[folkguy]

More forward than the Verites but not as forward as the Auteur to my ears. In other words, just right.

Now that's interesting, more forward mids AND more spacious? Some say with headphones that mids can sound withdrawn or diffuse when the staging is wide & big. Yet ya'll with the demo Atrium say the mids are a standout feature along WITH its wide and deep staging ability. Wonder how this affects overall macro-contrast across the whole FR.

The "weight" that Zach talks about in the video is very real and I appreciate it with the VC. Interested to hear how the weight of sound and big staging is balanced with Atrium.

Detail retrieval aside, how does layering and separation on the Atrium hold up to both VO/VC? Especially considering this is the most open sounding ZMF by design.

Questions open to anyone who's heard the demo units. The copper grill is stunning against the black background behind it (as it is on all ZMF's), I could imagine this in a darker or even a stone grey colored wood tone for an even more gothic look. Seems like Atrium is the new ZMF TOTL take on both neutral and soundstaging.

 

[jgwtriode]

They're both better on tube amps. I don't find the Atrium too anything. Interestingly though, I really enjoy them on the TT2 directly and I can't say the same for the Verite with the TT2, as it's more harsh than through tt2->Pendant SE. The Pendant Atrium combo is still better than the TT2 directly, likely because it's just a more forgiving headphone but I can see some preferring that cleaner sound. Personally I've never felt any ZMF must have tubes, as I've been very happy with them with a number of different SS amps (Hugo 1 & 2, iFi Micro Black, iFi Pro iCan) and those who only use SS amps really shouldn't feel like they're missing something with ZMFs if SS is what they prefer.

I am almost willing to say a ZMF must have tubes!. In truth not really but I can tell you that while waiting for my New DAC and cables to integrate LOrdGwyn's Airmid into my system and only running Tidal into a jury rigged 3.5mm to RCA plug setup into the Airmid. I can tell you that really good tubes in a really good OTL triode amp, bring even a relative crap source to life in ways I have never heard my VC's sound before. Bass and dynamics all and all are better than I have ever heard, there is more grunge in the signal from using the sound card. Realize I Run SLC solid state drives with JPLay Femto and all manner of software tweaks and stripped windows 10 through a JCAT XE USB and Wywires best digital usb into a mostly rebuilt OPPO sonica with a custom class A output stage built into it. Scratch your head and think, how can a sound card with a jury rigged cable feeding streamed Tidal directly into the Airmid, granted it's with Monster's recommended roll, into same Leopard wood VC's...how can the overall sound be more musical. virtually large in overall sound, with better dynamics and only slightly losing detail. Bass has slightly more texture, more wallop and the upper midrange is more musical, more present and has more air and the soundstage is slightly larger in all directions. This all despite a lot of noise being introduced by the soundcard(Asus onboard). Yup my signal source is crap until I get my New modded DAC back and can reset everything up to what it should. be. You can simpley hear how a really good triode changes what the VC is! No going back and honestly would have no desire too. Rereminds me why about 8 years ago I was so nuts about my tweaked Bottlehead Paraglows. The Airmid is a significantly better amplifier, but that's beside the point.

If you get the opportunity listen to a VC, a VO , an Auteur or the new Atrium on a Triode amplifier of any Variety and you will probably walk away scratching your head and wondering how did that just happen.


Happy listening,

jgwtriode

 

[dan3952]

I feel like that's extremely hard to achieve with headphones.

Planar drivers can produce sub bass, more easily than dynamic drivers, due to physics.

I would say with dynamic drivers, closed backs are your best bet.

 

[jandrese]

The new cans seem very interesting. I have the VC and I’m keen to read about a direct comparison. At this point the sonics and positioning within the ZMF lineup is a bit unclear. This especially relates to the VO. ZMF may not know how to market them. Newer dynamic driver design that is an advance (they should be advancing) of sorts but sounds different enough to cloud comparisons is what I’m getting. The VC is a superlative closed back that is also generally superb. I won’t be selling my VC but I’m open to open back dynamic driver cans that plays in the flagship club like the VC. Will be following.

 

[kmmbd]

ZMF Atrium​

First Impressions​

I received the Atrium about three days back and have been listening to them ever since. Some quick thoughts to follow.

Build: Wood, metal, classic ZMF build. Class leading would be the word. The grille design is my favorite of all ZMFs along with the Verite Open grille.

Comfort: These feel substantial on the head but the weight distribution is excellent. Comfort overall is superb for me.

Amplification/Source: I mostly used the Questyle CMA-400i (XLR-out) and the iFi xDSD Gryphon to drive them. The extra headroom on the CMA-400i definitely edges out the Gryphon but it's not a night and day difference. I'd say the Atrium are enjoyable even from portable DAC/Amps.

Sound: I'd term the general signature as warm-neutral. The warmth mostly comes from a tastefully boosted mid-to-sub-bass region. This rise in bass adds some warmth and body to the lower-mids but never goes into "bass-bleed" territory. The bass doesn't slam as hard as, say, a Focal Utopia or HE-6, but it's more of a voluminous thump. Bass texturing is excellent.

The upper-mid recession coupled with the bass emphasis leads to a laid-back, relaxed signature that I personally like. Those looking for hyper-clarity and prominent upper-mid emphasis might feel something missing here though. The treble follows a similarly inoffensive route even though the extension is very good here. I did feel the upper-treble to sound somewhat "zingy" at times, but these could just be attributed to specific tracks. Timbre in general has a natural, analog tone that gets addictive the more you listen to them.

What surprised me the most though were the staging and imaging. I was not too impressed with the staging on the Auteur and the Atrium is a wholesale upgrade on the staging front. The grille and cup venting seem to work wonders here. Imaging is also very precise with both cardinal and ordinal placements of instruments being accurately picked up.

Overall, very positive first impressions, and I will explore more as I listen to them in the coming weeks.

 

[zach915m]

I don't think the Auteur is getting any driver changes, just the new Atrium damping system.

Auteur will have a new driver - but the tuning is the same as the OG auteur driver with slightly better THD and transient response.

The new cans seem very interesting. I have the VC and I’m keen to read about a direct comparison. At this point the sonics and positioning within the ZMF lineup is a bit unclear. This especially relates to the VO. ZMF may not know how to market them. Newer dynamic driver design that is an advance (they should be advancing) of sorts but sounds different enough to cloud comparisons is what I’m getting. The VC is a superlative closed back that is also generally superb. I won’t be selling my VC but I’m open to open back dynamic driver cans that plays in the flagship club like the VC. Will be following.

The easiest way to think of how the lineup is that the Verite cans (open or closed) are more flavored and the Atrium is more linear.

Same with aeolus/Atticus vs auteur.

What is superb comes down a lot to what your taste is for acoustics and tuning, ZMF will never be a company that provides good, better, best, but instead we make headphones that are different flavors that all have merit within your collection where you can find the ones that suit your preferences better.

 

[Levanter]

@zach915m
Still hoping for an upgrade scheme for current owners of the old Auteur

 

[tedacura1]

Auteur will have a new driver - but the tuning is the same as the OG auteur driver with slightly better THD and transient response.

The easiest way to think of how the lineup is that the Verite cans (open or closed) are more flavored and the Atrium is more linear.

Same with aeolus/Atticus vs auteur.

What is superb comes down a lot to what your taste is for acoustics and tuning, ZMF will never be a company that provides good, better, best, but instead we make headphones that are different flavors that all have merit within your collection where you can find the ones that suit your preferences better.

well said.

 

[zach915m]

We haven't figured out exactly what the logistics will be yet for the auteur VS auteur classic, as the driver on the classic is a new driver and the system is completely different, so likely the two headphones will be different enough so that owners who like the auteur may want to keep the sound the same and see if they like the classic better. That being said if there's a user replicable way that can be added or subtracted we will make sure you can keep that modularity for existing auteur owners, I just can't promise anything yet.

@zach915m
Still hoping for an upgrade scheme for current owners of the old Auteur

 

[lagadu]

I'm a bit confused about the pads: the Atrium description says that the Auteur pads are warmer and be2 brighter but the guide here says the exact opposite. Going by the impressions I'm guessing the guide is incorrect regarding the Atrium.

Anyway, now the wait for a cocobolo version so it matches my VO begins!

 

[Monsterzero]

I'm a bit confused about the pads: the Atrium description says that the Auteur pads are warmer and be2 brighter but the guide here says the exact opposite. Going by the impressions I'm guessing the guide is incorrect regarding the Atrium.

Anyway, now the wait for a cocobolo version so it matches my VO begins!

Yeah, Zach mentioned to me that the normal logic on sonic traits of the pads kinda go out the window with the Atrium.

 

[Renexx]

Without going into too much detail as my fat thumbs pound on my phone, I can say I've spent more time listening to metal in the last two weeks than I have in years.

I will of course talk about Atrium and metal in my video review

Metalhead here

I wish your review will come out before April.
You got me really curious if I need another ZMF headphone.

 

[bpiotrow13]

I can tell you that really good tubes in a really good OTL triode amp, bring even a relative crap source to life in ways I have never heard my VC's sound before

Could not agree more. I have tried many solid state and tube amps with transformer output but OTL really shines with my VO. It is subjective of course, but it gives so smooth, full and lifelike sound.

 

[bpiotrow13]

The easiest way to think of how the lineup is that the Verite cans (open or closed) are more flavored and the Atrium is more linear.

Same with aeolus/Atticus vs auteur.

This clarifies things a bit. It is logical to follow aeolus/atticus philosophy also at TOTL level.

@zach915m are You planning closed Atrium than?

 

[zach915m]

I'm a bit confused about the pads: the Atrium description says that the Auteur pads are warmer and be2 brighter but the guide here says the exact opposite. Going by the impressions I'm guessing the guide is incorrect regarding the Atrium.

Anyway, now the wait for a cocobolo version so it matches my VO begins!

Our graphics guy was rushing a bit and got some stuff backwards on that chart, I'll make sure we get it fixed asap. Auteur is technically warmest measuring on atrium.

Yeah, Zach mentioned to me that the normal logic on sonic traits of the pads kinda go out the window with the Atrium.

This is true!

This clarifies things a bit. It is logical to follow aeolus/atticus philosophy also at TOTL level.

@zach915m are You planning closed Atrium than?

Watch Passion for Sound with Lachlan when his interview with us comes out to find out on YouTube!