Your review is spot on with my experience. It’s seriously good fun. Though, because I’m fortunate enough to have the IE 900’s for portable listening, I’ve decided to trim down my collection and the result was that I chose the Z1R over the Bokeh to complement my Verite Closed & Atrium Closed. Keep in mind, I ended up selling the LCD-5, Atrium & Verite Open, Eikon & Atticus, and passing over the Caldera, Utopia, ATH-AWKG Kirogaki after extended listening. So, it’s high praise when I say: If I could own only a single ZMF, the Bokeh would be towards the top of my shortlist. 😁
I picked up bokeh on launch.. beautiful cherry red.. so enjoyable and natural.. the one issue i had was microphonics with cable.. I replaced this with zmf upgrade cable.. great headphones
Bokeh is dang good! honestly been listening to it more than my Caldera closed lately... Hopeful for more time with them once summer travel and kid camps slow down ha!
@@TylersEclectic it seems the CC is very legit based on reviews. Almost gave in to the FOMO… but I just don’t jibe as well with planars. Then, after a brief hiatus, I listened to my Blackwood VC again and was blown away all over again. 🤤 One of these days I’ll get some time with the CC, though.
@@asplmn Caldera Closed is my favorite planar! But, I’m also more inclined towards dynamic drivers over planars:). The Bokeh just does everything right it feels like… super easy to get along with.
@@PassionforSound I prefer the CC to the open… it leans more into the ZMF sound in my opinion. Where the CO was more neutral, once again in my opinion. Both are fantastic, but I prefer the ZMF house sound being leaned into like on the Caldera Closed. I think the Bokeh shouldn’t be slept on though… that is a new standard in awesome ha!
Yep. Absolutely love the Bokeh. I use them all the time on my desktop set up. The lack of compromise at each level is amazing. Stunning sound, with fantastic bass (slight lack in sub bass), great separated mids, and surprisingly clear, well defined uppers. These rock with well recorded rock and I love listing to EDM on these. Deadmau5 sounds fantastic I love the cherry wood finish on mine. However, while they are just about portable powering wise, let’s not kids ourselves here, they are not exactly “portable”. They are still big and heavy, tho still are very comfortable to wear While the 3.5mm jack might not look as good, it means I can use my custom cables and that’s a huge bonus without the need for adapters. The one issue I do have is pad rolling is for the dedicated as they are NOT EASY to put on. This isn’t an issue with a lot of headphones, but being ZMF the options are vast and swapping the mesh means tuning them with these options is definitely…..an option. But the pads are fiddly to put on and the wood finish is a bit poor with rough, un-rounded edges. But for the price these are a true gateway to the ZMF range. The problem is how much you need to spend if you want better and is that worth it. Demoing ZMF in the UK is extremely difficult.
I managed to be in the first 100 orders of the first batch, and I have loved using it on dongle DAC amps (Cayin RU7 and Shanling UA5) as well as desktop amps (Geshelli Archel 3 and xDuoo TA-26S). I use the Bokeh more than I use the Verite Open, though not as often as my Focal Bathys. Of course the Verite is still the best overall sound quality.
The Z1R is superior in my opinion if you don't need portability. I don't have the Z1R here anymore, but am hoping to pick one up when I get the chance.
Zee Emm Eff. Zach and ZMF aren’t from the commonwealth so I’m going to refer to it as he would I can’t believe I said that, it’s usually zee that sounds like nails on the chalkboard, but nope
The Bokeh sounds way better than most of its competition with affordable gears. E3 can be more technical, but you need tons of juice to make it enjoyable or else it can sound flat and lifeless on affordable chains
Great review, as always:) anyone tried it with Mojo 2? Will Chord be enough to Bokeh nicely? :) I’m looking for warm, bit dark sounding, good bass, closed back headphones, now I have Meze Liric first generation, wonder if it will be a nice improvement to change for Bokeh? I used to have Eikon and I love how ZMF headphones are made, but Eikon was 300ohms, not the best for a small dac.
Great review. I normally use open headphones for enjoy th emusic and IEM in mobility or when I don't want to disturb my wife if I am listening at the bed. I keep also an old Bose AE2 that I use time to time. A good close headphones for using at home in those cases could be interesting, but I have the Hifiman Arya Organic as my next headphone to buy... Ç This video has moved to me to thinking about how interesting could be an heaphones that could be convert to closed... What do you think about?, do you know if something like this exits?
I have a Sash Tres 45ohm with the replaceable open, semi-open and closed cups. Cool idea, great headphone when open, but it's borderlkne impossible to design one with good tuning with various cups.
Yes, the covering for closing up a convertible headphone would have to include some very complex acoustic design to keep the sound enjoyable in both modes. It would be cool though.
great review. would love to know how these compare with my current favourite closed back, the Kennerton Magni. if you get the oppertunity, please review a pair? would buy a Bokeh and compare myself , but i have my mind set on a high level open back planar and cannot do both. anyone else reading this , if you have compared Bokeh-Magni please post some thoughts?
I test the Bokoh some time ago and noted its performance and features , what it do signal though is the right thing brands should be looking at and should be doing .. trickling performance , features , and design that were in precious iteration tie to flag ship down to the more main stream mid price bracket and made them main stay On the other extreme I test the Austrian Audio Composer around the same time and noted its excessive price hike and only ( relatively ) marginal improvement as far as sonics goes compared to their main stay Hi-X range this is the 2 distant approach to new products am seeing with so many Hi-fi / Audo product Mfr these days , and I am not thrilled at the latter
love my Atrium’s but I often used closed backs and IEM’s on the go in the city for their noise isolating abilities. I literally have to have some form of noise control when out and about due to just how noisy it is where I travel on foot. Another factor in the city core is not wanting to draw too much attention in what I am wearing. These headphones would likely be a very good choice for someone to take with them to read by the lake, or listen to music at home while the air conditioner is on.
IEMs are the best for portability and being out and about. I love the Bokeh, but I personally wouldn’t take mine out of the house. Giant wood cups also looks silly in public, but that’s highly subjective.
@@FisherMan-bh9dn but you are getting smarter while us Americans are getting dumber . Look how bad things are in the U S and our election is split with a incumbent vice president that performed a coup and hasn’t done 1 thing or even 1 interview since she stole the nomination and Americans liberal media just covers for her .
@@PassionforSound the only wood phone I have closer in price is the AWAS which I prefer. The open version Bokeh is the Bokeh to get tho, it's much better.
@@PassionforSound I spent time with the Bokeh open A/Bing with the closed at AXPONA this year and if it hasn't released yet, it's worth waiting for anyone wanting a Bokeh and worth it buy for those that already own the closed. I also had the chance to audition the Caldera closed. ZMF's HQ is a stone throw away from me, we're neighbors :)
@@PassionforSound Not sure if they have been out but I auditioned the Bokeh open and A/B's it with the Bokeh closed. The Bokeh open is the better phone of the two. I also had the chance to audition the Caldera closed.
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I purchased it at the early-bird price.
my first pair of ZMF, love it
You chose a great time to buy and a great entry into ZMF Headphones
Your review is spot on with my experience. It’s seriously good fun. Though, because I’m fortunate enough to have the IE 900’s for portable listening, I’ve decided to trim down my collection and the result was that I chose the Z1R over the Bokeh to complement my Verite Closed & Atrium Closed.
Keep in mind, I ended up selling the LCD-5, Atrium & Verite Open, Eikon & Atticus, and passing over the Caldera, Utopia, ATH-AWKG Kirogaki after extended listening. So, it’s high praise when I say:
If I could own only a single ZMF, the Bokeh would be towards the top of my shortlist. 😁
That's cool to hear. Thanks for sharing
I picked up bokeh on launch.. beautiful cherry red.. so enjoyable and natural.. the one issue i had was microphonics with cable.. I replaced this with zmf upgrade cable.. great headphones
Congratulations. You got them at an even more impressive price!
You do such a great review . So detailed and entertaining. . I’m quite happy with what I buy based upon your description.
I'm thrilled to hear that! ♥️
This is no shade, but I love your definition of "cheaper"! Glad your still putting out the reviews lad.
Hahhaa, less expensive for sure.
It was a reference to its performance vs headphones costing more money not an overall commentary on its price 😁
For ZMF, they are cheaper
@@PassionforSound Aaaah, Oz and Ireland, the new two countries separated by a common language
Bokeh is dang good! honestly been listening to it more than my Caldera closed lately... Hopeful for more time with them once summer travel and kid camps slow down ha!
@@TylersEclectic it seems the CC is very legit based on reviews. Almost gave in to the FOMO… but I just don’t jibe as well with planars. Then, after a brief hiatus, I listened to my Blackwood VC again and was blown away all over again. 🤤
One of these days I’ll get some time with the CC, though.
@@asplmn Caldera Closed is my favorite planar! But, I’m also more inclined towards dynamic drivers over planars:). The Bokeh just does everything right it feels like… super easy to get along with.
Very cool Tyler! 👍
I'm REALLY hoping to try the CC soon. I miss the open Caldera 😥
@@PassionforSound I prefer the CC to the open… it leans more into the ZMF sound in my opinion. Where the CO was more neutral, once again in my opinion. Both are fantastic, but I prefer the ZMF house sound being leaned into like on the Caldera Closed. I think the Bokeh shouldn’t be slept on though… that is a new standard in awesome ha!
I think Bokeh vs Atrium closed would be an interesting comparison.
I got rid of my AC even though they are amazing. The Bokeh are just perfection.
I would have been interested in that too, but don't have an AC here. ☹️
Yep. Absolutely love the Bokeh. I use them all the time on my desktop set up.
The lack of compromise at each level is amazing. Stunning sound, with fantastic bass (slight lack in sub bass), great separated mids, and surprisingly clear, well defined uppers.
These rock with well recorded rock and I love listing to EDM on these. Deadmau5 sounds fantastic
I love the cherry wood finish on mine.
However, while they are just about portable powering wise, let’s not kids ourselves here, they are not exactly “portable”.
They are still big and heavy, tho still are very comfortable to wear
While the 3.5mm jack might not look as good, it means I can use my custom cables and that’s a huge bonus without the need for adapters.
The one issue I do have is pad rolling is for the dedicated as they are NOT EASY to put on. This isn’t an issue with a lot of headphones, but being ZMF the options are vast and swapping the mesh means tuning them with these options is definitely…..an option. But the pads are fiddly to put on and the wood finish is a bit poor with rough, un-rounded edges.
But for the price these are a true gateway to the ZMF range. The problem is how much you need to spend if you want better and is that worth it. Demoing ZMF in the UK is extremely difficult.
That's true about the pads being tricky. That took me a while to get the hang of
I listened to Bokeh at CJL. I told Zach that I thought they were a lot of fun.
I managed to be in the first 100 orders of the first batch, and I have loved using it on dongle DAC amps (Cayin RU7 and Shanling UA5) as well as desktop amps (Geshelli Archel 3 and xDuoo TA-26S). I use the Bokeh more than I use the Verite Open, though not as often as my Focal Bathys. Of course the Verite is still the best overall sound quality.
Congrats and thanks for sharing your gear and preferences!
Bokeh vs Z1R?
The Z1R is superior in my opinion if you don't need portability. I don't have the Z1R here anymore, but am hoping to pick one up when I get the chance.
Zee Emm Eff. Zach and ZMF aren’t from the commonwealth so I’m going to refer to it as he would
I can’t believe I said that, it’s usually zee that sounds like nails on the chalkboard, but nope
Mmm, black limba. Or "korina" if you're a fan of Gibson or Reverend.
Pretty.
These are looking very lovely for the price
💯
The Bokeh sounds way better than most of its competition with affordable gears. E3 can be more technical, but you need tons of juice to make it enjoyable or else it can sound flat and lifeless on affordable chains
Thanks for the review! As always, a great review
🙏♥️
Thank you for this review, Do you prefer the bokeh to the Sony mdr z1r? Or is the other way around?
I prefer the MDR-Z1R overall so long as size isn't a consideration
@@PassionforSound thank you for responding. I have to try out the Sony MDR Z1R, as my audio preferences are very similar to yours. Thank you.
Great review, as always:) anyone tried it with Mojo 2? Will Chord be enough to Bokeh nicely? :)
I’m looking for warm, bit dark sounding, good bass, closed back headphones, now I have Meze Liric first generation, wonder if it will be a nice improvement to change for Bokeh? I used to have Eikon and I love how ZMF headphones are made, but Eikon was 300ohms, not the best for a small dac.
I've used the Bokehs quite a bit with Mojo 2. It's a great pairing.
Thank you for your answer :)
Thank god he is pronouncing it correctly
Great review.
I normally use open headphones for enjoy th emusic and IEM in mobility or when I don't want to disturb my wife if I am listening at the bed.
I keep also an old Bose AE2 that I use time to time.
A good close headphones for using at home in those cases could be interesting, but I have the Hifiman Arya Organic as my next headphone to buy... Ç
This video has moved to me to thinking about how interesting could be an heaphones that could be convert to closed... What do you think about?, do you know if something like this exits?
I have a Sash Tres 45ohm with the replaceable open, semi-open and closed cups. Cool idea, great headphone when open, but it's borderlkne impossible to design one with good tuning with various cups.
Yes, the covering for closing up a convertible headphone would have to include some very complex acoustic design to keep the sound enjoyable in both modes. It would be cool though.
great review.
would love to know how these compare with my current favourite closed back, the Kennerton Magni.
if you get the oppertunity, please review a pair?
would buy a Bokeh and compare myself , but i have my mind set on a high level open back planar and cannot do both.
anyone else reading this , if you have compared Bokeh-Magni please post some thoughts?
I've reached out to Kennerton in the past, but had no response ☹️
I test the Bokoh some time ago and noted its performance and features , what it do signal though is the right thing brands should be looking at and should be doing .. trickling performance , features , and design that were in precious iteration tie to flag ship down to the more main stream mid price bracket and made them main stay
On the other extreme I test the Austrian Audio Composer around the same time and noted its excessive price hike and only ( relatively ) marginal improvement as far as sonics goes compared to their main stay Hi-X range
this is the 2 distant approach to new products am seeing with so many Hi-fi / Audo product Mfr these days , and I am not thrilled at the latter
What cable is that red one?
It's a Flow cable: th-cam.com/video/x3_ciWC1M7E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=iLSR446pyb8wX4fT
Thanks Lachlan!
Nice info..❤
I'm jelly your bokeh looks better than mine!
It's a gorgeous pair, but sadly, not mine... despite my joke at the end
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love my Atrium’s but I often used closed backs and IEM’s on the go in the city for their noise isolating abilities. I literally have to have some form of noise control when out and about due to just how noisy it is where I travel on foot. Another factor in the city core is not wanting to draw too much attention in what I am wearing.
These headphones would likely be a very good choice for someone to take with them to read by the lake, or listen to music at home while the air conditioner is on.
IEMs are the best for portability and being out and about. I love the Bokeh, but I personally wouldn’t take mine out of the house. Giant wood cups also looks silly in public, but that’s highly subjective.
@@asplmn enjoy 😉
I tend to agree. These seem more like a headphone for the office rather than for the commute to the office 🙂
@@PassionforSound they look beautiful and I’m sure I’d love their sound - hope you enjoy!
If you like the bokehs sound, which IEM would you recommend?
Isn’t possession 9/10 of the law
That's the understanding I'm working on 🤣
Not in Australia. The government now owns everything. 😂
@@FisherMan-bh9dn but you are getting smarter while us Americans are getting dumber . Look how bad things are in the U S and our election is split with a incumbent vice president that performed a coup and hasn’t done 1 thing or even 1 interview since she stole the nomination and Americans liberal media just covers for her .
Moore Eric Jackson Michael Johnson Mary
Cheaper 😂
For ZMF, they are cheaper. Less than half the cost.
They're also cheaper than the comparable competition
They're too warm and can be sluggish at times.
What's an example of a headphone you prefer at the price?
@@PassionforSound the only wood phone I have closer in price is the AWAS which I prefer. The open version Bokeh is the Bokeh to get tho, it's much better.
@dentboxhero1717 I think you're getting confused with something else. There is no open Bokeh.
@@PassionforSound I spent time with the Bokeh open A/Bing with the closed at AXPONA this year and if it hasn't released yet, it's worth waiting for anyone wanting a Bokeh and worth it buy for those that already own the closed. I also had the chance to audition the Caldera closed. ZMF's HQ is a stone throw away from me, we're neighbors :)
@@PassionforSound Not sure if they have been out but I auditioned the Bokeh open and A/B's it with the Bokeh closed. The Bokeh open is the better phone of the two. I also had the chance to audition the Caldera closed.
Just get fiio ft1s 😂😂😂