So I got:
- The pro cable
- Caldera Ultra Perf Lambskin
- Radial Mesh
This will give me enough to play with for a while. Truthfully, I feel like these headphones react so dramatically to pad rolling, I didn't want to spend tons on a cable for a smaller change. The pro cable is beautiful, not expensive, and in copper it aesthetically goes with my Atrium well.
- I like the feel of lambskin more. I figure if I like the Caldera pads enough, and I want to tweak further, I can get the Suede. Truthfully, I am really liking the Universe pads and "think" any other pads will be for a change of pace and won't supplant them, but we'll see! I haven't heard the other ZMFs, so the only way I can describe the Atrium is like a much larger TH900 with incredible staging. This headphone is the first time I've really been able to enjoy a lot of classic rock albums fully with high-end headphones: Sgt. Peppers, The Wall, Turn of a Friendly Card, Abbey Road - all this sounds incredible on the Atrium.
- I want to see what kind of difference mesh can make. It would be more obvious with solid/vented, but I'll try out the radial mesh after I have my head around what both sets of pads looks like.
Edit:
Ok - so I got the Caldera Ultra Perf Lambskin on and they are really good too. Not better than the Universe, just different. I did not like the Auteur Lambskin as they were sibilant with my particular head.
The Caldera UP are brighter with a more traditional stage, and not quite the bass the universe have but still very powerful. Physically they are a little stiff so maybe sound changes when I wear them for a while.
Now the Atriums sound better with high input impedance. like both pads so much but they are like different headphones. Maybe I need two Atriums for each set of pads. I could see myself swapping pads for different playlists. I wish I was better at swapping pads, but after I get the first one in the second goes on pretty easily
I got the radial mesh too but haven’t tried. Will get a sonic picture of the pads first. Can anyone describe what the radial mesh sounds like vs atrium standard vented mesh?
I thought the pad swapping and mesh swapping would be a PITA, but it’s a lot of fun! No wonder this brand has a cult following, all audiophiles love to tweak and these are a tweakers delight!
Edit:
Well, I need to tell someone about my progress, and I hope you don’t mind! My wife doesn’t care about Pad Rolling for some reason
I’m back to Universe pads with vented mesh. Clearly Zach knows what he’s doing making this the default. I tried the radial mesh with the Universe pads and at first I thought it was perfect. But I started to get fatigued after like 30 min. The Caldera UP pads with standard mesh are my second favorite. It’s more linear and “neutral”; sounding like my other headphones. I think I naturally try and gravitate to a more neutral tuning because I’m comfortable with that. You do lose some bass slam and staging size.
So back to the Universe pads and Atrium vented mesh. Not as neutral but this tuning works really well for a wide variety of music, particularly rock, so it works! Tons of slam, texture and a deeper sound stage.
In terms of amps, it’s good with the DNA Stellaris with this configuration, but I almost feel like it doesn’t need more tubiness as it has a slightly rounded tonality already. I am really enjoying stock Atrium on the Enleum amp 23r. It gives it a little more kick but no fatigue. I’d favor the DNA with the Caldera pads though.
Universe + Atrium Mesh + Amp 23r is where I think I’m going to land. Let’s see with more break in. I also got the ZMF pro cable (copper), which I think is a better fit for this headphone than the OFC cable since it’s already warm. The litz, I think, makes it a tiny bit more crisp. This was reinforced when I tried the ZMF OFC cable on my LCD XC, and it was way better than before, and that can lean bright.
Edit:
The best way I can describe these headphones to someone is that they are the absolute best way to listen to The Beatles in a hi-fi setting, and secondarily, classic rock. They aren’t overly resolving, which exposes the flaws in the recording of many of these great songs, but the bass, texture, and head space is all chef’s kiss. With The Beatles, though, they are something else.
Last Edit: Caldera UP + Atrium vented mesh + DNA Stellaris actually wins after all; it’s interesting how these headphones either break in, or you get acclimated to them. All of the sudden, they just clicked; everything snapped into place. The perfect balance of resolution and euphony - all while continuing to punch. Cheers all.
