance

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    Can someone please explain the recommendation regarding impedance adaptor? Im using Modius+MCTH(LPS) with Fengru 30ohm version and there's some differences I'm hearing with and without it - not sure if they are to be expected.

    With adaptor sound is slower, has less macrodynamics and sounds a little boring, however in certain cases clearer than without.

    Without the adaptor macrodynamics are very impressive, sound is more aggressive and I enjoy music more - however I think I sometimes hear distortion on guitars and high jumps in vocals. With adaptor I don't notice this but Im not sure if its the gear or that the aggressiveness in listening w/o adaptor just brings out the distortion in recordings a tad more. Has anyone noticed something similar?

    Edit: without adaptor 9-10oclock is max for volume I can bear, with adapter I sometimes dont get enough volume @3oclock and don't feel comfortable to push further.
     
  12. Sqveak

    Sqveak Friend

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    It looks like you are trying to solve the problem of high gain by using the wrong solution.

    You should be using either a passive pre-amp between the DAC and amp or a pair of RCA attenuators.

    What this does is lower the volume prior to the amplifier adding gain, thus increasing the usable range of your potentiometer.

    Your impedance adaptor at the output of the amp isn't required as the output impedance of the CTH is less than half an ohm.
     
  13. Emojiless

    Emojiless Acquaintance

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    Thank you for your suggestion. Why is it better to weaken signal before amp instead of after amp?

    My worry is not that much of volume control but whether I'm properly driving these headphones. I guess the simpler question is if it is possible for Verum One to distort by being fed too much power - if not, then it just means I got confused by bad recordings.
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Pros and cons. Slight attention with RCA attenuators to get more usable volume pot range is generally OK. Attenuation here will lower S/N ratio, but as I said, a little bit won't hurt you.

    Attention after the amp with stuff like the Ferengi 30-ohm attenuator is a very very bad idea. Especially with the Verum which averages a low 10-ohms impedance. What happens here is that the a portion of the voltage that the amp outputs is lost as heat. In your case, 30/40 or 3/4ths of the voltage is lost as heat. This is why with the Ferengi adapter, the Verum sounds dull, compressed, slow, etc.
     
  15. Dzerh

    Dzerh Friend

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    it is more likely that the amp is to distort, not Verum. And an impedance adapter is actually for some amp's needs, not Verum's.
     
  16. BrokeSkoolBoi

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    I really want to try this headphone, but the only Solid State amp I have is the Rupert Neve RNHP. Yall think I can drive the verum with it? I don't listen past 12 o clock with the 6xx
     
  17. tommytakis

    tommytakis MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    Verum's not hard to drive, I can run it with my smartphone
     
  18. BrokeSkoolBoi

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    I just wanted to report back with my experience, I couldn't find any other review of the RNHP & Verum pairing.

    Frankly it's pretty crap compared to how well and controlled the RNHP drives the hd6xx. The sound is smeared and unclear, where the 6xx it's the most detailed I've ever heard the sennheiser thus far. I'll try to find a jotunheim to try to drive them. Been wanting to try that amp anyway, might keep it.

    Verum sounds great regardless, just fatiguing when driven from such a weak amp. You turn it up hoping the detail will arrive at higher volume but it never happens.

    From the es100 it sounds much better just from the 3.5mm jack. Guess I'll be looking for a 2.5mm cable in the meanwhile. The maker suggested an Amp that can output 1 Watt @8ohms. Wish I had seen that sooner.

    Edit - Jot on the way, used market is a blessing.
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2020
  19. BrokeSkoolBoi

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    Apologize for the double post.

    I've been using the Verum One balanced for a few days now with the Liquid Carbon X and Jotunheim and I'm probably going to give up on them and these amps.

    I learned more about mid-fi SS amps in this week than I intended. I should've kept my MCTH in FL..

    I wanted to make the Verums work for me, they remind me of the hd600 but with more fun bass and better mid-range FR.

    LCX is a perfect pairing on paper, but for some reason I find this amp fatiguing all my headphones. Everything is just just a little too close regarding the staging of the mids and treble. Bass is near perfect, the reverb of String bass on jazz is realistic and very enticing. Everything feels to claustrophobic to enjoy for long which is really a shame, because the music is so wonderfully cohesive compared to the Jot. I can feel the groove of the music which lulls you in like a tube amp. For some reason when I turn up the volume in high gain I can feel the greyground surrounding me, maybe I have a bad unit or something but this is probably tied to my fatigue.

    Jot is the complete opposite approach. The sound occurs a little too far away for my taste, but at least there is space from the stage even if it's not 3d. I think I have a Rev 2, seller told me it was purchased 01/13/19. It is definitely a warm sounding amp with honest treble and hard hitting bass. Unfortunately to me, in the words of Josh Valour, everything sounds 'clinical'. I feel like a douchebag sometimes when I listen to music on this because the clarity of every sound is more than I've heard on my headphones thus far, but that's not the reason I enjoy this hobby.

    Verum with Jot is okay, but it's not fun like the LCX is. The Verum can be bright so the treble on Jot prevents me from turning up the headphone to a fun listening level. Jotunheim is an amazing amp, sounds great with the hd6xx and Auteur IMO, just not what I want to use with the Verum 1.


    USB>>Bifrost 2>>Jot & LCX

    P.S. USB on Bifrost 2 is better than SPDIF, for those who read my Bifrost 2 impressions. LPS+MCTH wasn't a good benchmark.

    P.S.S. Es100 is best used single ended, not balanced with Verum One. Balanced it becomes obvious that there isn't enough power to drive them. Single ended is still good casual listening.
     
  20. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Please don’t listen to lady Gaga on orthos. For the love of all that’s holy
     

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