ZMF Atrium - new open-back co-flagship

[robo24]

Interesting, I’ve never had that experience myself. ZMF acoustically matches their pads, so I’d be very surprised if this didn’t apply to B-stock pads as well.

Yes I've also bought several b-stock pads and zero difference in pad thickness. 69 comments from a 2 day old account seems odd to me. A few months ago there was another person who said they had a bunch of ZMFs and posted dozens of comments about the Verite Open and other models full of contradictions and ultimately kind of nonsensical. Not sure if they were banned or what but this account immediately struck me as very similar. I was on here a couple years not days before I had that many comments myself.

 

[mjstealey]

Yes I've also bought several b-stock pads and zero difference in pad thickness. 69 comments from a 2 day old account seems odd to me. A few months ago there was another person who said they had a bunch of ZMFs and posted dozens of comments about the Verite Open and other models full of contradictions and ultimately kind of nonsensical. Not sure if they were banned or what but this account immediately struck me as very similar. I was on here a couple years not days before I had that many comments myself.

Similar experience in that the B-Stock pads I've purchased have not had any defects that were aesthetically obvious, and were always sonically matched.
ZMF November is when I get to let loose on pads that I've wondered about throughout the year, or try out Zach's experimental pads (looking at you Verite Ultra-perf ). It gives me many weeks/months of pad rolling fun at a discount.

As to the new account with rapidly climbing post counts ... hard to say what the motivation may be there. With the "Headphoneus Supremus" status being a post-based badge I've seen other accounts try and race to >1500 posts, often resulting in a trail of nonsense or unrelated short blurbs of meaninglessness.

 

[michael2v]

I’ve also purchased B-stock pads and couldn’t find a single thing wrong with them (and I’m as OCD as it gets!).

 

[zach915m]

I have had that experience several times with their B stock pads: a noticeable difference in the thickness of one pad versus the other (20-30%, I estimate). I don't mind a defect in the stitching, but that kind of thickness difference is too big of a problem to justify the minimal price savings, in my opinion.

Interesting, I’ve never had that experience myself. ZMF acoustically matches their pads, so I’d be shocked if this also didn’t apply to B-stock pads.

Yes, I've also bought several B-stock pads and zero difference in pad thickness. Sixty-nine comments from a 2-day-old account seems odd to me. A few months ago,, another person said they had a bunch of ZMFs and posted dozens of comments about the Verite Open and other models full of contradictions and ultimately nonsensical. Not sure if they were banned or what but this account immediately struck me as very similar. I was on here a couple years not days before I had that many comments myself.

I’ve also purchased B-stock pads and couldn’t find a single thing wrong with them (and I’m as OCD as it gets!).

Typically, B-Stock pads are stitching errors. The foam on them is always the same, as that's very easy to control, but because of the way our pads are made, they have to be hand-stitched by a sewing machine, etc., which can lead to some slight discrepancies that we sort through and deem B-stock.

If the pad is more than a couple mm in difference seam to seam there's a chance that the wrong pads were packed, we are definitely human and can make mistakes, I would urge you to reach out to our team at support@zmfheadphones.com with pictures ready and we can help.

Typically, the discount for B-stock pads is pretty substantial - usually, pads that are 79.99 are 49.99, and it goes from there. I think they're a great deal if you can overlook some aesthetic stuff.

 

[sygnus21]

@zach915m, Per ZMF's site does it really take between 4-10 weeks to get the Atrium Headphones....

 

[Daiyama]

Yes

 

[MindBreak]

Question - Per ZMF's site does it really take between 4-10 weeks to get the Atrium Headphones....

Yes, it does. I purchased my pair this year. They do give you regular updates as it moves through the different stages of the process though.

 

[Squeaky Scav]

@zach915m, Per ZMF's site does it really take between 4-10 weeks to get the Atrium Headphones....

Yes, and there are occasionally cases where it takes a bit longer, though those are usually extenuating circumstances (like the recent factory move), so 4-10 weeks is usually accurate.

As the text says, ZMF takes a long time to make the headphones, and do it right. From the woodwork, to hand assembly and individual acoustic testing. It's well worth the extra wait, as you're assured to get a unit that meets their strict standards. They do occasionally sell units that have already been produced, like the upcoming Stabilized drop, in which case they only have to go through the final testing, so the wait is usually a bit less.

 

[sygnus21]

Yes, and there are occasionally cases where it takes a bit longer, though those are usually extenuating circumstances (like the recent factory move), so 4-10 weeks is usually accurate.

Thanks.

As the text says, ZMF takes a long time to make the headphones, and do it right. From the woodwork, to hand assembly and individual acoustic testing. It's well worth the extra wait, as you're assured to get a unit that meets their strict standards.

Yeah, that's understandable and I can definitely appreciate that. I just didn't realize these were custom/hand built to order headphones.

At the end of the day for me, I don't have that type of patience to wait 1-3 months for an order. Yes, I understand that if one wants a pair that's the cost of business. It's just not a cost I'm willing to pay at this time. And NO, this does NOT detract from the product, if anything it enhances it.

They do occasionally sell units that have already been produced, like the upcoming Stabilized drop, in which case they only have to go through the final testing, so the wait is usually a bit less.

Yeah, I kind of figured that being possibility as well and also why I asked.

Anyway, I was just curious as wouldn't mind getting a pair, but I'm not ready to commit at this time.

Thanks.

 

[JerseyD]

Thanks.

Yeah, that's understandable and I can definitely appreciate that. I just didn't realize these were custom/hand built to order headphones.

At the end of the day for me, I don't have that type of patience to wait 1-3 months for an order. Yes, I understand that if one wants a pair that's the cost of business. It's just not a cost I'm willing to pay at this time. And NO, this does NOT detract from the product, if anything it enhances it.


Yeah, I kind of figured that being possibility as well and also why I asked.

Anyway, I was just curious as wouldn't mind getting a pair, but I'm not ready to commit at this time.

Thanks.

There is always the second-hand market (right here on Head-Fi) for those who don’t want to wait. Bought my Atrium from a seller here. All good.

 

[Honeypot]

@zach915m, Per ZMF's site does it really take between 4-10 weeks to get the Atrium Headphones....

Excuse me, I don't want to sound rude. But if you can't wait for a purchase to arrive, it may be a symptom of a compulsive purchase, which should be avoid by all means. So watch out.
On the other hand, I have to say that for the 3 headphones I have ordered from ZMF, they never took that long to arrive. And they went overseas.
The best thing about this waiting is that when it arrives, it's like a baby. You have already went through the warm purchase phase, and you get to appreciate them by what they really are. Cold hearted. But once you plug them on... Warm comes back.

 

[Guarddawg30]

It definitely does take a fairly long time to get them, but you are getting handmade work of art that takes time...Trust me/us that it is worth the wait..I have always said the easy part was buying them....The hard part is waiting for them...

 

[sygnus21]

There is always the second-hand market (right here on Head-Fi) for those who don’t want to wait. Bought my Atrium from a seller here. All good.

Yeah, I'm not really one for buying secondhand gear. It's a me thing.

Appreciate the suggestion though

 

[sygnus21]

Excuse me, I don't want to sound rude. But if you can't wait for a purchase to arrive, it may be a symptom of a compulsive purchase, which should be avoid by all means. So watch out.
On the other hand, I have to say that for the 3 headphones I have ordered from ZMF, they never took that long to arrive. And they went overseas.

We all have opinions. And you are rude in assuming you know my motives.

Movin on

 

[AnyDave]

FWIW, we do expect wait times to come down as things progress, but we're going to be careful about what we promise. With the new building, new processes and additional employees, we are working on tightening up ship times. Things did take a bit longer than we would've liked during the transition, but I think the worst is behind us now. That said, we will always set a range that allows us the time we feel we need to get things right, as that is the most important thing.