[VanHai]

I do not know what sectors get hammered in this economy, but not ZMF. Zach must be doing well and very busy, my order #13384 at 1110AM on 4/28/23.

Still WAITING and WAITING for shipping confirmation. It feels like ETERNITY.

 

[0fricks]

For those wanting to see more of the natural cherry, here's my best attempt at an artsy shot. If there's anything more you'd like, I can surely add worse photos. (I'm a terrible photographer) I like and chose the natural cherry knowing it'll age to a darker shade over the course of a year and so far all my other ZMFs are much darker woods to start. I admit, I might look out for a stabilized set down the line (ZMF November maybe?) as the solid canvas of the closed back is just spectacular looking when Zach works his magic.

As for very early first impressions, I've only had maybe an hour to listen so far and they're definitely not broken in yet... but I love them. I should also preface all that I'm about to say with that I am no professional reviewer and have a tiny bit of tinitus from being front row with no ear protection at too many concerts in my early 20s (regrets - I turn 40 this year). There's also some clear bias as they're the new, shiny thing... but I think they're my favorite headphone in the stable already.

Comfort
They're very comfortable and seem like they'd be good for a full day of wear. I work from home and wear headphones all day for either music or meetings, so this was important to me and another reason I chose the cherry over the heavier olivewood. Compared to the comfort king that is the Meze Empyrean, they're heavier and with more clamp (which can of course be adjusted with ZMF headbands) but still more comfortable than most Hifiman, Audeze or Focal. They were even more comfortable than my ZMF Verite (cocobolo w/ brass) which are ~540g compared with my cherry AC's at 490g. So much so that I ordered the new crescent headband for my Verite!

Sound
All listening so far has been done with Roon (mostly Tidal) -> Schiit Bifrost 2 -> ZMF Pendant and across several genres. Upfront - the AC have a tonal balance that's to my taste (bass heavy) without being fatiguing. There's a tactile bass slam there that I've only personally heard rivaled by the LCD-4 which is also the only set I've A/B tested it against at all so far. Considering I listen to a lot of heavy rock/metal and EDM, it's perfect for those genres. The bass isn't as tight as the LCD-4, there's definitely a noticeable decay on the AC, but it doesn't come across as muddy which was a concern I had from early reviews. The LCD-4 also just somehow sounds both dark and fatiguing (more in the mids) by comparison, even with EQ. I was also concerned with the mids or vocals being recessed given reviews stating that the AC was very V-shaped. I'm happy to report that they're still present and accounted for. They're not as in-your-face as they could be, but they're by no means recessed, dark or veiled. If anything, this is probably the part I'd have the most trouble accurately describing. Just know that it works overall! The highs are not something I've honestly given any thought to yet... as others have said, the bass is intoxicating and I find myself more focused on that. Again, taken as a whole, the tonal balance is great (for me) - nothing amiss.

 

[0fricks]

I do not know what sectors get hammered in this economy, but not ZMF. Zach must be doing well and very busy, my order #13384 at 1110AM on 4/28/23.

Still WAITING and WAITING for shipping confirmation. It feels like ETERNITY.

My email confirmation was at 11:01 EDT and I was order #13359. I don't know how many sets were ready to go, but they surely move fast despite the price.

 

[Huntersknoll]

Same. And also some more impressions from the people who already received it. It's been very quiet here all things considered. So far very strong likes and loves but relatively few in number. Would be great to see more reactions once people are comfortable that they've opened up the drivers sufficiently.

I've had mine for a week. I haven't been able to listen as much as I wanted but I can tell you my experience is very close to the others who have reviewed it. I'm most likely under powering them as I need a new amp and they still sound fantastic. I most likely would not post in-depth impression until I get a proper amp with these. May that be an OTL or the Schiit Mjolnir 3

I also think the VC’s were released when the economy was in much better shape and the money was flowing. Just anecdotally looking at the forum and other releases, people are holding on to their cash more lately than a couple years ago so that’s also a reason less are ordering/you’re seeing less initial reviews of the AC compared to the VC

This is the case for me. I've been waiting for a few years to pull the trigger on a more expensive pair of headphones. When the Atrium's came out I was very close to buying them as it sounded exactly like what I wanted but as more of a closed headphone lover I decided to wait until the AC. Luckily the wait was worth it for me.

 

[searchingtom]

Darn. That cherry picture will cost me thousands !!

 

[Deleeh]

Beautiful atrium closed where you have received, maybe a tad too plain for my taste but still okay.
The grain is still a feast for the eyes.

Which additional cable did you buy?

Another question on the side, do you have a buzzing in your ears after setting down the Atrium or is it okay?
I had this with the Fostex range and the Denon D7200 at the time.
When I switched to planar headphones and later to Zmf I didn't experience any more of this.
I suspect too much bass in the closed design was the cause.
Apart from that, we share a little tinnitus, which usually gets better when I listen to music.

By the way, the photo is really nice and your first impression is also readable .
Have fun with the Closed.

 

[0fricks]

Which additional cable did you buy?

That's the 4-strand Lektrik-C with a 1/4" termination for use with the tube amps. It was purchased for the aesthetics more than anything.

Another question on the side, do you have a buzzing in your ears after setting down the Atrium or is it okay?
....
Apart from that, we share a little tinnitus, which usually gets better when I listen to music.

Mine is very high pitched. It reminds me of what I would hear as a kid when a CRT was on in an otherwise silent room. When I've tried to find it on my own by comparing to test tones, it's somewhere in the 12k-14k range. It's not very loud, but more so noticeable when it's otherwise very quiet (harder to be alone with my thoughts this way). With anything else going on, especially when listening to music, I don't notice it but it would certainly have an impact on my ability to pick out detail in the highs. And it does seem amplified for a bit if I listen to music loudly, but I try to pay attention to volume and duration these days and can tell when I over do it.

By the way, the photo is really nice and your first impression is also readable .
Have fun with the Closed.

Thank you on both counts!

 

[ctaxxxx]

Order #13399 was supposed to arrive today, but now it's showing delayed!

 

[XMarsX]

Order #13399 was supposed to arrive today, but now it's showing delayed!

I am 13400... so close! Did you go cherry or olive?

Sorry for your shipping delays. I am on day four of waiting to receive a Norne Audio cable. I live only 80 miles from the maker.

 

[ctaxxxx]

I am 13400... so close! Did you go cherry or olive?

Sorry for your shipping delays. I am on day four of waiting to receive a Norne Audio cable. I live only 80 miles from the maker.

I went with Aged Cherry. Really like the color.

 

[Benesyed]

Just waiting till I move in August and start my new job. Planning to get the AC in ages cherry or olive.

Was also planning to get the feliks envy to use with. Any one paired these two? thoughts?

 

[marcusd]

Our review of the Atrium Closed is now up, with comparisons between the Aged Cherry Wood Edition and the LTD Italian Olivewood, as well as the Caldera and Atrium Open versions.

https://headfonics.com/zmf-headphones-atrium-closed-review/

 

[marcusd]

Just waiting till I move in August and start my new job. Planning to get the AC in ages cherry or olive.

Was also planning to get the feliks envy to use with. Any one paired these two? thoughts?

Yup, just posted my review of both versions with the Envy as one of the tested amps. The olive might be the better option for the Envy.

 

[WillieB]

Nice to see more pictures coming out. No surprise that these are beautiful even in their simplest form. I decided to sit this one out so far. I'm really just more of an open-back type of guy, but I have grown to love the VC a lot more lately since getting the pads worked out. It took me a long time to warm up to the AO due to some of my hearing concerns so I just didn't think a closed back version would be for me. I must admit that it's difficult to wonder how wrong I might be. The fact that I love Olive wood isn't helping either. I guess time will tell. I look forward to reading more impressions.

 

[JerseyD]

Another question on the side, do you have a buzzing in your ears after setting down the Atrium or is it okay?
I had this with the Fostex range and the Denon D7200 at the time.
When I switched to planar headphones and later to Zmf I didn't experience any more of this.
I suspect too much bass in the closed design was the cause.
Apart from that, we share a little tinnitus, which usually gets better when I listen to music.

I also have tinnitus and find that listening too loudly will aggravate it - can't hear it when the music is playing, but the ringing is louder when I'm done listening.; but also, listening on closed-back headphones and IEMs will aggravate it far more than open-back headphones. So my prescription is open-backs at no more than moderate volume!