[LCMusicLover]

…Both DAC/amps have dual headphone outputs, so easy to A/B…

… especially since Zach was so kind as to make volume matching … pretty easy

Rereading what I wrote, it seems like damning with faint praise. Actually …

Both my ZMFs deliver gorgeous vocals, and especially female vocals. I hear relatively little to differentiate that aspect of the signatures.

still …

My ears/my gear/my opinion of course.

 

[Mike C]

I listen to a LOT of female vocals:

Loreena McKennit, Joni Mitchell, Gretchen Peters, Beth Orton, Lucinda Williams, London Grammar, Emma Ruth Rundle, Cowboy Junkies, Etta James, Nina Simone … could go on and on.
.

I also listen to a lot of female vocals, I know most on your list; Loreena's Wind that shakes the Barley is superb, up wtht her best IMO.
Do try Morgan James Live; Inger Marie Gundersen; Judy Collins 'In My Life', I could also go on and on, but enough for now, back to Atrium.

I recently had a session at the place of a friend and dealer who has very high end gear; Martin Logan electrostatic speakers, a very high end TW Raven turntable, and an excellent (expensive!) German CD player with valve output stage. He is rarely impressed by other audio systems but does find my main (speaker) system listenable.
His headphones are the top Sony model.

I tried my cheap Marantz CD583, modded and with a good valve output stage, against his player and it was close via his speaker system; his CD player slightly better in one or two ways, but the Marantz definitely had better tonality. That was the magic of the TDA1541A dac chip with valves, unbeatable for tonality IMO.

Later we fixed up a headphone system of mine that I took round; the Marantz CD583, and my Atrium. Amp was a spare valve OTL amp of mine, not quite my best but very good, slightly different to most OTLs, being engineered for very low distortion; it's a good one.

My host also likes good female vocals so on went Morgan James Live (we'd heard it on his main system); was he impressed via headphones? More than that, he was totally captivated!

I really enjoy my headphone system and I know it's very special, but it's good to have this confirmed by an expert with very demanding tastes. He will very likely get the Atrium.

Anyway, the punch line is that, with a top source and good valve amp, the Atrium is absolutely outstanding for female vocals.

 

[LCMusicLover]

…Do try Morgan James Live; Inger Marie Gundersen; Judy Collins 'In My Life', I could also go on and on, but enough for now, back to Atrium…

Morgan James offers some great reading in that set. Funny to listen to Inger Marie Gundersen and realize that the music of my youth now comprises ‘Standards’. Judy Collins has been in my music collection ever since my older sister came home with’Both Sides Now’.

…Anyway, the punch line is that, with a top source and good valve amp, the Atrium is absolutely outstanding for female vocals.

Yep, mTT2 ==> modded BHC/Speedball ==> Atrium produces lovely vocals
Of course so does mTT2 ==> DSHA-3F ==> Atrium

 

[Jerecho81]

Does anyone have an opinion of the Atrium's ability to reproduce female vocals compared to the Auteur Classic? I've read that the Atrium has better resolving ability, but its limited treble presence compared to the Auteur is what has me thinking that the Auteur might be better in this case, though I've also read that the treble can be improved in the Atrium by taking off the mesh. What do you you all think?

I loved both but for vocals alone I preferred the Auteur Classic. The Atrium is probably the more impressive headphone overall, but I prefer the Auteur. It just places the vocalist right in front of you, where I found the vocals more within the mix with the Atrium. Turns out I somewhat dislike soundstage for music with vocals.

I'm trying to sell both a Cherry and an Aged Cherry/Copper Atrium for this reason.

 

[LCMusicLover]

I loved both but for vocals alone I preferred the Auteur Classic. The Atrium is probably the more impressive headphone overall, but I prefer the Auteur. It just places the vocalist right in front of you, where I found the vocals more within the mix with the Atrium. Turns out I somewhat dislike soundstage for music with vocals.

I'm trying to sell both a Cherry and an Aged Cherry/Copper Atrium for this reason.

And this is why I always say ‘Your ears/My ears’, although in this case it’s’Your preferences/My preferences’.

We hear the same vocals from the two, but I (mostly) prefer the Atrium presentation, while you prefer Auteur.

Cheers!

 

[Mike C]

And this is why I always say ‘Your ears/My ears’, although in this case it’s’Your preferences/My preferences’.

We hear the same vocals from the two, but I (mostly) prefer the Atrium presentation, while you prefer Auteur.

Cheers!

And it's great to have valid differences of opinions understood and respected! Unlike some discussion groups.

 

[helljudgement]

I loved both but for vocals alone I preferred the Auteur Classic. The Atrium is probably the more impressive headphone overall, but I prefer the Auteur. It just places the vocalist right in front of you, where I found the vocals more within the mix with the Atrium. Turns out I somewhat dislike soundstage for music with vocals.

I'm trying to sell both a Cherry and an Aged Cherry/Copper Atrium for this reason.

Seldom listened to vocal centric tracks but for what it's worth the original Auteur to me has some of the nicest vocals presentation I've heard on a headphone. It's a bit more mid centric than others and the richer, more "tube" like tonality just seem to work for those genre for me. While the Atrium is a very accomplished headphone for it's mid range reproduction in it's own right, it is certainly not a direct upgrade from the Auteur as it represents a different classification of sound for me. There are no wrong answers in this hobby.

 

[zach915m]

Resin /// Stabilized release coming this friday June 9th at 9:30AM CST // 14:30 PM UTC

Here's the product page - Caldera will be available too. 20 Atrium's and 25 Caldera's

Some obligatory pics of sets available (will have them all posted by end of tomorrow) - of note we have some new 18K White and Yellow Gold grille's (blingy!) and a Gun Metal grille as well that has a cool shiny black/grey look.



This one has the Gun-metal:



And some Gold:

 

[G8torbyte]

Goodness gracious, this one is gorgeous:

 

[Orange5o]

All opens right?

 

[zach915m]

All opens right?

Yep - new Atrium Closed LTD will come via this summers "Hot Cup Summer" event starting in July. And the first Stabilized/Resin run for Atrium closed will be during ZMF November.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Yep - new Atrium Closed LTD will come via this summers "Hot Cup Summer" event starting in July. And the first Stabilized/Resin run for Atrium closed will be during ZMF November.

…..and me still waiting for @zach915m to go insane and build a set of estats…..

 

[TommehHiFi]

This might be the most awesome pair I've ever seen. The fall and apple colors work so well.

 

[zach915m]

A couple sauced up shots:

 

[JerseyD]

A couple sauced up shots

I should wait until November.
I convinced myself to wait until November.
It would be fiscally responsible to wait until November.
I was really hoping for an Atrium Select-Stock Sale (like the Verite sale).

....Hmm? Sauced up shots?....
Aaaarrrggghhh.