Thanks! I didn’t think it would be too bad. I’ve seen others with a similar stand and haven’t heard complaints. Probably better than some of the omega stands. They look like they put more pressure on them.
Looking at my salire, the stand seems a little short for me and my adjustment level on the zmfs. I like the connectors to have room so they don’t get close to the table/desk. It’s very pretty though. That’s what got me thinking about picking one up 
.
8 Likes
Agreed, that is the one thing that is kind of an issue. If I had my rods adjusted a few clicks larger I would have a problem. I sometimes put the stank on top of my Bifrost 2 to have a little more clearance for the connectors/cable.
1 Like
(slight change of sub-topic) Just took delivery of my very pretty new cable, a 7’ Norne Drausk w/transparent cover. It’s a substantial cable, but somehow is light & pliable (how does Trevor do that?).
Burning it in for a couple dozen hours, then will listen to it on the VO. I don’t really expect any sonic bump vs my other favorite cable, ForzaAudioWorks HCP Noir. But if that happens, I’ll have a little audio party here (cupcake with a candle in it).
4 Likes
I’d love to hear some of the newer ZMF dynamic cans (especially the Atticus and Aeolus). But I’m still salivating over the older Ori / Omni planars. Hoping one day Zach & co will give planar drivers another go; I still love my Cherry Vibro & Sapele Vibro MK II and they both still get plenty of headtime when I need a closed-back…
2 Likes
Nice man! Where are the pics? I have a feeling the Drausk is going to be the winner, and I look forward to hearing which one you prefer. I know which one I prefer and it’s not even close. 
2 Likes
I love my Ori. Can’t imagine letting go of it. I fired it up the other day with a terrific little amp I was thinking of selling–Lake People G109-A. That stunning planar bass, top-to-bottom musicality & great soundstaging blew my mind all over again. Always wanted to hear the other ZMF planars, but never managed to.
PS: stopped thinking of selling that amp.
3 Likes
I’ve been looking at that cable for my VC/ Auteur (on order). I was worried about how thick it was. I’m looking forward to your impressions and pictures.
1 Like
No pictures of the Drausk yet. Hopefully tomorrow. But I just spent ~1 hr comparing the 7’ Drausk (which has been burned in ~25 hours) to my 2M ForzaAudioWorks HCP Noir cable. Both cables are balanced, with 4-pin XLR on the amp side & mini-XLRs on the headphone side. The amp is the Violectric V281; headphone is a silkwood ZMF Verite Open; music a wide range of blues, R&B, jazz, and classical.
Punchline: These 2 cables sound extremely similar. I’m really hard pressed to call out any sonic differences, no matter how minor. I might hear a slightly wider channel separation on the Drausk. If so (and I’m not even sure), the difference is tiny. I could never tell these apart in a blind listening test. No way.
What these 2 cables have in common are these characteristics:
-
These are quite substantial (read “not thin”) multstrand cables. They look thick and heavy.
-
But neither one feels thick & heavy. Quite the contrary: both feel light & supple in the hand, bend very easily, and “drape” wherever/however I want them to.
-
Both cables have near-zero microphonics. I can slide them across my pants or shirt and hear nothing as a result
-
They share a refined, beautiful sound I associate with fine copper cable designs, including: clear and shimmery highs that don’t sound piercing or edgy; rich, wide midrange, full of spacial & sonic detail; and a very natural, foundational weight in the entire bass range. A rich, refined, musical sound.
You can’t go wrong with either cable. As high end cables go, they’re not crazy money (not over $500). The FAW is about 30% cheaper by length, but they’re both affordable.
Purely on the basis of looks/appearance, the Drausk takes the blue ribbon. It’s a beautiful cable design. The transparent covering shows off all that glittering copper wire. The interweaving of wires is tight, uniform, and very well done.
The HCP Noir has a plain black covering, but it’s also a very handsome cable. The interweaving of wires is looser, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It looks great to me, just not quite as movie-star-pretty as the Drausk.
The only criticism I can make of the Drausk is that when you specify no price-added splitter, you actually get no splitter; whereas with the HCP Noir, when you don’t specify a price-added splitter, you get a sturdy black one. To be honest, this criticism is really trivial; I got exactly what I specified, which was no splitter. Can’t complain about that. And the interweaving of the copper wires is so tight & well done that I don’t fear that the L vs R lead will separate further.
Finally, both ForzaAudioWorks & Norne Audio are run by extremely hardworking, dedicated owner/designers. My experience with both was very positive. Wait times can be long, but in the scheme of things, it’s a trivial thing because the cable that comes is so entirely worth the wait.
Can’t recommend both cables highly enough!
10 Likes
Interesting! I would have bet money, that the Drausk would have a denser sound, due to more copper?
I thought of that beforehand but didn’t really expect to hear that (and didn’t). Then again, I only compared these cables w/one amp and HP (albeit very good ones). Maybe different w/another amp/headphone?
Might try this comparison w/the Ori at some point, partly because the bass is SOTA (still) IMHO; also because it’s a power hog planar and thus will pull more juice through the cables.
One time I heard a cable that made a remarkable (not the usual subtle) difference in sound of a headphone. It was an audio show in 2020. I forget the amp but the HP was the TOTL Focal closed back, the sound of which I really disliked (had heard that before). Sorry to say I can’t recall the mfr/brand of cables, but when the “inexpensive” copper cable (~$1K) was swapped for the TOTL copper cable (~$3,500), the sound became distinctly, noticeably better–more refined, nuanced, details w/o earpain.
Besides the fact I find a $3,500 HP cable semi-laughable (ie, audio version of a solid gold toilet seat), this positive experience made me suspect that big/bad cable was acting like a passive equalizer, such that its effect on a headphone I actually liked the sound of might not be beneficial. However, I’m in no position to verify that suspicion…
1 Like
Cables with too much stray capacitance can make an audible and measurable difference in how a phonostage performs. Likewise, cables that are too thin can have a measurable resistance - the HD800 for example has wires which are so thin they have a measurable 0.2 ohm impedance. Replacing this thin wire even with modestly pure copper of a thicker gauge will make an audible change. Improvement? That’s subjective, but there is some science to cabling things correctly.
5 Likes
Does anyone here have more long term experience with the VC and Eikon? How do they compare with regards to timbre and tonality?
I did own an Eikon earlier, but I sold soon after I got the VC and did not get a lot of time to compare the two. I put this as a condition for getting the VC, I would sell the old headphones when I got the new ones.
I now have an Auteur in Wenge and I very much like the timbre and tonality of it. I find that string instruments and vocals have a very lifelike presentation on the Auteur. Since I have to use closed backs a lot of the time, I can’t help but wonder to what extent the Eikon shares these qualities.
From my previous experience I know that the Eikon is very capable in the sub bass, but I have a harder time to recall other qualities of the sound and I can’t find many comparisons with the VC.
All input appreciated.
3 Likes
@bpcarb owned both units back to back.
3 Likes
I pulled this prior writeup from when I first tried the VC. I’ll qualify that for the VC I ended up using the Be2 and Auteur pads more than the Universe (all lambskin). That may have been a function of the pairing with a Mogwai SE amp. I would think that the timbre and lifelike presentation of the Auteur generally carry over to the Eikon, which share the same driver. I can’t really speak to tonality other than that the Eikon’s calling card is its sub bass while the Auteur is described as being “ZMF neutral.”
I’d summarize it as follows:
VC: for technical performance, a more energetic presentation, and your system is not overly warm (unless that is your objective)
Eikon: if timbre is a premium, you value sub bass, don’t mind less treble presence, and your system is already warm.
An argument can be made that choosing one may be genre or mood dependent. VC for classical, jazz, instrumental especially strings, and more technical genres. Eikon for rock, acoustic, vocals, electronic, metal, sub bass in particular. Each are versatile.
VC excels in technical performance across the board, with the Eikon having a captivating natural timbre, visceral sub bass, and being more forgiving of poor recordings. VC isn’t metallic or unnatural, but the biocellulose driver realism of the Eikon is noteworthy. VC has additional energy in the treble region.
I’d compare the Eikon to 6.5 inch floorstanding paper cone driver speakers with 2 separate 15 inch subwoofers, and the VC to 5.25 inch floorstanding beryllium driver speakers with 2 separate 12 inch subwoofers: bigger sound vs precision and incisiveness.
Initially, my favorite pads for the VC were the Auteur lambskin - bigger stage and more even frequency response than the Universe, and more sub bass than the Auteur hybrid. However, now I’m leaning toward the Universe lambskin for its increased impact, imaging, energy, and sub bass. It might be due to me being used to the elevated sub bass of the Eikon.
I can see justification for owning each of these, and it is extremely hard to give up the Eikon. It wasn’t a slam dunk.
9 Likes
Thanks for a very good comparison. From your description of it, the Eikon sounds like a headphone that is a good fit for my preferences.
There is something special with the biocellulose driver that Zach uses.
3 Likes
You’re welcome. I miss the Eikon and that biocellulose driver is indeed special.
2 Likes
I bet your Ori is amazing, man; very much wish I had a pair. I might even be willing to trade both of my Vibros for a set if I ever find one, lol. Can you tell me what other over-the-ears you’d compare the Ori to? Also, do you know if there was any difference at all between the original Omni and the Ori, or was it just a name change? I’m also wondering how it compares to something like the Atticus as well. Thanks!
How are the Be2 pads if I may ask? I’m a big fan of the old lambskin Ori pads, as well as the Suede Auteur pads I’ve got for my LCD-2.2 (they’re so extremely nice that I’m wary about putting them on because of how you have to use the double-sided tape to swap pads on LCD models…which sucks of course) and I’ve wondered about these “hidden” secretive pads for a while…
1 Like
With the VC, I used the Be2 most frequently followed by the Auteur, all lambskin. Be2 elevated perceived detail and is brighter, which was an adjustment needed for pairing with the Mogwai SE for my preferences. Auteur pads had the largest stage, but a more uneven frequency response and more reflections. I enjoyed both pads, more than the Universe with the VC, but the Universe is my favorite for the VO. For ZMFs, I generally prefer the less damped sonics of lambskin over hybrid pads, but reach for hybrid pads for comfort and weather purposes (heat/humidity).
I may be in the minority in preferring the Be2 pads, but I’m not alone:
4 Likes