Why I think ZMF is the best headphone company in the world.

[OnlySoMany]

Should have an update on the third set soon. Rumor has it that its in the finishing stage.

 

[OnlySoMany]

No, but I do have a ZMF decware OTL on the way. Wooooooooo!!!
Can't wait to pair this with the Taboo. A few prominent members have said very positive things about this pairing.

Quick update on this post, I did end up finding a Decware Taboo MK iii to pair with the ZMF OTL and holy f*&##97 sh1$@=%$.

I also tried the ZMF decware in my 2 channel system as a pre and it put the wa33 to shame (which was my current preamp).

I did put in an order for a Mk4 Taboo but I won't see that for years . Oh well, I'm kind of done with equipment hunting for a while. I can't see how I could get much more reward even if I spent more. Maybe a different flavor, but idk about better.

 

[AnyDave]

Should have an update on the third set soon. Rumor has it that its in the finishing stage.

If it's the cups I saw the other day at the shop (I think they were), they look amazing.

 

[OnlySoMany]

If it's the cups I saw the other day at the shop (I think they were), they look amazing.

 

[geoffalter11]

First, let me start by saying I am not a headphone reviewer. No one has paid me to write any of this, nor would I have done so even if someone was willing to pay me for a story. As you read this, you will probably understand why. I lack the extreme levels of detail, clarity, and use of the English language that reviewers use to suck you into the story and lose you for hours. This is a real story about my meeting Zach and Bevin from ZMF Headphones, and why I have chosen to say that they are the best headphone company in the world, at least to me.

First, a bit of backstory.

I was never really a headphone guy or an audio guy at all. When I try to think back, I believe my very first set of “high-end” headphones was a set of Sennheiser 500-somethings, bought from Microcenter for around $150. To me, this was the best that I had ever heard. I could run it off of a phone, off my computer, and also plug it into my gamepad for playing online. Up until then I never even had a set of headphones except for some random no-name garbage that was a set of small pads on a small wire headband.

To be honest, I don’t remember when I first started pursuing high-end gear. I bought a pair of HD700 and was comparing them to a set of HD800 via reviews online. I bought the 700 instead at the time because they “looked cooler,” and the review process for the next step led me to headfi.

At the time, I was way into building computers and was not looking for another forum to eat up all of my spare time. I was what most would call, a lurker. I would stay up late at night and look at sets of headphones that were absolutely out of reach, many of them well over a thousand, or many thousands of dollars, like “How can they afford to buy those?” Also, I was pursuing a floorstanding setup, and was convinced that would give me what I was looking for. I never thought that a set of headphones would ever be capable of replicating that sense of presence, space, and personality from my music.

I’ll spare you the many steps in between. I have had many pieces of gear that are not listed in my signature. Pretty much every piece of kit that Naim sells, with the exception of the Statement series. Same for Chord. As I moved through my journey, I kept doing research into what worked best for what I wanted to hear, kept some, sold others, and moved on.

Where it all started, my first piece of real hifi!



And the second...



and moving up in the world!





Back to headfi for a moment. On my visits to the site, I kept coming across this name called ZMF, and seeing these amazing sets of wooden headphones with a loyal following. Then this guy named Zach kept chiming in, responding to people in threads with details, and information, always willing to help. Kinda neat. Didn’t realize he was the owner until many years later, but that’s another story.

At this point, you are probably bored with this. I get it, we all do the same thing. We start somewhere, buy stuff, sell stuff, and try to get to our individual “endgame” setup. Why should you care, and what does this have to do with ZMF? I’m getting there.

Let’s skip ahead a few years. By this point, I’m starting to understand my own musical preferences, have spent a fair amount on gear, and have acquired a reasonable number of headphones (at this time, less than 10). To say there were no nights I looked at ZEO's videos and his “wall of headphones” with envy would be a lie. I wanted to own as many cool sets as possible and looked forward to the day that I could walk up to a wall of headphones and “choose my own adventure” in the audio world and the songs I loved.

Picture of the wall as it is today.



At this time I had not ever owned a set of ZMF headphones. I saw a LTD post come up on Headfi, saw a few of the sets, and one, in particular, made me do a double take. It was a set of African Blackwood Verite Open, with a steel grille and rods. The grille was bright, and the wood was deep and full of character.

Now I am a minimalist, but also an artist by trade. This was the first set of headphones I had ever seen that made me stare at my computer screen. When I looked at them, I started to imagine what it would be like to own a set of cans that nice, and to have them as part of my (admittingly small and inexpensive) collection. It had it all, style and class, wit and sass. I had to have them. The then asking price was steep for me, at about $2600 iirc, and this was the most expensive set I had bought to date, but it didn't matter. I had to have them. I’d figure out how to rationalize it to myself later.

The weeks went by, with me waiting to get the email that my set had shipped. It was painful. But finally, when I had almost forgotten about them, the email arrived. My set was on the way!







Again, I’m getting there. Just hold on.

A few days later, the set arrives in a smartly packed cardboard box. I opened it up, and there was my set, made for me, in a wooden box lined with velvet. OMG the thrills. Ang my god the fit and finish!! I went to listen to them, and it was everything I wanted. Space, clarity, bass, and just …music! Happy customer.

This was one of the sets that I used to listen to when my father would come over to my house. He was always excited to see what I had acquired since the last time we saw each other, and was always impressed with my audio gear as we grew up fairly poor without much money to go around, especially for stuff like an audiophile habit. I’ll spare you the details, but we were broke.

My father and I were extremely close for most of my childhood. I still remember his set of Kenwoods blaring away records off his Technics record player and Pioneer amp. Almost always rock, blues, or 80s. Life changed, I grew older, moved over an hour away, and the business demanded half of my time. It was around that time that I also started a family, which took the other half.

During this time, he had fallen on hard times and health. He would still come over, but not as much. I could tell that his health was starting to fail, but we didn't talk about it a lot. He just wasn’t that type of guy. During these visits, I would always take him into my listening room, where I would show him the latest gear that I had, and play songs that he liked. I would always put on some Zepplin, Van Halen, or the like. Since he was never in a position to afford such gear, I could see in his face and by what he said that it was impressive, and he was NOT an easy man to impress. I still remember the first time I put it on my last setup, all he said was “Wow”, and this was using that same of Verite I mentioned earlier, just on better kit as it had been many years.

An earlier version he really liked...



and later on, one of his favorite setups I had. Also, the Blues Brothers was a movie that him and I used to watch together all the time, as my father loved rock and blues music.



About 1 year later, I was working in my office and got a call from a local number. It was the police. At first thought, I quickly thought back through to see if there was anything I had done wrong recently or any parking tickets I forgot to pay. But then they told me that they were at my father's house. They said that a neighbor had called the police after not seeing him for a few days. After the police entered the home, they found my father passed away in his front room. I was devastated. It almost wasn't real.

If anyone has ever dealt with losing a parent, especially one that you were very close to, then you know. I won't go into details, but to this day, it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with. And still is on some days.

Skipping ahead. He left the responsibility to me to figure out the house, and all of its issues, and there were a lot. He lived in a neighborhood that was a bit rough, to say the least. During the time that I had not been up to his house/neighborhood, he had become a hoarder. The sheer amount of stuff that was there cannot be described. It was stuff on top of stuff on top of stuff. And then stuff on top of that. Then when I was not around, some neighborhood punks broke into his house and absolutely wrecked the place. It was a very difficult time for me indeed. Here is an idea of how bad they had trashed it.






Bit of backstory. My father was an artistic person. Not in the same way as painting, but he was extremely handy and creative. He would build cars, engines, sheet metal, wood, pretty much anything. He could also fix anything. Due to this habit, it was one of the reasons the house was such a disaster. He never threw anything away as his thought was, “I can use that someday” or “That looks interesting, I’ll keep it just because.”

After digging through the mess that was a cluttered life, I came across a piece of wood that my father had been saving. It was a bit of an odd shape and had some interesting lines about it. It reminded me of an old conversation that my father and I had about something that he had wanted to build. He mentioned he had this neat piece of wood he found and said that it would be great to make something out of it. A table, a carving, and that he was going to get to it one day. As it turns out, that day never came.

This is a very interesting and emotional post. The headphones are beautiful

First, let me start by saying I am not a headphone reviewer. No one has paid me to write any of this, nor would I have done so even if someone was willing to pay me for a story. As you read this, you will probably understand why. I lack the extreme levels of detail, clarity, and use of the English language that reviewers use to suck you into the story and lose you for hours. This is a real story about my meeting Zach and Bevin from ZMF Headphones, and why I have chosen to say that they are the best headphone company in the world, at least to me.

First, a bit of backstory.

I was never really a headphone guy or an audio guy at all. When I try to think back, I believe my very first set of “high-end” headphones was a set of Sennheiser 500-somethings, bought from Microcenter for around $150. To me, this was the best that I had ever heard. I could run it off of a phone, off my computer, and also plug it into my gamepad for playing online. Up until then I never even had a set of headphones except for some random no-name garbage that was a set of small pads on a small wire headband.

To be honest, I don’t remember when I first started pursuing high-end gear. I bought a pair of HD700 and was comparing them to a set of HD800 via reviews online. I bought the 700 instead at the time because they “looked cooler,” and the review process for the next step led me to headfi.

At the time, I was way into building computers and was not looking for another forum to eat up all of my spare time. I was what most would call, a lurker. I would stay up late at night and look at sets of headphones that were absolutely out of reach, many of them well over a thousand, or many thousands of dollars, like “How can they afford to buy those?” Also, I was pursuing a floorstanding setup, and was convinced that would give me what I was looking for. I never thought that a set of headphones would ever be capable of replicating that sense of presence, space, and personality from my music.

I’ll spare you the many steps in between. I have had many pieces of gear that are not listed in my signature. Pretty much every piece of kit that Naim sells, with the exception of the Statement series. Same for Chord. As I moved through my journey, I kept doing research into what worked best for what I wanted to hear, kept some, sold others, and moved on.

Where it all started, my first piece of real hifi!



And the second...



and moving up in the world!





Back to headfi for a moment. On my visits to the site, I kept coming across this name called ZMF, and seeing these amazing sets of wooden headphones with a loyal following. Then this guy named Zach kept chiming in, responding to people in threads with details, and information, always willing to help. Kinda neat. Didn’t realize he was the owner until many years later, but that’s another story.

At this point, you are probably bored with this. I get it, we all do the same thing. We start somewhere, buy stuff, sell stuff, and try to get to our individual “endgame” setup. Why should you care, and what does this have to do with ZMF? I’m getting there.

Let’s skip ahead a few years. By this point, I’m starting to understand my own musical preferences, have spent a fair amount on gear, and have acquired a reasonable number of headphones (at this time, less than 10). To say there were no nights I looked at ZEO's videos and his “wall of headphones” with envy would be a lie. I wanted to own as many cool sets as possible and looked forward to the day that I could walk up to a wall of headphones and “choose my own adventure” in the audio world and the songs I loved.

Picture of the wall as it is today.



At this time I had not ever owned a set of ZMF headphones. I saw a LTD post come up on Headfi, saw a few of the sets, and one, in particular, made me do a double take. It was a set of African Blackwood Verite Open, with a steel grille and rods. The grille was bright, and the wood was deep and full of character.

Now I am a minimalist, but also an artist by trade. This was the first set of headphones I had ever seen that made me stare at my computer screen. When I looked at them, I started to imagine what it would be like to own a set of cans that nice, and to have them as part of my (admittingly small and inexpensive) collection. It had it all, style and class, wit and sass. I had to have them. The then asking price was steep for me, at about $2600 iirc, and this was the most expensive set I had bought to date, but it didn't matter. I had to have them. I’d figure out how to rationalize it to myself later.

The weeks went by, with me waiting to get the email that my set had shipped. It was painful. But finally, when I had almost forgotten about them, the email arrived. My set was on the way!







Again, I’m getting there. Just hold on.

A few days later, the set arrives in a smartly packed cardboard box. I opened it up, and there was my set, made for me, in a wooden box lined with velvet. OMG the thrills. Ang my god the fit and finish!! I went to listen to them, and it was everything I wanted. Space, clarity, bass, and just …music! Happy customer.

This was one of the sets that I used to listen to when my father would come over to my house. He was always excited to see what I had acquired since the last time we saw each other, and was always impressed with my audio gear as we grew up fairly poor without much money to go around, especially for stuff like an audiophile habit. I’ll spare you the details, but we were broke.

My father and I were extremely close for most of my childhood. I still remember his set of Kenwoods blaring away records off his Technics record player and Pioneer amp. Almost always rock, blues, or 80s. Life changed, I grew older, moved over an hour away, and the business demanded half of my time. It was around that time that I also started a family, which took the other half.

During this time, he had fallen on hard times and health. He would still come over, but not as much. I could tell that his health was starting to fail, but we didn't talk about it a lot. He just wasn’t that type of guy. During these visits, I would always take him into my listening room, where I would show him the latest gear that I had, and play songs that he liked. I would always put on some Zepplin, Van Halen, or the like. Since he was never in a position to afford such gear, I could see in his face and by what he said that it was impressive, and he was NOT an easy man to impress. I still remember the first time I put it on my last setup, all he said was “Wow”, and this was using that same of Verite I mentioned earlier, just on better kit as it had been many years.

An earlier version he really liked...



and later on, one of his favorite setups I had. Also, the Blues Brothers was a movie that him and I used to watch together all the time, as my father loved rock and blues music.



About 1 year later, I was working in my office and got a call from a local number. It was the police. At first thought, I quickly thought back through to see if there was anything I had done wrong recently or any parking tickets I forgot to pay. But then they told me that they were at my father's house. They said that a neighbor had called the police after not seeing him for a few days. After the police entered the home, they found my father passed away in his front room. I was devastated. It almost wasn't real.

If anyone has ever dealt with losing a parent, especially one that you were very close to, then you know. I won't go into details, but to this day, it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with. And still is on some days.

Skipping ahead. He left the responsibility to me to figure out the house, and all of its issues, and there were a lot. He lived in a neighborhood that was a bit rough, to say the least. During the time that I had not been up to his house/neighborhood, he had become a hoarder. The sheer amount of stuff that was there cannot be described. It was stuff on top of stuff on top of stuff. And then stuff on top of that. Then when I was not around, some neighborhood punks broke into his house and absolutely wrecked the place. It was a very difficult time for me indeed. Here is an idea of how bad they had trashed it.






Bit of backstory. My father was an artistic person. Not in the same way as painting, but he was extremely handy and creative. He would build cars, engines, sheet metal, wood, pretty much anything. He could also fix anything. Due to this habit, it was one of the reasons the house was such a disaster. He never threw anything away as his thought was, “I can use that someday” or “That looks interesting, I’ll keep it just because.”

After digging through the mess that was a cluttered life, I came across a piece of wood that my father had been saving. It was a bit of an odd shape and had some interesting lines about it. It reminded me of an old conversation that my father and I had about something that he had wanted to build. He mentioned he had this neat piece of wood he found and said that it would be great to make something out of it. A table, a carving, and that he was going to get to it one day. As it turns out, that day never came.

This is a very interesting and emotional post. Thank you for sharing. I think we can all agree that Zach is someone who puts customer service first. One question though... You call yourself a minimalist. I count that you have 31 ZMF headphones. Among many many others.. I think we have different views of minimalism. lol. Not looking for a fight. I have viewed your collection and while it is the stuff of dreams; your collection is beyond incredible, but minimalist, that I would have a hard time seeing.

I see you more as a collector. Just one question... You have one set of ears. How do you decide which of your 31 ZMFs to listen to? Do you hear differences in all of them? I would assume you would have to so you can determine what you are in the mood to hear. I have 5 headphones and I have a hard time choosing what to listen to. I can only imagine the mental gymnastics it takes to pick which of your headphones or systems you use. All of which most would kill to have 1/10th of. This is not a jealous post, just curious how you get to minimalist? I look forward to your response. Like I said, not looking for a fight. Just genuine curiosity. Peace...

 

[OnlySoMany]

This is a very interesting and emotional post. The headphones are beautiful

This is a very interesting and emotional post. Thank you for sharing. I think we can all agree that Zach is someone who puts customer service first. One question though... You call yourself a minimalist. I count that you have 31 ZMF headphones. Among many many others.. I think we have different views of minimalism. lol. Not looking for a fight. I have viewed your collection and while it is the stuff of dreams; your collection is beyond incredible, but minimalist, that I would have a hard time seeing.

I see you more as a collector. Just one question... You have one set of ears. How do you decide which of your 31 ZMFs to listen to? Do you hear differences in all of them? I would assume you would have to so you can determine what you are in the mood to hear. I have 5 headphones and I have a hard time choosing what to listen to. I can only imagine the mental gymnastics it takes to pick which of your headphones or systems you use. All of which most would kill to have 1/10th of. This is not a jealous post, just curious how you get to minimalist? I look forward to your response. Like I said, not looking for a fight. Just genuine curiosity. Peace...

I really think it goes beyond putting the customer first. Zach and his team are artists. Second to that they are excellent people, that happen to run a business. As a fellow person in the artistic space, I am happy to support his passion, especially when the results lead to something so creative and special.

In my opinion, a minimalist can mean many things. I can have many of one thing, and prefer them to be so simplistic in their artistic intent. Even if that intent is on the wild side occasionally.

I don't really choose what set to listen to. They kind of choose me as crazy as that sounds. I may pick up a few sets to select for the day, and one of them will just say hey, let's listen today. I have different moods each day as we all do, and some days, different colors just sound better.

I am happy to share bits of the collection. I get excited seeing others sets, and I hope that people feel the same way about what I am able to share. I am not arrogant and realize that it's a favorable collection and that I am fortunate. But if you read the original post, it was not always that way. I was not even able to afford one set, much less many. I longed for the first set, which set in motion many purchases since then. Life works out weird that way sometimes. And I am very thankful for it.

Edit** I realize I didn't answer your question. Yes, every single one of them sounds different. And then I can further change that with cable.

 

[geoffalter11]

I really think it goes beyond putting the customer first. Zach and his team are artists. Second to that they are excellent people, that happen to run a business. As a fellow person in the artistic space, I am happy to support his passion, especially when the results lead to something so creative and special.

In my opinion, a minimalist can mean many things. I can have many of one thing, and prefer them to be so simplistic in their artistic intent. Even if that intent is on the wild side occasionally.

I don't really choose what set to listen to. They kind of choose me as crazy as that sounds. I may pick up a few sets to select for the day, and one of them will just say hey, let's listen today. I have different moods each day as we all do, and some days, different colors just sound better.

I am happy to share bits of the collection. I get excited seeing others sets, and I hope that people feel the same way about what I am able to share. I am not arrogant and realize that it's a favorable collection and that I am fortunate. But if you read the original post, it was not always that way. I was not even able to afford one set, much less many. I longed for the first set, which set in motion many purchases since then. Life works out weird that way sometimes. And I am very thankful for it.

Edit** I realize I didn't answer your question. Yes, every single one of them sounds different. And then I can further change that with cable.

Thanks for the response. Like I said, it wasn't meant to be spiteful or critical. Just curious. I have been reviewing for several years and I have absolutely no room for all the stuff that passes through. I never know what to put on my table and what to take off so that I can thoroughly determine a products validity. And I understand the idea that it starts slow and over time we build to create the systems we have. It has taken me 8 years to create the system I have. One I am very proud of, but it has also meant that I have had to make decisions and compromises along the way. If you read or have my read my reviews, a big theme in almost all of them rests on the idea that the more we do something the better we become at it. The better we hear, the more we understand what we are hearing. How all of our senses link to create an emotional response to what we are listening to.

I am glad that you are able to hear differences in all of your headphones. Especially your ZMFs. Because otherwise it would just be silly to collect that many other than if you are collecting them as artistic pieces with value outside of the listening realm. Which I can also see. For me I don't see the value outside of listening. I also don't believe that my view is necessarily the right one. I am completely open to the idea that my way is not everyone's way and would never judge someone for their way. Which is why I only have 5 headphones. At times it still feels like too many. As I stated, only one set of ears. I personally don't like having stuff sitting around that I don't use. It feels superfluous. But, I don't judge and can certainly understand why collectors collect. My wife would call me a collector, and thinks I am nuts to have all the stuff I have.

A couple of years ago I sold everything down to 3 headphones, 2 amps and 1 dac. I decided that I wanted to go 1 year without purchasing a single thing and truly learn what I had, appreciate that I had it, and figure out how it all connected. I came out of that year a completely different audio nut. I felt as if I had complete understanding and control over my environment and what I was hearing. I immediately changed up my chain, bought the things I wanted and completed a system that has been 8 years in the making. So, I understand what you are saying and I wish you the best in your endeavors. While I will never own the chain you have, or the sheer volume of headphones, I am certainly not without and understand why you do it.

Take care,
Geoff

 

[OnlySoMany]

Thanks for the response. Like I said, it wasn't meant to be spiteful or critical. Just curious. I have been reviewing for several years and I have absolutely no room for all the stuff that passes through. I never know what to put on my table and what to take off so that I can thoroughly determine a products validity. And I understand the idea that it starts slow and over time we build to create the systems we have. It has taken me 8 years to create the system I have. One I am very proud of, but it has also meant that I have had to make decisions and compromises along the way. If you read or have my read my reviews, a big theme in almost all of them rests on the idea that the more we do something the better we become at it. The better we hear, the more we understand what we are hearing. How all of our senses link to create an emotional response to what we are listening to.

I am glad that you are able to hear differences in all of your headphones. Especially your ZMFs. Because otherwise it would just be silly to collect that many other than if you are collecting them as artistic pieces with value outside of the listening realm. Which I can also see. For me I don't see the value outside of listening. I also don't believe that my view is the necessarily the right one. I am completely open to the idea that my way is not everyone's way and would never judge someone for their way. Which is why I only have 5 headphones. At times it still feels like too many. As I stated, only one set of ears. I personally don't like having stuff sitting around that I don't use. It feels superfluous. But, I don't judge and can certainly understand why collectors collect. My wife would call me a collector, and thinks I am nuts to have all the stuff I have.

A couple of years ago I sold everything down to 3 headphones, 2 amps and 1 dac. I decided that I wanted to go 1 year without purchasing a single thing and truly learn what I had, appreciate that I had it, and figure out how it all connected. I came out of that year a completely different audio nut. I felt as if I had complete understanding and control over my environment and what I was hearing. I immediately changed up my chain, bought the things I wanted and completed a system that has been 8 years in the making. So, I understand what you are saying and I wish you the best in your endeavors. While I will never own the chain you have, or the sheer volume of headphones, I am certainly not without and understand why you do it.

Take care,
Geoff

I didn't take it as offensive, and was happy to share the way I see it.

I totally understand the downsizing aspect as well. I would imagine as a reviewer, you go through so many pieces of gear that it does become more challenging to have something that stands out.

I have done something similar with the source gear, in that I have it down to 4 systems. 2 two channel, 2 headphone stations.

It's hard not to go beyond that, especially when there are so many experiences out there.

I would invest in the art side of things, but I feel that experience is limited to a handful of choices. ZMF being by far the most dominant, then Rosson, then others. The art is part of the ownership experience. I have a few sets that I've only heard less than 10 hours and I would never sell. It's not that they sound bad, far from it. In some ways it's that they are so special I don't feel right using them all the time. Almost like something that special should be saved. Perhaps like a low mile classic 911, or something of that nature.

Maybe I'll come up with a better analogy later, but it's late tonight

 

[geoffalter11]

I didn't take it as offensive, and was happy to share the way I see it.

I totally understand the downsizing aspect as well. I would imagine as a reviewer, you go through so many pieces of gear that it does become more challenging to have something that stands out.

I have done something similar with the source gear, in that I have it down to 4 systems. 2 two channel, 2 headphone stations.

It's hard not to go beyond that, especially when there are so many experiences out there.

I would invest in the art side of things, but I feel that experience is limited to a handful of choices. ZMF being by far the most dominant, then Rosson, then others. The art is part of the ownership experience. I have a few sets that I've only heard less than 10 hours and I would never sell. It's not that they sound bad, far from it. In some ways it's that they are so special I don't feel right using them all the time. Almost like something that special should be saved. Perhaps like a low mile classic 911, or something of that nature.

Maybe I'll come up with a better analogy later, but it's late tonight

I get the analogy. I have a pair of RCA 1932 Single Plate 2A3s for my Eddie Current Aficionado. And while they sound so good, and there is just so much nuance I am afraid to use them as I don't want to ruin my 90 yr old pair of tubes.

So, yes I understand that concept and know that certain things are just more special than others.

 

[OnlySoMany]

I get the analogy. I have a pair of RCA 1932 Single Plate 2A3s for my Eddie Current Aficionado. And while they sound so good, and there is just so much nuance I am afraid to use them as I don't want to ruin my 90 yr old pair of tubes.

So, yes I understand that concept and know that certain things are just more special than others.

Yep, exactly. I have a few sets of ww2 rca tubes, and I feel the same way.

Happy listening!!

 

[geoffalter11]

Yep, exactly. I have a few sets of ww2 rca tubes, and I feel the same way.

Happy listening!!

I know there are many boutique tube companies like Takastuki and Elrog that make great tubes. Some would say amazing tubes. But to my taste there is nothing like a NOS WW2 tube. Anything made between 1938-1945 is just special. My Single Plates were only made for like 3-4 years in the early 1930s and then they stopped making them due to expense. Having a pair took time, patience and perseverance. Well worth it!

 

[OnlySoMany]

I know there are many boutique tube companies like Takastuki and Elrog that make great tubes. Some would say amazing tubes. But to my taste there is nothing like a NOS WW2 tube. Anything made between 1938-1945 is just special. My Single Plates were only made for like 3-4 years in the early 1930s and then they stopped making them due to expense. Having a pair took time, patience and perseverance. Well worth it!

Agreed on takatsuki being a great item. Comparing them to a ww2 tube is like comparing trance to acoustic. They each have their own specialty.

 

[geoffalter11]

Agreed on takatsuki being a great item. Comparing them to a ww2 tube is like comparing trance to acoustic. They each have their own specialty.

I can see that. I don't listen to trance, though.

 

[OnlySoMany]

To all those who have said nice things and followed this post, thank you. I have received the final set of headphones from this wood set, and it almost brought me to tears. I genuinely got goosebumps, and still have them. There are not enough nice words that I can say to appreciate what Zach and the ZMF team did for me to create this amazing set of headphones.

I will keep these forever. Thank you from the bottom of my heart @zach915m and @BooUrns.

 

[unfitstew]

To all those who have said nice things and followed this post, thank you. I have received the final set of headphones from this wood set, and it almost brought me to tears. I genuinely got goosebumps, and still have them. There are not enough nice words that I can say to appreciate what Zach and the ZMF team did for me to create this amazing set of headphones.

I will keep these forever. Thank you from the bottom of my heart @zach915m.

Wonderful final set. Great conclusion to it. Such a good thing Zach did for you! Hooe you are enjoying the Auteur!