I have recently purchased an Atrium Closed and while I am waiting for the shipping notification I wanted to ask if someone has been able to compare its bass with a 1266 TC? I know that they are completely different drivers, but Sajid said in his review that the Atrium Closed can "rival 1266 bass" and I would like to get your take on it
Would enjoy hearing your impressions here after you've received and broke in the AC.
I suspect the TC will dig even deeper into the lowest frequencies. I think it comes down to which aspects and characteristics of bass you prefer. Nonetheless, I would have to guess that the AC would be a great complement to the TC.
Would enjoy hearing your impressions here after you've received and broke in the AC.
I suspect the TC will dig even deeper into the lowest frequencies. I think it comes down to which aspects and characteristics of bass you prefer. Nonetheless, I would have to guess that the AC would be a great complement to the TC.
I think you're correct. The power requirements are extremely different with the 1266 needing a huge amount to perform at their optimum while the AC doesn't and can hit its optimum with much less power. I asked a friend who has both and he loves them both for their unique attributes.
I have recently purchased an Atrium Closed and while I am waiting for the shipping notification I wanted to ask if someone has been able to compare its bass with a 1266 TC? I know that they are completely different drivers, but Sajid said in his review that the Atrium Closed can "rival 1266 bass" and I would like to get your take on it
Personally I wouldn't say so, but the Caldera bass for sure (in quality rather than quantity).
For $2500 vs $6k for the TC the gulf between the AC and TC is much smaller than you'd think. The TC definitely have some incredible rumble and the sub-bass seems more like it's coming from a subwoofer elsewhere than what's on your head. Aside from the bass, the TC can seem very speaker-like, which is somewhat because they're kind of far from your ears with optimal fit since you need a gap for them to sound correct. Otherwise the amount of bass drops off dramatically and that's shown in graphs pretty clearly. Aside from those party tricks, the TC is generally excellent but not more so than the Atriums or Verites, but the mids are quite recessed. The AC mids are far, far better than the TC's.
The AC bass can also vary quite a bit by wood density. One can have the more boomy and present bass on the softer woods and maybe a bit less overall but tighter in the harder woods. For the price one could literally buy 2 ACs in different woods with $1k to spare vs. the TC, and that's exactly what I've done. I sold my TC and am buying a harder wood AC to go with my Redwood Burl.
The TCs are better at everything, except maybe midrange. The bass is better. The resolution is better. The imagining is better. It's just a better pair of headphones. I really like my ACs though. They are doing different things. I reach for my TCs more than my ACs. I think a better comparison for the ACs is the LCD-4. They seem more similar to me. I don't have the LCD-4s anymore, but the ACs immediately reminded me of them. Maybe it's that hazy mid-range (and I don't mean that in a bad way).
Found the sickest bass representation so far on the AC (with my WA2 OTL amp using Tung-Sol 5998 power tubes, RFT EZ-81 foil getter rectifiers, and Telefunken G73R input tubes)… DAMN.
My ears are telling my chest: “Why don’t you feel vibrations too?!”
Has anyone tried Auteur solid lambskin pads on the AC? I am really loving how the suede sound but in general, across most models, I've liked how lambskin sounds more than suede. I'll be finding out soon enough when the b-stock pads I just ordered show up, but thought I'd ask anyways. I did a quick search but didn't see anything in depth. Mostly about the suede version.
Funny real life moment. Was just about to hit the post reply button while listening to the AC at work (I'm working, really boss!!!!) when Rockwell's Somebody's Watching Me (Single Version) came on. The opening bass hits made me recoil and fling my mouse forward, they hit so hard! It really surprised me how explosive and dynamic those hits were. Those new drivers in the AO and AC are something special, IMO. I just adore how natural and powerful they sound. So glad no one was looking when I recoiled hahaha.
I tried a few non-perf lambskin pads and a non-perf hybrid on the AC. Let's just say I didn't think they were even worth mentioning. I think due to the AC's ADS and overall tuning, you really need perf pads or solid suede pads.
@Ciggavelli@robo24 Thank you for your detailed feedback. It seems I made the right choice by ordering them I recently had the chance to compare almost all ToTL headphones with my 1266 and to be honest none of them was offering me something where I could have justified the price. Instead the Atticus grabbed my attention with a totally different presentation. They just made me want to stand up and dance in the shop. I hope that the 1266,Atrium Closed and Atticus will be my trifecta and I will stop this urge to find something "better". I will report back once I have compared them.
Thank you!
The TCs are better at everything, except maybe midrange. The bass is better. The resolution is better. The imagining is better. It's just a better pair of headphones. I really like my ACs though. They are doing different things. I reach for my TCs more than my ACs. I think a better comparison for the ACs is the LCD-4. They seem more similar to me. I don't have the LCD-4s anymore, but the ACs immediately reminded me of them. Maybe it's that hazy mid-range (and I don't mean that in a bad way).
Midrange is King for me, and I really don't get the TC's at all. I would take any ZMF in the lineup over the TC any day of the week. Just goes to show we all have our preferences.
There really is no way to get any kind of idea how a headphone or piece of gear sounds, until you hear it for yourself. This forum is great to get ideas to figure out which direction you might want to go, but when it comes to actually figuring out what one likes, hearing it is the only way.
I am so thankful I finally got to hear all the TOTL headphones and ZMF really is it for me. Zach knows how important the midrange is, and his headphones sound the most lifelike of them all. The man has most definitely cracked the code.
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I recently had the chance to compare almost all ToTL headphones with my 1266 and to be honest none of them was offering me something where I could have justified the price. Instead the Atticus grabbed my attention with a totally different presentation. They just made me want to stand up and dance in the shop
