Bokeh Closed

Looking forward to your impressions on the Bokeh Open vs JOAL. :) I had the bokeh closed and found it and the JOAL worked very well in a collection together.

Zmf bokeh closed. They do everything so well imo

currently my go to laid back is the ZMF Bokeh Closed - though i might considering getting a 6xx again in the future

Hey everyone! Super excited to share my current setup! I use half of my gear for audio engineering purposes but really enjoy the audiophile treatment when I am not working. Currently testing the Diana MRs to see how they fit in my audio engineering and audiophile workflow (will probably post a review in the future once I get my thoughts together). Enjoying the many different synergies in this setup and would love to hear your thoughts and what is your 2026 set up :)

I would say that with mode 2 switched on it has a surprisingly spacious presentation. It makes the MR feel extremely clean and balanced while not being to lean in the mid range. There is also a punchier bass response that becomes pretty quick in comparison to my other sources. It allows me more insight in the mix without feeling artificial. How do you like the Schitt Lokius within your chain?

Hey dude :) To answer your question: The Empyrean II (which are the ones I have not the OG) have less sound stage then the 800s but have a warmer smoother mid range alongside a thumpier mid bass with good sub bass extension. The Empyrean II are just a really smooth headphone overall. It also heavier yet more comfortable in some ways ( has a really pillowy feeling to its earpads That being said, the 800s has more treble detail and separation and better 360 degree sound imaging. oh also I would say the 800s has a slightly more natural timbre. The main difference between the OG and revamp version of the Empyreans is the bass and treble - OG from what I heard online is bassier and has less top end.

I have used many tube setups and EQ with the 800s and the Pietus Maximus feels like it was built for the 800s. It retain its sparkle without having sibilance. The soundstage shrinks a little bit but is totally worth it for the added midrange warmth and bass extension. That being said, my favorite pairing thus far with the Pietus is my ZMF Bokehs. It makes the headphone sound large and epic. I really enjoyed playing Battlefield 6 with them recently.

Thanks a bunch, Currently I like the Diana MRs as a total headphone system given that I can drive them on both portable devices, tubes, and Solid States and get great but different experiences. Also I mix and master and have been seeing how they perform in that area given their coverage throughout the over all freq range. That being said, I just got the Nitsch Pietus and have been digging the ZMF Bokehs and 800S with as I feel that system really completes those headphones!

Yo! Yes the Nitsch Pietus Maximus is alot warmer then your average solid state amp. It completely cools off all of my brighter tuned headphones. As for the Bokeh closed I totally understand your hesitation, it is not know for sparkly treble at all and its bass is not super punchy but rather smooth. If you you want to try headphones and return them if you don't like them especially ZMFs, you should try ordering from The Audio Room's website. You can return your stuff in 30 days if you don't like it- I was able to do it for a couple of pieces of gear in the past.

At the moment the Abyss MR are my favorite :) Mainly due to their ability to maintian natural timbre to my ears while having good coverage throughout most of the freq range. The LCD X is my main headphone that use your mixing and mastering my movies as it has the ability to become any sound signature I want through EQ without distortion. It is also my girlfriend's favorite headphone :D I am currently seeing how the Diana MR's function as a mixing, gaming, and audiophile all rounder headphone. So far they are holding up! By the way, what are your thoughts on the Niore X? Had my eye on them awhile back.

Yo! The Empyrean II is a comfort headphone in that it makes things sound smooth while maintaining a good level of resolution. It has a pretty good sound stage and is probably the most comfortable headphone out there. In comparison the LCD X has better bass size, and is more neutral - the Empyrean II is a warm headphone. Audeze is not known for there comfort given there weight in comparison to other headphone brands especially Meze. I would say the there are barely any headphones out there are worth 3,000. The Meze Empyrean II felt worth it. But if I needed something for mixing and mastering, I would stay away from Meze period. I only say this because that is typically what the Audeze X is known for. Let me know if my explanation helps or if you need anything explained further :)

I would say your impressions of the Bokeh and Organics are pretty close to mine. The pair of Utopia I have are the originals vs the 2022 edition which is not has warm but has more treble energy which can give perceived resolution to upper freqs. Thinking about upgrading my Bokehs to the Atrium Closed and Organics to the 1000 unveiled - will have both in this week and will return/sell them depending on my feelings. As for the Diana MR, they are currently my favorite pair of headphones. They have a very extended treble response which creates this large since of depth and imaging despite the soundstage being moderate. In addition I finds its timbre(especially when paired with tubes) to feel organic, almost as good as HD600 in the mids but more accurate in the bass and treble response. Would recommend trying out different pads with the Diana MR as they make a huge difference - more so then pad swapping on ZMFs surprisingly. What's your favorite pairing with your HD600s?

All so true what you've said here. And oh wait until you get something like a Hifiman Sundara and pair it with a decent DAC. It blows your socks off. The soundstage, imaging, dynamics, clarity is mind boggling. I could not believe what I was hearing. It changed music for me. Sorry about the long upcoming audio journey of mine, but feels like a good space to be able to share my journey as well. I hope I don't come off as snobbish, I have fairly high end gear now. 😅 Now a few years down the line, now my product owned line up is as follows (in chronological order of purchase): ATH-AR3BT (On a trip to Japan, M50 was all the rage, thanks to MKBHD) Sony WF-1000XM3 (refurbished, first foray into TWS, wanted something for general sports, cycling etc) FiiO K3 (Was using BT on the AR3BT for CS:GO first, realized the latency is probably holding me back, plugged in 3.5mm on my laptop, realized it was broken - audio on one side only, so got a dac with a volume knob, initially didn't realize the sound difference between bluetooth and the DAC and panicked that I wasted 8k, until I heard it and could never go back) Hifiman Sundara (Had been exploring audio till I landed on audiophile territory and read plenty about it, initially it sounded meh but when I listened over a few days, it was just OMFG what sorcery is this. This experience made me fairly confident that burn-in is real, whatever people might have to say) Moondrop Aria (read reviews that it sounds similar to the Sundara in a relatively budget category and wanted something portable. Well no, not similar as such but a fantastic warmly tuned IEM, eventually also tried out the SpinFit CP-1, great pairing, opened up the sound even more, better soundstage) Shanling UA2 (wanted an ESS DAC that I can use with the IEM, mainly for travel, that ESS sharpness pairs surprisingly well with the Aria, not so much with the other devices I own, haven't really tried much with the AR3BT) QAcoustics 3020i + SMSL AO200 (Entered speakers territory with a speaker amp, never heard speakers so good and so holographic) 2x QAcoustics QB12 (Well, explored sub bass territory, placed an order, found another place cheaper and ordered from there as well, couldn't cancel first order, ended up with two subs, not that I regret it) E70 Velvet (Moved the speakers to my TV, and needed a DAC there, beautiful AKM chipset DAC, very very smooth and non-fatiguing sound, yet retaining all the nuances in audio) Sony WF-1000XM5 (XM3 started glitching out, one side randomly stopping to work, XM3 also had a poor mic setup, saw good reviews for these and got them. Quite good compact tws with okay sound - spinfit w1 does help the sound a lot, but reduces noise isolation) Edifier MR4 (A smaller active speaker for my office desk, conmected to line out of my K3. While it doesn't come close to the QAcoustics, I was surprised how good these Edifiers can be in a near field listening setup, good soundstage, not the same level of clarity and holographicness, but very crisp and even sounding, good bass without a subwoofer) Cayin RU7 (wanted to know what the R2R buzz is about, this is however 1 bit, not multibit, and by far the most impactful in terms of sound presentation, all the notes are so much, more present and wider. And the soundstage expanded further. The difference in sound is insane, and became my go to for the Sundara) Focal Auditor ASE-165 (got a new car with shit speakers unfortunately, this was the cheapest and easiest drop in replacements for my speakers without needing an amp immediately, pretty good for the price! Lot of clarity in the sound in my car now) ZMF Bokeh Closed (wanted a closed headphone that could do something the Sundara did for me, since I now share my office space with my wife. Not exactly how I imagined it, but ended up liking it a lot, fun and immersive sound, some tracks can literally tickle the ears. This pairs again really well with the K3. I tried the NPR audio quality test - paired with the RU7, finally could pick up the differences in uncompressed and mp3 files. Couldn't do that on the Sundara)

ZMF Bokeh Closed for me. I kept hearing how warm it was (which is why I bought it, so it could be my antithesis to my HE1000se) and nobody talked about how much detail there still is. It’s such a fun headphone, very open sounding for a closed back so soundstage is fine, imagine is great, but you never feel fatigued. The headband lives up to the hype ZMF has earned around it. I have a review coming up on it. Close second would be the HE1000se though, just never realized how much detail there is, how big the soundstage and the sound can feel, and how holographic and laser sharp imaging can be in songs until you hear those.