[Rollnrock]

As usual, this applies to my brain/ears so YMMV — Compared to my Schiit Jotunheim 2 Multibit and Sony NW-WM1AM2, the RU7* and Sony NW-ZX507** sounded better for the following reasons (note that my Bokeh setup is with the suede pads and stock burst mesh and I'm using them with the ZMF 4.4 balanced cable):

• Balanced, the Jotunheim 2 was too powerful and dynamic for my tastes (vol. was max. at 9 o'clock on low gain, so imagine the headroom) something which, for exemple, didn't happen with my Grado SR325X
  
  
• Balanced, the Sony WM1AM2 turned out to be a tad too laid back and anaemic in comparison — good to go if you don't compare but, as soon as I do, you realise you've been missing a little something
  
  
• Balanced, both the ZX507 and RU7 straddle that line in-between the aforementioned two in a surprising way — they're the sweet spot retaining the necessary amount of dynamism all the while being a relaxed listen, i.e. not too much in your face

I'm gobsmacked by the ZX507 and extremely happy with the synergy it has with the Bokeh as it's my favourite DAP from a form-factor standpoint.

I'd rank the synergies with the Bokeh as follow: ZX507 > RU7 > Jotunheim 2 Multibit > WM1AM2.




* High gain, DSD64
** Uncapped, high gain, DC Phase Linearizer Type B STANDARD & Vinyl Processor Standard both ON

Nice song . Love The Who!

 

[NewEve]

Via a computer (MacBook Air M1, 2020) — I will test the RU7 from my iPhone 13 but remember well that there was a difference with computers and tablets making a positive difference with both the RU6 and RU7 compared to a smartphone.

Just tested it (first listening session of the day) and I must admit that I couldn't hear any difference in-between the MacBook Air M1 and iPhone 13.
I used the same tracks, from the same files, with the same volume and gain, only the players used were different (Swinsian on MacOS and Doppler on iOS).

I hope this helps.

I'm gobsmacked by the ZX507 and extremely happy with the synergy it has with the Bokeh as it's my favourite DAP from a form-factor standpoint.

I also was able to confirm that the uncapped ZX507 with the aforementioned settings definitively sounds better than the RU7. It's more open and has more detail.

Again, all of the above are from the day's first listen, not in the evening after a few hours where we inevitably get used to a sound, not to mention overall fatigue — but that's just maybe a thing for me.

 

[NewEve]

Got mine today. Nice having a ZMF in the home again. For a more "portable" offering from ZMF these things are HEAVY in the hand (but are fine on the head). Cable seems to have some memory which I'm not a fan of, but probably needs more time to relax. I am finding the installed pads to be quite shallow, the top of my ears, especially the right one, is touching the mesh liner. That didn't happen with my Eikons and not sure if I'll get use to that or not. The sound itself right out of the box has been great considering the price of these cans.

One thing also worth trying is to rotate the pads for the thicker part to land in an area which might slightly alleviate this by a few millimetres which can make a different between intolerable/tolerable/comfortable…

If you imagine a watch superposed with the left cup with 12 o'clock being at the top of the cup and 6 o'clock the bottom, try to have the middle of the thicker part of the pads straight at 3 o'clock or in-between 4 and 5 o'clock.

For the right cup, try to have the middle of the thicker part of the pads straight at 9 o'clock or in-between 7 and 8 o'clock.

I hope this'll make sense

 

[LXMc]

I've got larger ears and also find the Bokeh pads just aren't deep enough as-is. Using thicker pads like the Caldera suede help but then I find they don't sit quite as evenly with more pressure up top (have tried fixing this bending the headband but haven't had total success with it). I ended up using some thin foam (6XX series replacement foam disc) between the pad and the driver to add some padding. My ears still press against it but it cushions them enough it's not uncomfortable. Still, it's pretty much my only personal gripe on the Bokeh.

 

[Casey’sToneQuest]

Oh man, I had an absolute nightmare of a time when I took off the mesh and was attempting to put the suede pads on (and yes I watched the video and read all the tips in here) I don’t recall being that frustrated at anything in recent memory! I couldn’t get them on and had to go back to the protein pads and was finally able to get those ones on. Also managed to scratch the wood on one cup in the process big bummer…Wowza

 

[NewEve]

Hello! Can anyone compare Bokeh to Sony MDR-A1M2?

Sony MDR-A1M2 (stock 4.4 balanced cable) vs ZMF Bokeh (suede pads, stock burst mesh, stock ZMF 4.4 balanced cable) via an uncapped Sony ZX507*:

• The Bokeh sound more analogue, deeper, thicker and do not have the slight treble peak the MDR-A1M2 have all the while retaining the same level of detail retrieval
• In spite of their size/weight in comparison, the Bokeh are also more comfortable than the much lighter MDR-A1M2

Overall, to me, the Bokeh are the better headphones.

* Uncapped, high gain, DC Phase Linearizer Type B STANDARD & Vinyl Processor Standard both ON

 

[NewEve]

Oh man, I had an absolute nightmare of a time when I took off the mesh and was attempting to put the suede pads on (and yes I watched the video and read all the tips in here) I don’t recall being that frustrated at anything in recent memory! I couldn’t get them on and had to go back to the protein pads and was finally able to get those ones on. Wowza

They're a massive pain in the rear — and the video similarly didn't help me.

I had more success getting the suedes on by maintaining into place the parts I managed to insert, one after the other but it took me 10+ tries and was a frustrating experience.

The listen is worth it though so, don't loose patience, try again and I'm sure you'll make it.

 

[npatrix]

Oh man, I had an absolute nightmare of a time when I took off the mesh and was attempting to put the suede pads on (and yes I watched the video and read all the tips in here) I don’t recall being that frustrated at anything in recent memory! I couldn’t get them on and had to go back to the protein pads and was finally able to get those ones on. Also managed to scratch the wood on one cup in the process big bummer…Wowza

I hear you, it took me a good 15 to 20m to put the Suede pads, they seemed to shrink… technique is the same, but needs a bit more stretch to finish without the all thing jump out… I will let them for while and hopefully next time swap is easy. The other pads are easy to swap if you familiar with ZMF.

 

[KaiFi]

I'm afraid to try the suede pads at this point. Took me around 20 minutes to get the hybrid pads on (though I do think I could do it in less time now). I will never stop criticizing the pad swapping on these headphones; it is not great.

 

[zach915m]

Yeah I hear you guys - the options were to make the pads easier to put on, and have them be really easy to fall off, or to stitch around the attachment and have them stay on the headphones. I chose the latter obviously.

My suggestion would be to "break" one of the stiches by basically pulling the back stitched attachment area apart and that will give you a good middle ground if the pads without the stiches broken are too hard to put on.

I also understand there's a number of people who want an easier system with injection moulded parts etc - but personally from my large headphone collection I always choose having the option to put any of our pads on other headphones to have that modularity vs having a closed system, as the savings in money and adaptability is worth it to me.

It's definitely one of those things where we thought long and hard about it and I think this is the right system for all of the above reasons. Ofcourse if we find a new way to do thigss in the future where you can have all of the above and eat the cake too and yada yada we will update!

 

[betula]

On my Caldera I actually prefer the pads with the stitching. Stitched pads do not just feel more secure, but after some practice I can also put them on quicker versus the non-stitched versions, as they stay in place better even during the process.
I remember, my first ever ZMF pad swap was indeed a frustrating 10-minute experience, but since then I got a lot better, and now I can swap both pads in less than a minute. Pad swap is still not something I look forward to doing, but after trying all available options, I settled down with my favourite pads anyway, so hardly ever swap pads now.

I understand that the oval shape of the Bokeh makes the process slightly more difficult compared to the round earcups on other ZMF headphones, I am yet to experience how much more difficult it is (hopefully soon). But for all of you new Bokeh owners out there, let me say there is hope as with practice the process becomes a lot easier. IMO it is still a small price to pay for being able to finetune the headphones to your preference.

 

[Casey’sToneQuest]

Yeah I hear you guys - the options were to make the pads easier to put on, and have them be really easy to fall off, or to stitch around the attachment and have them stay on the headphones. I chose the latter obviously.

My suggestion would be to "break" one of the stiches by basically pulling the back stitched attachment area apart and that will give you a good middle ground if the pads without the stiches broken are too hard to put on.

I also understand there's a number of people who want an easier system with injection moulded parts etc - but personally from my large headphone collection I always choose having the option to put any of our pads on other headphones to have that modularity vs having a closed system, as the savings in money and adaptability is worth it to me.

It's definitely one of those things where we thought long and hard about it and I think this is the right system for all of the above reasons. Ofcourse if we find a new way to do thigss in the future where you can have all of the above and eat the cake too and yada yada we will update!

Heard! Not many products you can communicate with the creator so that is pretty amazing! Thanks for all your hard work and taking the time to try and make us buyers happy! I won’t be trying anything any day soon lol but I will try your tip about the breaking next time I attempt the suede pad switch!

 

[AnyDave]

On my Caldera I actually prefer the pads with the stitching. Stitched pads do not just feel more secure, but after some practice I can also put them on quicker versus the non-stitched versions, as they stay in place better even during the process.
I remember, my first ever ZMF pad swap was indeed a frustrating 10-minute experience, but since then I got a lot better, and now I can swap both pads in less than a minute. Pad swap is still not something I look forward to doing, but after trying all available options, I settled down with my favourite pads anyway, so hardly ever swap pads now.

I understand that the oval shape of the Bokeh makes the process slightly more difficult compared to the round earcups on other ZMF headphones, I am yet to experience how much more difficult it is (hopefully soon). But for all of you new Bokeh owners out there, let me say there is hope as with practice the process becomes a lot easier. IMO it is still a small price to pay for being able to finetune the headphones to your preference.

I also struggled the first time changing ZMF pads, but now I can do it quickly.

Bokeh is more difficult, and I struggled with those at first, despite being comfortable with changing pads on my other ZMFs. It's getting a bit easier the more I do it. My advice for anybody who is frustrated is just to stick with it. It's does get easier with repetition.

 

[zach915m]

I'll try to think up something that we can 3D print possibly to make putting pads on the BOKEH easier. Will update if I figure something out with @AnyDave and our other engineers.

 

[texx2818]

@texx2818 Any chance you have the Bokeh’s 4.4 cable to check whether it’ll fit in the Woo Audio Tube Mini balanced output? Asking as the Bokeh’s 4.4 cable is flat at the base and the Tube Mini balanced output seems recessed.

No issues here. I just checked. I use all Hart cables but I checked the Bokeh and no issues.