ZMF BOKEH - Closed Back (Semi-Portable)
Jan 23, 2024 at 12:07 AM Post #1,186 of 2,851
I didn’t know this trick! I’ll absolutely try it out with my giant ears though. Is there any trick to it?
Just get some paracord, cut to the length of the diamater of the pads, or roughly, and then put it in a circle below the padding of the pad and above the mesh that covers the driver and sits below the padding. Voila! Thicker pads 😂
 
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Jan 23, 2024 at 10:04 PM Post #1,187 of 2,851
Just get some paracord, cut to the length of the diamater of the pads, or roughly, and then put it in a circle below the padding of the pad and above the mesh that covers the driver and sits below the padding. Voila! Thicker pads 😂
Yeah you could do that...oooor you could get some ZMF Oval pads for Maximum Ear Depth.

20240123_215143.jpg


(was doing some pad rolling tonight - will try to get up some further thoughts another time but I actually didn't mind these behemoths. I think I actually prefer them over the Auteur solid suedes. Bokeh Suede and Caldera Suede are probably in the lead overall for me but I need to compare the two more)
 
Jan 23, 2024 at 11:22 PM Post #1,188 of 2,851
Paracord for thicker pads would be Increasing the distance between the ear and the driver can make the stage sound bigger. You’d have to EQ the bass and mid up though.
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 2:17 AM Post #1,189 of 2,851
Our case is nearly done I'll have it on the site soon. It's fairly sizeable but I made it so the headphone sits flat so it fits in a backpack nicely.

I'll have these on the site this week.
Hi Zach, looking forward to seeing ZMF's first portable case. Backpack-ready sounds good. Is there any ETA on the next Bokah release and will there be new wood varieties available when it happens?
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 3:59 PM Post #1,190 of 2,851
After a good 2 months or more of just listening to my ZMFs at work I brought in my LCD2 Closed and Elegia for a change of pace. Plugged in the Elegia, hit play, and immediately thought they sounded weird. Harsh up top, stiff down low (no jokes!!!!), and all around unpleasant compared to what I was used to. I got maybe 2 tracks in and called it quits. Out comes the Audeze in the hopes I could salvage the day's musical enjoyment while doing my boring spreadsheets. Though better than the Elegia by a good margin, it still just didn't sound right to me. Where was that natural warmth and smoothness i've grown accustomed to? I managed to make it to lunchtime, and ran home to grab my Bokeh. Sometimes it takes a detour to remind you how good the road you were on was.

On a side note while home i also grabbed my Gilmore Lite MK2 to give it some use. I really like how it plays with the Bokeh. I can tell it's solid state, it has the slight stiffness in transients I notice in all solid states, but it's not dry, clinical, or boring at all. All in all it's a very nice pairing with the Bokeh. The bass is noticeably tighter on the Gilmore than it is on the Tuba or especially the WA3. For being such a tube snob I'm honestly content finishing out the day on the Gilmore.
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 4:04 PM Post #1,191 of 2,851
After a good 2 months or more of just listening to my ZMFs at work I brought in my LCD2 Closed and Elegia for a change of pace. Plugged in the Elegia, hit play, and immediately thought they sounded weird. Harsh up top, stiff down low (no jokes!!!!), and all around unpleasant compared to what I was used to. I got maybe 2 tracks in and called it quits. Out comes the Audeze in the hopes I could salvage the day's musical enjoyment while doing my boring spreadsheets. Though better than the Elegia by a good margin, it still just didn't sound right to me. Where was that natural warmth and smoothness i've grown accustomed to? I managed to make it to lunchtime, and ran home to grab my Bokeh. Sometimes it takes a detour to remind you how good the road you were on was.

On a side note while home i also grabbed my Gilmore Lite MK2 to give it some use. I really like how it plays with the Bokeh. I can tell it's solid state, it has the slight stiffness in transients I notice in all solid states, but it's not dry, clinical, or boring at all. All in all it's a very nice pairing with the Bokeh. The bass is noticeably tighter on the Gilmore than it is on the Tuba or especially the WA3. For being such a tube snob I'm honestly content finishing out the day on the Gilmore.
... (psst...if you want tight, deep bass on WA3, try Cetron 7236 for power tube. Also, SR Purple or Audio Magic M-1 fuse ... 🫵)
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 4:07 PM Post #1,192 of 2,851
... (psst...if you want tight, deep bass on WA3, try Cetron 7236 for power tube. Also, SR Purple or Audio Magic M-1 fuse ... 🫵)
I definitely want to try that out. The WA3 bass with the current tubes isn’t horrible but definitely a bit flubby compared to my other tube amps.
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 4:10 PM Post #1,193 of 2,851
“Out comes the Audeze in the hopes I could salvage the day's musical enjoyment while doing my boring spreadsheets. Though better than the Elegia by a good margin, it still just didn't sound right to me. Where was that natural warmth and smoothness i've grown accustomed to? I managed to make it to lunchtime, and ran home to grab my Bokeh. Sometimes it takes a detour to remind you how good the road you were on was.”




This is so good to hear because I miss my LCD 2 closed a lot and have considered rebuying someday if I found a good deal. But hopefully I won’t have to once I get my Bokeh!!
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 4:18 PM Post #1,194 of 2,851
I definitely want to try that out. The WA3 bass with the current tubes isn’t horrible but definitely a bit flubby compared to my other tube amps.
... what tubes are in WA3 now?
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 4:19 PM Post #1,195 of 2,851
After a good 2 months or more of just listening to my ZMFs at work I brought in my LCD2 Closed and Elegia for a change of pace. Plugged in the Elegia, hit play, and immediately thought they sounded weird. Harsh up top, stiff down low (no jokes!!!!), and all around unpleasant compared to what I was used to. I got maybe 2 tracks in and called it quits. Out comes the Audeze in the hopes I could salvage the day's musical enjoyment while doing my boring spreadsheets. Though better than the Elegia by a good margin, it still just didn't sound right to me. Where was that natural warmth and smoothness i've grown accustomed to? I managed to make it to lunchtime, and ran home to grab my Bokeh. Sometimes it takes a detour to remind you how good the road you were on was.

On a side note while home i also grabbed my Gilmore Lite MK2 to give it some use. I really like how it plays with the Bokeh. I can tell it's solid state, it has the slight stiffness in transients I notice in all solid states, but it's not dry, clinical, or boring at all. All in all it's a very nice pairing with the Bokeh. The bass is noticeably tighter on the Gilmore than it is on the Tuba or especially the WA3. For being such a tube snob I'm honestly content finishing out the day on the Gilmore.
Bokeh has definitely become my office headphones. I prefer the sound over my LCD-X (which was my previous office cans). Ended up selling the LCD-X. So far have not missed it yet!
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 4:22 PM Post #1,196 of 2,851
This is so good to hear because I miss my LCD 2 closed a lot and have considered rebuying someday if I found a good deal. But hopefully I won’t have to once I get my Bokeh!!

I would just caution against hoping the Bokeh will sound similar. They're quite different sounding, and IMO more complimentary to each other than anything. The LCD2C (2 for short) is much faster, tighter, more precise, brighter, and IMO harsher sounding. I wouldn't say harsh in general though, just in comparison. I actually like them quite a bit, but have just grown to really love the ZMF sound more, to the point I'm unfortunately becoming intolerant to other tuning. The bass on the 2 is incredibly nuanced and precise. It's not nearly as powerful as the Bokeh, but counters with more control and detail. The 2 is clean sounding, that's the best adjective i can think of. The Bokeh with the stock pads is almost as present up top, but smoother and sweeter sounding. Where some high frequencies on the 2 make me wince, they don't with the Bokeh. The mids on the 2 are more forward but not nearly as full bodied or sweet sounding. The bokeh gets the mids just right for me, the 2 pushes them just a hair more forward than I'd like. And down low the Bokeh just brings way more quantity to the party. The quality is really good, but not as nuanced and detailed as the 2, but for me, much more enjoyable. I love how the Bokeh slams hard. it's exhilarating and exciting to hear. I hear the bass on the 2, but i EXPERIENCE the bass on the Bokeh. All in all the Bokeh just hits my preferences better.
 
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Jan 24, 2024 at 11:28 PM Post #1,198 of 2,851
After a good 2 months or more of just listening to my ZMFs at work I brought in my LCD2 Closed and Elegia for a change of pace. Plugged in the Elegia, hit play, and immediately thought they sounded weird. Harsh up top, stiff down low (no jokes!!!!), and all around unpleasant compared to what I was used to. I got maybe 2 tracks in and called it quits. Out comes the Audeze in the hopes I could salvage the day's musical enjoyment while doing my boring spreadsheets. Though better than the Elegia by a good margin, it still just didn't sound right to me. Where was that natural warmth and smoothness i've grown accustomed to? I managed to make it to lunchtime, and ran home to grab my Bokeh. Sometimes it takes a detour to remind you how good the road you were on was.

On a side note while home i also grabbed my Gilmore Lite MK2 to give it some use. I really like how it plays with the Bokeh. I can tell it's solid state, it has the slight stiffness in transients I notice in all solid states, but it's not dry, clinical, or boring at all. All in all it's a very nice pairing with the Bokeh. The bass is noticeably tighter on the Gilmore than it is on the Tuba or especially the WA3. For being such a tube snob I'm honestly content finishing out the day on the Gilmore.

I hope the mods will forgive me addressing the Elegias specifically, because I have the Bokeh and Elegia as well. You cannot listen to the Elegia without EQ after getting the Bokehs (tbh I have the Focal Bathys as well, they ruined the Elegias for me before the Bokeh). When I EQ the Elegia, they go back to being a very good set of headphones.
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 11:34 PM Post #1,199 of 2,851
I hope the mods will forgive me addressing the Elegias specifically, because I have the Bokeh and Elegia as well. You cannot listen to the Elegia without EQ after getting the Bokehs (tbh I have the Focal Bathys as well, they ruined the Elegias for me before the Bokeh). When I EQ the Elegia, they go back to being a very good set of headphones.
Yeah it was quite the shock when that first track started! I had grown so used to ZMF sound it was like getting hit in the ear with the Elegia hahaha. I hate being mean but that's about what it was like, it startled me. I know if I just stuck it out and applied some EQ i'd be ok, but with the Bokeh sounding so good naturally, it makes me question why I want to bother. Plus i'm increasingly specializing my amps around high impedance headphones, and find my Focals and Audezes just don't work well with them. God help me if I ever change course and go a different driver route, I'm screwed!
 
Jan 24, 2024 at 11:41 PM Post #1,200 of 2,851
Yeah it was quite the shock when that first track started! I had grown so used to ZMF sound it was like getting hit in the ear with the Elegia hahaha. I hate being mean but that's about what it was like, it startled me. I know if I just stuck it out and applied some EQ i'd be ok, but with the Bokeh sounding so good naturally, it makes me question why I want to bother. Plus i'm increasingly specializing my amps around high impedance headphones, and find my Focals and Audezes just don't work well with them. God help me if I ever change course and go a different driver route, I'm screwed!

Hah, yeah I know what you mean, I've considered selling the Elegias as well as my 770s. But strangely they have their own strong suits when EQ'ed. Nice sounding closed backs are hard to come by. I've found those two work wonderfully on my gaming rig, which I have my Topping E50/L50 stack attached to right now. With Peace/EqualizerAPO those two sets of cans are all I need for that station. Even if I want to listen to music sitting in my simracing cockpit, I have good sound.
 

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