ZMF BOKEH - Closed Back (Semi-Portable)
Dec 18, 2023 at 11:57 AM Post #826 of 2,851
The last time I changed the pads on the Atticus it took me 15 minutes.

No offense to ZMF, but I can’t think of a headphone manufacturer that makes it more difficult to swap pads.
Have you watched this video?



The Bokeh pads are a little more difficult to swap due to being thinner and the baffle's oval shape. The pad lips are also a slightly taught initially, but they will loosen up after multiple swaps.

I use a slightly different method than Zach uses for mounting pads. I hook and pin one corner of the pad, then use the other hand to finish threading it around the baffle. Since the Bokeh's cups don't swivel 360 degrees, you might have to swap hands to finish threading the lip.

Like anything, practice makes perfect! :)
 
Dec 18, 2023 at 12:37 PM Post #827 of 2,851
The Cayin sounds gorgeous and smooth, if a teeny bit rolled off. The Woo Tube Mini just has that tube sparkle, for what it's worth. I'm gonna give all three another round with the Bokeh this afternoon on some metal, been going through some Radiohead this morning.
I've been really impressed with the little Cayin RU7, not just with the Bokeh but also with Atrium. I'm now in the market for a DAP, and the SP3000 was at the top of my list, but might just do the Cayin N7 and save some cash since I'm thinking I will get the similar sonics as the RU7 that I already love, but even more so.

Between all the music I've been listening to, I watched some episodes of Monarch legacy of monsters from my iPad with RU7 and Bokeh... Godzilla never sounded this good!! lol. But seriously, as much fun the Bokeh is with music, it's just as much fun with movies with thunderous sound effects and explosions, without overwhelming the dialogue like how some similarly bassy headphones tend to do. Bokeh's bass is not as well-controlled as on the Atrium, but's it's definitely far from bloated and still offers plenty of nuance even with certain music tracks that plummet into the lowest frequencies.
 
Dec 18, 2023 at 12:42 PM Post #828 of 2,851
Dec 18, 2023 at 1:26 PM Post #830 of 2,851
Bokehs arrived about an hour ago (#23). Haven't had a chance to really test them out besides a couple quick songs. I knew they were gonna be bassy.. but boy..they're pretty bassy!

Couple quick phone pics out of the box. They look beautiful, though definitely still quite big. I'd say they feel similar on my head to my stock Classics.

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Dec 18, 2023 at 1:33 PM Post #831 of 2,851
I use a slightly different method than Zach uses for mounting pads. I hook and pin one corner of the pad, then use the other hand to finish threading it around the baffle. Since the Bokeh's cups don't swivel 360 degrees, you might have to swap hands to finish threading the lip.
Yeah, I also do it like that. It just takes a bit of practice. I change them so often by now I can do it blind in probably under 1 minute. But also the pads get softer the more you change them which makes it easier.
 
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Dec 18, 2023 at 2:13 PM Post #832 of 2,851
It's amazing how little power these things need to absolutely hit their stride.
 
Dec 18, 2023 at 2:44 PM Post #833 of 2,851
I changed the Pads to BE 2 Lambskin solid, i am speechless, this is a whole different world for the Bokeh, for me this songs sound amazing and not from this world:

Ape Chimba - Amoriri (feat.Ebyän) - KWO
Joaquin Cornejo,Wabi Sabi - La Voz De La Nostalgia (original Mix) - The Dogon Orchestra

Have some fun with Bokeh!
Oh, wow. These match perfectly with the deep, powerful bass and organic mids from the biocell drivers of the Eikons.
I can only imagine these sound powerful and fun as hell on the Bokeh. One of these days, I'll get a pair of Bokehs on my ears... : )

Thanks for sharing these tracks, I've added the artists to my list.
 
Dec 18, 2023 at 2:51 PM Post #834 of 2,851
Have you watched this video?



The Bokeh pads are a little more difficult to swap due to being thinner and the baffle's oval shape. The pad lips are also a slightly taught initially, but they will loosen up after multiple swaps.

I use a slightly different method than Zach uses for mounting pads. I hook and pin one corner of the pad, then use the other hand to finish threading it around the baffle. Since the Bokeh's cups don't swivel 360 degrees, you might have to swap hands to finish threading the lip.

Like anything, practice makes perfect! :)

It'd be so much easier if the cup had a notch and the pad would just slide inside...
 
Dec 18, 2023 at 3:03 PM Post #835 of 2,851
If you like metal, Liturgy's 93696 absolutely slams on the Bokeh. It sounds spectacular on the riffy parts, but the operatic parts are dreamy.

I'm impressed by the RU7, but I usually use my Bokeh at the office, so I'll probably stick with the Woo Mini. The RU7 will be a great IEM buddy to go with my SP3000 though.
 
Dec 18, 2023 at 3:27 PM Post #836 of 2,851
Still not enough time for me to do much comparing but as I've gone through the various pads, I have a strong preference for the suedes. They retain most of the bass but come across as just more open and spread out than the other 2 at the expense of some of the intensity from the more narrow stage of the other pads. Both experiences are very fun and I can see preferring the stock protein. I generally prefer wider stages but have also enjoyed more narrow ones like on the Elex and 6XX. One genre I've noticed they really excel at is 80s R&B that is more pop such as Prince and Michael Jackson.

I can't recommend enough that one should get the discounted extra pads & mesh bundle!
 
Dec 18, 2023 at 3:30 PM Post #837 of 2,851
Still not enough time for me to do much comparing but as I've gone through the various pads, I have a strong preference for the suedes. They retain most of the bass but come across as just more open and spread out than the other 2 at the expense of some of the intensity from the more narrow stage of the other pads. Both experiences are very fun and I can see preferring the stock protein. I generally prefer wider stages but have also enjoyed more narrow ones like on the Elex and 6XX. One genre I've noticed they really excel at is 80s R&B that is more pop such as Prince and Michael Jackson.

I can't recommend enough that one should get the discounted extra pads & mesh bundle!

I have not changed to the suedes yet. I really fell in love with the hybrids. But will check them out soon.
 
Dec 18, 2023 at 3:35 PM Post #838 of 2,851
It'd be so much easier if the cup had a notch and the pad would just slide inside...
Zach has mentioned that the notch doesn't work well with wooden cups, they wind up binding and getting caught. He mentioned possibly revisiting that method with cups not made of wood...
 
Dec 18, 2023 at 3:50 PM Post #839 of 2,851
Dec 18, 2023 at 5:17 PM Post #840 of 2,851
Thoughts on the 'Portable Shootout' today:

Disclaimer: using the solid Titan mesh & hybrid pads

Woo Audio Tube Mini: this thing is obviously legendary for the ridiculous gobs of power it has for a dongle. Woo are serious magicians for squeezing such power into such a small device. There are trade offs (i.e. ringing/not for portable use/doesn't really work with IEMs) but it absolutely powers the Bokeh to the brink. I barely got it above 25% on Roon ARC off of my iPad before it was a bit too loud. Sound wise, this really emphasizes the Bokeh's sound signature. The mids were the star of the show, with slightly smoother bass (wouldn't say less punchy, but definitely a teeny bit more rolled off than on non-tube) and a crisp, sparkling highs. The Tube Mini seemed to really push the treble on the Bokeh a bit further than the other two I played with today, so there was a bit more of a sparkling...crunch? Sibilance? The highs are still very much there. I thought they maybe could've been a teeny bit too bright, but not a deal breaker. Soundstage was the same across the board for all three. I felt like the Bokeh + Tube Mini was a better mix for the dreamier stuff I was playing on it, such as Talk Talk's Spirit of Life and Radiohead's Kid A. The highs got a little in-your-face on Liturgy and Mayhem. This amp does have a pretty specific sound signature, so YMMV. I'm not here for balanced audio, so the Woo is always a favorite for pure sound in a small package, but with a handful of trade offs.

Cayin RU7: this was exactly what I want out of a dongle. Less power than the Woo, but obviously much less power. Very much like the Cayin house sound, everything is very balanced, smack dab neutral, with just a tiny touch of warmness. I feel like there is a bit of bass roll off with it, but nothing over the top. The high end performed best on this as well, I noticed none of the almost-Grado-like aggressiveness as I did with the Woo. The mids are a little bit more recessed, but overall this feels so natural and tuned spectacularly. Best dongle I have tried, honestly. This one did well on all my test albums, but I felt like the Cayin really shined with some of the heavier metal such as Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and Wolves in the Throne Room. It does well on the moodier stuff, but I think the Woo's really aggressive sound signature helps you lose yourself in the sound. This is really a spectacular IEM dongle, as you do have to push it a bit to get it to a louder volume. Played off of my iPad, tried off of the iPhone.

Astell&Kern SP3000: personally, I find this guy as the ultimate IEM machine. You have to really get to a very loud volume (110+) to get loud enough sound off of it for most over ear headphones. BUT, this is probably the most lush, detailed portable setup you're going to find on the Bokeh. This thing lends itself to a neutralness you just don't find often. As you get a bit higher in the volume range, you can really sense the headroom start to condense though, and it did feel like it had less of a soundstage than the others, almost a bit claustrophobic. However, there wasn't the rolloff or recession of the RU7, and the slightly sharp Woo high was nowhere to be found, without that aggressiveness. It is incredibly normal. I think the Bokeh shines on the SP3000 despite the condensed soundstage, you can really grasp the intense mid-bass on these, some of the stuff I was listening to like Radiohead's Kid A had an absurd amount of punch. The SP3000's speed and attention to detail (you really can not feed it anything too fast or intense, it will always excel) was huge on stuff like Liturgy, but the punch of the bass and smooth high end REALLY showed off on stuff like Black Sabbath and Sleep. Obviously the cost is lolworthy but it's still a monster DAP.

I think all 3 have their strengths. The Woo isn't really portable and is really just a desk MONSTER and has the most out-there and best but flavored sound of all three, but the Bokeh is a spectacular headphone on really all 3 of these. I think it's pretty cool how I haven't fed the Bokeh to an amp that they don't sound amazing on, with all 3 having some slightly different quirks. Anyway. Just some thoughts. The RU7 is pretty sweet for a small dongle for the Bokeh, so if you want portability from these, that's probably your best bet.
 
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