[dbull12]

It seems people are often asking for comparisons of ZMF's headphones, so I wanted to compile some comparisons of the headphones across various dimensions of their sound. I figured the Summit-Fi forum would be a good place for this since I'd consider most ZMFs summit-fi, and people on this forum are more likely to have had multiple ZMFs, so hopefully we can get some participation to continue to update and improve this guide.

Below are the "rankings" of all the headphones for different categories. I will continue to update these if there are comments stating that the rankings seem incorrect or if there are comments suggesting additional categories or non-ZMF headphones to add to the rankings to use as reference points.

Resolution:
Caldera > VO = VC > Atrium Open = Atrium Closed > Auteur Classic > Aeolus > Atticus > HD 6XX

Speed:
Caldera > VO > VC > Atrium Open > Atrium Closed > Auteur Classic > Aeolus > Atticus > HD 6XX

Imaging:
Caldera > Atrium Open > Atrium Closed > Auteur Classic > VO > VC > Aeolus > Atticus > HD 6XX

Punch / Slam:
Atticus > Atrium Closed > Aeolus > Atrium Open > Caldera > VC > VO > Auteur Classic > HD 6XX

Soundstage width:
Atrium Open > VO > Auteur Classic > Caldera > Aeolus > Atrium Closed > VC > Atticus = HD 6XX

Soundstage depth:
Atrium Open > VO > Caldera >Auteur Classic > Aeolus > Atrium Closed > VC > Atticus = HD 6XX

Treble quantity:
Auteur Classic > Caldera > VO > Atrium Open = Atrium Closed > VC > Aeolus > Atticus > HD 6XX

Upper mids quantity:
Atrium Open > Atrium Closed > HD 6XX > Auteur Classic > Aeolus > Atticus > Caldera = VC > VO

Lower mids quantity:
Atticus > Aeolus > VO = VC > HD 6XX > Auteur Classic = Atrium Open = Atrium Closed = Caldera

Mid-bass quantity:
Atticus > Aeolus > Atrium Closed > Atrium Open > VO = VC > HD 6XX > Auteur Classic > Caldera

Sub-bass quantity:
Atrium Closed > Caldera > VO = VC > Auteur Classic > Atrium Open > Atticus > Aeolus >> HD 6XX

Obviously timbre is a huge strength of ZMFs, so these comparisons won't tell us everything but hopefully they're a good starting point for people trying to find the right headphone for themselves!

 

[Wes S]

It seems people are often asking for comparisons of ZMF headphones, so I wanted to start a thread to get data points from members of the community in order to compile some comparisons of the headphones across various dimensions of their sound. I figured the Summit-Fi forum would be a good place for this since I'd consider most ZMFs summit-fi, and people on this forum are more likely to have had multiple ZMFs. Please let me know if this would be more appropriate elsewhere.

What I had in mind is ranking ZMF's headphones for various criteria. If/when people comment with rankings of the headphones they've tried or owned then I can update this post. What I had in mind is as follows:

Resolution:
VC > Atrium Closed > Atticus

Speed:
VC > Atrium Closed > Atticus

Imaging:
Atrium Closed > VC > Atticus

Soundstage width:
Atrium Closed > VC > Atticus

Soundstage depth:
Atrium Closed > VC > Atticus

Soundstage height:
Atrium Closed > VC > Atticus

Treble quantity:
Atrium Closed > VC > Atticus

Upper mids quantity:
Atrium Closed > VC > Atticus

Lower mids quantity:
Atticus > VC > Atrium Closed

Mid-bass quantity:
Atticus > VC > Atrium Closed

Sub-bass quantity:
Atrium Closed > VC > Atticus

I'm not the best person to make these comparisons since I've only tried the closed backs at CanJam and it was a quick comparison, so let me know if I should change anything. I can also add any additional categories that people want to see, but I figured many might be too subjective. Obviously timbre is a huge strength of ZMFs, so these comparisons won't tell us everything but they could be a good starting point for people trying to find the right headphone for them. We'll see if this gains any traction and if people find it useful, but I thought it might be worth trying to get these comparisons in one place!

That all seems about right to me, as far as the VC and Atticus go. The only thing I see that could be changed perhaps is, I think the upper mids might be a tad more forward on the Atticus vs. VC.

Great thread and post!

 

[dbull12]

That all seems about right to me, as far as the VC and Atticus go. The only thing I see that could be changed perhaps is, I think the upper mids might be a tad more forward on the Atticus vs. VC.

Great thread and post!

Thanks, I just updated the post! One thing I don't like about my comparisons is that just based on these it makes the Atticus seem like a slouch haha. But we know it's one of the most fun and engaging headphones.

When I have time I can probably add a lot to these comparisons just by rereading some of the ZMF threads and rewatching some YouTube vids, but hopefully people here will be able to provide their thoughts about some of the open backs so I can include all of ZMF's current models!

 

[Exekuhtor]

The Verite Open has the most laid-back (upper) midrange of all ZMF's (i tried almost all of them), so if you're sensitive in that 2-3k area and find that other ZMF's have more energy that don't match with your preferences, try the VO. It's extremely enjoyable no matter the genre or volume while being technical enough that you feel you don't miss anything, it's still very relevant.

Oh, and the Caldera is the most technical headphone from ZMF, it's right below Susvara / 1266 level and on par with Utopia etc, it's a fantastic headphone (i would probably recommend it as the best allrounder, and you don't need insane driving power).

 

[dbull12]

The Verite Open has the most laid-back (upper) midrange of all ZMF's (i tried almost all of them), so if you're sensitive in that 2-3k area and find that other ZMF's have more energy that don't match with your preferences, try the VO. It's extremely enjoyable no matter the genre or volume while being technical enough that you feel you don't miss anything, it's still very relevant.

Oh, and the Caldera is the most technical headphone from ZMF, it's right below Susvara / 1266 level and on par with Utopia etc, it's a fantastic headphone (i would probably recommend it as the best allrounder, and you don't need insane driving power).

Thanks for the input! I've incorporated it in the OP. I'm assuming Caldera is ahead of all ZMFs in speed, resolution, and imaging but I can change that if you don't think it's right.

Based on what you said about the VO, I was also curious how forgiving you feel that headphone is compared to other ZMFs when listening to more poorly recorded/produced music. I've heard from many people that the VC is the least forgiving of the ZMF closed backs due to its speed and resolution, even though it has laid back upper mids. Since you said that the VO works well for all genres do you feel it's different than the VC in this way?

 

[Exekuhtor]

Yes, the Caldera has the best resolution and speed.

Hmm, the VC had too much upper midrange energy (shout) for me, so i absolutely did not find its upper mids relaxed. For me, the VO does work very well with everything, but it is NOT a "super HD6XX" with a focused midrange (which i dislike anyway and did not want), for that look into the Atrium. If someone searches for a "super HD650" or so, he might find the VO too relaxed in the mids with too much treble. That being said, i am not allergic to treble, and the VO tends to have more of that than the Atrium or VC, so if people find the treble sharper on some songs and have problems with that trait, the VO is probably not for them (but again, more for people who are sensitive in that 2-3k region like myself).

So i would say:
Midrange sensitive: VO > Caldera > all
Treble sensitive: VC, Atrium / AC > VO
If you want a focused midrange: Atrium > VC > all > Caldera > VO

The Caldera is in the middle of that typical ZMF headphone and a Susvara, less treble but still a good amount.

I know, it's not that easy haha and people do hear different things and have different preferences. I only heard the Aeolus / Eikon / Auteur (new one) very briefly under show conditions and i've not heard the Eikon or Auteur OG.

 

[DenverW]

Cool idea! Once this is done could you compare each type of wood for each model too?

*DUCKS* and runs away!

 

[Exekuhtor]

Ahahahahaha
You forget every possible pad combination on both solid state and OTL.
I think the wood does make a bigger difference in their closed backs, check out wavetheory's reviews of ZMF headphones, i think it was a VC that changed more than i would think (from stabilized to normal wood, for the better).

Btw: the VO has a giant soundstage (with the right pads), i think bigger than the Caldera and 100% bigger than both AC and VC.

 

[DenverW]

So…each headphone, each type of wood for each headphone, then each pad for each one of those.

We’ll crash headfi!

 

[dbull12]

I just added some more headphones to the comparisons in the OP. Please let me know if you feel anything should be changed! In particular I had a hard time figuring out where to place some of the headphones for the soundstage categories. I've heard the Caldera sounds pretty intimate, but I'm not sure if I placed it too low.

I'll try to add in the Auteur Classic and Aeolus tomorrow, and then if anyone has ideas for things to add I'd be open to any suggestions! Maybe I could try to add in some headphones that many people are familiar with like the HD 6XX to give a reference point

 

[helljudgement]

Mid-bass quantity:
Atticus > VO = VC > Atrium Closed > Atrium Open > Caldera

The Atriums have much more mid bass quantity than the Verite for both variants. There's noticeably more oomph and body to the sound when comparing them side by side.

Soundstage width:
Atrium Open > VO > Atrium Closed > VC > Caldera > Atticus

Soundstage depth:
Atrium Open > Atrium Closed > VO > VC > Caldera > Atticus

The Caldera is definitely better than the closed variants. Still behind the Atrium and Verite Open especially with depth but not that far off.

 

[dbull12]

The Atriums have much more mid bass quantity than the Verite for both variants. There's noticeably more oomph and body to the sound when comparing them side by side.


The Caldera is definitely better than the closed variants. Still behind the Atrium and Verite Open especially with depth but not that far off.

Thanks, I've updated the OP. I wasn't sure about the mid-bass since the node of the bass for the Verites is in the mid-bass whereas at least for the Atrium Closed it's in the sub-bass, so I thought maybe that would make the mid-bass of the Verite stand out more. That's good to know though!

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Oh, and the Caldera is the most technical headphone from ZMF, it's right below Susvara / 1266 level and on par with Utopia etc, it's a fantastic headphone (i would probably recommend it as the best allrounder, and you don't need insane driving power).

I've done (very) extensive listening comparison between Caldera and Utopia 2022 for several times (even before I bought Caldera, because I truly considered to purchase Utopia 2022). The results were consistent. Ain't no way Utopia 2022 could touched the Caldera''s advantage in overall technicalities.

Before 2022, it's understandable that Focal Flagship has superiority over any ZMF headphones in overall resolution, detail, black background and speed. Not anymore since Caldera and Utopia 2022 were born.

 

[dbull12]

I've updated the OP, added the Aeolus and Auteur Classic so now all currently available ZMFs are in the comparisons, and I also added a category for slam. Again, it's possible I got some things completely wrong as some of the placements required a bit of guesswork so it's always appreciated if people who have had experience with several ZMFs could let me know if something should be fixed. And of course let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see added!

 

[JeffJ]

I just added some more headphones to the comparisons in the OP. Please let me know if you feel anything should be changed! In particular I had a hard time figuring out where to place some of the headphones for the soundstage categories. I've heard the Caldera sounds pretty intimate, but I'm not sure if I placed it too low.

I'll try to add in the Auteur Classic and Aeolus tomorrow, and then if anyone has ideas for things to add I'd be open to any suggestions! Maybe I could try to add in some headphones that many people are familiar with like the HD 6XX to give a reference point

It'd be great to add HD 6XX as a reference point. Would definitely help someone new to ZMF headphones. Thanks for the brilliant work!