[Karnicopia]

Really loving my silkwood too and it seems like the wood is getting nicely darker now and I didn't notice it happen over time but it sure looks darker than when I bought it. I like that the softer wood adds a bit of decay to the notes I think the Verite driver is so fast and detailed that it takes to it really well so I like that with the open and then on the closed you have the cup resonance of a closed back so I think I prefer quicker decay there. Everyone's different and may prefer one sound or the other but I like having that mix. The weight is nice too I never really had a problem with any ZMF cans they are really comfortable but the silkwood Mg chassis just feel like they disappear on my head.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I love my silkwood VO w/the stock pads. The sound is knockout quality and has been from day-1.

BE2 and Universe Leather are my favourite. In that photo I tried with Universe Suede, like the vocal and overall tonality, but soundstage imaging seems small compared to leather.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

How do the Verite open compare to the Ateur classics?

 

[TheMiddleSky]

End of year is closing in, and many news about new arrival products is going around now. However, Verite still stand strong and beautiful indeed.

 

[Pharmaboy]

End of year is closing in, and many news about new arrival products is going around now. However, Verite still stand strong and beautiful indeed.

good god, that's beautiful!

 

[TheMiddleSky]

good god, that's beautiful!

Have to admit this particular one is hard to photograph. Wrong light, and they just turn into plain blue in photo. In real life the textures are really beautiful.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Really loving my silkwood too and it seems like the wood is getting nicely darker now and I didn't notice it happen over time but it sure looks darker than when I bought it. I like that the softer wood adds a bit of decay to the notes I think the Verite driver is so fast and detailed that it takes to it really well so I like that with the open and then on the closed you have the cup resonance of a closed back so I think I prefer quicker decay there. Everyone's different and may prefer one sound or the other but I like having that mix. The weight is nice too I never really had a problem with any ZMF cans they are really comfortable but the silkwood Mg chassis just feel like they disappear on my head.

I had the benefit of lengthy auditions of the VO and VC IMS when they were launching. Found both to be mindblowing.

When it came time to buy my own VO, I opted for the stock wood (silkwood), reasoning that the fast, detailed, resolving driver would get along nicely with a softer, more "romantic" wood like silkwood. Given that I have trouble taking the VO off my head every time I put it on, I was probably onto something. Besides, silkwood is very pretty in an understated way.

I keep my VO in a drawer, so it's always going to be the same color. But as it's already fairly dark, I'm totally OK with that.

BTW, I'm having a lot of fun time figuring out the sound of an exceptional tube amp I picked up used a couple weeks ago, the Icon Audio HP8 (influenced in no small part by praise of this amp by @geoffalter11). Anyway, the VO is my headphone of choice to figure out what I'm hearing w/the HP8, not just with stock tubes, but with various NOS tubes as they arrive. The VO has a ravishing sound with beautiful instrumental/vocal tone, and there's no mistaking the fact it also has a lot of resolution.

 

[Insidious Meme]

How do the Verite open compare to the Ateur classics?

Having both, they are very different. Suggest you get ears on both on a known chain before deciding which one would fit you more. Price should only be a factor in your own budget.

 

[shwnwllms]

Have to admit this particular one is hard to photograph. Wrong light, and they just turn into plain blue in photo. In real life the textures are really beautiful.

I’ve given up trying to photograph my gold resin VO. I know I can’t possibly do them justice, plus they stay on my head most of the time anyway.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

Having both, they are very different. Suggest you get ears on both on a known chain before deciding which one would fit you more. Price should only be a factor in your own budget.

So hard to audition these

 

[Maelob]

Just had a reverse midlife crisis with my audio gear and instead of buying more expensive gear decided to sell all the extra stuff and went to the affordable route. I fell that I was not using my system enough and needed a change. Sold my Z1r and just got some Argons, sold my LTA z-10 and bought a geshelli labs archel 2.5xl. Also sold my desktop speakers and will replace with the vanatoo.
But I could not part with the VO, put them for sale initially but changed my mind. I will keep them because they sound too good. And with ZMF I feel part of a family and I know whenever something goes wrong I will have the support. Unlike other companies.

Regarding the amp, if you splurged in the VO and want to save some money on amplification I am totally enjoying the Geshelli amp with VO. I honestly never felt comfortable with an expensive tube amp. Did the LTA sound better, sure, but that thing was big and occupied a lot of space and now my desk is clean. And it was just minor improvement in my book not 4K better. I can say I tried the expensive stuff but now I am in no rush to upgrade up. Credit to ZMF, VO are amazing.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I honestly never felt comfortable with an expensive tube amp.

Neither did I. The ones with >4 tubes total are huge. And some require very expensive, risk-taking tube rolling to sound as good as they're capable of.

I have the antidote (at least for me): a used Icon Audio HP8 MKII that I picked up ~3 weeks ago. My VO loves this amp. So does the Aeolus.

Even with stock tubes the HP8 sings. Bass is easily the best I've ever heard from any tube amp, regardless of size and cost. This amp is voiced to be more neutral/middle-of-the-road than some tube designs, yet there's some of that 3D notes thing tubes do, plus the sparkling rendition of space. It's a very powerful amp, too. Even a beast planar will easily run off the HP8.

I just started tube rolling...so far it's a fun adventure. The best part is even if I didn't tube roll, I'd still have very good sound.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

Can I get some opinions? I've been reading alot through this thread and it seems the general consensus is the VO pairs really well with tube amps and scales up nicely.

I have a pretty basic dac/amp Questyle CMA400i SS amp. It's got plenty of power so it should be able to feed the VOs well, but am I really missing out on a ton without the tube amp? Is the CMA400i good enough? I really don't want to upgrade my dac/amp as it's small, fits perfectly in my spacer, and is connect through pre-amp to my PC 2.0 speaker as well. Just looking for some thoughts if anyone has any experience with SS and this one in particular with the VO.

Thanks!

 

[shwnwllms]

Can I get some opinions? I've been reading alot through this thread and it seems the general consensus is the VO pairs really well with tube amps and scales up nicely.

I have a pretty basic dac/amp Questyle CMA400i SS amp. It's got plenty of power so it should be able to feed the VOs well, but am I really missing out on a ton without the tube amp? Is the CMA400i good enough? I really don't want to upgrade my dac/amp as it's small, fits perfectly in my spacer, and is connect through pre-amp to my PC 2.0 speaker as well. Just looking for some thoughts if anyone has any experience with SS and this one in particular with the VO.

Thanks!

I’m probably in the minority here as people love tube amps with any ZMF. I ended up buying a V550 Pro since it handles planars and dynamics equally well. I feel the synergy is great with the rest of my chain, so you don’t necessarily need a tube amp but your options are going to be limited if you go SS to get the most out of them.

 

[Leonarfd]

Can I get some opinions? I've been reading alot through this thread and it seems the general consensus is the VO pairs really well with tube amps and scales up nicely.

I have a pretty basic dac/amp Questyle CMA400i SS amp. It's got plenty of power so it should be able to feed the VOs well, but am I really missing out on a ton without the tube amp? Is the CMA400i good enough? I really don't want to upgrade my dac/amp as it's small, fits perfectly in my spacer, and is connect through pre-amp to my PC 2.0 speaker as well. Just looking for some thoughts if anyone has any experience with SS and this one in particular with the VO.

Thanks!

Also got the cma400i, it's plenty powerful enough and sounds clean with VO.

Still i prefer my VO with my Beyerdynamic A20 amp or my tube amp