I ordered the following B-stock pads before heading out to Germany for a 10 day vacation:
Co-pilot pad
Auteur hybrid solid
BE2 hybrid solid
Eikon hybrid solid
Ori hybrid solid
Universe hybrid solid
Got back yesterday but was in no mental state to do anything but collapse on the couch after the 11 hour flight. Not much better today, but I’m listening.
First things, first: I love the BE2 pads on the VC. They might be my favorite of any pad and I’m annoyed with myself for not trying them sooner. The drop in bass quantity was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting and the brighter signature brought so much more detail out. Layering and separation also seem to be even better. Cymbals are so sharp and crisp without being painful or sibilant. Guitars have more bite to them. The stage is still surprisingly wide, too, despite the flatter profile of the pads.
Defying my skepticism, the Auteur hybrid sound fantastic. I really dislike the lambskin ones due to them sounding smeared or glared and I expected the same basic performance here since they’re effectively the same pads. Despite the only difference between these being the suede face, they don’t exhibit the same issues with the lambskin ones. At the moment, they’re right behind the BE2 in terms of how much I like them.
I now have 12 sets of ZMF ear pads between my three sets of headphones.
Someone had asked my opinion on how the brise cables would pair with zmf, and I realized I had never tried it with my vc. I was a bit reluctant because the vc aren’t particularly to my taste (ie. I like them but that’s as far as it goes), but I at least wanted to help by giving my thoughts. For a bit of context, the VC are a bit too rich and thick (-er than life) in tone, and they’re not as accurate (ie. colored) as I’d like, but the main criticism I have is that the upper-midrange/lower-treble are too dead and lacking in energy (ie. sounds too damped). They’re still a good closed-back hp, but they’re not something I go out of my way to listen to. I’m glad I tried them with the brise though…
Chain: linn satie → allnic hpa3000gt → zmf vc (auteur pads… I think) → brise audio yatono (via dhc adapters)
[overall a very clean, technical, and neutral chain above]
Well to my surprise, the pairing is fantastic. While the yatono didn’t “fix” the issues I have with the VC, my main takeaway was that the combo is very inviting to listen to. The brise takes their richer and more colored tone and pushes it forward but makes sure not to go overboard with it. Unlike the danacable I previously paired with them, which I think further exacerbates the VC’s flaws, the brise tends to refine everything and offer them great balance. This pairing gives plenty of weight and density to the sound yet it is so tightly tuned in its delivery that it makes me ignore the VC’s shortcomings (to a certain but meaningful degree). And it does well highlighting and leaning into their rich and pleasing “zmf tone” that I think a lot of people are a fan of, instead of trying to compensate. The pairing is quite good (even though it’s still not my jam) and I felt I had to add it to my standout pairings in the article. For people that want a warmer (in the bass) and more macro-leaning presentation, the brise pairing likely won’t satisfy.
If I recall correctlt and looking at graphs atrium closed are v shaped.
I was thinking about getting a zmf auteur classic as my first zmf to try their warm house sound, seems like they will be nice and colored in a balanced way.
The fostex th900ltd are also on my list those would be my “basshead” headphones
I thought it would cost more or less the same to go for an atrium closed only instead of those 2 headphones but I dont know if its a good idea.
Do you or anyone think the atrium closed could make a good case for replacing those 2 (auteur+th900ltd) for getting to know zmf and having some bassy cans?
Or are the th900ltd straight up more v shaped if anyone knows.
I’ve had my Atrium Closed for a little over a week at this point, so I feel like I can shed a little light. I’ve had an OG Auteur for quite a few years and got to demo an Auteur Classic for a week last year as well.
I think the elevated bass on the Atrium Closed is the most prominent thing you notice when you first put them on with the stock Lambskin Caldera Thin pads. It extends deep and has a visceral quaility to it. It took me a few days of both brain and perhaps driver burn-in to settle in and get accustomed to it. After that, I really started to enjoy the strong bass foundation in lots of songs where I’d never noticed the bass specifically.
I don’t find the AC particularly bright at all. I don’t know if elevated treble is required for something to be “V-shaped”. I think the mids and treble are well-represented overall. You can tame the bass quite a bit with different pads. The Caldera Suede pads make for a more balanced response with less emphasis on the bass. I find the fun factor to be diminished with the Caldera Suedes though, so they don’t fit my use case. I want a contrast to my Meze Elite with Angled Alcantara pads, so I want to keep the bassy quality of the AC intact.
The pads I’ve settled on are the Bokeh Suedes that Zach from ZMF recommended as a third option that was between the stock Lambskin Caldera Thins and Caldera Suedes. Instead of being fully perforated like the Caldera pads, the Bokeh pads are solid on the inner walls of the pads. The bass level is slightly lower with these than the stock pads but more elevated than the Caldera Suedes. For me it seems like the sweet spot. I may eventually go back to the stock pads for the added fun they provide, but for now I’m sticking with the Bokeh Suedes.
As far as which ZMF you should choose, the Auteur Classic is the safer choice. Then again, if you were looking to have a “basshead” set of headphones as well, I think the AC might be able to fill both of your needs if you’re willing to roll pads for different bass profiles. Use the stock pads when you want to really feel the bass, and switch to the Caldera Suedes when you want a more balanced “Auteur” type of sound. I don’t have any experience with the TH900LTD, so I can’t speak to those specifically.
Personally, I think either the Atrium Open or Auteur Classic are a better way to be introduced to the ZMF house sound. I love my Atrium Closed, but I don’t know if it should be anyone’s first ZMF, because (a) it’s expensive and (b) it’s not really representative of the house sound so you won’t necessarily know if you’ll like any other ZMFs. If you really want a bassy ZMF on a budget, the Eikon might be a better choice. Just my opinion, based on cost, not quality or enjoyment.
But if you were looking at the Atrium Closed, I agree with @ckhirnigs, I don’t think of it as V-shaped because the mids don’t sound scooped out to me. For my taste and my gear, the mids are overwhelmed by the bass when using the stock Caldera Thin pads. Having said that, I’ve heard the same headphone and pads on the ZMF Decware OTL and the bass didn’t seem overwhelming, which I thought was interesting.
My favorite pads are the Caldera suede, which bring the bass down a little, but not too much for me, because I still want it to emphasize the bass. I haven’t tried the Bokeh suede yet.
I’ve thought it over a bit more, and I really think the Auteur Classic is the perfect introduction to ZMF. They are hard not to like. Some other models do things a bit better, but overall the Classic is solid and very pleasant sounding with any genre of music. The price is right too.
@PaisleyUnderground is probably correct that the Atrium Closed would be a strange first ZMF to try. Then again, the fact that they can easily change from a TOTL “bass head” headphone to a more balanced, sensible headphone with a simple change of pads might fit @MacDLaw’s use case pretty perfectly.
I didnt want to end up with too many headphones lol way too many keepers already, so I thought I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone stone by getting the “close to a basshead” sound that I want with the atrium closed and frankly I dont like fostex build quality.
But not getting the house signature of zmf on my first one would be kind of a shame, THEY ARE expensive.
Its like the people who started out grado with a hemp or audio technica with m50x thats not what those brands sound like at all so I get that feeling.
For example the grado hemp are great headphones for the price, but the only grado thing they have is the bass, everything else is unlike grado, too dark and warm.
The elevated biocellulose bass of the atrium closed is mainly what im looking for, thats what I wanted the fostex for, bass slam, rumble and punch. Not precisely because of their treble (even tho its very good).
Although I would prefer a v shape because I love treble I dont think that would be a problem, the way both of you describe it sounds like its not really v shaped like the fr charts show. Still should have enough treble I guess to not be considered dark leaning.
When I say I want a basshead headphone either the atrium closed or the th900ltd should suffice. As im really a treblehead the bass of my basshead headphones neednt be that extreme.
The atrium closed do fit my use case but missing out on the real zmf house sounds is big downside.
Both options are still on the table for the moment.
It would be cool to know if the technical capabilities of atrium closed are as high as the th900ltd because those I could hear are really very good for bass and clean enough as well, Its the best (augmented) bass ive ever heard lol.
Just to muddy the waters even further, I’m back to using the stock Lambskin Caldera Thin pads on my Atrium Closed after being pretty sure I was going to stick with the Bokeh Suedes. It may be all in my head, but these headphones seems to have changed quite a bit over the first 100 hours of use. As of tonight, the bass seems to be ideal with the stock lambskin pads whereas even two days ago I felt it was a bit too strong for long listening sessions. I’d encourage any AC owners to make sure to pad roll after a couple weeks of getting the headphones. Your initial pad choice might change after the drivers are fully burned in.
Brand new it was stiffy and muffled. At about the 1.5 hours in it all snapped and it was the best ive heard it. I put it on the side and played it on the stand to break in. I checked at 50 and 100 hours and it was like someone over smoother the sound and rounded the edges too much.
Swapping to the more open mesh and adding a very pricey cable brought most it back, to where i miss my headphone. But at that point the headphones were already sold as the cable took months too long.
How’s the clarity on the Caldera? The VO and VC were more veiled than I liked as I tried other things.
Would the clarity be up there with something like a D8KP or Utopia?
Is the bass in the same area as a D8KP?
I think it has the best clarity of the ZMFs but if I need something to compare 2 different masters of the same album, I reach for the Utopia 2022. Not a slam on the Caldera, since that’s the headphone I use the most for enjoying music.
If your definition of clarity is a slight boost in treble (which I don’t think it is), you can always switch pads to add treble. For instance, I’ve never had a problem with clarity on my VO since switching to BE2 pads, which accentuate the treble a bit and also fills in the mids.
Many have described the AC like the AO.
With the focus that the AC has a little more sub-bass than the AO.
For AO owners, the AC is not necessarily an upgrade if they already like the AO.
Tonally they are supposed to be very similar and a lot of things are supposed to be subtle.
What I think is a pity is that before the AC it was easy to say that a ZMF beginner should go for the AO.
Now it’s more difficult for people to decide, even more so if you haven’t heard both.
With the Verite it was much clearer but here the difference was more obvious because of his Berilyum
driver between open and closed.
Another comment from me
Auteur classic, AO and Ac share the same driver in the line.
Whilst Auteur benefits from the ADS, it can easily pass as a baby Atrium.
It has everything that the Atrium can do, but much less, while the Atrium does many things better.
And between AO and AC, it’s simply a matter of taste in the end.
What I notice again and again is that the Zmf’s react extremely well to tube amplifiers.
A colleague has the same amplifier as me, the difference is that he uses the HD800 and I use the Atrium.
And we have recommended and bought tube combos for each other.
While he didn’t like my suggestions on the HD800, I liked mine and his equally on the Atrium.
It’s really amazing how much headphones can differ.
As a classical music listener, it’s hard to get him away from the HD800, even if I think the Verite would be the better draw.
As is so often the case, it’s ultimately a question of personal taste.
In fact, I bought the Atrium blind without having heard it.
There are times when I think the bass might be a bit weak, but then I change the tubes or I live with it.
Both always work very well here.
I think the rest of the Atrium is very good.
The Auteur Og is very good but sometimes also flat, so for me the two go well together.
Just for clarification, all 3 of these headphones use the same type of drivers (biocellulose), but only the Atrium and Atrium Closed use the same driver.
I’ve switched pads yet again on my Atrium Closed. I finally did some casual back-to-back comparisons with my Meze Elite, and I found the stock pads to have too much bass on the AC. I was hearing quite a bit more bass detail with the Elite, so I switched to the Caldera Suede pads to bring the bass level down. This is proving to be a good choice. Bass quantity is still higher than the Elite, but it’s not overpowering or distracting anymore.
In the end, I’m glad I have 3 good pad options for my AC. I can changes pads pretty quickly now, so I’ll probably change them periodically when the mood strikes. For this week at least, Caldera Suedes are winning me over.
Every time I switch pads on my AC, I always seem to return to the Caldera suedes. I need to spend more time with the Bokeh suede pads, which I had a hell of a time getting on my Caldera. I did like the sound, for the brief amount of time I tried them, but the bass sounded a little flabbier than with the Caldera suede pads, and I didn’t have the patience to switch back and forth because it was so hard to get the Bokeh pads onto the AC.
I’ve been going between the Caldera suede and ultra perf. Suede isn’t bad at all but you lose some details or they’re really hard to spot. I think the caldera stock leather will be perfect for me, well I hope. The BE2 pads aren’t bad either but they’re really shallow.
I should have been clearer in my post (now edited). I like how my Atrium Closed sounds with the suede pads, but didn’t really like those pads on my Caldera, which sounded a little too smoothed over for me with the suedes. My favorite pads on the Caldera are the stock leather pads (how did the seller not give you a pair of those???), but I know that some people like the thick leather pads to tone down the treble.
