ZMF BOKEH - Closed Back (Semi-Portable)

Jan 13, 2025 at 2:10 PM Post #3,331 of 3,411
can you send me the link to the shop please. have a nice evening
Sure: https://www.arkaudio.se/

BTW, i can't comment on caldera as i've never tested it, but on my Auteur Classic the timbre is damn good. For reference: I play the acoustic guitar since around 1999, piano recently, i've worked with some musicians through the years and my best friend is a violin player and he regularly plays in symphonic classical concerts (which generally see me in the audience), so I think I can recognize bad timbre on headphones.
 
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Jan 13, 2025 at 2:29 PM Post #3,332 of 3,411
absolutely. i had 600e discounted price by a seller . it can be driven with almost everything. and it is the best all rounder i tried until know. also it has a level of build quality that is top notch.
but i don't like being screwd up. expecially from people that they think they can outsmart me.
AND YES IT HAS TO DO WITH zmf policy.it changed A LOT from my very pair of atticus in 2016/2017. before i could made arrangments directly with them. like it should be even if they have resellers since there one of two i know of and i can assure pricese are nuts. 4k fo a caldera? zero know how in planars field, first planar ever... and oviously fan boys pre ordered it. but people forget there is subjectivity in hifi like in any other music field. there isn't a subjectively accorded piano or violin. so maybe you folks can stop buying things for the sake of.. buying things (i see 30k signatures), without nevrotic behaviours, compulsive buying with subsequent A/Bing.
now i also don't like queing anymore... where are we a at a postal office? nice commercial move according to PNL though. but i buy a pair of hps when are done.
water has passed under the bridge... i like wooden cups but the overall feeling will be never audeze/meze like. even at 4k.
Username checks out… 🤔
 
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Jan 13, 2025 at 3:03 PM Post #3,333 of 3,411
Username checks out… 🤣
No kidding. Never seen such word salad in a HeadFi thread. Seems like a lot of projecting without much thought. Hope he finds his way as dude looks lost in Audiophilia.
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 10:23 AM Post #3,335 of 3,411
The only thing I miss with the Bokeh is the BBB strap. Has anyone tried to coerce a BBB strap onto the Bokeh?
While I think the BBB strap is essential on most other ZMF headphones, I don't miss it on the Bokeh. The strap helps a lot with weight distribution on Caldera, Atrium and others. Around and above 500g I think it is a must. Bokeh is so much lighter than those, that I find the normal headband sufficient, at least with stock wood cups.
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 10:34 AM Post #3,336 of 3,411
While I think the BBB strap is essential on most other ZMF headphones, I don't miss it on the Bokeh. The strap helps a lot with weight distribution on Caldera, Atrium and others. Around and above 500g I think it is a must. Bokeh is so much lighter than those, that I find the normal headband sufficient, at least with stock wood cups.
My stabilized Bokeh Closed weigh in at 590g, hence my question. :)
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 1:05 PM Post #3,338 of 3,411
My stabilized Bokeh Closed weigh in at 590g, hence my question. :)
Yeah we need an optional strap to help with weight distibution. This is why I am looking for Rubied Limba or hope that there is a LTD light weight in the future since my Stabilized set is heavy.
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 1:08 PM Post #3,339 of 3,411
No kidding. Never seen such word salad in a HeadFi thread. Seems like a lot of projecting without much thought. Hope he finds his way as dude looks lost in Audiophilia.

i don't understand the meaning of the world "audiophilia", at least in this context. maybe i can't use the dictionary as well as you do.
however, it was ectactly my point.
i am not the one who got lost in the hobby. hifi is the place in which i found the most screweed up people, and i also like shooting!! and that should mean something.
If you think abouti it, from a logical pov, there in nothing logic about PRE ORDING things. you do that , why? because you trust... what?? that the new model will be better? different enough to justify keeping it along the older model?
let's pretend for a bit i am not the one who got lost but the one who found himself, just for a bit....
in 2025 there are still people that "believe" that a power chord should costs 400something. or that a copper cable is capable to smooth the frequency range!! ahaahahah and i would be the lost one? :)))))
i was just saying (you are right i am not in the right place), that zmf rise in the market is not justified by great projects became reality but by other factors.
since thx to some brands, in the 1k-2k market there is very little worth considering, because yes, there is a "right" way of listening to music (i am talking about ... HIGH FIDELITY!!), I have to stick to what i can afford. thank god i managed to lay my hands on an ex demo pair of stealth and always like i said before, i have to search cheaper options that allow me to get at least 70/80 of what stealth is capable to do if well driven. considering that technology should get better costing less, if zmf, or audeze or i don't give a f. who will do it, since i am not a fan boy of anything, i am not part of a cult, i won't pre order something because i TRUST the brand. it doesn't make sense.
what freaks me out is if someone would build the perfect headphone, the real hi fidelity king, people will always continuing buying stuff because he doesn't want to listen to what an artist did in a production study, but to "nuances" of the same music that he play ever and ever and ever every time he buy a pair of new hp.
and a/b the two. from an external pov seeing a man who does that is something that is quite horrific (told by the people who saw me years ago, listening to the same 20 tracks, that even depeche mode would like to stop me from listening to them if they knew WHY i am literally using their music.. to test a cheap of chinese driver, finallly some dynamat, implemented in a wooden cup with a grill designed by a 70yo lady)
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 1:18 PM Post #3,340 of 3,411
i don't understand the meaning of the world "audiophilia", at least in this context. maybe i can't use the dictionary as well as you do.
however, it was ectactly my point.
i am not the one who got lost in the hobby. hifi is the place in which i found the most screweed up people, and i also like shooting!! and that should mean something.
If you think abouti it, from a logical pov, there in nothing logic about PRE ORDING things. you do that , why? because you trust... what?? that the new model will be better? different enough to justify keeping it along the older model?
let's pretend for a bit i am not the one who got lost but the one who found himself, just for a bit....
in 2025 there are still people that "believe" that a power chord should costs 400something. or that a copper cable is capable to smooth the frequency range!! ahaahahah and i would be the lost one? :)))))
i was just saying (you are right i am not in the right place), that zmf rise in the market is not justified by great projects became reality but by other factors.
since thx to some brands, in the 1k-2k market there is very little worth considering, because yes, there is a "right" way of listening to music (i am talking about ... HIGH FIDELITY!!), I have to stick to what i can afford. thank god i managed to lay my hands on an ex demo pair of stealth and always like i said before, i have to search cheaper options that allow me to get at least 70/80 of what stealth is capable to do if well driven. considering that technology should get better costing less, if zmf, or audeze or i don't give a f. who will do it, since i am not a fan boy of anything, i am not part of a cult, i won't pre order something because i TRUST the brand. it doesn't make sense.
what freaks me out is if someone would build the perfect headphone, the real hi fidelity king, people will always continuing buying stuff because he doesn't want to listen to what an artist did in a production study, but to "nuances" of the same music that he play ever and ever and ever every time he buy a pair of new hp.
and a/b the two. from an external pov seeing a man who does that is something that is quite horrific (told by the people who saw me years ago, listening to the same 20 tracks, that even depeche mode would like to stop me from listening to them if they knew WHY i am literally using their music.. to test a cheap of chinese driver, finallly some dynamat, implemented in a wooden cup with a grill designed by a 70yo lady)
?🤨? .... most narratives (stories) have a beginning, middle, end. None here -- more like a lunar landscape: barren, rocky, void.
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 1:20 PM Post #3,341 of 3,411
i don't understand the meaning of the world "audiophilia", at least in this context. maybe i can't use the dictionary as well as you do.
however, it was ectactly my point.
i am not the one who got lost in the hobby. hifi is the place in which i found the most screweed up people, and i also like shooting!! and that should mean something.
If you think abouti it, from a logical pov, there in nothing logic about PRE ORDING things. you do that , why? because you trust... what?? that the new model will be better? different enough to justify keeping it along the older model?
let's pretend for a bit i am not the one who got lost but the one who found himself, just for a bit....
in 2025 there are still people that "believe" that a power chord should costs 400something. or that a copper cable is capable to smooth the frequency range!! ahaahahah and i would be the lost one? :)))))
i was just saying (you are right i am not in the right place), that zmf rise in the market is not justified by great projects became reality but by other factors.
since thx to some brands, in the 1k-2k market there is very little worth considering, because yes, there is a "right" way of listening to music (i am talking about ... HIGH FIDELITY!!), I have to stick to what i can afford. thank god i managed to lay my hands on an ex demo pair of stealth and always like i said before, i have to search cheaper options that allow me to get at least 70/80 of what stealth is capable to do if well driven. considering that technology should get better costing less, if zmf, or audeze or i don't give a f. who will do it, since i am not a fan boy of anything, i am not part of a cult, i won't pre order something because i TRUST the brand. it doesn't make sense.
what freaks me out is if someone would build the perfect headphone, the real hi fidelity king, people will always continuing buying stuff because he doesn't want to listen to what an artist did in a production study, but to "nuances" of the same music that he play ever and ever and ever every time he buy a pair of new hp.
and a/b the two. from an external pov seeing a man who does that is something that is quite horrific (told by the people who saw me years ago, listening to the same 20 tracks, that even depeche mode would like to stop me from listening to them if they knew WHY i am literally using their music.. to test a cheap of chinese driver, finallly some dynamat, implemented in a wooden cup with a grill designed by a 70yo lady)
Ooof. Lots to unpack here. If I could offer some unsolicited advice I'd stick to listening to the music and enjoying the gear that you have. I can tell by your last three posts that there's a lot of community engagement that's offering you nothing but toxicity.

Steer away from the narratives and just enjoy the hobby.
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 2:17 PM Post #3,342 of 3,411
Yeah we need an optional strap to help with weight distibution. This is why I am looking for Rubied Limba or hope that there is a LTD light weight in the future since my Stabilized set is heavy.
That's part of the reason why I was keen on the SpectraPly as they are supposed to give the benefits of a harder LTD/stabilised wood but without the increased weight. They haven't arrived yet so hopefully I haven't spoken too soon :sweat_smile:
 
Jan 15, 2025 at 6:51 PM Post #3,344 of 3,411
Hi, any updates on this!? Or even additionally 5128 measurements?
Were going to redo at some point how our measurements are shown with more clarity on what rig they were measured on and what not. We can definitely focus on 5128 measurements as well.

It may not be immediate as I know @AnyDave has been busy with Dark Matter audio stuff but it's on the docket so to speak.
 
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Jan 15, 2025 at 6:52 PM Post #3,345 of 3,411
Agree it has nothing to do with ZMF price policies. I think it's just that Sweden has higher VAT than other countries, plus import taxes, plus the fact that it has its own SEK and not EURO, so all combined makes it more expensive to buy there.

Still, personally, I would always try to buy locally and if we are talking about Ark Audio it's a top notch experience: they are always helpful, friendly and very passionate about what they do. I can't recommend them enough.

Mikael at Ark Audio is excellent. I've bought most of my ZMF pads from him and cables. Great gear to demo.

You can not order something from DE or NL, without paying extra tax?
The prices there start at around 1200 euro.
In headphoneshop.de and headphoneauditions.nl

I made a mistake in the conversion. Bokeh is about 1300 euro here locally, point being you don't save much compared to importing directly from the US. Just a case of weak currency and high VAT, nothing ZMF or dealers can do much about. I'd 100% buy locally if a headphone I want is already in stock.
 
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