[YtseJamer]

I too will be coming into possession of a set of Atriums. Just doing some research on pad rolling. Wondering if anyone's had the opportunity to test the Caldera pads yet? I saw back in Oct or so, Zach's said of his preliminary tests they'd be quite good on the Atriums...

You should start with the Auteur and Universe pads. To my ears, the sound is perfect with the Auteur leather pads plus the stock vented mesh filter.

 

[GridIroN]

You should start with the Auteur and Universe pads. To my ears, the sound is perfect with the Auteur leather pads plus the stock vented mesh filter.

I've already compiled of list of pads and impressions, but I'd be interested in the Caldera's pads as their size and shape suggest they should be promising.

 

[Dawgfish]

You should start with the Auteur and Universe pads. To my ears, the sound is perfect with the Auteur leather pads plus the stock vented mesh filter.

I concur with this.

 

[GridIroN]

I concur with this.

BTW, i'm assuming this is the perf version you're concuring with?

 

[Dawgfish]

Yes Auteur perf lambskin pads. The Universe perf lambskin pads are nice also but I prefer the slightly warmer sound of the Auteur pads.

 

[LCMusicLover]

You think that's heavy?
*laughs in Blackwood VC*

Blackwood Auteur: Hold my beer!

 

[jinxy245]

Caldera pads on the Atrium? Could be interesting. If Zach mentioned that, I'd definitely be curious what they sound like.

 

[GridIroN]

Yes Auteur perf lambskin pads. The Universe perf lambskin pads are nice also but I prefer the slightly warmer sound of the Auteur pads.

The BE2's are what caught my attention, but a lot of conflicting reports on those bad boys.

DMS says the suede perf radically improve the headphone though which is also quite intriguing.

Zeos said he strongly disliked almost all ZMF's pads... lol.

 

[goldwerger]

I like the stock Universe lamb perf. Tried Be2 hybrid and lost some bass, tried Autuer lamb perf and bass was too saturated. Stock choice is where I personally ended up.

But pads impressions are hard to rely on as your personal ear shape and sound perception will make your transfer function different than others. Only way to know is to try…

(Fixed typos)

 

[Dawgfish]

The BE2's are what caught my attention, but a lot of conflicting reports on those bad boys.

DMS says the suede perf radically improve the headphone though which is also quite intriguing.

Zeos said he strongly disliked almost all ZMF's pads... lol.

Yeah I wouldn't pay much attention to what Zeos says about sound. I enjoy him for entertainment purposes but he's definitely not the greatest about accessing sound quality.

I do tend to align with a lot of DMS's views though not always. The perf lambskin BE2 pads are my favorite on the VO though I've yet to try them on the Atrium. The best thing to do is roll different pads and see what's best for your tastes.

 

[GridIroN]

Yeah I wouldn't pay much attention to what Zeos says about sound. I enjoy him for entertainment purposes but he's definitely not the greatest about accessing sound quality.

I do tend to align with a lot of DMS's views though not always. The perf lambskin BE2 pads are my favorite in the VO though I've yet to try them on the Atrium. The best thing to do is roll different pads and see what's best for your tastes.

Zeos is definitely a "drown me in bass" type, which certainly isn't what I'm looking for. I know he strongly disliked the Focal Clears as well, and it's been my daily driver for years until it literally fell apart (I have to literally rebuild them, lol) and the Clears are lovely headphones to me.

Atriums should be a step up in every area as far as I've read. A lot of the pads that seem to bring out the airy sparkle also seem to have some drawbacks so yea, pad rolling is in my future...

I just got a new job where Ill be making 60% more cash so ill probably invest in some pads both for my Atrium and Clears, as well as a maybe a tube amp as well. Currently have a Burson Soloist 3XP and I've heard it's a good combo, but it *does* only have 340mw @ 300 ohms which seems like it might be asking a lot of the amp.

 

[sp33ls]

Currently have a Burson Soloist 3XP and I've heard it's a good combo, but it *does* only have 300mw @ 340 ohms which seems like it might be asking a lot of the amp.

300mW into the Atriums (for any real duration) would likely blow your eardrums. XD The Burson has plenty of power for the Atrium. Now, I'm not saying you may not notice subtle improvements with other, more powerful amps, but YMMV. The best pairing I'd heard was with a speaker amp, but that's not to say my headamp with the same power spec as yours didn't also sound sublime.

But, if you want to explore the tube sound, I'd recommend researching some good OTL options.
The ZMF amp compendium started by @Monsterzero is a great thread to check out.

 

[heliosphann]

I throw the Caldera pads on later today and give em a listen.

 

[g0ldl10n]

Zeos is definitely a "drown me in bass" type, which certainly isn't what I'm looking for. I know he strongly disliked the Focal Clears as well, and it's been my daily driver for years until it literally fell apart (I have to literally rebuild them, lol) and the Clears are lovely headphones to me.

Atriums should be a step up in every area as far as I've read. A lot of the pads that seem to bring out the airy sparkle also seem to have some drawbacks so yea, pad rolling is in my future...

I just got a new job where Ill be making 60% more cash so ill probably invest in some pads both for my Atrium and Clears, as well as a maybe a tube amp as well. Currently have a Burson Soloist 3XP and I've heard it's a good combo, but it *does* only have 300mw @ 340 ohms which seems like it might be asking a lot of the amp.

Pad rolling on the Atrium's is a whole other level to pad rolling imo. The sonic changes are as wide and strikingly different than I've ever experienced pad rolling on any set of headphones. This is the only pair of ZMF headphones I've ever owned/tried, so unsure if others in the ZMF lineup behave in a similar fashion.

Completely agree with @Dawgfish in this respect, you're just gonna have to try different pads to really get an idea which are right and wrong for you. If you've read thru my pad rolling journey on this thread, there are probably very few people who agree with my tastes, however, I never would have found what pad works best for my personal tastes if I just went by others experiences, as my own are quite different it seems.

This is after rolling Uni lamb perf, BE2 perf suede, Auteur perf lambskin, Uni perf suede, ZMF Focal lambskin perf, Dekoni Hybrid made for Fostex, three different Brainwavz XLs; PU leather perf, suede (solid) and hybrid, ZMF Oval suede, and finally, Aeolus lamb (solid).

And after ALL that (might even be forgetting about a couple), it came down to me making my own modifications to solid pads to get exactly where I wanted to be

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Yeah I wouldn't pay much attention to what Zeos says about sound. I enjoy him for entertainment purposes but he's definitely not the greatest about accessing sound quality.

I do tend to align with a lot of DMS's views though not always. The perf lambskin BE2 pads are my favorite in the VO though I've yet to try them on the Atrium. The best thing to do is roll different pads and see what's best for your tastes.

I am one of the oddballs who prefers the Be2 pads on the Atrium. I think it makes the bass more punchy and less boomy, while maintaining the brightness and clarity. IMO, YMMV.