[StevenR296]

I'm not one of them.
And Zach doesn't sell Stabilized sets as B-Stock.
At that price they are already super expensive and also need a complete refurbish which is $750 making them one of the most expensive Stabilized sets ever sold with no lifetime warranty.

There's no reason for them to be refurbished upon completion. Tiny cosmetic flaws may be evident in the wood, but that's honestly to be expected. The manufacturing process for stabilized wood is more tedious. There is also a lifetime warranty for the original and 2nd owners of any ZMF headphone, stabilized or not.

Stock wood w/magnesium chassis is $2750 before tax and shipping. Stabilized sets for an extra $250 come with a 3rd set of pads, wood case, leather cable case, a personalized laser-engraved owner card, and the inner satifaction of knowing no other headphone looks like yours.

 

[Kevintj604]

There's no reason for them to be refurbished upon completion. Tiny cosmetic flaws may be evident in the wood, but that's honestly to be expected. The manufacturing process for stabilized wood is more tedious. There is also a lifetime warranty for the original and 2nd owners of any ZMF headphone, stabilized or not.

Stock wood w/magnesium chassis is $2750 before tax and shipping. Stabilized sets for an extra $250 come with a 3rd set of pads, wood case, leather cable case, a personalized laser-engraved owner card, and the inner satifaction of knowing no other headphone looks like yours.

I was specifically talking about the unit that is in the Classifieds section currently. Which is what everyone else was also talking about. That unit is showing what I would consider a condition that requires a full refurbish and not just tiny imperfections. The owner of that unit is also stating that in his listing.

The lifetime warranty is only for the original owner as a second hand owner must pay $250 per driver for any fixes. This is clearly stated in all of the ZMF documentation upon purchase and also the reason they include the original buyers name on the wood warranty card. This is also on the ZMF website in multiple places.

Most of the Stabilized sets in the last November drop were $450 - $500 more than what a stock wood would be. They are traditionally $250-$300 more than LTD.

 

[dougq]

I was specifically talking about the unit that is in the Classifieds section currently. Which is what everyone else was also talking about. That unit is showing what I would consider a condition that requires a full refurbish and not just tiny imperfections. The owner of that unit is also stating that in his listing.

The lifetime warranty is only for the original owner as a second hand owner must pay $250 per driver for any fixes. This is clearly stated in all of the ZMF documentation upon purchase and also the reason they include the original buyers name on the wood warranty card. This is also on the ZMF website in multiple places.

Most of the Stabilized sets in the last November drop were $450 - $500 more than what a stock wood would be. They are traditionally $250-$300 more than LTD.

He states that most of those cosmetic things came like that from zmf. He should be able to get that resolved from zmf in this case if that is true.

 

[Kevintj604]

He states that most of those cosmetic things came like that from zmf. He should be able to get that resolved from zmf in this case if that is true.

Yeah. Zach and Bevin are amazing and offer awesome service to 2nd hand buyers. I've sent multiple units in to their shop for various things and always had great results at more than fair prices. He should be able to get all of those things fixed.

My Aeolus are currently with the ZMF team for a wood rebuff and a few cosmetic upgrades.

The only negative is I miss my Aeolus the second it leaves my house as it's a weekly driver for me. Worth the wait though and now I can be excited all over again when I receive them back from the shop.

 

[StevenR296]

I was specifically talking about the unit that is in the Classifieds section currently. Which is what everyone else was also talking about. That unit is showing what I would consider a condition that requires a full refurbish and not just tiny imperfections. The owner of that unit is also stating that in his listing.

The lifetime warranty is only for the original owner as a second hand owner must pay $250 per driver for any fixes. This is clearly stated in all of the ZMF documentation upon purchase and also the reason they include the original buyers name on the wood warranty card. This is also on the ZMF website in multiple places.

Most of the Stabilized sets in the last November drop were $450 - $500 more than what a stock wood would be. They are traditionally $250-$300 more than LTD.

My mistake! Couldn't find the listing originally and just found it. If it really came like that from ZMF, I'm surprised and I hope they're able to take care of it. I'm aware of the charge for 2nd owners, but thought it was still considered a lifetime warranty.

With the pricing though, magnesium chassis bridges the gap. Limited sets with magnesium chassis are $2950, $50 less than stabilized.

 

[Kevintj604]

Yup all good. The pricing might be different in certain regions but here's what I'm seeing when shopping in Canada. Even with the Mag Chassis the difference in price is considerably more than $250. I agree with you that most of the Stabilized sets I've seen are probably worth the upcharge in price especially when you consider the wooden display box that only comes with Stabilized sets. After taxes, duties & shipping a Stabilized set purchased in Canada is a $5000 headphone.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I'm aware of the charge for 2nd owners, but thought it was still considered a lifetime warranty.

The lifetime warranty on the drivers is only for the original owner. The 2nd, 3rd or 50th owner would all pay the same thing for driver replacements. That being said, I’ve owned 6 used ZMF’s and have never had a driver issue.

 

[SlothRock]

For anyone with a VC with the old headband, I'd highly recommend upgrading to the crescent band! Just got mine even though I never had a complaint about the original headband. Huge difference - barely feels like there is anything on my head now. I was also a bit apprehensive about changing out the headband but it was easy as pie. Took me all of 5 mins total to get the old band out and new one in.

 

[Law87]

we buy headphone to listen...not to be a trophy and glorify...I cant believe some people would pay extra just for the look...not my money but it still kinda funny to me...

 

[busseysound]

For anyone with a VC with the old headband, I'd highly recommend upgrading to the crescent band! Just got mine even though I never had a complaint about the original headband. Huge difference - barely feels like there is anything on my head now. I was also a bit apprehensive about changing out the headband but it was easy as pie. Took me all of 5 mins total to get the old band out and new one in.

This exactly.

 

[Galapac]

we buy headphone to listen...not to be a trophy and glorify...I cant believe some people would pay extra just for the look...not my money but it still kinda funny to me...

There is something to be said when form follows function, Apple built their company on this premise.
Steve Jobs took note that Italians always added looks and appeal into their designs of almost everything from cars to espresso makers and followed suit.
Sure you could by a standard Dell laptop that works, maybe, for a few years, or you buy an Apple knowing that it will work for many years and looks great too.
Same thing with ZMFs, and there are people willing to pay for that, I’m just glad they have the classic designs too which are just as beautiful.

 

[Kevintj604]

we buy headphone to listen...not to be a trophy and glorify...I cant believe some people would pay extra just for the look...not my money but it still kinda funny to me...

Why not do both? Especially with an heirloom headphone like a ZMF or Rosson RAD-0.

Part of the enjoyment of the hobby for me is having a totally unique item that I can get as much enjoyment out of them on my head as well as off.

For people like me in Canada spending $5000 on a specific wood might seem ludicrous as opposed to $3500 on the same headphone but if i'm keeping it for life i'll never remember the money spent but I'll always enjoy the time spent with that one amazing ZMF unit.

 

[Law87]

There is something to be said when form follows function, Apple built their company on this premise.
Steve Jobs took note that Italians always added looks and appeal into their designs of almost everything from cars to espresso makers and followed suit.
Sure you could by a standard Dell laptop that works, maybe, for a few years, or you buy an Apple knowing that it will work for many years and looks great too.
Same thing with ZMFs, and there are people willing to pay for that, I’m just glad they have the classic designs too which are just as beautiful.

Dell and Mac are utilizing two different operating system though....a better analogy is HP and dell...same hardware, same OS, different look yet one cost more than others.

 

[robo24]

we buy headphone to listen...not to be a trophy and glorify...I cant believe some people would pay extra just for the look...not my money but it still kinda funny to me...

I used to feel the same way when I was first looking into them a few years ago, that I can't see them on my head so who cares. Didn't take long to do a 180 on that, especially since I ended up with several headphones on my desk, I see them all all the time and they're little pieces of art and I get a lot of pleasure seeing them, the different wood grain, chatoyance, and such. I've always appreciated beautiful design and it's definitely increased my interest in and awareness of woodworking.

But it's nice that for those who don't care as much they can usually get great deals on used ones in various woods. I think though that the beauty adds to the value and they don't drop in value by nearly half as soon as one buys them, like Utopia (if bought at full price) and some others.

 

[JBOOGIE86]

we buy headphone to listen...not to be a trophy and glorify...I cant believe some people would pay extra just for the look...not my money but it still kinda funny to me...

I respect your sentiment but I don't think that's the point of the stabilized offerings. It's more of about the personalization aspect of a headphone whose tuning happens to also be also highly regarded.