We ZMF fans are an enthusiastic lot. I think this has a direct bearing on our eagerness to participate in this Watercooler thread and poll, which skews the results more than the actual popularity (and sales figures) of ZMF headphones. We champion the work of Zach, Bevin and the team and feel...

I used to fry eggs on top of my Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amp. (Well, not really, buy I COULD have.)

Mmm…marble cake

Killer trio right there! Now I have to listen to the whole album... Thanks

Need to get to work on those wood "ZMF X Icon Audio Super Secret Select Club" membership cards, shirts and hats. We would be the fashion Icons of any CanJam!

Interesting... So far I have preferred the high impedance setting with my ZMFs. Will go back and listen some more at Medium just to check.

The Caldera Ultra Perf lamb is a real tradeoff between the increased space & perhaps euphonic qualities and decreased bass, impact and richness.

If I could only spend $200 on a pair, I would probably get the Thinksound OV21. They don’t get much attention here on Head Fi but might be the best closed back over ear for the price. Another direction to go would be the Grado SR225x, open back, on ear. But then, if my total budget was $700...

This pad poll kind of got buried in that post, so here’s a little bump for it

A vented IEM sounds like the in-ear equivalent of an open back headphone. Makes sense, but I have never tried any.

Stopped listening to closed-backs when I realized that like IEMs, they aggravate my tinnitus. I do make an exception when I’m in an airplane, and I’ll break out the Beyer t5p v2 (not that they’re my favorite closed-back, but they’re the one I have - a holdover from days as a...

Is it possible you had been using the J2 in its low or mid level volume output setting? When you power off to swap the op-amps, the unit goes back to the default high setting.

Please do! I have not followed through with my plan to get both. I have a tentative deal to get a N1NOS in a couple weeks. Your comparison will be helpful. Thanks.

Wynton Kelly Trio does it again! An under-appreciated stalwart of the scene in the 50s and 60s. Their album with Wes Montgomery, Smokin’ at the Half Note is another winner, not to mention the trio albums Kelly Blue and Kelly Great, which are worth taking a listen to.

The “named” ZMF one-offs are close to your concept already, but the matching headphone and stand one-off concept would be a big hit, commanding a premium price. Adding some super-premium one-offs seems like a possible extension of the concept. It wouldn’t be that off-putting to offer them to...