ZMF Atrium - new open-back co-flagship

[Rhodey]

Just in general but I want to note that I've always been very sensitive to upper mid peaks. Even the Caldera Open's upper mid is also a bit borderline for me.

They may need some burn in too. Not sure how long you’ve had them or if they’re a used pair.
Hope they settle down for you and they’re enjoyable.

 

[Deleeh]

Just in general but I want to note that I've always been very sensitive to upper mid peaks. Even the Caldera Open's upper mid is also a bit borderline for me.

Hello,
Then I would go for the Auteur Lambskin or Caldera ultra perf.
Auteur Lambskin tend to have a warmer touch, while the Caldera ultra perf mainly retain the sound of the Auteur Lambskin, except that they are slightly more neutral in overall tone.
The Universe actually have a treble peak that is not suitable for everyone
I can't do anything with them either, they are too small for me, a bit uncomfortable and I don't really find them very special tonally.
A tip for people who are sensitive to treble is to use copper cables from the RCA cable to the headphone cable.
This rounds off the treble peak somewhat in the sum.
But in the end, the other part also depends on how warm or neutral the dac and amplifier are.
Oh yes, before I forget, when the drivers are new, burn-in is unavoidable.
If you go back in the pages of the thread many have addressed this but also said that after 200-300h it has become more bearable for them.
You really need to be patient here.
If you can and you have a CD player that has a headphone output with repeat function, it makes sense to run it 24 hours a day for a week at a low volume.
After burn in, everything will definitely get better.

 

[zach915m]

I had the recent opportunity to briefly listen to a headphone (not mine but brought over by a fellow head-fi member) that had been promoted as a chinese made alternative to ZMF Atrium. The Chinese product is pictured above. Curiosity got the better of me and I asked to hear what the hype was all about. To my ears, the tuning and sound is vastly different to the ZMF house sound. Leaner, brighter with less coherence. But more so missing that enveloping, rich sound that ZMF's are known for. The analogy might be the difference between listening to a Steinway Grand Piano and ... well ... a much less grand piano in tonality. *mods: Please let me know if I need to remove this post*



Is It Beautiful - ASOT Stage, Miami 2025. A very apt song for Zach's beautiful creation from Amboyna Burl from the November 2024 drop. A surreal listening experience. Until the next LTD release, I wouldn't think there would be that many like it. Much love.

Even if the copies somehow got the same drivers as ours (they don't, ours are proprietary to us) there are so many other parts of the tubing and ADS system that have to be just right for the Atirum to sound how it does and any of our other headphones right down to the way we machine the cups etc. You can rest assured that any of these copies are not ZMFs in build quality, looks, and especially acoustic performance.

Testing a pair of Koa LTD with updated drivers, stock mesh and stock universe pads. It's a very promising start but the upper mid is a little too aggressive for me, further experimentation needed!

Really make sure to burn in those drivers, the Atrium drivers really need to be run to ease up a bit and loosen the adhesives.

what update has been made to the drivers?

Not an update per say, just a new batch of drivers, as we ran out of batch 1. Tuning remains the same, the drivers do need a lot of burn in IMHO.

I made a post on this earlier in the thread. I can try to find it once I'm off my phone.

 

[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

Even if the copies somehow got the same drivers as ours (they don't, ours are proprietary to us) there are so many other parts of the tubing and ADS system that have to be just right for the Atirum to sound how it does and any of our other headphones right down to the way we machine the cups etc. You can rest assured that any of these copies are not ZMFs in build quality, looks, and especially acoustic performance.

Really make sure to burn in those drivers, the Atrium drivers really need to be run to ease up a bit and loosen the adhesives.

Not an update per say, just a new batch of drivers, as we ran out of batch 1. Tuning remains the same, the drivers do need a lot of burn in IMHO.

I made a post on this earlier in the thread. I can try to find it once I'm off my phone.

No need... found it... thanks!

 

[thefitz]

Testing a pair of Koa LTD with updated drivers, stock mesh and stock universe pads. It's a very promising start but the upper mid is a little too aggressive for me, further experimentation needed!

I am quite bullish on the Verite pads, they provide an uncanny balance between easy listening and natural sounding. They let up on the aggressiveness and honk relative to the universe quite a bit, well really showcasing details by unclouding the sound as opposed to ratcheting up the treble. The BE2 pads split the difference, but they're basically the Universe without the honk.

 

[g0ldl10n]

@K3cT I am also quite sensitive to treble and sibilance and from my experience compared to others, it seems I am a lot more sensitive to it than the average person, which has made finding suitable HPs somewhat of an annoying (and expensive) task.

Truth be told, the first few weeks of receiving my Atriums I was about 90% certain they would unfortunately fall into the category of being too sibilant/peaky for me, and I put them to the side and continued to listen with my Focal Elex.

I always read from other users that lambskin increasd low end/bass impact, so I figured that meant warmth and a hedge against sibilance. Well for me, that could not have been further from the truth (maybe I completely misunderstood everyones descriptions, which is possible - maybe, low end "impact" and "slam" does not necessarily also mean "warmth", not sibilant). The cure to the sibilant peaks for me was making the switch to fully suede pads from ZMF - all of the 100% suede pads I have tried with my Atriums have all been far warmer in presentation to any lambskin or hybrid types, and don't sacrifice on low end impact at all. The BE2 suede and Universe suede (perf) were both actual "game changers" for me for this HP - without trying those, I probably would have sold them, but now they get the most playing time out of all my HPs, so complete 180.

 

[JackarlTwo]

It's interesting how different we hear. I'm sensitive to any kind of strong peaks especially in the upper mids and treble. Yet I don't hear it as such. Just a smooth, dark tilted sound, heck even slightly muted especially with the solid mesh. I remember them being pretty energetic at first so they really need time to burn-in and settle.
Different pads can make a significant difference. Like @g0ldl10n said try suede or hybrid pads, as they tend to smooth out the 'attack' or transients. With that said they are mid-centric/ HD650-ish and that might not be everyone's cup of tea

 

[K3cT]

It's interesting how different we hear. I'm sensitive to any kind of strong peaks especially in the upper mids and treble. Yet I don't hear it as such. Just a smooth, dark tilted sound, heck even slightly muted especially with the solid mesh. I remember them being pretty energetic at first so they really need time to burn-in and settle.
Different pads can make a significant difference. Like @g0ldl10n said try suede or hybrid pads, as they tend to smooth out the 'attack' or transients. With that said they are mid-centric/ HD650-ish and that might not be everyone's cup of tea

Yeah, it’s super interesting. @TheMiddleSky and I often have small meets to test gears and trade impressions, I remember one time we were hearing a Katie Melua song (I forgot the title unfortunately) through the same system. I commented that her vocal sounded harsh in that particular system but in his ears, hers sounded crystal smooth lol. The opposites also happen often so this thing happens IRL.

Anyway thanks for the advices from everyone!

Apparently the driver is brand new, I will give it some time before passing judgements. For now switching the driver tube in my ECBA to a mellower one (Melz 1578 to GEC L63) seems to do the trick.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Yeah, it’s super interesting. @TheMiddleSky and I often have small meets to test gears and trade impressions, I remember one time we were hearing a Katie Melua song (I forgot the title unfortunately) through the same system. I commented that her vocal sounded harsh in that particular system but in his ears, hers sounded crystal smooth lol. The opposites also happen often so this thing happens IRL.

Anyway thanks for the advices from everyone!

Apparently the driver is brand new, I will give it some time before passing judgements. For now switching the driver tube in my ECBA to a mellower one (Melz 1578 to GEC L63) seems to do the trick.

Haha, yes, HRTF effect is super real. I also consider myself as sensitive to upper mid/low treble frequency, and can't stand bright headphone like HD800 for even an hour of use. While you can use HD800 for a decade lol.

 

[kRed]

The Atrium driver out of all our drivers benefits from quite a bit of burn in. 200+ hours will really ease the sound.

Do you think there is/will be some way to measure this kind of burn-in difference? Not pads related, i mean.

I'm one of those super skeptic-minded listener, even tho i had some experience of a headphone (and especially speakers) feeling different with play hours behind, and I also know that we can't measure everything, but you know... it would be pretty interesting.

Brain burn-in sure is a thing, but it makes a lot more sense for people who listen to only one or two headphones, probably.

 

[thefitz]

Anyone here use an xDuoo TA-66 with the Atrium?

People on various forums are freaking out about it. I'm in love with my lowly Valhalla 1/Atrium combo, with the Valhalla 1's 75 ohm output impedance and all. I am wondering if I should check out the xDuoo TA-66 in my journey or if it's a side-grade for where I'm at and I should hold out for at least a Crack.

 

[jinxy245]

I am a definite fan of that combo. I don't know how it compares to the Valhalla since I've never heard it, but the V is reported to be a bit more dry, though tube rolling might be able to mitigate that somewhat.

If you love it, I'm not sure I'd sell it without the comparing the two. Obviously you could buy one and sell the one you don't like as much.

The biggest caveats with the TA-66 is that there's a sub bass roll off that isn't egregious for my tastes, but it's there nonetheless and a stepped volume pot that can get annoying.

Good luck!

 

[K3cT]

I know the recent ZMF meta is those flashy stabilized resin types but there is still something charming with natural wood I feel.

 

[LE9000]

I know the recent ZMF meta is those flashy stabilized resin types but there is still something charming with natural wood I feel.

Couldn’t agree more! These are gorgeous

 

[idairyou]

I know the recent ZMF meta is those flashy stabilized resin types but there is still something charming with natural wood I feel.

I purchased a stabalized BO because I've always wanted to own a stabalized set, but I'll take a LMTD Cocobolo, African Blackwood, Queensland Maple, any day of the week now that I scratched that itch with the BO.