ZMF & The New Verite Closed-Back Headphones – RMAF 2019
Running a wide open exhibit every day of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2019 was ZMF Headphones. “Busy, busy, busy” was the name of the game all weekend for Zach Mehrbach, Owner of ZMF Headphones. So much so, that Zach was often unavailable for comment about his booth during show hours. As with such tragedies, there is usually a silver lining to be found somewhere, and in this case our silver lining had a name: Bevin Mehrbach.
Bevin Mehrbach is often referred to amongst the audiophile press (and industry partners) as “the brains of the operation” over at ZMF Headphones. This is not to say that Zach’s role at ZMF is not crucial to the day-to-day business of ZMF, it’s just that if someone is going to stand around and look cute, it might as well be him.
While at the ZMF Headphones booth with Bevin, I felt more comfortable asking in-depth and technical questions about the new Verite Closed headphones that were already making a splash around the HeadSpace show floor gossip.
The new Verite Closed shares the same driver as the Verite open-back headphones. The Verite Closed is the “most closed” design that ZMF has ever brought to market. ZMF’s other closed variants are still considered vented models, so the new Verite Closed more than lives up to its distinct designation in both name and design.
The new Verite Closed features a new air-flow technology that allows the headphones to perform much like the open-back model and sound spatially accurate. ZMF’s proprietary Beryllium coated PEN driver, super lightweight magnesium chassis round out the features of the most complex acoustic design yet from ZMF.
The usual Verite hallmark characteristics of being spacious and fast moving remain, but in a new highly isolated earcup architecture. The impetus behind making the Verite Closed model was based in Zach and Bevin’s belief in the Verite driver. Was it good enough to be used in a sealed version? Could Zach build a sealed headphone that truly held up the favorable abilities of the Verite driver’s performance? The answer is a resounding YES.
The Verite Closed is up on the ZMF Headphones website, and will go live for purchase on September 20th 2019 at 11am EST, and under limited release. The first run of fifty Verite Closed headphones will be available for $300 USD off the starting list price of $2,199.99 USD
The stock wood for Verite Closed will be MonkeyPod (also known as Parota), but the first limited edition Verite Closed release will be in legally, ethically, and sustainably obtained Desert Ironwood. This specific species of wood is popular in high-end knife making for its extreme density and is found in the USA’s Sonoran Desert region.
by Eric Franklin Shook
