Zeph

Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" iMac (i5, 256GB SSD, 40GB RAM, Tahoe 26), 4TB external SSD with Thunderbolt 3, Audirvana Studio, Qobuz Sublime, Gustard U26 USB bridge, LHY Audio SW-8 & SW-6 switch, Sonnet Pasithea; Preamp: Hattor Audio ARP-S; Active filter: spl Audio Crossover MkII; Power amplifiers: Vinshine/Kinki Dazzle & Audiophonics NCx500 on subwoofer; Loudspeakers: Qualio IQ [on loan]; Subwoofer: sound|kaos D15; Cables: Exact Express Flame, Furutech; Power delivery: 2 x Kinki/Vinshine Tai Hang on amps and source stack, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, AudioQuest FogLifters; Room: 6 x 8m with open door behind listening seat; Room treatment: 2 x PSI Audio AVAA C214 active bass traps
1st upstairs speaker system: Source: Shanling EM7 into Soundaware D300Ref SD transport to Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe with POW; Preamp/filter: Lifesaver Audio iCon 4SE & Gradient Box 2; Amplifier: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos; Loudspeakers: sound|kaos Vox3awf; Subwoofer: sound|kaos D12 on twin Nord Acoustic NC500 monos; Cable loom: Exact Express Earth; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra, Akiko Audio Corelli Corundum & Castello Solo; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Furutech cable lifts, Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~3.5 x 8m
1st upstairs headfi system: DAC: Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe with POW; Headamp: Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Headphones: Raal 1995 Magna, HifiMan Susvara
Desktop system: Source: HP Z2 workstation Win11/64; USB isolator: LHY UIP; LAN distributors: LHY AS6 Pro & SW6-SFP; Ethernet reclocker: Stack SmoothLAN; DACs: Gustard R26II & Audalytic DR70; Preamp: Topping A900; Speaker amps: Topping B200 monos; Headphone amp: Enleum AMP-23R; Loudspeakers: Virtual Hifi Viper; Headphones: Final D-8000, aune SR7000, FiiO FT7, HifiMan Susvara Unveiled
2nd upstairs headfi system: Shanling EM5; Headphones: Meze 109 Pro, Fiio FT3, HifiMan HE1000 Unveiled
2nd upstairs speaker system: Source: smsl PL200T CD transport; DAC: Shanling EM7 w. 1TB microSD; Crossover: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box II;  Amplifiers: LAIV Crescendo Chorus monos; Loudspeakers: MonAcoustic SuperMon Mini with Dynaudio S18 subwoofer
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; All-in-One: Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe; Loudspeakers: ModalAkustik MusikBoxx; Subwoofer: 2 x Zu Method; Power delivery: Furutech eTP-8, Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: ~€875 contingent on the day's $/€ exchange

Walk of shame or talk of fame? It's that dream. You walk down Main Street nekkid as Cersei did on those steps of King's Landing. Such a dream simply wouldn't vex a confident super model. She'd wake up with a sly smile on her glossy lips. So… is SJY's Zeph a confident super model? Doing away with conventional ear cups has Jeffrey Yin's 4mm driver assembly—2mm magnet, 1½mm diaphragm structure, 0.5mm grill—do a kind of AKG K1000, MySphere 3.2 and Raal-Requisite SR1a open-baffle thing. It does though retain classic if magnetically attached ear pads. They can mount two ways for different tunings¹. In public not a dream, going bare ass is undeniably confident. It just won't eliminate all chamber resonances like a completely denuded open baffle à la original Raal ribbon earspeakers. Soft ear pads still trap air to define miniature rooms against our skull. However, absentee hard ear cups eliminate more than half the total resonance. That's the rationale for Zeph's chamber-less backs. You judge the super-model looks. From 3D-printed mounts, 3.5mm cable entries jut straight out like gravity-defying silicone implants. Unless our cables are thin and limpid, forget demure routing. More points of confidence go to 569/536g with/out cable; rather heavier than Abyss' Diana long claimed to be the world's slimmest planar. With SJY of Houston/Texas not yet one of headfi's entrenched brands, it will take actual laying on of hands and eyes to judge whether Zeph's fit'n'finish already equal runway chic. 22Ω, 89dB/mW sensitivity and 7mm total chassis thickness are more vital stats. With a US price of $999, Zeph lands well above FiiO's €625 FT7 planar but far below HifiMan's €2'479 HE1000 Unveiled. In my collection those were two headphones which would quite naturally bracket it. The latter's mention is relevant when in its own way, Zeph too goes unveiled. It simply needs no cover plates to protect it once off the head.
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¹ Half the inner skin of the pads perforates, half of it is solid. By rotating the pads 180°, we either have perf or solid face forward. This slightly alters the tuning and with it, perceived tonal and textural balance. The clever bit is the dual-purpose design which doesn't require two pairs of pads. It simply implies that in one orientation, the pads' stitch seam traditionally facing down will face up and be very visible.

As we learn from an interview with US retailer Apos, designer Jeffrey Yin favours open-backed headphones because they avoid sealed compression effects. His own planarmagnetic driver allowed him customization and tuning options beyond classic dynamics. He enjoys carbon-fibre for its low mass, high rigidity and good self damping whilst the angular form factor diverges from tradition then complements his rectangular driver. Top-grain leather for the headband was his pick for most lasting quality. Aluminium components add structural strength. Having owned K1000 which eventually led to SR1a then Immanis and Magna, I'm aware of gains from giving chamber resonances and time-delayed enclosure reflections the boot. In Texan cowboy country, Jeffrey is clearly no stranger to said boot. Hence once I knew of its existence, pencil-thin Zeph had my attention. Learning whether it would care to make my acquaintance was just an email away. So I emailed away. As to its name, there's a Grecian connection to the Westerly wind or gentle breeze zephyr; and a Hebrew one where it's the short form of Zephaniah, an Old Testament prophet whose name meant hidden or treasured by God. For more on the brand, there's the Argos electrostatic headphone and closed-back isodynamic Horizon to show great design comfort with the planar side of things.

When my first feeler email to Jeffrey went unanswered, a follow-up to retailer Apos a week later netted a very prompt reply. Like the Horizon and Argos models, Zeph is a collab between SJY and Argos so the latter handle sales and marketing for these models. Just then Jeff was behind on samples with quite a queue of reviews for Zeph already lined up. I'd been put on said list and would have to wait my turn. Fair play.

… to be continued..