[recstar24]

Listening to Dave and Steve discussing the production process of In Utero on Conan's podcast and realized it's been 30 years since it's initial released. Such an amazing album and revisiting it with the Atrium is so darn good. It's so easy to forget just how dynamic and hard hitting the Atrium is until you put on an album such as this.

Appreciate the recommendation! Finished up the episode earlier today on the dog walk!

Also wanted to add that I’m a new Atrium owner, 2 weeks ago @zach915m was gracious enough to not only let me grab my Atrium Koa in person, but gave me a tour of the shop and operations, AND even made me a killer dopio espresso - talk about customer service! I’ve been listening non stop and each session I just fall in love with the sound even more. Proud to be a part of the ZMF community!

 

[JackarlTwo]

I've listened to a bunch of live bands as well as decent speakers. Headphones can't replicate the sheer chest impact for obvious reasons, but every time I come back to Atrium they remind me of this full, punchy, and smooth sound, and it's so easy to immerse yourself into the music. I freaking love these headphones!

 

[JerseyD]

I'm still very new to the Atrium and trying to get a bead on them. Bought them recently 2nd hand from a Head-Fi'er, so they are fully burned in already. Coming from my Auteur Classic and Verite open, the Atrium strikes me as more spacious sounding, with more mid-bass impact & quantity. Vocals sound great, with a reverb I like a lot.

However, on some tracks, there is some congestion and hashiness in the upper mids/lower treble that I do net experience with the other two ZMFs. Anyone else get this?

 

[AcousticMatt]

However, on some tracks, there is some congestion and hashiness in the upper mids/lower treble that I do net experience with the other two ZMFs. Anyone else get this?

Oh yeah, for sure. It took me awhile to get used to this part of the Atrium's tuning. I didn't like it for awhile, partially because I was so used to my other headphones, all of which were either dipped in the upper mids or didn't have that emphasis there that the Atrium's do. I now find it more tastefully done after hearing headphones like the Utopia, which are incredibly resolving and also great in other areas, but can be fatiguing in the upper mids. Things like saxophones and trumpets sound so lifelike yet beautifully lush with the decayed sound of the Atrium that I find it super cool, unique and never fatiguing. It may just take some time to get used to, but you may find you just don't like that. It took me about a year to appreciate that part of the tuning though. I think the other attributes of the Atrium help, at least for me. I was listening to something with cello the other day and thinking whoa - nothing else I own makes the cello sound like this! Anyways - hope this was affirming and maybe also helpful in another way.

 

[JackarlTwo]

However, on some tracks, there is some congestion and hashiness in the upper mids/lower treble that I do net experience with the other two ZMFs. Anyone else get this?

Auteur pads or a solid mesh might help with upper mids and lower treble. Either will attenuate that region from my experience. But if a recording is super mid forward then Atrium will definitely show that no matter what.

 

[JerseyD]

Auteur pads or a solid mesh might help with upper mids and lower treble. Either will attenuate that region from my experience. But if a recording is super mid forward then Atrium will definitely show that no matter what.

Thanks. So far, I have only tried Universe perf lamb and Caldera Ultra-perf. Will give Auteur a shot and buy some solid mesh to try.

Oh yeah, for sure. It took me awhile to get used to this part of the Atrium's tuning. I didn't like it for awhile, partially because I was so used to my other headphones, all of which were either dipped in the upper mids or didn't have that emphasis there that the Atrium's do. I now find it more tastefully done after hearing headphones like the Utopia, which are incredibly resolving and also great in other areas, but can be fatiguing in the upper mids. Things like saxophones and trumpets sound so lifelike yet beautifully lush with the decayed sound of the Atrium that I find it super cool, unique and never fatiguing. It may just take some time to get used to, but you may find you just don't like that. It took me about a year to appreciate that part of the tuning though. I think the other attributes of the Atrium help, at least for me. I was listening to something with cello the other day and thinking whoa - nothing else I own makes the cello sound like this! Anyways - hope this was affirming and maybe also helpful in another way.

That’s sort of what I was thinking - that the things the Atrium does well probably outweigh the annoyance of those moment of hashy congestion. Some songs leave me thinking, “That was amazing!” I will give them more time before making a decision about keeping them or not. Will also experiment with pads and mesh as noted above.

Thanks to both of you.

 

[Deleeh]

I don't have these problems when you speak to me.
Personally, I would avoid interfering with the atrium and go other ways.
1. it is important that the system is not too sharp in these areas, this applies to the Dac as well as the amplifier.
A Dac with an Ess chip can contribute a lot to it sounding too sharp.
Typical indications would be quite neutral and analytically tuned amplifiers.
Neutral yes but not too neutral, I wouldn't go too warm because the Atrium is tuned warm.
2. is the slightly more favourable solution, namely cables.
Clean Occ copper or hybrid cables can be the solution here to attenuate or smooth out this frequency range.
Silver is more likely to exacerbate the whole thing instead of remedying it, I will give an example of point 2&3, Ofc is still too sharp and less rounded in sound.
3. is an option where some craftsmanship is required and only if it is technically possible.
Replacing the installed capacitors with something that reduces the range in a clearer and more defined way.
This possibility applies more to tube amplifiers, but also to SS amplifiers, except that electrolytic capacitors are more likely to be used.

To my example:
My tube amplifier can control 2 different capacitors with a switch (Mundorf Sgo and Vcp Cutf).
I use the Atrium with the Lektric C.
Furthermore, I have used cables in the past that were in the Ofc range.
Let's take the "bad" Ofc cable that goes from the Dac to the amplifier with the Mundorf Sgo active.
I agree with what you are saying that one part sounds sharp and sometimes washed out.
When I switch on the Vcap I don't notice anything.
Now I change my cable for a high quality OCC copper cable as connection and do the game again.
The Mundorf sounds much more solid and firm, less masked, and the aforementioned sharpness and washiness is gone.
Totally pleasant to listen to, the Vcap is of course the better capacitor which sounds even better in general.

That's why I would start with point 2 first and work on the pads before moving on to point 3.
The prerequisite is also that point 1 has been taken into account.
And depending on that, an OCC silver cable can also help here if the whole thing is too warm or dark to gain a little more neutrality and sparkle.
If this has been taken into account, you should have an atrium that sounds totally clean and pleasant from top to bottom.

 

[helljudgement]

I'm still very new to the Atrium and trying to get a bead on them. Bought them recently 2nd hand from a Head-Fi'er, so they are fully burned in already. Coming from my Auteur Classic and Verite open, the Atrium strikes me as more spacious sounding, with more mid-bass impact & quantity. Vocals sound great, with a reverb I like a lot.

However, on some tracks, there is some congestion and hashiness in the upper mids/lower treble that I do net experience with the other two ZMFs. Anyone else get this?

Atrium's treble isn't as airy as the Verite open in my experience and will sound more congested than other headphones that have that bit more emphasis up top. Give it a few more days to evaluate if this is right for you.

 

[JerseyD]

Atrium's treble isn't as airy as the Verite open in my experience and will sound more congested than other headphones that have that bit more emphasis up top. Give it a few more days to evaluate if this is right for you.

I'll give them a few more months, at least!

 

[Binaural38]

I love my Atriums but I guess I associate higher-end headphones with detail and resolution and I just think the Atriums are missing most of that. I’ve only had them for a few weeks but I think one can get to where they’re are at a much lower cost. I find myself grabbing my HE1000v2 most of the time. I don’t know. Maybe the honeymoon is over.

I’ll say that I’ve never had a more beautiful piece of equipment. They’re just stunning.

 

[Leto Dal]

I think the resolution is there on a good chain, its juts not in your face as on many high end headphones, which make Atrium a very relaxed listen. I often grab them after a long day instead of Caldera when I want to space out with great bass and enveloping holographic soundstage, AC it is though, dont have AO yet.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I love my Atriums but I guess I associate higher-end headphones with detail and resolution and I just think the Atriums are missing most of that. I’ve only had them for a few weeks but I think one can get to where they’re are at a much lower cost. I find myself grabbing my HE1000v2 most of the time. I don’t know. Maybe the honeymoon is over.

I’ll say that I’ve never had a more beautiful piece of equipment. They’re just stunning.

May I ask how old you are? Because the Atrium is plenty detailed as long as you have no hearing loss. We tend to lose our ability to hear upper treble as we age. So then headphones that are bright like Hifiman and Beyerdynamic will sound more detailed. But to those that have good hearing, those signatures just sound harsh and piercing.

 

[goldwerger]

 

[Deleeh]

May I ask how old you are? Because the Atrium is plenty detailed as long as you have no hearing loss. We tend to lose our ability to hear upper treble as we age. So then headphones that are bright like Hifiman and Beyerdynamic will sound more detailed. But to those that have good hearing, those signatures just sound harsh and piercing.

You can't generalise like that.
I'm 40 and have experienced 10 hearing loss due to stress in the last 10 years.
I have slight tinitus in my right ear.
I have got it under control with music and a lot of relaxation.

For me, the Atrium doesn't sound rough at all, rather the opposite, but very homogeneous, organic and with a lot of enveloping music.
The autuer Og can sometimes sound a little harsh.
The Atium open offers me what the Auteur sometimes can't deliver so well, a little more punch in the bass, softer on vocals, more sparkle in the mids and highs.
A good friend who is also a zmf fanboy said that for him the Atrium is Aelous + Auteur together.
And somehow he's right.

And after listening to the Auteur Og for over a year and the Atrium was ordered, I go into the shop and walk out with a grin and I don't buy any headphones there. Because I know what's at home.

 

[G8torbyte]

Enjoying some nicely produced music from the Rosebuds on their Loud Planes Fly Low album. Sounding fantastic on the Atrium Open with ultra-perf pads and it highlights the atmospheric spaciousness and imaging of the various instruments and vocals.

Here is a live session they did of one my favorite tracks: