ZMF x Vibro & ZMF Blackwood Discussion Thread.

[manbear]

TH900 has a sound that's closer to my Sig Pros, IMO. Or rather, has a similar sound philosophy, but much more lush and rich, with a huge soundstage. Maybe bigger than Blackwoods, I'd have to have them side by side. ZMF are much more neutral and arguably natural, but TH900s are just so much fun.

The only thing I don't like about them is durability and the fact that you would NEVER use them outside the house. The way the hinge is designed just makes me a bit nervous. If it weren't for those issues I would probably sell my Sig Pros, lol.

Lush and rich with a huge soundstage and killer bass is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. How do you think detail/resolution compare to the ZMFs?

I really like how the Vibro can take pretty much any EDM, no matter how hot or poorly recorded, and make it sound lush and unfatiguing. But I find myself wanting a bit more edge and layering overall, and more slam and focus in the bass. Something more aggressive than the Vibro but retaining a similar forgiving richness and treble balance.

I thought your Ultrasones were very impressive but too analytical for my tastes. They were so transparent and revealing. Lush and rich sounds more like the Vibro philosophy to me, the opposite of analytical, so could you explain that part in a little more detail?

 

[Levaix]

Lush and rich with a huge soundstage and killer bass is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. How do you think detail/resolution compare to the ZMFs?

I really like how the Vibro can take pretty much any EDM, no matter how hot or poorly recorded, and make it sound lush and unfatiguing. But I find myself wanting a bit more edge and layering overall, and more slam and focus in the bass. Something more aggressive than the Vibro but retaining a similar forgiving richness and treble balance.

I thought your Ultrasones were very impressive but too analytical for my tastes. They were so transparent and revealing. Lush and rich sounds more like the Vibro philosophy to me, the opposite of analytical, so could you explain that part in a little more detail?

Detail and resolution is VERY high, but the sound signature is more colored. They're definitely more aggressive than Vibros, but also extremely musical. Some people do find the treble too hot (although not as bad as most Ultrasones). When I say detail is very high, it might even be better than my Sig Pros. But the sheer musicality is what hit me most when I tried them.

This is oversimplifying just a little bit, but they kind of combine my favorite things about the Blackwoods and Sig Pros. I think your Project Ember would probably be a good match, too. I get the feeling you would like them a lot, but you might need to get used to the different presentation.

 

[RiddleyWalker]

I got my pair of Blackwood today and I'm very happy with what I'm hearing so far.  I'm not going to share my impressions and such yet because I don't have a proper amp for these at the moment.  I'm just running them off my AQ Dragonfly, which so far has been passable for some music but clearly lacking presence and body.  What I hear so far has been pretty amazing, but I also haven't tried many high-end headphones to have a frame of reference.
 
What's a good desktop amp for these?  Not trying to spend too much, but budget is flexible, I'm more concerned about price to performance ratio.

 

[Kamakahah]

I got my pair of Blackwood today and I'm very happy with what I'm hearing so far.  I'm not going to share my impressions and such yet because I don't have a proper amp for these at the moment.  I'm just running them off my AQ Dragonfly, which so far has been passable for some music but clearly lacking presence and body.  What I hear so far has been pretty amazing, but I also haven't tried many high-end headphones to have a frame of reference.

What's a good desktop amp for these?  Not trying to spend too much, but budget is flexible, I'm more concerned about price to performance ratio.

The uber magni 2, Project Polaris, project Ember. They are all great in the price/performance ratio. Audio-GD's offerings as well.

You'll need to narrow down your needs/wants. Solid state or tube hybrid? Style preference? Functionality needed? $100 magni 2 up to a $325-365 Ember. There are other great options as well. These are all great amps with more than adequate power to enjoy the Blackwood.

 

[Tasoeur]

ZxV with Burson HA 160DS and Audio-Gd Digital Interface.
 
It as been a week since I've received my ZmfxVibro and I truly love it ! Not only it's a high end sounding headphone but also a beautiful work of art. I love the combination of exotic wood and high quality leather (moreover it's a very solid headphone, I'm not afraid of dropping it).
 
Zmf Headphones and Vibrolabs did a great job ! 
 
I find the ZxV very natural sounding, everything seems to be at "the right place", to my opinion this is the most amazing aspect of this headphone. I won't go into details as a lot of other people did it before me (and better).
 
Again, I'm loving the headphone, I'm listening to it every day, never getting tired of it, so comfy, beautifully natural sounding and  aesthetically pleasing 

 
 
Zachary is a very kind person, it's really a pleasure to have business with him !
 
Now I'm really curious concerning the  Blackwood 

 

The wood shade is somewhere between this pic and the first one.

 

[grizzlybeast]

The zxv is my ideal balance on a hp for sure! I liked them a lot.

 

[Levaix]

I posted a (rather extensive) review just now. I actually had to add the Blackwood to the equipment list first. Feel free to comment, and enjoy.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/zmf-blackwood/reviews/12280

 

[RiddleyWalker]

The uber magni 2, Project Polaris, project Ember. They are all great in the price/performance ratio. Audio-GD's offerings as well.

You'll need to narrow down your needs/wants. Solid state or tube hybrid? Style preference? Functionality needed? $100 magni 2 up to a $325-365 Ember. There are other great options as well. These are all great amps with more than adequate power to enjoy the Blackwood.

Thanks for the suggestions.  I'm probably going to get the Magni 2 Uber in the next few days. hopefully it will be a good pairing and liven them up a little.  My Blackwood's sound so dark at the moment that I'm afraid of adding tubes to the mix.
 
But man, when the right material is playing, these things really amaze.  D'Angelo's Voodoo album sounds better than I've ever heard it before.

 

[DoctaCosmos]

Dark as in bass heavy and lacking in treble or dark background

 

[grizzlybeast]

^^ I need to check out that d angelo album. My friend has been raving about the new one.

He may mean dark in the highs. My opinion would differ a little bit. Not much though. Could be because the z7 here is definitely darker than the blackwood.

Zmf blackwood vs sony z7.
So a couple of things I noticed about the zb compared to the z7:
- The z7 as fuller mids by a wide margin. On a lot of vocals, trumpets, violins, and pianos, I prefer the z7. But the zb is more detailed and has a purer tones.
- the z7 pads have its thickness at the bottom of the pads as well as the back making a more plush seal than the zb. If Zach were to make his own pads that would be a great example because the pressure of the zmf vibro and zb is mostly at the top of the pads leaving the bottom to feel a less tightly sealed. I turned the zb pads to make the bottom seal better with hopes of my ears still fitting and the sound being good. It worked for me and I will prob be wearing them like this unless I notice something off in the sound.

- the zb woops the z7 in technicalities. Name something and the zb does it better, with the exception of depth and imaging is a close tie. The zb is wider in soundstaging , faster, tighter by a large margin, slightly clearer but doesn't sound as bloomed in the instruments as the z7. The z7 has less weight in the instruments but has a sweeter presentation. The highs of the z7 are straight up lacking in comparison.
- The zxv is a closer comparison in techs but the z7 would still sound darker/smoother, less resolving, and less punchy because the bass isn't as planted. I would take the original vibro over the z7 because its more involving and punchy with a better balance. Still am not sure if the zxv has mids as full as the z7 and I don't recall the vibro to image as well(not sure though)
- the zb takes to eq in the bass better than all three and has the tightest/tastiest bass of just about any closed back I know, yet comes off as a little shy on some songs that require a lot of bass qty.

After much listening now the zmf blackwood and z7 isn't as much of an all a rounder as the zxv imo but the only one of the three to totally fail a song is the z7. There are some tracks where the zmf blackwood is a total treat, more so than either and those moments are the most rewarding and make it the winner. There are other times when I just want to kick back and do mundane things without serious listening. During those times the full mids, soft highs, and big bass of the z7 make it a kick back listen that's easier to chill to.
They occupy totally different lanes.

I took the dampening off of the front of the zxb as well and put one plug back in. The highs became a bit more tingy but it sounds a bit less soft in tone which I like.

 

[sgbwill2]

Hi, I realize this thread is mainly about the ZMF flagships however I just purchased the V1 version off ebay for £50 new which is a crazy price and was wondering how well it would pair with my La Figaro 339 or tube amps in general?

 

[Tiemen]

  Hi, I realize this thread is mainly about the ZMF flagships however I just purchased the V1 version off ebay for £50 new which is a crazy price and was wondering how well it would pair with my La Figaro 339 or tube amps in general?

 
Thats a steal, congratulations.
 
The non Vibro/Blackwood ZMF's have their own thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/667870/review-zmf-modified-fostex-t50rp-superb

 

[sgbwill2]

   
Thats a steal, congratulations.
 
The non Vibro/Blackwood ZMF's have their own thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/667870/review-zmf-modified-fostex-t50rp-superb

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction

 

[RiddleyWalker]

Dark as in bass heavy and lacking in treble or dark background

Best way I can think to describe it so far (under-amped with no dampening changes made), it sounds like... listening to vinyl.  I wouldn't say bass heavy, but definitely a "warmer / darker" sound.  I hesitate to elaborate any further until I have my new amp and played around with dampening/bass plugs/EQ, and allowed sufficient brain burn-in.  My headphone experience is limited, so I'm going to take time before attempting to advise anybody on their sound signature.
 
I haven't heard the HD650 or LCD-2;  would be interested in hearing comparisons from anybody!

 

[Levaix]

 
Best way I can think to describe it so far (under-amped with no dampening changes made), it sounds like... listening to vinyl.  I wouldn't say bass heavy, but definitely a "warmer / darker" sound. 

I'd say that's pretty accurate. If you haven't put the order in yet, you might want to try finding a used Purity Audio KICAS. Very fast and clean, and it might give you more precision. The Caliente version (what I have) has deeper bass, but I guess both models are very similar. Looks like someone is selling, actually.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/749176/purity-audio-kicas-caliente-amplifier