Caldera Suede Ultra Perf will be on the website shortly. The suede we use as a material does damp the peaks a bit. I also modified the amount of perforations to be less than the lambskin version to keep airflow as consistent as possible/closer to the lamb version.
I'll post measurements/video soonish.
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Make sure you select "solid" under the perforation pull down options. The solid mesh will damp things a little bit, including the primary peak at 2.8kHz or so. The Atrium is actually quite flat between 1.5-2kHz, so it doesn't affect much there. Based on your comments, I suspect that the solid mesh would be an improvement for what you're looking for, but there's only one way to know for certain.
Aah you are right. I'm new to all of this stuff. After reading this post, I tinkered with 2.8K frequency instead of the 1.5K (I guess I was looking to replicate the 1.5K-2K Hifiman dip, but it's kinda making the Atrium sound worse, I think). Looks like this is where I'm hearing the slight harshness. For example, the drums in the first 10 secs of Dani California by RHCP. Thanks for this.
Btw, what's the difference between installing this mesh vs using EQ. What does a solid mesh do that EQ can't? Applying a -1db at 2.8K seems to have solved most of the harshness issues I was having.
Caldera Suede Ultra Perf will be on the website shortly. The suede we use as a material does damp the peaks a bit. I also modified the amount of perforations to be less than the lambskin version to keep airflow as consistent as possible/closer to the lamb version.
Aah you are right. I'm new to all of this stuff. After reading this post, I tinkered with 2.8K frequency instead of the 1.5K. Looks like this is where I'm hearing the slight harshness. For example, the drums in the first 10 secs of Dani California by RHCP. Thanks for this.
My Cherry Atriums finally came in last week, still burning them in and will post some impressions but just wanted to post some quick pics. Went with the BBB strap and I'm glad I did, these are super comfy and look fantastic, the grain on these are really nice!
Caldera Suede Ultra Perf will be on the website shortly. The suede we use as a material does damp the peaks a bit. I also modified the amount of perforations to be less than the lambskin version to keep airflow as consistent as possible/closer to the lamb version.
Coming back to Atrium after not having the time to listen to music is kind of incredible, even for just a few days or a week. Just put on an album you like in a quiet dark room and forget about everything. Love it.
I realize we all tend to hear things somewhat differently and that our audio chain feeding out headphones has a great impact on the end result, but these comments about some treble harshness some are experiencing with the Atrium open is giving me pause. I am presently using a pair of Aeolus with a Woo WA3 OTL amp and love the combination. I experience no harshness and have no need for more detail, but have been seriously considering moving up to a pair of Atriums and calling it a day. Most all of the reviews I've read or watched talk about their forgiving nature, some calling them dark. These are attributes I am attracted to; I am very sensitive to treble harshness. The fact that there is a new ZMF headphone pad being recommended to help out with this treble issue in combination with some of these comments makes me wonder if the Atrium is my end game headphone after all, or maybe I should stick with the Aeolus.
I realize we all tend to hear things somewhat differently and that our audio chain feeding out headphones has a great impact on the end result, but these comments about some treble harshness some are experiencing with the Atrium open is giving me pause. I am presently using a pair of Aeolus with a Woo WA3 OTL amp and love the combination. I experience no harshness and have no need for more detail, but have been seriously considering moving up to a pair of Atriums and calling it a day. Most all of the reviews I've read or watched talk about their forgiving nature, some calling them dark. These are attributes I am attracted to; I am very sensitive to treble harshness. The fact that there is a new ZMF headphone pad being recommended to help out with this treble issue in combination with some of these comments makes me wonder if the Atrium is my end game headphone after all, or maybe I should stick with the Aeolus.
Good question.
I suppose a bit more in the lower bass region. More spacious soundstage. More of what the Aeolus does well, but not trying to 'correct' anything about the Aeolus. I suppose some of the interest has been in response to the consistency to what many have reported about the Atrium, especially in that it is able to put the music first ahead of technicalities, and yet has remained a favorite among those with other TOTL headphones. Not sure I've answered your question adequately though. In all honesty I think at the very least, curiosity is a major factor.
Good question.
I suppose a bit more in the lower bass region. More spacious soundstage. More of what the Aeolus does well, but not trying to 'correct' anything about the Aeolus. I suppose some of the interest has been in response to the consistency to what many have reported about the Atrium, especially in that it is able to put the music first ahead of technicalities, and yet has remained a favorite among those with other TOTL headphones. Not sure I've answered your question adequately though. In all honesty I think at the very least, curiosity is a major factor.
yeah one of the main things i was looking improve was the sub-bass of aeolus; regardless of what pads/ amps i used. Aeolus does have a smaller soundstage (w.r.t Atrium) but it isn't as obvious unless you're looking out for it specifically.
I'm pretty treble adverse, but I have no treble issues with the Atrium at all. for reference, I am using the solid mesh and haven't tried any other varieties. The rest of your audio chain as well as the pads do make a difference as well IMO.
The headstage is definitely improved upon in just about every level, but the sub bass I think is about on par. At first I thought the Aeolus might have a touch more, but I think they're fairly close overall. Looking at the graphs @zach915m has on the website ( https://www.zmfheadphones.com/measurements ) it looks like the Atrium does have better extension overall. I don't have an Aeolus on hand for a side by side comparison anymore, and it's quite possible I used the wrong track(s) or volume matching to compare initially. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I had the Aeolus, Verite Closed and Verite Open all at the same time. The Verite Open is the only one I kept. I’m very sensitive to treble peaks and I think the VO is better in nearly every way than the Aeolus. The VC didn’t sound natural to me and I feel it was too aggressive. The Aeolus is the value winner in the ZMF lineup imo. I heard the Atrium and the Caldera at the 2023 Axpona show, neither one made a good first impression under show conditions.
The VO is faster, and tighter in the bass, midrange is the best I’ve heard from ZMF. The soundstage is noticeably wider and deeper with the VO than the Aeolus.
I will confirm what @jinxy245 said above - with the solid mesh, Atrium has a tamed treble, and might even be considered a bit dark. I started with the stock mesh and found a particular band of the treble to sound a little hashy in my system to my old and damaged ears (but I am not expert enough to name the exact frequencies). The solid mesh eliminated that, but I am sure I'll switch back and test it again some day (just for fun). Tried a few different pads, too, but ended liking the stock Universe perf lamb best.
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