ZMF Buying Guide

ZMF: the great comparison

Introduction

If you are in the market for a ZMF headphone and you feel undecided about what to choose, this is the right place for you! This guide is designed and written to help you find the best ZMF creation for your needs by an audiophile enthusiast with a soft spot for ZMF products, who has tested them thoroughly.

ZMF, founded and run by Zach and Bevin Mehrbach, is a unique American headphone manufacturer, which over the years has managed to establish itself as one of the top brands in the market, starting from the dream of an audiophile.

• ZMF headphones are entirely hand-crafted in their headquarters in Berwyn, Illinois, with extreme care and love.
• They offer a limited lifetime driver warranty for the original owner. Yeah, you read it right: Lifetime!
• Their customer support, even for headphones purchased on the second-hand market, is unmatched: they will always try to help anyone repair and keep their ZMF headphones going.
• ZMF headphones are modular in design, with each model featuring different pads and meshes options to tweak the sound, as well as accessories like straps and extra padding to enhance comfort. Pad choice can tune sound signature subtly - see ZMF’s pad guide or ask us for recommendations.
• There is a ZMF house sound, a signature that distinguishes all their models, which transmits a natural, rich and satisfying listening experience. Each ZMF headphone declination starts from this assumption.
• ZMF was born from passion for acoustic instruments and woods, and it is possible to purchase special and limited editions headphones with some of the nicest woods in the world!
• Each ZMF headphone has its own character and its own Raison d'être: the most expensive model is not necessarily the best for your needs, as each creation is made for a unique listening experience. It's no coincidence that virtually every ZMF headphone model features a unique driver.
• ZMF is made up of passionate people in touch with the audiophile community: you can meet Zach, Bevin and their team online and at various fairs and events, always with a smile on their face and with a simply wonderful and unique down-to-heart attitude.
• In some way it can be seen as an heirloom object, a precious, unique item to pass onto your loved ones.

For an overview of every ZMF model available from us, see our ZMF brand page. ZMF now builds the Aeolus and Vérité only in small group orders – ask us if you are interested.

Headphones Guide

Bokeh / Bokeh Open

The modern ZMF

The Bokeh headphones perfectly embody the ZMF house sound: a pleasant, rich and natural reproduction, in its most modern evolution both in construction and sound calibration. The Bokeh is in fact the first model produced with a more compact and lighter version of the classic ZMF chassis, allowing for a more flexible, portable-friendly use, while at the same time bringing the sound towards a slightly more “Pop” tuning.

It is spacious sounding, it has great timbre, it is punchy and engaging and well… simply put it’s a great, easy headphone to own. The open version is more neutral and spicy, while the closed leans more toward a warm presentation. Both Bokeh models are perfect headphones to start in the world of ZMF, being extremely versatile and with a technical level well above what the price might suggest!

Auteur Classic

The Neutral ZMF

The Auteur (Author, in French) was the debut open-backed headphone for ZMF, in 2017, and from its name we can figure Zach’s passion for cinema. Almost 5 years after its creation, it was re-launched as the Classic version, with various improvements such as the Atrium damping system (ADS), and a revision of the membrane. But it still is that very, lovely, ZMF Auteur.

The Auteur Classic is the headphone that Zach himself recommends to anyone who wants to get to know the “ZMF sound”, as it embodies all its peculiar characteristics (rich mids, natural sound, impactful bass, pleasant listening) in a neutral and extremely clear sounding presentation. Being neutral does not mean analytical or sterile though, on the contrary, as the Auteur Classic is an extremely enjoyable and versatile headphone, which colors the sound just the right amount that is needed, without hiding anything. Possibly the easiest recommendation ever, as the Auteur Classic really is… a Classic!

Atrium Open / Closed

The ZMF signature, but even more!

The Atrium marks yet another unique move by ZMF, having been launched in 2022 as an additional flagship, with the intent of delivering a relaxed, warm and easy-going presentation.

Many define the Atrium as a headphone that colors the sound masterfully, which in some ways makes it improve the music, and I could only agree: it is the representation of the ZMF house sound, but on steroids.

The bass is thunderous and full, the mids are rich and lush, the highs are under control and accompany everything with a sweet presence. The stage is spacious and the technicality is certainly at the level it deserves, without ever sounding breathless and out of control.

The Atrium Closed brings to the table an even smoother and lush presentation, with an outstanding bass impact and texture while still sounding spacious. A listening experience that moves away from neutral to embrace ZMF colors.

Caldera Open / Closed

A dynamic planar, to the top.

There is a very large group of enthusiasts who, while greatly appreciating the technical features of planar magnetic drivers, cannot find one with the right timbre, authenticity and physicality in headphones of this type.

ZMF, after many years of experimentation and research, has created a series of unique technological solutions such as CAMS (relating to the structure of the magnets) and ADS (a damping system of reflected sound waves), which have allowed the Caldera to enclose the best of a planar-magnetic driver in a presentation similar to that of a dynamic driver.

In the Caldera you will find a natural, realistic and believable sound, but also extremely detailed and clear, spacious and coherent in the representation of sounds in all dimensions.

The Caldera Closed takes the technical prowess of the Caldera Open in a closed-back design, representing a true endgame headphone.

The ZMF character remains a strong point of the Caldera, which will still be impactful and rich in its sound signature, but with a clean execution at the highest levels.

Ori 3.0

The fun classic, reimagined

The Omni – later renamed the “Ori” – was ZMF's very first headphone, launched in 2015. Ten years and many technologies later, built on everything learned from models like the Caldera and Atrium, it returns as a completely redesigned 3.0 version: as fun and engaging as ever, now with a modern closed-back planar driver and impressive macrodynamics.

The Ori 3.0 is the only ZMF headphone with a genuinely tunable bass profile: removable plugs let you adjust the low end directly, complemented by a wide range of pad and mesh options.

If you want to hear the ZMF “Origin” signature with ten extra years of experience and technology behind it, the Ori 3.0 is one of the most exciting closed-back headphones currently available.

Tessidera

The smooth planar all-rounder

With the Tessidera, ZMF introduces a new planar magnetic headphone that brings artisan woodworking, acoustic research, and platform-level integration closer together than ever before. Five technologies – CAMS, ADS, ZAM, SRS, and the Caldera Pad System – work here as one cohesive acoustic system rather than isolated features.

Sonically, the Tessidera represents a smoother, more accessible take on ZMF's planar vision: where the Caldera is more energetic and bombastic, the Tessidera leans into refined musicality with an overall more cultivated presentation – liquid and lush, without ever feeling dull.

The ideal choice for anyone who wants the technical ambition of a ZMF planar magnetic headphone, but prefers a smoother, more broadly usable tuning than the Caldera.

LTD editions

Alongside the regular line-up, ZMF periodically releases LTD editions in small runs. They sound just like the corresponding production model and differ only in wood and finish. Currently available in English Brown Oak are the Atrium Open, Atrium Closed, Tessidera and Ori 3.0, and in Zebrawood the Bokeh Open and Bokeh Closed. The Caldera Open and Caldera Closed also come in Koa as numbered one-off sets, orderable with a delivery time of approx. 6–10 weeks.