ZMF Atrium - new open-back co-flagship
May 6, 2024 at 7:56 PM Post #6,241 of 7,018
Americana and bluegrass are some genres I wouldn't listen to in my younger days. Atrium has sort of broaden my musical perspective and appreciation for a lot of different genres that I previously wasn't that much interested in. For me at least, good audio can aid in exploring music. I don't need good audio to enjoy music at all, it just boosts the experience so much. Just some Monday night ramblings!

Atrium + strings is a killer combination.


OCMS is def a gateway into the more obscure Country and Americana stuff.

You'll be listening to David Allen Coe and Townes Van Zandt in no time.
 
May 6, 2024 at 8:54 PM Post #6,243 of 7,018
How do i differentiate between Auteur pads and Universe pads for AO? I can identify easily if its Universe vs BE2 or Auteur vs BE2 but i have a hard time differentiating Auteur vs Universe
The Universe pads are almost flat, where as the Auteur pads have an angle to them.

Also if you go to the ZMF store page, they list the dimensions of each pad.
 
May 7, 2024 at 6:18 AM Post #6,245 of 7,018
Got the caldera lambskin ultra perforated pads yesterday and they sound very good, I listened for about 5-6 hours so far. I saw some people say they are similar to the Be2 suede pad, but i am not sure i agree. They have more treble than the Be2 suedes to my ears (still not fatiguing), and the horizontal staging is quite a bit wider, the Be2 suedes are definitely more intimate sounding.

Getting them on was a little harder than the other pads i have tried (be2's, universes, auteur) but ultimately not a problem.

Comfort is excellent for me, I had some issues with the Bokeh pads, which are similar to the caldera pads, but the caldera pads are a little larger and deeper, no issues with the comfort at all.
 
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May 8, 2024 at 8:28 AM Post #6,246 of 7,018
Got the caldera pads yesterday and they sound very good, I listened for about 5-6 hours so far. I saw some people say they are similar to the Be2 suede pad, but i am not sure i agree. They have more treble than the Be2 suedes to my ears (still not fatiguing), and the horizontal staging is quite a bit wider, the Be2 suedes are definitely more intimate sounding.

Getting them on was a little harder than the other pads i have tried (be2's, universes, auteur) but ultimately not a problem.

Comfort is excellent for me, I had some issues with the Bokeh pads, which are similar to the caldera pads, but the caldera pads are a little larger and deeper, no issues with the comfort at all.
Are you referring to the Caldera Ultra Perforated Suede or the Leather pads?
 
May 8, 2024 at 8:36 PM Post #6,248 of 7,018
Got the caldera lambskin ultra perforated pads yesterday and they sound very good, I listened for about 5-6 hours so far. I saw some people say they are similar to the Be2 suede pad, but i am not sure i agree. They have more treble than the Be2 suedes to my ears (still not fatiguing), and the horizontal staging is quite a bit wider, the Be2 suedes are definitely more intimate sounding.

Getting them on was a little harder than the other pads i have tried (be2's, universes, auteur) but ultimately not a problem.

Comfort is excellent for me, I had some issues with the Bokeh pads, which are similar to the caldera pads, but the caldera pads are a little larger and deeper, no issues with the comfort at all.

It's a bit more 'neutral' compared to the stock Universe pads, and closer to the Be2 to me. They don't sound the same though. I gain some soundstage with the Caldera pads which is awesome. The trade-off is you lose some of that mid-bass that is so satisfying. It's definitely still there but not as pronounced as other pads can be.
 
May 8, 2024 at 9:13 PM Post #6,249 of 7,018
OCMS is def a gateway into the more obscure Country and Americana stuff.

You'll be listening to David Allen Coe and Townes Van Zandt in no time.
I generally read and not post but like this one. I have never found amplifiers to have nearly as much impact as transducers, but I have recently been listening to a lot of Lyle Lovett on my Atrium Opens powered by a Woo WA2. When I listen to Lyle Lovett "Pontiac" on that system I learn the definition of synergy. It sounds great on all systems because it is a great album, just a little more special on the Atriums with tubes.
 
May 10, 2024 at 2:43 PM Post #6,250 of 7,018
It's great how much you can shift the sound to your liking with a couple of changes in the system. I was craving a more relaxing listen today so I put on the Auteur pads and some warmer sounding tubes and it hits just right. Fat bass, mellow treble, and clear vocals. I couldn't listen to this forever, or maybe I could. I just love changing stuff up. Combine tubes and pad swapping and you have an almost endless fine tuning options, and ZMF does it better than so many manufacturers.
 
May 10, 2024 at 3:02 PM Post #6,251 of 7,018
It's great how much you can shift the sound to your liking with a couple of changes in the system. I was craving a more relaxing listen today so I put on the Auteur pads and some warmer sounding tubes and it hits just right. Fat bass, mellow treble, and clear vocals. I couldn't listen to this forever, or maybe I could. I just love changing stuff up. Combine tubes and pad swapping and you have an almost endless fine tuning options, and ZMF does it better than so many manufacturers.
You make a very interesting point regarding pads and tubes. At first I was swapping pads and tubes in an effort to find the ones I thought sounded best to me (with the intention of crowning winners and sticking with them). Now I'm with you on using them to scratch different musical itches. Mellow today?; maybe sparkly tomorrow!
 
May 10, 2024 at 3:27 PM Post #6,252 of 7,018
You make a very interesting point regarding pads and tubes. At first I was swapping pads and tubes in an effort to find the ones I thought sounded best to me (with the intention of crowning winners and sticking with them). Now I'm with you on using them to scratch different musical itches. Mellow today?; maybe sparkly tomorrow!

It's also why many of us in this hobby own multiple headphones. As audiophiles we wanna get close to the real performances, but also part of the fun is to experiment with sound too.
 
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May 11, 2024 at 10:47 AM Post #6,254 of 7,018
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Been listening to this via Atrium for a good part of this week. Absolutely love the guitar tone via the Atrium.
 
May 11, 2024 at 10:54 AM Post #6,255 of 7,018
How many headphones does a man need?

Probably not the best question, since this hobby is more “want” than with actual “need.” That said, I “want” a bunch!
 

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