[zach915m]

Damn! The Hybrid Pads really are where it's at! I just put on some Electronica and the sound is incredible.

The imaging is tighter and more defined and the sound really did open up. I am hearing a somewhat "baby" version of the AC now, and this headphone is flat out incredible.

I think my beloved Atticus are going to be getting much less play time, now that the Bokeh is around. The Bokeh takes fun to another level, and is very capable and scales extremely well.

The hybrid pads are the closest to Harman as well as to the AC with suede pads. Protein is more mid bassy, the hybrid a little more sub-bassy, just speaking measurements here.

And yes I know some people are waiting for measurements, I'll have those up later today/tomorrow along with my video stuff that shows the same.

My Cherry set weighs in at 528g

The Limba sets are in the 475-495 range. I contemplated doing a magnesium version, but the cost to weight ratio wasn't worth it for the very slight weight reduction. If we ever try to make headphones cheaper, we may experiment with alternate and even lighter materials, but for me they are comfortable at this weight and the longevity of the headphone via the parts being made with the highest quality materials out-weighs the gain to be had from the cheaper/lighter materials.

 

[erics75]

Ok gotta vent a bit. changing pads on the Bokeh is not fun, moreso than the other models. I'm 15 minutes in to trying to mount the all suede pads on and I just cannot get them. I've tried all the tricks I've learned from the other models, but they're just not going on. the worst part is when you get about 80ish percent done and you're tugging like mad to get the pad over the flange, only to have it pull free from your grip and fully unmount. I really wish the pads were either a bit bigger, or the mounting fabric you pull over the flange to mount was longer and more stretchy. i'm staring at the Bokeh no pads on it and feeling quite annoyed. Anyone else having issues getting the suede pads on? What's weird is the protein pads are easy to mount, the hybrid harder, but not too too bad. but man these suede... they're violence inducing hahaha

 

[LXMc]

Ok gotta vent a bit. changing pads on the Bokeh is not fun, moreso than the other models. I'm 15 minutes in to trying to mount the all suede pads on and I just cannot get them. I've tried all the tricks I've learned from the other models, but they're just not going on. the worst part is when you get about 80ish percent done and you're tugging like mad to get the pad over the flange, only to have it pull free from your grip and fully unmount. I really wish the pads were either a bit bigger, or the mounting fabric you pull over the flange to mount was longer and more stretchy. i'm staring at the Bokeh no pads on it and feeling quite annoyed. Anyone else having issues getting the suede pads on? What's weird is the protein pads are easy to mount, the hybrid harder, but not too too bad. but man these suede... they're violence inducing hahaha

Probably just down to manufacturing variance combined with the oval shape where they're stretching a bit further one way than the other. I have some sets of pads where one side is noticeably tighter than the other. Hopefully my experience with getting the stock pads back on the Meze 109 Pro has prepared me enough for this...

 

[erics75]

Probably just down to manufacturing variance combined with the oval shape where they're stretching a bit further one way than the other. I have some sets of pads where one side is noticeably tighter than the other. Hopefully my experience with getting the stock pads back on the Meze 109 Pro has prepared me enough for this...

I finally got them on, you have to be pretty rough with them. I basically grabbed them like a tight sock rolled up, pulled them open like i'm trying to enlarge the ear cavity, and kept rotating them as I stretched them aggressively. that seems to have loosened up the fabric a bit. then i did the fold over technique where you fold the flaps up, place the pad down, and pull the flap down over the flange. it's easy to get to the 75% mark with them, but even with the stretching i was still yanking like crazy to get them fully mounted. they feel super tight around the flange too. but they're mounted! first time using the all suede set, impressions to come. i'm hoping after a few mountings the fabric will remain stretched out so future swaps are easier. but woo what a workout!

 

[Alenotta]

What’s your impression on the midbass/subbass ratio? I’m somewhat midbass averse and a subbass enthusiast. Do you think it would be for someone like me? If not, some other ZMF? I’m really itching to get one of their products, but I wonder which is the right one for me.

Sounds like you'd be more into the Atrium Closed maybe. These do have nice mid bass.

 

[LXMc]

Speaking of the mount where the pads attach - in the photos it looks like it's a different material than the previous ZMFs (which are sapele, if i remember right, and the caldera is carbon fibre). It looks like it could be either an MDF or the Richlite like the Homage?

 

[Alenotta]

Ok gotta vent a bit. changing pads on the Bokeh is not fun, moreso than the other models. I'm 15 minutes in to trying to mount the all suede pads on and I just cannot get them. I've tried all the tricks I've learned from the other models, but they're just not going on. the worst part is when you get about 80ish percent done and you're tugging like mad to get the pad over the flange, only to have it pull free from your grip and fully unmount. I really wish the pads were either a bit bigger, or the mounting fabric you pull over the flange to mount was longer and more stretchy. i'm staring at the Bokeh no pads on it and feeling quite annoyed. Anyone else having issues getting the suede pads on? What's weird is the protein pads are easy to mount, the hybrid harder, but not too too bad. but man these suede... they're violence inducing hahaha

I think the shape is definitely harder to get the pad on, but my method is kind of pinching the sides as I go around. For me the problem is more that I don't want to change pads because every time I put a new one on I just start enjoying it so much. I thought I preferred the hybrid, but now going back to the protein I'm not so sure. I think the hybrid may be the most universally loved in the end, but it is a tough call.

I agree the AC is more technical, but I'm having more fun with Bokeh I think. Now I just need a special olive wood Bokeh haha.

 

[erics75]

I think the shape is definitely harder to get the pad on, but my method is kind of pinching the sides as I go around. For me the problem is more that I don't want to change pads because every time I put a new one on I just start enjoying it so much. I thought I preferred the hybrid, but now going back to the protein I'm not so sure. I think the hybrid may be the most universally loved in the end, but it is a tough call.

I agree the AC is more technical, but I'm having more fun with Bokeh I think. Now I just need a special olive wood Bokeh haha.

It is an incredibly engaging headphone! I'm early on in my comparison to the Atticus but as blasphemous as it sounds, the Bokeh is holding it's own and on pretty equal ground with me. So far only the AC has surpassed the Atticus for pure enjoyment, and barely at that. To have the Bokeh right there as well is truly impressive. Zach knows how to tune a good sounding headphone.

 

[zach915m]

Speaking of the mount where the pads attach - in the photos it looks like it's a different material than the previous ZMFs (which are sapele, if i remember right, and the caldera is carbon fibre). It looks like it could be either an MDF or the Richlite like the Homage?

Oh yeah the pads are a bit tougher to mount because of the oval shape. I'm editing my video right now and will show this soon, I have some tips and tricks, feel free to "break" the stitching on the pad back if you need to and be violent with the attachment ring basically. But working from the top/oval part down is easiest. One day maybe we will have a different attachment system if we ever decide to do something aside from wood cups.

And yes! The baffle is richlite top panel with a bamboo back. It's actually twice as expensive as wood, but twice as stable. We may be adopting this for some of our headphones in the future, the bamboo was the key to getting the same density as sapele that I like to use.

 

[zach915m]

Here's an impedance graph from "the other site," but anyways - I'll work on getting all the other graphs up shortly as well.

 

[zach915m]

A few shots from my Bokeh shoot yesterday...! Notice the photo's showing two units, there will be some slight variance of color on the units due to just different pieces of wood.

 

[AnyDave]

A few shots from my Bokeh shoot yesterday...! Notice the photo's showing two units, there will be some slight variance of color on the units due to just different pieces of wood.

That kind of looks like a Red Delicious Apple.

And, I have to say, it's the best sounding Apple headphone I've ever heard.

 

[erics75]

A few shots from my Bokeh shoot yesterday...!

Stunning! That might be my all time favorite looking stock wood. The Camphor Atticus/Eikon were epic as well. Makes me want to bust out the camera and 85mm 1.2 for some bokeh shots!

 

[LXMc]

Want to mention how nice the stain choice is on the stock black limba. Reminds me a bit of the barn-aged padauk VO that I have looked at many times.

 

[erics75]

And, I have to say, it's the best sounding Apple headphone I've ever heard.

Don't be dissing my Apple Beats like that!