[LCMusicLover]

Well, in tennis you can then have as many as 13 games in a set …

John Isner & Nicolas Mahut: Hold our beers!

 

[mchuckp]

Hey all,

While I await Zach to ship my gorgeous Atriums...
These: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1k840tp22rx2h3p/Atrium_244.jpg?dl=0

..I've been obsessing if I should get a tube amp or not. In the past, I had a Cary tube amp for my speaker set up and really miss it but I just don't listen to speakers much any more so let it go. I've read/seen a few reviews that say the Atriums don't benefit as much from tubes as other ZMF headphones. I currently have two set ups with a Burson Soloist GT w Schitt Bifrost 2 OG and a Burson Soloist 3XP w a Bifrost 2/64. I've seen comments that the Atrium will do really well on a neutral SS amp and have seen the Soloist listed in that group. But if tubes really makes them something special, I'd really like to try that out. But also don't want to spend a ton of money if not really needed.

Few questions:
Any thoughts from those with tubes and Atriums if they do indeed benefit less from tubes or is that just an opinion of a few?

Also, anyone using/liking the Feliks Echo?

Lastly, I also have the HifiMan HE1000v2 which I need to evaluate if I want to keep after getting the Atriums. Anyone having luck playing something like that with a tube amp? Seems planars are hit or miss. If I need/want to spend more than maybe $1200-$1400ish, I'd have to sell my HFM to fund the amp.

Thanks!

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Hey all,

While I await Zach to ship my gorgeous Atriums...
These: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1k840tp22rx2h3p/Atrium_244.jpg?dl=0

..I've been obsessing if I should get a tube amp or not. In the past, I had a Cary tube amp for my speaker set up and really miss it but I just don't listen to speakers much any more so let it go. I've read/seen a few reviews that say the Atriums don't benefit as much from tubes as other ZMF headphones. I currently have two set ups with a Burson Soloist GT w Schitt Bifrost 2 OG and a Burson Soloist 3XP w a Bifrost 2/64. I've seen comments that the Atrium will do really well on a neutral SS amp and have seen the Soloist listed in that group. But if tubes really makes them something special, I'd really like to try that out. But also don't want to spend a ton of money if not really needed.

Few questions:
Any thoughts from those with tubes and Atriums if they do indeed benefit less from tubes or is that just an opinion of a few?

Also, anyone using/liking the Feliks Echo?

Lastly, I also have the HifiMan HE1000v2 which I need to evaluate if I want to keep after getting the Atriums. Anyone having luck playing something like that with a tube amp? Seems planars are hit or miss. If I need/want to spend more than maybe $1200-$1400ish, I'd have to sell my HFM to fund the amp.

Thanks!

When I hear statements like this, my first reaction is - WHICH tube amp are they using to compare Atriums to SS? Because I know that my Woo Audio WA5-LE (SET 300B) does wonderfully with my Atriums, as did my WA6-SE's. So not sure who "they" are or what "they" are comparing them against, but I can tell you you should definitely get a tube amp!

 

[mchuckp]

When I hear statements like this, my first reaction is - WHICH tube amp are they using to compare Atriums to SS? Because I know that my Woo Audio WA5-LE (SET 300B) does wonderfully with my Atriums, as did my WA6-SE's. So not sure who "they" are or what "they" are comparing them against, but I can tell you you should definitely get a tube amp!

Thanks. These are the opinions I need to hear be it in agreement or against.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Thanks. These are the opinions I need to hear be it in agreement or against.

We're all a bunch of enablers around here. You'll rarely hear someone say, "Don't get a tube amp!"

 

[Monsterzero]

Hey all,

While I await Zach to ship my gorgeous Atriums...
These: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1k840tp22rx2h3p/Atrium_244.jpg?dl=0

..I've been obsessing if I should get a tube amp or not. In the past, I had a Cary tube amp for my speaker set up and really miss it but I just don't listen to speakers much any more so let it go. I've read/seen a few reviews that say the Atriums don't benefit as much from tubes as other ZMF headphones. I currently have two set ups with a Burson Soloist GT w Schitt Bifrost 2 OG and a Burson Soloist 3XP w a Bifrost 2/64. I've seen comments that the Atrium will do really well on a neutral SS amp and have seen the Soloist listed in that group. But if tubes really makes them something special, I'd really like to try that out. But also don't want to spend a ton of money if not really needed.

Few questions:
Any thoughts from those with tubes and Atriums if they do indeed benefit less from tubes or is that just an opinion of a few?

Also, anyone using/liking the Feliks Echo?

Lastly, I also have the HifiMan HE1000v2 which I need to evaluate if I want to keep after getting the Atriums. Anyone having luck playing something like that with a tube amp? Seems planars are hit or miss. If I need/want to spend more than maybe $1200-$1400ish, I'd have to sell my HFM to fund the amp.

Thanks!

It boils down to personal preferences really. The Atrium has a nice, thick, romantic decay to it, or at least on softer woods it does. A tube amp, depending upon type and/or tubes used, can either accentuate that romantic sound, or reduce it and make the Atrium sound quicker, tighter, faster. If you throw it on a SS amp, then generally speaking you will most likely hear it become even tighter sounding.

 

[AudioDuck]

We're all a bunch of enablers around here.

A most accurate statement.

Asking a bunch of people that are obsessed about always excited by the opportunity to get the most out of their gear and musical enjoyment about investing in gear with more “synergy” is like asking a pyromaniac if they’d like more gasoline for their fire.

 

[AudioDuck]

Thanks. These are the opinions I need to hear be it in agreement or against.

OK, so to add fuel to the proverbial fire: If you search on Woo WA2 in the ZMF amp thread you should see some helpful posts. I mention that amp both due to ownership bias/my own ZMF-plus-OTL experience and based on your budget. A used WA2 will cost $900-$1,100, depending on age and included tubes.

This is if you want to go the OTL tube amp route- less versatile for lower-impedance headphones, but since you already have great SS options for those cans…

Last note: There are stock tube upgrade options that can, with some patience and luck (to find new old stock tubes for sale), only cost about $300-400 to really lift the WA2 to another level. Just get some sage advice from folks here, DON’T experiment with tubes too much, and you will save a lot of $.

 

[BeelzAlBob]

Hey all,

While I await Zach to ship my gorgeous Atriums...
These: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1k840tp22rx2h3p/Atrium_244.jpg?dl=0

..I've been obsessing if I should get a tube amp or not. In the past, I had a Cary tube amp for my speaker set up and really miss it but I just don't listen to speakers much any more so let it go. I've read/seen a few reviews that say the Atriums don't benefit as much from tubes as other ZMF headphones. I currently have two set ups with a Burson Soloist GT w Schitt Bifrost 2 OG and a Burson Soloist 3XP w a Bifrost 2/64. I've seen comments that the Atrium will do really well on a neutral SS amp and have seen the Soloist listed in that group. But if tubes really makes them something special, I'd really like to try that out. But also don't want to spend a ton of money if not really needed.

Few questions:
Any thoughts from those with tubes and Atriums if they do indeed benefit less from tubes or is that just an opinion of a few?

Also, anyone using/liking the Feliks Echo?

Lastly, I also have the HifiMan HE1000v2 which I need to evaluate if I want to keep after getting the Atriums. Anyone having luck playing something like that with a tube amp? Seems planars are hit or miss. If I need/want to spend more than maybe $1200-$1400ish, I'd have to sell my HFM to fund the amp.

Thanks!

It boils down to personal preferences really. The Atrium has a nice, thick, romantic decay to it, or at least on softer woods it does. A tube amp, depending upon type and/or tubes used, can either accentuate that romantic sound, or reduce it and make the Atrium sound quicker, tighter, faster. If you throw it on a SS amp, then generally speaking you will most likely hear it become even tighter sounding.

I can echo this. I avoided tubes for a while as I didn’t expect the tangible benefit to be as drastic in all cases and wanted to stay away from the more fiddly aspects of tube exploration. I recently picked up a TC amp and some NOS tubes to play with and have very much enjoyed the experience so far.

As for the Atrium specifically, my setup (Cayin HA-6A) definitely “blossoms” the Atriums in some really interesting ways based on Triode vs UL mode and impedance setting, plus the stock tubes vs the upgrade tubes I got. I can fatten up the bottom end and take a step into the stage or I can flip a couple switches and get it super close to SS sounding. This really depends album to album, track to track which settings I prefer. Sometimes the tube chain takes a song from amazing to pure magic and sometimes it can be too much.

TL/DR - I’m really glad I have the options and flexibility my tube setup provides. But I could also be perfectly satisfied with my SS setup with the Atrium.

 

[johnnypaddock]

It boils down to personal preferences really. The Atrium has a nice, thick, romantic decay to it, or at least on softer woods it does. A tube amp, depending upon type and/or tubes used, can either accentuate that romantic sound, or reduce it and make the Atrium sound quicker, tighter, faster. If you throw it on a SS amp, then generally speaking you will most likely hear it become even tighter sounding.

I agree with this. A few months ago I picked up a Benchmark HPA4 to use primarily as a pre-amp for my two channel system. I didn't expect to use the headphone amp all that often, knowing how much I enjoy ZMF headphones out of the DNA Stratus, but I've been really impressed. It has a tighter grip on the sound, highly resolving with an extremely low noise floor. VO, VC and Atrium all sound quicker/tighter/faster as you mentioned. It's a nice change of pace from the more rounded, liquid sound of the Stratus.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Maybe, beside the tuben(l)ess in here, some amp like Violectric amps and alikes will play wonderfully with higher impedance headphones.
It's not that a good SS setup is far away from sounding as "melancholic" as a tube amp.

Edit: typo

 

[AudioPowerHead]

It boils down to personal preferences really. The Atrium has a nice, thick, romantic decay to it, or at least on softer woods it does. A tube amp, depending upon type and/or tubes used, can either accentuate that romantic sound, or reduce it and make the Atrium sound quicker, tighter, faster. If you throw it on a SS amp, then generally speaking you will most likely hear it become even tighter sounding.

Ditto and to add to this, SS amps requires less start-up time and will really go one notch further in accentuating the speed, accuracy and tightness of planar headphones like Caldera; more so than tubes.

I have been on Violectric SS V280 for longest time (love it’s tubey-like sound) and recently added Cayin HA—6A and have never looked back since. IMHO, having both SS and tube amps is the inevitable end-state for any audiophiles wanting to maximise their enjoyment and to add a variety of sound (through tube rolling, in addition to pad rolling) to their listening pleasure; esp with ZMFs.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Thanks. These are the opinions I need to hear be it in agreement or against.

We're all a bunch of enablers around here. You'll rarely hear someone say, "Don't get a tube amp!"

Don’t get a tube amp … unless you’re interested in gaining an obsession. I put it off for a long time, dabbled with Liquid Platinum (2x the amp price in tubes) said never again … now shopping for tubes for my Bottlehead Crack … while at the same time drooling over Cayin pics.

In other words … Just Say No!

But seriously, money aside, I’ve enjoyed my Auteur & Atrium from both tube & SS amps. Different flavors, but not one really better than the other.

Mind, it would be fair to say my game is weighted towards the SS side. After all, I spent $3k on my DSHA-3F, and more than that on my TT2. Even counting tube costs, I haven’t invested in any nearly as high-end tube amps. But to me, the point is that I have two flavors. Sure, I could improve the tube flavor, but I like that flavor well enough already

As always, your ears/my ears and try before you buy!

 

[ColSaulTigh]

The tube amp rollers motto:

 

[goldwerger]

My first impressions of the Atrium Closed are up for anyone who may be interested:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/zmf-atrium-closed.26353/reviews#review-30248

More info and discussion on the Atrium Closed thread:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-atrium-closed-the-latest-closed-back-headphone-from-zmf.966989/