At the time this was written, the ZMF Omni could be purchased directly from the ZMF website. Here is a link to the site for purchase:
http://www.zmfheadphones.com/order-the-zmf/zmf-omni
Introduction
When I first met Zach it was last spring at the 2015 Chicago Axpona audio convention. At the event, there was a dedicated headphone room full of booths the likes of Astell & Kern, Sennheiser, Oppo and many other of the big names in the audiophile world.
To be honest, Zach and his ZMF booth was different from the rest. In a room full of company representatives from all over the world, many of them wearing their suit jackets and handing out neatly printed pamphlets and trying to secure sales, here was this very normal looking guy I could have mistaken for a attendee had he not been behind a table, exhibiting some rather unique looking headphones in front of him.
Mr. ZMF and me at Axpona 2015
I had heard about ZMF headphones before bumping into Zach, but never really thought it would be something for me. I had a chance to sample the Vibro and Blackwood that day, and also talked about his soon to be released Omni. At the time I was really into “bang for your buck” products and the asking price on Zach’s stuff was a little bit too rich for my blood.
After listening to his Headphones I thought for sure he was going to hand me a bunch of sales flyers and ask me if I would be interested in purchasing something. Instead, the first thing out of his mouth was “So, what do you think?” It was like we were a couple buddies and I was checking out his new headphones he just got in. I gave him my stamp of approval and was on my way.
That day I had a chance to try several top of the line headphones like the HE-1000, LCD-X, HD800, several Beyerdynamics and many other models. Up to that point I had always thought that top tier headphones would all sound relatively the same. By the end of the day what I realized is that they all have their own unique approach, and the sound alters differently between models, sometimes radically. Headphones are designed and catered to appeal to different tastes. I think the most intriguing thing I learned that day is that there is no right or wrong in this hobby, it’s all a matter of preference, and what we are willing to pay to achieve our own level of audio nirvana.
Since the 2015 Axpona, I’ve had a chance to attend a few more Chicago Head-Fi meets and sample more top tier headphones, including the Omni Zach and I discussed. Upon first listen I found them to be PHENOMENAL. Truth be told, all his headphones sound great but there was something about the Omni I especially liked. Zach and I chatted about the headphones and what the differences there are between the Omni and older models. We chatted about baseball, our wives, our careers and life in general. What I soon realized is that Zach is a really good guy, and his biggest priority with ZMF is to connect with enthusiasts and please his customers. I was also able to secure a review sample for me and a couple of my Head-Fi friends who were interested in reviewing them.
I would like it to be known that upon receiving the Omni review sample, I have committed to purchasing them. The pair Zach has provided is incredible and I don’t want to send them back at the conclusion of the tour.
What is the ZMF?
A few years ago, a very popular hobby on Head-Fi was modding the Fostex T50rp. Modifications of all sorts were done and some members got really good at it. It was pretty cool to read about how people would take a reasonably priced planar magnetic headphone and tune it to their personal preferences. Personally, I hardly ever modify headphones out of fear that I’d ruin them and be out the money I spent.
If modifying the T50rp is an artform, I consider Zach to be the Pablo Picasso of doing so.
He takes a T50rp like this…
...and turns it into a work of art like this…
And trust me friends, it’s an incredible sounding headphone!
I asked Zach how this whole thing came about. He says that a few years ago he made a modified T50rp for a relative, and they liked it so much that several others wanted a pair made. Between that and being mildly successful recabling pairs of Sony MH1 (if you’ve been on Head-Fi long enough I’m sure you remember that craze) ZMF was born. Zach later joined forces with Luke from Vibro Labs and the ZMF wood cups became a staple of the ZMF headphone. ZMF continues to grow as more people have an opportunity to hear them. Hearing is believing, and ZMF has made believers out of many.
You might be thinking to yourself “Wait, so the ZMF headphone is just a modified T50rp?”
That’s a tricky question to answer. The answer is yes, but the leap in quality in every aspect will make you say that doesn’t matter. Zach goes beyond making it just better, he radically transforms this into an heirloom quality headphone that sounds amazing. I made sure to try the T50rp, then immediately try a ZMF afterwards. You would never think it was the same headphone. It’s not even relatively close in comparison. The difference is night and day.
Review
I could sit here and tell you why butter pecan ice cream is the best ice cream and point out all the reasons why you should run out and buy a half gallon right now. At the end of the day if you like chocolate ice cream, it doesn’t matter what I say. What I hope to do with this review is tell you why I personally love this headphone and hope that my write up gives YOU the opportunity to find out if this is something that appeals to your preferences. I hope this review will give you the information you need to decide whether or not the Omni would be a headphone that appeals you your preferences.
The Omni arrived in a few days from the time of receiving the shipping notification via email. It arrived in a Seahorse case. The case is an aftermarket product, as is just about everything that makes up the ZMF and culminates into one phenomenal package. The exterior of the case has a patented ZMF logo sticker on it. It is very durable Plastic with dual clips that keep the case securely shut. The entire case is about the size of a small shoe box. There is two spots for a lock on each corner of the case (locks are not included). The interior of the case is lined with foam that holds the Omni securely in place while transporting.
Opening the case revealed the headphones, two cables, and two extra pairs of pads.
There are three pad options, and all of them make minor changes to the sound. The pad options are Cowhide, Lambskin, and Protein. They are all high quality and very comfortable.
The Omni came with two stock cables, a 3.5mm cable, and an XLR cable. These stock cables are made of decent material but don’t necessarily match the quality of the headphones themselves. There are several cable upgrade options to choose from, including variances in length and termination. You can get pretty fancy with cable upgrades. There is a chat feature on the ZMF website where I’m sure Zach will be able to assist you in getting the perfect cable for your application if you aren’t seeing the option you’re looking for. The left and right channels connect at the cups via an mini XLR connection, and each channel is marked with rings to identify each channel (red/right, black/left). This configuration makes it convenient for running balanced cables.
Also included was a velvet material drawstring bag for holding cables or earpads, and a laminated card that is a certificate of authenticity. This card has the date it was made along with Zach’s personalized signature of approval. The certificate has a handwritten list of the customized options installed on the pair of headphones. Zach even noted the owner as “The Lab” which is my thread, and consists of the reviewers that will partake in reviewing this particular pair of headphones. I really like the personalization with the owner’s certificate and consider it to be a nice touch for those who invests in a premium product like this.
Holding the headphones in my hand, they reek of luxury and quality. From the cups, to the pads, to the headband, everything has been meticulously thought out to give the owner that “WOW” factor. I could hold any other pair of headphones I currently own in my hand and their build quality won’t come close to what ZMF has accomplished with the Omni. It’s solid from top to bottom.
Starting with the cups, the Omni comes in three different woods. The options are Cherry, Walnut, and Blackwood. The wood you choose impacts the sound to a certain extent, with the Cherry being the most linear sounding, and the Blackwood being the bassier of the three. I chose the walnut because it is tuned in the middle of the other two woods and seemed to retain characteristics I appreciated in both the Cherry and Blackwood.
Each pair of cups starts out as a milled pair of wood. They are hand stained by Zach himself. They are all beautifully finished and can have some personal touches added by request. When visiting Zach to have my Omni retuned (more on that in a bit) I saw some pretty radical cups lying around his shop.
Blackwoods with custom stain... WOW
Stained cups ready for drivers
Cups waiting to be stained
The cups of the Omni have a small amount of oscillation where they connect to the slider, helping make the fit of the Omni very comfortable. The slider is made of metal and comes in five different color options (
Powder Black, Cast Iron, Architectural Bronze, Cast Aluminum, Natural Bronze). they are solid metal and durable.
The headband is the original rubber fostex band. My pair comes with an upgraded and detachable aftermarket protein exterior foam filled padding that makes my Omni very comfortable. If you do purchase the Omni I recommend this padding as it covers the Fostex logo and really improves the overall comfort. The band is flexible and durable, and I understand why the band is not replaced from the stock Fostex band. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
Pad on (super comfortable)
Headband pad removed
Comfort
The pads of the Omni are angled to help imaging. They come in three different material options (Cowhide, Lambskin, and Protein). I found the Lambskin to be my personal favorite by far, as they were the most comfortable and breathable of all the pads I tried.
The Omni is a pretty bulky pair of headphones. I wouldn’t recommend them for commuting because of the sheer amount of space they take up, nor would I want to take them out of the house to risk damaging them.
Holding them in my hands they feel a bit heavier than the average headphone, but they haven’t gone overboard on weight. Between the thick pads and the way the band rests on my head, I find them to be pretty comfortable.
While the Omni is considered to be a vented earphone, the only thing vented is the sound. The Omni gets as hot on the ears as your average closed headphone. I’m not sure how inspired I would feel to use these on my porch on a hot summer day. Aside from the heat (which honestly isn’t too bad) I give the Omni a thumbs up in terms of comfort.
Sound Review
Before the sound review is done, we have to cover something special about any pair of ZMF you purchase. As I said earlier, Zach is committed to giving his customers the best experience he can offer. If you are unhappy with the way your ZMF sounds, he will retune your headphone to better cater to your preferences one time FOR FREE. When I first got the Omni I loved it but felt like the soundstage of the Omni was not ideal. Although resolution was great, I was thinking they could have use a few decibel decrease in bass, and a lift somewhere in the upper frequencies. Usually headphones are sent in to be retuned, but because I had chatted with Zach on a few occasions, was doing a review and lived so close, I met him at his home headquarters in Chicago to have my Omni tested and retuned as well as see what goes into the making of the Omni. Here is a graph of what my Omni tuning is like after the adjustment:
Zach retuned them to what he said is his new “standard tuning” for all of the Omnis he makes. After the retune, I can honestly say that I consider these to be an “end game” type of sound quality.
JDS Labs Element
While at the shop I asked him what he suggests for a source. While most sources will work as long as they are more powerful than the standard cell phone, and maybe a bit more than the standard DAP, I asked Zach if there is an affordable desktop option he would suggest for the Omni, and without hesitation he recommended the JDS Labs Element. The reason being the one full watt of power, and excellent DAC and amplifier that is installed. All this in combination with a very nice look and simple functionality made this something I was very curious to try out. If Zach says he highly recommends this amplifier for his headphones, I would have to see if there’s a way to get one for the tour. I’m happy to say that as a result of contacting JDS labs and explaining the situation with the Omni review tour, the guys at JDS Labs were kind enough to provide a Element DAC/Amplifier that can be used for the tour. Not only to display the capability of the Omni, but also the Element. I must say that the synergy was great. Before it gets sent back, I will also be doing a review on the Element to give it more exposure. It is a great little desktop DAC/Amp that punches well beyond its asking price.
Other Sources Used
Another rig I used for desktop use was my Toshiba Satellite Laptop in combination with a HIFIMEDIY Sabre ES9023 USB DAC/Bravo Audio Ocean Tube amplifier with a Mullard 12AU7 tube for higher impedance, and a Fiio E18 USB DAC & Amplifier in both high and low gain. Both were run at 24 bit, 96000 Hz. I also tested them with other DAPs and amplifiers as well. I used Google Music downloaded in its highest download quality (320 KBPS) and I also streamed FLAC via Tidal streaming service. I also used purchased and downloaded tracks in MP3, FLAC, WAV and DSD. I make sure that any gear I test has sufficient playtime before writing a review.
Source Selection Summarized
One of the beauties of the Omni was its ability to scale with higher bitrate files, but also be forgiving with poorly recorded music. Although it is pretty forgiving and will work with portable amplifiers (preferably on high gain), you won’t unleash the full potential of the omni unless you are streaming some high bit rate recordings through an at least somewhat powerful desktop set up. Do this and you will spend the next few hours simmering in the musicality that is the ZMF Omni.
I used my usual same songs for testing gear:
“Limit to your love” by James Blake (bass speed, punch, response)
“Doin’ it Right” by Daft Punk (sub bass)
“Get lucky” by Daft Punk (bass to midrange transition resolution, male vocals)
“Madness” by Muse (soundstage, separation)
“Some nights” by Fun (soundstage and male vocals)
“The soundmaker” by Rodrigo y Gabriela (texture and imaging)
“Bassically” by Tei Shi (bass to midrange resolution, female vocals)
“Skinny Love” performed by Birdie (female vocals, acoustic playback)
“One” by Ed Sheeran (male vocals, acoustic playback)
“Outlands” from the Tron Legacy Soundtrack (symphonic presentation, imaging)
“Sultans of swing” by Dire Straits (detail, separation, balance)
“And Justic for All” by Metallica (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
“Ten thousand fists” by Disturbed (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
Note: Other tracks were used, but the listed songs were primarily used to asses and break down the gear’s response.
Overall Signature
Writing reviews is bitter sweet. It’s sweet in the sense that I get to try a vast variety of different pieces of gear, but bitter because I’ve subconsciously trained my brain to pick the sound apart and analyze the headphone rather than enjoy my time with whatever I’m listening to. What the Omni does is take away that urge to analyze performance and figure out the signature, and gives me the freedom to kick back in my chair, relax and soak in the combination of resolution and musicality that makes it an incredible headphone. I can’t help spending most of my time listening to them and appreciating all the things they do well.
I would describe my Omni as a warm tilted and non fatiguing headphone with extended and authoritative bass that doesn’t overwhelm or get fatiguing. It retains a great combination of detail and separation through the entire midrange that works well with its warm tilt, making it a great entertainer. There is no type of bleed at any frequency, even at high volumes. Treble is a unique combination of extension and resolution and without any type of spike or harshness whatsoever. I can listen to the Omni for hours without ever getting fatiguing or boring. The tuning works well with everything I threw at it. Vocals sound natural with a slight warm tilt. Nothing seems unnatural to my ears. It is a very complete sound that I can’t fault. While some out there who prefer a more linear sound, or a more aggressive upper frequency range won’t find what they are looking for in the Omni, I am confident that a large majority of those who have a chance to listen to the omni will fall in love with their engaging signature.
Bass
Although the bass is forward in the mix, it is of impressive response thanks to the speed of the planar magnetic driver. There is more rumble than punch, and their response extends as low as your ears can hear. There is a nice transition from sub bass to midrange that avoids any type of bleed. It is a combination of bass forwardness and resolution that is seldom replicated. While it doesn’t cross into basshead territory, it has an authoritative lift in lower frequencies that is very enjoyable and works with all music. Mid bass frequencies are tuned so that it avoids being intrusive. The best way I could describe it is that it has a nice forward and extended presence like many pairs of closed back headphones, but the speed and texture of a vented design.
Midrange
Lower midrange is warm tilted without being excessively weighted or sounding unnatural. This gives the Omni a nice sense of timbre and makes vocals very entertaining. A warm tilt carries on through the entire midrange and leads into a smooth yet detailed upper midrange. One of the things to note is the warm tilt, incredible resolution, and no radical spikes or dips, making the Omni incredibly entertaining and musical. I’ve heard other headphones in this price range that have tried to replicate this signature but were unable to achieve the same level of clarity and separation, making them sound sloppy in comparison. Amidst the warmth of the Omni, there’s a level of PRAT that makes them truly addicting.
Treble
The extension is there, but the spike isn’t. You will hear every treble detail in the track but with a different approach to many higher end headphones. The sense of space is created by the Omni with extension and clarity rather than an artificial boost. What you get is a very complete yet slightly relaxed treble presentation.
Soundstage and Imaging
The Omni is a lot of things all at once, which makes it a great headphone capable of doing many things well at the expense of not being the best at one particular aspect of its sound. The Omni does lose a little bit of in terms of soundstage because of its tuning, but still there is a nice sense of space. I would say the soundstage is better than the average pair of headphones but not the best I’ve heard. Imaging is along the same lines, being formidable but not elite.
Comparisons
Although I don’t currently own a pair of headphones at this price point, I feel the next best thing to do is compare it to my current favorite pair of open back and closed back Headphones that I own.
Sennheiser HD600 ($325--$400 USD on many sites)
The HD600 has and will continue to be a personal favorite and benchmark when comparing gear. It is a pretty neutral headphone with excellent soundstage and resolution.
First thing i noticed when comparing these two is that the HD600 is thin sounding in comparison. The bass on the Omni is not only more forward, but also more extended and entertaining from what I heard. After my ears adjusted to the Omni, it took a good while for my ears to adjust back to the brighter and leaner sound of the HD600, and vice versa. Despite the more extended sub bass the HD600 and Omni displayed similar characteristics in its mid range, offering a warmer yet still very natural presentation from what I heard. Moving to the upper midrange and treble, the HD600 had a more forward presence with a noticeable lift that made the top end of the HD600 more aggressive to my ears, and potentially more fatiguing during long listening sessions. On the same note, after my ears adjusted to the HD600 treble, going back to the Omni made them seem lacking in upper registers (until my ears adjusted back the the Omni tuning). Overall clarity and resolution was too close to determine a clear cut winner. I give the Omni the advantage in terms of timbre and dynamics.
Soundstage on the HD600 is superior. Its open design and elevated treble presence gives them a great sense of space.
Power requirements are fairly similar (the Omni requires maybe a touch more power).
I would say comfort is a draw. The HD600 is a slightly tighter squeeze on my head, but the Omni cups can get pretty hot on my ears. Other than that they both are a good fitment.
In terms of build quality and accessories, it’s not even close. The Omni is world class and is of heirloom quality. The case that comes with the Omni is a bonus over the caseless HD600.
Soundmagic HP150 ($175-$200 USD on many sites)
The HP150 is an incredible closed back headphone that makes many people’s top ten list of favorite headphones. They offer a bass forward tuning with good extension on both ends and a huge soundstage.
The Omni has a more resolving bass response, making the HP150 seem slightly boomy in comparison. This translates into a slight bleed on the HP150. Midrange is slightly more full sounding and with more timbre on the Omni, with the HP150 being more thin from what I hear. Treble on the the HP150 has a spike somewhere up top and some will find it harsh at louder volumes, while the Omni retains a smoothness through this range that makes it very fun and easy to listen to. Although I find the soundstage to be superior on the HP150, overall sound quality goes to the Omni.
Again, build quality is no contest, the Omni wins in every aspect.
Conclusion
The Omni has not cracked to code and constructed a headphone that will appeal to every audiophile in the world. People looking for a very linear and tight sound won’t find what they are looking for in the Omni. It is a headphone that is designed to be engaging, entertaining and fatigue free. It is a bass forward tuning that incorporates a level of resolution and musicality that many will find addicting.
What Zach has done is taken a pretty average headphone and rebuilt and retuned it to something that many will make their prized audio possession.. They are a unique combination of traits in both build and tuning that makes them one of the best headphones I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing.
Thanks for reading and happy listening!