THE ZMF ATRIUM!!! and other cool LTD ZMF Stuff
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ckhirnigs113
Headphoneus Supremus
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Thanks. That definitely sums it up nicely!
So the big question is what time do they go on sale on the 1st?
Wow. I sure missed that.
Reposting from the Summit-Fi forum
Finally have some time to sit down and write my thoughts about these lovely headphones.
As many have said, thanks to Zach and ZMF for (for whatever insane reason) including me in the demo unit distro. I am honored and humbled and a little concerned about Zach's mental place if he thinks I can say anything particularly useful. But carrying on... I was sent these at no charge to try out and write or not write whatever I wanted about them. I am an unabashed ZMF fanboy, having owned at one point or another two sets of stabilized VCs, a set of stabilized VOs (I MISS YOU BBY!), an Aeolus, and my first $1000+ headphones that I will never let go, a pair of gorgeous Auteurs in Indian almond.
That said, I also own or have owned an embarrassing selection of cans of all price and quality levels, so while not a professional or expert reviewer by any stretch, I've got some experience in listening to a lot of different headphones. I keep coming back to ZMF, and my blue VCs and almond Auteurs will never leave me. And to be perfectly frank, I'm hoping the Atriums will stay with me as well. They're a really fascinating and excellent beast.
My "TL
R" description of them hasn't changed since the first week I had them - it's as if they took the base musicality and "fun-to-listen-to-itude" of the Aeolus, layered on the Auteur's fabulous mids, bumped up to about 95% of the Verite's detail and clarity, and blew the absolute doors off the soundstage.
The first time I put these on and listened to them, I was a bit taken aback, in a bad way. They sounded almost muddy, coming from some Senn 8XXs I had been listening to. But they grow on you fast - like a fungus. A really invasive fungus. What I heard as "muddy" was anything but, it was richness. To this day, the best way I can describe the sound is rich, thick, and gooey, with bass that comes in with a nut-shot.
Seriously Look At This Thing:
First, the looks: I mean, look at them. I will say this might be the first ZMF I've had where I don't think black grilles and rods is the way. The grilles are gorgeous, but with the black on black they kind of recede. The Bubinga ones are drool-worthy. So are the cherry with aged copper, and I usually HATE aged copper (really, anything other than silver or black... not a Steelers fan, but they have a point when it comes to colors).
How's It Feel:
Comfort-wise, the Atrium comes with ZMF's new Crescent Strap. I've always found ZMF's headphones to be eminently comfortable, but the Crescent Strap is a nice little bit of an upgrade on that. The clamp is tight enough without being HD6XX skull-crushers. While they are, like all ZMF headphones, pretty heavy, the strap is really good at distributing that weight, and I've never had an issue wearing anything from ZMF for long periods of time. YMMV if you're sensitive to heavy cans on your neck, but to me they're wicked comfy.
Sound-wise, like I said, syrupy, gooey, rich, very bassy with excellent vocals. Just excellent vocals. Are they as detailed as the Beryllium-driver models VC and VO? No. But they come very close, and apparently there's something to be said for the bass of biodynamic drivers. Treble may be a little less forward than some would like, but everything is pretty well balanced overall. Soundstage is fabulous. Not quite HD800/800 S/8XX, but bigger than any ZMF I've heard (and I've heard most of 'em).
Here's the part where I describe what I'm hearing in a few songs.
The Listening Setup:
Source - Tidal (mostly Masters) on a Windows 10 PC
DAC - Schiit Bifrost 2
Amp - ampsandsound Mogwai SE
Songs and Impressions:
Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs - Ben's voice is clear and forward. Distorted guitars have a very satisfying bite to them, and nothing really steps on anything else - separation is very nice. Drums are right where I like them - if you want to, you can easily focus on them and just pay attention, but they don't demand your attention. The little theramin or whatever he's playing is easily identifiable even when there's a lot going on. Bass is fun. I'd call it a little extra, a touch north of neutral, with the ability to really dig down deep when it's asked. The sub-bass on these in general is really nice (noting that, among my cans, I don't have anything that would be considered a bass monster). Attack is good, decay is good-not-great. I just heard a couple of piano falls that I'd never noticed before. The synth part near the end has wonderful timbre and you can follow it all the way from bass to treble as it jumps up.
Beatles - I Am the Walrus - Right out of the chute the cello is awesome. It's not as forward as I might like, but the timbre and clarity of it is wonderful, and it doesn't get lost as other instrumentals and vocals come in. John with his weirdly muted/distorted effect is very forward. I love the vocals on these. Ringo's work on the tambourine is living off to my right along with his snare fills - again, easy to focus on without demanding attention. The horns seem to be in the same location as the cello - there is some bunching up of the female backing vocals, strings and horns on the left side, but I can hear some difference in depth. You can really hear the vocals moving around the stage. As the song goes on, there's more air between strings and backing vocals. I've got Ringo coming at me from both sides right now.
Fleetwood Mac - You make Loving Fun - The soundstage leaps out at you right out of the gate. Instruments are spread out impressively, and Christine's vocals are ethereal, ahead of me and a little to the right. Acoustic guitar fills jump out to my right, while the hi-hat is keeping time beautifully on my left. This is a great song for these. The bass is present, and the kick drum can be felt in the gut. All the little fills - acoustic guitar, lead guitar, that beautiful organ - all really just appear out of the ether. It's very fun to listen to this song on these. I love this song regardless, but it definitely plays to the Atrium's strengths.
Aperture Science Psychoacoustic Laboratories - Cara Mia Addio - That bass synth that kicks it off is intense. The synth flute is fun, maybe bordering piercing, but that may just be the song. Vocals are a little intense - maybe a touch much treble? But once the bass kicks in, holy moly. I can also follow the hi-hat really well, more than I remember being able to do with other headphones. Not my favorite track for this - again, the vocals sound a bit off and kind of piercing. But all that synth work in the background is fab.
JS Bach Orchestra - Canon in D Major - Harpsichord has great timbre on these. Somehow both mechanical and natural? I dunno, you explain it. Cellos and basses have a very good presence and timbre (I love that word, to me it just means "fun rumbliness"). Violins border on piercing but never quite cross that line. I can place almost every instrument individually. The soundstage and instrument separation here are sublime. Crescendos are really engaging and drag you along for a ride.
Comparisons:
OK, I'm going to do my best to compare these with other cans I own. Please note that I am by nature an optimist and love everything, particularly the headphones I've curated. Mid-life crises tend to drive cognitive dissonance, know what I mean? But what I'll be doing is just listening to one track back-to-back with the Atrium and another pair of headphones, and describing them much like I described how I hear the tracks above.
Atrium (Stock Universe perforated pads) vs. Verite Closed (solid hybrid Auteur pads)
Song choice: Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
Atrium: Very clean distorted guitars. Billy Corgan's voice is a little behind everything else. Stage is very wide. Spotlight is stolen by the dual guitars. Bass is surprisingly a little muted. It's a good overall sound, though... I'd call it close to neutral with the exception of slight recessing of vocals and bass. Emphasis on "slight." Guitar solo is just kind of OK, but the Pumpkins aren't exactly a guitar god band. The heavy distortion that comes in before "You bloody noses" is AMAZING, and the crescendo into a held high guitar note kicks ass.
Verite Closed: Sounds a lot heavier, and I actually feel like I can hear the closed-back nature of the cans, which I never hear with VCs. Corgan's vocals are clearer but still recessed, to about the same degree. It's a lot more aggressive of a sound. The bass is less present even than the muted-sounding Atriums. This might be the first time I've listened to my VCs and thought, "Yeah, these are closed-backs." Soundstage is smaller, but the movement around the stage is a lot more striking. Attack and decay are improved, as is detail, but it's lacking a bit of the musicality and thickness of sound the Atriums bring. That heavy distortion is less amazing, it sounds more like just part of the song, although that crescendo still kicks ass.
Result: Atrium sounds way more open, with more bass and musicality. VC is more detailed with more of a sense of movement within the soundstage.
Atrium vs. Auteur (suede perforated Eikon pads)
Song choice: Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
Atrium: Vocals are sublime right away, the bass synth that fades in is very present, the tinkledy-tinkledy synth is there but not demanding attention. Drum crescendo is fantastic, but the keys get kind of lost. Guitar comes in with just the right energy, and there's something "tick"ing in my left ear. When the standard drums come in, it's lovely. Vocals are nice and forward, perfectly balanced to everything around it. Bass is noticeable - not particularly forward, but it rumbles the belly. I can hear the keys in the "We got to install microwave ovens" part for the first time I can think of. The tom fills are perfect. Kick drum has physical heft. The tom fills move around the soundstage nicely, although I can't help but wonder how the VC would interpret that movement. Separation remains outstanding. Knopfler's insane always-soloing guitar parts are really engaging. There's a crunchiness to them that more analytical cans tend to lose. This is a song that plays really, really well to the Atrium's strengths.
Auteur: Man, I love these cans. The vocals are a little more forward to start with, synth a little more recessed. Bass synth is there, but doesn't have the body of the Atrium. Drum fill/crescendo is AWESOME. Seems to have a little less low-end heft than with the Atrium, but that makes it sound more aggressive. Guitars have more bite. Tick-ing in my left ear is still there, bass is really nice (again, without the body of the Atrium). Knopfler's vocals are really in-your-face but feel... leaner, I guess, somehow. Soundstage is very good but not approaching the Atrium. Drum fills have even more heft to them, although the narrower soundstage makes the moving-around feeling less apparent. I have to say the guitar bite on these is so so good. After the Atrium, they feel a little bright - I think that's what I'm hearing when I say Knopfler's vocals seem leaner. Bass is definitely less than on the Atriums. Take the Auteurs if you want a bright/neutral presentation, Atriums if you want more of a dark/gooey/neutral presentation (with bigger stage and better resolution). I've reinforced why I love my Auteurs and will never part with them, but still...
Result: Atrium is more detailed, better stage, better bass, more musical; Auteur is more neutral, a touch bright, more aggressive.
Atrium vs. Susvara
Song choice: Pink Floyd - Brain Damage/Eclipse
Atrium: Guitar is beautifully clear. Vocals are right in line with neutral, I'd say. Bass line is there - it's easy to pick out, but not particularly forward. Stage is again beautiful. Hi-hat is again really nicely keeping time in my left ear. Drum fill comes in great, and there's a sub-bass hit that comes in that's really, really impressive. Backup vocals are easily placed across the stage. All the fancy little guitar bits and bobs are easy to hear and identify. I don't know why, but the hi-hat is really alluring. I have a weakness for that apparently. There seems to be a little fuzz around the organ parts. The "Oooh-whooooa-whoooooaaaaaa" backup vocals are really cool to hear because they're placed so expertly way off to the right. The synth "solo" before "I can't think of anything to say" is simply stunning. When "Eclipse" begins, it's engaging, beautiful and just aggressive enough. The bass is neutral but very very present, and again backup vocals are gorgeous.
Susvara: First off, I know this isn't the best of comparisons. Both are driving off a tube amp, which fits the Atrium but isn't necessarily suited as well for the Susvara. At the same time, the Sus is a freaking $6000 headphone (if you're a sucker and pay list). But one of the reasons I bought the Mogwai in the first place is I wanted a tube amp that could drive hard-to-drive planars, so let's go. Guitar is nice and clear - clarity certainly goes to the Susvaras. Vocals are a little recessed compared to the Atriums. Soundstage is very similar, I think. The hi-hat in the left ear is a little softer (please note that Susvara plays better with high-output solid state amps). Backup vocals are simply sublime, though. Wow. Separation is improved vs. the Atrium, which has great separation to begin with. This is pure neutral. Bass is there, but not really kicking quite like the Atrium. Hi-hat is getting more noticeable as I listen more. Susvara deserves its reputation as an absolutely brilliant set of headphones - the clarity and separation are unreal. That said, I'm missing some of the pure musicality of the Atrium. Makes me think of listening to the Verite Open vs. the Aeolus - both have their place, one is definitely technically superior, the other is just pure fun. Susvara is more open; more outside noise comes through. I keep thinking how complementary these two headphones are - Susvara screams "critical listening," with plenty of musicality keeping it away from the world of over-analytical, but the Atrium is more of a jam band of a headphone.
Result: Atrium is more "fun," but dang the Susvara is simply amazing in every way, particularly in resolution and clarity. I wouldn't kick either out of bed. I'd have to go with the Sus if I were forced to choose, though, even driven by an amp that plays more to the Atrium's strengths.
So, there you have it - my stream-of-consciousness take on the Atrium compared to some of my favorite headphones in the universe. I hope this is at least reasonably interesting. If you're asking, "Should I buy an Atrium?" My answer is a pretty strong yes. They may at this point be my favorite ZMF headphones, and given my unabashed fanboyism, that says at least a little bit of something.
Thanks for reading, sorry about the ramble! Thanks again to Zach and the ZMF team for basically forcing me to buy this fantastic new model of headphones.
Finally have some time to sit down and write my thoughts about these lovely headphones.
As many have said, thanks to Zach and ZMF for (for whatever insane reason) including me in the demo unit distro. I am honored and humbled and a little concerned about Zach's mental place if he thinks I can say anything particularly useful. But carrying on... I was sent these at no charge to try out and write or not write whatever I wanted about them. I am an unabashed ZMF fanboy, having owned at one point or another two sets of stabilized VCs, a set of stabilized VOs (I MISS YOU BBY!), an Aeolus, and my first $1000+ headphones that I will never let go, a pair of gorgeous Auteurs in Indian almond.
That said, I also own or have owned an embarrassing selection of cans of all price and quality levels, so while not a professional or expert reviewer by any stretch, I've got some experience in listening to a lot of different headphones. I keep coming back to ZMF, and my blue VCs and almond Auteurs will never leave me. And to be perfectly frank, I'm hoping the Atriums will stay with me as well. They're a really fascinating and excellent beast.
My "TL
R" description of them hasn't changed since the first week I had them - it's as if they took the base musicality and "fun-to-listen-to-itude" of the Aeolus, layered on the Auteur's fabulous mids, bumped up to about 95% of the Verite's detail and clarity, and blew the absolute doors off the soundstage.The first time I put these on and listened to them, I was a bit taken aback, in a bad way. They sounded almost muddy, coming from some Senn 8XXs I had been listening to. But they grow on you fast - like a fungus. A really invasive fungus. What I heard as "muddy" was anything but, it was richness. To this day, the best way I can describe the sound is rich, thick, and gooey, with bass that comes in with a nut-shot.
Seriously Look At This Thing:
First, the looks: I mean, look at them. I will say this might be the first ZMF I've had where I don't think black grilles and rods is the way. The grilles are gorgeous, but with the black on black they kind of recede. The Bubinga ones are drool-worthy. So are the cherry with aged copper, and I usually HATE aged copper (really, anything other than silver or black... not a Steelers fan, but they have a point when it comes to colors).
How's It Feel:
Comfort-wise, the Atrium comes with ZMF's new Crescent Strap. I've always found ZMF's headphones to be eminently comfortable, but the Crescent Strap is a nice little bit of an upgrade on that. The clamp is tight enough without being HD6XX skull-crushers. While they are, like all ZMF headphones, pretty heavy, the strap is really good at distributing that weight, and I've never had an issue wearing anything from ZMF for long periods of time. YMMV if you're sensitive to heavy cans on your neck, but to me they're wicked comfy.
Sound-wise, like I said, syrupy, gooey, rich, very bassy with excellent vocals. Just excellent vocals. Are they as detailed as the Beryllium-driver models VC and VO? No. But they come very close, and apparently there's something to be said for the bass of biodynamic drivers. Treble may be a little less forward than some would like, but everything is pretty well balanced overall. Soundstage is fabulous. Not quite HD800/800 S/8XX, but bigger than any ZMF I've heard (and I've heard most of 'em).
Here's the part where I describe what I'm hearing in a few songs.
The Listening Setup:
Source - Tidal (mostly Masters) on a Windows 10 PC
DAC - Schiit Bifrost 2
Amp - ampsandsound Mogwai SE
Songs and Impressions:
Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs - Ben's voice is clear and forward. Distorted guitars have a very satisfying bite to them, and nothing really steps on anything else - separation is very nice. Drums are right where I like them - if you want to, you can easily focus on them and just pay attention, but they don't demand your attention. The little theramin or whatever he's playing is easily identifiable even when there's a lot going on. Bass is fun. I'd call it a little extra, a touch north of neutral, with the ability to really dig down deep when it's asked. The sub-bass on these in general is really nice (noting that, among my cans, I don't have anything that would be considered a bass monster). Attack is good, decay is good-not-great. I just heard a couple of piano falls that I'd never noticed before. The synth part near the end has wonderful timbre and you can follow it all the way from bass to treble as it jumps up.
Beatles - I Am the Walrus - Right out of the chute the cello is awesome. It's not as forward as I might like, but the timbre and clarity of it is wonderful, and it doesn't get lost as other instrumentals and vocals come in. John with his weirdly muted/distorted effect is very forward. I love the vocals on these. Ringo's work on the tambourine is living off to my right along with his snare fills - again, easy to focus on without demanding attention. The horns seem to be in the same location as the cello - there is some bunching up of the female backing vocals, strings and horns on the left side, but I can hear some difference in depth. You can really hear the vocals moving around the stage. As the song goes on, there's more air between strings and backing vocals. I've got Ringo coming at me from both sides right now.
Fleetwood Mac - You make Loving Fun - The soundstage leaps out at you right out of the gate. Instruments are spread out impressively, and Christine's vocals are ethereal, ahead of me and a little to the right. Acoustic guitar fills jump out to my right, while the hi-hat is keeping time beautifully on my left. This is a great song for these. The bass is present, and the kick drum can be felt in the gut. All the little fills - acoustic guitar, lead guitar, that beautiful organ - all really just appear out of the ether. It's very fun to listen to this song on these. I love this song regardless, but it definitely plays to the Atrium's strengths.
Aperture Science Psychoacoustic Laboratories - Cara Mia Addio - That bass synth that kicks it off is intense. The synth flute is fun, maybe bordering piercing, but that may just be the song. Vocals are a little intense - maybe a touch much treble? But once the bass kicks in, holy moly. I can also follow the hi-hat really well, more than I remember being able to do with other headphones. Not my favorite track for this - again, the vocals sound a bit off and kind of piercing. But all that synth work in the background is fab.
JS Bach Orchestra - Canon in D Major - Harpsichord has great timbre on these. Somehow both mechanical and natural? I dunno, you explain it. Cellos and basses have a very good presence and timbre (I love that word, to me it just means "fun rumbliness"). Violins border on piercing but never quite cross that line. I can place almost every instrument individually. The soundstage and instrument separation here are sublime. Crescendos are really engaging and drag you along for a ride.
Comparisons:
OK, I'm going to do my best to compare these with other cans I own. Please note that I am by nature an optimist and love everything, particularly the headphones I've curated. Mid-life crises tend to drive cognitive dissonance, know what I mean? But what I'll be doing is just listening to one track back-to-back with the Atrium and another pair of headphones, and describing them much like I described how I hear the tracks above.
Atrium (Stock Universe perforated pads) vs. Verite Closed (solid hybrid Auteur pads)
Song choice: Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
Atrium: Very clean distorted guitars. Billy Corgan's voice is a little behind everything else. Stage is very wide. Spotlight is stolen by the dual guitars. Bass is surprisingly a little muted. It's a good overall sound, though... I'd call it close to neutral with the exception of slight recessing of vocals and bass. Emphasis on "slight." Guitar solo is just kind of OK, but the Pumpkins aren't exactly a guitar god band. The heavy distortion that comes in before "You bloody noses" is AMAZING, and the crescendo into a held high guitar note kicks ass.
Verite Closed: Sounds a lot heavier, and I actually feel like I can hear the closed-back nature of the cans, which I never hear with VCs. Corgan's vocals are clearer but still recessed, to about the same degree. It's a lot more aggressive of a sound. The bass is less present even than the muted-sounding Atriums. This might be the first time I've listened to my VCs and thought, "Yeah, these are closed-backs." Soundstage is smaller, but the movement around the stage is a lot more striking. Attack and decay are improved, as is detail, but it's lacking a bit of the musicality and thickness of sound the Atriums bring. That heavy distortion is less amazing, it sounds more like just part of the song, although that crescendo still kicks ass.
Result: Atrium sounds way more open, with more bass and musicality. VC is more detailed with more of a sense of movement within the soundstage.
Atrium vs. Auteur (suede perforated Eikon pads)
Song choice: Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
Atrium: Vocals are sublime right away, the bass synth that fades in is very present, the tinkledy-tinkledy synth is there but not demanding attention. Drum crescendo is fantastic, but the keys get kind of lost. Guitar comes in with just the right energy, and there's something "tick"ing in my left ear. When the standard drums come in, it's lovely. Vocals are nice and forward, perfectly balanced to everything around it. Bass is noticeable - not particularly forward, but it rumbles the belly. I can hear the keys in the "We got to install microwave ovens" part for the first time I can think of. The tom fills are perfect. Kick drum has physical heft. The tom fills move around the soundstage nicely, although I can't help but wonder how the VC would interpret that movement. Separation remains outstanding. Knopfler's insane always-soloing guitar parts are really engaging. There's a crunchiness to them that more analytical cans tend to lose. This is a song that plays really, really well to the Atrium's strengths.
Auteur: Man, I love these cans. The vocals are a little more forward to start with, synth a little more recessed. Bass synth is there, but doesn't have the body of the Atrium. Drum fill/crescendo is AWESOME. Seems to have a little less low-end heft than with the Atrium, but that makes it sound more aggressive. Guitars have more bite. Tick-ing in my left ear is still there, bass is really nice (again, without the body of the Atrium). Knopfler's vocals are really in-your-face but feel... leaner, I guess, somehow. Soundstage is very good but not approaching the Atrium. Drum fills have even more heft to them, although the narrower soundstage makes the moving-around feeling less apparent. I have to say the guitar bite on these is so so good. After the Atrium, they feel a little bright - I think that's what I'm hearing when I say Knopfler's vocals seem leaner. Bass is definitely less than on the Atriums. Take the Auteurs if you want a bright/neutral presentation, Atriums if you want more of a dark/gooey/neutral presentation (with bigger stage and better resolution). I've reinforced why I love my Auteurs and will never part with them, but still...
Result: Atrium is more detailed, better stage, better bass, more musical; Auteur is more neutral, a touch bright, more aggressive.
Atrium vs. Susvara
Song choice: Pink Floyd - Brain Damage/Eclipse
Atrium: Guitar is beautifully clear. Vocals are right in line with neutral, I'd say. Bass line is there - it's easy to pick out, but not particularly forward. Stage is again beautiful. Hi-hat is again really nicely keeping time in my left ear. Drum fill comes in great, and there's a sub-bass hit that comes in that's really, really impressive. Backup vocals are easily placed across the stage. All the fancy little guitar bits and bobs are easy to hear and identify. I don't know why, but the hi-hat is really alluring. I have a weakness for that apparently. There seems to be a little fuzz around the organ parts. The "Oooh-whooooa-whoooooaaaaaa" backup vocals are really cool to hear because they're placed so expertly way off to the right. The synth "solo" before "I can't think of anything to say" is simply stunning. When "Eclipse" begins, it's engaging, beautiful and just aggressive enough. The bass is neutral but very very present, and again backup vocals are gorgeous.
Susvara: First off, I know this isn't the best of comparisons. Both are driving off a tube amp, which fits the Atrium but isn't necessarily suited as well for the Susvara. At the same time, the Sus is a freaking $6000 headphone (if you're a sucker and pay list). But one of the reasons I bought the Mogwai in the first place is I wanted a tube amp that could drive hard-to-drive planars, so let's go. Guitar is nice and clear - clarity certainly goes to the Susvaras. Vocals are a little recessed compared to the Atriums. Soundstage is very similar, I think. The hi-hat in the left ear is a little softer (please note that Susvara plays better with high-output solid state amps). Backup vocals are simply sublime, though. Wow. Separation is improved vs. the Atrium, which has great separation to begin with. This is pure neutral. Bass is there, but not really kicking quite like the Atrium. Hi-hat is getting more noticeable as I listen more. Susvara deserves its reputation as an absolutely brilliant set of headphones - the clarity and separation are unreal. That said, I'm missing some of the pure musicality of the Atrium. Makes me think of listening to the Verite Open vs. the Aeolus - both have their place, one is definitely technically superior, the other is just pure fun. Susvara is more open; more outside noise comes through. I keep thinking how complementary these two headphones are - Susvara screams "critical listening," with plenty of musicality keeping it away from the world of over-analytical, but the Atrium is more of a jam band of a headphone.
Result: Atrium is more "fun," but dang the Susvara is simply amazing in every way, particularly in resolution and clarity. I wouldn't kick either out of bed. I'd have to go with the Sus if I were forced to choose, though, even driven by an amp that plays more to the Atrium's strengths.
So, there you have it - my stream-of-consciousness take on the Atrium compared to some of my favorite headphones in the universe. I hope this is at least reasonably interesting. If you're asking, "Should I buy an Atrium?" My answer is a pretty strong yes. They may at this point be my favorite ZMF headphones, and given my unabashed fanboyism, that says at least a little bit of something.
Thanks for reading, sorry about the ramble! Thanks again to Zach and the ZMF team for basically forcing me to buy this fantastic new model of headphones.
The best way I can describe it to you is this way:
When considering TOTL headphones w/ a reputation for being transparent and revealing, understand that means that the headphone will act like a microscope and expose not only the weak links in your chain (amp, DAC, cables, etc...) they will also make lousy recordings sound really lousy.
Now, I'm not into brvtal death metal, at all, but I would assume that like many other metal sub genres, many bands that you like spend about eight dollars on production and mastering. Headphones like the Verite open & closed, HD800, LCD-5 (from what i've read) will make many of your fav metal albums
On the flipside of that, any bands that you like that do value good production will sound fantastic ( most likely) from these same headphones. Some modern metal bands like Amon Amarth, for example, have a lot of good dynamics in their production and sound good on most of the headphones being discussed.
IMHO, for metal in the ZMF family I would look at Atticus or Atrium, both of which are great sounding headphones, though the mid bass and warmth of the Atticus might be too much for death metal.
I'm interested to see if Zach releases these in Cocobolo.
I prefer mine nice and broken in. And avoiding the 6-8 week wait!
Excellent impressions - thanks for sharing! I really need to listen to the Atriums - they sound like they may be right up my alley sound-wise.Reposting from the Summit-Fi forum
Finally have some time to sit down and write my thoughts about these lovely headphones.
As many have said, thanks to Zach and ZMF for (for whatever insane reason) including me in the demo unit distro. I am honored and humbled and a little concerned about Zach's mental place if he thinks I can say anything particularly useful. But carrying on... I was sent these at no charge to try out and write or not write whatever I wanted about them. I am an unabashed ZMF fanboy, having owned at one point or another two sets of stabilized VCs, a set of stabilized VOs (I MISS YOU BBY!), an Aeolus, and my first $1000+ headphones that I will never let go, a pair of gorgeous Auteurs in Indian almond.
That said, I also own or have owned an embarrassing selection of cans of all price and quality levels, so while not a professional or expert reviewer by any stretch, I've got some experience in listening to a lot of different headphones. I keep coming back to ZMF, and my blue VCs and almond Auteurs will never leave me. And to be perfectly frank, I'm hoping the Atriums will stay with me as well. They're a really fascinating and excellent beast.
My "TL
The first time I put these on and listened to them, I was a bit taken aback, in a bad way. They sounded almost muddy, coming from some Senn 8XXs I had been listening to. But they grow on you fast - like a fungus. A really invasive fungus. What I heard as "muddy" was anything but, it was richness. To this day, the best way I can describe the sound is rich, thick, and gooey, with bass that comes in with a nut-shot.
Seriously Look At This Thing:
First, the looks: I mean, look at them. I will say this might be the first ZMF I've had where I don't think black grilles and rods is the way. The grilles are gorgeous, but with the black on black they kind of recede. The Bubinga ones are drool-worthy. So are the cherry with aged copper, and I usually HATE aged copper (really, anything other than silver or black... not a Steelers fan, but they have a point when it comes to colors).
How's It Feel:
Comfort-wise, the Atrium comes with ZMF's new Crescent Strap. I've always found ZMF's headphones to be eminently comfortable, but the Crescent Strap is a nice little bit of an upgrade on that. The clamp is tight enough without being HD6XX skull-crushers. While they are, like all ZMF headphones, pretty heavy, the strap is really good at distributing that weight, and I've never had an issue wearing anything from ZMF for long periods of time. YMMV if you're sensitive to heavy cans on your neck, but to me they're wicked comfy.
Sound-wise, like I said, syrupy, gooey, rich, very bassy with excellent vocals. Just excellent vocals. Are they as detailed as the Beryllium-driver models VC and VO? No. But they come very close, and apparently there's something to be said for the bass of biodynamic drivers. Treble may be a little less forward than some would like, but everything is pretty well balanced overall. Soundstage is fabulous. Not quite HD800/800 S/8XX, but bigger than any ZMF I've heard (and I've heard most of 'em).
Here's the part where I describe what I'm hearing in a few songs.
The Listening Setup:
Source - Tidal (mostly Masters) on a Windows 10 PC
DAC - Schiit Bifrost 2
Amp - ampsandsound Mogwai SE
Songs and Impressions:
Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs - Ben's voice is clear and forward. Distorted guitars have a very satisfying bite to them, and nothing really steps on anything else - separation is very nice. Drums are right where I like them - if you want to, you can easily focus on them and just pay attention, but they don't demand your attention. The little theramin or whatever he's playing is easily identifiable even when there's a lot going on. Bass is fun. I'd call it a little extra, a touch north of neutral, with the ability to really dig down deep when it's asked. The sub-bass on these in general is really nice (noting that, among my cans, I don't have anything that would be considered a bass monster). Attack is good, decay is good-not-great. I just heard a couple of piano falls that I'd never noticed before. The synth part near the end has wonderful timbre and you can follow it all the way from bass to treble as it jumps up.
Beatles - I Am the Walrus - Right out of the chute the cello is awesome. It's not as forward as I might like, but the timbre and clarity of it is wonderful, and it doesn't get lost as other instrumentals and vocals come in. John with his weirdly muted/distorted effect is very forward. I love the vocals on these. Ringo's work on the tambourine is living off to my right along with his snare fills - again, easy to focus on without demanding attention. The horns seem to be in the same location as the cello - there is some bunching up of the female backing vocals, strings and horns on the left side, but I can hear some difference in depth. You can really hear the vocals moving around the stage. As the song goes on, there's more air between strings and backing vocals. I've got Ringo coming at me from both sides right now.
Fleetwood Mac - You make Loving Fun - The soundstage leaps out at you right out of the gate. Instruments are spread out impressively, and Christine's vocals are ethereal, ahead of me and a little to the right. Acoustic guitar fills jump out to my right, while the hi-hat is keeping time beautifully on my left. This is a great song for these. The bass is present, and the kick drum can be felt in the gut. All the little fills - acoustic guitar, lead guitar, that beautiful organ - all really just appear out of the ether. It's very fun to listen to this song on these. I love this song regardless, but it definitely plays to the Atrium's strengths.
Aperture Science Psychoacoustic Laboratories - Cara Mia Addio - That bass synth that kicks it off is intense. The synth flute is fun, maybe bordering piercing, but that may just be the song. Vocals are a little intense - maybe a touch much treble? But once the bass kicks in, holy moly. I can also follow the hi-hat really well, more than I remember being able to do with other headphones. Not my favorite track for this - again, the vocals sound a bit off and kind of piercing. But all that synth work in the background is fab.
JS Bach Orchestra - Canon in D Major - Harpsichord has great timbre on these. Somehow both mechanical and natural? I dunno, you explain it. Cellos and basses have a very good presence and timbre (I love that word, to me it just means "fun rumbliness"). Violins border on piercing but never quite cross that line. I can place almost every instrument individually. The soundstage and instrument separation here are sublime. Crescendos are really engaging and drag you along for a ride.
Comparisons:
OK, I'm going to do my best to compare these with other cans I own. Please note that I am by nature an optimist and love everything, particularly the headphones I've curated. Mid-life crises tend to drive cognitive dissonance, know what I mean? But what I'll be doing is just listening to one track back-to-back with the Atrium and another pair of headphones, and describing them much like I described how I hear the tracks above.
Atrium (Stock Universe perforated pads) vs. Verite Closed (solid hybrid Auteur pads)
Song choice: Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
Atrium: Very clean distorted guitars. Billy Corgan's voice is a little behind everything else. Stage is very wide. Spotlight is stolen by the dual guitars. Bass is surprisingly a little muted. It's a good overall sound, though... I'd call it close to neutral with the exception of slight recessing of vocals and bass. Emphasis on "slight." Guitar solo is just kind of OK, but the Pumpkins aren't exactly a guitar god band. The heavy distortion that comes in before "You bloody noses" is AMAZING, and the crescendo into a held high guitar note kicks ass.
Verite Closed: Sounds a lot heavier, and I actually feel like I can hear the closed-back nature of the cans, which I never hear with VCs. Corgan's vocals are clearer but still recessed, to about the same degree. It's a lot more aggressive of a sound. The bass is less present even than the muted-sounding Atriums. This might be the first time I've listened to my VCs and thought, "Yeah, these are closed-backs." Soundstage is smaller, but the movement around the stage is a lot more striking. Attack and decay are improved, as is detail, but it's lacking a bit of the musicality and thickness of sound the Atriums bring. That heavy distortion is less amazing, it sounds more like just part of the song, although that crescendo still kicks ass.
Result: Atrium sounds way more open, with more bass and musicality. VC is more detailed with more of a sense of movement within the soundstage.
Atrium vs. Auteur (suede perforated Eikon pads)
Song choice: Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
Atrium: Vocals are sublime right away, the bass synth that fades in is very present, the tinkledy-tinkledy synth is there but not demanding attention. Drum crescendo is fantastic, but the keys get kind of lost. Guitar comes in with just the right energy, and there's something "tick"ing in my left ear. When the standard drums come in, it's lovely. Vocals are nice and forward, perfectly balanced to everything around it. Bass is noticeable - not particularly forward, but it rumbles the belly. I can hear the keys in the "We got to install microwave ovens" part for the first time I can think of. The tom fills are perfect. Kick drum has physical heft. The tom fills move around the soundstage nicely, although I can't help but wonder how the VC would interpret that movement. Separation remains outstanding. Knopfler's insane always-soloing guitar parts are really engaging. There's a crunchiness to them that more analytical cans tend to lose. This is a song that plays really, really well to the Atrium's strengths.
Auteur: Man, I love these cans. The vocals are a little more forward to start with, synth a little more recessed. Bass synth is there, but doesn't have the body of the Atrium. Drum fill/crescendo is AWESOME. Seems to have a little less low-end heft than with the Atrium, but that makes it sound more aggressive. Guitars have more bite. Tick-ing in my left ear is still there, bass is really nice (again, without the body of the Atrium). Knopfler's vocals are really in-your-face but feel... leaner, I guess, somehow. Soundstage is very good but not approaching the Atrium. Drum fills have even more heft to them, although the narrower soundstage makes the moving-around feeling less apparent. I have to say the guitar bite on these is so so good. After the Atrium, they feel a little bright - I think that's what I'm hearing when I say Knopfler's vocals seem leaner. Bass is definitely less than on the Atriums. Take the Auteurs if you want a bright/neutral presentation, Atriums if you want more of a dark/gooey/neutral presentation (with bigger stage and better resolution). I've reinforced why I love my Auteurs and will never part with them, but still...
Result: Atrium is more detailed, better stage, better bass, more musical; Auteur is more neutral, a touch bright, more aggressive.
Atrium vs. Susvara
Song choice: Pink Floyd - Brain Damage/Eclipse
Atrium: Guitar is beautifully clear. Vocals are right in line with neutral, I'd say. Bass line is there - it's easy to pick out, but not particularly forward. Stage is again beautiful. Hi-hat is again really nicely keeping time in my left ear. Drum fill comes in great, and there's a sub-bass hit that comes in that's really, really impressive. Backup vocals are easily placed across the stage. All the fancy little guitar bits and bobs are easy to hear and identify. I don't know why, but the hi-hat is really alluring. I have a weakness for that apparently. There seems to be a little fuzz around the organ parts. The "Oooh-whooooa-whoooooaaaaaa" backup vocals are really cool to hear because they're placed so expertly way off to the right. The synth "solo" before "I can't think of anything to say" is simply stunning. When "Eclipse" begins, it's engaging, beautiful and just aggressive enough. The bass is neutral but very very present, and again backup vocals are gorgeous.
Susvara: First off, I know this isn't the best of comparisons. Both are driving off a tube amp, which fits the Atrium but isn't necessarily suited as well for the Susvara. At the same time, the Sus is a freaking $6000 headphone (if you're a sucker and pay list). But one of the reasons I bought the Mogwai in the first place is I wanted a tube amp that could drive hard-to-drive planars, so let's go. Guitar is nice and clear - clarity certainly goes to the Susvaras. Vocals are a little recessed compared to the Atriums. Soundstage is very similar, I think. The hi-hat in the left ear is a little softer (please note that Susvara plays better with high-output solid state amps). Backup vocals are simply sublime, though. Wow. Separation is improved vs. the Atrium, which has great separation to begin with. This is pure neutral. Bass is there, but not really kicking quite like the Atrium. Hi-hat is getting more noticeable as I listen more. Susvara deserves its reputation as an absolutely brilliant set of headphones - the clarity and separation are unreal. That said, I'm missing some of the pure musicality of the Atrium. Makes me think of listening to the Verite Open vs. the Aeolus - both have their place, one is definitely technically superior, the other is just pure fun. Susvara is more open; more outside noise comes through. I keep thinking how complementary these two headphones are - Susvara screams "critical listening," with plenty of musicality keeping it away from the world of over-analytical, but the Atrium is more of a jam band of a headphone.
Result: Atrium is more "fun," but dang the Susvara is simply amazing in every way, particularly in resolution and clarity. I wouldn't kick either out of bed. I'd have to go with the Sus if I were forced to choose, though, even driven by an amp that plays more to the Atrium's strengths.
So, there you have it - my stream-of-consciousness take on the Atrium compared to some of my favorite headphones in the universe. I hope this is at least reasonably interesting. If you're asking, "Should I buy an Atrium?" My answer is a pretty strong yes. They may at this point be my favorite ZMF headphones, and given my unabashed fanboyism, that says at least a little bit of something.
Thanks for reading, sorry about the ramble! Thanks again to Zach and the ZMF team for basically forcing me to buy this fantastic new model of headphones.
That's kind of my longer term plan. I'm going for a ZMF trifecta of Aeolus, Atrium and an updated Auteur. Already have the Aeolus and I may jump in on the Atrium release. Then I'll see what Zach comes up with on future Auteur versions. I mentioned earlier these will be nice heirlooms for my 3 children who love music and I think that justifies more headphones. Gotta kick the habit after that...
How do you decide which child gets which headphone?
I'll give them my acoustical impressions of each ZMF model then guide them based on their musical preferences which would be a good match for them. Or I could just go by birth order. They are easy going kids and view my headphone addiction with amusement.
ColSaulTigh
Headphoneus Supremus
Or give them each a pointy stick and lock them in a room until only one emerges victorious.
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