ZMF Atrium Headphone Review and Measurements

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

  1. StandUp713

    StandUp713 Friend

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    Some of my notes from the loaner:

    Sub Bass - Just the right fit. Not lean nor bloated. Tight.
    Dynamics - very good, fast.
    Micro Dynamics - very articulate
    Comfort - weight was distributed well. I have worn better headbands, but it did the job.
    Earpads - were super soft, almost too soft.
    Overall frequency response worked well with my ears and music choices.
    Value - compared to other high end cans that cost twice as much. These are very competitive on what they deliver (sound/build quality/comfort)

    I have a hard time faulting anything, and for an end game/ top tear set of cans, these are on my short list.

    Huge thanks to the ZMF for letting me get a chance to get some time in. My only experience with ZMF cans was at loud trade shows. Also thanks to the loaner team here on SBAF!
     
  2. Boops

    Boops Friend

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    9D900885-AD9E-4F19-8BF4-AE6342C0E513.jpeg

    I spent my time listening to the Atrium loaner from the Studio B and compared them to the Utopias which are my reference. DAC was Yggdrasil LIM. I used the Universe pads, because I thought they would be the best fit with my chain. I also used the 1/4-inch SE cable to match my Utopia cable.

    Overall, I found the Atrium to be a non-fatiguing, highly resolving, expertly balanced listen. I tried a full range of music – acoustic and electronic, male and female vocals, solo instruments and complete bands, live venues and studio work - and there was nothing that didn’t sound utterly real, captivating. Attacks and decays sound just right - very coherent across the full frequency range. Instrument timbre sounds accurate, natural. There are no holes or blobs in the headstage that stood out. If I had to nitpick, maybe the vocal range is a bit less present than I prefer.

    Ergonomics we’re better than I expected. ZMFs in general have always seemed too big, and chunky for me, but on the head these were very comfortable. No issues with long listening. Aesthetics and design are not really my bag, but I respect the coherent industrial design language Zach has developed.

    In comparison with Utopia, the Atrium has two advantages: better bass extension and slam. The Utopias are not bad here but they roll off when we get to the deepest bass and I would not call their bass “slamming”. It’s more tight and articulate. I love it, but I appreciate the Atrium’s advantages here. Utopias do extend further in the treble.

    The Utopias out-resolve the Atriums. Atrium might be even in bass resolution, but Utopia’s ability to pull out the smallest micro details in the mids and treble give it the edge. Utopia mids and treble are also a bit smoother. Atrium is *not* grainy by any means, just not quite as Euro-butter smooth as the Focals.

    Imaging and layering is better on Utopia. Venues and spaces sound a bit more real, complex musical passages a bit easier to hear into. Headstage seems even to me, but I am used to real speaker soundstage by now.

    The differences noted above are not huge. They are not things I would notice or find deficient if the Atrium was my only headphone, but they are noticeable in comparison.

    Tonal balance is more to my preference on Utopia, but I’ve tailored my chain to synergize well with it so that is to be expected.

    Overall, the Atrium is excellent even if it doesn’t reach the ultimate levels of resolution, transparency. Probably the second best dynamic I’ve ever heard. Well worth the high-end price. I prefer the Utopias ultimately, but would happily listen to the Atriums any time.

    Thanks to ZMF, SBAF, and @rhythmdevils for the loaner.

    edit: forgot to shout out @ChaChaRealSmooth! Thank you for all the legwork.
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2022
  3. lcmusiclover

    lcmusiclover Friend

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    All, @zach915m — sorry to be obtuse, but … I’m unclear about the mesh. I see two meshes for sale under DIY parts, solid and radial. And I see folks talking here about ‘Titan’ and ‘stock’ meshes.

    So are there two or three (or four) meshes, and which mesh will come on my Atrium?

    Thanks
     
  4. Qildail

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    Mine showed up a couple of weeks ago with the ones shown on the product page. That's "Stock Titan Mesh", and the "Radial" or "Solid" are optionals -- so total of three. Hope that helps, but I may be just as confused at this point, so I'll find a fork to eat these words later.
     
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  5. zach915m

    zach915m MOT: ZMF Headphones

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    Oh - yes that's correct! The stock mesh on the Atrium is custom and not available on the diy page. But if you want to get brighter/livelier then get the titan perf mesh, and if darker smoother get the solid mesh.
     
  6. Failed Engineer

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    The brighter mesh has a number of monikers across the internet. I've seen it referred to as:

    marv mesh
    SBAF mesh
    radial vented mesh
    titan perforated mesh
    Aeolus mesh

    They are all the same. It is the more open mesh as compared to the stock Atrium one. Then there is the solid mesh.

    A total of three meshes as I understand it.

    The fourth mesh configuration would be the no-mesh.
     
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  7. Pancakes

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    I know everybody likes cool names for stuff but I always wished things were named for what they are. "Stock mesh", "brighter mesh", "darker mesh" would alleviate a lot of confusion. Same for pads. I'm probably in the minority on this though so carry on.
     
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  8. crenca

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    I heard two different Atriums, both with stock mesh I'm fairly certain, out of two different DAC and amp combos here at the show (one was an SW51 and Wavedream, don't recall the other). Both of these were relatively short listens but I'll give some first impressions while they're fresh on my mind:

    • A more "normal" tonal balance than I'm used to hearing from ZMF, with more upper mid and treble energy than the Eikon and the VC I've owned in the past.
    • I agree with @Boops they don't have the Utopias micro detail and nuance in the mids or treble, but they're at least the equal of the Clears.
    • Show conditions and all, but I'm not entirely sure the timbre is for me - I'm looking forward to the loaner so I can get them and my system and confirm or deny this.
     
  9. lcmusiclover

    lcmusiclover Friend

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    All: thanks for clarifying.

    Radial mesh ordered.
     
  10. Klaxxon

    Klaxxon New

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    I am currently running the Atrium on an SS amp - looking to give tubes a try but don't really want to go crazy on cost. Between Hagerman Tuba & Bottlehead crack + speedball. Anyone able to push me either direction for the Atriums?
     
  11. GoldenOne

    GoldenOne Friend

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    My set arrived today and I’m blown away with how good they look in person. The resin has a depth that does not quite come across on camera but man these are stunning, so happy right now!

    20220725_132829.jpg 20220725_132819.jpg 20220725_132811.jpg
     
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  12. Clemmaster

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    Looks like cake frosting, yum!
     
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  13. Souldriver

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    I have not heard it on a Hagerman but it sounds excellent on my BHC+SB. I am only cap and pot modded.
     
  14. Tchoupitoulas

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    ZMF Atrium Loaner Impressions

    I’d like to thank Zach for providing us with this opportunity to hear his latest headphone, @ChaChaRealSmooth for organizing the tour, and SBAF for kindly letting me participate in it. This has been a real treat.

    I had the especially good fortune of hearing two Atriums in as many weeks. Thanks to the generosity of Zach and some folks beyond SBAF, I also got to hear a pair with the solid mesh. The differences between the meshes are quite significant, although not so much that pad rolling can’t go a long way to bridging the gap between them.

    The long and the short of these impressions is that the Atrium will be a wonderful pair of headphones for those who appreciate a certain coloration to the sound, in this case either a sonorous, euphonic quality with the solid mesh, or something more reminiscent of the HD 600/650 with the vented mesh. Given the various pad and mesh combinations, the Atrium affords many opportunities to tweak the sound and get it close to one’s preferences.


    Preferences and Caveats
    • I’m in my mid-40s and can’t much above 14 kHz
    • I prefer the HD 600 to the 650
    • I have and love the Vérité Open
    • I'm also fond of darker tunings and have an LCD-4

    Setups

    Mac Mini M1 with Roon (Qobuz, ALAC/FLAC files) via USB –> Bifrost 2 (single ended) –> Stratus –> the two Atriums, compared to my Vérité Open from the same chain and an LCD-4 from a Liquid Gold X amp.

    I also had the solid mesh Atrium during my time with the Holo Spring 3 KTE loaner. I preferred the Spring to the Bifrost 2 with the Atrium, and not just because it’s a better DAC; the more incisive attack of the Spring worked well with the Atrium, which has something of a softer quality thanks to its biocellulose driver.


    Mesh and Pad Rolling
    The solid mesh Atrium has a much darker sound than the vented one. The vented mesh makes for a less dark, more neutral sound, one that has a bit more of an edge to it. That edge involves either a greater awareness of the 5.5 kHz peak or a forwardness somewhere in the upper-mids and perhaps lower treble (or both). I couldn’t tell for sure.

    Solid mesh:
    • The Auteur pads doubled down on the dark sound signature
      • They also had the unfortunate effect of softening the sound too much
      • This took two forms:
        • Reducing the slam of the headphones
        • Rounding out the leading edges of notes
          • in other words, the transient response’s attacks were too soft, making the overall sound pillowy
          • Note that I’m using a fairly wet and rounded amp
            • As a result, the sound was too warm and almost muffled
    • The Universe were my goldilocks pads:
      • the bass was glorious – deep, strong, plenty hard-hitting – and not overdone
      • the transients remained perfectly snappy but not overly so (I don’t think these headphones can be too aggressive in their attack)
    Vented mesh:
    • The Universe pads make for the brightest, most fatiguing sound
      • I should hasten to add that these aren’t inherently bright headphones, I’m just sensitive to certain peaks and upper-mids and lower treble emphasis
    • The Be2 pads make the Atrium a bit darker and bassier but the fatigue is still there, albeit less so
    • The hybrid Universe pads (i.e. partly lambskin, partly suede) took the vented mesh Atrium closer to the solid mesh one
      • with my VO, the hybrid pads dull the transients and have other unwanted effects; this was less apparently the case with the Atrium
    All told, and for reference, my preference was for the solid mesh version with the Universe pads. I’ll devote most of my impressions to this Atrium setup, then, before describing more briefly the ways in which the vented mesh version differs from it.


    [​IMG]

    Impressions – Solid Mesh Atrium, Universe pads
    These are some of the most appealing pairs of headphones I’ve heard. This was a pleasant surprise: I’d read descriptions of the Atrium sounding like the HD650, which I’m not especially fond of. The Atrium keeps some of the qualities of the HD 650 – such as the lovely timbre – but solves my three main complaints with these Sennheiser headphones: the Atrium tamps down on the mid-bass hump, in part by bolstering the sub-bass, I suspect; it opens up the staging and makes it ever so much more spacious, in place of the HD 650’s slightly closed-in presentation; and, yes, there’s no veil. I agree, then, with other people’s characterization of the Atrium as an upgraded HD 650. I’d go a step further and say it’s also a fixed HD 650.

    Tuning and Timbre
    The overall tuning with the solid mesh is dark, thanks to the bass emphasis and a bit of roll off in the treble, both of which make for a gloriously rich and deep sound, one that also works well with vocals. It’s not simply a downward sloping sound signature, then; there’s a bit of a lift for vocals.

    The bass isn’t the tightest, especially when compared to my Vérité and LCD-4. But it isn’t overly loose. The bass has some slight, pleasant bloom to it, which adds to the tonal richness. The Atrium also hits reasonably hard. Kick drums, for example, sound great on the Atrium. There’s a decent amount of slam but with the Stratus it wasn’t remarkably strong, and it was a clear step behind the Vérité from the same amp.

    The timbre of acoustic bass instruments is outstanding, especially the double bass, which has a lovely, rich resonance to it. Until the Atrium came along, I had thought the Vérité was the best headphone I’d heard at conveying the woody richness of the double bass. And thanks to the spacious staging, the Atrium also conveys something of the hollow-bodied sound of the double bass. Equally appealing is the fact that the Atrium does really well with lower-frequency brass and woodwind instruments. Charles Mingus’s The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady has a big band arrangement that includes double bass, tuba, trombone, and even contrabass trombone. I’ve never heard all of them sound so clear and distinct and convincing. Part of this also has to do with the excellent resolution in the bass region and the expansive, open staging. Part of it has to do with excellent pitch differentiation.

    The sub-bass also extends quite deeply and has plenty of strength to it. Some headphones that reach down into the sub-bass can still have a kind of out-of-breath wheeziness to them; here the sub-bass is robust, and there’s a decent amount of rumble, although I suspect the LCD-4 is better here. The Atrium’s sub- and mid-bass presentations are well balanced with one another – meaning neither predominates – and the Atrium not only sounds awesome with jazz and rock, it also works well with electronic music, even though it’s not the fastest headphone. I also liked it with movie soundtracks.

    There’s one further quality to the bass that I’ve seldom heard before: the large headstage of the Atrium can make the bass sound incredibly spacious and airy. With the right track, you could call it cavernous. The bass staging’s a pretty cool effect and one that, weeks later, I long to hear again.

    Taken together, the bass presentation adds something nice and unexpected to rock music. On a track like Mogwai’s R U Still In It, the Atrium provides a deeper, more satisfying foundation to the music. Kick drum hits are strong and sound right. Lower-frequency piano strikes also have a good solid thunk to them.

    The mids are great. They remind me of the HD 650. They’re more forward and even than the mids of the Vérité. There’s a bit of an emphasis somewhere in the upper mids or lower treble that can be ever so slightly fatiguing. This may explain why the Atrium presents vocals nicely. I don’t hear any vocal recession. I should add that while I’m not usually particularly fussy or preoccupied with the presentation of vocals, here with the Atrium I really enjoyed them.

    There’s not much to say about the treble. It’s smooth and relaxed. With some roll off, it may not be best for classical music (the bass is also a bit overdone for orchestral works). Cymbals sound a bit “shushy” and lack zing. Still, there’s some nice sparkle and enough air for the sound of the Atrium to avoid being closed-in or overly dark.

    I’m afraid I got sucked into the music so much, and was having so much fun, that I didn’t take the time to listen very carefully for the timbre of various instruments and to see if they sound correct. I ended up listening to a lot of rock – these headphones are great with various rock genres – and electric basses and guitars both sound great. So too did trumpets and alto saxes in jazz recordings. I suspect a lack of artificiality to acoustic instruments’ timbre can be inferred from the fact that I didn’t notice any problems. But, again, I didn’t check very carefully.

    The one slight issue I have with the tuning was a sensitivity to snare hits. They’re wince-inducing for me in real life, so I’ll refrain from calling this a problem.


    Technicalities
    Resolution is excellent. It’s a slight step behind the Vérité and the LCD-4. But it’s perfectly acceptable – I didn’t feel as though I was missing out on anything – and, besides, the Atrium’s resolution almost doesn’t matter in that what sets these headphones apart is the engaging and pleasant overall experience they offer.

    The Atrium isn’t as fast as the Vérité. There’s a softer way of presenting music. Part of this is the biocellulose driver. It shares this quality with the Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Ebony I used to have, and I’m clearly partial to this sound. The Atrium has a slightly more gentle, rounded attack to the transient response than the Vérité, which is cleaner and snappier. Both headphones have lovely decay, though, with the Atrium I get the sense that notes linger for longer.

    Macrodynamics are strong without being as dramatic as the Vérité’s. They’re perfectly satisfying, though.

    The Vérité offers better, more precise imaging, with instrument localization being nice and specific. The Atrium, by contrast, is a tiny bit less distinct. Separation and layering also go to the Vérité but they’re still very good with the Atrium. There’s plenty of air and space around instruments and the overall presentation is entirely free of congestion.

    Where the Atrium excel – sometimes – is in their headstage. I agree entirely with the observation by @lcmusiclover that “The headstage varies a lot from track to track.” It’s never small or constrained. Often it’s close to the Vérité. But on the many occasions that the headstage gels, it’s incredible. I have the HD 800 SDR, and while I recognize that its staging width is unnatural, I love its size and spaciousness. The Atrium’s lateral staging isn’t as wide but it sounds more properly proportioned. And it’s plenty big enough. Think of it being between the Vérité and the HD 800 SDR. The Atrium also has similar depth to the HD 800 SDR, perhaps being a bit better even, but where the Atrium excels is in the combination of its presentation, with not only impressively wide and deep staging but also with excellent height. It offers a taller presentation than other headphones I’ve heard. The Atrium, then, offers the most holographic presentation I’ve heard from headphones (I only heard the Abyss 12666-Beast briefly and was unimpressed – I probably didn’t maneuver my noggin correctly into its scaffolding contraption). The Atrium pulls off the neat trick of making it seem as though you’re surrounded by music, and that you’re enveloped in lovely, expansive, euphonic sound. With the right song, it’s mesmerizing.


    [​IMG]

    Impressions – Vented Mesh Atrium with Universe pads
    I can be briefer here because the vented version is much the same as the solid but with a few key differences: the tuning shifts from being dark and sonorous to more balanced and closer to neutral. I don’t think I could call it neutral, though, it’s still colored and slightly warm. It sounds more like the HD 600 to me than the more 650-ish solid mesh does. There’s also a slight brightness to the vented mesh. I suspect it has to do with more of that emphasis in the upper mids and lower treble. Vocals are more forward. Frankly, I found it pretty fatiguing, but then, as I noted previously, I’m particularly sensitive to an emphasis in these regions.

    I don’t know if it’s simply a function of the overall tuning – and with more upper-frequency emphasis as a compensating force – but the vented mesh version of the Atrium seems less bassy. It still reaches equally far down into the sub-bass. You get the same satisfying rumble. It’s just that the overall bass region, and the mid-bass area in particular, sounds less emphasized.

    This tuning means the vented mesh Atrium is a more versatile headphone. I prefer it for classical music and jazz, although the bass isn’t quite tight enough to work well with orchestral music as there’s a slight loss of definition compared with the Vérité or HD 800 SDR. The timbre to acoustic bass instruments isn’t quite right, either – it’s hard to identify specific instruments.

    The vented mesh Atrium’s higher frequencies are still missing, thanks to the relaxed tuning, but I found it easier to discern flutes, piccolos, and triangles in orchestral pieces than with the solid mesh. I also found that the upper-mid/lower-treble emphasis made violins and violas in string quartets sound sharper. Trumpets become a bit more shrill, and the alto sax is likewise fatiguing and piercing. Its timbre is also off. Electric guitars now have more bite. Some vocals, as with Jeff Buckley singing Hallelujah or Mama Cass singing Dream a Little Dream of Me, were occasionally sibilant and, with the latter, even a bit wince-inducing. I wonder if using the BF2 as the DAC exacerbated these qualities – perhaps the LiM would make for a better fit?


    Conclusion
    There's a lot to like about the Atrium: a lovely, dark tuning; beautifully rich mids; a slightly rolled off treble that doesn’t sound closed-in and that still has enough air; gloriously deep, sonorous bass; incredible headstage, with the right music; plenty of slam, and endless amounts of engagement and pleasure.

    If, like me, you’re looking for a darker sound, the solid mesh Atrium could make for one of the most pleasurable experiences you can have in this hobby. This is a flagrantly subjective take, of course, but then the solid mesh Atrium does suit my preferences nicely. It also complements the Vérité by providing a different take on my music. If I didn’t have the Vérité, the vented mesh version might be more appealing, but then the problems with its upper-mid/lower-treble emphasis and sharpness would require further experiments in pad rolling and using different DACs or amps. Overall, I prefer the Vérité. But I could imagine a happy future with the Atrium. The more time that passes since I had the good fortune to hear the two loaners - for which I'm tremendously grateful - the more I miss these headphones and the more I'd like to save my pennies for them.


    [edit: added the qualifier "occasionally" before "sibilant" three paragraphs up; edit 2: fixed the silly mistake of writing "biodynamic" when it should have been "biocellulose" when referring to the driver]
     
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    Last edited: Jul 26, 2022
  15. edd

    edd Almost "Made"

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    @Tchoupitoulas nice review... question: when you mention "vented mesh" are you referring to the stock atrium mesh or the stock aeolus mesh?

    [​IMG]
     
  16. Tchoupitoulas

    Tchoupitoulas Friend

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    You've got me there - you would ask! I'm not sure but I think it may have been the stock Atrium mesh, i.e. the one on the right, given @ChaChaRealSmooth's post in the loaner thread:

    A few posts later, Zach confirmed the units going out on tour have the stock Atrium mesh:

     
  17. Souldriver

    Souldriver Almost "Made"

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    Hmmm i know the radial is said to be more open, that middle hole must be doing the work as the atrium looks to have more hole coverage. Funny how those things work. I wonder how much even rotating the mesh would affect it for some people
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2022
  18. Pancakes

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    None.

    Holes are holes. No matter how much you rotate them, their size doesn't change.
     
  19. Souldriver

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    Well not the holes, but the mesh. Say if you turn the whole thing a few degrees that would change their positioning and pattern.
     
  20. Pancakes

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    Again, no. The only thing that matters is how porous the mesh is. IE, how much air can get through it. Turn it as much as you want, the holes stay the same size therefore the porosity stays the same. That's btw, the only difference between the various meshes. Please think in terms of physics rather than magic or voodoo.
     

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