Lest you thought I was finished after visiting just two manufacturers at the World of Headphones at High End 2025, behold this article covering brand-new head-fi products from three more companies. I saw limited-edition stuff, gear for globetrotting hi-fi nuts, and a versatile pair of pro-audio-cum-consumer-grade over-ears. All prices are in euros and US dollars, and, where available, in British pounds.
iFi Audio presentation
First up are two new travel-oriented devices from iFi Audio. The British firm put together an excellent little press conference, complete with airport-themed aesthetics, to introduce its latest pocket-sized hi-fi products, the Up Travel, coming in at €99, $99, or £99; and the Go Pod Air (€249, $249, or £249), an update of the existing Go Pod.
The thumb-sized Up Travel has the ability to both send and receive a Bluetooth signal. On one end is a USB-C port, and the other has a 3.5mm stereo plug that folds into the side of the unit when it’s not in use. The idea is that the Up Travel can be plugged into (for example) the audio jack on an airplane seat to enable listeners to enjoy in-flight entertainment using their own wireless headphones. It can connect to two pairs at once, enabling two people to listen to the same source with their own headphones. The Cirrus Logic chipset ensures that audio quality is top-notch. Or, change modes and use the Up Travel as a Bluetooth receiver, and plug it into a stereo auxiliary jack to enable Bluetooth audio in the car or with a stereo system with a 3.5mm input. iFi claims the Up Travel’s battery will last up to 10 hours, so the little thing is ready for long flights, long workdays, or long relaxation sessions. The Up Travel is available for preorder now and is expected to ship in June.
iFi Audio Up Travel transmitter/receiver
Also enabling Bluetooth use where it once seemed impossible is the new Go Pod Air, sold as a pair with travel case included. The tiny, wearable Bluetooth receivers are designed to connect to IEMs with removeable cables, allowing them to become wireless. An upgrade over the currently available Go Pod, each Go Pod Air receiver features iFi’s automatic impedance-matching amplifier. The carefully designed Bluetooth circuitry is said to maximize audio and call quality with any pair of IEMs. The iFi reps emphasized that the Go Pod Air units are a bit lighter than the original Go Pod devices, but that the size and weight of the case have been greatly reduced over the older model to maximize portability. The Go Pod Air is also available for preorder, and will ship by May 22, just a few days after the show wraps. I’m intrigued—I own (and paid full price for) an iFi Go Blu and a Hip Dac 3, and use both regularly. These latest products may find their way into my collection sooner or later.
iFi Audio Go Pod Air receivers
Next up was ZMF Headphones. This was my first exposure to the American brand, and I was quite impressed with what I saw and heard. ZMF introduced a new set of so-called “Wild Bunch” headphones, which are each going to be one-of-one, custom-made pieces. In other words, once they’re gone, they’re gone, and they will only be available from ZMF’s German distributor. The biggest bummer of the day: I didn’t get to see any of them on display, so I have no pictures of the Wild Bunch ’phones. I did, however, get the scoop that they’ll be available in black-and-white ebony, an exciting stabilized wood colorway, and an exceptionally rare and beautiful wood called Amboyna burl. The photo of the ZMF Vérité headphones and the stabilized wood-and-epoxy stand offers a glimpse of what the new crop of Wild Bunch ’phones could look like. The new Wild Bunch collection will be both open- and closed-back versions of ZMF’s Atrium, Caldera, and Bokeh headphones.
ZMF Caldera Open headphones
I did at least get to hear some ZMF cans, and was duly impressed. First, I played the title track from Roxy Music’s Avalon via a pair of Caldera Open headphones (€3178.95 in Europe and $3499.99 in the States), and noticed immediately that Bryan Ferry’s voice sounded huge, open, and airy in a way that few headphones achieve—at any price point. The Caldera Open headphones provided a great sense of space, no doubt due to the open-back design and 80mm drivers.
Next, I tried a pair of the Atrium Closed headphones, which go for €2270.95 or $2499.99. I was expecting a tighter but more closed-in sound with the closed-back pair, but was blown away to hear them sound nearly as spacious as the more expensive Caldera Open ’phones, giving up very little in the way of perceived “air.” In fact, I used an exclamation point in my notebook when I scribbled down my impressions. Two-and-a-half grand is by no means cheap, but the Atrium Closed may just be ZMF’s sleeper product.
ZMF Atrium Closed headphones
Finally, I heard the Atrium Open ’phones, which retail for €2270.95 or $2499.99. Like their closed-back siblings, they provided a great sense of openness and power. The Atrium Open ’phones seemed to have a darker tonality and a slightly “hyped-up” sound, one that might suit certain styles of music better than others. Nonetheless, I consider them world-class, just like ZMF’s other offerings.
ZMF Atrium Open headphones
Note that while I’ve provided prices for the base models here, the super-limited Wild Bunch versions will naturally have higher prices when they become available for sale. The exact figures aren’t available yet.
Lastly (for now, anyway), I stopped by Audeze’s booth to check out the LCD-S20 closed-back headphones, which were making their European debut. The LCD-S20s will retail for $499 in the US or €599 in Europe, but note that the European price includes VAT. The LCD-S20s are much more subdued in styling than the ZMF headphones I’d just seen, but they’re nonetheless an exciting product. The rep at the booth explained that they were originally designed for studio monitoring, but have found a place in Audeze’s consumer-oriented lineup since they play music so well. Notably, the LCD-S20s are Audeze’s first headphones to feature magnetic earpads, and their removal reveals the so-called “slam channel,” a narrow cavity in the face of the earcup surrounding the driver. Audeze mills each one individually to match it to the driver in order to custom-tune the bass response for each pair.
Audeze LCD-S20 headphones
It works too. I heard a pair and found the sound profile to be refreshingly flat from bottom to top, the exact sort of thing that would be both useful to an audio pro and pleasant to a music lover. When I played “Machu Picchu” from the Strokes’ 2011 album Angles, I noticed that the bass frequencies were perfectly taut and musical, conveying no extra information that wasn’t in the recording. The mids and highs were likewise well-behaved, with the performers all staying in their own acoustic spaces on this busy track. I was impressed, both with the build and the sound of these new Audeze closed-back headphones.
We’ve got a lot more coverage coming, so keep your eyes peeled.
Matt Bonaccio
Contributor, SoundStage!
