ZMF Ori (Omni) - Upcoming Semi Open Flagship

[Stillhart]

  I had the opportunity to compare the Zmf Cocobolo to my Zmf Zebrawood on a JDS Element down at the SoCal CanJam today in the JDS booth. I only had a few minutes to sit down with them, but the former had a strong-arm sub bass, while mine was lush. Amazing finish on the Cocobolo though.

 
Were you the one with the bow on the Omni?  I met you right when you were sitting down to compare.  
 
The Bocote looks and sounds fantastic.  I'm a big fan of the sound of the Blackwood and the Bocote is very close (from memory).  Hearing it off the microZOTL2 amp with LPS and Metrum Musette DAC was a real treat.  That's a fantastic setup!
 
The Cocobola is drop dead gorgeous though.  I can see why Zach picked that set for himself!  Sounded very good right off the Element.  
 
Anyone looking to upgrade can't really go wrong with either IMO!

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

So, I fought the urge to buy a certain purpleheart headphone everyone is going bananas over here.
 
And I was kinda wondering if the Omnis have purpleheart in the near future?

 

[Aornic]

 



 
My first experience with planar magnetic headphones came in early January when I got the Hifiman HE400i. I was immediately attracted to the punchy sound it exhibited and the quality of the bass. I then moved to the ZMF Vibro (Mk. I) in late February as I had heard good things about Zach's work on modifying the Fostex T50RP. A friend of mine bought the Omni Blackwood and was incredibly impressed by it.

While I love the Vibro, I had to buy a more transparent amp for it (Schiit Magni 2) than the warm Schiit Asgard 2 that I had been using since 2013. Nevertheless, its mid-bassy "fun" sound signature was incredible addictive and I began favouring it over the HE400i for most genres of music - excluding classic rock or laid back genres as it was quite chaotic in sound. (especially with no bass plugs in)

I found a way to get my hands on an Omni with Cherry wood since then. Textbook upgradetitis, I hear you say, and I fully acknowledge it. However, I have no regrets and this is why:

(I plan on doing a full length write-up and video review on this later. I've posted my YouTube reviews on the Vibro, HE400i and other equipment here recently if you'd like to check them out.)

1. While the blackwood version is said to have the deepest sub-bass of the three year-round options of the Omni, even the cherry one gives me a far deeper reach than I've heard on headphones yet. It's very pleasing and makes a lot of beat driven music more fun.

2. The overall sound is warm, but it doesn't stifle with the use of the Asgard 2 like the Vibro did.

3. The soundstage shocked me with how wide it is. It's far wider than the Vibro (fully closed) and HE400i (open-aire) while providing a good amount of isolation as its semi-closed. I feel that this is quite a feat on Zach's part.

4. The mid-forward sound I enjoy on the Vibro sounds a lot more natural and less forced now. The clarity of instruments (specifically acoustic guitars) and vocals is impressive to say the least.

5. The weight. It's lighter than my Vibro. This was especially surprising to me as I had heard that the Omni is a heavy set of headphones. However, my friend with the Blackwood who tried these out before sending them to me pointed out that the cherry is far lighter than the blackwood. The Vibro I have also has cherry cups, so the lighter weight is surprising and welcome in my opinion.

6. While I love the Vibro, the rolled off highs were a bit too much at times. I'm pleased that the cherry Omni has much more treble extension while not reaching a level of sibilant listening on certain recordings. It doesn't "sparkle" on some recordings like the HE400i does, but that kind of extension comes with its pros and obvious cons.

7. I'm currently using the lambskin ZMF pads but I have both the cowhide and protein offerings too. For my full length review, I will compare the three. Zach offers two sets with each purchase so it's good to know which is more suitable for you.
I didn't expect the sound to be analytical or particularly revealing. I knew that the ZMF name brings with it "musically tuned" headphones and I appreciate them for that exact reason.
Imaging is quite good too. ASMR/3D audio recordings sound lifelike and accurate.

8. I have a pilot pad for it too but I'll put it on later. What it has right now is the buffalo leather strap.

That's all I have for now. I look forward to analyzing these further on. I'll return with my findings when I do, put together through multiple papers and dissertation work due.

Thanks for reading.

tl;dr: Warm, inviting and fun sound. Great soundstage for a semi-open headphone. Planar drivers and bass tuned to my favourite setting yet.

 

[ehmora]

I just picked up a pair of Blackwood Omni yesterday and also have a 400i, I must say I agree with everything you said! Enjoyed your Vibro video, looking forward to this one!

 

[ehmora]

Gah, I'm still in on that drop and can't decide whether to stay in or not...!

 

[Stillhart]

  Gah, I'm still in on that drop and can't decide whether to stay in or not...!

 
Do you want a bassy, v-shaped headphone or a more balanced sounding headphone with good bass?

 

[ehmora]

I see where you're going with this so here's my thinking... 400i are probably going to go to a new home while Omni's will become my primary. While I think they'd be a very nice one trick pony, I wouldn't mind a second pair for certain genres. In this case the TH-X00 for EDM. The Omni's do have great quality and a good amount of bass but having owned LCD-X's there's definitely a lot less slam. From what I've read about the X00 (haven't had the chance to hear them, or this would be a heck of a lot easier) the bass is a little looser and muddier but has more slam. 

 

[Stillhart]

  I see where you're going with this so here's my thinking... 400i are probably going to go to a new home while Omni's will become my primary. While I think they'd be a very nice one trick pony, I wouldn't mind a second pair for certain genres. In this case the TH-X00 for EDM. The Omni's do have great quality and a good amount of bass but having owned LCD-X's there's definitely a lot less slam. From what I've read about the X00 (haven't had the chance to hear them, or this would be a heck of a lot easier) the bass is a little looser and muddier but has more slam. 

 
If you don't think the Omni has enough slam, it might be under-powered.  Are you running it balanced from the 10.33?  
 
Either way, I guess, as long as you're aware that it'd be a one-trick pony, there's no harm if you can afford it, right?  Personally, I don't really like the bass of any of the TH-xxx headphones, but if that's what floats your boat, it's hard to match.  Have you thought of picking up a used TH-X00?  People tend to impulse buy from MD a lot and then regretfully sell not too much later.  lol

 

[ehmora]

Not yet, hopefully soon but there's still lots of juice even SE. I guess I'm just comparing based off memory compared to the X's which had more. 
 
I honestly had zero interest when they originally came out and really not even until recently so of course the new drop coincides with my peaked interest. I have considered used, but considering the value they hold and therefore not a huge difference, I'd rather just get them new if I get them. Not like I'd be dying until August as they'd be a secondary set, hell I'll probably forget about them and it'd be a nice surprise when the end of summer rolls around. Hah oh trust me I know, I've been in more than my fair share of MD collaboration drops! The tough pill to swallow is by the time they get to Canada they're going to cost nearly $700CDN...

 

[Aornic]

   
If you don't think the Omni has enough slam, it might be under-powered.  Are you running it balanced from the 10.33?  
 
Either way, I guess, as long as you're aware that it'd be a one-trick pony, there's no harm if you can afford it, right?  Personally, I don't really like the bass of any of the TH-xxx headphones, but if that's what floats your boat, it's hard to match.  Have you thought of picking up a used TH-X00?  People tend to impulse buy from MD a lot and then regretfully sell not too much later.  lol

I've wondered about this myself. The Omni sounds incredible amped from my Magni 2 and Asgard 2 (both 1.0 at 50ohms) but I can't help but wonder what I could hear with a Cavalli Liquid Carbon or Schiit Lyr 2. Any insight on Omni amping?

 

[Stillhart]

  Not yet, hopefully soon but there's still lots of juice even SE. I guess I'm just comparing based off memory compared to the X's which had more. 
 
I honestly had zero interest when they originally came out and really not even until recently so of course the new drop coincides with my peaked interest. I have considered used, but considering the value they hold and therefore not a huge difference, I'd rather just get them new if I get them. Not like I'd be dying until August as they'd be a secondary set, hell I'll probably forget about them and it'd be a nice surprise when the end of summer rolls around. Hah oh trust me I know, I've been in more than my fair share of MD collaboration drops! The tough pill to swallow is by the time they get to Canada they're going to cost nearly $700CDN...

 
 

  I've wondered about this myself. The Omni sounds incredible amped from my Magni 2 and Asgard 2 (both 1.0 at 50ohms) but I can't help but wonder what I could hear with a Cavalli Liquid Carbon or Schiit Lyr 2. Any insight on Omni amping?

 
To both of you:  the T50rp driver used in the Omni (and other headphones) is infamous for needing more power than you think.  Give it as much juice as you can and you'll hear it improve, sometimes dramatically.  
 
ehmora, I highly suggest you get ahold of a balanced cable.  Right now you're only using 1/4 the power of your amp and I guarantee you'll hear a big difference from the extra power (this is usually the difference people hear and then talk about when the "go balanced").  
 
Aornic, the Liquid Carbon does something like 2.5W/ch at 50ohms and will be a step up in power but if you can do even better power-wise, the Omni can handle it.  I run my Omni through a Liquid Crimson (5W/ch @ 50ohms) and it scales beautifully.  The Carbon is a great pairing, haven't heard it with a Lyr 2 yet.

 

[zach915m]

LYR 2 is great, Cavalli is amaze.   I honestly have really enjoyed the Magni every time I hear it a LOT.  Haven't been able to A/B all these, just know they all work.
 
A balanced pug on that 10.33 will make a huge difference, I was astonished at the difference on the 10.33 and NFB 28 between single ended and balanced. 

 

[Odin412]

  LYR 2 is great, Cavalli is amaze.  

Excellent! I have the Liquid Carbon and after spending some time with the Omni at CanJam SoCal I'm quite tempted.​..

 

[Hisoundfi]

Vibro MKII, Enjoy!

http://www.head-fi.org/products/zmf-headphones-x-vibro-mk-ii/reviews/15639

 

[Aornic]

 
I'm surprised I got a shot like this from my phone. Sunlight + cherry wood is incredible.