[masmole]

I have clearly spent too much time on these forums again, still waiting on my Atriums and just pulled the trigger on the Bokeh with the tuning kit, because why not. Had the AH-D7200 for a long time now as my only closed headphone, will be an interesting comparison.

I also ordered an Atrium as my first set of ZMF during the November drop, then also couldn’t help myself and went for the Bokeh with tuning kit shortly after. Luckily for me, I‘m local and was able to pick up both headphones just in time for the holidays. Atrium is truly end game stuff and lives up to all expectations, but like someone said, needs good desktop gear to make them shine. Bokeh shines with anything, even with just a DAP, smartphone, or the excellent synergy it has with the Cayin RU7 dongle. I can see how Bokeh has TOTL stuff in its ‘”DNA” too, and for some it may well be their end game set because while you can also marvel at its great resolution and technical prowess that approaches that of the Atrium, I find myself reaching more often for the Bokeh when I want to just listen to music for the fun of it! Being a closed-back with more isolation and less bleed than the open-backed Atrium, I find it’s the perfect complement to the Atrium because both will give you two uniquely different takes of the ZMF house sound, if that makes any sense. Great choices! You’re in for a treat

 

[spittis]

Well to be fair I do all over-ear listening with my desktop gear so the versatility with source equipment is not very important for me, it's more about having variation in sound, and better isolation when needed without having to switch to my ANC in-ears I use at the gym The gorgeous design of the Bokeh might also have had some minor impact on this decision...

 

[DenverW]

I have clearly spent too much time on these forums again, still waiting on my Atriums and just pulled the trigger on the Bokeh with the tuning kit, because why not. Had the AH-D7200 for a long time now as my only closed headphone, will be an interesting comparison.

I know this is an apples to oranges comparison, as the Denon ah-d5000 is a different beast than the d7200, but wanted to share some thoughts in case anyone is comparing the Bokeh to the fostex X00 line, denon, or emu-teak. I currently own a D5000 with Lawton Koa cups.

The first difference is the driver. The biocellulose driver of the fostex line up is a favorite of mine, and I love it in the ZMF line up as well. The bio drivers always seem a bit 'wetter' and rounded to me, and the LCP driver on the bokeh has more of a clear character.

The Bokeh's resolution, clarity, and separation are a ways above the denon. A/Bing busy tracks it becomes significantly easier to identify individual instruments with the Bokeh. I'd also thought that the bass of the denon/fostex lineup was very well done, going from slightly muddy with the X00 mahogany to fantastic with the emu-teak. However, it's just not "Bokeh" good. Again highlighting the strengths of the Bokeh, it (imho of course) trumps the best part of the above headphones with it's own bass, and STRONGLY trumps them in their area of improvement (treble and separation).

 

[Clemmaster]

OMG, I thought changing the Atrium pads was the worst PITA, but nothing prepared me for doing the same with Bokeh…

 

[DaJustin]

I have some perforated leather zmf aeolus pads. I wonder how those would impact the BOKEHS's sound compared to stock.

 

[Clemmaster]

OMG, I thought changing the Atrium pads was the worst PITA, but nothing prepared me for doing the same with Bokeh…

I just needed to vent…
I watched the video again and followed Zach’s technique and got it on the first try. So for anyone still struggling with this, watch the video. It really helps to hold the cup against you, the pads with one hand at the top and bottom and use the other hand to put the flap around (click-wise if you hold with your left hand and pull with the right). You’ll have to switch halfway.

 

[LXMc]

Yeah I've continued using Zach's fold-over technique and it still works well with the Bokeh. You just need to be much more assertive and keep a firm grip on the pad you've already folded in. Other ZMFs you can be a bit more lax without issue.

 

[masmole]

Yeah I've continued using Zach's fold-over technique and it still works well with the Bokeh. You just need to be much more assertive and keep a firm grip on the pad you've already folded in. Other ZMFs you can be a bit more lax without issue.

Yes, inverted sock fold over technique has worked for me as well. I had no issues swapping in the hybrid and protein pads, but for some reason the suede pads gave me more trouble. Must be the suede material is less stretchy or perhaps there's a size variance specific to my set. Definitely requires far more concentration swapping pads on the Bokeh than the Atrium, but gets easier once you've done a few of them.

 

[LXMc]

Yes, inverted sock fold over technique has worked for me as well. I had no issues swapping in the hybrid and protein pads, but for some reason the suede pads gave me more trouble. Must be the suede material is less stretchy or perhaps there's a size variance specific to my set. Definitely requires far more concentration swapping pads on the Bokeh than the Atrium, but gets easier once you've done a few of them.

There can definitely be a little bit of variance on pads in my experience. My left Caldera Thick is notably harder to get on than the right - I had a hell of a time when I tried out the thicks on the Bokeh (as a side note, they sounded pretty good! but not my preferred)

 

[erics75]

I've been putting time in with the Bokeh and BE2 solid lamb pads. Two things i'm noticing consistently. First, the stage seems taller but not as deep. Not sure if that is from the ear being closer to the driver or just the overall dimensions of the pads causing it. But my very first thought was the stage seemed weird. I noticed the height but also a sense of more intimacy, which was contradictory. But as I got used to them I stopped noticing, and it sounds natural now to me. Going back to the stock pads is not weird sounding either, so brain burn in works! I don't have much more to say on the stage other than it's more than adequate and i have no issues with it. I don't care much about soundstage as most headphones sound small, as i'm used to speakers. I'm also not picky about staging, as long as it's not overly constricted and "in your head" like say an M50x. That thing makes the sound seem like it's coming from inside the middle of my skull, not a good feeling hahaha.

Second, bass isn't as prominent in the mix, but still very very potent. Compared to the protein pads it doesn't hit as hard, but is harder than the suede pads. I'd put it pretty close to the hybrid pads, though I need more time comparing to say for sure. I'm leaning towards the hybrid pads having a bit more bass quantity, but give me some time to confirm. Bass decay seems faster on the BE2 pads. Again maybe that proximity to the driver allows for less resonance/decay, but the bass is not as thick and doesn't hang in the air like it does with the protein pads. The bass speed and decay isn't quite planar fast, but faster than the protein pads for sure. If you find the bass too bloated with all the Bokeh pads should give these a try.

Overall the Bokeh sounds more airy and upward tilted vs the protein pads. Again, bass is still there, but less aggressive and prominent vs the mids/highs. Treble is inoffensive as with all the other pads. I'm sensing a touch more rounding on treble transients, but nothing significant. Overall the treble seems smoother and airier. Vocals are great, no complaints. I quite like how the Bokeh sounds with the BE2 pads, though I'm not sure I'm prefer them to the protein pads. I just love that more aggressive bass presence the protein pads bring. But the BE2 pads have better top to bottom balance vs the protein and hybrid pads. The suede Bokeh pads are the closest sonically to the BE2 pads, but the BE2 have more bass.

Finally, one word that keeps coming to my mind when listening to the Bokeh/BE2 lamb pads is delicate. The protein pads make the Bokeh into an adrenaline machine, with aggressive bass, potent transients, and an overall fun and engaging profile. Nothing about it sounds delicate or refined to me, which is part of it's charm, much like the Atticus. The BE2 pads bring that more refined and delicate approach the protein pads lack. I personally prefer the more "fun" signature the protein pads bring, but for everyday any genre listening these pads might be a better option. I'm really enjoying them and am happy they don't sound wrong or off. Sometimes certain pad/headphone combos just don't work. They sound off or really weird, and make me stop listening pretty quickly. Not the case here. It's definitely different, but in a good way . These are nice contrasting pads to the protein pads. And they mount much easier as they're bigger win win! Even out of the box I got them mounted on first try without struggle.

Given how similarly the Bokeh and AC are sonically to me, including pad swapping, I'll be spending tomorrow or the rest of the week with the AC/BE2 pads to see how those two get along. Hopefully similarly well, we'll see!

This album was quite a treat with the Bokeh/BE2 combo. Chlara's vocals were mesmerizing! The strings were as well, though not as sexy as her silky pipes.

 

[heliosphann]

Yes, inverted sock fold over technique has worked for me as well. I had no issues swapping in the hybrid and protein pads, but for some reason the suede pads gave me more trouble. Must be the suede material is less stretchy or perhaps there's a size variance specific to my set. Definitely requires far more concentration swapping pads on the Bokeh than the Atrium, but gets easier once you've done a few of them.

There can definitely be a little bit of variance on pads in my experience. My left Caldera Thick is notably harder to get on than the right - I had a hell of a time when I tried out the thicks on the Bokeh (as a side note, they sounded pretty good! but not my preferred)

There can be some variance in the pads. I think it's a little more noticeable with the Bokeh pads, as they don't have the leeway that BE2/Auteur/Uni pads do.

I had some trouble with one of my suede Bokeh pads. Really had to stretch it out before I was able to mount it. The other suede pad went on pretty easily.

 

[KlaraKlang]

@erics75

Check out the BE2 Pads with this song:

https://tidal.com/track/127998781

watch out the Bassdrop at 1:21

The BE2 Pads are the best one for me,because the Bokeh makes so much fun, if you need more stage or details it isn‘t the right one.
Zach makes the Bokeh „ mobil“ and i think it is wrong when you get a big stage or endless details when you are on a run.
Very positiv for me is, you can hear the Bokeh endless hours and your ears aren‘t tired

 

[erics75]

@erics75

Check out the BE2 Pads with this song:

https://tidal.com/track/127998781

watch out the Bassdrop at 1:21

The BE2 Pads are the best one for me,because the Bokeh makes so much fun, if you need more stage or details it isn‘t the right one.
Zach makes the Bokeh „ mobil“ and i think it is wrong when you get a big stage or endless details when you are on a run.
Very positiv for me is, you can hear the Bokeh endless hours and your ears aren‘t tired

Which track#? When I click on the link i get the whole album, but no track ques up. I love that cover art! Amoriri has some really kicking subbass, I like that one for bass testing. Thank you for the artist, I love trying new music and this is very different from my usual rock/metal stuff. I really like the track Kambosito, it's not on the album you linked though.

 

[KlaraKlang]

track #6 - Amoriri

 

[erics75]

track #6 - Amoriri

I was thinking that was it! Yeah that track drops some nice bass.