[idairyou]

Zach said an open back Bokeh would be coming at some point this year - now that could tempt me to try a ZMF Open Back. I love the AC and the Bokeh.

I'm the exact opposite. Was never a fan of closed backs.

Hearing what Zach has done with the Atrium and the Caldera open convinced me to purchase the Bokeh as my first closed back and after hearing the Bokeh it solidified my need to purchase the Caldera Closed.

For the most part I feel my headphone journey is over and I am starting my speaker journey. I don't see myself buying any more gear unless it is years from now whenever Holo Audio releases a Spring 4 or Bliss 2 if the upgrade is worth it. Don't see myself replacing the HA-300MKII, just some tube rolling. After the Caldera and Atrium I feel no need to buy the Susvara, 1266 or the Utopia anymore.

When it comes to headphones, I'm so enamored with the ZMF house sound I don't feel the urge to buy any other brand. After the Caldera Closed, I can see myself purchasing the AC, and whatever future ZMF that piques my interest.

I'm a little sad. The itch to chase the dragon is gone.

My speaker journey feels completely different. I know I am getting the Serene as a preamp, I'm leaning toward the Schiit Tyr for SS, and still thinking about what speaker tube amp to get. Still thinking about speakers. The journey is so different to me, because unlike headphones amps I don't feel the need to try a bunch of different gear, and I definitely don't see myself having 15 pairs of speakers lying around to switch between. Once I figure out what I want to buy and save up, that's kind of it.

Going through a little bit of withdrawal.

 

[jsmiller58]

My thoughts exactly.

I was saving the rest of my pennies for an AC… but now I’ll have to save even more for a Bokeh Open as well!

 

[Monsterzero]

closed-backs from Hifiman and Sennheiser is that they're not quite what they should be--they almost feel like afterthoughts.

That wasn't always the case. The Senn HD250 Linear 1 is one of my alltime fav headphones, and was my go to headphone for bass heavy genres until the AC came along.

 

[betula]

When it comes to headphones, I'm so enamored with the ZMF house sound I don't feel the urge to buy any other brand. After the Caldera Closed, I can see myself purchasing the AC, and whatever future ZMF that piques my interest.

I'm a little sad. The itch to chase the dragon is gone.

I heard this from quite a few ZMF owners actually, and since I bought my Caldera, I think I can see why. Many, many great headphones just simply sound flat, boring, undynamic, unalive in direct comparison. It can't be just ZMF colouration, there must be more to it. Opinions?

 

[elig63]

Has anyone compared Bokeh to AC?

 

[LXMc]

Has anyone compared Bokeh to AC?

If you search this thread there are a number of direct comparisons - particularly from the early reviewers like @erics75 & @Alenotta

 

[mattiastomas]

After hearing all the good things about the Bokeh with the Cayin RU7, had to pull the trigger on the RU7 together with the ddHiFi cable. Should arrive by this weekend. Would not mind if it ends up sounding a bit more holographic too.

 

[Wes S]

After hearing all the good things about the Bokeh with the Cayin RU7, had to pull the trigger on the RU7 together with the ddHiFi cable. Should arrive by this weekend. Would not mind if it ends up sounding a bit more holographic too.

Nice move! I look forward to hearing how it works out for you.

 

[sp33ls]

For the most part I feel my headphone journey is over and I am starting my speaker journey.

Coming from someone who has chased the dragon and reached Head-Fi end-game with ZMF and its house sound, don’t sleep on Yamaha’s high-end speakers, both vintage and modern.

There are a lot of parallels I’ve found, after going through a similar journey with 2 channel HiFi.

Yamaha invented the first beryllium driver, and the NS-2000 is how I imagined the Verite would sound in speaker form. I currently have the NS-1200, and its spruce, cotton/silk, AlNiCo combo & analog tuning makes it the most like the Atrium I’ve heard yet in speaker form.
Even the speaker stands are made from massive chunks of African Blackwood (a favorite amongst many zmf fans)!

Best of luck on your speaker journey — trading speakers is much more of a PITA than headphones. And can get much more expensive! $_$

 

[JrOcinthepark]

Any update on the ZMF case being developed for the Bokeh?

 

[roeschel]

Any update on the ZMF case being developed for the Bokeh?

I‘m waiting for that too

 

[George Chronis]

I‘m waiting for that too

+1

 

[cgiammona]

+1

+1

 

[AsciiJC]

Finally! Really excited to get mine after a bit of a wait.

 

[DaJustin]

+1