[gangnamstyle]

I have now posted my review here on head-fi: http://www.head-fi.org/products/zmf-headphones-omni/reviews/14199 and reddit (if you want some discussion there): https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/3nqx6r/the_zmf_omni_review/ .

This review is getting me more hyped for my Walnut Omni to come, supposedly being shipped by the end of this week...

 

[Beagle]

I've gone from bottom of the list to halfway up. It's getting there!

 

[GCTD]

My attempt at photography.
 

 

 
 

 

 

 

[Beagle]

Nice pics! Thanks! What I really like is that it does not say FOSTEX on the top of the headband. I always hated seeing that on these upgrades. It would be akin to seeing PINTO on the roof of Richard Petty's 1974 NASCAR rig.

 

[GCTD]

Nice pics! Thanks! What I really like is that it does not say FOSTEX on the top of the headband. I always hated seeing that on these upgrades. It would be akin to seeing PINTO on the roof of Richard Petty's 1974 NASCAR rig.

The you're not gonna like this next picture. I'm not a big fan of the wire because it kinks easily. I care about practicality just as much as sound quality, and this wire doesn't exude practicality. If there's a way to unkink this badboy I'd like to know. Please and thank you.

 

[Beagle]

I usually hold the headphone up by the tail (plug) in a hanging position, and let it unravel itself. To be done with care.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

....or a hair drier on warm, not hot.

 

[ThePianoMan]

Review of cherry Omnis in the works. Will be up soon.

 

[imac2much]

Review of cherry Omnis in the works. Will be up soon.

Looking forward to your review man!
 
Question for those of you who have pad-rolled: which pads are you preferring so far?  I've read previous impressions of cowhide vs lambskin pads but are the differences as large as previously stated even on production models?  I've read that the cowhide pads have the most "sub-woofer" type of bass impact while the lambskin pads have a larger soundstage.  Would you all agree?  Seems like both are quite comfortable but the few reviews I've read seem to prefer the lambskin.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Zach, back from Ukraine, great trip! Where are we on the US Tour?
 
Ура,
 
Кевин 

 

[ThePianoMan]

  Looking forward to your review man!
 
Question for those of you who have pad-rolled: which pads are you preferring so far?  I've read previous impressions of cowhide vs lambskin pads but are the differences as large as previously stated even on production models?  I've read that the cowhide pads have the most "sub-woofer" type of bass impact while the lambskin pads have a larger soundstage.  Would you all agree?  Seems like both are quite comfortable but the few reviews I've read seem to prefer the lambskin.

I plan on covering this in my review more extensively, but I actually have all three pad types, and did a fairly in-depth comparison of the three. I found the lambskin most to my taste sonically and comfort-wise, followed by the Protein pads, and Cowhide pads. The lambskins have the right balance of softness and texture, they really are like butter. They have the most spacious soundstage and seem to let the headphone breath the most and I feel like they give me the most effortless and micro-dynamic sound. The upper-mids are wonderful with these. Bass is not super super sub-woofer-y, but excellently balanced, and clean. Lots of impact when called for. The protein pads are softer than the lambskins pads but they get hot much quicker, and lack some of the texture, almost feeling overly smooth. Bass is nicely balanced and even but perhaps a little less engaging. It feels a little more diffuse, and less clear and defined. Mid-upper treble is brought forward more, which makes upper  midrange information seem a little recessed by comparison to the lambskin pads. The sound is very smooth, but its a little dull at times. It sounds smoothed over and less detailed than the lambskin pads. The soundstage is much more intimate with the protein pads than lambskins.
 
The Cowhide pads are rather dark and somewhat mi-forward. The upper midrange was too recessed on the cherry with these pads. The bass was a little too much as well. I found these worked amazingly well on the blackwoods for some reason. The soundstage is not quite as big as the protein or lambskin pads. These pads are very textured and thick and take some time to break in. They can require some adjusting of the headband to get good clamp. They do stay much cooler than the lambskin and especially the protein pads however. The thick grain of the leather breathes incredibly well.
 
I would say the differences between these are all noticeable certainly more than choice of cable for example. That said, they're all comfy and sound good. Seeing as you get choice of two I would take lambskin and one other and see which of the two you like. I felt that the choice of pad was even more noticeable than choice of wood, though each wood seems to have certain best combinations. The lambskin seems made for the cherry. I think walnut works with generally any of the pads, and the Blackwood is marvelous with the cowhides.
 
Hope that helps!

 

[zach915m]

  Zach, back from Ukraine, great trip! Where are we on the US Tour?
 
Ура,
 
Кевин 

 
Headphones are on their way to the 4th person tomorrow/today.  So like a quarter of the way through the US tour.

 

[PacoTaco]

  My attempt at photography.
 

 

 
 

 

 

 
Not going to lie, I kinda chuckled at the use of a MrSpeakers stand.

 

[Stillhart]

I've found that my pad preferences are different for each headphone.  For example, I like the cowhide on the Blackwood but thought it was a bit too much on the Vibro and prefer the lambskin on that one.  
 
With the Omni, I will be doing some pad rolling with the Walnut unit I have as soon as the protein pads arrive and I'll report back.

 

[GCTD]

Glorious Fostex Mod Master Race: Side by side.