[dbull12]

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!

Done! I won't be home to A/B my Atticus and 6XX for like another week but I think I got its placement fairly right within the ZMF lineup for most of the categories

 

[iamoneagain]

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!

I haven’t heard the other ZMF but used to own the HD650 and I’d question that it has better slam than the Caldera. I find the Caldera right up there with the Utopia on slam, so to see it in last place on this list makes me wonder what the other sets are doing.

 

[dbull12]

I haven’t heard the other ZMF but used to own the HD650 and I’d question that it has better slam than the Caldera. I find the Caldera right up there with the Utopia on slam, so to see it in last place on this list makes me wonder what the other sets are doing.

Yeah I think Caldera's placement in the slam category is one thing that needs to be changed. Have you tried any other ZMFs that you'd be able to mentally compare to? I'll also look through the Caldera thread and some reviews to see if I can better place it. I know that Atticus is definitely at the top so I figure Aeolus is close behind, and I think all the ZMF dynamics have good slam so my assumption was just that Caldera would be ever so slightly behind due to it being a planar. For now I'll move the 6XX behind it though!

Edit: Oops you mentioned you haven't heard other ZMFs so please ignore my question haha

 

[iamoneagain]

Yeah I think Caldera's placement in the slam category is one thing that needs to be changed. Have you tried any other ZMFs that you'd be able to mentally compare to? I'll also look through the Caldera thread and some reviews to see if I can better place it. I know that Atticus is definitely at the top so I figure Aeolus is close behind, and I think all the ZMF dynamics have good slam so my assumption was just that Caldera would be ever so slightly behind due to it being a planar. For now I'll move the 6XX behind it though!

Edit: Oops you mentioned you haven't heard other ZMFs so please ignore my question haha

Yeah, hope to hear the others at next SoCal CanJam. But the Caldera has surprisingly great slam. Think it has to do with Zack going for a thicker driver than most other planars and tuning with ZMF house sound. Used to own the Expanse and that slam was hit or miss.

 

[dbull12]

Yeah, hope to hear the others at next SoCal CanJam. But the Caldera has surprisingly great slam. Think it has to do with Zack going for a thicker driver than most other planars and tuning with ZMF house sound. Used to own the Expanse and that slam was hit or miss.

Yeah based on the Caldera thread it looks like they're just behind the Atrium in slam, so I moved them above the Auteur Classic too. Now I'll just double check that I don't need to change the order of Verite and Atrium.

Edit: Just updated the order again. Should hopefully be more accurate now

 

[dbull12]

I was thinking it could also be useful to have a category for vocal intimacy. Trying to "rank" something like timbre is way too subjective, not to mention it can vary by instrument, but I think the intimacy and in-you-head quality of the vocal presentation is doable to compare and would differ from soundstage since some headphones have a larger soundstage but place the center image and vocals further forward. I don't really know what the "correct" order would be for this category though, so any feedback to help me start would be appreciated!

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Well yeah I don't think it's easy to "generalise" all of ZMF character this way. Other than our perception that may vary one to each other, the set up also may give impact to the overall sound we listen.

For instance, I don't think Aeolus punch that hard, and Caldera definitely should produce bigger soundstage than the chart suggested. Of course, this is in my set up, my songs, and my "perspective".

I don't want to change the chart, just sharing my mind