So, it's been a pretty tough few years, and I wouldn't have considered these due to the price, but after reading and watching about how these compare against some of the main manufacturers £2k and 3k headsets, I just couldn't get past what incredible value they seem to be and quite frankly I wanted to treat myself!
Watched a butt tonne of reviews, everything I saw just drew me more and more to the ethos of the company. The owner, Zack, is an enthusiast that used to mod his own headphones, and just wanted to see what he could do designing his own. His wife is a co-owner.
And quite frankly, these, the ZMF Bokeh Closed are a bit of a disruptor in the industry, they've got all the big boys running scared because of the insane levels of performance these are able to put out at the budget.
I initially went for the SJY Horizon Carbon Closed which are a planar option that are similarly making waves, but I had issues with Opos in the US where I bought them just not responding to anything, even when I cancelled I had to get PayPal involved. Reviews seemed to back up that they weren't very reliable from a support perspective, so I totally backed out of that option. Plus the SJY are only 90dB and I wanted something a bit more versatile.
So jumped on the Bokeh Closed from a UK authorised reseller. These can pretty much be driven on anything at 103dB at 80ohms
Even out of the box they really surprised me. As recommended I'm playing them fairly low volumes during break in (they recommend around 150 hours), and even then, the physical impression they give is DRAMATIC, it adds such a huge depth to the experience that quite frankly I've never experienced through a headphone before. And even though they're classed as quite dark in the top end, you don't lose any detail, I was really surprised how detailed they remain despite the performance in other areas, I genuinely thought dynamic drivers weren't capable of this kind of performance. Mids are quite frankly to die for IMHO. Build quality really is quite stunning, mine were a bit "plainer" visually than some models, but them's the breaks with something handmade like this from natural wood, and I totally accept that, but the attention to detail, the materials and the comfort just makes me respect what they've done here even more. Plus it's a lifetime warranty on the drivers (to the original owner, so be aware if you're looking second hand), and whenever a company is willing to put their stamp like that, I take notice.
I'm driving them currently from the headphone amp on my PrimaLuna Evo 100 Integrated which is actually from the Tube output, not any opamp section, sounds incredible. I do have a Topping A90D which I will try them on a balanced cable as well.
I'm a bit blown away, I've never really heard a true high end pair before, and it's left me a little speechless. These won't replace my Hifiman Edition XS which I still love, they still have a place, but these will definitely become my daily driver when I'm on headphones.
Shout out to Acorn Audio in the UK, absolutely stellar service (they have models in stock, so no need to wait for them to be manufactured), and they've already shown first class support from some questions I had for them.
It's so good to see these new efforts coming from enthusiasts, it's really shaking things up in the industry which I think had become perhaps a little too comfortable
