ZMF BOKEH - Closed Back (Semi-Portable)

[RestoredSparda]

I also love them (and the open) on my Stratus. But, 90 percent of the time I enjoy them with Mojo 2. For whatever reason that pairing is just exceptional sounding, and transportable to boot.

 

[ch1525i]

I also love them (and the open) on my Stratus. But, 90 percent of the time I enjoy them with Mojo 2. For whatever reason that pairing is just exceptional sounding, and transportable to boot.

+1 with the Mojo2. I either use it directly or use it as the DAC for my Schiit Vali 3 with both my BC and BO

 

[rasse1977]

I also love them (and the open) on my Stratus. But, 90 percent of the time I enjoy them with Mojo 2. For whatever reason that pairing is just exceptional sounding, and transportable to boot.

Good to hear since I also own a Mojo2.

Would you say that the BO scale like crazy when you go from Mojo2 to Stratus or is it more subtle?

 

[RestoredSparda]

Good to hear since I also own a Mojo2.

Would you say that the BO scale like crazy when you go from Mojo2 to Stratus or is it more subtle?

Both BO and BC scale quite a bit with source, but they don't need a lot of amp to shine. Personally both my Atrium Open, JAR 650 and Verite Closed scale higher with Stratus. (I use a Yiggy A2 as my main dac with Holo Red).

 

[yrstruly]

Does anyone sometimes find the timbre of the Bokeh slightly grating / not to their taste? Caveat: I love the Bokeh overall and think it's one of the best closed backs out there generally. There are some times however (noting that my moods/preferences can vary with headphones pretty regularly) where I find the mids of the BC to be ever-so-slightly coarse, perhaps grainy/unrefined, compared to some of the higher end ZMFs I've tried. I'm not sure whether it's a quality of the LCP driver...and this is mostly when listening through a revealing solid state set-up. I think it's that quality of the BC which makes it very engaging and snappy that, if you're not quite in the mood, can come off as a tad brash and, as I said, sort of coarse. It's funny, before trying the BC I was expecting it to sound a bit sleepy and muffled based on some half-read impressions online, but in reality it's anything but - it can get pretty violent when it wants to!

Mostly sharing this in the interests of balance as I think it's interesting to discuss the relative "flaws" of a headphone, as well as celebrating the positives (of which there are many for this can).

 

[JackarlTwo]

Does anyone sometimes find the timbre of the Bokeh slightly grating / not to their taste? Caveat: I love the Bokeh overall and think it's one of the best closed backs out there generally. There are some times however (noting that my moods/preferences can vary with headphones pretty regularly) where I find the mids of the BC to be ever-so-slightly coarse, perhaps grainy/unrefined, compared to some of the higher end ZMFs I've tried. I'm not sure whether it's a quality of the LCP driver...and this is mostly when listening through a revealing solid state set-up. I think it's that quality of the BC which makes it very engaging and snappy that, if you're not quite in the mood, can come off as a tad brash and, as I said, sort of coarse. It's funny, before trying the BC I was expecting it to sound a bit sleepy and muffled based on some half-read impressions online, but in reality it's anything but - it can get pretty violent when it wants to!

Mostly sharing this in the interests of balance as I think it's interesting to discuss the relative "flaws" of a headphone, as well as celebrating the positives (of which there are many for this can).

Grating? Not at all! I've only used the stock pads/ mesh for about a month and I've never found it grating through solid-state amps and delta-sigma DACs. It is on the polar opposite side of grating IMO. The driver is pretty quick and that is definitely noticeable, as well as some decent amount of reverb going on that I find very enjoyable.

 

[erics75]

Does anyone sometimes find the timbre of the Bokeh slightly grating / not to their taste? Caveat: I love the Bokeh overall and think it's one of the best closed backs out there generally. There are some times however (noting that my moods/preferences can vary with headphones pretty regularly) where I find the mids of the BC to be ever-so-slightly coarse, perhaps grainy/unrefined, compared to some of the higher end ZMFs I've tried. I'm not sure whether it's a quality of the LCP driver...and this is mostly when listening through a revealing solid state set-up. I think it's that quality of the BC which makes it very engaging and snappy that, if you're not quite in the mood, can come off as a tad brash and, as I said, sort of coarse. It's funny, before trying the BC I was expecting it to sound a bit sleepy and muffled based on some half-read impressions online, but in reality it's anything but - it can get pretty violent when it wants to!

Mostly sharing this in the interests of balance as I think it's interesting to discuss the relative "flaws" of a headphone, as well as celebrating the positives (of which there are many for this can).

I've noticed on some solid state amps the timbre can be kind of plasticy, for lack of a better word. It's slightly stiff and grainy/coarse. Notice it on both the BC and BO. The Jotunheim 2 is the amp that brings this out the most in my lineup, followed by the Asgard 3. The Midgard also isn't very smooth, though smoother than the other two. On the V226 it's pretty good, slight stiffness compared to the biocellulose drivers, but nothing like the Jot/Asgard timbre. On tubes it's wonderful, very natural. For this reason I caution that the Bokeh drivers are a bit more amp dependent than the biocellulose models. Just my opinion of course. Since I listen almost exclusively to tubes it's not an issue, but if i were a solid state only listener i'd probably think of selling it. But that applies to almost all my headphones hahaha. I just don't like solid state as much. The only one I have that's tolerable is the V226. Just my preference.

 

[rasse1977]

It's funny, before trying the BC I was expecting it to sound a bit sleepy and muffled based on some half-read impressions online, but in reality it's anything but - it can get pretty violent when it wants to!

Comments like this make it sooo difficult to blind buy headphones

Still hoping that the BC can hit the sweet spot for me between "sleepy/muffled" and "pretty violent".

 

[zach915m]

Comments like this make it sooo difficult to blind buy headphones

Still hoping that the BC can hit the sweet spot for me between "sleepy/muffled" and "pretty violent".

There are 9 different iterations of the Bokeh models with the tuning kit - so sometimes gauging comments can be tough with different users landing on different pads/mesh combos. The hope is that with the stock tuning we hit a good middle ground and you can make incremental changes from there.

 

[jojothewhale]

Comments like this make it sooo difficult to blind buy headphones

Still hoping that the BC can hit the sweet spot for me between "sleepy/muffled" and "pretty violent".

I actually think the Bokeh is a pretty easy blind buy. With the ability to change pads and tuning meshes you can kind of mold the sound a bit to your liking… where other headphone you blind buy it is what it is …and you like it or you don’t. I think it’s just a widely appealing good sound that most will enjoy in its stock form at the price point…..The adaptability factor is a big bonus!

 

[JackarlTwo]

I actually think the Bokeh is a pretty easy blind buy. With the ability to change pads and tuning meshes you can kind of mold the sound a bit to your liking… where other headphone you blind buy it is what it is …and you like it or you don’t. I think it’s just a widely appealing good sound that most will enjoy in its stock form at the price point…..The adaptability factor is a big bonus!

I 100% agree. Bokeh is probably one of the easiest blind buys in this price range. It just sounds great with just about anything. I haven't done any pad swapping yet but coming from Atrium I know how malleable the sound can be with just a couple of pad swaps. That adaptability is what I love about ZMF headphones in general and adds a massive value.

 

[michael2v]

Still hoping that the BC can hit the sweet spot for me between "sleepy/muffled" and "pretty violent".

I've certainly found this to be the case (having previously tried the Atrium and Aeolus); one of my favorite ZMFs to date, personally (the Caldera Closed is probably also top two, but it's a fairly different tuning).

 

[ThanatosVI]

There are 9 different iterations of the Bokeh models with the tuning kit - so sometimes gauging comments can be tough with different users landing on different pads/mesh combos. The hope is that with the stock tuning we hit a good middle ground and you can make incremental changes from there.

Will the Atriums receive the tuning kits as well?
This has been discussed a while ago, but I never heard of the results.
Same for Caldera open

 

[feank]

So, the M11 Plus is a very good player but with the Bokeh, the soundstage seems a bit muted - my Meze 109Pros are much more dynamic on the M11 Plus. As for the RU7, I still need more time but my impressions vary whether I am running it off my computer or my iPhone. Using the computer and the RU7 is much better than the iPhone and RU7 - could be power limitations of the iPhone but the two don't sound the same with the Bokeh (I think Wes who comments on this thread had a similar experience). I bought the RU7 to use with my iPhone so hopefully that will improve as it gets more playing time.

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Can compare with 109 pro please, thanks!

 

[LowBrass]

Grating? Not at all! I've only used the stock pads/ mesh for about a month and I've never found it grating through solid-state amps and delta-sigma DACs. It is on the polar opposite side of grating IMO. The driver is pretty quick and that is definitely noticeable, as well as some decent amount of reverb going on that I find very enjoyable.

I've noticed on some solid state amps the timbre can be kind of plasticy, for lack of a better word. It's slightly stiff and grainy/coarse. Notice it on both the BC and BO. The Jotunheim 2 is the amp that brings this out the most in my lineup, followed by the Asgard 3. The Midgard also isn't very smooth, though smoother than the other two. On the V226 it's pretty good, slight stiffness compared to the biocellulose drivers, but nothing like the Jot/Asgard timbre. On tubes it's wonderful, very natural. For this reason I caution that the Bokeh drivers are a bit more amp dependent than the biocellulose models. Just my opinion of course. Since I listen almost exclusively to tubes it's not an issue, but if i were a solid state only listener i'd probably think of selling it. But that applies to almost all my headphones hahaha. I just don't like solid state as much. The only one I have that's tolerable is the V226. Just my preference.

Anyone else use Asgard 3 with Bokeh Closed? I totally get tubes sound great on the BC, but hope I don't have to upgrade my current solid state amp to fine tune the sound more.