Not sure which you will prefer, but I'll just throw in that most reports suggest that the Vali 3 is well worth the extra $40 over the 2++

I have found the Atrium (open, with the solid mesh and a touch of eq) to be very forgiving with lower quality recordings.

The back of the unit appears to be marked for 230V?

Thanks for this one! Had never heard of this Austrian (?) band and they are right up my alley.

An email from Sparkos came this morning with news that Mr. and Mrs. Sparkos are expecting a baby - and with that cause for celebration - here's a discount code for a limited time only. Grerat time to snag a SS2590 or three (or anything else you might need). We ain't done this in awhile. And...

An email from Sparkos came this morning with news that Mr. and Mrs. Sparkos are expecting a baby - and with that cause for celebration - here's a discount code for a limited time only. Grerat time to snag a SS2590 or three (or anything else you might need). We ain't done this in awhile. And...

Would love to hear the Nimbus some day, but on paper it looks to be pretty amazing. You should be fine with all ZMFs from a capability standpoint. Will it match your sonic preferences? Only you can say...

Don't own one, but heard the Violectric v222 at CanJam with the VO and AO, and I thought they were a great match. The slight warmth and bass punch were terrific with the ZMFs

"I'll take OnlySo Many for $1,000, Alex." "And it's our Daily Double! The answer is; the third custom pair of headphones made from OnlySoMany's familial wood." "What is the ZMF Caldera Closed?"

I have just recently learned that NOS tubes may need many hours of burn-in to settle down and sound the way they should. Not saying every one will improve, but those more knowledgeable than me have told me. [Please, any tube experts, chime in here.]

They sent me a replacement (which sounds great) right away. I had purchased from them via eBay and handled the return/exchange via eBay as well. They did not make me return the faulty tube.

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.