[theintention]

FWIW, I went from the LCD-2C to an Aeolus and I loved it. Similar warm and dark nature!

Thank you!

I had an LCD-2C for several years and loved it. I agree with @xTelepathetic that the Aeolus could well be a great contender, although I've not heard it for any decent amount of time or in a good environment (twice at CanJam). I found it a bit too warm for my taste, and without enough top-end air. It didn't sound as open or spacing in its staging as the LCD-2C, but then I didn't necessarily hear it with the best gear or with a mesh and pad combination that worked for me.

The closest I've heard to the 2C are the Atrium and Caldera, although both need to be set up the right way. The Atrium is much more forward in the upper mids than the 2C, too much so for me, stock, so my pair has the solid mesh installed on it (and the Universe pads), which makes for a lovely dark tuning, one that's closer to the 2C. The sub-bass isn't as robust as the 2C's, but the bass otherwise is outstanding - rich, textured, punchy, and with plenty of slam. You also get lovely timbre and great, strong and gritty textures from the Atrium, though not quite so crunchy, gritty, or growly as the 2C when it comes to rock guitars. This was one of the stand-out qualities of the 2C for me.

The Caldera I heard in my system for about 5 days and, again, it needs the mantle mesh and the right pads (I'd suggest the stock or the thick Caldera ones) to get the darker tonality. Its bass goes deeper than the Atrium's, and bests the 2C's, although I didn't compare them directly (I'm going off memory here). The mids are more even than the 2C's, without the upper-mid recession (here the mantle mesh helps get the Caldera closer to the 2C), and the treble provides the same kind of air and sense of open staging as the 2C. The Caldera excels, like the 2C, at presenting rich textures, and is better at recreating the crunchy, growling guitars of the 2C than the Atrium. So, Caldera wins for bass and for gritty textures.

The Vérité Open has the clarity you're after. Its bass is excellent, not quite as deep or robust as the 2C's, or the Caldera. The VO has a laid-back tuning, and while slightly dark, it does have more energy in the treble than the 2C, especially around ca. 6 kHz (I think), which makes for a difference in the sound sound vs the 2C's. I found the VO to have a bit more of an edge to it - and to be a bit more fatiguing - than the 2C, but then the 2C is one of the least fatiguing headphones I've heard, when properly amped. (To be clear, the VO isn't bright or inherently fatiguing: I'm sensitive to certain frequencies that the VO might excite, and many find it to be absolutely free of fatigue). The clarity of the Vérité is wonderful, though, so it's well worth checking out, if you can, to see if you like it.

The Auteur Classic is very different; it's brighter, closer to neutral, and has many qualities that differ from the 2C.

I hope this helps! At the risk of stating the obvious, if you can, see if you can audition them at a meet or at a Canjam before buying, and failing that, I'd suggest buying used pairs so you can sell them for less of a loss if they're not to your taste.

What a write up, thank you for this. The VO and the Atrium are exactly what I want to A/B, hoping I can make it to one of the CanJams (SoCal?) this year.

 

[chrisnyc75]

he VO and the Atrium are exactly what I want to A/B

In a nutshell, VO is a more colored presentation, leaning thick and warm (while simultaneously speedy & clean). Atrium is more neutral-ish with a much more open soundstage.

 

[theintention]

In a nutshell, VO is a more colored presentation, leaning thick and warm (while simultaneously speedy & clean). Atrium is more neutral-ish with a much more open soundstage.

Both sound like awesome upgrades to both my over-ear sets. Now I really gotta get to CanJam...

Thank you all, I truly appreciate the time.

 

[G8torbyte]

@theintention I saw your question on the other "All things ZMF Thread" and was about to comment till I saw the responses here.

In a nutshell, VO is a more colored presentation, leaning thick and warm (while simultaneously speedy & clean). Atrium is more neutral-ish with a much more open soundstage.

This is a good summary because the Verite's dynamic driver will have a faster attack vs the Atrium. The Atrium's damping system provides excellent decay that to me presents spaciousness and holographic imaging that amazed me in my first impressions.

Both sound like awesome upgrades to both my over-ear sets. Now I really gotta get to CanJam...

Thank you all, I truly appreciate the time.

Yes, definitely recommend visiting ZMF at a CanJam event. Zach's team does a fantastic job setting up their room with various amps and listening stations. It does get noisy with the crowd so a more private listening room is better for comparisons. I still use my LCD-2C at times since I enjoy the planar quickness on a solid-state amp especially with electro music but ZMF has various models for all types of genres. The Atrium Open is my go-to for most music.

 

[HarryHood]

Kingwood Atrium arrived!

 

[joshua1122]

Kingwood Atrium arrived!

I love kingwood – since I got my Kingwood Caldera last year, I built a matching kingwood stand for it and everything. I was eyeing that specific Atrium, but ended up holding back for an AC instead. It does look amazing, though. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[johnnypaddock]

Kingwood Atrium arrived!

How's the weight on that bad larry? I've been thinking about getting an Atrium again... Beautiful sounding headphone.

***You can feel good about Hood***

 

[zach915m]

Just a reminder and some notes - BOKEH will be released this friday at 8:30 AM CST // 14:30 UTC. The remaining B-Stock an d Stabilized units will be on the site through the 15th, and are also planning on a mini drop of a few more stabilized/resin Caldera's and Atticus on the 15th as well.

For the BOKEH:

1. The first 250 units will be $899.99, discounted from $1099. They will be $899 until the first 250 sell out. Then they will be out of stock until we fulfill those orders.
2. We expect to ship 25 per week starting this week/coming monday.
3. The BOKEH comes in a printed box with custom cut foam, but we will have a custom leatherette case available in Q1 2024.
4. An all vegan version will be available in 2024 as well.
5. Measurements/video/info page coming asap, tomorrow.

Thank you! Any questions let me know!

 

[HarryHood]

How's the weight on that bad larry? I've been thinking about getting an Atrium again... Beautiful sounding headphone.

***You can feel good about Hood***

Just weighed them...570 grams...kinda heavy but good opportunity for neck workouts

 

[AlmightyKitKat]

Look what came in today!!

Can’t tell if it’s the lighting in my house or what, but the stain is a lot darker than I expected. That black-on-purple with the grill is exactly the kind of thing I love as someone whose favorite color is purple.

Here’s a few more:

As for sound, I have been giving them a light test with some of my favorite artists for vetting headphones (Solar Fields, Loreena McKennitt, Anders Enger Jensen, and a few others) and I’m really enjoying them so far! Compared to my well-used Focal Clear MGs, these do feel a little…less fast, but I’m willing to bet that’s either because I’m just not familiar with the ZMF House Sound as much, and/or that I need to let these run in a bit.

With that caveat in mind, the big thing that strikes me is that the Atrium Open is a lot Warmer, and it feels like it has maybe slightly better bass response than the Clear MG. It feels more…immersive, I think? The Clear MG feels almost clinical in a way comparatively (and that is not a bad thing), while the Atrium Open feels like the kind of thing that’s been given some love to make it special and different.

I also tried out the ZMF gaming cable, and it’s pretty decent all around, though I wish it came in an XLR-terminated version. It’s quieter than using the balanced output on my Jotenheim 2, but I’m not sure if that’s just because the Jotunheim 2 has different output levels with balanced vs single-ended. Or maybe that a balanced signal is inherently a little louder. I’m kind of a newbie when it comes to this balanced thing.

Either way, first impressions are really, really good, I’m going to be listening to these a lot over the coming week, and trying out more genres with them. I’m also curious to try these exclusively for a few weeks, then switch back to the Clear MGs to see how they compare once I’ve run them in, and gotten used to them.

 

[johnnypaddock]

Just weighed them...570 grams...kinda heavy but good opportunity for neck workouts

Thanks... I've had my eye on one of the ZMF November models in Kingwood. Gorgeous wood, and I'd like to try a harder wood Atrium for this go around. 570g isn't too bad with the ZMF design in my experience.

 

[PrismJTN]

Look what came in today!!


Can’t tell if it’s the lighting in my house or what, but the stain is a lot darker than I expected. That black-on-purple with the grill is exactly the kind of thing I love as someone whose favorite color is purple.

Here’s a few more:




As for sound, I have been giving them a light test with some of my favorite artists for vetting headphones (Solar Fields, Loreena McKennitt, Anders Enger Jensen, and a few others) and I’m really enjoying them so far! Compared to my well-used Focal Clear MGs, these do feel a little…less fast, but I’m willing to bet that’s either because I’m just not familiar with the ZMF House Sound as much, and/or that I need to let these run in a bit.

With that caveat in mind, the big thing that strikes me is that the Atrium Open is a lot Warmer, and it feels like it has maybe slightly better bass response than the Clear MG. It feels more…immersive, I think? The Clear MG feels almost clinical in a way comparatively (and that is not a bad thing), while the Atrium Open feels like the kind of thing that’s been given some love to make it special and different.

I also tried out the ZMF gaming cable, and it’s pretty decent all around, though I wish it came in an XLR-terminated version. It’s quieter than using the balanced output on my Jotenheim 2, but I’m not sure if that’s just because the Jotunheim 2 has different output levels with balanced vs single-ended. Or maybe that a balanced signal is inherently a little louder. I’m kind of a newbie when it comes to this balanced thing.

Either way, first impressions are really, really good, I’m going to be listening to these a lot over the coming week, and trying out more genres with them. I’m also curious to try these exclusively for a few weeks, then switch back to the Clear MGs to see how they compare once I’ve run them in, and gotten used to them.

Yes, the Jot 2 has different power outputs for each. Balanced is usually a lot higher power than single-ended. If you want more power, you would need to use the balanced XLR connection or crank up the volume as much as possible.

 

[AlmightyKitKat]

Yes, the Jot 2 has different power outputs for each. Balanced is usually a lot higher power than single-ended. If you want more power, you would need to use the balanced XLR connection or crank up the volume as much as possible.

Good to know! I’ll just have to be careful with the volume knob whenever I want to use the gaming cable, or use the gaming cable exclusively with a separate amp, like my Valhalla 2.

 

[TommehHiFi]

Compared to my well-used Focal Clear MGs, these do feel a little…less fast

I think it's a combo of Focal using a very special dynamic magnesium driver coming from the speaker world and the Atrium using the biocellulose driver material to achieve that slower, dreamier effect. If it's your first ZMF, give it some time (like 1-2 weeks) for some adjustment from what you're used to so you've already got the gameplan down. However, the slower speed compared to other high end headphones is an illusion in term of its technical abilities in microdetail, separation and imaging as it runs circles around cheaper headphones in my experience in back to back comparisons (for example the 6 series of sennheisers).

I like the darker purple and it matches well with the plum strap, but I'm not a purple guy so my opinion on that may not mean much lol.

 

[robo24]

Look what came in today!!


Can’t tell if it’s the lighting in my house or what, but the stain is a lot darker than I expected. That black-on-purple with the grill is exactly the kind of thing I love as someone whose favorite color is purple.

Here’s a few more:




As for sound, I have been giving them a light test with some of my favorite artists for vetting headphones (Solar Fields, Loreena McKennitt, Anders Enger Jensen, and a few others) and I’m really enjoying them so far! Compared to my well-used Focal Clear MGs, these do feel a little…less fast, but I’m willing to bet that’s either because I’m just not familiar with the ZMF House Sound as much, and/or that I need to let these run in a bit.

With that caveat in mind, the big thing that strikes me is that the Atrium Open is a lot Warmer, and it feels like it has maybe slightly better bass response than the Clear MG. It feels more…immersive, I think? The Clear MG feels almost clinical in a way comparatively (and that is not a bad thing), while the Atrium Open feels like the kind of thing that’s been given some love to make it special and different.

I also tried out the ZMF gaming cable, and it’s pretty decent all around, though I wish it came in an XLR-terminated version. It’s quieter than using the balanced output on my Jotenheim 2, but I’m not sure if that’s just because the Jotunheim 2 has different output levels with balanced vs single-ended. Or maybe that a balanced signal is inherently a little louder. I’m kind of a newbie when it comes to this balanced thing.

Either way, first impressions are really, really good, I’m going to be listening to these a lot over the coming week, and trying out more genres with them. I’m also curious to try these exclusively for a few weeks, then switch back to the Clear MGs to see how they compare once I’ve run them in, and gotten used to them.

Goorgeous pair! Definitely burn it in because no headphone has changed more for me from brand new than the Atrium Open. I recall the sub-bass especially seeming pretty overwhelming at first and then calming down some after that. Even the staging seemed to change. It was enough that I didn't really bother listening to my Atrium Closed much until it had at least 50 hours since I knew better.