[zach915m]

Atrium out of all our stuff always shocks me with how much a difference there is with burn in. We demo'd a new set to a broken in show set the other day and the difference is not subtle

 

[ThanatosVI]

Atrium out of all our stuff always shocks me with how much a difference there is with burn in. We demo'd a new set to a broken in show set the other day and the difference is not subtle

If this is the case, why don't you burn them in some more in the factory, so that the customer has a more consistent experience with Show impressions and the one they bought?

 

[Deleeh]

This is what I suspect as well. I have two OTL amps one is based on 6b4g tubes and it is really a ricing car and an OTL based on 6as7 type tubes. I suspect the latter may sound very well with Atrium with Tung Sol 5998 tubes, which are really punchy.

I have had very limited time to try, but really hard to find anything that sounds bad with Atrium.

You just have to be careful, as the Atrium is already warm in the tuning, that you don't go too warm with the tubes.
Otherwise it can sound thick, especially with the Universepads, this can happen quickly.
With the 5998 you should choose something neutral as a driver to balance it out a bit.
Just a well-meant tip.
The Atrium can indeed not sound good if there are caps in the amplifier that do not fit or harmonise.
This usually only applies to tube amps, so implementation is important there too.

 

[Monsterzero]

If this is the case, why don't you burn them in some more in the factory

 

[LXMc]

If this is the case, why don't you burn them in some more in the factory, so that the customer has a more consistent experience with Show impressions and the one they bought?

Look, we all know Zach has a ton of amps sitting around, but adding 200 hours of burn-in to the production schedule just seems unrealistic.

 

[bpiotrow13]

Atrium out of all our stuff always shocks me with how much a difference there is with burn in. We demo'd a new set to a broken in show set the other day and the difference is not subtle

Just to be clear: my post was not to say anything bad about Atrium, quite to the contrary Both Atrium and Verite sound sublime for me. My point was Verite are still keeping up

As for burning in I am happy to do it myself Need not factory help here

 

[bpiotrow13]

You just have to be careful, as the Atrium is already warm in the tuning, that you don't go too warm with the tubes.
Otherwise it can sound thick, especially with the Universepads, this can happen quickly.
With the 5998 you should choose something neutral as a driver to balance it out a bit.
Just a well-meant tip.
The Atrium can indeed not sound good if there are caps in the amplifier that do not fit or harmonise.
This usually only applies to tube amps, so implementation is important there too.

Thanks, maybe my post was unclear a bit, I do like Atrium I usually look for warmer and fatter sound, but will absolutely try various tubes.

 

[Mikeoscar]

Atrium out of all our stuff always shocks me with how much a difference there is with burn in. We demo'd a new set to a broken in show set the other day and the difference is not subtle

I've experienced this myself during these past couple of weeks. One of the most profound differences I've noticed is that all of a sudden different voices or instruments started harmonizing with each other, producing overtones that sound exteremely pleasant. While before that, these different voices remained distinctly seperate from each other, not interacting as it were.

Examples where I noticed this are, for vocals, are Dead Can Dance on the album Anastatis or Roy Hargrove Big Band / Emergence where the different wind instruments are now harmonizing, just as if you're actually present during a concert.

It is both a subtle and profound difference at the same time. Wheter it can be attributed to mental or physical burn-in, I dare not say. Suffice to say is my brain is listening to a significantly different headphone compared to when I purchased it three weeks ago.

 

[Renexx]

Atrium out of all our stuff always shocks me with how much a difference there is with burn in. We demo'd a new set to a broken in show set the other day and the difference is not subtle

It would be interesting if you did consider that in the tuning process of the Atriums.
Or does the final product sound different than you intented it because the drivers settled ?

 

[zach915m]

It would be interesting if you did consider that in the tuning process of the Atriums.
Or does the final product sound different than you intented it because the drivers settled ?

The R/D process for each model takes quite a bit of time, and I do make sure to listen to the headphones pre and post break in. Burn in isn't a tuning of the headphone though, it's the mechanical aspects and adhesives used in the driver loosening up. So the driver still measures the same or very similar, but the sound is easier and more mature.

I am very confident that the dynamic drivers break in, the planar drivers if they do it's more subtle.

 

[idairyou]

Purchased the Ultra Perfs for the Caldera and tried them on the Atrium.

I am going to have to buy another pair for the Atrium.

Zach knows how to get more money out of me, Caldera, Atrium, suede pads, thick pads, Universe Lambskin, Universe Suede, HD800S suede, HD6XX suede, Ultra Perfs......

Is there a Pads Anonymous group I can sign up for.

 

[heliosphann]

Purchased the Ultra Perfs for the Caldera and tried them on the Atrium.

I am going to have to buy another pair for the Atrium.

Zach knows how to get more money out of me, Caldera, Atrium, suede pads, thick pads, Universe Lambskin, Universe Suede, HD800S suede, HD6XX suede, Ultra Perfs......

Is there a Pads Anonymous group I can sign up for.

Once you start to swap, you just can't stop.

 

[goldwerger]

If this is the case, why don't you burn them in some more in the factory, so that the customer has a more consistent experience with Show impressions and the one they bought?

Run some simple math and you'll see one it's not scalable.

For sake of argument (only, using my imagination) let's say ZMF produced 10 headseast a day. With 200 hr burn in (8 days), they'd need 80 amp stations constatnly burning amps. Those would require space, and someone would need to manage this. And when they, god forbid, doubled in size, they'd need 160 amp stations.

Just for illusrtation. If this was baked into margin (cost of amps, labor, real estate), it would need to translate into high price. And it's probably not worth it.

I think the instruction is pretty clear: let it burn and then you're good to go.

 

[jonathan c]

Once you start to swap, you just can't stop.

… ‘til you drop …

 

[NutritiousNoodles]

Had the chance to listen to the Atrium open alongside the atrium closed, VC, auteur classic and a prototype for bokeh today. The atriums just sounds so lush and immersive that I keep want to keep listening. Took a lot of self-control to not buy it on the spot. The auteur classic offers a similar flavour but a cleaner delivery. Definitely a worthy contender at a lower price point.
The atriums though... definitely gonna join my calderas at some point.