ZMF Bokeh - Open Back Headphones

[MacMan31]

The drop happened at 930am EST. Most of them sell within a few minutes.
The pictures go up a couple of days before. So we can look and decide on the ones we want to get. From there once the drop goes live its first come first serve.

Well I’m on EST time and I looked as soon as I got the email. But most of the options were already gone. Perhaps ZMF needs to rethink how these sales go live.

 

[mattiastomas]

Well I’m on EST time and I looked as soon as I got the email. But most of the options were already gone. Perhaps ZMF needs to rethink how these sales go live.

In my experience I've always gotten the emails a few minutes after the drops go live. This morning for example I got the email at 9:47am.
I agree its not a perfect system and I'm sure that ZMF is looking at ways to improve it. But as it stands thats how it currently works. Just giving info so that you can plan for the next drop should you be looking to get something.

 

[jonathan c]

Done!

 

[cats4cans]

Well I’m on EST time and I looked as soon as I got the email. But most of the options were already gone. Perhaps ZMF needs to rethink how these sales go live.

If you add Zach to your follows here on head-fi then you get alerts when he starts a new drop specific thread. There are dates and descriptions a few weeks prior. There’s another drop next week at the same time, but with different models.

Edit: Here’s the current thread.

 

[devilboy]

Done!

Sexy AF.

 

[SLC1966]

I have had this bad boy since January. I just wanted to come here and vomit some random BO thoughts on paper (no pun intended at all). I have a few HP stations and rotate through numerous HPs and IEMs. Any time I need to focus on something when sedentary, I have headphones or IEMs on/in. Otherwise I see too many squirrels.

I have spent a lot of time with the Bokeh Open. With numerous headphones, extended listening sessions are hard due to discomfort. For me it has been headphones like LCD-5, Utopia, and Stellia that were not comfortable for me. I end up selling those. They of course have their strengths but comfort is essential. The BO fits into the Comfortable over time category. Super comfortable to wear short term and for long sessions. ZMF HPs are as comfortable as, when I was a youth, putting on my very used first base mitt.

The craftsmanship is so ZMF amazing. Wonderful. A pleasure to look at and a pleasure to feel on the head. Numerous senses get involved.

What comes to mind with these when I am listening to music with them: Musicality, richness, and a combination of milk chocolate with a little dark chocolate mixed in. The mid bass is a highlight but not overwhelming. The tonality of these are outstanding. Nothing thin about the sound. Hence the reference to richness. The mids are also a star. Nothing is scooped out. Scooped out gets old. I can listen to these for hours without mental nor physical fatigue.

The cost to pleasure ratio for the BO is a great ratio!

A true winner this one is!!

 

[devilboy]

I have had this bad boy since January. I just wanted to come here and vomit some random BO thoughts on paper (no pun intended at all). I have a few HP stations and rotate through numerous HPs and IEMs. Any time I need to focus on something when sedentary, I have headphones or IEMs on/in. Otherwise I see too many squirrels.

I have spent a lot of time with the Bokeh Open. With numerous headphones, extended listening sessions are hard due to discomfort. For me it has been headphones like LCD-5, Utopia, and Stellia that were not comfortable for me. I end up selling those. They of course have their strengths but comfort is essential. The BO fits into the Comfortable over time category. Super comfortable to wear short term and for long sessions. ZMF HPs are as comfortable as, when I was a youth, putting on my very used first base mitt.

The craftsmanship is so ZMF amazing. Wonderful. A pleasure to look at and a pleasure to feel on the head. Numerous senses get involved.

What comes to mind with these when I am listening to music with them: Musicality, richness, and a combination of milk chocolate with a little dark chocolate mixed in. The mid bass is a highlight but not overwhelming. The tonality of these are outstanding. Nothing thin about the sound. Hence the reference to richness. The mids are also a star. Nothing is scooped out. Scooped out gets old. I can listen to these for hours without mental nor physical fatigue.

The cost to pleasure ratio for the BO is a great ratio!

A true winner this one is!!

Well said, well said. I agree with the musicality, richness and amazing tonality. Spot on.

Like I said before, the Bokeh deliver those things more believably than some $$$ headphones I've had.

 

[zach915m]

Well I’m on EST time and I looked as soon as I got the email. But most of the options were already gone. Perhaps ZMF needs to rethink how these sales go live.

In my experience I've always gotten the emails a few minutes after the drops go live. This morning for example I got the email at 9:47am.
I agree its not a perfect system and I'm sure that ZMF is looking at ways to improve it. But as it stands thats how it currently works. Just giving info so that you can plan for the next drop should you be looking to get something.

Yeah sorry about that guys, I purposefully have been sending them out after the drop starts because our system at shopify has trouble handling the traffic and not double selling headphones. Aside from the headfi thread I usually send out an email a week ahead of time, post on Instagram and Facebook and doing YouTube Videos. If there's other ways to let people know about the drops I'm open to ideas!

If you add Zach to your follows here on head-fi then you get alerts when he starts a new drop specific thread. There are dates and descriptions a few weeks prior. There’s another drop next week at the same time, but with different models.

Edit: Here’s the current thread.

We are working on the custom shop, although it's quite a task. Hopefully Q1 2026.

 

[Traiguen]

I really wanted the Cuyahoga one. Oh well.

sorry.... I got lucky and got it... I just wanted this one.

 

[Natarian]

sorry.... I got lucky and got it... I just wanted this one.

Hit me up if it ends up not being your cup of tea

 

[Traiguen]

Hit me up if it ends up not being your cup of tea

will do!

 

[MacMan31]

I wonder how the different wood options change the sound? The Canary wood is still available and I'm thinking of grabbing that one.

 

[Poimandres]

Directly from the ZMF site, it’s hard to fathom sounding better than the spectraply BO’s.

Beneath its visual allure, Canary Wood’s tonal character shines — it offers a slightly enhanced sense of speed and clarity, emphasizing crisp imaging, airy treble, and a dynamic low end. Combined with our custom oval cup design, open-back tuning via the Atrium Damping System, and specially designed Bokeh Open Caldera pads, the result is a vivid, emotional listening experience that scales beautifully from mobile sources to dedicated rigs.

 

[michael2v]

As another new Bokeh Closed owner I'm also now interested in the Bokeh Open variant based on the performance I'm hearing. That "shrill" comment has me a little concerned but I also know your source can play heavily into outcome.

BO is definitely dynamic and energetic but also natural and smooth. Or at least rounded. Treble is a bit brighter, but I would never call it shrill. It is naturally bright. Perhaps for some people on some SS amps it can be too bright, but on tubes I never had a problem. I find the BO super enjoyable, and I am usually sensitive to treble.

I've also found this to be the case with some of my favorite headphones; can be a bit spicy in the treble on solid state, but through tubes (especially from high impedance taps, 100-ohm or higher) they are absolutely sublime. I haven't heard the Bokeh open (yet, since I am now staring at one in my shopping cart!), but can see this being the case for them as well. I've never been able to produce the same result with EQ.

Edit: Seems fitting that my 1000th (!!) post would be one about contemplating yet another headphone purchase...

 

[WindyCityCy]

I haven't bought a new HP in awhile but have been into Audio my whole life. I have about 10 subwoofers in my house and either a speaker-based or headphone-based system in every room including the garage. The only HP that I have enjoyed almost as much as the BO Nocturne from the initial unboxing is the HD800. Having said that, the ZMF experience is several levels above Sony. Everything is first rate, the packaging, the materials chosen for every piece of the HP, the assembly of the materials, the comfort of the headband and pads, and of course the amazing sound. These are well done. The rest of my collection has mostly been relegated to shelf art.