I can’t quite agree with the statement about the atrium per se.
I have to get something out of it and I think if there are such problems then they are hardware-related tuning issues that are being used.
I haven’t listened to the Feliks Euforia for a long time and I haven’t spent as much time with the Atrium as I have with the new amplifier.
Nevertheless, here I have upgraded the caps to Vcap.
On the 2nd amplifier even on Vcap CuTf and the second capacitor is the Mundorf Silver/gold oil.
Especially on the 2nd amplifier where I can select the cap by switch between Vcap/Mundorf.
A lot changes in this respect.
I can definitely hear the problems mentioned regarding the Atrium with the Mundorf, but not at all with the Vcap.
Everything is so clear, brilliant, from top to bottom, I can’t speak of a lack of detail here.
Everything is in harmony and harmonious with great sweetness organically, the description as if you were wandering through the music like a photographer is another point that applies exactly here.
The Mundorf is not bad to say the least, but it does a good bit less of what the Vcap does.
Regardless of the headphones I still use, like the Auteur Og, it does an even better job on amp 2 than on the Euforia.
The 2nd amp is a Mcchanson Ultimate and also offers a lot of tube rolling.
Kt66,88,The complete 6X6 family like 6v6,6k6,6l6 ect,EL34 with adapters EL81 possible and many more…
As driver tubes I use 6SN7/6SL7 as well as with adapters 12xx7 family and as 12AT7 I have a lot and depending on the pairing at the output and the Vcaps switched on it is a real music experience with the two Auteur OG/Atrium.
I use the Zmf Lectrik C and VH Audio connection cables.
Just as a tip, instead of blaming the amplifier, especially with tube amplifiers, you should consider checking the caps if possible to see if there is nothing better.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be Vcap, a Jupiter, Audionote cooper Milfex, and others can also help you to experience the headphones differently, especially where you personally need it.
The Vcap Cutf is by far the best but also the most expensive but also very rewarding.
I would always stay away from the Mundorf because it tends to mask and cables are actually necessary to equalise.
The intervention is also cheaper than buying a new amplifier, and it will also change the amplifier itself somewhat, usually positively.
That’s why such things can usually make the Zmf headphones even better, and very often I have experienced with Vcap that it was always better afterwards than before.
Even the Odam is actually enough to put things in the right light.
That’s why I personally never have any problems with what is mentioned here, and I also use the stock pads.
That’s why I can only say one thing: it’s usually down to the amplifier and the question is what you do with it if it’s possible to swap the caps.
Let me say that most manufacturers use industrial caps and get them at a good price.
The Euforia was fitted with the cheapest Mundorf capacitor, which is really bad, and that at a proud retail price.
Another tip if you are interested, get to know the amplifier and weigh up what you are missing and only then look for the cap that brings what you are looking for, then you will have what you are looking for.
After that you usually only buy tubes and are very satisfied.
I’ve borrowed an Auteur Classic and Atrium Open at different times and liked them both.
From memory (which might be unreliable), the Auteur Classic might be the most neutral ZMF dynamic but it still has the ZMF warm house sound, so it’s not really neutral IMO. Although the bass wasn’t super extended, it was pretty tight.
The Atrium Open had richer mids and a more extended bass (I think) and also a larger stage. As others have said, the one thing that I wasn’t a fan of was the treble, which was a little subdued for my taste. Switching from the stock mesh to the Titan mesh fixed that for me and I really enjoyed the headphone with that mesh. Others have tried the new Caldera Ultra Perforated Lambskin Pads (see this pad comparison on headfi). If you get a used Atrium, I’d recommend ordering either a Titan mesh or the Caldera Ultra Perforated Lambskin Pads (or both) from ZMF to see if you like what they do.
I also own a Atrium Closed. I really love it as a complement to my Caldera and Utopia 2022, because it has a bass-dominant sound. With the stock pads, I found it to be a bit too V-shaped for me, as the mids were overpowered by the bass, but suede pads sound great to me because they bring the mids back and lower the bass a touch.
If you’re looking for an allrounder ZMF then I’d strongly recommend the Atrium Open if you have the budget for it. The only reason I don’t own one is that I have too many headphones and I don’t need another allrounder. If the Atrium Open is too pricey, I think the Auteur Classic is also very good. If you’re looking for something with a stronger bass presence, then the Atrium Closed might be up your alley.
This is it, this is what im looking for
Altough your description of the auteur I also really liked as well as the other guys descriptions
Auteur has an advantage because its a lot cheaper
@ckhirnigs How do you compare the treble of the classic against the og auteur?
I don’t recall hearing a huge difference in the treble presentation of the OG and Classic. If anything, the Classic might have a bit more extension. I felt the biggest, most notable differences were in the bass and soundstage, with the Classic having the higher technical abilities.
Has anyone tried the mojo 2 with the atrium?
I finally decided Im going auteur classic for my first ZMF ever because, its kinda hyped, most people I read said they liked it better than the OG. And zach recommends it as “the first ZMF to try”.
But in most of the reviews I see people are using higher end tube amps, DNA, studio b 300b, ZMF OTL… I didnt find any reviews using the amps that I have. Is the auteur classic really that demanding or scaling?
My first idea is to drive it with the BHC+SB using my favorite tubes. If that fails I think the Pass Labs HPA1 or the Ath BHA100 will have me covered, I hope.
The Auteur was also my first.
Mon recommended it to me at the time and recommended it to me.
However, I have the OG, not the Classic.
And I’m still very happy with it.
As for the amplifier, yes, there are many good ones out there that harmonise with Zmf.
But it depends on the direction and the Bhc is a good start to find out where you want to go.
I don’t know the Passlabs but it should be fine too.
Feliks Euforia is also quite good but an expensive game because of its tubes.
Better something that is more flexible and offers more to keep costs down.
Cayin HA 3A is popular ha6A too.
Meanwhile I use the Zmf’s with the Mcchanson Ultimate which is a dream for Zmf and tube rolling.
The Icon Audio Hp8 is a very good insider tip for Zmf that deserves more attention if you want to replace the BHC.
I would still take it a little slow in the end, the BHC will show you what else you want.
Then it is better to go by these criteria.
The Classic still has to be played in, so plenty of time until then.
Congratulations on the Classic by the way, did you buy the Ash version?
I havent bought them yet, maybe you got the wrong guy
Im not planing on getting any more amps for a long time, really I wanted to know if someone tried them on BHC and if it was considered good enough.
But im overthinking, one of my amps should be a good or great matchup.
Im still a bit confused on the og vs classic but based on graphs and comments seems like the classic is more for me.
I think the BHC will be good with the Auteur.
If I remember correctly @Hazi59 enjoys his with the BHC. He might be able to offer some insight.
I liked the Auteur OG more on solid state, whereas I enjoy the Auteur Classic more on tubes.
I think the Auteur Classic sounds best on my Quicksilver. The BHC is pretty good too. I use my Auteur Classic on the BHC when I want a more relaxed listening session. That being said, I enjoy my Auteur Classic on the BHC over Solid State Amps.
For solid state amps, I feel the Auteur Classic sounds best on my Violectric V281. Not that it’s bad on my Luxman P-1u, just that I prefer it on the V281.
The Pass is a neutral and slightly warm amplifier, it is a perfect fit for a HP like the Auteur. I happen to use the OG version but that should not make a negative difference if you purchase a classic. The HP will play extremely well on the amp, the quiet nature of the amp itself should allow for excellent space, separation and detail to come through while also powering the HP to its preferred sound character 
Don’t overthink it, enjoy what you have until you have enough saved up later on to add a tube amp that will enhance the characteristics you want to emphasize if that is the direction you eventually want to go in.
Since we are still talking about the Bhc you are using.
You can play well with the tubes, since it still uses the 12AU7 there are enough on the market.
Where you have neutral, warm or both.
12au7 Ray from Apos Audio is good, I just got it to test.
Others would be Mazda,Thomson,Sylvania,Rca,Brimar as well as Mullard where worthwhile.
If it should be purely neutral then the German brands are interesting: Siemens, Telefunken, RFT.
Valvo is something that is somewhat arbitrary, it belongs to Phillps and then to the French.
If you’re lucky you might find something Japanese, but it’s very difficult to find.
I would stay away from the Chinese tubes as they are treble-heavy and also thin in the mid-range.
Ps vane Shuang for example.
As 6080 I would add Mullard,Csf Thomson to the arsenal if they are not already there.
The General Electric is also good if you want an analogue.
Gec and Bendix are also very good but expensive and hard to find now.
Rca is definitely not worth it.
The rest depends a bit on the Dac and makes a difference.
In general you can say that the Auteur works very well with warm tube combos and still remains neutral but warm.
I’m still rocking the OG and have enjoyed it on BHC, SW51+ & LTA Z10. They scale really well. I have not heard the classic but I’m sure you’ll enjoy either one. 
Thank you very much! All of you
Not only did I reasured that I do want the Auteur but also confirmed that I want the classics and it feels a lot better in my wishlist now that I know the amps you guys used. Mine will be excellent as well 
XD you are like my audio “dad” that is always giving wise advice.
Meanwhile m0n is like the drug dealer and a good one at that.
Hazi recommended those as well, but im having a real shit experience with my tube rolling…
I thought lets start small and bought 3, one exploded, the Tung Sol 7236 sounds insanely good but has a terrible noise floor, and the siemens ecc82 is a month late by now and usps tracking looks like its already lost.
Next time I will contact the two distributors that were recommended in the bhc/tube thread when I first asked.
Can someone explain what all this ‘stabilized’ November stuff is? Are they just resin/mixed collector items of the headphones, or is there something beyond the aesthetic value?
The stabilized woods are basically soaked in resin in a vacuum, basically it fills any voids in the wood, the obvious aesthetic difference is there, but in will impact the sound, because it will change the density of the cup material. How much YMMV.
November is just the traditional time he sells B-Stock and one offs (woods he did for a review unit, or trial that he couldn’t source in quantity), if you were an existing owner you used to be able to get him to sell them through the year if you exchanged email with him, but he now pretty much saves them all to the November sale.
I would like to see ZMF do something like this where the knots and burls are part of it and not just filled in. Probably would need to make sure the inside cup surfaces arent voided though.
PRS 24? Is this your axe?
No, right now i only have a Gieger Iceman and a takamine acoustic.
I really should list the iceman for sale.
I finally pulled the trigger on a Pilot Pad and the suede Auteur solid pads with the November B-stock sale. They arrived a few days ago and today was the first time I was able to use them.
The VC sound markedly different and improved with those pads on. I can’t believe how much better clarity and separation are. There is a noticeable and disappointing drop in bass presence and impact with them, but I think the trade off is worth it. Plus, after a few minutes, I get used to them and they sound fantastic anyway. It’s funny, though, reading the descriptions of the materials on the ZMF site:
Natural materials like lambskin and cowhide have darker more “natural” timbre while man made materials like protein and ZMF suede will have more “reflections” from them not being made of natural material. This usually is slightly noticeable and comes across as more “hash” or “glare” than natural materials.
I find the exact opposite to be true. When I listen to any of my headphones with any of the lambskin variants of pads I’ve got, there is a noticeable smearing of highs (cymbals especially) and I guess “glare” for lack of a better word. At times, the VC come across sibilant. Never had this issue with suede. There is so much more space around instruments/layers and much better detail. Weird.
And the Pilot pad is a godsend on my Eikons. That band kept giving me an awful hotspot that would last for days. The Pilot Pad is kind of goofy and annoying to get properly attached, but it is heavenly on the top of my head now that it’s in place.
Now I’m really curious about the hybrid pads. Only a few days left of the pads at these discount prices (according to his site anyway)…