ZMF Atrium Headphone Review and Measurements

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by purr1n, Mar 20, 2022.

  1. DarthPool

    DarthPool New

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    @Tchoupitoulas great review! My Atriums arrive hopefully tomorrow! Super stoked!
     
  2. Souldriver

    Souldriver Almost "Made"

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    Wouldnt the physics be that if the mesh is turned then say the "solid part" (a part with no drilled holes in it) would be in a different position. And since that "solid" part is in a different position it then may be blocking or filtering the sound that hits a specific part of your ear different then it was before?

    Unless youre saying it doesnt matter, and to think of the mesh as one homogenous piece rather than what shape the holes make in it. Whatever comes out on the opposite side of the filter is the same no matter what part of the filter it goes through.
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2022
  3. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

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    If half the filter was perforated and the other half was solid then yeah, rotating it would make a difference. But that's an extreme. I'd bet $1000 that nobody can pass a long term blind test between the mesh at location X and the mesh at location X + Y degrees.
     
  4. Ksorota

    Ksorota Friend

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    ZMF Atrium – Loaner

    Look and Comfort:

    By far the most polished looking ZMF I have experienced to date. The smooth chamfer on all the edges, the perfect inlaid grill, and the treated earpad mount ring/driver baffle that no longer feels like sandpaper on the pad lip (Verite may have already done this but I don’t know). The wood is delicate feeling and dare I say too light for the rest of the headband assembly. While these are the lightest set of ZMF headphones I have tried, they feel a bit unbalanced on the head. I think part of the unbalance is the clamp pressure was a bit too low for me. When they first arrived the bottom of the earcups were barely touching my head without purposeful adjustment.

    I did a bit of a bend on the headband, but since it’s a loaner I did not want to go crazy. I removed my glasses during listening to make sure I was getting a good seal without having to mess with the clamping pressure too much.

    I think it would be great if a tension bar of some kind could be added to the gimbal arms like they do on the Focal headphones to keep positive pressure on the side of your head. The earpads have also been worked a bit and are loose fitting, but that is more an issue with a lot of users swapping them than an actual worry for personal ownership, IMO. Even as the lightest ZMF set I have experienced; they are not necessarily considered light headphones and will shift noticeably during fast head movements or leaning over to read notes. Guess I should be listening and not moving my head, but sometimes multitasking is a must!

    Sound:

    The last week with the Atrium has left me conflicted. I like them a lot, but don’t necessarily love them. The list price gives me pause, as does the overall comfort…they are still heavy over a long period of time. I have been listening to a variety of music with these headphones and have lately been on a 90s kick with some downtempo and trance music, along with alternative, classic rock and piano chill out music. My main comparison is with a set of HD650. They are my closest matching headphones and, in a way, come across as more the same than they do different.

    My other set on hand is a set of HD580s that are my primary headphone. I chose to use the 650 as the comparative tool mainly because they sound so similar already. The 580 comes across as anemic without a few songs of brain adjustment.

    Overall, they are a lovely sounding headphone that can be played at low to very loud volumes without inducing fatigue. At high volumes I notice some wonkiness in female vocals, where they just touch on edgy. They are dynamic and smooth at the same time. The bass presence is tight and extends lower than you realize until listening to tracks that have those low notes.


    Some test song comparisons are here. All listening done on Balancing Act (307a) for final notes

    Dulcett in E by Smashing Pumpkins: The Atrium is better at retrieving subbass information and has tighter bass production and has better resolution. The HD650 is basically a less refined version of the Atrium on this track

    Blindfold by Morcheeba: HD650 is silky smooth while the Atrium shows its technical prowess, with better defined and extended low end and airy highs. The staging is wider on the Atrium by a fair margin while the HD650 is closed in sounding. The vocals are more intimate in a good way on the HD650 and can be a bit too far back with the Atrium, but the texture of the voice is more refined on the Atrium.

    White Flag by Dido: Atrium takes everything the HD650 can do and expands upon it…better soundstage depth and clarity. The Atrium moves you a bit further back from the stage and adds more layering. Percussion hits are richer/fuller sounding. The bell hits mixed throughout have simliar clarity as the 650s. The HD650 is a bit more in the head, with particular focus on the chimes, but at times they drift to the rear of the headstage, which is something the Atrium acheieves throughout most of the song.

    Box of Rain by Grateful Dead: The Atrium is snappier and well delineated while maintaining a warm tone. The HD650 is slower and more poppy/punchy sounding when reproducing the drumkit. Vocals on the HD650 initially seemed more natural, but also sound glossy…the Atrium vocals are smoother and better resolved. The drum hits are much improved on the Atrium.

    My Right Eye by Laurie Anderson: The HD650 is as more neutral presentation of this track. The Atrium has a peak somewhere in the upper mids that emphasizes some of the digital affects on this song and moves the backup vocals too far forward into the mix. The HD650 is less detailed, but only slightly.

    Drain You by Nirvana, live on the muddy banks of the Wishkah: The HD650 has more bite and edge and suits this song more than the Atrium. The Atrium smooths out the grit and sounds more relaxed. The upper mid emphasis also is distracting.

    Bright Lights by Gary Clark Jr.: This one goes to the Atrium, with a bit more engagement as the guitar licks really shine through and the punch of the bass drum hits more deeply. Vocals are a bit better on the HD650, but guitar is a bit of a wash, with more crunch showing up on the HD650, but the smoother Atrium sounds more polished.

    Us Again from Us Again (Disney Short): The HD650 is warmer and more tonally rich on this track. The Atrium is brighter, but renders the piano strokes with more clarity. The strings are a bit too forward on Atrium, but the small details are better defined, such as the clapping near the end of the track.

    Blinding Lights by The Weeknd: Pretty even overall. Better detail and separation on the Atrium, but not so different that I would bother to worry about it while grooving to this song.

    Conclusions: Some of the song comparisons come off as non-technical babble, and I am ok with that. When it comes to enjoying a loaner set of headphones I lose interest at some point in actually comparing and just listen for pleasure. I found myself simplyl listening for pleasure on both sets of headphones more often than I was comparing them. That’s the rub, in both cases, whichever headphone I put on, would end up on my head for many songs in a row before I remembered to try and by critical. I think that some of this comes down to the BA being a great synergistic match with the HD650…but it is also great with the Atrium, but the Atrium seems to adapt better to other gear.

    Final Thoughts: The Atrium is a great headphone. Sub bass detail is a standout feature for me, as is its technically ability. I just don’t know that it blows the HD650 out of the water on a higher end tube setup. On my Vali 2, the Atrium completely surpasses the HD650 in most every way…but its not to say the 650 doesn’t still sound good on it. I love the look of the Atrium, the build quality is top notch and the other cup options are something unique in this hobby and I love the innovation. The Atrium is a better headphone, yes, but…


    Actual Final Thought: The other amp I have at my disposal that I have on loan from a friend is the DNA Startlett…and based on the listening I have done; If I were considering a ZMF Atrium for purchase, I would get a Starlett and HD650 instead (no doubts or qualms about it). More on the Starlett at a future date.
     
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  5. Souldriver

    Souldriver Almost "Made"

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    Same thoughts here and I felt this was a general rule throughout the spectrum between the two. I have been comparing my 6xx to a 600 this past week and I do feel the 650 is smoother and much more towards the Atrium
     
  6. zach915m

    zach915m MOT: ZMF Headphones

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    Happy to give the tour set a look and replace the steel if need be. They are pretty darn tight when we ship them, so happy to put a new steel band in there if needed etc. Whomever has them - if you have any issues with fit (or they need new pads) just shoot me an email - [email protected] - and we can do a quick detour and get them right back to you. I'll send shipping labels and all that etc.
     
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  7. TomNC

    TomNC Friend

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    Loaner Atrium Impressions

    Thanks to ZMF and @ChaChaRealSmooth for making the tour possible. Given that the build and sonic characteristics of Atrium have been well and extensively described in this thread and elsewhere, I’ll briefly talk about what about Atrium impressed me the most relative to ETA Mini C, another accomplished newcomer to the market of dynamic headphones.

    My impressions are based on Atrium with the perforated pads. My chain: Apple music via iPad—UpTone ISO Regen—Eitr—DAC in Cary 306 SACD player—MCTH/SW51. In an hour-long session, I was able to informally A-B compare Atrium vs. Mini C with the same signal from my DAC to the two amps while rotating the headphones between the amps.

    Overall tonality. While I won’t classify Mini C as bright, Atrium sounds more darkish to me, which I like as a little dark tonality conveys emotion better, analogic to slightly underexposed pictures often conveying mood more amply.

    Headstage. Relative to Mini C, Atrium has a larger headstage with better separation and placement of different elements/layers. Mini C has a more forward but not intrusive presentation.

    Ambient cues. Atrium is better in conveying ambient cues. Listen to Music for Growing Flowers (in Apple Spacial Audio/Classical), I heard more into how the recording space contributed to sonic effects of the choir singing.

    Resolution. Atrium sounds more resolving to me. Tones of different elements are more distinct and colorful. Music seems overall richer through the Atrium.

    Dynamics. This is one major aspect where Atrium stands out---it is capable of startling, explosive, fast dynamics that is near, if not already in, the territory of some super headphones I heard (e.g., R10, Omega). For those who often listen to complex orchestra music, the fast dynamics (plus large headstage) of Atrium may be particularly valuable. On the other hand, for someone who mostly listens to loud music with compressed dynamics, I suspect that on some occasions, Atrium can be too edgy and stimulating. Given the time constraint, I was not able to test the latter user case (plus, these days I don’t listen to music as loud as I used to do).

    Clarity. Mini C has equal, if not more clarity in terms of lack of haze/veil and background blackness. This says something about the design of the cup of the Mini C despite its being closed back.

    In short, Atrium makes me wonder whether current dynamic drivers are very close, if not already equal, those in R10, performance wise. I cannot help but speculate what if putting Atrium’s driver in a R10-style cup. Mini C has already embodied a non-symmetrical cup design. I am not saying ZMF or ETA should adapt the unique design of R10 cup. However, hearing how well today’s drivers can do as with these two headphones now in market, I suspect that cup design (plus other related factors such as damping), rather than transducers, may be a major factor determining whether new flagship dynamic headphones can eventually compete with the legendary R10.
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2022
  8. RestoredSparda

    RestoredSparda Friend

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    These arrived early this morning, and with my kids at a birthday party, I decided to dig in and get listening.

    First off, thanks so much to Zach and SBAF for the chance to hear these finally! Many folks before me have provided much more ellequent reviews, but I will share my thoughts with my specific setup. (Spoiler: I agree 100 percent with @Ksorota's review).


    Chain:
    PI2AES -> AES -> Yiggy LIM -> DNA Stratus -> HD650 KISS / HD800 SDR (with eq) / ZMF Atrium

    Music:
    I tend to listen to entire albums (that I've heard many times) to compare equipment. In this case I spent some time with Angel Olsen's Burn Your Fire For No Witness, and Radiohead's KID A MNESIA.

    Comfort:
    These are light in the hand, but heavy on the head. Hot and warm and a bit uncomfortable after a few minutes. I'm not a fan of leather on the skin. I prefer velour. There's some sort of hot spot or pressure under my ears on my jaw that I find uncomfortable.

    Build Quality:
    Build quality is exceptional. I really enjoy the mechanism on the gimbal to adjust the size. It has a nice satisfying click. The cherry wood, leather work and grills are all very impressive. Even the stock cable and upgraded balanced cables were of a very nice quality with excellent connectors and splitters.


    With Universe perf leather pads:
    Headstage is similar to HD650K, but maybe a bit wider. It's In-between HD650K and HD800SDR for sure.

    Atrium goes lower than HD650 but bass seems a bit boomy, and overdone. Overly boosted, and boomy down low. Not as tight as HD650 or HD800.

    Darker sound signature than HD650K. Can go loud and sounds excellent at low or high volumes - no fatigue. Boosted bass allows them to be a fun listen at lower volumes as well.

    Vocals are very nicely and realistically portrayed, male and female. However, they are not as intimate as HD650K, and a bit further back in the mix.

    Resolution and detail retrieval is below HD800SDR, but on par with HD650K...or maybe a tiny bit more resolving?


    With Aueter perf leather pads:
    These were much preferred, and as a bonus, slightly more comfortable.

    Tighter bass with a more balanced and even frequency response. There is no longer an annoying bass boost drowning out details. Everything sounds "correct".

    More detail is also coming through. Vocals and high frequencies seem more extended, or not as drowned out from the bass. They can be a bit edgy in the highs when played loud compared to HD650K - specifically with female vocals. 99 percent of the time I have no complaints however.

    Overall they sound very similar to an HD650 KISS but with extended sub bass, (slightly different headstage) and sometimes slightly brighter sound signature.

    At the same time, atrium seems a bit slower on some songs, especially with electric guitars. HD650K is my favorite portrayal of guitar, electric and acoustic.

    I appreciate the loaner. It allowed me to scratch a very itchy "what if". I've come to the conclusion that comfort is almost tied with sound quality for me in importance in a headphone.

    I also came away even more impressed with HD650 KISS (for the cost / in my setup / IMO), and to a lesser degree, HD800 SDR.

    If Atrium was half the cost I would consider owning one, however, as it is priced I will stick with my current headphones. The incredible synergy between DNA amps and Senn headphones (as Ksorota eluded to) may be playing a big role here as to my conclusion.

    Edit: Now that I'm more familiar with ZMF pads, I'm positive I had the two reversed in my review. Above is now corrected.
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2022
  9. tinker

    tinker New

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    First off I would like to thank SBAF and Zach for the opportunity to listen to these headphones, they have been of interest since they came out and also because I currently own the ZMF Auteur.

    Henry Ford once famously stated that for the Model T "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black". Thankfully ZMF follows a different model one similar to my Baskin-Robbins trips of youth with many flavors of ice cream and a variety of cones and toppings available. I appreciate that ZMF provides options of woods, pads, filters, wires, materials, etc. to significantly tailor and personalize to preference their base headphone platforms. They of course sell off the peg but bespoke IMHO is the way to go, as an aside tweakability has been a big factor in many of my audio purchases.

    Chain (Highlights)
    Intel NUC (Audiolinux / Squeezebox Server) -> Sonore FMC -> Sonore Signature Rendu SE -> Denafrips Gaia DDC (Clocked by T2) -> Denafrips Terminator II DAC (HDMI) -> Burson Soloist 3XGT (SIL 994, Sparkos SS2590, v6vivid) -> HP

    Preliminaries
    Filters
    There are three filters with these headphones: "solid" (not installed but in bag), semi open (installed), more open (1 in bag). Given these were loaners I didn't fiddle with these (side note in the bag there were 3 solid filters and only one more open filter in the bag which I thought was odd).

    Pads
    Three models of pad were included all perforated Lamb Skin. Honestly none of them floated my boat, the best of them to me was the Universe. If I were to buy these I would experiment with more pads. Impressions of each follow, obviously YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) given that these are based on system synergy, how you hear things a.k.a "head-related transfer function", and personal preferences. Baseline in this case was my Auteur Bocote with Eikon Lambskin pads or other pads on the Atrium where noted. Listed in my order of preference:

    Universe
    - Stage is high / Lower Perspective (meaning you are sitting really low down and performers are diagonally above and in front of you)
    - Voices bit recessed
    - More focused on attack than decay
    - Deeper than wide
    - Less tone weight / more neutral than Auteur HP
    - Soundstage is smaller than Auteur HP
    - Frequency response is a Bit Smile shaped. Meaning deepest bass and upper treble seem higher in level, you could also say mids are a bit depressed.
    - Strongest bass impact, but also the sharpest treble
    - The deepest bass can be a bit fatiguing, it is punchy but it has a very different character and speed than the rest of the frequency range.
    - Doesn't sound rhythmically compressed like other pads on the Atrium.
    - Sometimes get a bit of cupped hand effect

    BE2
    - Less compression / restraint than the Auteur pads, but more than the universe.
    - Natural stage height - straight on
    - Mids not as recessed as Universe, but more recessed than Auteur HP
    - Wider than deep
    - Frequency response is shallow downslope
    - Doesn't have clarity of the universe - can be slightly grey sounding

    Auteur
    - I hated these on my Auteur and I hate them also on the Atrium, ugh, I tired these but took them off quickly...
    - Very rhythmically restrained sounding
    - bass not as deep as universe
    - can be a bit shouty and 2d

    HP Cable
    I also tried a few cables all XLR
    ZMF Stock Cable - Serviceable at best, frankly a throw away. Soundstage smaller, Constricted dynamics, doesn't have good decay, reduction in clarity, less bass and treble. Basically bland.

    I primarily went back and forth between two cables ZMF 2k and Norne Audio Silvergarde S3. They both had strengths and weaknesses which I will touch on but for consistency but I stuck with the 2K when comparing with my Auteur.

    Silvergarde (SG) vs 2k
    - SG much better air, space, depth, placement, layering than the 2k. Sweet and silkier than 2k. Made the Atrium more linear sounding, meaning neutralized the smile I heard with the universe. It is a bit bass light though, overall I would say slight uptilt across the frequency range. I thought it did a lot of same things to the Atrium that the Forza Claire HPC did with the Audeze LCD-5. More resolving than the 2k but also background is not as black.
    - 2K massively better than the ZMF Stock, but I wish it had the better depth and layering and slight sweetness or silkiness of the Silvergarde.

    Whew, how did it sound, Atrium (Universe, 2k) vs Auteur (Eikon, 2k)
    Conclusion
    So I don't keep you in suspense, I preferred the Auteur. I thought they both had pro's and con's. I would say each is more of a side grade of the other, depending on your preferences, synergy, etc. I think both sound like ~2k headphones.

    Observations
    Tone / Timbre - Neutral. I prefer the tone of the Auteur, which is a bit sweeter and has a bit more character.
    Frequency Response - To me was a bit smile shaped. To me the Auteur sounds more consistent. No doubt the bass goes deeper on the Atrium, it was still there on the Auteur but the emphasis was a bit higher in the bass frequency range.
    Comfort - "Good But", much lighter in hand and on head than Auteur, but also warmer on the head than the Auteur. The band is different, but I had done the headband bending thing with my Auteur so maybe this would be better on the Atrium with some bending.
    Dynamics / Speed / PRAT - Good, although the deep bass can seem at a different pace than rest of freq. I thought Auteur was more consistent, but probably a touch slower across the board.
    Soundstage / Imaging - Good placement and separation, overall I thought the Auteur was bigger. However, I never got the ideal pad / cable mix for this.
    Background - good can go to black / transparency with proper cable and pads
    Clarity / Intelligibility - Tricky, I thought the Auteur was better.
    Decay / Harmonics / Overtones - Good but I though the Auteur was better on decay in particular.
    Resolution - Good


     
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  10. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Sounds like the Auteur classic would be a good option, then.

    From my limited time with it, I really like the Atrium with Universe pads (it’s one of the best “stock” headphones I’ve heard, without any nastiness and no apparent weakness, save maybe for the slightly recessed upper vocal range), but I fail to see why it is priced as much as the Vérité, when it is technically inferior in most accounts (not by much, mind you).
    I would jump on it for $1800. For $2400 it’s a tougher sale with the VO and Auteur Classic around.
     
  11. tinker

    tinker New

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    Yes it would be super great if an Auteur Classic loaner tour were to happen in the future.

    Two other thoughts:

    - I think if zmf or sbaf had a range of loaner pads, not just part of tours, that would be hugely helpful. pads to me alter multiple performance aspects. I think the chart on the zmf site is overly simplistic.

    - I also think it would be interesting to tally at the end of loaner tours how many folks would unreservedly buy or felt what they heard was better than what they are currently using.
     
  12. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Switched to ECP T4 and Forza Noir Hybrid cable: now I get it!
    Using the stock 4-pin cable really does the headphones a disservice!

    Great timbre, fantastic punch and very good FR make for a compelling listen!
     
  13. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Hopefully it ended up complimenting the Utopia.

    And yes, it seems like the Atrium is more cable and amp sensitive than other ZMF headphones. I heard the difference with a cable roll more easily vs most other HP during my own loaner as well.
     
  14. Qildail

    Qildail Friend

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    I was all set to wait until the Auteur Classic was released, but an unexpected windfall let me leap to the Atrium on a blind buy. I've had them for a little over a month now. Notepad-scribble thoughts:

    I normally trend toward bass-shy headphones (hello, Sennheiser). Atrium has bass that is present but not overpowering. With Mjolnir 1 and Jotunheim 2, the Universal pads were too sharp at that 5-6KHz range for me. I ended up on the Auteur pads, and that does muddy the details a bit. The Universal pads will come back if the chain changes; or I stop being lazy about building EQs in Roon; or I change the mesh out with the non-vented variety. I also need to spend more time with Atrium and Valhalla 2 (and spend more time with V2 in general - I just love MJ1 too much right now).

    Lambskin pads were a total swing and miss for me. I started having hotspots after about an hour or so. This is absolutely 100% a personal sensitive skin thing; the pads themselves have no obvious flaws. I should have gotten suede as default instead of buying them afterward. Lesson learned.

    The weight is noticeable but distributed nicely across the headband. I'm not sure I could sit with these on for hours and hours yet though. The aged cherry finish was a bit darker than I had expected/seen [I know, I know, individual woods, different lighting, handmade, etc., etc.]. Either it's lightened up a bit since I've had it or my eyes have adjusted to it. I wonder what a glossy finish version would look like. In any event they are as gorgeous as advertised -- and of course I'm not looking at them when listening to them, so...

    One thing about them -- and I know this is silly as all hell -- is the smell. This combination of wood, leather, and copper is an aesthetic I can't quite fully describe. I'm sure people that have been around woodcraft and metalcraft more could give me the words I'm looking for -- it just smells like an artisan headphone should smell, for lack of better phrasing.

    I kind of did this backward buying the Atrium then buying the Focal Clear. Did I overshoot here coming straight from HD650 on a blind buy? Highly likely. However, I quite enjoy them, and it's nice to get a scale off the dragon people here keep chasing. Keep up the good work, Team ZMF.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2022
  15. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Been trying a slightly different configuration from the usual on my LTD koa: Universe lambskin perf pads, DSHA-3F amorphous, same HQP/Holo DAC. Jazz upright bass and lower piano octaves are assertive, dense, but not bloomy. The bass strings are individualized. Mids slightly recessed, cymbals and brushes airy and fast. Horns suitably edgy, but bass is the winner in this configuration.
     
  16. laevi

    laevi Friend

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    Thanks to @ChaChaRealSmooth and @zach915m for making this tour possible.

    Setup: FLAC -> Pi2AES -> Schiit Yggdrasil LIM -> Eddie Current Studio B with Linlai E-300B tubes -> Atrium | Verite Open | Focal Clear OG | HD800

    Caveat: I have old ears with unfortunate attenuated hearing above 10 kHz and tinnitus, which limit the length of listening sessions. Within these limitations:

    [​IMG]

    Like its sibling, the Atrium is gorgeous to visually behold. The grill pattern is my new favorite, and I can only imagine how stunning the LTD wood versions of these would appear. Out of my headphones (HD800, Focal Clear OG, Verite Open) and Atrium, Atrium is immediately palpably the most comfortable. Atrium is lighter than my Verite, and I didn't pay attention to which pads were on it during the review, but they felt like they fit better than any of my Verite pads.

    My listening sessions were spread over 2 nights. The first night involved rotations between Atrium, VO, Clear, and HD800 for probably a couple of hours, after which point my tinnitus and listening fatigue kicked in. The second night of listening consisted of switching back and forth between Atrium and VO.

    My ears may not be experienced or acute enough to pick up on the limits of resolution between Atrium, VO, or HD800. However, Atrium was far more engaging than HD800 with greater impact in the lower octaves as well as more involvement with regards to vocals. Whereas the HD800's soundstage was diffuse and somewhat nebulous, Atrium's lateral soundstage was wider than what I experienced with Clear. For the bulk of my listening during this brief review period, HD800 soon dismissed itself from this company of headphones based on my eclectic selection of music ranging from small ensemble classical, jazz vocals, rock, and pop.

    Compared to Clear, Atrium hits slightly harder. Atrium delivers vocals that are fuller in body and overall more energetic in presentation. Tonally, Atrium sounds neutral to slightly warm to me compared to the Clears. Depending on the song and mix, this often resulted in greater dynamic impact versus Clear. However, on some songs where the singers' voices are already fuller, Atrium became less enjoyable to listen to because there was less separation between the vocals and the accompanying background instruments. On these tracks, Clear sounded more "clear" on the basis that its presentation of the background instruments was more depressed whereas vocals+instruments seemed forced onto the same plane for me with Atrium.

    Compared to Verite Open, Atrium is more forward. Atrium is the phone I would pick up if I wanted to listen during the day when I feel less fatigued. Verite is the phone I would pick up for listening later at night. Atrium's forwardness would lead to earlier listening fatigue for me, versus Verite. I couldn't discern any appreciable differences in the lateral width of the soundstage between Atrium and Verite with the music selection I used during this review. More time with larger orchestral pieces or movie soundtracks might have been helpful, had I more time with Atrium. Atrium immediately brings the music to you, enveloping you in the sound. Verite, on the other hand, sounds a little more recessed, or darker, or distant. However, I found Verite to give greater spatial cues to the venue, and I was better able to appreciate layering and depth within the venue with Verite. The spatial depth seems ever slightly more compressed with Atrium than with Verite. Cello and bass are more palpable with Atrium. Brass had a little more glare to me with Atrium, perhaps because Verite has been reported as having somewhat rounded transients.

    Others here at SBAF are far more qualified to assess the technicalities of these headphones. Subjectively, I would rate Atrium as the best all-arounder among the headphones I used for this review. Its initial comfort and sound presentation easily impressed me. For late night listening after a long day, or lengthier listening sessions, or more dynamically compressed music, I might favor Verite for less listening fatigue.
     
  17. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Having had the west coast Atrium loaner for a couple of days now, I'm going to do a bullet point pros vs. cons impression/comparison and will update it over the long weekend. My chain is:

    Roon (no EQ worked up as of yet) > Pi2 Design Mercury Streamer > Yggdrasil A2 (bal out transformed to SE) > Saga OG (sometimes) > Asgard 3 / Lyr + / DNA Starlett > Focal (OG Clear and Utopia), D8000 Pro, HD6XX, ZMF Atrium

    This loaner Atrium has the highly perforated mesh installed, not the lessor perforated nor the unperforated

    Let's get the cons out of the way first:

    • To my ears/chain, I am not hearing the headstage many of you are. I put the Atrium in the ballpark, probably a bit better, than a stock HD6XX. The Utopia (and to a lessor degree the OG Clear) , particularly out of the Starlett, has significantly wider, deeper, and more obvious stage/placement than the Atrium. EDIT: headstage during my time with the loaner (Universe perf pads) has been "it depends", track dependent. Placement on head did effect any more/less than expected. So at times HD6XX like, other times significantly better.
    • microdetail/plankton - somewhere between Clear and Utopia, but not at Verite (from memory) and Utopia level, particularly out of the Schiit amps, though scaling much closer to Verite/Utopia on the Starlett. Now, the Focal's house sound is about spotlighting detail, whereas the whole character of the Atrium is about other things, so I'm willing to revise this assessment with more time but for now that's my story and I'm sticking with it. EDIT: by the end of the loaner I was giving the Atrium more here, but still not at Verite/Utopia levels. Quite good however.
    • 5k (thereabout) sizzle/tizz (and subsequent loss of timbre/resolution/"accuracy") is very real. From here on up the Utopia/Verite is the more sophisticated, FR differences aside.
    • Marv's point about the atrium's transient speed being HD650 like (with Focal's being on the other end) is well taken.
    • Timbre: due to all the above, it's a much more mixed bag (more on this in the pros) for me then most of you - particularly what's happening around 5k (and up).
    • Because of all this, the Atrium is the most "super HD650" (even if from 8k on up it's more rolled off) HP I think I have heard yet, though without a doubt a ZMF creation with several unique qualities.
    Pros:

    • What everyone is saying about the bass, just wow. Now, the D8000 Pro's bass is the more textured/detailed, and comparatively the Atrium comes across as too "fat" with ZMF woodiness house sound thrown in for good measure, but in isolation the Atrium's is more impactful (and still "accurate" enough) and what you want to hear in all night listening sessions.
    • The mids when mixed in with ZMF character and this quality of being a "super HD650", are pretty good. Does it have the insight into voices (particularly female) that the Focal's have? No, but that's ok because the whole presentation is special
    • 5k sizzle/tizz can be quite beneficial. Saxophones have the visceral "blat" and reediness that the Focal's deemphasize. Many classical recordings I listen to are "thin" and the Atrium's character lends them weight that makes them more enjoyable. Electronic music is rendered with a presence that the D8000 Pro (my normal can for this genre) can not muster


    In the end I suspect the intermediate mesh might be my preference. I have yet to try the Auteur and Be2 pads included in the loaner, but based on past experience I believe the standard Universe perforated will be my sweet spot.

    I'm going to order one LOL. It's been too long sense I have had a ZMF in my life ;)
     
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    Last edited: Sep 5, 2022
  18. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Have you tried removing the transformer? IIRC from Austin show you use one very similar to one I tried before and that particular transformer would mess with staging on some HP along with other aspects of sound.
     
  19. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Well f**k a duck @penguins you had me going there. Comparing the BAL out to Jensen PI-2xr vs SE out of the Yggdrasil - both into Saga for A/B) there is a very small difference. The BAL to Jensen is a touch wetter, and at first I though a small amount of detail was being lost as well as the stage /center image being a touch more nebulous. However after more close listening I was only sure that the Jensen was wetter, the detail/image/stage seeming the same, and the SE out perhaps being on the losing end of raw detail. More listening, and I came around to thinking the detail/image was the same, which made me wonder my use of the transformer. Then listening fatigue set in :confused:;) I will have to return to this later and do it again...

    In any case the difference(s) are very small, and don't impact signicantly my overall assesment of the headstage, though I'm going to revise my initial assessment a bit above after not this comparison but more general listening.
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2022
  20. Empyah

    Empyah Facebook Friend

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    Different head/ear types could interfere with headstage, I suggest trying different cobinations of pads/meshes/tubes etc...
    Took me almost 2 months to find my sweetspot.
    uglyorc.PNG
     

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