[Majuto]

Hello,

I'm new in this thread although I've enjoyed the sound of Atrium open for almost a year now.
Just a slight word of warning about the copper headband screw. A few minutes ago when I was putting Atriums on the right copper srew came out from the black metal arc with speed and hitted my right side eyebrow about 1.5 cm from the eyeball.
The screw had loosened little by little. So let's be careful out there with these great headphones!

 

[Aetherhole]

Ah, so you went Atrium! That set looks amazing, too - congrats! Was just listening to mine the last few days.

I did! Waffling back and forth on the Caldera vs Atrium, I figured I’d wait to see if an amazing-looking pair would show up on the classified to push me one way or the other. I still leaned slightly towards the Atrium, as a complimentary headphone to the Susvara. When Lucikun’s headphones were posted on the classified, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I still look forward to eventually getting the Caldera!

 

[erics75]

Hello,

I'm new in this thread although I've enjoyed the sound of Atrium open for almost a year now.
Just a slight word of warning about the copper headband screw. A few minutes ago when I was putting Atriums on the right copper srew came out from the black metal arc with speed and hitted my right side eyebrow about 1.5 cm from the eyeball.
The screw had loosened little by little. So let's be careful out there with these great headphones!

My Atticus did that to me! I think it's a right of passage for all ZMF owners to have a cup come loose from the rod and try to blind you. It was quite shocking though sitting there holding the cup in one hand and the rest of the headphone in another, looking completely befuddled haha. I'm just glad neither our headphones or we sustained any damage.

 

[Majuto]

My Atticus did that to me! I think it's a right of passage for all ZMF owners to have a cup come loose from the rod and try to blind you. It was quite shocking though sitting there holding the cup in one hand and the rest of the headphone in another, looking completely befuddled haha. I'm just glad neither our headphones or we sustained any damage.

Yes, we've been lucky. ZMF headphones feel so sturdy in one's hand that this sudden loosening comes so suddenly and with total surprise. Have to take care so that the copper screws are really tight in their places.

 

[erics75]

Yes, we've been lucky. ZMF headphones feel so sturdy in one's hand that this sudden loosening comes so suddenly and with total surprise. Have to take care so that the copper screws are really tight in their places.

Depending on the metal of your headband you can add an adhesive to the threads to prevent them from loosening. I forgot which one goes with aluminum and which one goes with magnesium. @zach915m can please refresh my memory on which thread lock goes with which metal?

 

[LXMc]

Depending on the metal of your headband you can add an adhesive to the threads to prevent them from loosening. I forgot which one goes with aluminum and which one goes with magnesium. @zach915m can please refresh my memory on which thread lock goes with which metal?

Vibra-tite VC3 is the general overall recommendation I believe. Loctite can be used on the aluminum but not magnesium (and I think you have to be more careful about not getting it on the wood)

 

[Failed Engineer]

For those who already like the Be2 pads, I HIGHLY suggest reaching out to Zach to see if he has anymore of the b-stock Verite lambskin ultra perforated pads. As far as I understand it was a production run error (or experiment) and he didn't really like the pads on any of the headphones. But I disagree and these are my favorite pads for the Atrium, even moreso than the Be2 lambs and Caldera lamb ultra perfs (my 2nd and 3rd favorites, respectively).

The immediacy, clarity, and air are striking and it shows off the resolve of the driver. If you think the driver is less capable technically to the Verite and Caldera, this pad can change minds or at least close the perceived gap.

That said, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like the Be2 pads already as the Verite pads push the sound in the opposite direction of the Universe and Auteur pads.

This pad is also thin and can be uncomfortable for big ears. My ears do gently touch the driver housing at the outer diameter of the ear but I've grown accustomed to it.

After sticking with the Caldera pads for a couple months I swapped back in the Verites a couple days ago and I'm immediately struck by why I think the Atrium is my favorite headphone I've ever owned.

Paging @erics75

 

[erics75]

For those who already like the Be2 pads, I HIGHLY suggest reaching out to Zach to see if he has anymore of the b-stock Verite lambskin ultra perforated pads. As far as I understand it was a production run error (or experiment) and he didn't really like the pads on any of the headphones. But I disagree and these are my favorite pads for the Atrium, even moreso than the Be2 lambs and Caldera lamb ultra perfs (my 2nd and 3rd favorites, respectively).

The immediacy, clarity, and air are striking and it shows off the resolve of the driver. If you think the driver is less capable technically to the Verite and Caldera, this pad can change minds or at least close the perceived gap.

That said, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like the Be2 pads already as the Verite pads push the sound in the opposite direction of the Universe and Auteur pads.

This pad is also thin and can be uncomfortable for big ears. My ears do gently touch the driver housing at the outer diameter of the ear but I've grown accustomed to it.

After sticking with the Caldera pads for a couple months I swapped back in the Verites a couple days ago and I'm immediately struck by why I think the Atrium is my favorite headphone I've ever owned.

Paging @erics75

I love the BE2 on the VO, so I gotta check those out.

 

[infinity3914]

For those who already like the Be2 pads, I HIGHLY suggest reaching out to Zach to see if he has anymore of the b-stock Verite lambskin ultra perforated pads. As far as I understand it was a production run error (or experiment) and he didn't really like the pads on any of the headphones. But I disagree and these are my favorite pads for the Atrium, even moreso than the Be2 lambs and Caldera lamb ultra perfs (my 2nd and 3rd favorites, respectively).

The immediacy, clarity, and air are striking and it shows off the resolve of the driver. If you think the driver is less capable technically to the Verite and Caldera, this pad can change minds or at least close the perceived gap.

That said, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like the Be2 pads already as the Verite pads push the sound in the opposite direction of the Universe and Auteur pads.

This pad is also thin and can be uncomfortable for big ears. My ears do gently touch the driver housing at the outer diameter of the ear but I've grown accustomed to it.

After sticking with the Caldera pads for a couple months I swapped back in the Verites a couple days ago and I'm immediately struck by why I think the Atrium is my favorite headphone I've ever owned.

Paging @erics75

Interesting, I might give these a try even though I couldn't get used to how close the BE2 pads got to my ears. Thanks for the observation!

 

[JackarlTwo]

For those who already like the Be2 pads, I HIGHLY suggest reaching out to Zach to see if he has anymore of the b-stock Verite lambskin ultra perforated pads. As far as I understand it was a production run error (or experiment) and he didn't really like the pads on any of the headphones. But I disagree and these are my favorite pads for the Atrium, even moreso than the Be2 lambs and Caldera lamb ultra perfs (my 2nd and 3rd favorites, respectively).

The immediacy, clarity, and air are striking and it shows off the resolve of the driver. If you think the driver is less capable technically to the Verite and Caldera, this pad can change minds or at least close the perceived gap.

That said, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like the Be2 pads already as the Verite pads push the sound in the opposite direction of the Universe and Auteur pads.

This pad is also thin and can be uncomfortable for big ears. My ears do gently touch the driver housing at the outer diameter of the ear but I've grown accustomed to it.

After sticking with the Caldera pads for a couple months I swapped back in the Verites a couple days ago and I'm immediately struck by why I think the Atrium is my favorite headphone I've ever owned.

Paging @erics75

I enjoyed the regular Verite pads. The immediacy and tactility of the bass was quite nice because of how close your ears are to the drivers. A little bit too uncomfortable for me in the long run but maybe worth trying if you like the BE2 sound.

 

[fonna]

Are the caldera ultra perf pads closer to the universe stock pads in depth? I have the Be2 suedes but they're too shallow for me as well. Which is unfortunate because i do like the way they sound.

 

[idairyou]

Are the caldera ultra perf pads closer to the universe stock pads in depth? I have the Be2 suedes but they're too shallow for me as well. Which is unfortunate because i do like the way they sound.

The Caldera pads are angled and will be about the same at the front of the pad, and a bit wider at the back of the pad.

 

[JerseyD]

For those who already like the Be2 pads, I HIGHLY suggest reaching out to Zach to see if he has anymore of the b-stock Verite lambskin ultra perforated pads. As far as I understand it was a production run error (or experiment) and he didn't really like the pads on any of the headphones. But I disagree and these are my favorite pads for the Atrium, even moreso than the Be2 lambs and Caldera lamb ultra perfs (my 2nd and 3rd favorites, respectively).

The immediacy, clarity, and air are striking and it shows off the resolve of the driver. If you think the driver is less capable technically to the Verite and Caldera, this pad can change minds or at least close the perceived gap.

I did try the Verite Ultra Perf on my VO and hated it - no bass and weird voicing. Have not tried it on the Atrium, however. Will have to at least give them a shot before I give them away.

 

[Majuto]

For those who already like the Be2 pads, I HIGHLY suggest reaching out to Zach to see if he has anymore of the b-stock Verite lambskin ultra perforated pads. As far as I understand it was a production run error (or experiment) and he didn't really like the pads on any of the headphones. But I disagree and these are my favorite pads for the Atrium, even moreso than the Be2 lambs and Caldera lamb ultra perfs (my 2nd and 3rd favorites, respectively).

The immediacy, clarity, and air are striking and it shows off the resolve of the driver. If you think the driver is less capable technically to the Verite and Caldera, this pad can change minds or at least close the perceived gap.

That said, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like the Be2 pads already as the Verite pads push the sound in the opposite direction of the Universe and Auteur pads.

This pad is thin and can be uncomfortable for big ears. My ears do gently touch the driver housing at the outer diameter of the ear but I've grown accustomed to it.

After sticking with the Caldera pads for a couple months I swapped back in the Verites a couple days ago and I'm immediately struck by why I think the Atrium is my favorite headphone I've ever owned.

Paging @erics75

I just ordered one pair Verite Ultra perforated Lambskin pads for Atrium open from ZMF. There are some pairs still available. Price is 27,95€ + shipment (about 30€ to Finland).

 

[spruce]

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.

The solid titan mesh will definitely help tame the upper mids-lower treble area. I found the treble slightly sharp when I first got them, but with burn in it seemed much better, not a hint of peakiness and better balanced. I'd let them burn in for ~200 hours before doing anything. Pad swaps can also help with treble. Hybrid pads can help smooth it out.

The smoothest pad I've tried is the Eikon suede (same pad as Auteur but slightly smaller ear cavity) which definitely makes them a bit warmer. Eikon lambskin is even warmer (more bass) but slightly peakier treble for some reason and is probably not recommended over Auteur lamb.

Just got my pair and they definitely sound impressive although I’m also getting the sense there’s a little treble peakiness, harshness or imbalance that requires some more use or burn-in. For example, I let them burn-in overnight, and the sound now seems to be slightly more relaxed, cohesive, open and clear overall unless I’m imagining it. I’ve gone through this process with numerous headphones, so I am familiar with how sound can slightly evolve with new headphones. I didn’t see any mention of factory burn-in when I went through the ordering process and also wonder how these biodynamic drivers in particular may change over prolonged time periods, for example, 200, 400, 600, etc.+ hours.