Cool. That’s all I needed. I’m going to try them out. Thanks.
ZMF Atrium - new open-back co-flagship
- Thread starter DeweyCH
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The hybrid pads (of any type) will take the edge off both the top and bottom end. If you find a certain track peaky (sibilant), then adding the hybrid pads will most likely smooth it off. As a result, the mids are pushed/enhanced ever so slightly. The low end will also show more control and tightness.
IMHO, the suede of the hybrid pads can actually help tweak the sound without actually change the sound signature of the lambskin pads. I have personally not used any other pads with my Atrium besides the universe lambs. Just when i was getting used to the sound of the Atrium w/ Universe lamb pads (while i was waiting for my Auteur OG to become a Classic) I got notification from ZMF that my Auteur is on route back to me and as a result, I hung up my Atrium for the mean time and focus on the new (upgraded) headphone
RestoredSparda
100+ Head-Fier
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Auteur lamb perforated all the way! The tonality is perfect and the imaging is excellent.
Oh snap. Sounds great. Have you compared to Auteur Hybrid Pref?
Low end more tight/control with Hybrids? I would assume this is more true with Lambskin.
Do you find the bass similar between the two? I was surprised how much tighter/controlled the bass sounded on the stock Universe Lambs. Also the sub bass was a lot more pronounced than the Auteur Hybrid Pref. If I can get the staging, 3D effect and elevated mids from the Auteur Lamb + better bass technicalities ... that would be ideal ...
I think pad rolling is one of those areas where all our tastes vary so much, there’s only one way to find out.. that said, here were my impressions
I ended up using the stock Universe lamb, which works best for me.
I tried the BE2 hybrid and, as promised, it was brighter. But with extra treble energy it lost some bass.
I tried the Auteur lamb and, as promised, it was more bassy. But that resulted in too much bleed to the mids and too dark for my taste.
The Universe lamb strikes a great balance for me of well defined bass and air, keeping excellent tonal balance.
Yeah its super subjective. Too me the Auteur Hybrids had substantially more mid energy. Bass was more bloomy compared to stock but soundstage sounded more enveloping. I didn't notice treble to be much darker than stock. Stock almost sounded darker to me. This might be from all leather?
But I understand, only way of knowing is to buy .. lol
Yes agree on Aureur bloom so experience. Slight sound stage expansion makes sense as those pads are deeper (I didn’t perceive but makes lots of sense). Leather can definitely impact as well!
Hifiearspeakers
Headphoneus Supremus
Auteur perforated leather have more mid bass, more stage layering, and slightly smoother/darker upper mids and treble. Bass is noticeably quicker and tighter on Universe perforated leather pads but also has less impact. I love both of those pads.
If you want more bass quantity, then lambskin is the way to go. The hybrid pad will smooth out the bottom end which will result in slightly less sub bass but a bit more mid bass. In certain tracks, this sounds like a more controlled low end. I can vouch for this because its exactly whats going on with my newly received Auteur Classic (OG upgrade). For as long as i can remember, i always used Auteur lambskin pads with the OG. Not sure if its the tuning or something else, but the Classic came back to me with more air/sparkle on the top end and more sub bass and mid bass. With lambskin auteur pads, it sounded a bit V shaped but with extreme clarity and speed. The classic with the auteur lambskin pads, at least in my setup, sounds insanely dynamic headphone. To be honest, at first i missed the midcentric intimate sound of the OG, the classic reminded me of a better version of the LCD-X 21. After a few nights of listening, i decided to give the auteur hybrids a shot and to my surprise, the OG sound came back (to a certain degree). The mids were back on the forefront of the soundstage and the low end earned some much needed slam/punch. The absolute top end was tamed a little bit so electronic music doesnt sound too harsh, vocals were no longer piercing.
I have been burning in the classic with hybrid pads for a few days now, I try to listen to it from time to time and I agree with the sound it produces. As for my pad of choice with the Atriums, I am sticking to the Universe lamb for now. I tried universe hybrids and those lose a lot of the fun low end magic that the atrium is really beloved for. I think I m gonna use only lambskin pads with my atrium, whethers its the autuer pads or universe.
Did a quick buff of the curly bubinga Atrium before listening this afternoon. The color is definitely darkening over time, which is to my liking. Not my finest photography work, but it'll do.
I know OTL is preferred but anyone running the Atriums of a speaker amp like the AHB2? Thanks.
LCMusicLover
Headphoneus Supremus
At first glance I thought you were driving them with a tube deskDid a quick buff of the curly bubinga Atrium before listening this afternoon. The color is definitely darkening over time, which is to my liking. Not my finest photography work, but it'll do.
ColSaulTigh
Headphoneus Supremus
Tube desk rolling is a thing, ya know...At first glance I thought you were driving them with a tube desk
LCMusicLover
Headphoneus Supremus
This reminded me of a thread idea I had:
Tube Amps for ZMF headphones
Seems like the 'institutional knowledge' on this subject is scattered across (literally) dozens of threads. I imagine a fun thread featuring massive food fights between adherents of various amps seasoned with a bit of tube-rolling guerilla warfare
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