When you go to a great restaurant and you are in the mood for beef, do you get the Beef Bourguignon, or do you get the Pan Roasted Hanger Steak? One is unctuous, soft and perfectly melds with the Mirepoix and Red Wine. The other is perfectly pan roasted in cast iron and finished with butter, thyme and garlic and then sliced into 1/4" slices always against the grain and served with a side of Arugula lightly dressed in lemon juice and olive oil to cut the richness of the meat. You are at a Michelin restaurant so you know that both dishes will be perfectly executed. That is how I think of the Atrium Closed and Verite Closed. Whichever I reach for I know I will get a headphone that I want to keep listening to for hours on end. Hard choice, I love both beef dishes. Just depends on my mood. That is what this review is about. How do you decide which ZMF dynamic closed back flagship you choose? If you have both, you are very lucky and this review will hopefully give you more thoughts about each headphones' attributes. If you can only afford one, then I hope this review will help you determine which is right for you.

As always, everything written comes from my own crazy mind. I have not been compensated for this review and it is my absolute pleasure to share with you all my thoughts about both headphones. Is it a face-off? NO! Just as the two beef dishes aren't a face off, they are a choice from a perfectly crafted menu cooked by a world class chef. The AC and VC are world class headphones crafted by a world class designer. Zach and I talk a lot about what he is trying to accomplish. What is interesting about our conversations, is that his philosophy is so close to what mine was as a top chef 20 yrs ago. All I wanted to do was make food that people liked eating. The ultimate complement, someone who comes back to see what has changed on my menu and what are they in the mood to try. I wanted them to be enthralled, to engage their senses with dishes that were seasonal, balanced and full of flavor and texture. Zach's philosophy is no different. He wants to create headphones that people want to listen to. Headphones that when you are listening to them you don't want to take them off, or if you have to, that you will want to reach for them as soon as you are able. So, when you have two TOTL dynamic flagships, which do you go for when you own them both? Or alternatively, how do you decide which of the two you want to purchase if you can only afford one of them? Tough questions... after all, we all work extremely hard for the money we make, and this is the ultimate discretionary hobby. Just as eating at a Michelin Restaurant is. People don't just pop into Noma, they are there for a reason, be it a celebration or the curious nature of what the best of the best are up to in the kitchen. The AC and VC are no different. And for me, my curious nature has led me down a path of owning both and having to make that decision when the mood strikes.

This review aims to answer these questions. And if you want to eat either some braised beef or a seared piece of steak while reading, I invite you to engage your palate while you are engaging your musical senses. After all, they have so many similarities it is hard to ignore.

System for Review:
Roon Nuc10
Meier Corda Soul MK2
Matrix 10th Anniversary X2 Pure
Mjolnir Pure BiPolar
Eddie Current Aficionado

The Beginning:
At first this review was supposed to be just about the Atrium Closed. Zach sent me the Stained Cherry and a B-Stock Olive with a touch of green dye in an effort to bring out the natural green hues of the olives and the tree.


I spent about 2 months with them and couldn't come to a decision for how I wanted to write the review. I was struggling with synergy and I was struggling with the right words. For those who know me, that isn't generally an issue for me. I can take 500 words just to say hello. I also already owned a Cherry AO and wanted something different for my AC than Cherry. And the Olive was struggling in my system. So, I sent them both back and asked if he would build me a Camphor Burl AC, since I have always loved that wood and have always wanted to own one. Lucky for me, he was about to release the summer of burl. So, I bought the below beauty and a month or so later it arrived at my doorstep.


I was finally getting somewhere. The mid density wood perfectly harmonized with my system and presented the perfect amount of decay and air. I was ready to write.

Then Zach reached out and told me he had procured some very rare Black and White Ebony wood and asked if he could make me a Verite Closed, since I had been telling him I felt a hole in my collection and that was the headphone that I wanted to plug in that hole. So, I bought the below VC and after another 6 weeks or so passed this beauty arrived...


Isn't that headphone spectacular? I sure thought so when it arrived. Not only is it beautiful, but the feel is to die for. I now had the two flagship closed backs I longed for but a serious problem. I couldn't write more than a couple thousand words without my hands going completely numb. I needed to re-train my hands and learn to keep the pain at bay. Well, today I can proudly write to my heart's content and I can finally give these headphones their due. So, I decided to write about both instead of just the Atrium Closed. As many reviews as there are about both headphones, I haven't seen a review discussing both. Let's get started...



The ZMF Package:
One of the best parts of receiving a brand new ZMF is what you get. You get the headphone, a seahorse case or wood box for an up charge, two sets of pads, and two cables. The spec chassis is aluminum, but you can upgrade to magnesium if you desire a lighter headphone. I recommend the magnesium with their heavier hard density wood headphones. Plus, you get your own personalized card certifying that the headphone is yours and info on which pads work best for each headphone along with a cloth for wiping them down. You are also able to buy an upgraded cable for a discount. However, only one upgraded cable per purchase since you are getting a discount on the cable. Personally, I am a copper nut. I love the sound of high quality Pure Ohno Cast Copper. I love the way the Copper allows more current through and ultimately gives you a fuller sound. ZMF's 2K Copper is one of the best you can buy. I also really enjoy T3 Litz Copper and feel it does a great job with both the AC and VC. For my AC, I got a pair of the thin Lambskin Perforated Pads and a pair of the thin suede Perforated Pads. For my VC, I got a pair of Auteur Solid Lambskins, and a pair of solid BE2s. I use the Lambskin's for my AC and the Auteur Solid Lambskins for my VC currently.

Pad Rolling:
One of the great experiences with Zach's headphones is rolling pads. You get to tune your headphone to your liking by changing the pads. Some work better than others with certain headphones, but it is fun to try different pads for different tunings. @heliosphann has a fantastic spreadsheet describing the sound and pad choices. He keeps updating his work, and you will find no better place to learn about ZMF's pad choices and how they affect the sound of the headphones.

The Atrium Closed Back:
The Atrium Closed is unchanged from its Open counterpart in that it has the same 50mm composite bio-cellulose diaphragm surrounded by N52 rare earth neodymium magnets and a 300 Ohm Impedance. The only difference is that the drivers are sitting a bit farther back in the cups than the Atrium Open.

One of the changes is how the ADS dampening system was deployed. It is extremely malleable and can be used in different ways to accommodate the driver and acoustical space. The key to this is what ZMF calls "Gradual Diffusion" meant to eliminate the potential for standing sound waves.

ZMF has used it in the AC to distance in such a way that it creates space between it and the driver that, combined with the asymmetrical cup structure, allows for better and a more natural type of sound wave diffusion.

They have also introduced a thinner Caldera pad in both lambskin and suede with a slight fluted design that gives a more open presentation and helps to further diffuse the sound with the dampening system for greater impact and space. This leads to a greater sense of air and decay that makes the Atrium sound simply lovely.

Sound:

The Atrium Closed is more powerful sounding than its sibling, with a greater sense of bass impact than the Open. At first listen, the Bass is without question the star of the show. It is big, fast and subtle with a nice mid bass hump that isn't so much that it takes away from the linearity of the basses natural character. However, the Atrium Closed's bass changes with different wood densities and with pad changes.

In the lighter woods the bass is a bit slower and the decay is longer. In the harder woods the bass is faster with greater linearity and impact. A great album to hear these differences is Gil Scot Heron's "Pieces of a Man"

"Lady Day and John Coltrane" is the perfect song to hear how the Atrium's bass impacts the funky lines of Gil Scot's melodies and poetry.

Another album that I spent a lot of time listening to while enjoying the Atrium closed was After Sunrise w/Mikaela Davis and their new album Circle Around The Sun. This album has a lot of texture, weight and incredible treble energy, especially the Title Song, "After Sunrise".

The Atrium closed handled the complexity of Mikaela's off-beats with equal aplomb to the down beats of Gil Scot Heron. Lastly I spent some time listening to Michael Kiwanuka's album Love and Hate.

The opening song "Cold Little Heart" is my 19yr olds favorite song on this album. It has everything in it. Incredible back vocals, ambience, air, powerful lead vocals and omnipresent organ and guitar twisting its way through the entire song. When the drums kick in, you are fully immersed and the Atrium Closed has me hanging on every note.

The Atrium Closed images extremely well, with the perfect amount of space between the instruments while maintaining a powerful mix of dynamic headroom when paired to a high quality amplifier. Most importantly, the Atrium Closed continues the Open's incredible sense of front to back depth and near perfect image specificity. This I can hear best when I listen to live albums that are patched straight out of the soundboard, like Goose's newest live performance Live at the Chateau Sessions Part 1.

When listening straight out of the soundboard you get to hear exactly what the band is hearing in a live setting. Their song "Borne" on this live recording is a 32 minute joy ride highlighting everything that I love about the Atrium Closed. Their new drummers ability to subtlety manage his kick drums with cymbals opens up the rhythm and allows the bass player to open up the pocket giving the guitar and piano/organ the ability to float above the melody while you are anchored to the Atrium Closed's agility and ability to handle complex musical passages. Due to the size of the stage in the midband, vocals can sound a smidge set back. But they aren't set back, the headphone just has such incredible depth the tuning is actually quite linear through the midband. The depth gives you the sense of vocals a little pushed back. They are not, they are exactly where they should be. I really love this headphone!

Frequency Response:
When comparing to its Open sibling, you will find that everything below 500hz is elevated in comparison. However, it is by no means overdone. It is just different and extremely impactful. It has no problem stretching down to 20hz with a greater emphasis between 40 and 60khz. This leads to greater bass impact overall. There is a bump in the 2k-4k region and then again it has some emphasis around 4k and 8k which gives the Atrium Closed a sparkle and air that I find quite enjoyable. It is also a bit flatter through the mid-band giving the Atrium Closed less timbral qualities that are as north of neutral as its Open brother, which doesn't make it sound as soft as the Atrium Open.

Wood Choices:
I have heard several different Atrium Closed Backs. From the Stained Cherry to the Camphor Burl to the Olive Wood and more than its Open sibling there is a definite change to the sound depending on the wood density. Essentially, the softer the wood the greater the decay and the slower it sounds, however slight. As you get into the harder woods the Atrium Closed becomes faster with less decay and air. There is no better, just different. What I have found is that I prefer the Atrium Closed with a mid-density wood which gives me the perfect amount of decay, air and speed. I feel it is the best of all worlds. The beauty is that you get to decide for yourself based on what ZMF is offering which you prefer. Do you want something a bit lighter with more decay and air, or do you want something a bit heavier, faster and tighter? Your choice, and the beauty is that whatever you choose, your Atrium Closed will be tuned the same.

The Verite Closed Back:
When I received my B&W Ebonies I felt like a kid in the candy store. I was so excited I could barely get them out of the box. I was slightly sweating, hands shaking and doing everything I could to get them on my head. The Verite Closed is equipped with a different driver from the Atrium and does not have the ADS dampening system. I asked Zach if he would ever try the ADS on the Verite and he said no. That he had this headphone exactly where he wanted it. There is no doubt this is the case as I believe it remains his most popular headphone.

The Verite Closed has a Vapor Deposed Beryllium Driver with 99 db/mw. It is also a 300 ohm headphone like the Atrium. This is an extremely fast driver and leads to a very different sound signature to the Atrium. It is more traditional in the sense that it doesn't have the astounding front to back depth of the Atrium, however it counters with incredible speed and fantastic timbral qualities that make the Verite Closed sound even more holographic.

When I put them on for the first time I couldn't help but smile. Of course, as I always do with a headphone I haven't either heard, or heard for a long time I go to albums I know and songs that help me to understand what I am listening to. So, I chose The Jerry Garcia Band from 1976 at the Orpheum in San Francisco. A now dead and gone theatre that hosted many a wonderful shows in its time. From Janis Joplin, to the Grateful Dead and Miles Davis.

Listening to Jerry play Jimmy Cliff's "Sitting In Limbo" and the JGB song "Mission in The Rain" not only brought me back to my formative years cooking in San Francisco, but the 1,000 plus concerts I was treated to living in such a music rich environment. The Verite's sonic capabilities are truly a treat. It is open sounding, although not to the level of the Atrium and has incredibly fast bass that leads into the midrange without any bleed or blend. The bass has no problem going down past 40khz and is extremely present in the 100-150khz region giving the Verite a full and romantic sound.

The midrange is my favorite part of the Verite Closed. It is full of air and although the stage doesn't present as big as the Atrium Closed, imaging is still spot on and gives you the feeling that each instrument is fully developed. So, while the stage isn't as big, there is more micro-detail and low level detail due to the speed and space that the drivers and cups give you. Vocals are perfectly in place, and so incredibly emotive and full of sweetness. No matter the musician, or the song I can hear the singer breath, and I can hear every aspect of their voices emotion and range.Vocals seem a bit mid-forward, but they are actually not. Just like the Atrium where vocals feel a bit pushed back due to the size of the stage, the opposite is true of the Verite. Vocals are exactly where they should be.

To test this even further I pulled out the Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris Live Album Real Live Roadrunning.

I put on "Romeo and Juliet" and sat back for the most enjoyable listen. Every instrument sounded exactly as it should. The piano had bite and decay, Knopfler's guitar had the perfect amount of twang, and his baritone voice was full of emotion and grit. This is one of my top 5 favorite songs, and this is my favorite version. The Verite Closed presented the recordings full essence. The type of sound that makes you want to keep listening. Just one more song, just one more song. Is there a better complement to a headphone.

This review is starting to get extremely long, and because the Verite Closed has been reviewed so many times, I am going to skip frequency response. I think what I've written thus far will give you a good idea of what this headphone is doing. I will say one more thing, though. The treble on the Verite Closed, while still possessing the ZMF downward sloping treble, has a node that I can hear around 5-6k and one around 8-9k that gives the headphone the perfect shimmer and really highlights the speed and benefits of a beryllium driver. The headphone just sings and has an incredible amount of weight and saturation, that with proper amplification becomes incredible top end resolution with a hint of wetness.

Amplifiers and Comparisons:
Eddie Current Aficionado: There is no winner here. Both the Atrium and Verite sound absolutely sublime on the Aficionado, especially when I roll in my 1932 RCA Single Plate 2A3s. There is a nuance, and wetness to the sound that makes both headphones sound absolutely perfect. There is no winner, just pure musical bliss. Whether I fix the X2 Pure's DAC, or leave it as adjustable to bring down its internal volume so that I can have more volume play on the Aficionado, the result is the same. Dynamic, emotive and full of brilliance. This is one special amp, and both headphones sound impeccable on it.


Mjolnir Pure BiPolar: I wasn't sure how this was gonna go. With my Atrium Open this is not my favorite pairing. It still sounds great, but not even close to how good it sounds on the Aficionado or Corda Soul as it doesn't have the ability to impedance match. My favorite headphone on this amp was the Verite Closed. The weight of the PB's midrange was a perfect match for the Verite Closed.


With the Verite Closed, the PB's pure speed and stable drift makes the headphone absolutely sing. It sounds every bit as good as it does on the Aficionado. The bass is fast and strong, and the midrange is open and articulate. The treble is a bit darker, but still a great listen.

With Atrium Closed, it was also wonderful, I just preferred the Verite. However, the Atrium's natural front to back depth and its already fabulous bass gave this pairing something special. I learned this most when I put on Widespread Panic's Acoustic Live Album Uber Cobra.

WSP does a version of the Talking Heads song "City of Dreams" that must be heard. It is so beautiful, and just drips with saturation and resolution. The PB and Verite take this classic song and bring it to life. A friend of mine said to me about this song, "there are just some songs that deserve to be played, deserve to preserved and deserve to be covered". John Bell's voice and John Keene's slide guitar take David Burn's classic and blow it out of the park. And the Verite Closed on the Pure BiPolar exemplify this as well as anything I've heard. It is a soundboard matrix, and the Verite makes me feel as if I am sitting on stage with the band listening as they play.

Meier Corda Soul MK2: Not much to say here other than that the Soul is an absolute perfect complement to both headphones. Having a 120ohm output gives you the ability to perfectly match the headphones to the amps best. I loved both headphones on the Soul. I am not sure what else to say. Bass, Midrange and Treble were all balanced. The instruments had the perfect amount of air and there is nothing missing in the music. The Soul set a perfect image and the Atrium and Verite were more than up to the task. The Soul's upgrade gives both headphones timbral qualities just north of neutral while providing every bit of micro and low level detail both headphones can muster.


Conclusion:
Owning a ZMF is like owning your own 1 of 1 headphone piece of art. Whether one or the other, or both doesn't matter. The biggest difference to me is the size of the stage and the fact that the ADS in the Atrium does a better job of creating front to back depth which gives vocals and other instruments a sense they are more pushed back, but what they have actually done is figure out how to separate near and far sounds. The Verite counters with speed, articulation and more saturation which gives you a different type of resolution. They are both incredible headphones with great properties that enables them to sound great on a lot of different amplifiers, and while they sound different, there is no mistaking that they are both ZMF's. I hear the same properties regardless of the amplifier, especially using really good amplification. They both have their own nuances, and their own special way with music, and what they do, they do extremely well. The rest just comes down to personal preferences. Bravo Zach! I am proud to own one of each. If you have to choose between them, go by your gut and know that whichever you choose you will not be disappointed. If you are lucky enough to own both, then you get to wrestle with which one you can't take off at the end of the night.

Well, this review has been in the works for far too long. For that I owe Arthur Power at Power Holdings, and Dr Jan Meier my sincerest apologies. I have not been able to write due to severe neuropathy in my hands which renders my fingers numb and I can't feel the keyboard. It has taken me 8-10 months to get on the right medical regimen and then the nerve to start writing again. I have not been paid to write this review, all thoughts are my own and this review will be a mixture of music, sound and technology. Jan Meier maybe the smartest person I have ever met, so I can't pretend to understand everything that he put intellectually into this device. But, I can tell you that I have spent a good year with it, I own it and I consider it to be the best AIO I have ever heard. And I have heard many, including the T+A HA200, Violectric V590 Pro, the Bartok Apex among many others. It is that good. So, before we get started, know that we are talking about one of the truly great pieces of kit I have ever experienced and one that should stand the test of time. Especially with his recent upgrades to MK2, which I will discuss more later.

I only used the Corda Soul for this review, but I used 6 different headphones to learn it and test it. I can say without reservation that it competes with my reference system which consists of a CFA3, Pure BiPolar, Eddie Current Aficionado and Matrix's 10th Anniversary X2 Pure DAC and Streamer.

In addition, the entire time I had the Soul hooked to my Roon NUC10, which enabled me to use Roon as my end point for the Soul.

Headphones used:
1. Final D8K Pro
2. Hifiman HEKv2 Non-Stealth
3. LFF Code X2
4. ZMF Atrium Open
5. ZMF Atrium Closed
6. ZMF Verite Closed



Technology of the Corda Soul:
Jan made the Soul (this is what I will call it from here on out) to be his Opus. The best he could build. So, I will borrow some of Jan's explanations before I head into sound and the functionality of these dials. The front of the Soul has many dials which underpins the flexibility of the amp.

Dials:
Crossfeed:
The left most dial controls Crossfeed. In the upright position, Crossfeed is plain stereo. Turning the dial clockwise activates the headphone Crossfeed (5 notches). Turning the Crossfeed to the left activates the loudspeaker Crossfeed (5 notches). Moving the Crossfeed either right or left will widen the soundstage, especially for loudspeakers that are placed close together.

I am not a 2 Channel listener, so my use case was purely headphones, and I can say without question that the Crossfeed works. I keep it exactly as the picture shows above, 3 notches to the right and the soundstage opens up like a flower in the spring.

Notch Filter:
The 2nd dial has 3 functions.
1. When using for loudspeakers, this dial allows you to optimize the delay time between the direct signal and the Crossfeed.
2 .For headphone use, the dial can control channel balance. This is especially useful for headphones that have extremely difficult Frequencies, like the HD800.
3. Lastly, this dial in stereo or headphone Crossfeed mode, and with the switch to the right in the upper position; the dial controls the central frequency of a 6dB, Q=2 notchfilter. Many (even high-end) headphones do have one or two distinct resonance frequencies in the 6..11 kHz range due to the entrapped air-volume between driver and ear. Proper application of the notch filter will lower the energy at the resonance frequency and our tests (using HD800, HE-500, T1, ...) have shown that this can result in a remarkable improvement of quality of sound.

I must admit that I don't have any headphones that benefit from this dial, so I didn't use it.

Here is another pic to keep us on track...


Bit Perfect:
7 LED's indicate sampling frequency and bit-resolution as we move across the front of the Soul. This is a great help in understanding whether or not you are getting a bit-perfect signal. Especially with computer audio, Roon, or any streamer. when the lights are blue at the frequency being played you know that the Soul is outputting a perfect bitstream.
A toggle to the right of the LED's allows to change the filter settings of the DAC-chip used. One can choose between classic filtering (phase correct, brickwall) and a filter-mode without pre-ringing (with a slightly softer, more analog sound). Honestly, I don't hear a huge difference with filters on any DAC. Maybe it is just me, but I found both filters to sound excellent.

The DAC of the Soul uses 2 WM8741 DAC-chips in dual mono and perfectly symmetrical.

Tone Controls:
There are 4 tone controls which move in .75db increments and allow you to move the frequency by up to 4db in either direction. I asked Jan why 4db and his answer was quite simple. "If you need to move any headphone by more than 4db, then it isn't the right headphone for you". I thought that made a lot of sense. The Tone controls are as follows moving left to right.
1. Increase/decrease frequencies below 170khz
2. Increase/decrease frequencies below 500khz
3. Increase/decrease frequencies above 1.5khz
4. Increase/decrease frequencies above 4.5khz

• The 4th dial also has a de-emphasis control when all the way to the left. It can be used when SPIDF does not add the emphasis information. This is a novel approach and not one used often if ever in headphone amps. The affects of the separate controls are cumulative and only exist in the digital domain. You cannot access the DSP if you are not using the DAC.

All controls have Q=0.5 shelving, Stepsize 0.8 dB, range +/- 4 dB.

I must admit that I am not someone who uses the Tone Controls. I tend to not EQ my headphones. I would rather buy headphones that meet my tuning preferences and look at other ways within my chain to ensure that I have the right balance. Plus, I mostly listen to live music coming straight from the soundboard. So, what the band is hearing, I am hearing. However, for this review I listened to a lot of different music to understand the Soul's flexibility and sonic prowess. Below is a pic of the Soul with my Roon NUC and a 4 TB SSD.



Remaining Dials and Controls:
1. Bottom left you have 2 XLR headphone outputs. The one to the left is at 120 OHM, and the one to the right is at 0 ohm. Plugged into the left output is my cable for my Final D8K Pro.
2. To the right is your digital dial where you get to choose your digital connection of choice. You have 3 coaxial-in, 3 Optical-In, 1 Optical-Out and USB 2.0. I used USB for the entirety of my review.
3. Next to your digital dial are 3 gain switches. Low Z, Medium Z, High Z. I used them all effectively and found no headphone in my stable that needed more power than the Soul could provide.
4. The next dial is your volume dial. The SOUL has a discrete volume control with 64 positions. Typical step size is around 0.8 dB. For visual control the ON-OFF LED of the amp changes it's color/intensity with each step. In addition, The potentiometer is motor-controlled and can be learned to react to any two free buttons on an infrared remote control.
5. Lastly is your on/off button. Fairly simple.

The Back of the Soul:

The rear of the SOUL is pretty straightforward. There are one USB-input (up to 24/192), three optical inputs, three coaxial inputs and one pair of balanced analog inputs. There also is an optical output that provides the processed digital signal so people can use the SOUL as a digital processor only. The SOUL also has balanced volume-controlled outputs and can act as a preamp to drive active loudspeakers or a power amplifier. The SPDIF input signals are decoded and de-jittered by a WM8804 SPDIF-receiver-chip. The clock used is an extremely high-quality TCXO.

Other Technologies:
I must admit, many of these technologies are above my level of expertise, but I will include them so you can see how much thought and expertise was put into this device. For example, the Soul has 275 capacitors. Mostly ceramic, except where it makes the most difference for the sound and for those Jan used Nichicon Golds.

The digital audio signal is then fed into an ADAU1451 DSP for all processing concerning the FF-technique, Crossfeed, channel balance, notchfilter, and tone-controls.

After processing the digital signal is converted to an analog signal using two WM8741 DAC-chips in dual-mono-mode.

Each analog signal (four signals in total as this is a balanced amp) is amplified/buffered by one single amplification stage, using an AD797 opamp (biased into class-A) that is buffered by two BUF634s (in high-current-mode). Volume is set by changing the feedback-resistance of the opamp. This results in a much lower background noise and much lower distortion then using a conventional approach with a potentiometer in front of an amplification stage with fixed amplification factor. This amp is "black", even with the most sensitive headphones.

The USB-input uses the CM6631 from C-Media to receive data in asynchronous mode from your PC. These are then sent in SPDIF-format to the WM8804. The use of extremely high-quality TCXOs guarantee a very jitter-free operation.

The SOUL accepts PCM signals with sampling frequencies of 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, and 192 kHz. Bit-resolutions up to 24-bit.

DSD-signals and 384 kHz signals can not be processed by the DSP and therefore are not accepted. However, I can tell you being a PCM guy that I cannot hear a difference above 192khz. I just can't. Similar to wine, I can tell the difference between a $10 bottle of wine and a $100 bottle of wine, but I cannot tell the difference between a $100 and a $500 bottle of wine. I just can't and I have 25 yrs of culinary experience.

The amp has four separate switched power supplies. One for the digital section, one for the USB section, and two for the positive and the negative supply lines of the analog amplification stage. Each part electrically isolated. The output of each supply is RC filtered and further down-regulated with the use of analog voltage regulators. There are separate regulators for the opamps and the buffers. This, together with a total of around 70,000 uF (!!!) buffer-capacity results in extremely stable supply voltages. Sound-critical capacitors are Nichicon Fine Gold.

The switched power supplies work with a typical switching frequency of 70 kHz. This is far beyond the limit of human hearing and thus any noise induced by the supplies is inaudible. There is no hum or any noise audible produced by the power supplies. I can attest to this. The Soul is DEAD QUIET!

Great care has been taken in the choice of the components used. Neutrik XLR-sockets, an ALPS potentiometer (although it does not carry an audio-signal) for smooth operation, LORLIN siver-plated rotary switches; sealed relays all contribute to a high life-time-expectancy.

Sound:
I have had the pleasure of using the Soul now for about a year. Since I have owned the Soul, Jan has come out with an upgraded MK2 version. I will get into how I perceive those upgrades in a moment. Most importantly, how does all this technology come together and sound?

Without getting too wordy, just about perfect. The Soul was built to be extremely neutral without the use of all the DSP. Jan is a classical listener and he used much of that type of music and headphones like the Beyerdynamic T1, HE 500, and the HD800 to tune the Soul. Headphones of different tunings and loads to ensure the Soul could handle all headphones you throw at it. The sound is completely grain and etch free. I use it solely as an all in one, which I got for help in reviewing so that I could speak to a large piece of our hobby who uses AIO's for their listening pleasure.

The Soul's tonality is just about perfect. Timbral qualities on MK1 are almost flat neutral. This leads to a very clean bass response that is exactly what the recorded source gives you. The bass is fast, and linear. It gives you exactly what is on the recording. What else can you ask for from your bass? The midrange is articulate and detailed with complete and total accuracy. Guitars, Piano, Organ, Stand Up Bass, all aspects of the midrange are so accurate and just open up through the basses beautiful pocket. The treble is my favorite part of the Soul. It feels like it extends forever and has absolutely no peaks or nodes that bother my finicky ears. I hear slight resonances above 4.5k, but nothing that I would EQ out. In addition, the Soul's ability to accurately depict all instruments leads to near perfect decay. Imaging is spot on. Each instrument can be heard in its exact place on stage. I can close my eyes and hear exactly where the band is and how much room there is between them. Top end resolution is absolutely perfect.



How does the Soul make me feel when listening to it? I always start a new piece of gear with the above song. A song written during Covid by a mult-instrumentalist, Xavier Rudd. The song is uplifting and full of texture and wonder. The Soul brings out every bit of emotion and every aspect of the songs attributes. From bass, to vocals, through to wonderfully subtle drumming and cymbal work. The Soul grabs it all and goes straight to the nape of my neck. It makes me feel alive. I love hearing Xavier's hands as they move across the fretboard, and his vocals are forward, but not overly so. Back up vocals sit right behind my head, showing the Soul's innate sense of image specificity. It makes me feel connected to my music in a way that very few pieces of kit make me feel.

Next, I listened to Beck's Morning Phase. Especially " Morning", "Heart is a Drum" and "Say Goodbye".

These albums highlight what makes the Soul so special. When you can hear every detail, at whatever volume you please and hear exactly as it was recorded, you are on to something special. The Soul highlights Beck's special ability to use texture, tones, and his incredible voice to tell a story. The Soul's ability to grab every bit exactly as it was recorded gives me goose bumps. It is holographic, exactly as Beck wanted it.



From here I decided to see how the Soul does with something simpler. Music that is just a singer and a piano. As of late I have been absolutely in love with Bruce Springsteen's Live Series: Songs on Keys. This is just Bruce, his piano, his superior song writing and it is patched directly out of the soundboard. Therefore, the Soul is playing what Bruce is hearing right through my headphones. From "Independence Day", to "The River" to "Drive All Night", and the most rousing version of "Incident on 57th St" the Soul extracts every last bit of emotion. You can feel the saturation dripping from Bruce's vocals being turned into Resolution with the perfect amount of wetness and grit. For this performance I chose my D8K Pro's. My favorite headphone as the midrange is so musical, detailed and emotive. I felt this would be a great combo being that I am listening to just Bruce's voice, his piano and a slight blend of an audience matrix to make this album a perfect soundboard matrix. But, it didn't matter what headphone I chose, the result was the same. Exquisite tone from the piano and vocals dripping with saturation and the perfect amount of wetness in the resolution which made me feel as if I was sitting right next to Bruce on stage. This was equal with my ZMF AC and VC which imbued an extra touch of holographic timbral qualities. I just couldn't stop listening. One more song, just one more song. Is there any better complement?




What Makes The Soul so Special?
I had the opportunity to go to Canjam in Dallas in November. One of the things I wanted to do was listen to every AIO at the event to see how they compared to the Soul. While the Bartok Apex was equal to the Soul in quality of sound, nothing else was as good. That is how good the Soul sounds. And that is only using the Crossfeed 3 notches to the right to open up the soundstage and ensuring that I am using the right headphone output to maximize the efficiency of the Soul.

The Soul has a reference level DAC that is dual mono, perfectly symmetrical, electrically isolated and has no weaknesses. The amp is reference quality and matches my Eddie Current Aficionado, CFA3 and Mjolnir Pure BiPolar in quality. When you have something that is so well executed, add in DSP for those who like to EQ, you have something that is special. It is the Opus of one of the smartest people in the industry. Bass, Midrange, Treble, Tonality, Timbre and the devices stability makes it an absolute winner. And for only $3500, you won't find a device with more technology or sonic quality.

Meier Corda Soul MK2:
About 3 months ago, Jan reached out to me and told me that he had come up with an upgrade for the Soul. He was calling it MK2 and he wanted to send it to me so that I could decide which I preferred, and to send back the one I didn't. The upgrade costs $350 plus shipping one way. You have to ship it to Jan in Bavaria, and he takes care of the rest.

So, what did he upgrade? Well, he wouldn't tell me. He wanted me to try and figure it out on my own. He did tell me that some would prefer it, and others wouldn't. I can tell you that I prefer it, by a LARGE margin. The differences are subtle, but they are noticeable and genius. Coming from this audio nut who is NOT an engineer or a Dr of Physics like Jan, I still feel I was able to understand what Jan did to make MK2 different and to this audio nut, worth every penny to upgrade.

I decided to put on some jazz and funk to see if I could tell what he changed. So, I put on the following albums...



I went with Red Clay, my all time favorite jazz album and Fela Kuti's album with Roy Ayers. Roy Ayers is the greatest vibraphone player I have heard, and the sounds of his vibraphone are like a waterfall of sound, coupled with the layer and texture of Fela's band were simply astounding on the Soul MK2. As was Red Clay. Freddie's trumpet, Ron Carter's bass, Joe Henderson's Sax, and Herbie's piano were incredible. It was shockingly good. Freddie's trumpet was yet again dripping with saturation. This time I used my HEKv2 Non-Stealth and was treated to a tour de force from my favorite jazz song. Ron's bass is so visceral. As a friend told me once, "Ron has got some seriously deep pockets". The Soul personified my friends exact words. I almost wrote, I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but I was hearing it, so that would be a false statement. It was happening, so believe it. So, what did Jan change?

The changes are subtle, but they make the Soul exponentially better in my opinion. He was able to simultaneously smooth out any edges that may exist (which were very few), add a bit of timbral warmth allowing the Soul's musicality to become even more palpable, and he did this while increasing micro-detail and low level detail. I still don't know what he changed, but I am fairly certain most of the changes were to the DAC, bringing it more technically modern. I guess we will never know exactly what he changed, but it is worth every penny.

Conclusion:
So, how would I characterize the Corda Soul MK1 or MK2? A must have for those who are interested in the best all in one unit for headphone listening that I have heard. It also has a reference level pre-amp taboot. The Soul is musical, clean, and full of life. It makes my music sound exactly as it should, the way it was recorded. And it does this with every headphone I own. Every headphone benefits from the Soul. Every headphone, and every album sounds balanced, stable and exactly as they were built and produced to sound. I am not sure I can say much more. 2 big thumbs up! Thank you, Jan for this incredible musical journey. And thank you to both Arthur Power and Jan for your patience as I learned to cope with my health. I highly recommend the Meier Corda Soul. It is simply brilliant in every possible way.

One Edit to the review: You can buy the Corda Soul 2 different ways. Either through Arthur at https://power-holdings-inc.com/, or through Meier Audio if outside of Power Holdings considerable network.

Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Super Clock: DSD Goodness for the Everyday Audiophile



Over the past 6 months I have had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with the Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Super Clock. Due to life, sitting down to write this review took some time, but in the end it was a very rewarding experience. Cen.Grand has been around the high end Chinese Market for about 10 years. The end of 2022 brought Cen.Grand to the US shores for the first time through Power Holdings Inc. They are an innovative company with headphone amps, All-In One DAC/Amps, 2 Channel Speaker Amps, and DACs. Plus, they are working on a line of Music Servers and Streamers to come out soon. This review focuses on their unique take on DSD DAC technology. Cen.Grand has 3 different DSD DACs. The Standard Model, The Super Clock, and The Deluxe. The subject of this review is their middle tier Super Clock. But, by no means does middle not mean great. As you will read, this is a very special product that is a welcome addition to the very crowded $3000-$4000 DAC price range. Thank you to Cen.Grand and to Arthur Power at Power Holdings for giving me this opportunity to demo the Super Clock. All thoughts are my own and I have not been compensated to write these impressions/review. If you want to skip the review and get to the end, The Super Clock is worth every penny and provides a physical, resolute sound that pairs beautifully with solid state and tube amps. It is flexible, intuitive and very easy on the eyes.

I used the Cen.Grand with my CFA3, Cembalo Labs Spring 1, Icon Audio HP8, Hifiman HEKv2, ZMF Atrium, ZMF Auteur OG, LFF Code X and the T+A Solitaire P-SE. In addition, I compared it to the Exogal Comet+, The Matrix X2 Pure, and the Meier Corda Soul. More important than comparisons, the Super Clock stood up to all genres of music I listen to, and sounded wonderful no matter my chain or the headphone I used. With that, sit back and enjoy the Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Super Clock.

What is the DSDAC 1.0?
The DSDAC1.0 is a high-performance audio DAC based on DSD theory. It is different from a DS, R2R or FPGA DAC in many ways. It doesn't use a conventional chip for DA conversion, but instead uses discrete components and an extremely advanced algorithm for digital processing. There have been several other companies who have made a DSD DAC. These include Meitner, Emm Labs, Playback Designs and most notably, PS Audio. However, the Cen.Grand is not copying their code and spent 5 years creating their own mathematical equations and algorithms. The DSDAC 1.0 can increase the frequency of all input data including PCM or DSD64 up to DSD1024. In addition, Cen.Grand has employed a clock blocking technology that is unique to their DACs. The Standard model follows the above formulas. The Super Clock takes it a step further by improving the clock system so that RMS Jitter is as low as 100fs. Furthermore, they have improved some of the internal components to higher end discrete parts which helps to further enhance and refine the sound. The Deluxe Model takes it further by improving the components even more to create what Jianhue calls "A Nobility to the Sound" which is as good as any DAC I have heard.

The high-frequency rise algorithm is the core of the DSDAC 1.0. There are many different ways to realize frequency rising, but by its nature, this is a very complex mathematical problem. It is not a digital problem. So, while many are using similar technologies, Cen.Grand was able to achieve their stated goal in their own way, by using a Synchronous direct clock technology; a femtosecond clock inside is sent to the shift register directly without any intermediate conversion, so that the performance of the femtosecond clock is directly reflected in the analog output. This is different from the use of an external femtosecond clock and built-in femtosecond crystal oscillator. Due to the way they are using synchronous clocking tech they are able to mitigate jitter and send the clock directly without dividing the frequency. This is an advancement in the technology of clock application. Coupled with their Clock Blocking Tech, which as a synchronization process helps them to fix the clocking problem that plagues many digital sources. How I understand the tech is that this is what gives the Cen.Grand DAC such great timing and superior sonics.

Lastly, the DSDAC 1.0 has an advanced USB interface which can receive DSD source code natively. This is a necessary function in creating a DSD DAC. Cen.Grand has customized a special driver from XMOS to enable the DSDAC 1.0 to receive the source code natively up to DSD512. The other way the DSDAC can input DSD is through SPIDF as DSD64 in DOP mode.



Functional Parameters of the DSDAC 1.0:

• SPDIF sampling rate: PCM 192 khz / dop64 (AES, optical fiber, coaxial, BNC)
• USB sampling rate: PCM 384 khz / DSD512 (native)
• Output interface: one for XLR and one for RCA
• Output level: 5.0V RMS (XLR), 2.5V RMS (RCA)
• Volume control range: - 70dB ~ 0dB
• Overall dimension: 430 * 360 * 100mm
• Net weight: 10.6kg
• Gross weight: 13.3kg

Basic Impressions:
1. The Super Clock has the exact same form factor as the Silver Fox. A perfect DAC to stack with the Silver Fox. It weighs around 25lbs and is very stable and beautifully built. My version was silver for my review with gold accents and is extremely classy. It is easy to use, built like a tank and feels great to the touch.
2. The Super Clock sits right in the middle of their DAC line-up. It doesn't have all the fancy parts of the Deluxe, but the most important part of this DAC is the clocking tech, and the Super Clock does have the same clocking tech as the Deluxe. As Jianhue the owner of Cen.Grand told me, the Super Clock is as much DAC as any sane person needs. I agree with this statement. There is no detail missing in my music, and the integrated whole is nothing short of spectacular.
3. The biggest difference between the Super Clock and Deluxe is a certain refinement or nobility to the sound that is not quite to the level of the Deluxe, but better than anything I have heard in its price range. From what I have experienced, the Super Clock represents the very best price to performance in the Cen.Grand DAC line-up and will get you 90% plus of the way to the Deluxe.
4. When I set up the Super Clock, I used both the XLRs for my CFA3 and the RCAs for my Icon HP8. I was told there is a possibility of sound degradation with both outputs being used at the same time. But I didn't find this to be the case. While I never used both amps at the same time, I heard no sonic degradation by having both plugged in.
5. The Super Clock takes very well to upstream cabling. I used a Moon Audio Silver Dragon which has greater shielding and provided me with the best connection using USB. I also used a USBe Perfect out of my Roon Core.
6. I set the Super Clock to fixed DAC to disable its internal volume and I used my amps to control volume. I didn't hear huge differences with the filters, so I settled on filter 6 and went with it for the entire time I used the DAC. I did play with the DAC in variable mode as well. The Super Clock is a very fine Pre-Amp and its volume was more than adequate. However, I did prefer it in fixed DAC mode so I could control the volume from my HP8 or CFA3.
7. The Super Clock is extremely stable and I had no issues with it at anytime. It always worked, and it always sounded fantastic. I left it on for days on end, and I turned it off at the end of each day. I tried it both ways and I never felt the sound changed. I did find that the DAC would take about 30 minutes to fully bias, at which time I would get the DACs full potential.
8. If you use Roon's DSP, you need to turn off the upsample feature as it will cause the Super Clock to distort. All 3 Cen.Grand DACs are upsampling from PCM up to DSD1024 internally, so the DSP in Roon gets in the way of the DAC already performing this function in the digital domain. You can choose between DSD128, DSD256, DSD512 and DSD1024. I found DSD512 and DSD1024 to be exponentially better. I left it set to DSD1024 at all times.
9. The Super Clock comes with a remote that is made from the same billet of metal as the chassis. While I keep my DAC close to me while in use, the remote is a great addition for those who have their system across the room.



Sound Quality:
The Super Clock is an extremely immersive, physical and weighty DAC. There is deep note saturation, that when accompanied by the right pace and tone provides you with a high amount of resolution. At first listen I found the Super Clock to sound warm, but it wasn't warm at all. It was just extremely saturated and more resolving than what I was used to. The DSDAC is very musical, and analog in presentation. I don't tend to use words like "analog" when I describe sound, but this DAC was the closest digital I have heard to analog. So, in this review it fits. The Super Clock doesn't have any etch or grain, and extends into the subbass and up above 12k without breaking a sweat.

The bass is extremely full and detailed with the right amount of decay to hear both the leading and trailing edge of the notes. I found that with the Super Clock I preferred the visceral strike of fingers on the bass strings, versus the sound of a pick hitting the strings. I can hear the reverb of the bass players fingers rolling across the strings, almost as if I can hear the strings vibrating while the notes trail off. It is a very romantic, physical and beautiful sound. Due to the high level of note saturation, the midrange is open and full of information. There is a liquidity to the midrange where you can feel the pocket open up and envelope your senses. Once inside the pocket you can hear all of the instruments float in and out of the melody anchored by exquisite weight from the drums and bass. Vocals are intimate and emotive. You can feel a singers lips pressed against the microphone, their breath on your skin and the crackle of the voice as they move up and down their vocal range. I loved the way the Super Clock rendered vocals and while I mostly listen to instrumental music, I found myself listening more and more to vocals. I have listened to the Daniel Lanois song "The Maker" 100s of times. I love the Jerry Garcia Band version, but my all time favorite version comes from a Dave Matthews show from 2000. His voice just crackles, and I can hear him stretch his range and every bit of emotion he can muster as he works his way through one of the best readings of Daniel Lanois's classic tune. I have never heard Dave's voice sound so emotional and in perfect unison with the pacing of the melody. The Super Clock is able to render vocals at a level I have yet heard through my system. The upper midrange transitions effortlessly into the treble. Because of the deep note saturation, you almost feel like it sounds dark at first listen, but once you realize that the saturation is not darkness, but resolution, you are able to hear how the cymbals shine and crash and the perfect amount of decay leading to a balanced whole. Instruments like Vibes become a cacophony of sounds emanating from all directions invading your senses. The Super Clock grabs you in the nape of your neck and doesn't let go.

Imaging and Transience:
The Super Clock throws a beautiful image. The specificity of instrument placement is accurate and organic. More importantly, the Super Clock opens up enough to provide the proper amount of space between the notes. This enables the listener to not only place each instrument accurately on stage, but also to understand the amount of space between the musicians. You can feel them communicating and the music has enough room to properly breathe. Albums like "Kind of Blue" or Grant Green's "Idle Moments" offer the perfect amount of space and air to let the music unfold in the proper time.

Transience is one of those things that is very subjective. Do you like a fast decay or do you like the decay to linger? I prefer a faster decay which gives the music more snap. This was the one area with the Super Clock where I would've preferred a bit faster decay leading to a bit more transient snap. The transience is by no means slow, but I felt the DAC was tuned for music that plays a note or two slower than what I like. I could hear this most with bands like Phish, where they are communicating quickly and the music is turning and moving around Fishman's polyrhythmic drumming. I felt that I was having to wait a split second longer to catch up to their improvisation. That being said, transients are extremely accurate to the integrated whole of the DACs presentation and by no means does it take away from the Super Clocks PRAT. Sometimes one thing begets another. So, while the impeccable note saturation leads to a organic tone and a beautifully rendered pocket, it does slow down the snap of music by a note or two which isn't my ultimate preference. They are trade offs that I think are worth it in the end. It was never enough to mitigate my enjoyment of this fine DAC, but it is something that I noticed over time. It took me weeks of listening to really understand this, as it is not something most will notice.



The Super Clock's strongest attribute is its tone and slight timbral colorations that make instruments sound alive and accurate. This is not a DAC that you would look at the measurements and get the full picture. The reality is that converting PCM to DSD internally is a very complicated process and leads to challenges with noise. While a measurement tool might pick up that noise, it exists outside of the ability for human ears to discern it. The DAC was dead quiet, the tone was full and wet, and the slight timbral colorations were a wonderful addition to a technically advanced digital source. I liked that I didn't need to use any DSP to get the most out of my music. Guitar had the proper crunch and pop, piano sounded like a waterfall coming out of the top of my head, the bass could be felt in my chest, and I could feel the skins of the drums compress and release while I could hear the leading and trailing edges. Coupled with some of most emotive vocals I have heard from a DAC, I found myself constantly smiling.

Conclusion:
The true litmus test of a great product is whether or not at the end of the night you want to keep listening to one more song. I spent many a night up until 2-3am listening to one more song, one more song, one more song. There is no better recommendation than that. I just loved the way the Super Clock took my music and gave me the feeling that I was sitting right in front of the soundboard at a live show. The Super Clock gives you the sense that you are immersed in the pocket and you can hear the music unfold from the inside out like a flower blooming in spring.

I want to thank Arthur Power for giving me the opportunity to demo the Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Super Clock. If you are interested in purchasing this DAC, Arthur can be found at power-holdings-inc.com. I humbly recommend this DAC for anyone who wants to fill out their system with a musical beast that will provide you with deep note saturation, high levels of resolution, and a balanced soundstage with impeccable image specificity. The sound is full, honest and beautifully rendered. I cannot think of a reason why not to own a Cen.Grand DAC, and if your budget is at or around $3000-$3500 you will get as much DAC as any sane person needs. And if you are past the point of sane, go for the Deluxe version and eek out the last bit of "Nobility" Cen.Grand has to offer. Two big, musical thumbs up!

ZMF's much anticipated and lauded first Planar is finally here, and it is a beauty. If you don't want to read this review, then you can stop right here. This is my first 5 star review of any product. Nuff Said! The Caldera is emotional, fun, intelligent, comfortable, gorgeous in white oak, has incredible transience, fast decay; and all while still maintaining the trademark ZMF smooth, and fun sound.

I have not been compensated for this review. I would like to thank ZMF for the opportunity to spend this time with the Caldera. All thoughts are my own, and as usual this review will be a mix of food, music and the full engagement of our senses.

You will not find any measurements, there are plenty of those already. Hopefully, you will walk away feeling a little bit better about your decision to either own or potentially own a Caldera. It is WORTH every penny!

Accessories:
The Caldera comes with the normal ZMF accoutrement. You get a seahorse or wooden case, the headphone, two sets of pads (The Caldera Lambskin Perforated and Caldera Suede Perforated), 2 cables ( I received 2 braided spec cables, but have an OFC and other cables at my disposal), an Ownership Card, Lifetime Driver Warranty and a nice little bag for the cables.

As always, the Caldera arrived without any issue. The packaging is perfect. The headphones are secure and you always feel welcomed to the ZMF family. I cannot understate how important a factor this is in purchasing for me. I don't need the best deal, I just need to feel that my business matters. ZMF exemplifies this! They make every customer feel as if they are their only customer.

Driver's and Damping:
ZMF's first Planar is equipped with an 80mm Planar Driver encased in a carbon fiber baffle to keep weight down. In addition, it is equipped with several traces and pathway patterns all that are gold plated copper instead of aluminum. This seems to have a positive effect on overall weight, and therefore overall comfort. The Caldera tops out at 60 ohm's. In addition, the Caldera comes with the patent pending Atrium Damping System. The ADS reduces back-wave which helps to push air towards your ears giving you a more informed and developed pocket and musical space. In short, it increases the soundstage width and depth exponentially. However, the Caldera does not possess the otherworldly soundstage size as the Atrium, it does work beautifully and helps to create and extremely developed and accurate stage and image. This would make the Caldera the first Planar that I know of to use a damping system from a dynamic headphone. I don't know this for sure, but the addition of the ADS gives the Caldera a very unique flavor and tuning. It makes the jump from dynamic to planar such a comfortable space for a company that started modifying Planar T50's and then became known for their high impedance dynamic designs. To revert back completely in their own way, on their own time and with their own ideas makes the Caldera all the more special.

Comfort & Pads:
Every ZMF comes with their customary strap and crescent strap. They have recently changed to the crescent strap making weight distribution that much better. I can wear the Caldera for hours without feeling any hotspots or discomfort. Weight distribution is even and I have no issues wearing my glasses free of discomfort. The Caldera comes with their new Caldera Pads. Lambskin Perforated and Suede Perforated. They are smaller than the normal Universe, Auteur and Eikon pads. However, they don't feel any less comfortable and as always, pad roll to your heart's content. I personally prefer the Lambskin, just as I do on all ZMFs, but the Suede's offer a compelling sound signature. Per my usual, I find that the Lambskin’s offer a bit more linearity through the bass, with less 150hz hump and a cleaner move into the lower midrange. I also find the Lambskins to provide a bit more sparkle in the treble. I hear this especially with cymbal hits, wind instruments and vocal harmonies. Whereas, the Suede's counter with a more romantic sound. A bit rounder, slower decay and a fuller bass with more emotive vocal presentation. I also find the Suede's to be a tad bit darker coming out of the presence region into the lower treble. As always with pads, YMMV. This is just how I hear it, and what I prefer. Honestly, I love the Caldera with both sets of pads. The Suede's are admittedly a bit more comfortable, compressing into my ears a bit better lending to a smidge better seal. However, I still prefer the overall tonality and voicing with the Lambskin's.


Are these not GORGEOUS? I don't have much to say here, just couldn't waste this amazing shot. The grain is spectacular, the aggregated whole is just on point to my taste and preferences.

Customizing your ZMF:
I would be remiss if I didn't bring up the customization of the Caldera and all ZMF's. You can get an aluminum or magnesium chassis (for an up-charge), different color rods and grills. And the White Oak can be stained to look like vintage coffee with copper, brass or black. As you can see, the pair I have here are the standard Natural White Oak with all black. Sexy! In addition, you can upgrade your cable package. I believe the Caldera sounds best with a silver cable, but the OFC or 2k Copper will still provide you an amazing musical tour de force. I know some complain about their stock cables, but I have not found them to be anything other than easy to use and extremely musical. I love the OFC cable, and in most instances believe that the OFC is enough for a ZMF. However, my Audio Sensibility Silver Statement was the perfect compliment for the Caldera. It let the bass flow a bit lower, opened up the lower midrange, and gave the treble a small dose of sparkle that made the Caldera even more complete. Was it needed? No! Did I love it? Yes! You can also keep an eye out for Limited Edition runs (Kingswood currently), Canjam specials, and the twice yearly special that sends out B-Stocks, Stabilized Variants and woods that might only have 1 or 2 in that form. I am quite fond of all ZMF's in Camphor Burl. I would personally wait and try to score a Camphor Burl during the summer special or ZMF November. As for Janka Ratings, while the wood density will make a small difference, buy what you like the look of first and foremost. All Caldera's are tuned exactly the same and so ultimately buy what you find aesthetically pleasing. I always buy my artisan bread when their is a bit of browning or even a smidge of darkness to the crust. I know that the flavor isn't much changed, but I love the look and it makes it taste better to me. ZMF wood is no different. Are there small changes with wood densities? Maybe. Are you buying something you like the look of first? Definitely! The most important part of the wood will be weight. The denser the wood, the heavier the headphone. A regular white oak will come in around 490 grams. However, they could go as high as 550-575 grams if using an extremely dense wood. So, take into account weight as well while you are deciding on your custom Caldera heirloom.

Sound Impressions:
The Caldera sounds huge, snappy, fast, and balanced. It isn't as fast as my Soltaire P-SE, or the Susvara, but it is also more emotionally charged. It is incredible with Psychedelic Rock, Jazz, Bluegrass, and good ole' Rock n Roll. It is powerful, and the ADS provides front to back depth that enables an incredible sensation, where instruments and vocals are separated within the sound field.

Image Specificity, especially instrumental separation is top notch. All instruments can be heard in their exact space on stage, with enough room and air to discern their exact location. If you have been to Red Rocks, the Caldera provides a similar feel to being at the Rocks. After the rain dissipates, and the stars come out, a warm wind swirls through the amphitheater creating resonance as the sounds bounce off the rocks and back at your ears. The Caldera is doing the same thing. Sounds are swirling around you, the image solidified by the resonance of the wood and the stability of the driver and ADS where the acoustic soundscape makes its way back to your ears accurately and oh so pleasantly.

Like most TOTL planars today, vocals remain upfront in the mix. They aren't as gritty as the Atrium, but they are still emotive with wonderful focus. This I imagine is helped by a treble presentation that is more uplifting than downward sloping.

As always, ZMF goes their own way when it comes to their version of the Harmon Target and Frequency Response. I wouldn't call the Caldera "ZMF Neutral", but it definitely goes its own way. They aren't trying to follow a curve, they are trying to create the most musical, enjoyable and fun headphone that you want to continue to pick up over and over. They do this on their terms, and with the Caldera it works as well as any headphone I have heard. It is not as detailed as the Soltaire P-SE, it is not as fast and ethereal as the Susvara, but I just can't stop listening to it. Their is a noticeable lift around 2-3k and a dip between 4-6 to my ears, which mitigated by a peak around 8k gives the Caldera that finishing touch of sparkle and openness.

The Caldera's most impressive feat is the move from bass to midrange. It is extremely linear all the way down to 20 hz or so, and so clean as it enters the presence region. I don't hear any scooping, just a smooth transition into the midrange. ZMF continues to impress with an articulate, open and beautifully rendered midrange. On Radiohead's "High & Dry" off their album Bends, the guitar is both subtle and gritty simultaneously. Vocals are extremely present, yet emotive. All instruments are placed perfectly and the sound is whole. The peaks and valleys of the song are paced perfectly. There is no slog. It is an effortless reading of a gorgeous song. The same can be said for the Roy Ayers tune "A Tear to a Smile", the titular song off this amazing album. Roy's vibraphone playing is impeccable, its tonality is spot on, and it sounds like a waterfall of sound coming out of every direction, firmly planted in the middle of my head. The sounds are coming from everywhere, yet the Caldera still anchors you to the pacing and rhythm of the bass and down beat drumming. Roy's vibraphone playing must be heard on the Caldera. It is so powerful, evasive and subtle; while remaining completely up front. It is so good, it is all you can discern.

I continue to move through my Roy Ayers collection with the Caldera. Next up was Mystic Voyage. Another song with a funky bass pocket, instrumental subtlety coming from left to right and front to back, and as always, you get a Roy Ayers Vibe's solo that will knock you out of your chair. Thank you Caldera for rendering Roy's Vibes perfectly. I can feel his hands moving, his mallets hitting the metal bars with perfect decay and transience.

Timbre/Tonality:
As with all ZMF's Timbre and tonality are right at the forefront. Timbral Coloration is slightly north of neutral giving the Caldera a beautiful harmonic balance. It is charming, rhythmic, with beautiful pace and timing. Tonality is accurate and the Caldera sounds like music. Is there any better way to describe a headphone than to say it sounds like music? I know when I make a new dish, all I want to achieve is for it to have balance, aesthetics and for it to taste like what it is. The Caldera sounds like how great food is supposed to taste. Accurate, with a bit of alchemy where the customer has to ask themselves; how did you do that? Generally the answer is easier than what people think. Good technique, and a connection to your senses. The Caldera's timbral abilities are exactly that. A bit of science and a bit of magic. All that matters is that the Caldera sounds right.

Staging and Imaging:
This has become my favorite part of all ZMF headphones since the inception of the ADS. There is so much room for the instruments to play patiently and within their own space, that the stage is accurate, lifelike and generally takes on the size of the room. What else can you ask for? I don't want my music to sound like it is being played at MSG when they are at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The staging must be able to take on the instinctive feel of the room size and the space between the musicians. Both the Caldera and Atrium do this in spades.

What I like even more is how well the Caldera handles image specificity. The Accuracy of the instruments, their location on stage, the accuracy of how they come out of each channel, and the balance which gives each instrument its own unique tone and the air necessary for it to have the proper decay and transient snap. Caldera, CHECK!

Select Comparisons:

Caldera vs. LFF Code X
I am going to compare the Caldera to my all time favorite headphone. The LFF Code X. I just recently picked up an original Code X. All is well in the world. Does this headphone compare to the Caldera from a technical standpoint? No! Does it compare with a natural tone and timbral quality? Yes! The Code X's super power is how incredibly musical it sounds. It doesn't have the most technically advanced driver, and the modification is 7-8 yrs old, but this oldie still stands the test of time. The Caldera counters with a faster sound, a better sense of stage presence and overall it is just a more proficient headphone. That being said, the Code X is so good I have a hard time picking a winner. So, a tie it is. This is more heart than head, admittedly.


The Caldera vs The T+A Soltaire P-SE
This one is tough. The Caldera is a more musical headphone with a more physical and enchanting sound. The P-SE is lightning quick, and resolves as well as any headphone I have ever heard. Every aspect of the P-SE is perfectly balanced. Its main fault being that the sound isn't as weighty, and I tend to like my music to be physical. However, when I switch the P-SE from the CFA3 to the Icon Audio HP8 a lot of that physicality becomes more present. It is tough to say which headphone wins. The Caldera has such an alluring sound, but the P-SE is so technically on point that saying one is better than the other is a futile effort. How do I decide if I like the food at The French Laundry better than a Roasted Chicken and Tuscan Bread Salad at Zuni? I can't, I can only appreciate each for their brilliance. Result : Tie!

Atrium & Caldera

I am not going to do a huge comparison between the Atrium and Caldera. They are so different, and if you want to read my thoughts on these two headphones, please read my review on the Atrium. I go in depth and give a detailed explanation of what makes each headphone so unique and great. I will say this. The Soundstage is bigger on the Atrium, but more accurate on the Caldera. Decay is slower on the Atrium and faster on the Caldera. Transience follows the same logic as decay. Which do I like better? The Atrium is my favorite headphone for every day listening. The Caldera is a better headphone technically.




Amplification Select Comparisons:
Before I begin, can you believe the grain on that Caldera on top of the Audio-GD R28? Wow, what a beautiful headphone.

CFA3:

As much as I love Caldera with my normal psychedelic rock, when you hear the Caldera on the CFA3 listening to the Terry Callier show Alive and his tune "Lazarus Man", I realize that the 5 star rating is more than adequate. Terry's vocals are emotive and the performance is transcendent. Flute and Sax solos have fantastic tonality and the song is supercharged by the strong bass, and full band articulation. This album still remains the seminal live work available to Terry Callier fans. This album, this song and the CFA3 with the Caldera is nothing short of spectacular.

The CFA3's dual mono design, golden reference power supply and 16 watts into 50 ohms is overkill for the Caldera. However, the pairing is perfect. The top end resolution is refined, bass is palpable, and the midrange opens up like an Orchid on a May day in San Francisco. Listening to Michael Kiwanuka's album "Love & Hate" is an absolute wonder. You realize what a talent Michael is. The Caldera and CFA3 perfectly render the somber mood, his cautious optimism, and political commentary. The song Love & Hate sounds so good I want to hit replay over and over. The CFA3 helps the Caldera open up, providing accurate ambience, perfect stage presence and the exact amount of air between instruments to evoke the full sensation of being in the studio as Polydor produced this amazing album. Bottom line, the CFA3 and Caldera are an absolute must hear. Top End Resolution is as good as I have heard.

Icon Audio HP8:
I was surprised how much I liked this combo. I felt the 60 ohm Caldera would prefer my SS amps. While the CFA3 is a study in Solid Stage perfection with the Caldera, the HP8 provides a beautiful, soulful, weighty, and powerful performance. Top end resolution isn't quite to the same standard, but the midrange and bass are hitting on all my preferences. I am using a pair of Sylvania 6SN7WGTA Brown Base 1955's and a RFT Rohre 12AT7 driver tube. A perfect compliment for the Caldera. Tonality and Timbral accents are slightly warm, and the music flows like a warm summer breeze. I keep using this sentence when describing the HP8 and it is borrowed from John Grandberg. But, the sensation is exactly how the HP8 sounds and the Caldera only further exemplifies why this pairing is worth a serious listen. They have phenomenal synergy.

Audio-GD R28 AIO:
This was the biggest surprise for me. The R28 is a wonderful balanced AIO. It has an R1 R2R DAC and a NFB-1 balanced headphone amp that is pushing 9.5 watts into 25 ohms and 8 watts into 40 ohms. More than enough power for the Caldera. The best part of the R28 is the R1 DAC inside. The sound is robust, weighty with just enough resolution to satisfy even the most discerning audiophile. I had about a 2 week period where the R28 was my favorite pairing with the Caldera. I love the sweetness of the vocal presentation, the physical nature of the bass, and the impeccable instrument placement. Especially with keys/piano and drummers. Listening to the Goose show from 1/15/2023 from Play Del Carmen with Bob Weir is a pure joy. Their new song Hungersite has phenomenal PRAT, and their reading of Peggy-O with Bob Weir is spectacular. Bob's voice sounds soulful, gentle and his ability to turn this Jerry tune into his own vocal experience is wonderful. Rick's voice counters with a more clean, young and reverberant experience. The R28 and Caldera are simply a special combination. I would say that a high end R2R DAC would be the best pairing for the Caldera.

Conclusion:
The Caldera is simply a phenomenal first planar by ZMF. It is powerful, subtle, emotional and technically adept. I cannot think of much that I would change, and that is rare for me. I have never given an audio product a 5 star rating, but the Caldera is worthy. The bass is deep and taut, the midrange is open and articulate, and the treble is sparkling without ever crossing over into sibilance. Pairings definitely change the headphone, and for those who like EQ, the Caldera takes very well to EQ. I, however, do not feel the Caldera needs EQ. I think ZMF nailed it and that is enough for me. There are a lot of options out there fighting for your hard earned dollars. You have several Planars that compete in the same price point, so what separates the Caldera? For me it is customer service, overall tonal balance, aesthetics, staging/imaging and a powerful sound. A most hearty recommendation.

What does "Home" sound like? "Home" means something different to everyone. It can be ambiguous, or unequivocal. For me it is without question unequivocal; representing the feeling of being at my favorite venue right in the pocket listening from the inside out. The Atrium exhibits this feeling as well as any headphone I have heard. It is not a perfect headphone, but eliciting such an intense response makes this headphone special.

As always, I have not been paid to write this review. All thoughts are my own, and the Atrium will be returned to ZMF after posting this review. I would like to thank ZMF for the opportunity to spend some "quality" time with the Atrium.

This review has been in the works for quite some time. The Atrium and this opportunity came at both the worst and best time for me. Due to unforeseen circumstances, it has taken me longer to sit down and write. However, listening to the Atrium has been a welcome respite from the daily grind and has enabled me to find clarity when none could be found. The Atrium elicits an extremely emotional response.

"The Atrium is a Roman architectural term referring to a centrally open room often at the entrance to a space, typically with domed or pitched ceiling." This leads straight back to the title and that feeling of being "home". The Atrium also offers a new N52 Biocellulose Driver, and ZMF's patent pending Atrium Dampening System, or ADS. The ADS is a technological advancement in design for ZMF. ADS is a revelation for ZMF's sound. It offers an expansive soundstage, increased spatial awareness and incredible stage depth which enables the Atrium to separate near and far sounds as well as any headphone on the market. Much has been written about ZMF's Patent Pending ADS, so I will leave the technical talk to those who are more technically adept. Please visit zmfheadphones.com for a more in depth explanation of ADS. I will, however, refer to ADS throughout this review and how I perceive the benefits of ADS on the sound of The Atrium.



Comfort & Accessories:
The Atrium comes with the normal set of accoutrement. You get 2 sets of pads, 2 stock cables (OFC and Cloth Braided), Owners Card, Seahorse Case & a Lifetime Driver Warranty. The current stock wood for the Atrium is Cherry, which you can get with a natural finish or an aged copper finish for an added cost. You can also bundle a ZMF upgraded cable, and you can also choose from an aluminum or magnesium chassis for an added cost. The Magnesium Chassis will offer a lighter headphone, but is also much easier to scratch and will show wear much quicker than the aluminum chassis. Each Atrium is made to order and will have a different look based on the block of wood used and the choices you make to customize your Atrium to meet your aesthetic preferences. In addition, ZMF occasionally comes out with limited edition runs and there is always ZMF November and Canjam where you can buy stabilized variants, B-Stock, and specialized variations. Also, keep in mind that each block of wood will vary which leads to a unique finished product each and every time.

The Atrium for this review has the natural finish with all black hardware. It is an extremely comfortable headphone, even with an approximate weight of +- 490 grams. Weight distribution is excellent. ZMF continues to innovate their suspension strap and system making the Atrium a very comfortable headphone. I have no problem wearing the Atrium for hours without any discomfort. Furthermore, you can customize comfort and sound through pad rolling. This Atrium came with a pair of the stock Universe Perforated Lambskin Pads and the Be2 Perforated Lambskin pads. I used both pads and found differences in the sound. However, the Be2 pads are shallower than the Universe and led to hotspots on my ears as my giant ears were right up against the inside padding. Therefore, I used the Universe for the majority of my time. This was a bit of a bummer for me, as I preferred the sound with the Be2 pads. They open up the upper midrange and lower treble giving the Atrium a bit more top end resolution. The Stock Universe Pads are phenomenal as well, they are just a bit warmer through that part of the FR. I also tried the Eikon Suede Perforated Pads that I have for my Auteur OGs. I typically find that the suede pads bring out more mid bass, which to my ears slows down the pacing and decay. While this does create an extremely romantic sound, it isn't my preferred tuning, and therefore I only listened to the Atrium sparingly with the suede pads. I prefer the Atrium with a bit faster decay and a more linear bass response. YMMV, as always. The beauty of pad rolling is that there is no right or wrong. Roll to your heart's content and find the sound that best suits your chain, music and overall system synergies.



My System for The Atrium Review:
iMac running as a music server with Roon Labs - USBe Perfect - Exogal Comet+ - CFA3 & Icon HP8 Mk2. I also used my Audio-GD R28 R2R as a Pure DAC hooked up to my Cembalo Labs Spring 1.

Sound Impressions:
As far as open back dynamic headphones go, The Atrium is an absolute winner. It is an extremely sensual sounding headphone, evoking profound emotions. Its sound is intoxicating, with almost no distortion and a natural resonance that brings out the physical nature of my music's tone and timbre. It is never fatiguing, always physical in nature with an effortless sense of rhythm and time.

It has a massive soundstage, impeccable image specificity and a sense of macro scale that is truly a wonder. However, the Atrium doesn't possess lightening fast transience and notes do not decay as fast as other top tier dynamic headphones, like the Utopia. This leads to less micro detail, and ultimately a bit of a more relaxed presentation. That being said, the slower decay allows the Atrium to feel more holographic, with the perfect amount of air around the instruments and near perfect tonality. While one thing begets another, the trade offs work beautifully and create a sense of individuality. The Atrium opens up like a parachute. Its greatest quality is that it enables you to sit right in the pocket of that massive soundstage and listen from the inside out.

Imaging & Soundstage:
When I first got the Atrium in for demo, I immediately noticed that the ADS was doing something completely different from my Auteur OG or any other ZMF I have heard. There is a sense of depth and layering to the sound that I couldn't quite put my finger on. So, I kept listening and realized that ADS allows the stage to open up more front to back which creates a sense of listening from the inside out. The end result is near perfect image specificity, and the separation of vocals and instruments within the sound field.

Lately I have been listening to a lot of live Goose shows. They are a 5 person band. 2 drummers, keyboardist/guitar, lead guitar and bass. The Atrium allows me to hear every instrument in their exact spot on stage. I can hear the guitarist and vocals dead center of my forehead, bass coming out of the left channel, keyboards out of the right channel, main drummer right behind the guitar player in the back of my head and the 2nd drummer right behind the keyboardist in the back of the right channel. They are always in this position, and the Atrium always plays them exactly as they are. The stage is so accurate, I can feel the exact amount of space between them on the stage. This level of image specificity and instrument placement was the same no matter the band, no matter the song.

In addition to impeccable front to back staging, Atrium also possesses a massive lateral stage moving left to right, or right to left if you prefer Hebrew.... A great example of the Atrium's ability to handle lateral staging occurs on Pink Floyd's "On The Run". This is a great song to hear how a headphone can handle lateral definition. Atrium knocks it out of the park possessing complete control over the sonic landscape providing a truly holographic sensation. I can listen to this song over and over on The Atrium.



Tone/Timbre:
The Atrium is an extremely natural sounding headphone. It is a very rich sound, with slight timbral coloration. Listening to Xavier Rudd's new song "We Deserve to Dream", I can hear his fingers slide across the fretboard, the pluck of the bass strings and the subtlety of his voice. It is an extremely coherent, natural and beautiful sound. The Atrium's ability to present such a natural tone makes everything sound right. This is further exemplified with vocals which sound alive, gritty and full of emotion. Whether it is male or female vocals the Atrium is such a powerhouse with vocal timbral quality it feels as if you can hear the singer breathing. The music comes out of their diaphragm and into my ears with emotion and sensation.

Similar timbral qualities can be heard with horns. I can hear Freddie Hubbard on "Red Clay" breathing, and circling from the inside out. That feeling of being in the center of my music and listening from the inside out cannot be understated.

I compared the Atrium's tone/timbral qualities to the LCD-4z, and the Spirit Torino Radiante. Two headphones with fantastic tone/timbre. The Atrium is not quite as detailed as the 4z, which makes the tuning smooth and easy on the ears. The slightly slower transience and decay leads to a rounder sound. This could be construed as a negative, but I see it differently. It is just easy on the ears and intentionally draws you in with that sumptuous timbral coloration.

Frequency Response:
The Atrium is what ZMF calls "ZMF Neutral". I see it as musically neutral as it doesn't follow the harman target exactly. There is a linearity to the bass, extending down to 20hz with a slight emphasis in the 100-150hz bass region that lifts the bass slightly above neutral and creates that wonderful timbral quality. The other side of this coin is that the Atrium doesn't resolve as much information in the bass region as my 4z or the Caldera. The bass isn't as fast and decay is a bit slower. This makes the low end ever so slightly bloom. If you want to mitigate this bloom, or accentuate it, you can do so by rolling pads. The Be2's will provide a bit more linearity and the Suedes will provide a bit more bloom.

The midrange is The Atrium's greatest weapon. The midrange has incredible depth and lateral definition. The midrange is so open and full of life. It feels like a flower opening up in the spring time, a parachute opening as you float down to the earth. As a chef, the midrange is the main event of the dish. Whatever you choose... A Trio of Asparagus cooked 3 different ways, perfectly braised short ribs glazed in their own juice or a simply seared piece of fish. The point is that whatever the discipline, the midrange must be balanced and allow you to experience the entirety of what is presented. The Atrium's midrange is magical. I am addicted to the separation of instruments from vocals providing depth and layering while maintaining an accurate timbral accent. To hear the Atrium's midrange is to feel like you are "home", listening from the inside out.

Treble with the Atrium has a similar ZMF feel. Slightly downward sloping with a couple dips around 4k and 6k which round out the sound. This makes the treble sound a tad bit darker than other offerings, but not so much that it takes away from the cohesive whole. The treble still shimmers, and is never fatiguing. ZMF's 2K Copper Cable, or a high quality Silver cable will help to even out this part of the response if you feel it needs a bit of a boost. For me, the OFC cable provides plenty of top end resolution and enables me to hear my music exactly as the Atrium wants me to hear it.



Synergy:
Perhaps the one area folks might find a challenge with the Atrium is dealing with system synergy. The Atrium is without question a tube amp's daydream. My Icon Audio HP8 MK2 is the perfect mate for the Atrium. I rolled in some Raytheon 6SN7GT 1958 NOS Tubes and a Amperex 1959 12AX7 "Fisher" NOS Tube. The sound is strong, emotive and balanced; anchored by a full and rolling bass that evokes the sensation of taking a stroll with the music.

The HP8's midrange gives the sensation of a warm summer breeze, relaxed and gentle. A perfect compliment to the physicality and girth of the Atrium's nature. There is no doubt that the 300 ohm Atrium plays well with OTL and SET Tube amps. The threads are filled with romantic interludes of head-fi members waxing about the beautiful synergy the Atrium has with tubes. One of my favorite examples of this synergy occurs while listening to the Phish song "Wolfman's Brother" from their 8/4/2018 show in Alpharetta, GA. This 48k FLAC just lights up on the HP8 and Atrium. Mike Gordon's bass is strong. The pluck of his pick against the bass strings can be felt more than heard. Jon Fishman's polyrhythmic drumming is agile and placed right in the back of my head. He sounds like an octupus with 8 arms. Each hit is palpable, the skins of the drums giving way while he perfectly controls the cymbals. There is no hint of sibilance. Vocal harmonies are spot on and again I feel as if I am listening from the inside out. Page and Trey trading licks, both flowing from the inside out as they float above the melody and downbeat. If you want to hear Phish at their funkiest, check out this version of "Wolfman's Brother".

Solid State Amps provide a very different experience with The Atrium. My CFA3 sounded a bit flat at first, but as it burned in the sound has become more stable and has begun to show the Atrium's timbral genius. However, The Atrium is more lit up, more sensational on tubes. That being said, I am finding with each listen that my Spring 1 and CFA3 are more than up to the task. It is just a different sound. The tuning becomes a bit faster, decay a bit quicker and transient snap a bit more aggressive. This changes the overall tonal quality of the Atrium. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different and something to consider when looking to pair the Atrium with your chain.

I prefer the Atrium on my HP8, but could live with the CFA3 and Spring. I would still feel that I was getting the entire experience.

Comparisons:

Atrium Vs Auteur OG: (And a copper sculpture of my great grandfather for accent)
The Auteur OG is a wonderful headphone. It is ZMF neutral before the Classic and Atrium came onto the scene. It is linear, fast and musical. The Classic represents the sonic middle ground between the Atrium and the OG. If I didn't own an OG, I would get a Classic and feel strongly that I was getting a great representation of the new driver and ADS. However, the Atrium is the Classic and then some. It takes the Auteur OG and Classic and magnifies all of what makes both of these headphones so great.

The Atrium's tonality is a bit wetter than the OG. It is slightly more colored, with a bigger soundstage and better depth and layering. The OG has phenomenal tone as well, and it still holds up as a seminal headphone in the ZMF stable. However, the Atrium is more advanced and technically adept. The ADS provides better image specificity and greater macro detail. Coupled with this, the Atrium's innate sense of front to back staging makes it a clear step up from the OG. That being said, I will never sell my OG as it represents so much more than sound to me. It is a part of my family.



Atrium Vs Caldera:
This heavyweight battle is the one everyone seems to want to know about. The truth is that they are extremely difficult to compare against one another. One is dynamic, the other planar. They are about $1000 different in pricing and they present music in very different ways.

The Caldera also possesses ZMF's patent pending ADS, which gives the Caldera a very distinct tuning different from any other planar I have heard. However, it is still a planar and the Atrium is not. They are more complimentary of each other than direct competitors. They are both great.

Where do they differ? Biggest difference is in transience, decay and soundstage size. The Atrium's soundstage is bigger and more open. The Caldera's stage is more accurate, faster and more articulate. I love them both for very different reasons. The bass on the Caldera is significantly more developed and possesses great speed and tactility. The bass on the Atrium is rounder and has a more lifted mid bass, slightly north of neutral creating a warmer and bloomy bottom end. The Atrium is not severely humped, but it is there around 150hz which gives the Atrium a romantic decay and bloom that the Caldera doesn't possess to my ears. The Caldera's bottom end is more linear and offers more separation as you head into the midrange.

The Upper midrange and lower treble is another area where I hear vastly different tunings. The Caldera presents as much more neutral through the Upper Midrange, whereas the Atrium's timbral coloration gives vocals a more emotive quality. They both are slightly forward, just in a different way.

The treble on both has a slightly downward tilt with peaks and valleys. The Caldera has more top end resolution and micro detail. The Atrium counters with macro detail and wonderful front to back depth of field. The bottom line is that both the Atrium and Caldera are fantastic and will give you a very different listening experience.

Conclusion:
If I had to buy one ZMF, it would be the Atrium. It is a fantastic introduction to the ZMF sound and does so much right that I find myself loving this headphone as much if not more than anything else I have tested in a long time. It is the sound of "Home". Its staging allows you to listen from the inside out, my favorite way to hear my music, and its timbral colorations and tonality are perfectly aligned with my preferences.

It is not a perfect headphone. That doesn't exist. But, for many the Atrium will be a lasting stop on the wheel of headphones. It is smooth, balanced, aesthetically pleasing and possesses enough micro detail to leave even the most discerning audiophiles happy. The Atrium is all about music. There is no better compliment this jaded head-fier can give to the Atrium.

Highly Recommended!

First, I would like to thank ZMF Headphones for giving me this opportunity. This review is going to be focused on a comparison between the Auteur OG Bocote and the Auteur Classic Ambrosia Maple. I have not been compensated for my thoughts, and all thoughts are my own. I have not been persuaded one way or another to write this review. Much has been written about the Auteur OG, but very little has been hyper focused on the differences between the Classic and OG. At least not in an official written review on Head-Fi. So, strap in and I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

Shout out to my daughter, Alexandra who took all of these amazing photos for me. I hope you enjoy!

What will you not find in this review?
FR graphs, Distortion or THD Numbers, or a comparison to the Sennheiser HD650. If you are looking for those things out of this review, please look elsewhere. I don’t tend to ruminate over graphs, listen to sine waves, nor do I care whether or not the Auteur Classic or Auteur OG compares to the HD650. You will also not find music examples listening to Jazz at The Pawnshop, Holly Cole or Norah Jones. All great music, but not my cup of tea. My cup of tea happens to be English Breakfast, if you must know…

What can you find in this review?
My love story with the Auteur OG, and a complete and total appreciation for the evolution of this headphone to its current form. As far as I understand, Zach had no choice but to change the Auteur as the drivers for the Eikon and Auteur had become obsolete. Therefore, he needed to adapt to the ever changing supply chain landscape. Adapt or die is a concept I have become all too familiar with in my profession. This is generally when the greatest level of creativity takes place. Sometimes we are inspired by new ideas, and other times inspiration is born out of necessity. Whichever way it occurs, the most important part is that we continue to move forward. We need progress in our lives.



My System for Comparison:
iMac as a music server running Roon Labs
Core Technologies USBe Perfect
Silver Dragon USB Cable
Exogal Comet+ with Linear Power Supply
Icon Audio HP8 MK2 Signature with a slew of NOS tubes.
Cembalo Labs Spring 1
Audio-GD R28

Musical Genres:
Classic Rock
Psychedelic Rock
Bluegrass
Modal Jazz
70’s Jazz/Funk

As David Bowie sang, “Changes Turn to Face the Strange”. We all know the last 3 yrs have led to lots of change. But, what hasn’t changed in the many yrs I have known ZMF is that they go about their business with honesty, integrity, and above all else, MUSICALITY! They have always strived to create products that are eminently listenable. As a chef, my job is to create food that people like eating. There is no higher calling in my profession. It isn’t about me. It is about my customer; it is about creating something they like eating. ZMF has become an expert in creating products that people like listening to. Can we ask anything else of them? That is what we aim to find out in this comparison.

ZMF Auteur OG Bocote LTD

The Auteur OG Bocote arrived to my front door at the perfect time in my life. I was sick with Covid (Delta), dealing with depression in my lungs, lack of smell, taste and my head felt like it was in an Anchoic Chamber. But, what I hadn’t lost was my hearing, and I had nothing but time on my hands. In ways, I contribute the Auteur OG with helping me to heal faster.

I chose the Auteur for several reasons:
1. Linearity
2. The slight forward nature of the Midrange
3. An even low end with no perceived mid bass hump. While the mid bass hump has become central to the ZMF house sound creating an extremely musical and romantic sound, it isn’t my ideal preference for bass. I prefer the bass to be faster with more sub bass extension and an extremely clean 150-200 hz response leading seamlessly into the midrange.

So much has been written already about the OG, how do I write something new? Fortunately, that isn’t the point of this review, so I guess I have been saved by the bell. Let’s get into it then.



Auteur Classic:

The Auteur Classic is gorgeous. The Ambrosia Maple has an extremely subtle finish with unique grain. The tuning of the Classic is the same as the OG, yet it sounds like a completely different headphone. By introducing the Atrium’s patent pending damping system, the revamped Classic has added soundstage depth/width, and increased air, while retaining the dynamics and smooth sound the OG has become famous for. It continues to be extremely linear and is extremely flexible with various amps and source chains.

Fit & Finish:
One of the biggest changes between my Bocote OG and the Classic is comfort. The Classic feels lighter and more balanced on my head. The new strap helps tremendously and the Classic feels like it disappears onto my head. I can wear it for hours without even noticing it is there. My OG is not as comfortable. It is still comfortable, but it feels heavier and has less balance on the top of my head.
Winner: Classic

Pads:
I used the same pads for both. The Auteur Lambskin Perforated. I have the Eikon Suedes and the Be2’s in house and tried them all. However, the Auteur Lambskin’s are my preference. They represent the sonic middle ground for the Auteur and I believe Zach made the right choice in using this pad as the stock choice. The Eikon Suedes do add some mid bass and a bit of warmth to the Auteur. If you like your listening to be more mid bass centric the Eikon Suede’s will provide more mid bass while slightly taming the upper midrange and lower treble. However, the Eikon Suede’s also slow down the pacing a bit and that is a non-starter for me. I do want to address the intelligence that was put into pad rolling by ZMF. The ability to tailor your headphone so acutely is really smart. It enables each of us to determine our own sonic fate, so to speak. We all hear differently, have different physical attributes leading to different ways in which the headphone will seal. Therefore, what I hear with the different pads becomes a singular experience. As for anything so subjective, YMMV. As for the Be2 I didn't find it to be a great pad for the Auteur as it opens up the upper midrange and lower treble even more, which is not something the Auteur needs. Whether it is the OG or Classic.
Winner: Auteur Lambskin Perforated

Cables:
The Classic arrived with a stock braided XLR, and a OFC 1/4”. Both of which are stock with ZMF’s current headphone line-up. You have the ability to purchase an upgraded ZMF cable, or use any cable that also fits on an Audeze, or Meze headphone. This was also a smart decision as cable rolling is extremely easy with ZMF headphones. In addition to the cables Zach sent, I also had on hand the black and white premium LCD-4z copper/silver hybrid cable and an Audio Sensibility Silver Statement XLR cable. I tried all 4 cables on both my OG and the Classic. I found the LCD-4z cable to be my favorite. It is a sensational cable with an extremely clean sound. However, because most will be using either the stock braided or OFC, I stuck to the OFC 1/4” for all listening through my Icon Audio HP8 MK2 since it has only a 1/4” headphone output, and I used the braided XLR when using my Cembalo Spring 1 for consistency. My preference of the two cables is the OFC. ZMF makes really good stock cables. The 2k Copper is an amazing cable, but I don’t think it is needed for either Auteur. The OFC is a wonderful cable and provided me hours of enjoyment. It is quiet, doesn’t tangle and has fantastic connectors. Bravo to ZMF for offering such high quality stock cables. I did however find that my Audio Sensibility Silver Statement was a perfect mate to the ZMF Atrium. But, this isn’t about the Atrium, so back to the Auteur we go…



Sound Impressions:
If you don’t want to read my entire review, I will give up the ghost right now. They sound very different. The Classic is a more technically adept headphone. Yet, I wouldn’t say it sounds better. There are definitely advantages to the new damping system that enable the Classic to sound more mature and evolved. However, the OG is still a seminal headphone in the ZMF line-up. Whether or not you upgrade must be made based on what you want out of your listening experience. You will not find a recommendation in this review. It is just too subjective and too personal. But, I will strive to explain what makes them so different.

Soundstage:
This is the biggest difference between the Classic and OG to my ears. The soundstage of the Classic is significantly wider and deeper. The new damping system gave Zach the ability to open up the midrange allowing sounds to come at you more dimensionally. The Auteur OG is not a closed in headphone by any stretch, but the Classic has a far more subtle and roomy stage. Therefore, each part of the sound scape has its own space to more accurately express your music. The stage of the Classic takes on the size of the music or room where it was recorded. If I am listening to a Phish show at MSG the Classic opens up to experience the grand scope of the room. If I am listening to a live Grant Green show from a small venue, the soundstage sounds true to the size of that room.

The OG does not possess this quality to the same extent. The soundstage size is similar regardless of the venue or space the musicians have to work within. But, it is not compressed, it is just smaller. The benefit of this with the OG is that you can really focus on the whole of the musical experience. I am listening to the entire band, versus separating out specific instruments. Whereas, the Classic allows you to focus on each instrument in its own space with plenty of air to allow proper note weight and decay. However, there is a physicality to the OG that I find quite fetching which makes this a tough call. I like them both for very different reasons.

The negative for me with the soundstage size of the Classic is that it isn’t quite resolving enough to completely fill in all of that space. It is very resolving for its price point, but this is the biggest difference for me between the Atrium and Classic. Their soundstage sizing is similar, yet the Atrium’s ability to resolve low level information is significantly greater which completely fills in the soundstage.
Winner: Toss Up! Depends on what you like.

Imaging:
This is where the OG and Classic will show their differences. The Classic is a imaging beast. The new damping system gives the Classic an amazing quality. A quality that makes this headphone an absolute pleasure. ZMF has figured out how to separate near/far sounds within the soundstage. This leads to pinpoint imaging and near perfect pacing. For me PRaT and imaging are the two most important qualities I look for in my gear. A great example of how they separated sounds occurs when you hear how lead and back-up vocals separate. A great example of this is on the Goose song Silver Rising. Lead Vocals maintain their position up front on my forehead, and you can clearly hear the back-up vocals in the back of my head. The same with instruments. I will continue with my examples using Goose. Goose’s positioning is as follows. Lead guitar and vocals center stage, bass stage right, keys stage left, and two drummers sitting behind the lead guitarist and behind the keyboardist stage left. The imaging of the Classic allows you to hear each instrument in their own space on stage without any question as to where they are. Feeling the lead guitarist and vocalist in the front of my head and the lead drummer right behind him and having the ability to clearly delineate their sounds is awe inspiring.

The OG does not do this to the same level. The OG has great imaging, but it does not have the same level of technical prowess. It isn’t even close. Bravo to ZMF for taking your craft further, for evolving and figuring out how to separate near/far sounds while creating an accurate instrumentation and image.
Winner: Classic

Tone/Timbre:
Can we all agree that ZMF has always made headphones with near perfect tonality? There is a tonal density to the way they make music. You can hear the full pluck of a string, there is harder hit saturation and the sounds open and close with more sustain. The only other headphone I have owned that equals ZMF with tonality was the LFF Code X, which was a tonal monster. Music sounds like music, pure and simple. In my profession, I am on a life long quest to make food that tastes exactly like what it is. If I am making a dish with asparagus as the star, it should be unmistakable that it tastes like asparagus. The greater my proficiency in cooking technique becomes, the easier it is for me to ask an ingredient, “How do I need to cook you in order to bring out your greatest attributes“? If I get it right, the dish should be created with as little manipulation and almost feel as if it was created without the use of my hands.

The OG and Classic have a similar feeling, but with sound. I listen to both and know that the tone/timbre is faithful to the instrument and to the recording. I am hearing my music as it was meant to be heard. To me, this is where things start and stop in this hobby. Can a headphone recreate accurate tone? Unequivocally, both Auteur’s possess this quality.
Winner: Tie

This review is starting to get long! Do we need to discuss Bass, Midrange and Treble? I don’t believe we do. They are tuned exactly the same. The differences with these headphones don’t lie in tuning, but in the construction of the headphone and drivers that create a different listening experience. But, for the sake of completion, here are my thoughts on each.

Bass:
The Classic’s bass has more room to breath. I don’t find that it goes any farther into the sub bass, nor do I find that bleeds into the midrange. Yet, I prefer the bass of the OG and immediacy of the sound. I find the bass of the OG to be more impactful due to the smaller soundstage. However, the placement of the bass in the soundstage is more accurate on the Classic.
Winner: Up to each listener and their preferences

Midrange:
This is where the two headphones differ most in the sound spectrum. (I keep avoiding the use of the term Frequency Response). The Classic’s stage has significantly more room. Especially the depth of the soundstage. I have read many who speak to the width of the soundstage on the Classic. They aren’t wrong, the width is greater. However, the magic to me is the difference in depth as this is what enables the separation of near/far sounds.

Both headphones are midrange specialists. They both provide an articulate midband with lifelike guitar, and a tremendous sustain of the notes. The OG’s vocal performance is a bit more intimate and forward. The Classic’s vocal presentation isn’t necessarily changed, it just has more room to breath because the size of the midrange feels grander. The separation of lead and back up vocals is more acute on the Classic and this alone makes for a different midrange presentation.

Treble:
Both Auteur’s have the classic downward sloping treble with a peak around 5k to my ears. Yet, neither are sibilant. However, the Classic’s cymbals hit with power and sustain, horns are lifelike. The treble has a sparkle and shimmer, the perfect amount of air. Hammond organ feels like it is floating. Does the OG do the same thing? Absolutely! The treble of the OG has always been my favorite part. It is absolutely perfect to my ears.
Winner: Tie

Amp Synergy:
Due to the high impedance and damping of both Auteurs, they are naturally drawn to tube amps. OTL and SET. I own an SET tube amp that both are sonically perfect with. My HP8 is an amazing tube amp and the physicality of the sound with both headphones is perfect to my ears. The sound is weighty, subtle, gentle, dynamic and voracious. As John Gradberg aptly stated in his review of the HP8 yrs ago on Innerfidelity, “it flows like a warm summer breeze”. However, the right SS amp can bring out every bit the enjoyment as my HP8. My Cembalo Spring 1 is a powerhouse with an impeccable sense of timing and tone. Both Auteur’s sound every bit as good to my ears on my Spring 1. If you are looking for the perfect pairing, none exists. Only what you like and I believe that you can find sonic bliss with either SS or tubes with both Auteur’s. However, if made to choose I would listen to both on my Icon HP8 first.

A great example of how good the Auteur Classic and OG sound on my HP8 is the Beck album Morning Phase. Especially the song Heart is a Drum. Another example of perfect synergy on the HP8 is the Knopfler/Emmy Lou live recording of Romeo & Juliet. The HP8 and both Auteur’s bring out the grit of Knopfler’s vocals, the beauty of his baritone voice while searing an imprint of his guitar right in the back of my neck.

The only pairing I didn’t love with either Auteur was my Audio-Gd R28, which is more a low impedance high current specialist. Bottom line is that while I prefer all ZMFs on tube amps, the right SS amp will make them sing just as beautifully.

Conclusion:
So, what to make of the comparison? In short, they are both incredibly musical headphones that are best in class at their price point. Will I upgrade my OG? NO! I have had the Atrium, Classic and OG here for the better part of 2 months. The Classic is the sonic middle ground of the 3. For myself, I’d rather own the Atrium and OG. However, if I could not afford the Atrium I would own the Classic because it has similar traits that I wouldn’t want to live without. That being said, the Auteur OG is still a relevant headphone in the market and I believe represents ZMF to my listening preferences so much that I don’t want to live without it.

The Classic is a fantastic headphone. The OG is a fantastic headphone. The fact that two headphones with similar tunings can sound so different speaks to how much ZMF has continued to hone their craft. My recommendation is to enjoy listening to your ZMF and to buy the one that meets your needs and live happily ever after. After all, every ZMF is an heirloom, one of a kind piece of art and that is enough!



ZMF reminds me of the great chef Jean-Georges. They make products from simple to spectacular. What else can you ask for?

First, I would like to thank @Andykong for loaning me the Yulong DA1 during the tour. I am super appreciative for the opportunity to spend a few weeks with the DA1. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I have not been paid to do this review and the only cost I will incur is the cost of shipping it back to Andy when I am done.

Before I begin, I want to say that I am extremely conflicted about the Yulong DA1. If you don't want to read my very long review, I will give up the ghost right now. It is a really good unit with some flaws. My biggest issue is the Power Supply, which I believe is needed to extract the best out of the DA1. However, at an extra cost of $1600 for the Power Supply it puts the DA1 into an extremely tough and competitive market space for an All in One. That being said, it is a really capable unit with a ton of flexibility and really good sound. I will go further into the sound below as I used it in almost every possible configuration and had different results depending on how I used it. I like the DA1 very much. However, my feelings are complicated by my particular use case, so I am going to try and speak to its use case if you do not have a system of separates already. I will try to describe its benefits and detriments as an All In One, which is what Yulong designed it to be; the centerpiece of someone's system. Within that landscape the DA1 performs admirably. With a few caveats...

I am last on the tour, so I can say that I got the product fully burned in and ready to listen right out of the box. It arrived in a big heavy box, with 2 boxes inside. One with the Power Supply and its corresponding cables, and the DA1 in a similar looking box. Each box has a very tight fitting foam insert that fits each product perfectly. It is not easy to extricate from their boxes, but a little elbow grease and patience treated me to two beautiful units. The Power Supply comes with two cables. A short rainbow colored cable designed to be used when the DA1 is stacked on top of the Power Supply, and a longer grey cable to be used if you need a bit more length for separating the two units. I used only the rainbow cable as I kept the DA1 stacked on top of the Power Supply at all times. It is extremely easy to set up.



1. First you plug in the cable to the Power Supply and then into the DA1. I then plugged in the power cable from the Power Supply to my PS Audio Dectet.
2. I used the stock power cable mostly, but I also tried it with my Cardas Golden Reference Power Cable, as well my Straight Wire Gray Lightning Power Cable to see if there was much difference. Because the Power Supply is so capable, I didn't notice a huge difference with switching out power cables into the Power Supply. However, I did notice a difference when switching out power cables when I removed the Power Supply and just used the DA1. In this configuration, I got the best sound with the Cardas Golden Reference.
3. I used the stock USB cable which is 1.5 meters long the entire time as my digital source. I use my iMac running Roon, so USB was my only option. The Yulong does not have an I2S input, which would've been possible for me to use through my Iris, but since it didn't have I2S, USB was my only option. I also played with my Core Technology USBe Perfect between my iMac and the DA1, which did yield significant differences in the sound. In an effort to keep this from being as long as a Dostoyevsky novel, I will explain the differences real quickly with the USBe perfect in between my iMac and the DA1. The USB input for the DA1 is quite good. However, adding the USBe added extra dimension, a quieter signal and ultimately a bit more snap and PRaT. The USBe is my favorite little device and the effects were immediate. However, the DA1's USB is very good and if I didn't have the USBe, I wouldn't have felt without.

My System used for comparison:
USBe Perfect
Denafrips Pontus II w/ Denafrips Iris
Half way through I bought an Exogal Comet+ with Linear Power Supply which became my reference
Cembalo Labs Spring 1 Headamp
Icon Audio HP8 Triode Tube Amp

Yulong DA1 as an AIO Running USB out of Roon Labs from my iMac:
Once I had the DA1 set up I gave it a listen without the Power Supply. I listened for about an hour and was struggling with the sound. It needed to warm up and I was having fun playing with the different filters and clocks. To be completely honest, I heard very little difference between Clock1 and Clock2, and very little difference between the filters. So, I settled on the Sharp Filter with Clock2. I started with my Audeze LCD-4z at a volume of -54db, which seemed to be a nice volume for me. Whenever I try something new, I always listen to Xavier Rudd's Storm Boy album as my starting point. It is extremely well produced, and has a lot of polyrhythms, intimate vocals, and lots of varying instruments. Plus the album really shows off soundstage and instrument placement. The sound was good, but not great. The soundstage sounded a bit compressed and overall it felt a bit slow and lacking snap. So, I plugged in the Power Supply and the sound improved instantly. Therefore, the rest of my review will be with the Power Supply in the mix. I genuinely believe the DA1 is a significantly better product with the Power Supply attached. Dynamics improved immediately, vocals became more emotive, and the bass gained solidity. Most importantly, PRaT improved exponentially to my ears. For the next few days I used it principally as an AIO.



Audeze LCD-4z with DA1 and Power Supply:
The 4z is my current daily driver and my favorite headphone. I love this headphone for its balanced tuning, impeccable bass presentation, articulate midrange and expansive soundstage and treble without any hint of sibilance. The DA1 did not do anything to change my feeling about the 4z. It didn't light it up in ways I hadn't heard, but it also represented the 4z's best qualities. It was a nice pairing and my favorite tunes sounded really good through this combo. The DA1 displays a lot of midrange information, which for the music I listen to is quite appealing. However, the bass is lighter than I would like. The DA1's bass is good. It is extremely subtle, but doesn't smack you. It doesn't hit you in the gut and make you want to move uncontrollably. It is methodical, accurate and present, just not super deep and tactile. It never allowed me to hear all the way into my music's bass pocket. I cannot hear the pluck of the bass string or the deep pocket of my music the way I want to. This however changes as a Pure Dac.



Spirit Torino Radiante 1706 with DA1 and Power Supply:
The Radiante is a very interesting headphone. I love it for the way it portrays the realism of live music, its open sound, insane bass, and grit with guitar; while portraying a realistic soundstage. I just love it. The DA1 struggled to control the drivers, and I had the volume at -40db, which for a headphone that is 32 ohm with a max power handling of 2000mw presented an issue for me. The DA1 is pumping 5 watts out of the XLR at 32 ohm and it felt like it was really struggling to power my Radiante. Bass was not nearly as aggressive and dynamic, and the soundstage felt compressed. Over time I began to appreciate the pairing a bit more, but it fell short of my system. I listened to mostly live Goose shows which were 24/48, 24/96 and I used the upsampling DSP function in Roon to 768K through the DA1. Listening to Beck's Morning and Sea Change brought a bit more of what I love about the Radiante. The DA1 sounded more complete, more dynamic, a bit snappier and more subtle. I could hear the space between the notes much better when listening to Beck, Mark Knopfler and Xavier Rudd. But, when I wanted to rock out with a HQ Phish Show or Goose Show, the DA1 struggled with my Radiante to bring out the sheer power, and raw energy of their live shows. This is my favorite headphone for live music, so this I found to be a bit disappointing. It wasn't terrible, just not what my system brings when comparing the DA1 as an AIO against my system.


ZMF LTD Bocote with DA1 and Power Supply:
This was not my favorite pairing with the DA1. The Auteur prefers amps with higher output impedances to take advantage of the headphones unique damping system. The Auteur sounded flat, a bit lifeless and wasn't anywhere close to as lit up as it sounds on my Icon Audio HP8. However, I wasn't expecting this to be a perfect pairing. The Auteur is relatively easy to power, yet I was below -40db to get my normal volume for this headphone. It just really struggled on the DA1. Not sure why, other than to say it just didn't have great synergy. My Auteur sounded fantastic through my Icon HP8 with the DA1 acting as Pure DAC. Nuff said on that one. Plenty of positives elsewhere, so no need to belabor this pairing.

Yulong DA1 as PUREDAC into Cembalo Labs Spring 1 and Icon Audio HP8
I have always loved AKM DACs that have a really smart and effective implementation. The DA1 really impressed me as a Pure DAC. In fact, I loved it. The sound was fast, articulate, musical, detailed, balanced and extremely emotive. It got even better when I plugged in my USBe Perfect. At this point, I went from having a conflicted experience, to feeling that the DA1 as a DAC could compete with anything under $5,000 without much issue. It sounded every bit as good as my Pontus/Iris. Albeit, very different, but I felt it was equal to, if not better. I prefer the Comet+, but not by much. The DA1 is a very well designed DAC. This is where I really saw the benefits of the Power Supply. It helped with PRaT, and it really helped to give it more micro and macro dynamics. The DA1 is an AWESOME DAC!. Bravo to Yulong for creating such a wonderful DAC. I will leave the tech talk to those who specialize in that. For me, I just liked the way it works as a DAC and feel that the sound is pretty much spot on. The question is whether or not it is worth $4100 to use it as just a Pure DAC. That is why I am so conflicted, because if I owned the DA1 I would want to use it as just a DAC, and I don't believe that is what they designed it to do.

My Cembalo Spring 1 is an absolute beast. It has an extremely short signal path, discrete parts, tons of power and an extremely clean and dynamic sound. The better the source, the better the cabling, the better you give it; the better it sounds. It was absolutely wonderful with the DA1 running DAC duties. All 3 of my headphones sounded amazing. Especially the Radiante, which just exploded out of my Spring 1 and into my head in every direction. My music sounded lifelike, and organic. The DA1's inherent musicality and ability to set an accurate stage came pouring out. Detail was all there without being overly pushy. It just presented an effortless sound. Bass was impactful without being bloated, midrange was wide open, and the treble felt like it opened up like a butterfly and just floated above the melody. My music sounded emotional and realistic. I have been really getting into a new band out of Connecticut called Goose. I spent hours and hours listening to live Goose shows and I felt like I was sitting right in front of the soundboard with the perfect mix of instruments and ambience. My 4z gave me the same feeling, and my Auteur sounded how I like it to sound when using my Spring 1. In short, the DA1 was a great match with my Spring 1.

My Icon HP8 Signature is a Triode Tube Amp with a hand wound copper transistor. It has 2 CV181 tubes and a 12ax7 tube. It has output impedance matching for Low, Mid and High Impedance Headphones. The DA1's musical nature was wonderful with the HP8. The DA1 is not an overly warm DAC. It is just a bit warm, and it never made me feel like I had too much of a good thing. The HP8 is very transparent and tubey, without being overly so. It just allowed the DA1 to deliver a clean, detailed and fabulous presentation of my music. My main pairing here was my Auteur, which loves this amp. The DA1 running as DAC with my HP8 had my Auteur's sounding at their peak. I couldn't ask for any more from my Auteur. They were pushed to their max and they rewarded me with a sublime musical experience.

If you haven't already noticed, I really enjoyed the DA1 as a DAC.



Comparisons and Conclusion:

Comparisons are tough for me, as I didn't have another AIO unit to compare against the DA1. I don't think it fair to compare it to my system of separates. It isn't the point of the DA1. If I were to compare it, I would take my system every day of the week. It is just more to my listening preferences. I have spent years building and shaping my system to get it where it is today. It is designed to play my particular headphones with my music exactly as I want to hear it. The DA1's amp section was my least favorite part. I felt it struggled to power my headphones to the same level as my current amps, which is what I know and have to compare. Over time, I grew more and more accustomed to the DA1 as an AIO and started to like it more and more. I definitely like it more today than I did on day 3. I acclimated to its strong points and learned how to mitigate the parts I didn't like as much. It is a really good product. I feel similarly to almost everyone else that the bass could be a bit more dynamic. It isn't as subtle and it didn't take me as deep into my music's pocket as I wanted. I felt like I was sitting on the outer edges of the pocket, instead of right in the middle of the pocket. That is a feeling I have a hard time describing, but is what determines for me whether or not I can experience my music to its fullest. That being said, the DA1 is still a very capable and extremely flexible product. The big question, though is price to performance. Is it worth $4100? I am not sure. I believe it is a really nice unit, but $4100 can buy you a lot in this hobby and I struggle with the Power Supplies price in addition to the DA1 at $2500. As a Pure DAC, I love it. All In One's tend to make compromises in my experience, and I believe the compromise was the amp section. My personal opinion is that Yulong should find a price point to offer both the DA1 and Power Supply as one unit instead of as an upgrade, because they are better together. Aesthetically, they just look so beautiful together and I feel quite strongly that they shouldn't be a combo, but one unit. Dynamics, soundstage, speed, tone, timbre, bass depth, midrange articulation and treble subtlety are all improved by the power supply.

I don't want to leave this review on a negative note. I really liked the unit, and I think that it has a place in our hobby. Yulong is a very talented company making beautiful products. The DA1 is a very beautiful, clean, flexible product, which at times is capable of creating beautiful, insightful and complex music with great tone and timbre. At other times it left me wanting more. So, I leave where I started. The DA1 is a Brilliantly Conflicted Product.

Thank you for reading and I hope you get a chance to try the yulong DA1. It is certainly worthy of an audition.

Hello,
 
This is my first review on Head-Fi, or anywhere else for that matter.  I will not go through the normal paces of creating a review based on the set pattern of product history, build and comfort, sound and a conclusion. I don't feel that I have the technical acumen at this point in my journey.  The review would come across as trite.  In addition, this review will make no claim of these headphones being an "endgame" purchase.  A term for this relative new-comer that eludes me.  It eludes me because I associate "endgame" with the end of a journey.  I am just beginning my journey, there will be more headphones, more experiences and I hope each takes me closer to the music I love.  Ok, enough of that...
 
My System for listening (I am not much for evaluation)
iMac streaming Tidal and Flac through VOX.
Audeze Deckard Dac/Amp
 
EnigmAcoustics Dharma D1000
 
In a word, glorious.  I have several wonderful pairs of headphones and all of them make me feel differently.  Before I go off on a tangent about the qualities of each that I find some satisfying in their own unique way, it is the Dharma that has captivated me the most.  My only complaint is that the build feels a bit one-note.  The suspension system works great, but requires a certain size head before it really starts to provide the resistance against the head to create the perfect seal.  In short, I have an average to smallish noggin and they move around a tad bit for me.  More than I would like.  My work around is to wear a baseball cap and then they fit and seal perfectly.  The ear pads are extremely comfortable and there is the perfect amount of space between the drivers and my ears.  
 
I have never listened to an electrostatic headphone before, and although these are a hybrid, I see what the fuss is about.  The highest octaves where the electrostat driver kicks in provides the most incredibly musical, extended and fatigue free listening experience.  I can hear everything.  As I sit and write this, I am listening to George Benson's "Bad Benson".  A 1974 CTI recording with the ubiquitous Ron Carter on bass.  His version of Take Five got me into the CTI Jazz/Fusion scene 20 plus yrs ago, and listening to it through the Dharma brings back feelings I haven't felt while listing to him since the day I fell in love with that musical genre.  The clarity of the Dharma is so great, I can hear the pluck of Ron Carter's pick on the bass strings.  I can hear the filter Benson is playing his guitar through and the feeling of his fingers moving across the fretboard.  The bass is tight, controlled and impactful.  I could use a few Db more, but I at no time feel like I am missing out on any part of the integrated whole.  His guitar sores across the melody, the cymbals of Steve Gadd's kit are life-like and in perfect balance.  The Dharma is one seriously beautiful headphone.
 
My favorite musician is Steve Kimock.  He is a marvel, his tone is so beautifully warm, fat and clean.  His sense of melody and creativity is second to none, but his ability to convey a mood or paint a picture is what sets him apart.  While listening to his classic instrumental "It's Up To You", I am taken back to every live experience.  Sitting in front of him watching his hands, his eyes closed as he scats each note. I can feel his sense of tone and melody take over my soul.  The Dharma picks up every part of Alfonso Johnson's bass line, while the speed of the Dharma keeps up seamlessly with Rodney Holmes' lightning quick percussive abilities.  I often use Steve Kimock Band when listening to a new pair of headphones.  I do so for several reasons.  One, their sound is mixed perfectly, their shows are always recorded as a Soundboard Matrix available in FLAC or ALAC.  They use a mixture of the Soundboard and Stage Mics which gives you the perfect marriage of depth and image.  Second, Kimock's guitar abilities are unrivaled.  He can play 10 different guitars in different keys through different filters in any given show.  He is part Guitar God, part Jewish Grandma.  Neurotic and brilliant, always the perfectionist.  Lastly, their ability to fill out a soundstage with texture, melody and emotionally charged music allows me to understand whether or not my headphones are accurately portraying the vibe and improvisation of the experience.  Happily, the Dharma more than makes the grade.  The low end is perfectly displayed, the midrange is luscious and liquid, and the treble is without a hint of fatigue.  It has the perfect amount of air and sparkle.  The image is perfect, the soundstage puts every musician exactly where they are, and the tonality is exactly right.  I am not just "hearing" the music through the Dharma's.  I am also able to "see" the music through a 3D soundstage.
 
I am quite sure that someone else can tell me why I am feeling this way while listening to the Dharma.  Be it the subbass, midbass, transition into the mid-range or treble.  Honestly, I love reading reviews that give that type of detail.  I just don't have the ability to give that type of a review yet without sounding trite myself.  I only know that when I can hear every last piece of the music in a way that moves me to tears, I am on to something.  I highly recommend you give these headphones a try.  
 
Thank you!