Closer Examination

Every retail purchase of a ZMF BOKEH will come a single cable that you choose during order, at least when purchased directly from ZMF—retailers may only have a fixed combination. These are functionally identical to the other ZMF stock cables, except of course with a different connector on the headphones side. The cables are soft and braided in black, and you can choose between 3.5/6.35 (1/4") mm single-ended or 4.4 mm/4-pin XLR balanced terminations. The 4.4 mm version is somewhat special though, getting a two-tone sleeve that also looks more premium to me. You can also opt to purchase more than one stock cable or even an upgrade cable during purchase of the BOKEH, but generally I've been more than satisfied with these options. ZMF sent over three stock cables to try out, and all of them use copper conductor underneath. The splitter has the ZMF logo on it and the two channels thereafter end in 3.5 mm TRS connectors, as opposed to mini XLR on the other ZMF headphones, to allow for the BOKEH ear cups to be more petite. There is plenty of strain relief throughout, and we see a red O-ring on the right channel to help identify it. The connectors are not all gold-plated, but I honestly don't mind this if it was done for cost saving.


Now we get our first good look at the ZMF BOKEH, and I will say right away this is not a small set of headphones. If you imagined something more portable such as the more mass-market wireless headphones on the market, then this is not portable by those metrics as much as being more transportable compared to the average ZMF product. The BOKEH has more svelte ear cups, a pre-assembled metal chassis that makes production easier, and is easier to drive to where you can get the most of it with even some portable DAC/amps. You can use the closed-back nature of this set in a shared workspace or room thus, and this is the use case that you should be considering the BOKEH for, not necessarily as something to fold inward and use on a plane or train. The chassis actually has even more parts than the more common ZMF one owing to this, and yet it remains modular to allow for modding and easier repairability. The headband assembly is functionally no different from the ZMF crescent strap we saw on the Caldera models with its leather lining and foam padding, as well as the leather strap underneath that comes adorned with the ZMF letters for branding as with the outside of the headband itself. There is a steel band in the curved section which you can use to bend the headband depending on how you prefer the clamping force/contact angle. At this moment, there is only a leather version of the headband, although ZMF says there will be an all-vegan suede option sooner than later.

[Update, Aug 15, 2024: The vegan headband option is now available.]


There are L/R markings on the inside of the "upright," which is the large black anodized aluminium piece connecting everything together via socket-head screws. This helps indicate the left and right sides of the headphones, respectively. The aluminium yoke rods are given a polished native finish here, which I personally would have rather seen get a black coat for uniformity—your mileage may vary though. The headband sizing mechanism is no different from other ZMF headphones we've seen with several indented notches that allow for easy vertical sizing as well as matching up both sides to the same level. You can adjust how stiffly you want the ear cups to move up and down by using a hex key to tighten or loosen the screw facing outward. As seen above, there is plenty of sizing to allow the BOKEH to fit over heads small or large alike.


Those yoke rods also act as pivot points allowing the ear cups to swivel around that axis, although there is a steel band limiting the movement to 180° here. It adds more control and, frankly, is all I really need with headphones since you have more than enough movement to guarantee a great fit around the ears while also allowing the BOKEH to lie flat. You can also rotate the ear cups around the clamp from the chassis itself for even more flexibility.


The BOKEH also uses ZMF's patented Atrium Damping System involving controlled airflow and venting to fine tune how each driver assembly sounds, which is why we see side ports on the ear cups. Then we get to the star of any ZMF set of headphones, which would be the wooden ear cups. If you go to the ZMF shop now, you will see the current stock wood for the BOKEH is natural black limba with more variations in color and wood features, thus meriting a spot to itself in the second batch of the BOKEH's production. The stock wood for this launch batch demo sample is also black limba, but it is more clean and uniform without a lot of distinction, so I can see why ZMF decided to add some flair with this ruby-color stain added. You will also note how the ear cups are more oval than round, and this gives the ear cups enough room inside to help put out the desired sound signature of the BOKEH. The limba wood feels quite light to hold, and is also a lighter, softer wood than that used on the Caldera and Caldera Closed review samples. This could result in a slower decay of bass notes in particular, but really is something you will only notice doing A/B comparisons of the same headphones with only the ear cups using different wood.


The ear pads come installed with the stitch mark lined up with the cable connectors, thus making it easy for you to align them later. Of course, depending on how these contoured pads fit around your ears, you may want to experiment with rotating them slightly in either direction to get the best seal for you. Removing the ear pads is simple enough, you simply pull them out of the groove between the ear cups and baffle which, unlike the sapele wood used in other models, is a composite of richlite and bamboo with a similar density as sapele. We also get a closer look at the new liquid crystalline polymer dynamic driver used here, although it's hidden under the BOKEH Vented Mesh which comes installed by default. The driver is designed by ZMF and manufactured by an OEM exclusively for use here, so you won't find this available online for others to use. Putting the ear pads back on is not trivial though, given you have slightly oval ear pads going over a more oval ear cup. It can be frustrating, and I have seen many suggested techniques to help, although I will mention here that ZMF sent over some flexible interface rings which I used first on the back of the ear pads to pre-stretch them, and then placed them inside underneath the padding while installing the pads. This made the process significantly easier, and I understand ZMF is going to produce them at some point. I can't stress enough how much it helps pad rolling on the BOKEH, which can be a crucial component of getting the headphones sound to your preference.


The BOKEH uses ZMF's recently developed family of Caldera ear pads, and the timing was such as these top-only perforated pads worked simultaneously for the Caldera Closed too. These are contoured pads with specific left and right sides and have a flexible sleeving which can be stretched into the grooves of the ear cups themselves with some effort as mentioned above. The stock pads are hybrid in design and I was ready to declare them to be the same as the stock Caldera Closed hybrid pads, but then I realized these are slightly thinner! ZMF confirmed as much, and thus these will be henceforth referred to as "Caldera Thin Hybrid, Top Perf." pads for convenience. The inner lining is made of suede, there is a mesh to prevent dust and other contaminants from hitting the drivers, and the rest of the outer surface is premium lambskin. You can also choose to have protein leather or vegan suede pads instead, as we will discuss in detail soon enough. These hybrid stock thickness pads are perforated on the contact surface and solid on the sides to have a balance of airflow through the pads but with controlled diffusion as from a solid pad. The inside has stiffer-than-average gel infused slow rebound foam, the pads are more oval than round with 110 mm spacing at the widest point and closer to 104 mm on the other side, with a 72 mm ear cavity that is big enough to accommodate even those blessed with larger ears.


On the bottom of the ear cups, towards the middle where the pad stitching lines up, is where we find the 3.5 mm cable connectors jutting out slightly from a brass (probably) insert on the surface of the cups. Connecting the cable is simple in that you simply push the cable in until it locks in place, and you pull it out carefully to disconnect. Going with dual 3.5 mm connectors also means a wider variety of aftermarket cable options too, although no doubt ZMF would prefer to interest you in its own optional upgrade cables first. Depending on the cable and the connector type chosen, you can get different lengths and your choice of single-ended or balanced connectors on the source side—these then head over to your headphone amplifier as usual. As with the other ZMF headphones, this headband assembly will end up resting on a stand as seen above, but ZMF says the high quality leather will withstand said pressure without issues—I still recommend against going with one of those omega-style stands that may add unnecessary wear to the ear pads.


If you choose to go for the optional case, this is currently custom-made for the BOKEH only, although I understand ZMF is considering making larger versions for its own headphones too. The BOKEH, as no doubt the upcoming BOKEH Open, fits in easily with the sizing rods facing up and the ear cups placed flat. The case also can be a makeshift stand, but I don't recommend it either since it's not exactly stable.

[Update, Aug 15, 2024: ZMF has confirmed a full-size version of this case is going to be released in the next month or even earlier.]