[goldwerger]

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

Thanks for sharing!

Couple quick notes come to mind:

(1) FMZ headphones benefit from burn-in. Give them a coupld hundred hours to "settle". If you listen daily, just revisit this in a couple of weeks and then take stock again. You may find some ongoing improvements

(2) Amp synergy is a real thing. I can't say how the Folkvangr synergizes as it's pretty recent and not a lot of inputs on that yet (I certainly wouldn't know). But bass and soundstage are definitely the kind of things impacted by both the amp and tubes used. I've experience these changing with tube rolling on my amp (Nirvana). Perhaps you can find the same type of changes playing around with your tubes.

as to cables - I have boh Lektrik S and 2K. The former is unsleeved, and that is the main reason I prefer it. It just makes for a bit lighter and more ergonomic cable. So I recommend not sleeving your cable. I persoanlly like the Lektrik S unsleeved white color look with the Macassar Ebony. I could tell you there was some deeper reason for this match, but I'm in an honest mood...

 

[helljudgement]

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

You can easily find quite a few impressions here but anything specific you’re looking for? I own both the vo and atrium.

 

[heliosphann]

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.

Yea, it's not a big deal for me at all. I've never had a problem with any ZMF's and I owned a Blackwood Auteur that was in the 650g range.

 

[Orange5o]

Folkvangr owner eyeing the atrium. Definitely keep up with the impressions as it burns in! I'm really considering this combo.

 

[Monsterzero]

Channel matching, left channel was noticeably louder on initial listening.

Is that persisting?

Time to decide if I want a Lektrik C or 2K Copper cable...and if I want it sleeved or not.

I have both. Cant go wrong with either, and I agree with the above post, leave it unsleeved.
The 2K is a bit smoother sounding vs. Lektrik in my system.

 

[SlothRock]

Yea, it's not a big deal for me at all. I've never had a problem with any ZMF's and I owned a Blackwood Auteur that was in the 650g range.

Yea even though my VC is much lighter than the Atrium I had, neither was uncomfortable whatsoever and I barely noticed the difference. New weight game: at what weight do ZMF's actually become uncomfortable? Anyone down to tie some weights to their cans?

 

[helljudgement]

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 channel matching is likely more to do with the amp than the headphone. This happens with all stereo potentiometer. Some configuration have better channel tracking than others but all tube amps I’ve heard have imbalance at extreme low range.

 

[Monsterzero]

The channel matching is likely more to do with the amp than the headphone. This happens with all stereo potentiometer. Some configuration have better channel tracking than others but all tube amps I’ve heard have imbalance at extreme low range.

hence why I had the Glacier built with dual mono, also makes having a matched set of tubes less of an issue.

 

[Qna89]

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

Wow. Quite heavy but the are just beautiful. No hot spots? Are they still comfortable enough?

Thank You for letting me know about the price

 

[Qna89]

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.

I heard and read a lot about the Atrium soundstage and I have the same impression that it is really big. Maybe not as big like HD800s but many reviewers said it is one of the biggest out there. I am a little bit disappointed after Your description

 

[Mattyjm]

@Qna89 this might be of some help

 

[Takarajima]

I heard and read a lot about the Atrium soundstage and I have the same impression that it is really big. Maybe not as big like HD800s but many reviewers said it is one of the biggest out there. I am a little bit disappointed after Your description

I'd like to say there are many elements we may want hear in the area of soundstage. Judging it only big or small is a little oversimplification imho. For example, how things are layered, each of three dimensions, locational accuracy, etc are all relevant to what I associate to soundstaging ability. Some of those elements are even highly up to one's preference. Not to mention there are tradeoffs, too.

That said, hd800 is a very good pair of headphones in soundstaging and it indeed does many things well. But I do think Atrium is better in reproducing more realistic size, distance, and accuracy to my preference. By contrast, (to me ears) hd800 exaggerates certain things and comes with tradeoffs that are not fully agreeable. YMMV.

PS. It's really preferential thing. For example, I do think Auteur pads widen Atrium's soundstage significantly, but I found better locational and layering realism with universe pads. I am always willing to tradeoff soundstage size (mostly in width) with other aspects to reproduce everything in more convincing -- to my liking -- ways.

 

[whirlwind]

Good gawd those are stunning....congrats!

Beautiful!

 

[skhan007]

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)

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

Thank you both- I'll read up.

I've had the VO for about 8 months and I find the upper mids and highs a bit more relaxed compared to the detailed and crisp high end from my OG Auteur. While I like the VO, I miss the crispness in the high frequencies that I get with my Auteur. I do find the low end of the VO quite good compared to the Auteur (which is more lean in the bass, but it makes up for it nicely in the midrange and upper frequencies). I was curious about how the Atrium compares with level of detail in the upper mids and highs compared to the VO. I understand that the Atrium may have more bass (which I definitely don't need, I think).

 

[skhan007]

You can easily find quite a few impressions here but anything specific you’re looking for? I own both the vo and atrium.

Thank you- Just trying to understand the difference in mids/high frequencies between the two, as I find the VO a bit more relaxed in those frequencies than I'd like.