ZMF thread, Atticus / Aeolus / Eikon / Auteur / Verite / Verite Closed / Atrium

Headphones
564

I finish reading the review. Overall, I think I changed my mind on buying the Atrium Close :rofl:

I feel like everything he mentions, the Caldera could do better. The Caldera seems to have better resolution, speed, and soundstage at least based on his review. Its also open back, so I guess thats not fair. I’m reading about imaging which seem really nice, but my L3000 is amazing imaging already. So the Atrium Close seems like it won’t really add anything to my collection. The only thing it would do is satisfy my curiousity.

He also did a comparison to the L3000:

" Atrium Closed vs. Audio-Technica ATH-L3000

I dropped a mention earlier, didn’t I? Well, I’ve started this writeup early yesterday morning, and with a growing sense of expediency to get this review out, I’ll keep this short. A comparison here would have no practical consequence, as the L3000 has been out of production for nearly 20 years. But for the benefit of those who are familiar with it, here are couple of quick anecdotes.

First, the Atrium Closed bass extends lower into the sub-bass region and is overall more elevated compared to the L3000 (yes, more bass…). In contrast, the L3000 provide more balance in the upper frequencies and an overall more relaxed presentation. Naturally, the AC’s dampened sound is entirely unique, while the L3000 offer the more traditional, faster, dynamic driver rendering. In broad strokes, it is much closer to the VC than it is to the AC."

Honestly, this was the nail in the coffin for me not interested in the Atrium Close anymore. What I really care about is vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums. So I basically like rock songs like jrock, psychedelic rock, classic rock, old British metal, etc etc. It sounds like I will just compare it to the L3000 and not like the Atrium Close. Its only 1 review so far, maybe I might change my mind later, who knows. I do still want to pick up at least 1 ZMF headphone to keep, so I might look for more reviews of the Atrium Open vs Atrium Close to see which one I want to add to the collection.

Edit: I’m changing my mind again. Rereading that review, I think I might get the Atrium Close back over the Atrium Open. I don’t have any Sub-bass heavy headphone. The L3000 is more of the “audiophile bass” so its cleaner. The way he’s describing the Atrium Close Subbass, I think it might be fun to add to my collection and start listening to modern songs again.

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565

Alrighty, here is my video review

aaand here is my written review:

What impressed me the most about the ZMF Caldera was how musical it sounded. It brings the music to life in a very engaging manner. I believe that is because of the imaging, speed, and control that this headphone presents.

The imaging is super accurate, you can pinpoint the location of every instrument in a track. Whether it’s vocals shifting in one direction or piano notes alternating between your ears, everything is crystal clear. The caldera also has no issues with separation; the layering is well defined and you can almost hear everything that’s going on. The center image isn’t the strongest with vocals, but it’s still present and doesn’t detract from the overall experience.

The speed is also special. It sounds quick while not sounding too snappy or bouncy. The decay is appropriate, it can be quick or slow depending on the sound or instrument being played and it helps give a natural timbre while still maintaining a very strong bass line.

Speaking of bass, the bass extends well. There is a clear sub-bass emphasis that doesn’t interfere with the mids and it pulls off the “vacuum” effect pretty well. The vacuum effect as I like to call it is the portion in some songs where it feels like the sound is suddenly sucked out and everything goes silent. I mostly hear it in dubstep, but regular songs can sometimes have this effect as well.

All of these elements - the imaging, speed, and bass - work together to create a really engaging and musical experience. It helps give the music much more movement and life, and I think that is the strongest point of the ZMF Caldera.

Now while this close and intimate presentation may be great for the overall engagement this headphone provides, I don’t think it does any favors to the soundstage. Soundstage is not very wide or deep. It can sound fairly limited in size and can also sometimes sound too isolated to one side. I think the more intimate and isolated presentation adds to the engagement this headphone provides, but it does take away from the realism and the natural quality of the headphone.

Moving on to detail, I think the Details are great. Chorus, secondary voices or background instruments are very well defined. You can very clearly hear a second voice or a quiet instrument playing simultaneously with the vocals. It didn’t feel like anything was missing or hidden under a louder simultaneous sound. That being said, it can sometimes filter too much. A voice that is supposed to be muffled or distorted through a filter can sound more clear than it is meant to be, which was sometimes weird for tracks I was familiar with.

In terms of tonality, I’ll start with the bad – it can sound pretty sibilant and metallic at times. Sibilance and treble-heavy instruments like cymbals don’t always hold back and could be overbearing on some tracks. Some lower treble heavy instruments and some words may sound a bit too shouty, to the point where it sometimes interferes with my enjoyment of the headphone. Female vocals could also sound somewhat nasal-y at times, but vocal presentation was overall very solid. Besides the upper mids, this sounds like a fairly neutral headphone with some welcomed bass emphasis. Dynamics are great. It isn’t as dynamic as something like a Utopia, but rarely anything is.

Moving on to comparisons, I spent most of my time comparing the Caldera to the Hifiman Susvara. The Susvara is more relaxed with a wider stage and a more natural presentation. The Caldera sounds more exciting and has more body and punch in the bass, while the susvara provides a more well-balanced vocal and treble presentation.

They both have the same amount of detail, but the Caldera presented that detail in a more in-your-face manner while the susvara was more laid back in its detail presentation. I would consider them both in the same tier and choosing between them comes down to preferences, and given my preferences, I would personally take the Susvara over the Caldera.

To wrap things up, the ZMF Caldera is a strong contender in its price category and with the top-of-the-line headphones it competes with. It is well built and easy to drive with a very engaging and enjoyable musical presentation and I am very satisfied with my experience with this headphone.

TL;DR/W: The Caldera is an excellent headphone that contends with some of the best headphones I have tried, including the Susvara. The imaging and speed are very impressive and give a very musical and engaging presentation. It isn’t without its’ flaws, the soundstage is fairly limited in size and the tuning could be a bit harsh and shouty at times.

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566

very nice review thanks for sharing. What DACs and amps were you using? that’s especially important when you mention comparing to the Susvara.

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567

The Susvara was clearly underpowered but I had a good idea of what I was missing out on by powering it with a GS-X Mini. I remember the susvara having more bass with the 13r, 23r and wa33 elite, but speaking from memory, it was still less than the caldera

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568

^ People are selling the Atrium Close Back before it’s even officially release if anyone is interested. Imma wait until Summer or November, Zach said he is cooking special for Summer.

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569

Damn, that’s crazy. 3 days in…

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570

He bought them at CanJam so 1st impression was probably good. Maybe it just didn’t have that same magic with his gears at home , so the Atrium Close back is probably picky on the audio chain. Especially with everyone gassing up on how good the subbas is, you probably want tubes to tame that subbass beast.

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571

Or he’s selling it for profit.
Only atrium closed worth buying in canjam were the limited olive ones because that’s wood Zach has been saving for a long time (he thinks it’s from Greece originally while now everything they source domestic because of regulation and cost) and apparently it’s very hard to work into a headphone so won’t see a lot of those going forward.

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572

That’s true too. I never went to CanJam, how good were the deals over there?

573

I did not ask for a final price since I wasnt intending on buying and didn’t want to rub the wrong way over discounts. Had a nicer conversation about amp pairings and wood types :slight_smile:

The AC will retail similarly to AO though with limited a few hundreds more as usual

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574

The D8kp and Caldera are very similar to my ears. The D8kp is pretty wonky but the Caldera sounds wonkier. The Caldera is more intimate and more forward with better imaging and decay. The D8kp has better staging, a better center image, better presentation, better bass control… it is just a better and more refined package. I guess I’m a d8kp shill now.

The Caldera still has the biggest wow factor of any high end headphone imo.

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575

The Blackwood VC just arrived today…

Popping between chains and after a couple pad swaps (going from my BE2 assortment to the Auteur Suedes); I’m unfortunately rethinking the whole ZMF thing. I don’t think it’s my preferred sound signature and doesn’t sound particularly resolving to me (or at least has the type of clarity I’m used to.) I have Auteur Hybrids coming in, so I’ll see how those pads pan out.

It’s interesting since I liked the T50RP mods which had a similar signature, but I don’t think I could go back to those either, now.

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576

I don’t think it’s a great match with your Bakoon tbh

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577

It’s also a significant step down in technicalities from his other headphones.

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578

Oh yea, absolutely.

Omitted that option vs the BF2/RNHP & LA90 stacks pretty quickly. Even something more cleaner/analytical didn’t really change my opinion, tbh. I think I overestimated my potential interest in something on the warmer/musical side, for the transducer. Probably will just stick to source-rolling more detail-oriented headphones.

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579

Makes sense. I kind of learned the same thing but the opposite. Thought I wanted a warm/musical amp but ended up being satisfied with a HD650 with my current chain that’s more clean.

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580

Vc Blackwood is quite a statement.
Because of the harder wood, you have less decay and reverb.
This can be sub-optimal for an SS amp because of the hardness of the wood.
A tube amp would offer you a bit more.

With Zmf headphones, I would always go for soft wood, at most medium hard wood.
So that the decay and reverb is still present.
Especially with lowends and bass reproduction, it can be a nice wet dream.

Very few people who go for hard wood have that.
What is also important is to give yourself time after changing the pad, unless it really doesn’t fit.

With my Auteur Og, the open-pored Auteur Lambskin are the best for me, although the Eikon pads are not bad either.

Lastly the chain, never thought it was important.
Made a nice pleasant leap forward between Singxer Sda 2 dac and Gustard R26.
Although both were warm leaning,the R26 with Roon is 3 steps forward in all areas.
Bass,midrange and treble and many other ancillary things.
With the Auteur I have reached where I wanted to go, I am looking forward to the Atrium if it works out.

Cayin ha 3A should go very well with the Zmf,a good mix between SS/tubes,solid bass and on Feliks Euforia level I have been told.
And the following is also supposed to be bigger to the 3a with Zmf headphones.

3 Likes
581

Harder woods reflect sounds more so. That’s why musical instruments are usually made of moderately hard woods, such as Rosewood.

It provides quicker attack, or leading edges, along with greater decay.

Softer woods provide less of a decay, but some prefer that soft sound.

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582

Yeah but there is so much more to it all than just hardness.

Also in particular there are so many rosewoods, and things that are named rosewood but arent, that it creates a huge variance of what rosewood is.

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583

Ehhhhh, its more about implementation and the end tone you are looking for. Also for stringed instruments making sure it can withstand its own forces.

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