Thanks! IMO the auteur and Verite are quite different from each other. The Verite has a more holographic sound,and because of that many instruments sound a bit distant/laid back,whereas the Auteur is a more immediate sounding HP. Based on a pheasantwood Verite and a Bocote Auteur.
You had me at “audio cornucopia.” Auteur owner here looking for a bigger soundstage and deciding between the Verite Open and Utopia (which I’ve heard and found incredible).
The staging is wider, deeper and taller on the Verite. The Utopia is also brighter. Since you already own the Auteur, your amp should be capable of driving the Verite well.
Glad to hear you liked them. Mine are in production at the moment, looking forward to getting them. It's too bad the GOTL wait is so long, I think it's looking like a great combo.
The wait on the GOTL varies. When I first ordered mine Glenn told me 2-3 months. About 2 weeks later he messaged me and said he was working on it and would be ready in two more weeks. Have you conversed with him to check the wait recently? Its well worth the wait IMO.
Hey great review! The Aeolus are more in my price range and am super tempted (even though I don't need them :). I'm curious what sort of "vintage receiver" you are talking about for headphones? I really have no idea on where to start looking for something like that, but I'm intrigued. I don't see a video from you on that subject, maybe that would be a good idea. :)
Great review man I can't wait to get my Aeolus , I ordered them based on your review , how you compared this with the Aeolus I know there is huge difference in price just wondering
Its becoming harder to compare ZMF headphones w/o mentioning which pads were used. I used the stock pads on both. To my ears,theyre both warm sounding,and both can have tremendous bass slam. Where the Verite edges out the Aeolus is the 3D imaging,and detail retrieval. Now if I were to use the Verite pads on the Verite,instead of Universe pads,then the Verite becomes less warm sounding,loses some of that 3D,holographic imaging,but gains even more in detail. I will also say that the Verite requires a good bit of coin for buying tubes to fine tune the sound one wants out of it. The Aeolus seemed to be much easier to find that happy sound.
Thanks for your detailed review. I jumped on the Pheasantwood pre-order since they were about to be sold-out. Taking a leap of faith not having heard them but I feel confident that I'm going to like them after what you've had to say (more so than Z Reviews, to be honest). I do already own a ZMF Vibro Mk 2 and Ori so in terms of build quality I know I won't be disappointed. I look forward to hearing your follow-up impressions after you get your own pair!
Im getting a Pheasantwood version as well,though my review model was the other wood type(silk,i think). According to Zach,the Pheasantwood is cleaner sounding,while the other has a more rounded,romantic sound.
Ive had the Pheasantwood for a couple weeks,and to my ears its darker sounding vs. the Silk. Im trying to get a loaner silk back to compare to make sure im remembering correctly.
Nice review. I'm curious about your comments about amp pairing with the Verite. I am curious if you think your Glenn OTL (I've seen your review about that) was the amp that brought out the best of this headphone. I wonder as well if other OTL amps are a better match than a 'good' solid state amp. Your thoughts?
Hi Gregory, my GOTL came before the Verite. I had owned in the past a Woo audio WA2 that I used with a my first "real" headphone,Beyer T1.1. After selling both of those I had a La Figaro 339 that I used with my Atticus. Sold both of those and purchased an Auteur,Verite open and my Glenn. The GOTL was a massive improvement over the 339 for the Atticus,but was gone prior to the arrival of the Verite. So, I cannot say which amp worked best with the Verite as they were here at different times. Prior to this virus I had made arrangements with ZMF to review the ZMF Pendant amp,but that kinda got put on the backburner until things get back to normal. Zach of ZMF owns three Glenns as well as a Pendant. He has described the Pendant as sounding more solid state sounding vs. The Glenn. Shipping a pair of headphones isnt nearly as expensive or potentially damaging as it it is shipping an amp. Because of that I havent had much experience with other OTL or tube based amps besides the ones ive owned.
Sorry my english is not the best, but if i understand correctly, if i want something more "fun" the aeolus will fit me better then the veritet ? Would love to hear if you have any other suggestions for me i am comming from the focal clear, i like how "clear" it is, but i feel like they are missing something i am looking for something with more bass, something more fun, that is still very "clear" to some degree, would love to hear what you suggest me ! subbed great videos ! :)
Hey Bokyu I think both Verite and Aeolus(and Atticus) are fun sounding headphones,with plenty of bass. The Verite is the best of three with staging,speed,holographic imaging and sub bass extension. The ZMF house sound is considerably warmer than Focal,with less shimmer in the treble. Not too unlike the HD650 and Audeze sound. Another headphone I have here that I really like and has plenty of bass is the Focal Stellia. You can also watch my review of the HD250. A great vintage headphone thats not too expensive,with killer bass and a detailed sound.
Theyre quite different. The Auteurs are brighter,have less slam and have more air. I had the Auteurs for two weeks on loan,and liked them so much I bought a pair. Been burning them in the last few days,and havent had much time to listen to them. When my Verite arrive along with the 2K cable I can give a more in-depth response.
Great review. I recently received mine and I like them, but they are different. I think I'm going through what you did at first. Hopefully with some burn in the vocals and others will get out of my head and have more of a presentation in front of me. Or maybe that's how this is designed.
HeadKarma thanks for the reply! I started out with the stock angled pads and after a while I switched to the flats. I think I prefer the flats but again, it's early in the burn in process. I've had them on and off at home burning in while at work. I have an smsl su-8 > darkvoice with some nos tung sol tubes. My ss amp is the rnhp. Getting a bottlehead crack with speed ball soon and upgrading my dac to the Bifrost 2.
@@rhodey2952 I would give it a week at least before you pass judgement on them. Also tubes can change the VO presentation quite a bit. Tung Sol are typically a warm sounding tube. What tube types does the DV use? Do you have other tubes or just those?
HeadKarma I have a couple others. I'll have to check. Have a winged C 6AS7G and the stock DV tubes are some Chinese cheap ones. I don't plan on judging them too much until a while as passed. They're good. Just different at first. I know they'll get better with time.
Hi there,nice review.Well I have a pair of Aeolus and woo audio’s WA8 As an amp.So my point is,should I purchase verite for some better sound experience.If yes then I will think upon it.thanks.
Honestly as good as the Verite's are,the Verite closed are better. Check out my VC review. Regardless I think both Verite's are better headphones than the Aeolos,which is a very fine sounding headphone,but the Verites beat it.
Great points - people tend to forget that Everything in your audio chain makes a difference to what you hear - every headphone is unique. Synergy can be important if not vital in some cases
Hey Ben I have only tried to drive them using a really nice OTL,with nice NOS tubes,and from vintage receivers. Changing the tubes changes the way the the Verite sounds quite a bit,mostly in 3D depth and bass response. The depth seems to increase with warmer tubes,why that is,is a bit of a mystery to me. The bass response hinges upon damping factor. Higher the damping,more bass you get. Vintage receivers drive the Verite very well and is an inexpensive option,but I do prefer my OTL for the Verite,and most other headphones I own,except for the K240 Sextetts. Having not tried a Fiio or any other less costly amp,I cant say how your amp will sound with the Verite. I would suggest reaching out to Zach Mehrbach,and asking him. He's is quite approachable and will do his best to answer. zach@zmfheadphones.com He was at Canjam SoCal this weekend,so you might have a few days before he replies. Hope that helps.
I forgot to add I did try a Gilmore Lite MK 2,and I didnt like the pairing very much. In fact I didnt like it with any headphone I own and have since sold it. It was too sterile sounding for me.
These cans cost $2500, or $700 more than my HD800S. Before I'd even consider them, they'd need to do *everything* especially sense of space better. I am considering getting them. The 56mm beryllium driver has to do *SOMETHING*.
HD800s are like a music scalpel,and IMO lack bass and texture. The Verite isnt that type of headphone. It has excellent depth,texture and bass. If youre wanting it to do what the HD800 does,but better you will be disappointed,and vice/versa.
I think headphones in general are way over priced. No doubt. When you consider the number of drivers,materials and sound quality one can get from a full sized floor standing pair of speakers that cost the same as a headphone,then yes,theyre stupid expensive. That being said,for comparable headphones,these are a steal,relatively speaking. The amount of work that goes into each ZMF headphone,from the build quality,to the wood work,and sound quality. If this headphone was released by Sennheiser,or worse yet, HifiMan,theyd cost well over 5-10k.
@@headkarma thank you so much for responding to my comment you seem like a person who truly enjoyed them and smart articulate man who knows everything about audio and knows what is talking about your opinion may have ended up persuading me of one day purchasing this headphones. Right now I am not audiophile and for me what's holding me back it's just my indecision about what headphones do I want and also the number of AMPS DACS out there with different prices to power them it's just so confusing. To put in short I am new and learning.
@@truthseekingtroll3575 Youre welcome. My advice to you is to start small,and then work your way up to the Verite. Start with something like the Sennheiser HD6xx and maybe a Bottlehead Crack or La Figaro 339. Add in a decent DAC and you will have a very nice setup.
@@truthseekingtroll3575 DACs are a subjective thing. Some people like delta/sigma DACs,others prefer R2R DACs. I like R2R,which provide a warmer,more analog sound vs. D/S that have more detail and are typically brighter. Ive heard good things about the Yggy 2,and am trying to get one in for a review. Whats your budget?
I would value your opinion on zmfs cheapest offering the classics. I don't have a lot of money to throw around And for me so far with what I've owned they are the best I've yet to here. I would love to hear your opinion in them. I know they will be a far cry from the verite but still
Hi Legione Thanks for the question. To be honest I have never heard them. I used to own the ZMF Blackwoods and they were too laid back for me. I believe both are using the Fostex driver. However if you like them that is all that matters. Dont let anyone on the forums tell you what you are supposed to like. Enjoy what it is that you enjoy,and block out anyone who tells you otherwise.
The Ori/Omni are the neutral-ish ones (there is some treble zing) the Blackwood are the unashamed warm ZMF house sound ones. The Omnis have the better stage, both have decent stage for closed cans but they're still closed. They're very nice for closed cans at that price, but they are closed cans with a t50 driver - zach is very good at tuning wood headphones, but there's limits to what a man can do. If that's your budget and you must have a closed can is some of the best stuff out there, but they're not magic - closed cans don't really become truly "good" until the Atticus and Eikon, which are arguably the very best of a handful (if at that) of closed cans that don't make a massive compromise somewhere. BTW, if you can't afford an Eikon, Atticus with ZMF Ori Suede pads is a damned fine neutral closed. Not Eikon equivalent as the Atticus embraces wood resonances while Eikon avoids them, but still top tier. I've had an Omni as my "it's noisy and I need a generalist closed can" choice for a year or so, and I've only recently decided to sell it on, as the Aeolus allows me to put suede pads on the Atticus and go down to only 1 closed can. Also, none of zach's closed cans are 100% closed and they isolate well enough but not amazingly, so take that into consideration too. Hope my rambling helps.
Hey Kaleb I dont have a plethora of tubes like some other GOTL owners,but the best combo Ive come up with thus far are: Siemens C3G x2 ~found on eBay for approx 120 pair Mullard GZ32 rectifier ~found on eBay approx 120 each RCA 6080 x2~ found on eBay for 20.00 pair Im sure there are better power tubes out there than the RCAs,but thney were the first affordable pair I found that were recommended to me by other GOTL owners. My normal power tubes are GE 6BX7s x6,which sound phenomenal for the Auteurs,but it was providing too much bass to the Verite. YMMV.
@@headkarma thanks for the quick response. I only own an NFB28.38. Do you think the verite will sound good out of it? Im worried the soundstage will be small
@@life_in_solace thats a nice amp,but I have no experience with it. Your best bet is to reach out to Zach himself. www.zmfheadphones.com/contact-us/ Or if youre a Head-Fi member drop him a PM,he is very friendly and responsive. A lot of folks are saying they prefer SS vs. tubes for the Verite. I cant say I agree with that,but then again they have different SS gear than I.
The HD800 has a wider more spacious sound. IMO thats the only thing the HD800 has on the Verite. The Verite has better,more impactful bass,much better texture,more musicality,better mids. To my ears and musical preferences its a flat out better headphone.
@@akshat3516 I found it to be fantastic. However keep in mind I prefer warmer headphones. Ive never really enjoyed super resolving headphones due to the sibilance that usually comes with it.
@@headkarma Check out Stax 007 then, extremely high resolution on the level of utopia and SR 009, while tonally it is closer to hd 650 and has near zero sibilance to my ears.
How do you define better? It depends on so many variables,such as amps,DACs,personal preferences and music choices. It has better staging and is more organic sounding than either of the Focals. I prefer the Verite closed to all of them though.
@@headkarma I have heard the STAX 007 as well and I dont remember the Energizer I used. Either way, his do compare that with the verite open based on your memory ?
@@nicktan4530 Man,its been years,so I dont want to say one way or the other. It sounded spectacular I can tell you that. Going off of the Jade 2,it lacked considerable body,bass and weight vs. Verite. It was however perhaps the clearest sound Ive ever heard. The energizer sucked though.
@@headkarma Because electrostatic is overrated with lack of bass response and texture. But the speed and holographic is unreal. Also, I have very high expectation and the SR-007 does not meet my expectation probably its the energizer, am not sure. What energizer sucked for you ? Very interested on your opinion.
@@nicktan4530 The energizer for the Jade 2 I felt was not good. It lacked volume,as well as the volume knob wasnt very responsive. Many people have mentioned this issue on the forums. Apparently other energizers can be used with the Jade 2,but I only heard the stock energizer.
Verites are faster with a wider and deeper staging. Both share the ZMF house sound,but the Verite is better at the technicalities. Aeolus has a more fun sound to them.
@@headkarma thanks for the quick response! I was trying to find an Auteur review from you but couldn't, I would love to hear one, your reviews are great.
@@Farpun Yeah I never got around to doing an Auteur review. Its a long story,but I have sold off my Auteurs as I cant afford to keep multiple pairs of high end headphones sitting around. The VC has pretty much taken over all of my headphone listening time. I really like the Auteurs though.
Yes...and no. If money were no object I'd like to get a high end e-stat system,but money is an object,so thus far,yes this is my end game headphone. Its a great sounding headphone,assuming one enjoys a warm sound. I keep up with all the new releases,and if something comes along that I like better,that I can afford,then I will get that.
@@headkarma What is e-stat ? Electrostatic headphone and energizer amp ? If so are they the best ? Is the Verite the best sounding universal headphone for you at least or just another high end flavour sounding headphone. Because am getting one for myself as an end game.
@@nicktan4530 e-stat system=Stax 007 or 009+ Blue Hawaii Special Edition amp=large $$$ Audio is a subjective hobby. Whats best to me,might not be best to you. It depends on what you like. Again,the Verite,for my system,for my tastes are my end game headphone. For someone who likes the HD800,they might not enjoy the Verite. Its all about preference.
@@headkarma HeadAmp "Hawaii Special Edition" have not tried. But Stax 007 and 009 does not impress me one bit as a reference sounding best in the world. To me they are another great headphone. Imaging flawless and very bright. Am not impress with the HD800 either. Based on the description of the sound signature on their site, its my kind of taste but havent heard. The way you describe seems to be my taste. I dont find warm or bright to be the best reference of how high end audio sound but I like warm the best eventhough nuetral is the best sounding.
