ZMF Bokeh - Open Back Headphones

[John Blackshear]

Those are the lucky few with the demo units. Nothing has started to ship yet. Sanding/Finishing is about as far as any should be.

Ahhh...Got it.

 

[andrewchoppa]

I am very anxious for my headphones. What if I wait 12 weeks only for them to arrive with less than ideal QC causing me to send them back and extending the wait even further.

Why on earth would you be anxious? And have you ever heard of an instance of poor QC at ZMF? Just curious.

 

[cats4cans]

I am very anxious for my headphones. What if I wait 12 weeks only for them to arrive with less than ideal QC causing me to send them back and extending the wait even further.

What if they show up early and perfect, exceeding your every expectation, and make every other headphone experience you’ve previously had pale by comparison.
There’s probably enough to worry about in the world without adding to it I. Your hobby is supposed to be fun and relieve some of your stress, not add to it.

 

[SussyTofu420]

I'm more anxious about the comparisons to the HD660S2, I really hope they're not similar at all. It would be a real bummer to pay 1200+€ for similar performance.

[edit] Oops I read the post again and they're not similar, but less detailed is still a bummer. I'm sure they'll be a great set to complement my HE1000 Stealth which are sometimes too detailed.

 

[betula]

"Worry and anxiety can significantly impact your health, causing physical symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, digestive issues, sleep disturbances, increased heart rate, difficulty concentrating, and even weakened immune function, potentially increasing the risk of developing chronic health conditions like cardiovascular disease if left unmanaged; it can also contribute to mental health issues like depression and substance abuse."

It is not worth it folks. Try to relax, take a deep breath! Everything is going to be alright! In the highly unlikely chance that everything won't be alright, even then there are options to remedy the situation. These are 'only' headphones at the end of the day. Great ones, but nothing is worth shortening your life with pointless worries. Worrying has never changed a single thing in life.

 

[vrsx]

for who have both atrium open & bokeh open can someone give tldr of pro & con comparison of them?

plan to add bokeh open to my collection but somehow i keep seeing a very good deal of used atrium open lately... and i listen mostly to pop rock & classical genre

 

[skeeb23]

for who have both atrium open & bokeh open can someone give tldr of pro & con comparison of them?

plan to add bokeh open to my collection but somehow i keep seeing a very good deal of used atrium open lately... and i listen mostly to pop rock & classical genre

Hey I had the AO for quite a while, maybe I can help.

AO will be superior to the BO in resolution, details...the technical stuff. Also, the AO really is a headphone almost made for tubes. I liked the AO, but loved it so much more when I heard it on a tube amp.

The BO is a more fun flavored headphone. Excellent bass response, full mids with a treble that doesn't fatigue...for me anyway. It's also much easier to pair up with different amps.

Hard to compare the two without simply talking price. AO just has better performance but also I consider it more neutral over the Bokeh.

Lastly, for the genre of music you mentioned, both headphones will do well but if you want more details, layering and distinction of instruments, then AO. The Bokeh is my own personal guilty pleasure of a headphone, but not everyone will feel that way.

 

[G8torbyte]

Hey I had the AO for quite a while, maybe I can help.

AO will be superior to the BO in resolution, details...the technical stuff. Also, the AO really is a headphone almost made for tubes. I liked the AO, but loved it so much more when I heard it on a tube amp.

The BO is a more fun flavored headphone. Excellent bass response, full mids with a treble that doesn't fatigue...for me anyway. It's also much easier to pair up with different amps.

Hard to compare the two without simply talking price. AO just has better performance but also I consider it more neutral over the Bokeh.

Lastly, for the genre of music you mentioned, both headphones will do well but if you want more details, layering and distinction of instruments, then AO. The Bokeh is my own personal guilty pleasure of a headphone, but not everyone will feel that way.

Yeah, this kind of sums up my experience with the Atrium Open last couple years

I'm interested in the BO since I enjoy the Bokeh Closed for the compatibility it has with most sources. Looking forward to trying out a BO at the upcoming NYC CanJam.

 

[marqdart]

Yeah, this kind of sums up my experience with the Atrium Open last couple years


I'm interested in the BO since I enjoy the Bokeh Closed for the compatibility it has with most sources. Looking forward to trying out a BO at the upcoming NYC CanJam.

Hey, what model from Decware is that amp?

 

[G8torbyte]

Hey, what model from Decware is that amp?

It is the CSP3 version without anniversary mods. Be aware new orders directly with Decware are taking about 3 years from initial order to build/ship.
I ordered this one in Spring 2022 and finally received it just before the 2024 winter holidays.

 

[marqdart]

It is the CSP3 version without anniversary mods. Be aware new orders directly with Decware are taking about 3 years from initial order to build/ship.
I ordered this one in Spring 2022 and finally received it just before the 2024 winter holidays.

Thanks, I'll add that amp to my wishlist. I'm currently waiting for a SE84UFO2.1 for my speaker set up, ordered it back in Nov 2023. No way I'm seeing that amp any time soon but I have a feeling it'll be worth the wait!

 

[klardotsh]

I'm more anxious about the comparisons to the HD660S2, I really hope they're not similar at all. It would be a real bummer to pay 1200+€ for similar performance.

[edit] Oops I read the post again and they're not similar, but less detailed is still a bummer. I'm sure they'll be a great set to complement my HE1000 Stealth which are sometimes too detailed.

My word of caution in this hobby (as one who has owned circumaural headphones ranging from $50 to $4000 each at various points) is to never tie dollar values to sonic quality alone. There's myriad other factors in pricing out a headphone - comfort (I thought the 660S2s had the second-worst vice grip in any headphone I've experienced, second only to my DT900's which could structurally hold wall studs standing during construction in a pinch), build quality and materials (go ahead, find me a wooden Senny), production scale/small business support (ZMF has... I think he's said 10 or fewer people on payroll total in Chicago, Sennheiser has manufacturing plants in multiple countries and has more than 10 people in the consumer marketing department alone I'd bet, forget the plants), and frankly - especially relevant when talking about ZMF and Meze specifically - visual art factor. Let's be completely honest with ourselves: that's a huge part of ZMF's appeal outside of the sound. They're functional art pieces.

Many people get caught up in comparing cans on price alone - and it happens both ways on the spectrum. That's fine if cost is your primary deciding factor, but frankly, few for whom price is the primary deciding factor are likely looking into ZMFs, unless they're up in TOTL land where all headphones are low-volume expensive beasts, and at that point ZMFs compare pretty favorably (VC vs HD820, Caldera vs Elite/Expanse, etc.).

 

[binarypie]

My word of caution in this hobby (as one who has owned circumaural headphones ranging from $50 to $4000 each at various points) is to never tie dollar values to sonic quality alone. There's myriad other factors in pricing out a headphone - comfort (I thought the 660S2s had the second-worst vice grip in any headphone I've experienced, second only to my DT900's which could structurally hold wall studs standing during construction in a pinch), build quality and materials (go ahead, find me a wooden Senny), production scale/small business support (ZMF has... I think he's said 10 or fewer people on payroll total in Chicago, Sennheiser has manufacturing plants in multiple countries and has more than 10 people in the consumer marketing department alone I'd bet, forget the plants), and frankly - especially relevant when talking about ZMF and Meze specifically - visual art factor. Let's be completely honest with ourselves: that's a huge part of ZMF's appeal outside of the sound. They're functional art pieces.

Many people get caught up in comparing cans on price alone - and it happens both ways on the spectrum. That's fine if cost is your primary deciding factor, but frankly, few for whom price is the primary deciding factor are likely looking into ZMFs, unless they're up in TOTL land where all headphones are low-volume expensive beasts, and at that point ZMFs compare pretty favorably (VC vs HD820, Caldera vs Elite/Expanse, etc.).

I have this dream of picking up a pair of Atrium Closed to pair with a tube amp on my desk. I have this dream because everyone I've talked to on Head-Fi, Reddit, Discord, and ASR have told me that the Atrium Closed on tubes for EDM is an otherworldly experience.

However, I didn't want to learn this lesson you've pointed out at the $2,500 dollar price point. I'm hoping for my dream's sake that the Bokeh Open blows the doors off my DT 1990 Pros (gen 1) so I can justify fulfilling my dream as soon as a wood comes out that I enjoy. If the Bokeh Open does not impress not only do I learn this as a $1,000 lesson I also destroy a dream.

 

[JerseyD]

I have this dream of picking up a pair of Atrium Closed to pair with a tube amp on my desk. I have this dream because everyone I've talked to on Head-Fi, Reddit, Discord, and ASR have told me that the Atrium Closed on tubes for EDM is an otherworldly experience.

However, I didn't want to learn this lesson you've pointed out at the $2,500 dollar price point. I'm hoping for my dream's sake that the Bokeh Open blows the doors off my DT 1990 Pros (gen 1) so I can justify fulfilling my dream as soon as a wood comes out that I enjoy. If the Bokeh Open does not impress not only do I learn this as a $1,000 lesson I also destroy a dream.

I’m not sure I follow the logic of ruling out a $2500 closed back if you are not thrilled with a $1000 open back. You’re putting a lot of weight behind there being a strong family resemblance/ house sound.

 

[klardotsh]

I have this dream of picking up a pair of Atrium Closed to pair with a tube amp on my desk. I have this dream because everyone I've talked to on Head-Fi, Reddit, Discord, and ASR have told me that the Atrium Closed on tubes for EDM is an otherworldly experience.

However, I didn't want to learn this lesson you've pointed out at the $2,500 dollar price point. I'm hoping for my dream's sake that the Bokeh Open blows the doors off my DT 1990 Pros (gen 1) so I can justify fulfilling my dream as soon as a wood comes out that I enjoy. If the Bokeh Open does not impress not only do I learn this as a $1,000 lesson I also destroy a dream.

Atrium Closed was great, for sure (though I'm a solid-state guy)... which doesn't especially tell me anything about how a completely different driver material, wound at a totally different impedance, with different damping and airflow, and the entire back of the headphone cup missing minus a grill, is going to perform. Get a Bokeh because you want to experience a Bokeh, not because you think it might be some odyssey-esque gateway headphone.

There can be huge differences between ZMF headphones, much as there can be huge differences between any two headphones from any manufacturer. Hearing one doesn't mean you've somehow heard them all. My word of caution above was mostly to the end of, don't expect a can that costs 3x as much, to sound 3x as good, nor to expect a can that costs 3 times less, to sound 3 times worse. Cost and sonic quality are very, VERY loosely correlated in this hobby, and sometimes are inversely related for that matter. Diminishing returns are also real. Use headphones you enjoy the sonic and non-sonic properties of, that you can afford, but going in with the expectation that one headphone "blows the doors off" another, is a recipe for disappointment in my opinion. Go in with an open mind, and enjoy, and you'll have a much better time. </soapbox>

I for one am excited for my Nocturne BO set to arrive at some point in the coming months, and look forward to hearing what it has to offer, independently of any other cans I've heard, before I start doing direct comparison work