ZMF Atrium Closed
Apr 19, 2023 at 4:37 PM Post #541 of 3,270
I want to give a big thanks to Zach for letting me have some time with the Atrium closed in both cherry and olive!

This headphone shares quite a few similarities to its open counterpart while adding in its own flavor to make it a worthwhile addition to any collection. What makes the Atrium open a great headphone is found here on the closed. The organic presentation is still here. The holographic presentation is here, just not quite as prevalent as on the Atrium open. It still brings that organic midrange from the open. The soundstage is wide, especially for a closed back, but it is not as wide as the Atrium open. The imaging I would say is on par with the Atrium open. This headphone, to my ears, is little more laid back than its open counterpart which I personally am really loving. The main thing that separates this headphone from the Atrium open is THE BASS. Sub bass is greatly increased and it goes very low, we are talking planar like levels of low with enough quantity to actually feel it while also providing a great punch in the lower and upper bass frequencies. I will say if you love bass, look no further, these are what you need. With these headphones I believe the wood choice makes a noticeable sonic difference which I will explain below.

There is a tale of two woods here. You have the cherry wood which is softer vs the olive which is a harder wood. Normally with ZMFs you would just pick what you think looks good and on your way you go. These provide a slightly different presentation depending on which wood you pick. The cherry wood offers a bass presentation that has a slightly greater bass quantity, more decay, and more relaxed upper mids. The olive wood offers a slight decrease in the bass quantity, but the bass becomes tighter, and there is more energy in the upper mids. Neither wood is better than the other, just something to keep in mind so you can choose which lines up with your preferences.

The Atrium closed is a fantastic headphone. No matter which wood you pick you are going to enjoy them. It brings most of what makes an Atrium Open so special, into a closed package while adding the flavor of some fantastic bass (especially sub bass).

Note – all listening was done with the stock Caldera lambskin thin pads on both versions of the Atrium closed.

More pics - https://imgur.com/a/EHAExQ6
 

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Apr 19, 2023 at 8:38 PM Post #542 of 3,270
ZMFheadphones ZMF headphones hand-crafts wood headphones in Chicago, USA with special attention to exceptional sound and craftsmanship. Stay updated on ZMFheadphones at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/ZMFheadphones https://twitter.com/ZMFheadphones https://www.instagram.com/zmfheadphones/?hl=en http://www.zmfheadphones.com/zmf-originals/ contactzmf@gmail.com
Apr 19, 2023 at 9:11 PM Post #543 of 3,270
Apr 19, 2023 at 9:41 PM Post #544 of 3,270
Atrium Closed product page is up, there may be minor pages to the ordering menu, but overall it's pretty set:

https://shop.zmfheadphones.com/collections/stock-headphones
Woohoo!

Now I just need to keep my wallet in my pants until January, and keep my fingers crossed for some luscious Olive wood units remaining available until then!

(Though, honestly, the aged Cherry looks pretty darn good, too- but tight and speedy bass is my fave!)
 
Apr 19, 2023 at 10:26 PM Post #545 of 3,270
I’m the opposite, as I’ve preferred suede pads on almost all of the zmf headphones, with the exceptions being the Aeolus (universe lamb) and the caldera (Pretty much love everything).

I’m thinking I will adore the suede pads on the AC.
Of course you are. Always the contrarian...:)
 
Apr 19, 2023 at 10:48 PM Post #546 of 3,270
Apr 19, 2023 at 11:02 PM Post #547 of 3,270
Ha! I guess it's good to know yourself!

But wait...wasn't I agreeing with you!?!
For the AC you were... But you were saying you like the opposite for every other ZMF. Listening to the AC with Suede's right now on the Meier Corda Soul. Such an awesome combo. I love this headphone, and I absolutely love the Corda Soul. It is a formidable combo. The bass is perfect! Right out front, strong, fast, and so detailed. The tone of bass guitars is just about perfect.

From about 4:30-8:00 minutes on this tune has me drooling!

 
Apr 19, 2023 at 11:07 PM Post #548 of 3,270
For the AC you were... But you were saying you like the opposite for every other ZMF. Listening to the AC with Suede's right now on the Meier Corda Soul. Such an awesome combo. I love this headphone, and I absolutely love the Corda Soul. It is a formidable combo. The bass is perfect! Right out front, strong, fast, and so detailed. The tone of bass guitars is just about perfect.

From about 4:30-8:00 minutes on this tune has me drooling!


Actually the entire song is just so good on the AC and Corda Soul. The intermixing of bass, guitar and piano with the drums holding down the pace. Whole band improvisation. I love bass players that play lead bass instead of just bass. I love the way they make the music move and they just grab you and pull you into the pocket. The AC is an extremely fun headphone to listen to. Call me impressed and my senses are peaked. The very definition of a great headphone is one that peaks your senses and makes you want one more song over and over.... CHECK!
 
Apr 20, 2023 at 2:27 AM Post #549 of 3,270
I've been testing an Atrium Closed Olive wood for the past week and some change while I've been locked in my office getting over covid. I love it. If you have to be locked in your office for a week with a headphone that can drown out the jet engine sound of your air purifyier spinning full bore - this is easily the one to beat. I'm not the most critical of listeners when it comes to reviewing, but I posted a review with my impressions and comparisons to other headphones I have on hand. I think this is going to be a lot of people's favorite closed back ZMF. And the LTD olive wood one looks fantastic in person.
 
Apr 20, 2023 at 12:16 PM Post #550 of 3,270
I notice that Auteur pads are only an option for the secondary pads. Can these be installed as the primary pads? I'd be curious about the aural effects of the Auteur pads on the VC.
 
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Apr 20, 2023 at 2:02 PM Post #551 of 3,270
I notice that Auteur pads are only an option for the secondary pads. Can these be installed as the primary pads? I'd be curious about the aural effects of the Auteur pads on the VC.
The auteur suede pads serve as a good "middle ground" between the Lambskin and Suede - and also as a good alternative secondary pad for those who want to go all Vegan. The Lambskin auteur pads are kind of "too much of a good thing" as they are even warmer than the stock Caldera Thin pads for AC. And yeah you can definitely try them if you want a bass MONSTER, but they are a bit much for me to recommend them as a stock secondary pad.

Of note - the solid pads do make these sound more "traditionally" closed, not a bad thing but, not what I tuned for with the Caldera pads. I will continue to work on a middle ground Caldera pad as well.

My personal favorite pad remains the Lamb Caldera, as it seems I have similar taste to @Alenotta

Here's some graphs on the B/K 5128:

Caldera Suede (SOLID LINE) VS auteur Suede (dotted):

AC_Caldera Suede_1 (solid) VS Suede auteur (dotted).png

Caldera Lamb (SOLID LINE) VS auteur suede (dotted):
AC_Caldera Lamb (solid) VS Suede auteur (dotted).png
Caldera Lamb (SOLID LINE) VS auteur Lamb (dotted):
AC_Caldera Lamb (solid) VS Lamb auteur (dotted).png
 
ZMFheadphones ZMF headphones hand-crafts wood headphones in Chicago, USA with special attention to exceptional sound and craftsmanship. Stay updated on ZMFheadphones at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/ZMFheadphones https://twitter.com/ZMFheadphones https://www.instagram.com/zmfheadphones/?hl=en http://www.zmfheadphones.com/zmf-originals/ contactzmf@gmail.com
Apr 20, 2023 at 2:08 PM Post #552 of 3,270
The auteur suede pads serve as a good "middle ground" between the Lambskin and Suede - and also as a good alternative secondary pad for those who want to go all Vegan. The Lambskin auteur pads are kind of "too much of a good thing" as they are even warmer than the stock Caldera Thin pads for AC. And yeah you can definitely try them if you want a bass MONSTER, but they are a bit much for me to recommend them as a stock secondary pad.

Of note - the solid pads do make these sound more "traditionally" closed, not a bad thing but, not what I tuned for with the Caldera pads. I will continue to work on a middle ground Caldera pad as well.

My personal favorite pad remains the Lamb Caldera, as it seems I have similar taste to @Alenotta

Here's some graphs on the B/K 5128:

Caldera Suede (SOLID LINE) VS auteur Suede (dotted):

AC_Caldera Suede_1 (solid) VS Suede auteur (dotted).png

Caldera Lamb (SOLID LINE) VS auteur suede (dotted):
AC_Caldera Lamb (solid) VS Suede auteur (dotted).png
Caldera Lamb (SOLID LINE) VS auteur Lamb (dotted):
AC_Caldera Lamb (solid) VS Lamb auteur (dotted).png
I love this info. I love both sets of pads on the AC. The Suede is a bit faster (never thought I would say that), the Lamb's are a bit more linear to my ears but the bass is a bit bigger. I am thrilled with both sets of pads I have for the AC. They both sound amazing. For the long term, I would choose the lambskin's, but for the first time ever I really love the suede sound on the AC.
 
Apr 20, 2023 at 3:12 PM Post #553 of 3,270
My Atrium closed review

 
Apr 20, 2023 at 3:32 PM Post #554 of 3,270
My Atrium closed review


Great review, thank you for creating and posting, @Monsterzero !

This locks me in 100 percent on getting a hard wood cup model AC (fingers crossed for the Olive not selling out pre-holidays) and starting out with suede pads, but having lambskin pads in my back pocket. 😄
 
Apr 20, 2023 at 5:26 PM Post #555 of 3,270
Excellent informative reviews coming through. One thing to add to my post review AC thoughts as I spend more time with it is that I am finding it to be my preferred ZMF headphone with solid-state amps. I am not sure how it shines with tube amps, since my OCD will not let me go down that path again. But with solid state, it is shining really well.
 

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