[Alenotta]

I am leaning towards focusing on these instead of Caldera Closed as the next release. Too many very expensive headphones now and I've been working on them for years and they are very close. I don't know, but I'm very excited about them. And they are easy to drive! 80 ohms.

I mean, uncle sam can't tax a state that doesn't exist right?

 

[Wes S]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your patience. My first impressions of the Atrium Closed are finally ready:

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

Happy reading

Thanks for sharing!

I am curious which pads you have on the VC's while comparing to the AC?

 

[goldwerger]

Thanks for sharing!

I am curious which pads you have on the VC's while comparing to the AC?

Most welcome.

With the VC, I use the stock Autuer Lambskin Solid pads.

 

[Wes S]

Most welcome.

With the VC, I use the stock Autuer Lambskin Solid pads.

Awesome and thanks again!

 

[zach915m]

You know, maybe it is just me, but there are not enough TOTL offerings out there that really go after that true V-Shaped "fun" sound reproduction.

I like everyone else, really enjoy the technical and accurate sound reproduction modern offerings out there provide, however, they are a dime a dozen if we're being honest. I would really love to see a headphone company like ZMF just zero in on a 100% "fun sounding" headphone - forget "accuracy" and "true to the sound" descriptions, and embrace "fun, extremely fun sounding headphone"! Something like this, I would be over the moon about! Then paired with an OTL tube amp, heaven!

I don't know about you, but I have more than enough headphones that are "technically accurate", with a slight twist in tuning, but I do not have enough truly fun sounding headphones!

ZMF seems like the ideal company to put out such an offering in the future!

I was thinking about your post and really more about what "fun" means. And I would agree it's really easy to get caught up in "specs" and "harman curve" and what a bunch of click bait or other popular reviewers are saying is the "best" with whatever their finite definition of the day is (preach!).

I also think what is weird - is that what I deem fun sometimes is what I believe is "true to experience" vs "true to the sound" or linear.

Concerning how this relates to the Atrium Closed, there was a point where I was like, you know, this headphone is fitting in the Atrium/auteur side of our line-up which usually has less bass/mid-bass general warmth than the Verite side, at least from a marketing perspective. But then after doing a ton of work in tuning, I knew the best headphone, and the one that was FUN to me was one with a pretty hearty sub-bass (below 100 hz) bass boost. It also sounds the most "real" to me in that. It was also the thing that made me still want to listen to my Verite closed the most as well since it provides something very different, and I don't want repetitious headphones.

So at the end of the day - you gotta find your own fun - and I think there's a lot of different definitions of it - and I think you have an excellent point too! The hobby can't just be about accuracy and truth as a finite characteristic, it's a moving target that we can all achieve if we let go of the judgement of the all mighty audiophile gods.

 

[erics75]

I was thinking about your post and really more about what "fun" means. And I would agree it's really easy to get caught up in "specs" and "harman curve" and what a bunch of click bait or other popular reviewers are saying is the "best" with whatever their finite definition of the day is (preach!).

I also think what is weird - is that what I deem fun sometimes is what I believe is "true to experience" vs "true to the sound" or linear.

Concerning how this relates to the Atrium Closed, there was a point where I was like, you know, this headphone is fitting in the Atrium/auteur side of our line-up which usually has less bass/mid-bass general warmth than the Verite side, at least from a marketing perspective. But then after doing a ton of work in tuning, I knew the best headphone, and the one that was FUN to me was one with a pretty hearty sub-bass (below 100 hz) bass boost. It also sounds the most "real" to me in that. It was also the thing that made me still want to listen to my Verite closed the most as well since it provides something very different, and I don't want repetitious headphones.

So at the end of the day - you gotta find your own fun - and I think there's a lot of different definitions of it - and I think you have an excellent point too! The hobby can't just be about accuracy and truth as a finite characteristic, it's a moving target that we can all achieve if we let go of the judgement of the all mighty audiophile gods.

Preach brother Zach! In ZMF’s name we pray, amen!

I agree, fun is the experience, not a graph or mantra.

 

[Alenotta]

Fun is the highest level of the pyramid. The more obsessed you get with charts the further you're looking up to the goal. Then your neck gets a kink and you have to stop wearing headphones. Then you're sad.

 

[Raidersfan8118]

You know, maybe it is just me, but there are not enough TOTL offerings out there that really go after that true V-Shaped "fun" sound reproduction.

I like everyone else, really enjoy the technical and accurate sound reproduction modern offerings out there provide, however, they are a dime a dozen if we're being honest. I would really love to see a headphone company like ZMF just zero in on a 100% "fun sounding" headphone - forget "accuracy" and "true to the sound" descriptions, and embrace "fun, extremely fun sounding headphone"! Something like this, I would be over the moon about! Then paired with an OTL tube amp, heaven!

I don't know about you, but I have more than enough headphones that are "technically accurate", with a slight twist in tuning, but I do not have enough truly fun sounding headphones!

ZMF seems like the ideal company to put out such an offering in the future!

I’m probably in the minority with this but I’d like to have a true totl less musical and more analytical offering. Just would be cool to see the zmf version of something outside of the traditional sound signature. I’m sure most would disagree and that’s ok I just really like the looks of zmf and quality compared to other brands.

 

[iamoneagain]

I’m probably in the minority with this but I’d like to have a true totl less musical and more analytical offering. Just would be cool to see the zmf version of something outside of the traditional sound signature. I’m sure most would disagree and that’s ok I just really like the looks of zmf and quality compared to other brands.

Have you tried the Stealth? I had the Expanse for a little bit and while has a bit of fun in it, wasn’t enough for my taste. The Stealth was way too analytical for my tastes. Technically amazing but didn’t move me at all. Glad I joined team ZMF. I’d be prefer they keep making fun headphones even though the Caldera is the only one I’ve heard so for. I’ll try to get a listen to them all at next SoCal CanJam.

 

[Raidersfan8118]

Have you tried the Stealth? I had the Expanse for a little bit and while has a bit of fun in it, wasn’t enough for my taste. The Stealth was way too analytical for my tastes. Technically amazing but didn’t move me at all. Glad I joined team ZMF. I’d be prefer they keep making fun headphones even though the Caldera is the only one I’ve heard so for. I’ll try to get a listen to them all at next SoCal CanJam.

I haven’t heard much good about the stealth from people so I ended up getting an lcd 5 to go with my atrium open.

Also I wasnt suggesting they move to more analytical headphones I just think it’d be cool to have one in the lineup that is.

 

[goldwerger]

The hobby can't just be about accuracy and truth as a finite characteristic

That’s an excellent point.

Headphone developers can go for various voicing, but in the end, we all layer on that our individual HRTFs, not to mention tastes, so there can’t be a singular objective truth.

We also haven’t reached the level of science that lets us measure all the complexities of sound reproduction, only specific (and very helpful) dimensions of it. How all those come together is the art of tuning where experience and good ears like yours and others bring great judgment and point of view.

That’s why some folks like ZMF, some Audeze, and still others prefer the Focal house sound (and some of us like many of them..).

 

[g0ldl10n]

I was thinking about your post and really more about what "fun" means. And I would agree it's really easy to get caught up in "specs" and "harman curve" and what a bunch of click bait or other popular reviewers are saying is the "best" with whatever their finite definition of the day is (preach!).

I also think what is weird - is that what I deem fun sometimes is what I believe is "true to experience" vs "true to the sound" or linear.

Concerning how this relates to the Atrium Closed, there was a point where I was like, you know, this headphone is fitting in the Atrium/auteur side of our line-up which usually has less bass/mid-bass general warmth than the Verite side, at least from a marketing perspective. But then after doing a ton of work in tuning, I knew the best headphone, and the one that was FUN to me was one with a pretty hearty sub-bass (below 100 hz) bass boost. It also sounds the most "real" to me in that. It was also the thing that made me still want to listen to my Verite closed the most as well since it provides something very different, and I don't want repetitious headphones.

So at the end of the day - you gotta find your own fun - and I think there's a lot of different definitions of it - and I think you have an excellent point too! The hobby can't just be about accuracy and truth as a finite characteristic, it's a moving target that we can all achieve if we let go of the judgement of the all mighty audiophile gods.

Very well said - and with those points on the Verite closed, that may have to be my next headphone venture - sounds like it could be right up my alley, granted with some minimal modifications to some Auteur hybrid pads + solid mesh I've got these Atrium's singing to my personal taste!

 

[goldwerger]

Very well said - and with those points on the Verite closed, that may have to be my next headphone venture - sounds like it could be right up my alley, granted with some minimal modifications to some Auteur hybrid pads + solid mesh I've got these Atrium's singing to my personal taste!

I love my VC. They are wonderful headphones.

 

[Rebel Chris]

Is this headphone the 1000 dollar one, or is there another closed back ZMF coming?

 

[goldwerger]

Is this headphone the 1000 dollar one, or is there another closed back ZMF coming?

No, that’s another one that will be coming up next