jkjk123
100+ Head-Fier
Im planning to buy one for gaming as i heared it has a big soundstage for a closed cans
Please provide some reviews if you get a chance! There is not much information out there on these guys.
ZMF Classic MK3 - discussion and impressions
- Thread starter Anatidae
- Start date
Please provide some reviews if you get a chance! There is not much information out there on these guys.
HiFi8Lover
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2015
- Posts
- 10
- Likes
- 0
If you want a gaming headphones take a look here u might find something interesting from Z reviews
ZMF classic review :
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/4aewo0/zmf_classic_impressions/
ohcrapgorillas
500+ Head-Fier
Wow, not much on these out there at all. I just bit the bullet on a pair, as office headphones. I'm going to be taking my Magni 3 with me to the office to power them, Chord Mojo as DAC. I'll write up a nice review, since impressions on these seem to be sparse. As an Atticus owner, I know Zach can make a damn fine headphone. I'm excited.
ohcrapgorillas
500+ Head-Fier
Still so little discussion on these! I just got mine yesterday, and have them on my head right now. I'm in my office at work and they've spent about 2 hours on my head total so I can't and shouldn't spend too much time typing out impressions, but they sound fantastic so far out of Schiit Wyrd > Chord Mojo > Magni 3. I am really, really pleased so far. To be honest, so far it reminds me of a closed, planar HD650. Y'all worried about the treble are, imo, worried about nothing. It's Zach's signature treble: easy but extended, smooth but clear. The bass really kicks, and the mids are very very clear a la mid-range Sennheisers. Overall there's a coherence to the sound that I haven't heard in budget planars before. The soundstage is actually really good for a closed can, I'd be more surprised by this if I didn't already own an Atticus so that I already knew how open a closed headphone can sound.
These are gonna be winners, y'all. Don't take my comparison with the HD650 too far before I've had time to do a side-by-side, but that's the closest thing that comes to mind. These are definitely on the level but I can't tell which one is better at what until I sit down with both. That will come after a week or so of listening. In the mean time if anyone has burning questions, I'm happy to answer.
These are gonna be winners, y'all. Don't take my comparison with the HD650 too far before I've had time to do a side-by-side, but that's the closest thing that comes to mind. These are definitely on the level but I can't tell which one is better at what until I sit down with both. That will come after a week or so of listening. In the mean time if anyone has burning questions, I'm happy to answer.
Mark Up
1000+ Head-Fier
I look forward to your further impressions. I liked the treble of the HD650, it's just right for me and I never found them "veiled" since I am treble sensitive. The true mids are good, the lower mids and mid bass is a bit light in my view, making them sound leaner, where many consider them full for some strange reason. While the mid bass is okay the sub bass, while extended, lacks in quantity for my ears. How do you compare these in the areas I mention above. The graphs put up on page one shows the ideal Harman Curve where the sub bass is higher than the mid bass, which should by that measure give them a clean but solid mid bass to low mids with sub bass quantity and clean punch that open Sennheisers naturally can't get. If its high mids and treble are as smooth on them we'll have a winner.
Last edited:
ohcrapgorillas
500+ Head-Fier
So I'm sending my Classics back, as one of the channels has been intermittent and getting an (unrelated) balanced upgrade anyway. A real side-by-side comparison will have to wait, but I am listening to my HD650M out of Eitr>Mimby>Vali2 and going from memory of the Classics out of a Mojo. I don't wanna speak too much about bass detail/texture without being able to do a side by side from the same source, because USB>Chord Mojo bass leaves something to be desired, but the bass is much more prominent, north of neutral but south of basshead territory, with just the right amount of kick for me and better extension overall. I find the bass very satisfying, listening to a pretty wide range of genres but mostly metal. I don't listen to a ton of music with sub-bass, but these have no problem digging deep with what I do have. Some people would call them L-shaped, and maybe I hesitate because I find a negative connotation with that sound signature. They're not reference headphones, but for me the tuning is great for musical enjoyment--just off of neutral with extra bass and easy treble.
Like I said, I don't want to go too far out of line just going by memory, especially since I haven't put on the HD650 for a while before now--these pads are in awful shape, I need to have them replaced. I'm used to hearing them on the Crack which injects them with a ton of energy (lives up to the name in that sense lol), Vali 2 isn't bad but it's no OTL. I'm also more used to listening to the HD800 and Atticus now. My point is that there are a lot of factors batting against the HD650 right now, because listening to them they do sound somewhat veiled and soft. All that said, I don't think that the Classics' treble is going to be as easy as the HD650, since I think the latter are naturally darker and warmer overall. I'd put the treble between the HD650 and the HD600, possessing some of the smoothness of the former with more of the presence and extension of the latter. I am not sure if you are familiar with some of Zach's headphones, but he does magic with the treble, it's detailed, extended, smooth, and plays nicely with recordings of all quality. Again, please take this with a grain of salt--I want to say the Classics are overall more revealing across the board than the Sennheisers.
Also, I touched on this a bit before, but I don't hear them as closed headphones or as being limited by their lack of sound leakage. If anything, I would expect them to have an edge on soundstage because the cups are deeper than the Senns and the pads are angled, so the driver is literally farther away from my ear by quite a bit. Oh yeah, side note: they're comfy too, I have medium sized ears and they don't touch the pads or the foam.
Last edited:
Mark Up
1000+ Head-Fier
That's a shame about the issues you'd had. Thanks for the great review based on what you remember of the HD650 for comparison. You did clear up a lot. Is their weight any issue?
ohcrapgorillas
500+ Head-Fier
Just to be clear, I am getting another pair, not sending them back for return. They are keepers for me for sure and I will do more detailed impressions in an A/B setting once I get the new balanced pair in. The weight is no issue at all for me, but I also don't mind the weight of the much heavier Atticus either. They are much lighter than Atticus, I think in the same weight class as the 600/650
Mark Up
1000+ Head-Fier
How hard were they to drive? Could you get enough level from a phone? I have good amps at home for it just wondering. I don't play cans loud anyway. I'm able to get even hard to drive planars to a comfortable level on my iPhone 5S maxed when most will say it's not enough. Do they "scale" (amp dependent)?
Last edited:
ohcrapgorillas
500+ Head-Fier
I can say precisely nothing about scalability since I've driven them almost exclusively from a Chord Mojo. People say Mojo and the T50RP mk 3 drivers have excellent synergy, and I'm happy with the pairing but given the cost of the Mojo (esp relative to the Classics) it's not a solution for everyone. It's also really hard to gauge where in the volume control scheme you are on the Mojo, so I can't say how much more power it requires (blue-green volume marbles) vs my other 'phones (ER4XR, ASG1+, KSC75; pink-red volume marbles)... but I can tell you that the difference is fairly substantial, plugging in my other headphones at Classics volume levels is painful. I would look around at how other people are amping various T50mk3 mods, and what kind of power requirements those have.
ohcrapgorillas
500+ Head-Fier
After a long wait, I have a pair of ZMF Classics back in my possession, this time with the balanced upgrade which allows for Audeze-style connectors. I also got a cable upgrade (cause Zach is the man). It's a litz copper cable, the Atmos C. It is really gorgeous, but I am going to save sound impressions for a later post... the focus of this is going to be a comparison with the HD600, and I thought it would be best and fairest to use my ZMF OFC cables for both. Interestingly, I've never been big on cables, and I've never heard a difference that I wasn't certain was placebo but I also haven't tried a lot either. After reading about how cables are less like wires and more like capacitors, I am open to the idea. I have to say certain things in preliminary testing have caught me off guard, but I don't want to say more than that.
Source Chain Eitr > Modi Multibit > Vali 2, running on 6SN7 tubes via adapter. Cables are from Blue Jeans (RCA, coax) and ZMF (OFC, Classics and HD600). HD600 also have Dekoni Elite Hybrid pads. The first thing to note is that in spite of its high stated sensitivity (101.2 dB), the Fostex driver in the Classics draws more power than the HD600. Not a little, not a lot, but it's noticeable (e.g. listening right now, HD600 comfortable listening volume is about 10:30, Classics are at ~12:30 for a similar volume).
The HD600 and Classics are very similar in overall presentation, especially in timbre. That's a compliment, because it's really difficult to find a headphone at this price level that can produce a midrange as natural and realistic sounding as the HD600. They have similar levels of detail retrieval, but I easily give the edge to the Classics--vocals and some instruments sometimes mushy and loose going to the HD600, especially with really busy, chaotic tracks. The HD600 still has good speed/snap, don't get me wrong, but planars are nothing if not fast. The Classics hold together better when things get tough across the whole frequency range. I think the Classics are slightly less neutral than the HD600, slightly... hmm... warmer doesn't seem like the right word, but different. They kick harder and faster but are less aggressive than the HD600 (the HD600 are only aggressive if a mix is). Hard to describe. I think, overall, they are more similar than different.
Bass quality/quantity and impact goes to the Classics, no f@#$ing contest. The HD600 sound neutered in comparison. I'm no basshead and I don't have a ton of music with heavy subbass, but the Classics are not afraid to rumble in a way that the HD600 couldn't dream of, and are tighter across the board. Not basshead cans, but more bass than would be neutral.
Differences in treble and soundstaging are more difficult to pin down and I think I need some more listening to really put this into words. Overall the presentation for both are similar, in terms of timbre, extension and detail, with the edge on extension going to the HD600 and the edge on speed/detail going to the Classics. Neither is lacking in either respect. As expected from the FR graphs, the Classics treble is slightly tuned down, but going back and forth with the HD600 I think they are more similar than they are different here too. They do NOT have the same kind of warm, rich, smooth tuning as the HD650. Rather, I would say the treble is just a little more relaxed and easy. Soundstaging is simultaneously similar and completely different: the HD600 are open, but they have this weird flat 2d soundstage. OTOH, the Classics soundstage isn't really larger per se, but as the drivers are angled and significantly further back from the ear as with the Senns, they make similarly sized but more 3d soundstage. Not as wide as the Sennheisers, but with a semblance of depth.
I really should get some new pads for my HD650. For some reason, the Dekoni Elite Hybrids work really well on the HD600 but are garbage on the HD650. I genuinely don't understand how that is physically possible. In any case, I think a comparison with the HD600 is better, because the two are surprisingly similar. I definitely prefer the Classics, and that's saying A LOT, because I loved my HD600 for a long time. Please keep in mind these impressions are from the Vali 2, and I still can't say much about how the ZMFs scale, but I know the HD600 can scale a lot from here. I just don't have much else on hand, and figured I should use the same amp for comparing both.
I am gonna chill with these for a while, try some cable swapping, use them at work, and prepare a full review. In the meantime, hit me with questions if you got em.
Source Chain Eitr > Modi Multibit > Vali 2, running on 6SN7 tubes via adapter. Cables are from Blue Jeans (RCA, coax) and ZMF (OFC, Classics and HD600). HD600 also have Dekoni Elite Hybrid pads. The first thing to note is that in spite of its high stated sensitivity (101.2 dB), the Fostex driver in the Classics draws more power than the HD600. Not a little, not a lot, but it's noticeable (e.g. listening right now, HD600 comfortable listening volume is about 10:30, Classics are at ~12:30 for a similar volume).
The HD600 and Classics are very similar in overall presentation, especially in timbre. That's a compliment, because it's really difficult to find a headphone at this price level that can produce a midrange as natural and realistic sounding as the HD600. They have similar levels of detail retrieval, but I easily give the edge to the Classics--vocals and some instruments sometimes mushy and loose going to the HD600, especially with really busy, chaotic tracks. The HD600 still has good speed/snap, don't get me wrong, but planars are nothing if not fast. The Classics hold together better when things get tough across the whole frequency range. I think the Classics are slightly less neutral than the HD600, slightly... hmm... warmer doesn't seem like the right word, but different. They kick harder and faster but are less aggressive than the HD600 (the HD600 are only aggressive if a mix is). Hard to describe. I think, overall, they are more similar than different.
Bass quality/quantity and impact goes to the Classics, no f@#$ing contest. The HD600 sound neutered in comparison. I'm no basshead and I don't have a ton of music with heavy subbass, but the Classics are not afraid to rumble in a way that the HD600 couldn't dream of, and are tighter across the board. Not basshead cans, but more bass than would be neutral.
Differences in treble and soundstaging are more difficult to pin down and I think I need some more listening to really put this into words. Overall the presentation for both are similar, in terms of timbre, extension and detail, with the edge on extension going to the HD600 and the edge on speed/detail going to the Classics. Neither is lacking in either respect. As expected from the FR graphs, the Classics treble is slightly tuned down, but going back and forth with the HD600 I think they are more similar than they are different here too. They do NOT have the same kind of warm, rich, smooth tuning as the HD650. Rather, I would say the treble is just a little more relaxed and easy. Soundstaging is simultaneously similar and completely different: the HD600 are open, but they have this weird flat 2d soundstage. OTOH, the Classics soundstage isn't really larger per se, but as the drivers are angled and significantly further back from the ear as with the Senns, they make similarly sized but more 3d soundstage. Not as wide as the Sennheisers, but with a semblance of depth.
I really should get some new pads for my HD650. For some reason, the Dekoni Elite Hybrids work really well on the HD600 but are garbage on the HD650. I genuinely don't understand how that is physically possible. In any case, I think a comparison with the HD600 is better, because the two are surprisingly similar. I definitely prefer the Classics, and that's saying A LOT, because I loved my HD600 for a long time. Please keep in mind these impressions are from the Vali 2, and I still can't say much about how the ZMFs scale, but I know the HD600 can scale a lot from here. I just don't have much else on hand, and figured I should use the same amp for comparing both.
I am gonna chill with these for a while, try some cable swapping, use them at work, and prepare a full review. In the meantime, hit me with questions if you got em.
Last edited:
Mark Up
1000+ Head-Fier
Thanks for doing that. How is the weight and wearability and balance on the head?
ohcrapgorillas
500+ Head-Fier
They do rank a little lower than the HD600 on comfort, I forgot to include that. The Sennheisers are just so damn light they're hard to beat in that respect, IMO the HD59* and up are the most comfortable headphones by a good margin. The Classics are heavier and clamp a little harder, but they're still comfortable to wear for long periods for me, with a bald medium sized head with medium ears. Zach has made much heavier headphones comfortable, my pair of cocobolo is I think the densest wood he's ever used and I have no issues wearing my Atticus for hours. The pads are the same as on the Atticus or very close, big plush and roomy, wider and taller than the HD600 pads, and they sound effectively the same no matter how the pads are situated on your head, unlike the Atticus which has a sweet spot, so no need to fuss with getting the position perfect. I tried to get a pic of the two side by side. Keep in mind my HD600 have Dekoni pads which are slightly larger than stock, and the ZMF pads are angled towards the camera in a way that is kind of obscured by the perspective and lighting.
Last edited:
Mark Up
1000+ Head-Fier
Thanks for the info. I wonder if it can be gotten without the "comfort strap" or if the strap can be taken off by the user. I like the stock headband on the MkIII.
tetan001
New Head-Fier
My understanding is it's just about removing a couple of screws on the inside of the headband, very simple and you can easily replace it if you ever wanted to.
Users who are viewing this thread
