[jinxy245]

That's a very pretty design... expensive too.

 

[erics75]

HP junkies beware, the temptation is is strong at CanJams, and the ZMF room makes it especially difficult to resist purchasing one. They also bring a lot of nice gear, cables, pads and etc so there are good reasons to visit
Almost bought a Caldera at the 2023 show but glad I waited later for one of the LTD ashes. The 2024 show in NYC had some natural Limba Bokehs and just too pretty to leave without one.

You sir, are an addict! Takes one to know one hahaha.

 

[G8torbyte]

You sir, are an addict! Takes one to know one hahaha.

Aww darn it, I thought I was a connossier of art and music fidelity

 

[betula]

Hello. My name is Gumby and....I have a headphone addiction....

No worries. You are at the right place. Here everyone will help you to sink even deeper into the marshlands of audio indulgence.

 

[SecretAgent]

Folks, Hd800s new 1.4k€ or Atrium new 3.4k€? Thank you for your help.

 

[erics75]

Folks, Hd800s new 1.4k€ or Atrium new 3.4k€? Thank you for your help.

Those are totally different sounding headphones, so the decision really depends on your preferences. The 800 is bright, revealing, ultra spacious, and very analytical sounding. You need to put serious thought into amplification with this one as the wrong synergy will make it piercing and strident, and very fatiguing. The Atrium is warmer, smoother, lusher, more musical and engaging, not as spacious nor as revealing. I actually think the Atrium driver resolves at the same level as the 800's, but the darker tuning and more emphasis on the mid range, especially the bass, hides it a bit. You don't have to be as picky with amplification with it as it's so much of an easy listening headphone. I won't comment on aesthetics, that's 100% subjective and can be decided easily based on pictures online.

EDIT - Atrium also is highly customizable with pad and mesh rolling, all available from the manufacturer. The 800 customizations are not supported by the manufacturer and may void your warranty. It's something to strongly take into consideration. If you don't love the stock Atrium sound you can easily tweak it with optional pads, and mesh/no mesh options. There's a flexability to it that's easily overlooked by non-ZMF owners. Now in the end you can't make an Atrium sound like an 800, but you can move it more towards the analytical side in general.

 

[Failed Engineer]

So these are my two favorite headphones by far (and I've climbed the entire TOTL wall past and present), well in the case of the Senn specifically the JAR800, but they do present opposite of each other. I do try to bring the Atrium as close as I can to the brighter more open sound by running mesh-less and with thin ultra perforated pads but still the Atrium is no match for the clarity and open-baffle-ish sound of the JAR800. That said, to me, the Atrium is far nicer listen to the 800/800S stock. The senn needs mods.

 

[fonna]

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.

Yeah for sure, I also haven't found a pad that I truly didn't like so far, have you tried the universe hybrid suede/lamb perfs?

Edit: typo

 

[JackarlTwo]

Yeah for sure, I also haven't found a pad that I truly didn't like so far, have you tried the universe hybrid suede/lamb perfs?

Edit: typo

I haven't tried the hybrid or suede Universe. I find the Auteur hybrid and lamb to sound pretty close so I haven't bothered trying Universe hybrid or suede yet. Love the lambskin Universe though.

 

[macfan]

Hello everyone -

My brand new pair of Atrium Open stabilized released a few weeks ago arrived this morning. Just starting to work thru the "fit" stage if setup and had a few general questions.

1. The right adjustment rod seems to be tighter than the left - takes a bit more "force" to move notches. Would you ever so slightly adjust the set screw looks like it would lose it up just a touch?

2. Working on pad and clamp pressure adjustmensts - standard pads are on the headphones now but also have the BE2 Suede perforated. The first thing I detect is they may be a tad tight but with most of the force appearing to be on the check bone area - on the right side. Thoughts on how to get the best overall fit for comfort?

Any other pro tips would be appreciated.


Blue skies -

 

[JackarlTwo]

Hello everyone -

My brand new pair of Atrium Open stabilized released a few weeks ago arrived this morning. Just starting to work thru the "fit" stage if setup and had a few general questions.

1. The right adjustment rod seems to be tighter than the left - takes a bit more "force" to move notches. Would you ever so slightly adjust the set screw looks like it would lose it up just a touch?

2. Working on pad and clamp pressure adjustmensts - standard pads are on the headphones now but also have the BE2 Suede perforated. The first thing I detect is they may be a tad tight but with most of the force appearing to be on the check bone area - on the right side. Thoughts on how to get the best overall fit for comfort?

Any other pro tips would be appreciated.


Blue skies -

The rod adjustments can be pretty tight. Mine were very tight when they were new too. You can loosen them slightly, but do it a tiny amount, step by step. Also make sure you're grabbing it the right way. I think the best way is to grab the gimbals with one hand and use your other hand to sort of "pinch" the rod adjustment. As for the clamp pressure you can bend the steel band to decrease the clamp.

This video should be helpful:

 

[idairyou]

Those are totally different sounding headphones, so the decision really depends on your preferences. The 800 is bright, revealing, ultra spacious, and very analytical sounding. You need to put serious thought into amplification with this one as the wrong synergy will make it piercing and strident, and very fatiguing. The Atrium is warmer, smoother, lusher, more musical and engaging, not as spacious nor as revealing. I actually think the Atrium driver resolves at the same level as the 800's, but the darker tuning and more emphasis on the mid range, especially the bass, hides it a bit. You don't have to be as picky with amplification with it as it's so much of an easy listening headphone. I won't comment on aesthetics, that's 100% subjective and can be decided easily based on pictures online.

Agreed.

I would add that if you want a good middle ground between the two, something with the soundstage width and depth of the 800s with the warmth of the Atrium consider a used pair of Meze Elites with the angled Alcantara pads.

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

Would you ever so slightly adjust the set screw looks like it would lose it up just a touch?

As with @JackarlTwo's excellent points, go easy with the screwdriver. For one thing, it's easy to slip and nick the paint on the gimbals. For another, you want it tight because, once you've got the position dialed in, you won't need to move it again.

Adjusting the headband also makes a big difference with fit and comfort; check out the video on that, which shows how to safely hold the headphones when manipulating the band. It's worth going slow and being patient early on as once you've got it setup, you'll be good to go for ages.

And congrats on getting your Atrium!

 

[JackarlTwo]

As with @JackarlTwo's excellent points, go easy with the screwdriver. For one thing, it's easy to slip and nick the paint on the gimbals. For another, you want it tight because, once you've got the position dialed in, you won't need to move it again.

Adjusting the headband also makes a big difference with fit and comfort; check out the video on that, which shows how to safely hold the headphones when manipulating the band. It's worth going slow and being patient early on as once you've got it setup, you'll be good to go for ages.

And congrats on getting your Atrium!

Very true. Typically you don't wanna adjust the rod screws at all. Once you get everything dialed in you're most likely good to go! I haven't changed anything in over a year because it sits perfectly. I think the clamp will loosen a bit over time and adjust to your head too, but they definitely ship them pretty clampy. You do want a little bit of clamp to get a proper seal.

Another useful video, and headband bending guide:

 

[sameh931]

I'm still so torn apart about ordering Atrium or Caldera (both open).

Tried them out at HighEnd last week (Caldera on dcs Lina and Feliks Elise, Atrium on Feliks Elise and Envy) and Caldera on Lina was my #1 in that comparison, Atrium on Tubes tho were better than Caldera on Tubes.

Being realistic that i won't buy the dcs Lina for the Caldera makes me think that i should rather go for the Atrium + a solid Tube AMP for the same price than just the Caldera.

Has anyone some TubeAMP recommendations under 1.000€/$ with balanced input and XLR4 connections?