ZMF Atrium - new open-back co-flagship

[dingeth]

Thanks so much for get impressions guys, really appreciate it. The versatility of shaping the sound to taste with pads (and filter in the case of the atrium) seems really versatile, which is great

 

[Failed Engineer]

If you want to approximate the transients of the Clear that's more the VO, if the slam and punch, it's the Atrium. Atrium has better timbre and is more mid-forward than the VO. Personally, I think someone who likes the Focal sound (that's me, I think the Utopia is the best TOTL out of all of the contenders) will prefer the Atrium and advise that it's a safer choice than the VO. The VO can feel boring coming from the dynamic nature of a Focal can but maybe not a bad thing based on preference. The Atrium won't.

And I know you didn't ask, but the VC lies somewhere in between the VO and the Atrium. It might be worth reading the VC thread if you are open to a closed ZMF.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Yeah, pad rolling is the great advantage of ZMFs. I was listening to VO with BE2 pads last night, which is the most Utopia-like setup, i.e. most treble-present. So that’s what was on my mind when I wrote that. But VO can definitely be made a warmer headphone with pad swaps, you’re right.

Back when I owned Utopia for around 6 months, finally I sold it due to keep got fatigue when had long listening time. Changed to Verite with Verite Pad, and voila, that's the perfect brightness for me. Great clarity, but in more organic way.

 

[henrix]

So finally joined the club
Had it a week and can not stop listening to these… only tried it with my Burson but really amazing, will try it with my tube amp soon..

 

[haasaaroni]

So finally joined the club
Had it a week and can not stop listening to these… only tried it with my Burson but really amazing, will try it with my tube amp soon..

Wow, very pretty Cocobolo! I love it when the music AND the wood grain have layers to them. Enjoy!

 

[SLC1966]

I am reading a lot of VO and Atrium comparisons here the last bit. The only two ZMFs I had not had yet were VO and Atrium. Got the VO last week and will get the Atrium next Monday. Then do what I thoroughly enjoy is take a deep dive comparing VO and Atrium. That will take me away from my latest deep dive which was comparing Expanse and Stealth

The ZMF wood and fit are just amazing. Very enjoyable and comfortable feeling with beautiful sound on top of that! A work of art!

 

[etroze86]

So finally joined the club
Had it a week and can not stop listening to these… only tried it with my Burson but really amazing, will try it with my tube amp soon..

It pairs with the soloist very nicely! I really enjoy mine on it.
Nice looking set, enjoy!

 

[robo24]

Hi All

(cross post from the Verite Open thread)

I've got upgraditis again, and was looking for some advice from existing ZMF owners. I currently have the Focal Clear (OG) as my daily, and I really enjoy the tonality, punchiness, and versatility of them as I tend to listen to a wide variety of genres. I find the comfort great on the Focals as well, as the weight is not too bad. I had the LCD2C's previously, and the weight on those did get to me after about 2 hours. (I think 500g is just about the upper limit of what I'd consider comfy for prolonged periods of time)

I am, however, looking for a bit of a change, and I figured that the ZMF Verite Open or Atrium might be a nice alternative, without sacrificing too much in terms of a solid tonality (I do occasionally use EQ, but would prefer that the stock tonality is good as well).

So basically, what I'm after is something with good punchiness and clarity, but with added detail and space (soundstaging on the Clears are ok, but not the widest. That said, soundstage is not really the priority). Something I can enjoy for hours without any fatigue (the Clears do occasionally cause some fatigue over time, depending on the genre I'm listening to) is generally what I have gathered from reading reviews of ZMF headphones.

For those that have listened to both, what would the recommendation be? And would it be a worthwhile upgrade in terms of technicalities etc., or a bit of a side-grade at this level?

The other alternative would be to maybe stick to what I know, in the sense of chasing an OG Utopia instead.

P.S., I would likely be looking at chasing a used pair in either case, so the used prices of the ZMF's would be closer to the price of a used Utopia (around the $2000 mark).

Thanks in advance

Atrium for sure for what you're describing as preferences. Do you know about the upcoming ZMF November sale, though not sure how that works with international purchases? Usually some new b-stock headphones for the price of or less than used listings and you get the lifetime driver warranty that you don't get when buying used, though ZMF driver failure seems like a non-issue.

 

[wolfstar76]

Clarity with added details, isn't that works against the long term listening without fatigue?

 

[henrix]

I am reading a lot of VO and Atrium comparisons here the last bit. The only two ZMFs I had not had yet were VO and Atrium. Got the VO last week and will get the Atrium next Monday. Then do what I thoroughly enjoy is take a deep dive comparing VO and Atrium. That will take me away from my latest deep dive which was comparing Expanse and Stealth

The ZMF wood and fit are just amazing. Very enjoyable and comfortable feeling with beautiful sound on top of that! A work of art!

Looking forward to a review I’m also looking for another pair though a closed back so maybe VC or if I can wait for the rumored Atrium Closed..

 

[goldwerger]

Looking forward to a review I’m also looking for another pair though a closed back so maybe VC or if I can wait for the rumored Atrium Closed..

Not rumored, confirmed by Zach;

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-atrium-new-open-back-co-flagship.962609/page-6#post-16894497

 

[dingeth]

Atrium for sure for what you're describing as preferences. Do you know about the upcoming ZMF November sale, though not sure how that works with international purchases? Usually some new b-stock headphones for the price of or less than used listings and you get the lifetime driver warranty that you don't get when buying used, though ZMF driver failure seems like a non-issue.

I think I'm leaning towards an Atrium as well, will see how far I can stretch the budget. That grill is gorgeous, and aesthetically I think I prefer it to the VO. Both sound really solid though

 

[Failed Engineer]

I've been splitting my time of late between the Atrium and CA1a and I'll say that these are two of the best headphones I've heard in my many years in the hobby and represent the reasons why I still buy stuff to try out. Amazing results in very different ways.

But what I will say about the Atrium is that every time I listen to it I get a feeling to just sell everything else. It's the headphone equivalent of my wife, it just makes me happy, all the time, in many different ways.

I told her that this morning and her response was an eye roll. She asked does that mean I'll sell the other headphones and I replied do you want me to and put the proceeds in the market? Lol

A few months of ownership in, this probably is my favorite headphone ever. This is like my 3F, I will never sell it (well until I see one I like the looks of better).

 

[rivonlol]

Such an amazing headphone. If anyone is having second thoughts on buying used or for ZMF November, don’t. I was skeptical at first and bought other headphones before it which I will now be selling almost all of. This beats a lot of headphones in a lot of sound qualities and the build quality is unmatched in all that I have tested. Everything down to the looks, feel, and smell.

 

[LCMusicLover]

I've been splitting my time of late between the Atrium and CA1a and I'll say that these are two of the best headphones I've heard in my many years in the hobby and represent the reasons why I still buy stuff to try out. Amazing results in very different ways.

But what I will say about the Atrium is that every time I listen to it I get a feeling to just sell everything else. It's the headphone equivalent of my wife, it just makes me happy, all the time, in many different ways.

I told her that this morning and her response was an eye roll. She asked does that mean I'll sell the other headphones and I replied do you want me to and put the proceeds in the market? Lol

A few months of ownership in, this probably is my favorite headphone ever. This is like my 3F, I will never sell it (well until I see one I like the looks of better).

Atrium and 3F are keepers for sure.

Shocking, but I have briefly wondered if I should sell my Blackwood Auteur. Luckily, Auteur still has that 'Greatest Deadphones' thing going for them. But:

mTT2 ==> DSHA-3F ==> Atrium

has been getting majority of headtime, with:

mTT2 ==> Liquid Platinum ==> Atrium
mTT2 ==> Liquid Gold X ==> Atrium

Getting a good amount of the rest.