[LCMusicLover]

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.

Serious question — when there’s a specific, well-defined peak to deal with, isn’t EQ the best solution? I see others advocating for that.

I ask, because it seems changing the mesh or swapping amps is likely to have a ‘broader’ impact, meaning you’d likely affect a lot more than just the peak.

I haven’t done a lot of ‘fixing’ other than pad-swapping — and that’s always been about general tonality or image or overall energy. Even with Utopia (which I ‘worked’ on the most) every equipment change I made always seemed to be give-and-take, until I got my DSHA-3F. Meaning I’ve pretty much focused on overall tuning and assumed that oddities were intentional, so I’ve never worked to deal with a specific peak like that.

 

[sp33ls]

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 had a similar experience. Only at times, though, and only borderline. That being said, I appear to be very sensitive to the upper mids band (which sucks), and so the Verite's tuning is more my pace. Which, again, sucks because I loved everything else about the Atrium. I've never heard drums and strings sound so damn good.

I'm anxiously awaiting the closed variant to see how that compares.

 

[jinxy245]

Serious question — when there’s a specific, well-defined peak to deal with, isn’t EQ the best solution? I see others advocating for that.

I ask, because it seems changing the mesh or swapping amps is likely to have a ‘broader’ impact, meaning you’d likely affect a lot more than just the peak.

I haven’t done a lot of ‘fixing’ other than pad-swapping — and that’s always been about general tonality or image or overall energy. Even with Utopia (which I ‘worked’ on the most) every equipment change I made always seemed to be give-and-take, until I got my DSHA-3F. Meaning I’ve pretty much focused on overall tuning and assumed that oddities were intentional, so I’ve never worked to deal with a specific peak like that.

I think "best" is a relative term ofc, but it is the most surgical. Some would argue that EQ can introduce other problems (distortion etc.) and others just don't like to EQ on principle (religious reasons? IDK). If it works for someone great! I do agree something like pads or an amp will likely change more than one aspect, the mesh is more subtle but noticeable from what I've heard. I've only tried once taking the mesh off of the Aeolus, which did make it a bit too bright for my tastes, but it wasn't unlistenable.

Either way i did find the link, the mesh are $20, they have either radial vented ( not sure if it's Aeolus or Atrium stock) and solid.

https://shop.zmfheadphones.com/collections/diy/products/acoustic-titan-mesh

 

[helljudgement]

Serious question — when there’s a specific, well-defined peak to deal with, isn’t EQ the best solution? I see others advocating for that.

I can't say what the best solution is but EQ definitely works and you can fiddle with it to get your ideal sound. I just never find the need to eq most of my headphones. I mostly tampered with physical mods like foam mods for hd800 or mesh and pad swaps in the case of ZMF headphones. I very quickly found synergy with the included pads and mesh to go along with my source/amp so there was never a need to EQ for me.

 

[Thanh06]

Hello fella audiophile,Does any one know any places in taipei that i could purchase zmf atrium?

 

[Takarajima]

Serious question — when there’s a specific, well-defined peak to deal with, isn’t EQ the best solution? I see others advocating for that.

I ask, because it seems changing the mesh or swapping amps is likely to have a ‘broader’ impact, meaning you’d likely affect a lot more than just the peak.

As a very much EQ person, I'd answer it's all up to you.

You should figure out
1) Specific location, amplitude, and bandwidth of (problematic) peaks on your head.
2) Stability of peak location -- if the peak is due to standing waves, it's heavily dependent on various factors of physical space (positioning, ear size, etc)
3) How well eq-ed response matches to your own head (technically HRTF) -- this is particularly important if the problem occurs beyond 5-6khz

You have to experiment with various settings to see which one works the best. Unfortunately, even measurements can't fully address #1-#3. So, it's eventually coming down to trials and errors. Indeed it's very tricky to confirm if a peak of problem is specific or well-defined.

Acoustic mods generally work better for loosely defined problems (the modding effect can move along as parameters change) while EQ can be more effective for well-defined problems. I'd also add one man's perfectly tuned eq-setting may not be transferrable to others. I'm very opting out copying/pasting others' presets.

And speaking of "you’d likely affect a lot more than just the peak." this equivalently occurs to EQ. Just in a different context (see #2 and #3 above; also mis-specificaiton of #1 is of course possible).

Alternatively, we can cut very wide frequency range (low Q in peak filter, shelving filter). But doing so naturally introduce lots of tradeoffs. So you should optimize such filters yourself, too. This is a bit easier than pinpoint fixes.. but maximum effectiveness is also limited.

PS. I kinda think if one can accurately define the problems in operational ways (like I said, this is easier said than done), that person probably is using eq anyway.

 

[GiullianSN]

Just got an unboxing video of the Atrium from my Fiance back home... that looks pretty.

Still a month until I will be able to try it.

 

[dfiled]

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.

Yes, I am often perplexed that many headfiers will, say, spend hundreds on cables to “increase brightness” (which I personally think is snake oil) but eschew use of EQ. While I understand that many people want a headphone with their preferred tuning without the need for Eq, when you find a headphone that ticks lots of boxes but has a FR that is problematic — especially where the problem is identifiable and isolated — EQ can absolutely fix the problem.

 

[Newbman123]

This may trigger a big discussion but, wanted to know if it is safe to repeatedly connect and disconnect the jacks from the headphones i mean like once or twice a day? I use it and then store it in the box again for which i have to remove the cables. Anyone know for how many revovals and attachments the jacks and ports are rated?

 

[goldwerger]

Just got an unboxing video of the Atrium from my Fiance back home... that looks pretty.

Still a month until I will be able to try it.

Get your fiancé to plug it into a device and run it for 200 hrs.. u then come home to new but burned in headphone

 

[ckhirnigs113]

This may trigger a big discussion but, wanted to know if it is safe to repeatedly connect and disconnect the jacks from the headphones i mean like once or twice a day? I use it and then store it in the box again for which i have to remove the cables. Anyone know for how many revovals and attachments the jacks and ports are rated?

I leave my cables connected even while I'm storing the headphones in a case overnight for this very reason. I don't know if there's a rating for how many times you should be able to plug in and unplug the cables, but I feel like eventually, you will have an issue if you do it 2 times a day. My solution is to lay a soft cloth or scrap piece of bubble wrap over the exposed cables that are hanging out of the case while the headphones aren't in use. Obviously, the case will not fully close with this solution, but it works well for me.

I use an aftermarket clamshell case (Geekria UltraShell for Large Headphones) for storing my ZMFs overnight. It has a much lighter lid than the Seahorse case, so I don't worry about it damaging the cable when it's shut and resting on the cables.

 

[goldwerger]

I leave my cables connected even while I'm storing the headphones in a case overnight for this very reason. I don't know if there's a rating for how many times you should be able to plug in and unplug the cables, but I feel like eventually, you will have an issue if you do it 2 times a day. My solution is to lay a soft cloth or scrap piece of bubble wrap over the exposed cables that are hanging out of the case while the headphones aren't in use. Obviously, the case will not fully close with this solution, but it works well for me.

I use an aftermarket clamshell case (Geekria UltraShell for Large Headphones) for storing my ZMFs overnight. It has a much lighter lid than the Seahorse case, so I don't worry about it damaging the cable when it's shut and resting on the cables.

That’s a great looking case to carry the headphone around.. just ordered, curious and very reasonably priced!

 

[erics75]

This may trigger a big discussion but, wanted to know if it is safe to repeatedly connect and disconnect the jacks from the headphones i mean like once or twice a day? I use it and then store it in the box again for which i have to remove the cables. Anyone know for how many revovals and attachments the jacks and ports are rated?

I've had my Atticus for 2-3 years now and been unplugging after every use so I can put them back in the case. My jacks are as tight and solid now as the day I received it. I think as long as you're not applying too much force to them, they'll last ages. Just my experience though, others may have the opposite (hopefully not!).

 

[Pharmaboy]

This may trigger a big discussion but, wanted to know if it is safe to repeatedly connect and disconnect the jacks from the headphones i mean like once or twice a day? I use it and then store it in the box again for which i have to remove the cables. Anyone know for how many revovals and attachments the jacks and ports are rated?

I have three ZMF headphones that use mini-XLR input jacks on each earcup. I've also owned a number of other headphones (Audeze, Kennerton) that use the same jacks.

I personally would not connect, disconnect, and reconnect cables on a daily basis with any one headphone that uses mini-XLRs inputs. IMO this hardware is ingeniously miniaturized and works very well--but if/when anything goes wrong, you're going to be sending that headphone back to the mfr for repair (no fun).

There's also a related issue: since the jacks that insert are locking, you have to make sure they're really "unlocked" (ie, pressing the button or lever on the cable jack) before pulling hard enough to dislodge them. Every once in awhile these jacks can "hang up" (ie, not be fully unlocked), so when you apply Incredible Hulk force* to get the jack out, the entire input jack housing might come out with it. This doesn't happen very often, but it can happen.

Years ago I read someone's recommendation to remove a mini-XLR locking jack as follows:

1. Press the jacks button or lever to unlock
2. (counterintuitively) push the jack into the earcup -- not with great force. You're just trying to push it away from the internal locking device
3. Then pull it out, and not with great force. If any resistance, repeat all steps

I always do it this way, and so far, so good.

IMO it's best to respect the miniature size & relative delicacy of these mini-XLR input jacks.

* In my case it's more like Elmer Fudd force (for the record)

 

[jgwtriode]

Yes, I am often perplexed that many headfiers will, say, spend hundreds on cables to “increase brightness” (which I personally think is snake oil) but eschew use of EQ. While I understand that many people want a headphone with their preferred tuning without the need for Eq, when you find a headphone that ticks lots of boxes but has a FR that is problematic — especially where the problem is identifiable and isolated — EQ can absolutely fix the problem.

I have always been of the opinion that the EQ device is going to alter signal quality. In the digital domain this is probably avoidable. In analogue I am not so sure. So I have never after leaving my teenage years of EQ tweaking and not really understanding actual quality of components and how they effects what was coming out of my loudspeakers. Now all those things are a very big deal with my headphone setup. I have yet to find an EQ solution I am comfortable with in my current setup. And cables are a big deal to me. I currently have the best overall cables I have ever owned and they are not necessarily the most expensive. Cables are at the level I view them, components
and in the case particularly of the cables I have switched to, it made a component level difference in the performance of my system across the entire spectrum of system performance. FWIW

Happy listening,

jgwtriode