General Headphone Audio

Raymond Lin · 9 Feb 2026 at 11:39

Noxia said:
Accchtually there is one more way, Elise Audio who are also in London. Interestingly they aren't listed on ZMF as a partner but I know that place has been around for yonks and is run by an enthusiast

Oh nice, and they have the Bokeh Closed in stock!

Angst · 10 Feb 2026 at 09:36

Come across these this morning, after seeing all the ZMF talk its very tempting to build some knockoff's.

Raymond Lin · 10 Feb 2026 at 09:54

Do it!

I wonder what the headband quality is like. I think I’ve actually seen fully made ones for about £450/500 too. They even call it the Atrium.

Which begs the question on why hasn't China copied the Tungsten yet.

EFEP Over-Ear Full Size Magnetic Flat Atrium Open Back HiFi Headphones - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Angst · 10 Feb 2026 at 10:23

Raymond Lin said:
Do it!

I wonder what the headband quality is like. I think I’ve actually seen fully made ones for about £450/500 too. They even call it the Atrium.

Which begs the question on why hasn't China copied the Tungsten yet.

EFEP Over-Ear Full Size Magnetic Flat Atrium Open Back HiFi Headphones - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

At that price point, it doesn't seem worth it over buying the proper ones to me. Especially when you get no idea on what they actually sound like. Worth a punt at around 100 with drivers though, maybe next month.

Raymond Lin · 10 Feb 2026 at 10:37

Angst said:
At that price point, it doesn't seem worth it over buying the proper ones to me. Especially when you get no idea on what they actually sound like. Worth a punt at around 100 with drivers though, maybe next month.

I have a feeling a factory makes the wood shell and the hardware, like the frame, headband, then ZMF stains and assembles them (my Bogner Atma amp is labelled "hand assembled in California" because California has stricter laws regarding origin. Some states in the US are less so and it can be labelled as "made in the USA",

I believe ZMF do source their wood from 3rd party, so perhaps the drivers then are made from another factory and assemble them in house. I don't recall seeing them having a mill or metal foundry in their video lol. Even that grill looks way too close to be just a copy, almost like it's just the same factory and these are made in out of office hours so the time on the factory isn't wasted.

Angst · 10 Feb 2026 at 10:43

Raymond Lin said:
I have a feeling a factory makes the wood shell and the hardware, like the frame, headband, then ZMF stains and assembles them (my Bogner Atma amp is labelled "hand assembled in California" because California has stricter laws regarding origin. Some states in the US are less so and it can be labelled as "made in the USA",

I believe ZMF do source their wood from 3rd party, so perhaps the drivers then are made from another factory and assemble them in house. I don't recall seeing them having a mill or metal foundry in their video lol. Even that grill looks way too close to be just a copy, almost like it's just the same factory and these are made in out of office hours so the time on the factory isn't wasted.

Ah, maybe you are right. With their price points and lead times on orders, I had just assumed they did all the woodwork etc themselves.

Raymond Lin · 10 Feb 2026 at 11:05

edit - it seems I was wrong!

Angst · 10 Feb 2026 at 11:15

Raymond Lin said:
PRS guitars, the expensive range are made in Maryland, USA. They literally buy in planks of wood, sort them, grade them, then it goes through a process of drying in a controlled environment. Then CNC cut to size, hand sanded. They also have in-house people making the pickups, wound them in-house. The only thing they don’t show is smelting the metal to make all the hardware or melting and moulding plastic (these are bought in). Everything else like cutting the wood, staining the wood, sanding the wood, winding the pick up, setting up the guitar. It is all in their factory tour video and they are very proud of it. I know PRS is like 100 times the size of ZMF but I would expect him to mention the wood making part if they are in house as it is one of the KEY components and selling point of the brand.

PRS USA are like ZMF’s main range, they starts around £3,000 up to as much as you want.

I know in order to achieve the lower price point of the Bokeh, they source those from a 3rd party. I have always assumed the original like the Atrium and before were all CNC and finished in house. I can only find 2 videos of their “factory tour” on Youtube. Whilst there is a mention of CNC.

Like in this video, I don't see any large CNC machine that turns blocks of wood into ear cups. There is only that single machine cutting the MDF wood(?) where the drivers are attached to at 3:32. I just don't see how they are doing all the wood work and metal work and leather stitching headband...in this space. I think it's more the polish, staining, perhaps resin work and assembly like soldering and wiring.

The purist part of me hopes they make everything in-house but the cynic in me doesn’t see it. They do sound good, but I understand from a business POV that outsourcing is the best way.

Seems a bit much to call it a "Factory" tour if they are just assembling and not actually fabricating any of the parts themselves. I always thought their prices were very expensive but it was fair enough with it being a boutique product that they hand made or whatever. If all they are doing is assembling from parts machined in china then those prices are just absurd.

Raymond Lin · 10 Feb 2026 at 11:25

That room is not designed to do any of the woodwork, there is not enough ventilation for a start and the doors between the rooms will need to be self-closing due to all the dust it generates. That set up in the video, the 6 work tops he mentioned is good for assembly, not enough for the woodwork. You would need several belt sander for a start, 1 machine for cutting the wood into blocks of the size of an ear cup, another to do CNC. That's 3 wood working bench. Oh, there also need to be a storage space for the raw materials.

There is no mention of any of that.

Angst · 10 Feb 2026 at 11:27

Raymond Lin said:
That room is not designed to do any of the woodwork, there is not enough ventilation for a start and the doors between the rooms will need to be self-closing due to all the dust it generates. That set up in the video, the 6 work tops he mentioned is good for assembly, not enough for the woodwork. You would need several belt sander for a start, 1 machine for cutting the wood into blocks of the size of an ear cup, another to do CNC. That's 3 wood working bench. Oh, there also need to be a storage space for the raw materials.

There is no mention of any of that.

Ive just found this that shows they at least used to do it in-house. Maybe they just hadn't got the new space setup with equipment yet in that other tour.

Raymond Lin · 10 Feb 2026 at 11:31

Angst said:
Ive just found this that shows they at least used to do it in-house. Maybe they just hadn't got the new space setup with equipment yet in that other tour.

Hmmm, I hope they still do do that, I know the Bokeh isn't, hence the lower price point.

The video I linked to is only a year old.

Raymond Lin · 10 Feb 2026 at 11:33

Okay....I take it all back....they do have a machine shop but it's in St Louis, not in the same building!

But like all their videos, even this 12 min one, he pays little to no time in the earlier part. by 1 min 30 in he goes straight into assembly.

Which begs the question...chinese knock off looks very accurate!

Angst · 10 Feb 2026 at 12:40

Raymond Lin said:
Okay....I take it all back....they do have a machine shop but it's in St Louis, not in the same building!

But like all their videos, even this 12 min one, he pays little to no time in the earlier part. by 1 min 30 in he goes straight into assembly.

Which begs the question...chinese knock off looks very accurate!

And even that video is 3 years old, so older than the first one you linked to. It does certainly seem like maybe they've cut costs and outsourced as theyve grown doesnt it.

Although read this on a product page

"All ZMF stabilized resin wood is harvested, processed, stabilized, machined, and assembled in the USA."

Raymond Lin · 10 Feb 2026 at 12:44

Angst said:
And even that video is 3 years old, so older than the first one you linked to. It does certainly seem like maybe they've cut costs and outsourced as theyve grown doesnt it.

Although read this on a product page

"All ZMF stabilized resin wood is harvested, processed, stabilized, machined, and assembled in the USA."

What about most of the non-stablized resin wood? Stabilised resin is a small portion of their sales, they are almost always limited.

Angst · 10 Feb 2026 at 12:45

Yea ive not seen anything specified for hardwood designs.

Alz_D · 10 Feb 2026 at 17:36

Any suggestions on larger tips for IEM's? Bought some Kiwi Ears for when I'm out and about, the largest of the included tips just about seal but aren't the best. Tried the Kiwi Ears Flex, even the large one doesn't seal won't secure the IEM.. Tried the Clarion TRI in large (14m) and don't seal or secure, even tried Sonicfoam tips but the large aren't comfy and sound garbage. I'm at the point of returning or reselling the IEM and just getting some easy to drive closed backs!

Raymond Lin · 10 Feb 2026 at 17:51

Alz_D said:
Any suggestions on larger tips for IEM's? Bought some Kiwi Ears for when I'm out and about, the largest of the included tips just about seal but aren't the best. Tried the Kiwi Ears Flex, even the large one doesn't seal won't secure the IEM.. Tried the Clarion TRI in large (14m) and don't seal or secure, even tried Sonicfoam tips but the large aren't comfy and sound garbage. I'm at the point of returning or reselling the IEM and just getting some easy to drive closed backs!

This is going to sound a bit extreme but the Dunu Titan 2 comes with a LOT of tips, and the entire IEM is like £50 (get it when there is a voucher). Check out the picture. It also comes with a cable that can swap the end from 3.5mm to 4.4mm balanced and it also comes with a case, and the IEM itself...which I think sounds as good as my Truthear Hexa but with more bass, so I guess similar to the Pure.

Is £50 a lot of money for some tips? Yes, but the rest of the stuff is worth it.

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mrk · 10 Feb 2026 at 21:18

The rise and fall of once great names, this is an interesting read, interesting in that it highlights why Chinese brands have taken over, we knew why anyway, but it's nice to see it publicised on a bigger arena for once.

Legacy Hi-Fi Brands Are Dying Out as a New Class of Audio Brands Takes Over

The same fixes keep getting tried, but they keep failing for the same reasons across multiple brands.

www.headphonesty.com

henry hoov3r · 10 Feb 2026 at 21:57

mrk said:
The rise and fall of once great names, this is an interesting read, interesting in that it highlights why Chinese brands have taken over, we knew why anyway, but it's nice to see it publicised on a bigger arena for once.

Legacy Hi-Fi Brands Are Dying Out as a New Class of Audio Brands Takes Over

The same fixes keep getting tried, but they keep failing for the same reasons across multiple brands.

www.headphonesty.com

There are some real Chi-fi bargains to be had. I bought a set of Hifiman Editions XS’s this week and for the money they are hard to beat. The headband on them is pretty pants tho.

Angst · 11 Feb 2026 at 07:53

henry hoov3r said:
There are some real Chi-fi bargains to be had. I bought a set of Hifiman Editions XS’s this week and for the money they are hard to beat. The headband on them is pretty pants tho.

Getting a capra strap for them will help a lot. If you cant 3d print one, scan sells them.