I am okay with a tube and i will be going with verite closed
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Ill just buy them new tbh. What would you recommend for pads etc? I know pads can mean a lot for sound not just comfortability. They have many options on their site
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I mean, if you have infinite budget, it might be fun to see you do a proper shootout: buy three headphone chains and sell the two you don’t like as much! 
(P.S. I personally own and like both the Gjallarhorn GH 50 and the Eikon, but neither are TOTLs.)
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Lol. Possibly.
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Cool cool. Personally I think something like the quicksilver headphone amp is a fantastic option for those cans for something balanced but really engaging and fun as well, although I think they may not be made anymore due to parts shortages so not sure. Stage is pretty massive and accurate, reasonably resolving, great low end without getting sloppy or overly warm, extremely dynamic, just great overall for the price. If you did buy a verite closed new, getting the bundle with the pendant (although I’ve only heard the original) is a safe choice and leans a bit more warm and rich, wider but more vague stage, more forgiving, similar technical ability but I don’t know if that amp is worth it without getting that discount you get from buying both the headphones and amp together (if he still does that). If you wanted a more neutral and clean leaning tube amp with great technicalities but still organic and not dry, I like the lta mz2, especially with the LPS upgrade, stage is more intimate but very very deep, pretty clean and fast, still great timbre and pretty resolving too, very dynamic and energetic more forward presentation.
On the solid state side of things, I’d personally look toward something like a violectric v280/v281 if you want something warmer and relaxed without being overdone, great technical ability but more relaxed and organic with a wider stage and a bit more recessed treble. If you wanted something more neutral and forward, I think the burson soloist 3xp is a great pick there, more narrow but very tight and sharp stage, great impact and slam, great control, fairly macrodynamic. If you can find one used I really like the bryston bha-1 for something like an inbetween of the v280 and burson but better technical ability than both of them
Dac wise it will depend on what you go for, but I’d say for now for things like the quicksilver, pendant, mz2, soloist, I’d look at something like a schiit bifrost 2, and for something like the violectric and bryston more something like the soekris dac2541. There are other options of course, but I think those would represent good balanced pairings and good value
Gotcha, makes sense to with the closed since the used price is so close to new.
There are a lot of options, personally I’m not the best person to ask about pads, but I did like the auteur lambskin pads for greater stage and fun or the universe lambskin for more organicness and sweetness, although there’s other people here who have played around with pads for that headphone much more than I have
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I highly recommend the Eikon Suede (solid) pads for the Verite Closed. It’s got more airy and detailed treble over any other pads that I’ve used with the Verite Closed. The Auteur lambskin I’m pretty sure are the stock ones and those are great too but slightly warmer in comparison and the Universe lambskin were also awesome and very balanced sounding.
Alright I just purchased the verites and with dual xlr for the bitfrost. good?
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Well the bifrost is only a dac, it can’t power headphones, you will also need an amp. If you got something like the pendant, quicksilver, mz2 you would want a 1/4 inch cable on the amp side, if you wanted the vio, bryston, or burson you would want a single 4 pin xlr on the amp side, if I’m understanding you correctly
OH. Idk why the bitfrost has those then. which cables should i get for the verite for bitfrost + quicksilver
Those are xlr out for balanced amps, the bifrost has both single ended (rca) and balanced (3 pin xlr) outputs to feed into an amp. They are designed to provide a line level signal to send to an amplifier and not to power headphones. You will need a headphone amp to feed the bifrost into to properly power the vc. If you get a balanced headphone amp, you will connect it to the bifrost via xlr, if you get a single ended amp, you will connect it via RCA
You will need a set of rca cables as interconnects to go between the bifrost and quicksilver, I’d personally just get something like world’s best rca on Amazon or something similar, not too expensive, just better than bargain bin. And on the headphone side of things, you will want to order your headphone with a 1/4 inch aka 6.3mm connector on the amp side since that’s what the quicksilver uses. Although I’d double check that they are actually still making the quicksilver first because I’m not sure if they are still actively for sale
I have some schiit rca cables. I went to quicksilvers site and it seems they make them, but i guess you have to email them or call them to buy it.
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Those will do the trick
Oh that’s good that he’s still making them, yes then as long as you change your verite cable to make sure you are getting a 1/4 inch one, you should be good to go
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I am going to put this out there. The BF2 → RNHP → LCD-XC 2021 may be a good ticket here if youre willing to take a step and not go straight TOTL. Its worked wonders for me for both music and gaming. The stage is average but has good placement and details for games. Plenty of bass for your music styles and it should isolate pretty well, even if you are a glasses wearer.
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Done and dusted as the Brits say… now on to your next hobby! 
If only everything in life was this easy.
Yeah, I was considering recommending BF2 → RNHP → Gjallarhorn / LCD-XC / Eikon / Elegia just so they could hear a few different sounds to suss out preferences before swinging for the fences, but oh well, lol.
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I would avoide r10p due to some realy realy rough cup resonance issues. I would also add the esr10 to the list on posabilities (though i havent heard it myself)
As a former owner of the exact setup the OP seems to be leaning towards (BF2>Quicksilver>VC), I can agree it’s a great combination. I actually owned two different VC’s with that source gear. After deciding I no longer needed to stick to closed-backs, I bought a used Auteur and unexpectedly found out I preferred it to my VC. If I still required a closed-back, I would definitely still own a VC.
Not to throw a curve ball, but I know an Atrium Closed is on the horizon from ZMF later this year. I’ve decided to wait on that release instead of springing for the Atrium. I am on a loaner tour for the Atrium though, so I’ll get to compare them with my Auteur eventually.
I think you’ll will be impressed with the Bifrost 2/Quicksilver pairing. I have demoed the new Yggdrasil LIM with my setup and found the BF2 held its own quite well. I was happy I felt this way because it saved me from splurging on a new, more expensive DAC.
Not sure if you have any experience with tube amps, but I did some pretty extensive tube-rolling in my Quicksilver before I found my favorites. The stock tubes sound great, but things can definitely be improved if you’re willing to experiment. My advice is to get used to the stock sound of the amp for a while before changing any tubes. That way you will have a baseline to compare to when you make changes down the line.
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In other words, you would recommend Auteur over VC, for an open or closed rec?
Not sure I’d make that blanket recommendation. I personally prefer the Auteur to the VC. Someone could just as easily find the things the VC does better more important to them, namely speed and separation. The Auteur has some magic in the midrange that makes all the difference to me. Vocals are more natural and engaging in my option.
I have a feeling I’m going to really like the Atrium or even the new Auteur Classic that will be coming out at some point. I think I may just prefer the sound of bio-cellulose drivers. To sum it up, I prioritize engagement with the music over technical ability. I don’t want to dissect every little detail in a song. In this context, the Auteur works better for me than the VC.
And just so I’m clear, I loved the VC while I had it. I’ll happily own one again if the budget allows, I find the need for a closed-back again, and the Atrium Closed doesn’t live up to the hype I’ve already created in my mind.
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I’m with you there(as long as the underlying technicalities are at least good enough, that is). If it doesn’t sound like music, it’s not doing what I want it to! (Oh please God, let SR-007 MKII sound like music… 
)
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