I’ve recently accepted the fact that I probably won’t ever find “the one” headphone.
Now I’m at a point where I’m looking for variety in less measurable things. I know what sound I enjoy ( pretty much the Harman target) so I’m focusing on things like decay, speed, etc., the more nuanced things. I’m also looking for variety of technology, like planar, dynamic, etc.
It seems as though the latter will give me the most bang for my buck in terms of what I’m looking for sonically.
ZMF are definitely a pair I’ll own some day. Which one is the real question.
I think Aeolus is the perfect introductory ZMF headphone. Its kind of a summary of Zach’s house sound, and doesn’t break the bank. Include rolling a few pads in the mix and it’s extremely versatile in accommodating a wide range of sound preferences. Except perhaps for the extreme treble-heads - they need not apply.
I know you get a good deal on the Pendant if you bundle with the purchase of one of their headphones… but yeah, it adds a nice bit of coin to the purchase for custom wood lol.
Whether it’s your photography skill or post processing or they’re just looking that good… Damn, that setup is my dream setup. Congratz! Are you going to do a review on ZMF Pendant or maybe an early impression?
it is more on the neutral side of the tube world, it falls inline with my Cayin Ha-1a MKii amp. But, tube dependent of course, and I think the Pendant has more flavor and fuller sound kind of like sRGB vs AdobeRGB lol… for those not into photography, sRGB has less colors to work with while editing photos, while AdobeRGB has a more robust color space, allowing for better color accuracy and visuals (skill depending lol). Also to note, most people are used to sRGB as it is the mainstream standard for screens across all media devices.
Honestly, the Pendant is probably what I would go for next as far as tube amps, as it is easy to setup and most of the tubes that go into it are relatively easy to come by, with just enough tube flavor to satisfy anyone. While also not being too “gooey” or overly lush with the tube sound signature.
So far outside of a Glenn OTL and the WooAudio mono-blocks @Torq has. It is in my top few tube amps I’ve heard. Easily, a get and not worry about amp, plus the synergy with the ZMF line is only beaten by the Glenn OTL that I’ve heard.
The more I get into this hobby, the more I think that each bit of kit is distinct to each end user, in performance and enjoyment though, so I’ve been trying to figure out a way to write down my thoughts on gear that conveys my thoughts about something without coming off as a defacto statement or “you should have this in your audio chain, otherwise you are dumb” type persona lol. Part of the joy of this community (forum.headphones) is that everyone more or less is accepting of others thoughts on things be it more technical or lifestyle touchy feely stuff…I’m more of a lifestyle, and how a thing makes me feel type person.
So with that, the Pendant fits my persona perfectly as I don’t need to overly obsess on tube rolling, it looks great, sounds great, and as long as you keep RF away from the tubes you have a beast of a tube amp. =)
Thank you for the first impression. I’m seriously thinking about getting one to accompany the upcoming ZMF Verite O. I just need to do more research to convince myself lol.
This should be kind of self-evident unless there’s a specific part that indicates otherwise. At least this is what I expect from level headed readers with moderate reading comprehension and some perspectives. It reminds me of those reviewer’s videos with multiple disclaimers throughout. While it doesn’t bother me too much, sometimes I wonder what kind of s**t people been giving him in the past to make him this overly cautious?
I’ve heard all sorts of horror stories, to include up to death threats…seriously, this is a hobby about headphones… not life or death lol.
Personally, only really got vitriol rarely, but witnessed others going off on people enough to know people can be $h!ts about there preference over others.
I also don’t like the idea of alienating people that have differing opinions
Not only does the covering material matter, but so does perforations, foam density, pad angle, and ear hole size.
As for there being very definable traits to each covering type, yes; however it is kind of hard to quantify how much each can be attributed to given the number of factors that can change the sound.
Suede seems to be a bit softer in treble than lambskin. Perforated pads seem to dull bass a bit vs not perforated. More dense foam helps keep the bass intact though. Larger ear holes generally gives a better stage but can affect all frequencies.
So… While the short answer is yes, the devil is in the details.
Along with what @ProfFalkin says, I feel like each headphone pairing with a specific pad changes too. Zach posted some of the general characteristics and recommendations of pads + headphone pairing on his site.
My favorite for Verite is the Universal Perf Suede and the BE2, and for Aeolus the Univ Perf Suede – I find for both of these headphones, the Perf Suede gives the most neutral sounding experience for each, while the BE2 is pretty close as well — while each still retaining their unique flavor of the headphone. The Univ Perf Leather is a more fun v-shape sound sig to me on Aeolus and a darker sound on the Verite, but both give a more holographic and enveloping soundstage.
