[Erwinatm]

My delivery got pushed to tomorrow but I got brass as well and every time I see a brass Koa atrium it continues to confirm just how right the choice was. Brass looks perfect with the Koa!!

Brass and Rose Gold, side by side..

 

[Renexx]

Looks like the Koa wood for both Atrium and VC have been removed from the store. New wood hype! Would be cool to see some stabilized atrium sets.

Seems like I got one of the last KOA Atriums
and almost missed it.

 

[omega1990]

Saw on IG that they have a bunch of ebony now so I imagine that’s the next wood up? Would look incredible

Just checked Instagram. I'm happy Zach finally got a hold of macassar ebony. Funny thing, about over a year ago I had wondered if he was eventually going to get some of that wood. At the time I asked if he was interested in using that with Atticus and Eikon. I think I also asked if he was going to someday get snakewood as well. Can't wait to see which one gets the ebony wood. Seeing that makes me hopeful that someday we might see them in that nice looking snakewood.

 

[Monsterzero]

Can't wait to see which one gets the ebony wood. Seeing that makes me hopeful that someday we might see them in that nice looking snakewood.

ooohh, that snakewood looks great. If Zach ever uses that wood type he's gonna have to keep @BooUrns in the dark. She isnt fond of snakes

 

[thomasu]

I finally got a new cable from @skedra

 

[wkesquire]

Can you give some examples which music you prefer with Atrium and which music you prefers with VC and why? Would be greatly appreciated. I am person who owns VC and follows this thread with interest. I listens to a lot of different music and would like to complement the VC with an open headphone (or go all in with VC but find an endgame amp).

Sorry in advance for the longer reply. I've solicited so many recommendations from this forum and the headphones forum, and I haven't shared too many personal impressions because I'm relatively new to the hobby. So this is my way of embracing an opportunity to give back!

I intend to go into greater detail in the eventual Atrium review that I write, but the quick and dirty breakdown is as follows:

VC > Atrium for hip-hop (including reggaeton and the genre fluid music that artists like Bad Bunny and Arca make); electronic (mostly house, acid, IDM, dubstep, alternative R&B, and industrial hip-hop); and contemporary R&B (e.g. Frank Ocean, Jazmine Sullivan, or Kehlani). The holographic character of the VC is just magic with these genres. For hip-hop, in particular, I’m not sure I’ve heard a headphone that does the genre more justice. The VC is punchier than the Atrium. It has slightly more resolution than the Atrium. Those qualities pair really well with hip-hop and these other genres. That said, the staging on the Atrium, which I find to be both a bit wider and taller than that of the VC can create for a super cool effect on some hip-hop tracks. The drama that the Atrium can create (or accentuate) is absolutely infectious. For example, the instrumental on Nicki Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap” is PHENOMENAL on the Atrium. Kendrick Lamar’s recent track “The Heart Part 5” also sounds better to me on the Atrium. The Kendrick track is funky, the kind of rap song that could be reproduced as effectively or even more so using live instruments. So my preference for the Atrium in this respect is actually consistent with the explanation continued below.

Atrium > VC for jazz (bop, modal, fusion, post bop, avant garde, etc.); older R&B with live instrumentation (think Motown, Stax, and Atlantic Records); reggae (roots and dancehall); rock (my taste here runs the gamut from folk to much heavier stuff . . . easier to name artists than subgenres because there are so many – Joni Mitchell, Big Thief/Adrienne Lenker, Fleet Foxes, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Talking Heads, Jehnny Beth’s band Savages, Low, Swans, Gojira, Mdou Moctar, etc.); and classical/orchestral music (the usual stuff, but also Caroline Shaw, the 2021 Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, and LSO album Promises). I’m just echoing others in this thread, but the mids are delightful on the Atrium. The timbre also feels a bit more natural to me on the Atrium than the VC. I also think the open back design of the Atrium makes the instrument separation a bit better than the VC. They are very close, but I think more dense passages in a jazz track like “Lad’s Dance” by the Mihaly Dresch Quartet featuring saxophonist Chris Potter just sounds cleaner and more engaging.



It’s a live recording too, and I feel like I’m right there when listening on the Atrium. A fair amount of jazz I love and want to listen to isn’t well recorded, and I find the Atrium a bit more forgiving of subpar recordings than the VC, though honestly the VC isn’t as uncompromising as other headphones I’ve listened to like the Utopia.

VC = Atrium for pop and its myriad subgenres and sub-subgenres. In general, I think it’s good to call as much music “pop” as possible. And I say that recognizing fully that sometimes drawing fine distinctions in genre is useful. This post may be a case in point. Beethoven isn’t pop, sure. But most rappers, for example, probably should count as “pop” these days, same for R&B and a lot of electronic music and some rock/indie. And what work is genre doing in most contexts when we divide music along those lines anyway? Ok, I'll spare you my rant on genre. Here, when I say “pop” I’m thinking chamber pop like much of Vampire Weekend’s catalogue or the Dirty Projectors. But I’m also thinking of pop like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele, Jessie Ware, Charli XCX, to name a few. This also includes “pop” music made by musicians based in countries outside the U.S. Lido Pimienta’s last album Miss Colombia is one of my favorites of the past few years, and I enjoy it the same on both the Atrium and VC. Same for Charlotte Adigéry and BOLIS PUPUL’s recent album Topical Dancer.

In fact, while the above reflects which headphone I’d prefer for each genre, both headphones are extremely versatile and would be excellent headphones if you can only get one.

Two caveats: (1) I’ve only had the Atrium for less than a week. If burn-in is real, they may sound even better/different in a couple weeks. So these preferences could change, though I doubt they will. The Atrium sounds amazing to me already. (2) I’ve used “>”, “<”, and “=” purely as a shorthand. I love both equally. I keep my Auteur at work, and I listen using a Mojo 2. When I’m home with my desktop rig, in theory I will alternate between the VC and the Atrium. In reality, it’s Atrium all the time for the time being!!

 

[SlothRock]

Seems like I got one of the last KOA Atriums
and almost missed it.

Congrats my friend! Very limited

 

[WillieB]

PSA: solid is for closed backs. Perf is for open backs

Not necessarily true. It's how ZMF does it, but plenty of other manufacturers mix it up. I know a couple of ZMF owners that do too.

 

[Shinsengumi]

Sorry in advance for the longer reply. I've solicited so many recommendations from this forum and the headphones forum, and I haven't shared too many personal impressions because I'm relatively new to the hobby. So this is my way of embracing an opportunity to give back!

I intend to go into greater detail in the eventual Atrium review that I write, but the quick and dirty breakdown is as follows:

VC > Atrium for hip-hop (including reggaeton and the genre fluid music that artists like Bad Bunny and Arca make); electronic (mostly house, acid, IDM, dubstep, alternative R&B, and industrial hip-hop); and contemporary R&B (e.g. Frank Ocean, Jazmine Sullivan, or Kehlani). The holographic character of the VC is just magic with these genres. For hip-hop, in particular, I’m not sure I’ve heard a headphone that does the genre more justice. The VC is punchier than the Atrium. It has slightly more resolution than the Atrium. Those qualities pair really well with hip-hop and these other genres. That said, the staging on the Atrium, which I find to be both a bit wider and taller than that of the VC can create for a super cool effect on some hip-hop tracks. The drama that the Atrium can create (or accentuate) is absolutely infectious. For example, the instrumental on Nicki Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap” is PHENOMENAL on the Atrium. Kendrick Lamar’s recent track “The Heart Part 5” also sounds better to me on the Atrium. The Kendrick track is funky, the kind of rap song that could be reproduced as effectively or even more so using live instruments. So my preference for the Atrium in this respect is actually consistent with the explanation continued below.

Atrium > VC for jazz (bop, modal, fusion, post bop, avant garde, etc.); older R&B with live instrumentation (think Motown, Stax, and Atlantic Records); reggae (roots and dancehall); rock (my taste here runs the gamut from folk to much heavier stuff . . . easier to name artists than subgenres because there are so many – Joni Mitchell, Big Thief/Adrienne Lenker, Fleet Foxes, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Talking Heads, Jehnny Beth’s band Savages, Low, Swans, Gojira, Mdou Moctar, etc.); and classical/orchestral music (the usual stuff, but also Caroline Shaw, the 2021 Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, and LSO album Promises). I’m just echoing others in this thread, but the mids are delightful on the Atrium. The timbre also feels a bit more natural to me on the Atrium than the VC. I also think the open back design of the Atrium makes the instrument separation a bit better than the VC. They are very close, but I think more dense passages in a jazz track like “Lad’s Dance” by the Mihaly Dresch Quartet featuring saxophonist Chris Potter just sounds cleaner and more engaging.



It’s a live recording too, and I feel like I’m right there when listening on the Atrium. A fair amount of jazz I love and want to listen to isn’t well recorded, and I find the Atrium a bit more forgiving of subpar recordings than the VC, though honestly the VC isn’t as uncompromising as other headphones I’ve listened to like the Utopia.

VC = Atrium for pop and its myriad subgenres and sub-subgenres. In general, I think it’s good to call as much music “pop” as possible. And I say that recognizing fully that sometimes drawing fine distinctions in genre is useful. This post may be a case in point. Beethoven isn’t pop, sure. But most rappers, for example, probably should count as “pop” these days, same for R&B and a lot of electronic music and some rock/indie. And what work is genre doing in most contexts when we divide music along those lines anyway? Ok, I'll spare you my rant on genre. Here, when I say “pop” I’m thinking chamber pop like much of Vampire Weekend’s catalogue or the Dirty Projectors. But I’m also thinking of pop like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele, Jessie Ware, Charli XCX, to name a few. This also includes “pop” music made by musicians based in countries outside the U.S. Lido Pimienta’s last album Miss Colombia is one of my favorites of the past few years, and I enjoy it the same on both the Atrium and VC. Same for Charlotte Adigéry and BOLIS PUPUL’s recent album Topical Dancer.

In fact, while the above reflects which headphone I’d prefer for each genre, both headphones are extremely versatile and would be excellent headphones if you can only get one.

Two caveats: (1) I’ve only had the Atrium for less than a week. If burn-in is real, they may sound even better/different in a couple weeks. So these preferences could change, though I doubt they will. The Atrium sounds amazing to me already. (2) I’ve used “>”, “<”, and “=” purely as a shorthand. I love both equally. I keep my Auteur at work, and I listen using a Mojo 2. When I’m home with my desktop rig, in theory I will alternate between the VC and the Atrium. In reality, it’s Atrium all the time for the time being!!

Greatly appreciated! You seems to listen to a lot of the same music as I am and Atrium seems to be the perfect partner with VC.

 

[erics75]

Yep! A lot of metal and pretty much all heavy rock sounds stellar. Kill 'em All-Metallica is a sonic bombardment, and pretty much any and all AC/DC is absurdly amazing on the Atrium.... and my doom/stoner folder has never sounded anywhere as good. I was listening to Ruby The Hatchet and Alunah the other night and had to crank it up!






The amazing part is Zach really isnt into that type of music at all, yet he continues to create these killer rock headphones.

Have you tried rolling tubes?
Tube combo that I like for the VC doesnt work that well for Atrium, nor VO.

I was listening to Puppets yesterday and was going to move over to Kill, but got sidetracked by some new Kreator singles. Puppets was amazing on the Atrium, easily the best i've heard it. It has the punch and drive the Atticus does so well (but to a lesser degree), with the air the Auteur brings. I have tube rolled with all my available tubes, but nothing sounds just right. Granted I'm being super picky, like I was with the VC. The Atrium sounds awesome on the tube amps, but I just can't help but think there's a slightly better tube or amp combo that will synergize better. I had the same issue with the VC. I obsessed over amps and tubes for months until I found the right combo (Pendant SE with a particular tube set) that really resonated. Once I heard it, I knew that was it. And just like the Atrium, that combo didn't go as well with the Atticus/Auteur. I need a 2nd job to fund all the different systems I'd love to have at once haha.

 

[helljudgement]

I intend to go into greater detail in the eventual Atrium review that I write, but the quick and dirty breakdown is as follows:

Great write up and thanks for sharing your thoughts. I've been listening to quite a bit of pop and hip hop these past few weeks so it's very interesting to hear how the Verite and Atrium differs in terms of presentation and overall experience with these genres. Kendrick's new album slaps hard on both Atrium and Verite. We Cry Together is borderline uncomfortable on the Atrium if you know what I mean.

Like yourself, I tend to favor Atrium for genres that mainly uses acoustical instruments but with some minor differences. Rock/metal in general sounded fantastic with both headphones with my preference leaning towards for the Atrium due to having a more even midrange and a more aggressive presentation which gives guitar the extra bit of crunch as opposed to the more laid back Verite. That slightly laid back nature does wonders with jazz and is one genre that I prefer the Verite despite the Atrium sounding more natural to my ears with acoustic instruments.

I've main my Verite Open for the many years and only switched when I gotten my Atrium last month. I've been using the Atrium as my main headphone ever since and it just sounds amazing with everything. Definitely worth a look for anyone looking to get a headphone with great dynamics and tonality.

 

[SlothRock]

Atriums are out for delivery today!! I'll be sure to post plenty of pics

 

[KrauserX91]

I still waiting for my shipping notification

Had been any shipping above order 8000 this week?

 

[Renexx]

Like yourself, I tend to favor Atrium for genres that mainly uses acoustical instruments but with some minor differences. Rock/metal in general sounded fantastic with both headphones with my preference leaning towards for the Atrium due to having a more even midrange and a more aggressive presentation which gives guitar the extra bit of crunch as opposed to the more laid back Verite. That slightly laid back nature does wonders with jazz and is one genre that I prefer the Verite despite the Atrium sounding more natural to my ears with acoustic instruments.

Try BE2 hybrid pads with the VO. More even midrange and more low-end grunt. I like those pads for rock/metal.

Universe pads seem a little bit too much relaxed and holographic for my taste. The music is less engaging.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Try BE2 hybrid pads with the VO. More even midrange and more low-end grunt. I like those pads for rock/metal.

Universe pads seem a little bit too relaxed and holographic for my taste. The music is less engaging.

Agree, BE2 seems perfect for me to when use with Verite. Atrium, I'll stay in universe pad, midrange area has satisfying bite already.