[jinxy245]

I'm loving the Atriums so far, but has anyone else found them to be a bit piercing at times in the upper mids/lower treble? I'm using the Universe pads.

There's also the possibility the fully closed mesh might help. I haven't tried the stock mesh as of yet, but I love the sound with the solid mesh. YMMV of course, but might be worth exploring (IDK the current price for mesh).

Best of luck

 

[dfiled]

Have you rolled tubes yet?
I rolled in some Tesla EL34s on my DAC, which are quite mids forward and it made vocals a bit fatiguing. Also had the same issue with a Brimar rectifier on my DAC.
Swapped to a Gold Lion KT77s and a USAF 596 combo on my DAC. Problem solved.

I'm frankly very reluctant to go down that rabbit hole. I'd be more inclined to try and fix the issue with EQ.

 

[SlothRock]

Have you rolled tubes yet?
I rolled in some Tesla EL34s on my DAC, which are quite mids forward and it made vocals a bit fatiguing. Also had the same issue with a Brimar rectifier on my DAC.
Swapped to a Gold Lion KT77s and a USAF 596 combo on my DAC. Problem solved.

100% this - forgot to mention the tubes in my Euforia are 5998's and TS 6sn7GT black glass which are known for being mid centric as well and I know is part of where the mids got a little fatiguing combined with the Atrium

 

[Monsterzero]

I'm frankly very reluctant to go down that rabbit hole. I'd be more inclined to try and fix the issue with EQ.

OK, well... So you have a tube amp but you're using only the stock tubes? Is it a financial concern, or are you weary of the physical act of removing tubes?

Understand that most tube amps ship with less than stellar tubes, and by changing the stocks out you can hear a dramatic difference.

 

[dfiled]

I have upgraded tubes that are significantly better than stock (GE 6AS7GA power tubes and Sylvania 6SN7GTB driver tubes).

I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on past tube amp experiments and not found it to be worth all the money. Now if you’re telling me you know a good match for the Elise - atrium combo and I don’t have to buy a million tubes to find that goldilocks sound, I might be willing to make the jump.

 

[mvneufeld]

OK, well... So you have a tube amp but you're using only the stock tubes? Is it a financial concern, or are you weary of the physical act of removing tubes?

Weary of, or wary of?

 

[mvneufeld]

If it's financial, yes, rolling tubes can be very expensive, but it doesn't have to be. I guarantee you can find some cheap vintage tubes (around $10-$20 each) that will be better than the stock tubes. RCA 6080 and 6AS& power tubes are dirt cheap and quite decent starters, and there's a ton of Sylvania, RCA, etc. 6SN7s out there.

 

[LCMusicLover]

I have decent upgraded tubes that are significantly better than stock. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on past tube amp experiments and not found it to be worth all the money. Now if you’re telling me you know a good match for the Elise - atrium combo and I don’t have to buy a million tubes to find that goldilocks sound, I might be willing to make the jump.

I was stuck in the tube hole with my Liquid Platinum for a while. And the reality is that a tube-hybrid doesn't move that much, so I refuse to even consider going full tube -- my a.nervosa would literally kill me (or at least my wallet).

 

[heliosphann]

There's also the possibility the fully closed mesh might help. I haven't tried the stock mesh as of yet, but I love the sound with the solid mesh. YMMV of course, but might be worth exploring (IDK the current price for mesh).

Best of luck

I'm loving the Atriums so far, but has anyone else found them to be a bit piercing at times in the upper mids/lower treble? I'm using the Universe pads.

I'd definitely give the solid mesh a try if it continues to bother you. Not sure how many hours you have on them, but I also found them to settle down at 125-150 or so.

Hybrid pads are also another good option, especially the Universe and Auteur variants.

 

[Monsterzero]

(GE 6AS7GA power tubes and Sylvania 6SN7GTB driver tubes).

Both of those tubes add brightness to the equation.

If you want to tame the upper mids/treble, I'd recommend some Mullards and if you can find one at a reasonable price a Tung Sol black glass round plate 6sn7.
If Mullards and the TS BGRP are too much $, check into some RCA 6AS7G. Theyre quite warm sounding and rather cheap. Bass can be flabby though.

 

[dfiled]

I was looking at some measurements over at superbestaudiofriends and everyone notes the Atriums are a bit peaky at about 5.5khz. I looked at my EQ settings that I use for my VCs (which have vastly improved my enjoyment of those headphones) and realized I had lowered 5.5hz by about 5 Db! So maybe this is just a ZMF thing. Anyway, my first tweak before spending more coin on tubes is going to be to mess with EQ a bit. Will report back.

 

[dfiled]

Both of those tubes add brightness to the equation.

If you want to tame the upper mids/treble, I'd recommend some Mullards and if you can find one at a reasonable price a Tung Sol black glass round plate 6sn7.
If Mullards and the TS BGRP are too much $, check into some RCA 6AS7G. Theyre quite warm sounding and rather cheap. Bass can be flabby though.

Much appreciated.

 

[dfiled]

Much appreciated.

Both of those tubes add brightness to the equation.

If you want to tame the upper mids/treble, I'd recommend some Mullards and if you can find one at a reasonable price a Tung Sol black glass round plate 6sn7.
If Mullards and the TS BGRP are too much $, check into some RCA 6AS7G. Theyre quite warm sounding and rather cheap. Bass can be flabby though.

Are you talking about Mullard power tubes? I actually already own a set of those but have never tried them.

 

[Monsterzero]

Are you talking about Mullard power tubes? I actually already own a set of those but have never tried them.

Either in the driver, rectifier or power sockets, Mullards add warmth. Roll those bad boys in !!!

EDIT: just browsed eBay. Cheapest Tung Sol black glass round plate is 250.00.
There is one for 15 bucks but its defective

 

[helljudgement]

The Atrium peaks around the 5-6k region. Kind of reminiscent of the hd800 but nowhere near as drastic. I do notice it after I switched over to the vented mesh especially when compared to the Verite and solid mesh but doesn’t really aggravate my senses but can certainly understand why others might be affected. Best solution is to use the solid mesh or to pair it with a darker source. Tube rolling might work but it will take more time and money to experiment.