[erics75]

Loving my atriums. Can't stop listening to them still. You guys have me thinking about getting a tube amp, and I'm already looking at the felix euforia... but trying to exercise patience after the atrium purchase.

I have the aged cherry aged copper set and the there is a squeak on one earcup where the half moon shaped gimble has the two attachments to the wooden cup.
Is there a suitable lube to lube this up?

The wood polish Zach uses also works to lube the gimbals to remove squeaks.

 

[SlothRock]

Have I missed the boat on ordering Atriums in Macassar Ebony?

Unfortunately, for now, the boat has long left land is on its way across the Atlantic Ocean. Zach said he had enough wood to make 100 sets of headphones with the Macassar Ebony and only 10 or so were sold for hot cup summer so there is a really good chance the boat comes back again and we can both hop on

 

[dfiled]

Ready to hop on.

 

[Qna89]

Unfortunately, for now, the boat has long left land is on its way across the Atlantic Ocean. Zach said he had enough wood to make 100 sets of headphones with the Macassar Ebony and only 10 or so were sold for hot cup summer so there is a really good chance the boat comes back again and we can both hop on

What Was the weight and price for Macassar again? Do You remember ?

 

[SlothRock]

No clue - I asked and Zach said the magnesium VC's with Macassar were right around 500g but don't think he ever officially weighed and posted again about it.

 

[darktooth8]

The wood polish Zach uses also works to lube the gimbals to remove squeaks.

TY! I bought the guitar cleaner/polisher that zach recommended and applied it like in this vid. Squeak is gone

 

[Orange5o]

Noticed that the stand has you rest the set on the suspension strap. Would this not stretch it more and bring you into more contact with the upper strap?

 

[skhan007]

Apologies if this has been asked/answered, but has anyone posted findings or impressions of the Verite Open vs. Atrium?

 

[Monsterzero]

Apologies if this has been asked/answered, but has anyone posted findings or impressions of the Verite Open vs. Atrium?

I have both. What specifically do you want to know?

 

[jinxy245]

Apologies if this has been asked/answered, but has anyone posted findings or impressions of the Verite Open vs. Atrium?

A few people have had comparisons in their reviews, you can check them out here:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/zmfheadphones-atrium.25763/reviews

(My quick take: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-atrium-new-open-back-co-flagship.962609/page-3#post-16884231)

 

[heliosphann]

What Was the weight and price for Macassar again? Do You remember ?

No clue - I asked and Zach said the magnesium VC's with Macassar were right around 500g but don't think he ever officially weighed and posted again about it.

I just weighed my Atrium on two different scales. Average was 608g, so the Macassar Ebony's w/aged copper and mag chassis are beefy boys. I definitely noticed it pulling it out of the case for the first time. The stock cherry w/mag chassis I have only weighs 467g, so that's a pretty significant difference.

Also the price was $2999

 

[goldwerger]

What Was the weight and price for Macassar again? Do You remember ?

No clue - I asked and Zach said the magnesium VC's with Macassar were right around 500g but don't think he ever officially weighed and posted again about it.

I just weighed my Atrium on two different scales. Average was 608g, so the Macassar Ebony's w/aged copper and mag chassis are beefy boys. I definitely noticed it pulling it out of the case for the first time. The stock cherry w/mag chassis I have only weighs 467g, so that's a pretty significant difference.

Also the price was $2999

ok, I've jointed the weighing game... My Macassar Ebony (measure unscientifically on my kithen scales) is 580g.

About what I'd expect from the feel of it. I'll add that the weight distribution is excellent and it feels comfortable on the head. I'm rather picky on comfort, and these are very comfortable like all ZMF headaphones.

 

[GenEricOne]

Got my Macassar Ebony Atrium (#6) a few hours ago and it's been a rollercoaster first few hours. These are my first ZMFs!

• The wooden box is nicer than I expected. I was hesitant to order it but the Macassar Ebony felt special enough to order the wooden box. My 1266 TCs also came in a wood box, but the hinge and the lining make the ZMF box nicer.
• The smell reminds me of my childhood guitar. I passionately hated playing guitar so this is not a positive memory haha.
• The headphones are beautiful. Just stunning. One of the biggest concerns I had about wood headphones was the inherent asymmetry, but these cups are very well matched and generally fantastic. The dark stripe combined with the orange matting behind the black grille is a striking combo and I'm very happy I was able to snag these.
• The bison strap is a really nice touch, too. I don't see myself changing to the black strap.
• I'm not a fan of the OFC or stock cable. OFC is too stiff for my liking.
• The leather cable pouch was unexpected and is very nice. May end up being used for other things.
• Connected it to my Folkvangr and immediate listening impressions were not all positive or what I expected.
• Where it fell short, mostly compared to expectations:
  • Channel matching, left channel was noticeably louder on initial listening.
  • Headstaging wasn't as expansive as I expected (I expected beyond 1266 TC and HD800S levels based on some of the reviews of this pairing and what the FV did for my Aeon 2 Noires and TH-X00).
  • Sub-bass wasn't matching expectations from some written reports of bass generally, but does seem to match the test charts I've seen.
• I've continued to listen, including turning up the volume on the FV to my normal listening levels, and have really connected with the Atriums.
  • The channel matching issue is gone now (I think).
    • I probably need to investigate the FV's channel matching when the volume knob is turned pretty far down. A task for another day.
  • The tonality is superb. It's dark and comforting. Swapping to my 1266TC (on the Formula S) leaves something to be desired.
  • The overall bass is great, detailed and layered with good punch. Happiest any dynamic headphone has made me. Like almost all headphones, it could use more sub-bass for my tastes (and maybe a littleless upper bass?).
    • Handles really complex bass well with tons of energy. It doesn't compare to the 1266TC here, but what does?
  • Staging simply isn't as expansive as I expected. It's not a slouch but it's behind the 1266TC and HD800S. Certainly not lacking in realism, but everything sounds more intimate than those two, which good be good/bad depending on perspective.
  • More resolving than I expected and more resolving than other dynamics I've heard (not a huge list), especially in the bass and mids (HD800S might have it beat in the highs, but, you know, HD800S highs).
  • Overall an exceptionally pleasing headphone while being engaging and resolving.
    • Will try the other amps I have but expecting it to have permanent residence on the FV.
    • Also contemplating finding a solid-state amp I can just leave these connected to but I expect I'll leave them on the FV despite the fact that reserves the Atriums for special listening sessions when I have enough time to warm up the FV (and when my office can tolerate a 120w heater).
      • This leaves me with two "special listening session" headphone + amp pairings (the 1266TC/Freya+/Dual Aegir combo runs even hotter and needs longer to warm up than the FV).
      • Maybe a VC, Stealth, or a (future) AC are in my future to connect to a SS amp to just leave on. Itching for an upgrade over the Noires.
• Comfort is really good. I'm prone to a hotspot on the top of my head and it hasn't flared up yet after more than 2 hours.
• Build quality exceeded expectations. Some of the 'looseness' I've seen in videos didn't inspire much confidence, maybe? It just has more range of movement compared to my other headphones but it's in no way lacking feeling of quality.
• I realized I forgot to open the envelope that contained the wooden production card for a couple hours. It's laser-etched wood and different from the others I've seen photos of (which have been paper) and is a wonderful touch.
• Time to decide if I want a Lektrik C or 2K Copper cable...and if I want it sleeved or not.
• Excited to try some other pads and see what else the Atriums can deliver.
• My office smells like the wooden box. I keep thinking about my childhood guitar. I need this to stop

 

[GenEricOne]

ok, I've jointed the weighing game... My Macassar Ebony (measure unscientifically on my kithen scales) is 580g.

About what I'd expect from the feel of it. I'll add that the weight distribution is excellent and it feels comfortable on the head. I'm rather picky on comfort, and these are very comfortable like all ZMF headaphones.

584g for mine on my kitchen scale. Macassar Ebony, alu chassis, black grilles, black posts. Also feels comfortable to me, but I've never been bothered by weight (I just need sufficient padding for top center of my head).

 

[SlothRock]

Got my Macassar Ebony Atrium (#6) a few hours ago and it's been a rollercoaster first few hours. These are my first ZMFs!

• The wooden box is nicer than I expected. I was hesitant to order it but the Macassar Ebony felt special enough to order the wooden box. My 1266 TCs also came in a wood box, but the hinge and the lining make the ZMF box nicer.
• The smell reminds me of my childhood guitar. I passionately hated playing guitar so this is not a positive memory haha.
• The headphones are beautiful. Just stunning. One of the biggest concerns I had about wood headphones was the inherent asymmetry, but these cups are very well matched and generally fantastic. The dark stripe combined with the orange matting behind the black grille is a striking combo and I'm very happy I was able to snag these.
• The bison strap is a really nice touch, too. I don't see myself changing to the black strap.
• I'm not a fan of the OFC or stock cable. OFC is too stiff for my liking.
• The leather cable pouch was unexpected and is very nice. May end up being used for other things.
• Connected it to my Folkvangr and immediate listening impressions were not all positive or what I expected.
• Where it fell short, mostly compared to expectations:
  • Channel matching, left channel was noticeably louder on initial listening.
  • Headstaging wasn't as expansive as I expected (I expected beyond 1266 TC and HD800S levels based on some of the reviews of this pairing and what the FV did for my Aeon 2 Noires and TH-X00).
  • Sub-bass wasn't matching expectations from some written reports of bass generally, but does seem to match the test charts I've seen.
• I've continued to listen, including turning up the volume on the FV to my normal listening levels, and have really connected with the Atriums.
  • The channel matching issue is gone now (I think).
    • I probably need to investigate the FV's channel matching when the volume knob is turned pretty far down. A task for another day.
  • The tonality is superb. It's dark and comforting. Swapping to my 1266TC (on the Formula S) leaves something to be desired.
  • The overall bass is great, detailed and layered with good punch. Happiest any dynamic headphone has made me. Like almost all headphones, it could use more sub-bass for my tastes (and maybe a littleless upper bass?).
    • Handles really complex bass well with tons of energy. It doesn't compare to the 1266TC here, but what does?
  • Staging simply isn't as expansive as I expected. It's not a slouch but it's behind the 1266TC and HD800S. Certainly not lacking in realism, but everything sounds more intimate than those two, which good be good/bad depending on perspective.
  • More resolving than I expected and more resolving than other dynamics I've heard (not a huge list), especially in the bass and mids (HD800S might have it beat in the highs, but, you know, HD800S highs).
  • Overall an exceptionally pleasing headphone while being engaging and resolving.
    • Will try the other amps I have but expecting it to have permanent residence on the FV.
    • Also contemplating finding a solid-state amp I can just leave these connected to but I expect I'll leave them on the FV despite the fact that reserves the Atriums for special listening sessions when I have enough time to warm up the FV (and when my office can tolerate a 120w heater).
      • This leaves me with two "special listening session" headphone + amp pairings (the 1266TC/Freya+/Dual Aegir combo runs even hotter and needs longer to warm up than the FV).
      • Maybe a VC, Stealth, or a (future) AC are in my future to connect to a SS amp to just leave on. Itching for an upgrade over the Noires.
• Comfort is really good. I'm prone to a hotspot on the top of my head and it hasn't flared up yet after more than 2 hours.
• Build quality exceeded expectations. Some of the 'looseness' I've seen in videos didn't inspire much confidence, maybe? It just has more range of movement compared to my other headphones but it's in no way lacking feeling of quality.
• I realized I forgot to open the envelope that contained the wooden production card for a couple hours. It's laser-etched wood and different from the others I've seen photos of (which have been paper) and is a wonderful touch.
• Time to decide if I want a Lektrik C or 2K Copper cable...and if I want it sleeved or not.
• Excited to try some other pads and see what else the Atriums can deliver.
• My office smells like the wooden box. I keep thinking about my childhood guitar. I need this to stop

Great review! I had the Atrium and tried a couple different pads/amp combos and have a couple suggestions based off some of the things you're looking for. Hope this helps!

• First off, no you never will get HD800S soundstage with the Atrium. I haven't heard the TC, so can't compare. Not sure where you read about Atrium soundstage being at those levels but, while it's the most open ZMF, it's still a little more on the intimate side with the soundstage. It's wide for sure but won't equal soundstage masters.
• To increase the sound stage AND bass, I'd highly recommend the Auteur pads. I had the Auteur lambskins on my Atriums and preferred them over the Universe pads to a large degree. It does increase the sound stage and makes the bass punchier imo but will also darken the sound a bit along with that. I never got the hybrid Auteur pads for my Atrium but I recently switched to those on my VC's from the lambskin and that helped brighten up the darker sound while retaining the sound stage + bass benefits. Might be the move for the Atrium!
• If you can, try different tubes with the Atrium. I have never heard the Folkvangr, but tube swapping on my Euforia made a huge difference and allowed me to make some adjustments I was really looking for. Loved the Atriums on my Euforia when I was looking for increased bass bump and wider soundstage. My SS amp, inversely, tightened up these elements which was great for fast paced rock and metal but I mostly preferred the Atrium on tubes outside of a couple genres/songs.