Would agree with @Zaphain, honestly the zmf feel like they’re more overall limiting your chain on the note of the neve vs apex, I remember briefly trying my vc leopardwood on my pinnacle 2 and found it a mediocre pairing considering the overall price, felt that amp shined more with other headphones (especially some of the older headphones of it’s time tbh, or more modern flagships vs the vc which had a lot lot more scaling potential). I’d also say your dac is also going to be a decent limiting factor in that comparison as well, you’ve got a mhdt atlantis and mojo v2 correct? IMO you’d really want to go a decent bit higher than that to really show what the pinnacle 2 can do, but that’s just increasing the cost still lol (but that’s just how it is, an amp can only show as much as the dac can, and digital source)
No, I don’t have any of the MHDT DACs any longer. I’ve got an ADCOM GDA-600 that was rebuilt entirely following this guide except I opted to stick with the DF1700 because there were some reports that it sounds better than the DF1704, and because 99.97% of my music is Redbook, so whatever. I haven’t encountered anything, including MQA on Tidal, that it can’t play.
I’ve also got a Lampi L4/G4, but I feel that may be too much tube, plus it’s giant and the Pinnacle 2 is enormous as well.
It’s a real bummer ZMFs have a ceiling. I’m very impressed with how much the Atticus has improved with this amp, but I’ll stop expecting anything else from the VC.
I also prefer Atticus to VC. VC sounds overally bright and glarey I guess, I definitely hear them the same way that you described. The Atticus is pretty warm and almost smoothed over at times but I like it’s tuning and presentation of sound a lot more. It’s definitely not just you. I’d take Atticus over VC or AC.
PSVanes generally need a ton of hours to break in, just an fyi.
With ZMF I only had the Atrium Open. I felt they sounded good with the chains I put them on from a BHC on the low end, up to the Studio B and a few between. I agree they never really kept growing and scaling with better source gear. The good thing is they never sounded bad, but they never blew socks off. The LCD-2.2pf feels like it scales much past the AO at a 5th of the cost, or a 3rd if comparing new prices. And the scaling has more defined steps too.
Tbh, I do wish i had them around still, but they needed the mesh swap and a cable to get where they should, and DHC kind of failed me on the cable. For what i sold them for I am not worried, and the buyer seems to love them so it is a win win. No more worrying that the cups will free spin and crack into each other, metal on wood violence.
This is true, but they actually usually sound pretty good from the factory, then get worse before they start getting better. Final signature can be quite different from the initial one though.
I’ll agree with others I owned 3 different ZMF’s (VC, Aeolus and Eikons, still own the Eikons) they really aren’t comparable (in a positive way) to other “TOTL” headphones in terms of technicalities, the VC when I owned them were the most technical of them, while on an average chain they are in the ballpark of the Utopia technically, but really they don’t compare well to it on a good chain.
Hello,
The Ps Vane came with my Euforia and I still thought they were terrible after 200 hours.
They were far too neutral in the Feliks Euforia although some like it a lot.
Was it not my cup of tea.
I have the VC on loan right now and I like it.
My current pairing is 6080 Mullard +5692 Rca.
On the Atrium it is divine with the Caldera ultra perfs pads.
With the Vc and Auteur pads it was also good but not as good as on the Atrium, maybe a tad too warm.
I will test the other pads that are included in the standard range from Zmf.
They are supposed to be a bit more neutral.
I think the VC needs heat but not too much.
Too neutral is apparently not so good either, with the Ps Vane it probably clashes a bit.
And makes it sound brighter.
The Linlai Elite should fit much better if there are any.
They are similar to the Ps Vane but more detailed and warmer but not too warm, at least in the 6SN7 version.
Otherwise I would check if there are warmer tubes in the Nos range.
By the way, I really love the Atrium, it’s one of the best headphones I’ve heard so far.
Even a Hd 800/820S,T+A don’t look good where I have recently listened on a Moon Cd/Dac and Mcintosh mha 200.
Not a review thing but a rant:
I saw this on a headfi banner ad, and I got a little mad.
I know Zach has had a redwood burl reserve and was waiting to use it and it seems now is the time. Since redwood burl may be my favorite wood, i am a little annoyed that they tinted the already red wood, even more red instead of it staying natural. Maybe, hopefully, it is just lighting. But also knowing how resonant the wood is i feel it would have been better on an open can. Not lost on a closed one, but maybe not maximised. Oh well.
Looks that way to me, color balance looks way off in that image.
Reminds me of a pair of atrium closed I saw in Chicago last weekend. The picture is a bit blurry but you can still see the similarities.
Unbelievable, but you probably have to be a bit lucky to get a nice pair.
Didn’t find everything in the video suitable, pretty or appealing.
Still very happy with my choice of Bocote after 2 months.
However, as a Vc, the Summer of burl would be interesting if I were to buy one today.
Aren’t you buying from stock now.
Used to be totally random, because they were all made to order, My Aeolous was very pretty, my Eikon had some imperfections I didn’t like. My Verite Closed I saw before I bought them because they were one of several pairs Zach had on hand.
There was a real argument for buying ZMF’s used, just because you knew exactly what you were getting, but I had assumed that changed when he changed the model to maintain and sell from stock.
Unless it’s a special sale where there are named individual sets being sold, it is still random what specific headphone you’re going to get. Zach wants to have a custom service where you can choose the wood/hardware, but he’s not there yet. I tend to only buy used ZMF’s for this reason. I definitely like to see before I buy.
To clarify, I was only referring to the color disparity. The top and left most pair are the redwoods. I know bright sells but if i ordered it from the store page and got the more copper color i would be annoyed.
Wonders of digital color correction, or possibly just the lighting they chose.
I guess I’d have expected it to be more like the YouTube video.
But yes I can see someone being upset, there is also a vast range of aesthetics on ZMF’s generally, you really don’t know what your going to get until it turns up, I do think he’s a bit pickier on QC for the special editions though.
I was totally wrong with my previous complaints about ZMF and questioning whether these are still the headphones for me.
They are. They absolutely are. I hadn’t been aware of just how sensitive the headphones and/or the Pinnacle 2 are to tube rolling.
I’m using the EML PX4s as they are simply the best of the extremely limited options available (note: I have not heard KRs so this claim is based entirely on comparing EML to Sophia and there’s simply no contest). They feature mesh which, from my understanding, usually translates to an incredibly rich, detailed reproduction of audio.
Considering how great the Psvana CV181-T Mk II pair with the EML 300B XLS in my power amp, that was the 6SN7 I started with. The Atticus sounded great, but the VC were…awful, to be blunt. As mentioned in some previous posts: there was a hard glare over the mids that caused me major fatigue. Music didn’t sound musical and there wasn’t much detail. I rolled the Auteur (lambskin), Universe (suede and lambskin) but nothing helped. I used the CV181 for 7 or 8 days, at least 12 hours a day to ensure it got fully burned in and the tube did improve by the end of its time in the amp. The Atticus improved dramatically and the VC got a bit better, but there was still that horrid, fatiguing glare.
Next up, I rolled in the Linlai Global-E 6SN7 and holy shit, this amp roared to life. VC were greatly improved but not quite perfect. The Atticus, though…
The slam/impact that the Linlai brings is unmatched. This amp sounds close to an OTL (from what I remember of the ZMF Pendant for the short time I had that amp) with that tube driving. And furthermore: clarity is unreal. The glare over the mids on VC is no more with this tube in, however, I still found highs to be fatiguing after about 20-30 minutes, regardless of which of the AL, UL, and US pads is used. But the Atticus…the Atticus are damn near the perfect headphone with that tube in. I cannot believe how hard they hit, even on non-aggressive tracks. The stage is close to the width of what I remember the VC sounding like on the EAR HP4, and the layering and separation is INSANE. Once again: my entire perception of what I thought was “3D” in headphones has been reframed as being, at best, 2.5D. The Pinnacle 2 with the Linlai Global-E 6SN7 is 3D. There have been so many little backing layers throughout so many songs that don’t just pan left to right, but slide, glide, and/or float around. I can tell if things have moved slightly closer or further away. Depth, height, and width is just unbelievable.
Despite being absolutely in love with that tube, I moved on after using it for only 1 day. It was well-burned in as that was my primary driver when I was using the Pinnacle 2 as a preamp.
Next up, the Grant Fidelity Treasure Globe 6SN7-SE. I have never been a fan of this tube. It is lauded as being incredible, but I have found it to be overly dry and unengaging when I’ve used it in my power amp and when I used it as the driver in the Pinnacle 2 when it was acting as the preamp. But considering its price, I’ve decided to give it an honest shot. It’s currently installed and on day 4 of use. The first day was not enjoyable at all. Bass was mostly non-existent. No slam/impact, and kind of mushy.
However, yesterday (day 3) it was clear something had changed. Bass was hitting hard. Very hard. Not as hard as the Linlai, but a very close second. It honestly is beginning to sound like a warmer, wider version of the Linlai, but with less bonkers bass response. More importantly: the VC sound sublime with this tube. The Atticus as well. They are noticeably more technically proficient with the Treasure Globe tube in, but I legitimately miss that Linlai slam. In fact, they’ve gotten so impressive, I’ve forgotten a few times that I’m wearing them and not the VC.
This tube is going to be in and used for 12+ hours/day through Sunday to ensure it has had ample time to burn in. Once that’s done, I’m going to move onto the Shuguang Treasure CV181-Z for a week, and finally a standard Sophia 6SN7 for a week.
On top of rolling tubes, I also got in touch with the amp designer, Pete Millett via email and asked for his opinions on tubes and good heaphone pairings with the amp. He mentioned being sure to try the high-impedance headphones through the other impedance settings. I had been using high (which is about 50 ohms) but dropped down to the IEM setting which I think is 0.1 or 1 ohm.
The difference in sound was pretty pronounced. Even more hardness from the mids of the VC was removed. Highs on both sets of ZMF headphones became more detailed and refined.
Furthermore, I think it was @Littledrummerboy mentioned trying the Eikon suede pads on the VC. I did and holy shit, those were possibly the biggest transformation that they went through. ALL of the remaining harshness has been removed. Bass has tightened up a little bit and just feels more bouncy and fun than I did previously. Details are much more readily audible, but I’m chalking that up to the lack of fatigue rather than the pads doing anything special (besides removing that fatigue). I haven’t tried the VC with the Eikon suede pads with the Linlai tube yet, but I am very excited to give it a try once I get through the rest of the tubes.
And finally, I’ve been eyeing one of the LQi Claris pure-silver cables for a while now. I bought one of their Espirit (silver-plated copper) cables a few years back and it was a pretty transformative experience going from the ZMF OFC cable to that one. The LQi cable just brought the headphones to life. Anyway, my Atticus came with a 6’ Lektrik S cable that I used a little in the past but, due to how my desk is usually set up, is just too short.
It’s still far from an ideal length, but I’ve been using it so far this morning on the Atticus (with the Grant Fidelity Treasure Globe) and it is once again a totally transformative experience. I swapped cables with the LQi a few times on a few different tracks and the Lektrik S is as transformative from the LQi cable as the LQi cable was from the ZMF OFC.
I’m getting repeatedly blown away here and I can’t get enough. I’m so glad I figured these issues out and am back on the right path because I absolutely love these headphones and amp. I can’t believe I was trying to get rid of them.
I’m thinking back now and I’m pretty sure when I was most recently using the HP4, I was using the high impedance jacks. Originally, I was using the low impedance and the headphones were amazing. But the reason I ultimately moved away from ZMF and the HP4 to the RNHP and Shure SRH1840s was because of the harshness/glare I was getting on the VC and the really weird staging on the Atticus through the HP4. I thought maybe my preferences had just changed, but it seems like it may have just been an impedance mismatch the whole time.
Anyway, sorry to ramble. I’m just so excited about how incredible everything sounds and I keep reading about the Eikons and am pretty sure I need to hear them now, too.
EDIT: I switched to the VC with the Lektrik S and it’s just incredible. Microdetail is popping out like crazy.
Can anyone speak to a comparison of the ZMF Lektrik S vs the Verite Silver cables?
EDIT 2: I can’t stop laughing listening to the VC w/Eikon suede through the Lektrik S and with the Treasure Globe 6SN7-SE (Christ, it is annoying to type that entire chain)…it sounds INCREDIBLE. “Bejeweled” by Taylor Swift was just ridiculous. There are incredible surround effects it’s just…hahahahaha it’s so fantastic.
How different are the hybrid pads from the lambskin variants? I’m currently using the Shuguang CV181-Z 6SN7 tube in my Pinnacle 2 and I am getting horrible sibilance in both vocals and cymbals using the lambskin Auteur and Universe pads on the VC.
Switching to suede Universe pads removes the sibilance, but bass is noticeably looser and less impactful.
People seem to absolutely love the Auteur hybrid pads, but how different from the lambskin are they when the only change is that the part touching your face is suede but the the rest of the pad that sound is bouncing off of is still lambskin?
I’ve had the hybrid Auteur and Be2 pads in my cart for like 2 weeks now, waiting to pull the trigger because I keep experiencing sibilance with the lambskin pads I’ve got. This doesn’t happen with all tubes, but it’s still a concern, especially since ZMF pads are expensive and there are no returns. Part of me thinks I should just avoid any possible issues and get the suede variants of both pads, but I thought I’d check here first.
It’s kind of annoying how the Verite C go from “holy shit, this is incredible” to “OMG my ears are bleeding” with as little as 0.5-1dB of adjustment.
The BE2 pads aren’t designed for the VC, they are designed for open backs, and they were absolutely terrible to my ear on the VC.
The Hybrids sound more or less the same as the Lambskin, I went from Lambskin to Hybrid on one of my ZMF’s (because I preferred the feel of the suede), and the difference was marginal.
I never really had an issue with sibilance on the VC, on either set of “standard” lambskin pads.
Thanks for the info regarding hybrid vs. lambskin. I won’t bother with the hybrids.
The sibilance was from the Shuguang tube. None of the other tubes had it with either headphone regardless of pads. EDIT: But the lambskin were all definitely harsher in the highs than their corresponding suede variant.
Regarding the Be2, I thought the Verite pads were made for the VO and the Be2 were a variant of the Verite pads for use on either VO (perforated) or VC (solid). Regardless, I’m going to get a set to see how they sound.