[SlothRock]

I'm also now a dedicated stabilized launch ZMF buyer. Great to know you're getting the exact wood grain or color you want before spending the big $$$

 

[zach915m]

My new Atriums arrived yesterday, and I've got to say that from here on in I want to see what I'm getting before I pay thousands of dollars, so I'll be buying used.
https://i.postimg.cc/66n04SCt/IMG-6331.jpg

Hey @mvneufeld - I believe we've already helped you out in private but I'm happy to respond publicly as well.

I responded to your PM with this (on a sunday, in 22 minutes of your message being sent):

Is there an indent on the cup or just those branch marks? Unfortunately resin, branch and discolorations are very natural to cherry and would be within most sets. If there's an indent we can definitely swap the set free of charge, if not and it's just natural cherry variation, best thing would be to return them within our policies, and grab a stabilized or Ltd edition set coming up with a different wood that you might like more.

Please reply to this at this email address and our support tram will help you out:

Support@zmfheadphones.com

Then you emailed us and we responded with:

Thanks for email and reaching out. While some of the markings on the headphone do appear to be natural branch marks, which are innate to cherry and present on most cups, we would like to take a closer look based on your photos.
Please find attached here a return label to send your unit in so we can take a look and be in touch with options.

Thanks so much for reaching out and being a ZMF owner. We will be in touch and aim to get you taken care of as soon as possible.

You then stated that instead you did some of your own finishing work and wanted to keep them as is. Which is absolutely fine and definitely the right of any ZMF owner, even if we don't recommend it!

I would stress to any future ZMF owner that the stock wood models, like those of cherry, will show the innate features of the wood. We have gotten a number of emails of new cherry owners questioning the knots, resin marks, branch marks and spots on their cherry sets. And these are totally natural to cherry and on almost every set. It's just the way cherry is. I even paid extra for "prime grade" cherry and there is no getting rid of that natural feature. I actually adore these markings in wood as reminders of the living thing they once were, and appreciate the warm natural tone that all cherry brings to the eye.

Typically I recommend stock wood to those that want the least expensive ZMF, and are more worried about sonics while still getting the benefit of all solid wood. We put every effort into all stock and LTD wood editions, but we don't stain or cover features that are natural or innate to each species, instead we let them be featured to show that what we work with is all solid natural wood.

Hope this all makes sense, thanks for trying them!

 

[zach915m]

I'm also now a dedicated stabilized launch ZMF buyer. Great to know you're getting the exact wood grain or color you want before spending the big $$$

This is absolutely a great option if you want to forego the return policy to get something where you know what you're getting and is 1 of 1 and will hold it's value super well!

 

[SlothRock]

This is absolutely a great option if you want to forego the return policy to get something where you know what you're getting and is 1 of 1 and will hold it's value super well!

Also just stressing that I love both the ZMF's I have gotten that were "blind buys" and had 0 issues with either . I just like that with stabilized runs you get what you mention in that you know exactly what the look is like prior to buying.

 

[Takarajima]

We have gotten a number of emails of new cherry owners questioning the knots, resin marks, branch marks and spots on their cherry sets. And these are totally natural to cherry and on almost every set. It's just the way cherry is. I even paid extra for "prime grade" cherry and there is no getting rid of that natural feature.

This is very true imho and consistent with my experience. I've known this when I received the cherry Eikon (which was my first ZMF). I didn't feel very good at first but later I got to understand hidden costs of soft wood. Now I don't expect zero mark from lower zanka scores.

Hard wood such as African Blackwood (or perhaps stabilized wood too) OTOH is much difficult to have such marks. And that's obviously one of the systematic benefits at the cost of weight.

But I do think putting Zach's those comments (the exact quote above) on the notes in the product page of the ZMF shop would be more transparent and healthy. Particularly for those who're getting authentic wood products for the first time.

 

[zach915m]

This is very true imho and consistent with my experience. I've known this when I received the cherry Eikon (which was my first ZMF). I didn't feel very good at first but later I got to understand hidden costs of soft wood. Now I don't expect zero mark from lower zanka scores.

Hard wood such as African Blackwood (or perhaps stabilized wood too) OTOH is much difficult to have such marks. And that's obviously one of the systematic benefits at the cost of weight.

But I do think putting Zach's those comments (the exact quote above) on the notes in the product page of the ZMF shop would be more transparent and healthy. Particularly for those who're getting authentic wood products for the first time.

Yeah I think you're right! I just wrote this on the product page for cherry:

I also know that not everyone reads it, but I would recommend reading our terms and conditions when checking out, some people may not like them, but these terms are what enables us to stay in business and keep making headphones, we don't let anyone make a purchase without agreeing to them:

The link on the terms and condition brings you to a page where the second FAQ down is:

The wood on my headphones doesn't look like it did on the site!?
Wood being a natural product, comes in many colors, textures, densities, and varieties. There is a large amount of variation within the same species and even the same board. We try to picture the product which best represents the whole batch, but deviations should always be expected.

Every headphone is hand matched by grain direction, color, cut and pore size.

A finishes general luster is determined by the type of product employed. The oil content of the wood determines which product/method is used. Rest assured we've done the leg work to determine the best match for each varietal, and nothing goes out the door we aren't confident in meeting the ZMF standard of beauty, longevity and acoustic quality.

I know it's a lot, but I would also recommend reading the Wood webpage on our site. Where we go into even more detail on wood:

https://www.zmfheadphones.com/wood

An excerpt:

What will it look like? Will it look like the pictures on the site?

Regardless of the headphone ordered, all of our products are made from solid wood without laminates or veneer. No two pieces of wood are the same and you should expect variance from the pictures you have seen both on the website and from other ZMF owners on forums. ZMF may use stains, colorants, or leave the wood natural based on our expertise and sensibilities and we cannot customize this upon request.

Over time the wood used in your ZMF will change and may darken or change appearance over time. You may experience changes with exposure to heat, cold, dampness, dryness and a myriad of other possible conditions. Additionally, wood species will show defining characteristics that are innate to each type, cut and piece of wood. Mineral deposits, streaks, holes, knots, sap runs, wormholes and other characteristics are normal and can be expected. These markings are part of what makes your ZMF, and each piece of wood beautiful and unique.

We try to capture in image the most median set as it relates to quality, beauty, and natural markings of each wood species.

I know this is a ton of reading, and that we have a lot of info on our website. We make a complicated product from a natural medium and do our best to communicate, but I totally agree, moar is always better!

 

[mvneufeld]

Thank you, Zach, for the personal email. I appreciate your and ZMF's excellent customer support!

 

[433521]

Also just stressing that I love both the ZMF's I have gotten that were "blind buys" and had 0 issues with either . I just like that with stabilized runs you get what you mention in that you know exactly what the look is like prior to buying.

I've bought headphones and accessories from ZMF and the service has been fine. My only complaint (which was clear to me going in, or should have been) was how long it took to get them ... even though it was sooner than the six weeks promised, it FEELS long without updates. Also, it'd be nice to know if, we took different options, to get the headphones sooner. Like, antique copper or copper. 4.4. mm otc or 3.5 mm otc ... which special cable holds things up? I am guessing you lose orders on accessories because people don't want to delay the headphones for an added cable that isn't done, which seems to your policy. Which is fine, but I'd like to have the heads up so I can opt out of the accessory purchase or change the type of wood to get it sooner.

Information is important to customers.

 

[433521]

. Straight up organic wood

Organic wood? Is this a new offering? Where do you source the organic wood, another planet? All wood on earth is heavily polluted.

 

[433521]

I own the Eikon and the Atrium. What would the next logical addition be? I am partial to open back headphones.

DCA Stealth honestly, if you mean next ZMF, I love my Auteur and am thinking of getting a Classic to compare to Atrium, which plays a little wide for me. I prefer a more intimate sound it appears! Atrium sounds FANTASTIC, just a little hard searching out all the notes on the wide soundstage.

 

[zach915m]

I've bought headphones and accessories from ZMF and the service has been fine. My only complaint (which was clear to me going in, or should have been) was how long it took to get them ... even though it was sooner than the six weeks promised, it FEELS long without updates. Also, it'd be nice to know if, we took different options, to get the headphones sooner. Like, antique copper or copper. 4.4. mm otc or 3.5 mm otc ... which special cable holds things up? I am guessing you lose orders on accessories because people don't want to delay the headphones for an added cable that isn't done, which seems to your policy. Which is fine, but I'd like to have the heads up so I can opt out of the accessory purchase or change the type of wood to get it sooner.

Information is important to customers.

We've changed our email update system and send out emails approximating each stage with other details on the build.

It's pretty rare these days that any cable isn't done in time for shipping as we have a dedicated employee who makes cables. If it is delayed we almost always send the headphone ahead of time with stock cables or give the international customer options.

I appreciate the thoughts don't worry though all this stuff is what keeps me up at night and I'm always striving to make things better for everyone who tries a ZMF.

In the end there will always be some trade off for a more unique crafted product vs a moulded one that's homogenous.

 

[mvneufeld]

Folks, I've deleted my earlier post in light of the excellent response I received from Zach and ZMF. I've never dealt with a company that is so genuinely committed to creating great products and having happy customers. I'm truly impressed, and would wholeheartedly recommend ZMF headphones to anyone who's interested in owning the best headphones around.

 

[jgwtriode]

Yup everybody knows that ZMF is as close to a family as you will find in the audio industry. Zach and Bevin go out of there way to make all their customers feel that
way. Nobody does customer service to the degree they do in my experience. They do sometimes get a bit busy and are a bit delayed but I have found they always respond and always follow up. You can't ask for more.

Happy listening and purchasing,

jgwtriode

 

[Sajid Amit]

Yup everybody knows that ZMF is as close to a family as you will find in the audio industry. Zach and Bevin go out of there way to make all their customers feel that
way. Nobody does customer service to the degree they do in my experience. They do sometimes get a bit busy and are a bit delayed but I have found they always respond and always follow up. You can't ask for more.

Happy listening and purchasing,

jgwtriode

Absolutely.

 

[rhenom]

Owner of three ZMFs (even had a fourth), loved the video, amazing how they keep innovating, and always wish them the greatest continued success...

But am I the only one who wishes (and I know my wish counts for nothing and should count for nothing here, because I am just expressing a personal feeling) they'd stay away from getting too fancy with the colors? All the different colors of the natural wood with the different lacquer finishes are beautiful and I find that that's what ZMF is about. It creates an organic feel about the entire ZMF line-up.

Then moving into Rosson Audio type coloring something is a bit lost. Same with the red-ish chassis and leather straps, etc. I find them beautiful units but slightly less ZMF-y, slightly less natural looking. I think I'm just getting old. Only posting knowing that I am wrong but to see if anyone else feels wrong with me.

I don't see the problem. The resin/stabilized models are extremely limited runs. It's not like they are going away from natural wood or anything. Both cocobolo and ebony wood are incoming.