Verum Audio - Exciting high performance DIY planar

Thanks! That's what I like to hear

p.s. Guys! If anyone has a problem - I'll solve it. You won't be left without a help unless that's some missmatch with your amp.

I hope that hundreds of already sent units prooved that I'm not a scammer and this kickstarter is a successfull project. Yet I need to admit, I'm delaying a bit ;( But nothing dramatical.

~8 ohm with cable.

p.s. Guys, if you ever had a problem - i'll solve itm unless it's a headphone-amp missmatch. Be confident, I'm here for a long time and trying to build a good reputation

 

No complains on my part at all. Just saying that I really like these headphones.))

 

Verum 1 vs 1266CC: Early impressions


I’v listened to the Verum 1 for a week. Earlier today I decided to spend part of this rainy day doing some comparative listening to the V1 vs my 1266CC which has been my main headphones since last May (started with the Phi and getting the CC earpads somewhere during this period; the only mod I have is fitting a thin layer of felt onto the magnet plate on the near ear side).


For this comparison, I used AudioQuest RCA splitters to supply the analog signal from Aqua La Scala Optologic DAC to MCTH for the V1 and simultaneously to Vista Spark amp (20 watts to 8 Ohms) for the 1266CC. Volumes were matched roughly by ear. I listened to most tracks of the Van Morrison and Joey Defrancesco You’re Driving Me Crazy and the last two tracks of Diana Krall’s Live in Paris CD, played with Ayre 7eMP CD player as a transport feeding the DAC. I switched between the two pairs of headphones every 1-3 minutes.


Sound impressions:


As to tonality, the #1 factor I care about, both seem to be not too far from being neutral with the V1 more close to neutrality while the 1266 somewhat warmer. I’ve just noticed that in one post at SBAF, the V1’s FR is quite flat until 1KHz; the 1266 is known to have three peaks at 20Hz, 1KHz, and 8KHz. So it is no surprise that the V1 sounds less warm than the 1266.


I did hear some edginess/slightly over excitability/driness from the V1 relative to the 1266. This may not be expected as the 1266 is reportedly too stimulating or fatiguing by some head-fiers. I am also inclined to use the Schiit Mini Loki to tune down the 2KHz and 8KHz a little to my preference when listening to pop songs via the 1266 but I can do without EQ for classic music. Interestingly, I’ve consistently found that the notes from 1266 sound rounder than the V1. If you feel the 1266 is fatiguing, you need to try the V1 first prior to purchase to make sure the sound profile is not too bright and stimulating to your ears. For me, I wish the mid-high or trebles of the V1 could be tuned down a little but I do not think the problem is nearly as significant as for Senn HD800 or even Utopia. The V1 does not have a sibilance problem at all. Actually, the V1 is one of the most balanced headphones in FR among all I listened to. I tried a bit to apply EQ with the Loki to the V1 and found no obvious benefits weighing the pros and cons. (Massdrop Senn 58X is the only other headphones in my possession that I don’t have the urge to EQ or EQ, at least with the Loki, leads to no meaningful improvement to my ears). That contrasts with a large number of headphones that I feel it is necessary to fix FR (e.g, the veiledness/excessive treble rolling-off of 650; the piercing trebles of 800; the lukewarmness of HEK, to name a few).


The V1’s overall balanced FR in no way implies dullness or boredom; neither the slight brightness results in a clinical or overly analytical sound signature. On the contrary, the sound has some soul and is a good mixture of moderate warmth, fresh sweetness, a great deal of immediacy, rawness and weight, plus some zesty flavors. It is not single-dimensional like the Koss Porta Pro (which is a lot of fun but cannot play well most female voices and violin) or some Grado headphones. Rather, the V1 seems to be able to play well all the genres of music I have tried. For example, it can present both male and female voices equally well. In contrast, the 1266 is more suitable for listening to male relative to female voices due to its FR skewness toward the lower end.


Dynamics. The V1 seems to be more dynamic than the 1266 in terms of speed. The decay is slower while the onset quicker. Thus the music rhythmicity is better with the V1. This is not to say that the 1266 is lacking in speed. A more interesting and extreme contrast would be to compare the V1 with HEK. Comparison of the sluggishness and over-politeness of the HEK against the V1’s quickness is like that of the slow response of some Toyota or similar cars against the new generation turbo-engine Audi or more sporty cars.


In terms of control, the 1266 is more authoritative while the V1 shows some fuzziness and fidgeting, but not too much.


Resolution and clarity. The 1266 does not show higher resolution than the V1, at least not to a significant level that matters to me. Instead, I heard more details and more cues of the recording venue through the V1 as compared with the 1266. Regardless of what others say, I think the 1266 is lacking in representation of the realism of the recording space, nowhere near what I heard via top-tier headphones like the Sony R10 or Hifiman’s Shangrila. The V1, however, can do an excellent job letting me have that room feel, though not as well as the R10 or Shangrila. The 1266 is strong in clarity; the V1 is excellent too in this regard, at least one or two levels higher than the HD650.


Soundstage and imaging. Like others have mentioned, the V1 presents a very respectable soundstage with excellent width, depth, and height. The images of sound sources or sound appear larger and closer with the 1266 vs. the V1. This is not to say the V1’s imaging is too distant. I would say it is just right with the V1. Layering is better with the V1 than 1266. I hear more elements in the space that the V1 creates.


Overall. I really like the V1 and cannot think of anything better or nearly as good at its price or several times as expensive. Some headphones can do better in certain aspects than the V1 but all of those I listened to have at least one major weakness that would cause problems to me for long listening sessions. With the V1, at least right now, I can tolerate its tendency to sound a little dry, edgy and fidgeting while enjoy its excellent musicality. The value/price ratio is so high in favor of the V1, I would rather keep the V1 and sell the 1266CC to fund a decent preamp for my Omega Alnico speaker system.

 

@Garuspik thank you, I'll contact you through PM right now. Just to clarify, the 10 db difference is not the pads, I can switch them and still pick out the left side as being louder. The pads affect treble peaks mostly, which shows up on test sweeps as the test tone moving around instead of sticking to center. They also slightly affect pressurization, as in the round one creates much more of a vacumm. Also 10 db is not 10 times loudness, more like 2 times perceptually from what I think I know. I do really like what I'm hearing from the "production" pad combined with the louder playing side though. This was all done through my phone and MacBook's outputs to get rid of volume pot imbalance as a factor.


EDIT: I've made some interesting discoveries measuring these two drivers. Its a lot to get through but I'll try to compile it all into a new thread.

 

Following Garuspik's advice. I removed the pads and the top connection so I could lay the cups flat and on a padded surface, peeled off the paper covering the inside and proceeded to work on the screws. I am now getting the proper resistance readings. Thanks for the tip, @Garuspik

 

Whats the Best DAC/AMP pairing for Verum one? my o2odac seems to have pretty bad channel imbalance and killer highs, which makes it sound lean. Price Under $250.

 

There is no "best amp pairing". Just get something that doesn't suck and has low output impedance, i.e. magni 3, Vali 2, etc. Hell, a Fiio amp would probably be fine.

Edit: I forgot the dac part of the equation. Modi3. Or Fulla.

 

Wait until you can stretch your budget to $320 and grab a CTH + SDAC. Fantastic value especially for neutral-to-bright sounding low Z planars.

 

What about jds atom or liquid spark, I am looking at liquid spark right now for Amp section. It also have really low zout as well. I don't know if it pairs well with it though.

 

Low zout is not the deciding factor. Just get an impedance adapter for the amp. garage1217 makes one. The amp will see 35 ohms, the headphone will see 3 ohms. Should be fine as planars do no get frequency roll off. You can always go to alibaba or the internet for less expensive ones made by dunu and others.
The question, though, is power. How much current can the amp handle? I do know the THX789 manual specially states that headphones less than 12 ohms invalidates the amp's warranty, further stating that headphones between 12 and 16 ohms should be limited to 4 volts output. Look for information for your amp of choice.

 

Yeah thats an important question. Since most headphone amps are not really rated for 8 ohms (Some rate down to 16 ohms and others 32), is there any worry of stuff smoking or acting weirdly at such low impedances or is it assumed that anything with less than 1 ohm output impedance would do well? @purr1n already mentioned output cap coupled amps like Vali 2 are not gonna respond well even thought its low gain mode has around 1 ohm of output impedance

 

Any normal amp has all types of protections: overcurrent, overvoltage, overheating etc.

How I usually buy an amplifier in hi-fi store?
1. I listen to several amps and select model I like and can afford.
2. I ask permission to connect + and - wires and then connect it and get short circuit.
3. Amp should go into protection mode immediately without any damage

If it's not that case then it's dangerous to use. But I've never seen an amp without protection.

 

What about impedance adapter's influence on the sound? If I change the impedance of headphones they would sound different, wouldn't they?

I'm also worried about this statement from THX's manual about the prohibition on the use of headphones of less than 12 Ohms. I tested it during the last three days and it was OK, but I'm still not sure.

 

I can confirm that liquid spark drives anything short of he-6 to perfection. It is really good. Atom is good as well but I prefer the looks of build quality of spark.

 

@Garuspik another question: Above in the thread was mentioned that stereo 2.5 mm jacks are used in the cable, not mono. Could you provide wire diagram for the cable?
Thank you.

 

planars do not experience frequency roll off from impedance mismatch. These are 96db, sensitive enough not to need gobs of power. They sounded fine on the THX789 but I finally read the manual so.....as Garuspik said earlier, amps and this amp have protection built in for over current. I Reread the manual, it says may void the warranty I will use this amp, it has a lot of power and low zout. Too high an output resistance and it will be as Marv posted, heat build up in the amplifier and less available power for the headphone.
Now I could be wrong about everything I think I have learned too ...

 

My V1 arrived recently - box sightly damaged but everything inside in perfect shape - everything securely wrapped in bubble wrap

Initial impression:

BIG those are big
Way lighter that the looks would suggest
Some very small imperfections of paint work
Very comfortable - near perfect weight distribution
Gorgeous looking pads - one of the best I have seen -
Cable is a weak link here looks much cheaper that the headphones but works and does its job

Sound wise - out of the box - sound very good - Neutral with nice weight to low end mids smooth - a bit of sparkle in top regions - could be almost called on bright side - less than Sundara thought
No problem with sound cut offs of channel imbalance
Works OK from Moto G5+ works better from NVA amp (speaker amp with HP socket connected internally to speaker taps - therefore no issue with Verum's low impedance)

Will say more after longer time spent with them but already can tell I will like them

 

Amen, that's why I go with @Forza AudioWorks for my stuff, all his stuff is soft and flexy it feels like you're wrestling eels. Though I do wish he'd ship my latest order.

I think the worst was my he-560s. We give a lot of shit to audioquest, but at least the nighthawks cable was supple. The chifiman felt like raw fibreglass.