I will watch the video, but he’s a bit late to the party! It’s been one of my favorites since I got it! 
I have the launch version in aged oak/copper, sounds great and elegant looking too.
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I’m really digging my new Ash Atrium Closed so far. I’ve had them for about a week, and I stuck to the stock pads until last night. I got 3 sets of alternative pads at Zach’s recommendation, the Caldera Suedes, Bokeh Suedes, and Auteur Suede Solids.
My main headphones are the Meze Elite, so I was looking for maximum contrast with the Atrium Closed. With that in mind, I feel the stock Lambskin Caldera Thin pads offer the most bombastic sound. Bass is most present and impactful with the stock pads. At first this was a bit overwhelming, but whether from driver or brain burn-in I felt things became more balanced and less fatiguing after a few days. The bass is amazingly deep and textured. It’s very impressive and managed to change the way familiar songs presented themselves at times.
The Caldera Suede pads took a little bit too much of the magical bass away for my preference. They still sounded like an AC, but a bit more balanced and less fun. If these were my main headphones, I’d probably be more likely to consider these as a viable option. I have my Elite with Angled Alcantara pads for when I’m craving a more-balanced presentation.
Next up was the Bokeh Suede pads. Zach recommended these to me as a third option when I ordered my AC. Physically, they’re like a Suede Caldera Thin with solid inner walls vs perforated inner walls on all the Caldera pads. These have a little bit less bass than the stock pads. The bass reduction was just enough to lessen the minor fatigue I was experiencing from the strong bass profile of the stock pads after a long listening session. These Bokeh pads were pretty hard to fit on the AC, and I found them less comfortable than the stock or Caldera Suede pads. Sound wise they might end up being my sweet spot.
The last pads I tried were the Auteur Suede Solids. These were the most comfortable for my largish ears, but unfortunately I didn’t find the sound to be as good as the perforated pads. They sounded a bit more closed in and the bass level was still a bit too much for my liking. I think the heavy bass presence of the stock pads is mitigated by the fact that they are perforated and very open sounding. I’ll probably sell these pads since I don’t foresee myself using them again. I know a few AC owners like these, so it may be be an issue of system synergy.
Here’s some glamour shots of my beauties:
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Thanks, that’s really useful. I prefer the Caldera suede pads to the Caldera lambskin thins, but as you say, but I’ve been hoping that Zach would create something that sounded in between those two, with just a bit more bass presence than the suedes. It sounds like the Bokeh suedes are the goldilocks pads, so I’ll order a pair for myself.
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Zach described the Bokeh Suede as a middle ground between the Lambskin Caldera Thins and Caldera Suedes, and I think he was spot on in his assessment.
As a small update, after a few more days I have gone back to the stock lambskin pads. The bass seems to have settled in at a level that is pretty much perfect for my preferences with the stock pads. Even two days ago I was pretty much settled on the Bokeh Suedes as a means to scale back the bass just a bit. AC owners should be sure to try different pads after 100+ hours of burn-in to see if their pad choice might change. Mine sure did!
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I bet it does! I love my Atrium. 
It also sounds pretty damned great on a DSHA-3FN! 
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Hi Guys,
Need some help here.
I have a set of Atrium closed that I absolutely love and are one of my favorite headphones.
The other day while doing my normal night listening session the left hand driver just stopped playing bass and sounds a few db lower than the right hand side.
I tried changing the cable from left to right tried a diferent amp/dac etc and confirmed driver has failed but not completely.
I tried contacting various times ZMF via there website form but had not response.
I then tried another email but no luck. I then tried sending them direct emails and still nothing.
Email I used is: “support@zmfheadphones.com”
How long does it normally take for a response? Weeks? months?
I don’t mind paying for any repairs but not confident I am going to be getting a response.
Does anyone have a better way of contacting zmf for a repair?
A bit lost on what to do.
Edit: I also tried contacting Acorn Audio as they are the UK distributors but they email back with this:
Hi ,
Unfortunately we can only do service/repair requests for our direct sales.
Kind regards,
Unless there was a show in progress, I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait more than 24 hours for a response via email.
Are you sure they’ve not responded and it has just wound up in your spam/junk folder?
If not, I’d drop a polite note on the appropriate thread on head-fi.org saying something to the effect of “I have a repair issue, but don’t seem to be getting a response from support” and tag “zach915m” in the message.
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Most of my queries were same day, but it’s been a while since I exchanged email with them.
They might just be busy ATM.
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Newbie here, and to amps. I was driving the atriums out of a thx 887, an amp with low output impedance.
I would get a tube amp if the funds were there, or maybe a high output impedance solid state. My question is, if you add resistors in series to the amp, such as through a 3.5mm impedance adapter, would this effectively increase the output impedance of the amp as seen by the headphone?
I saw through some measurements online that there was a bass resonance in some impedance measurements on the atriums around 70 or 80 hz. If I were to add an 80-100 ohm impedance adapter, would I hear similar behavior in the frequency response of the atriums?
I would test it myself, but I sent my pair in for repair (they were bought secondhand and had some issues with the headband chassis)
I also found a beyerdynamic A20 amp which has 100 ohm output impedance (I know zach has recommended this amp as a solid state option).
So, is my reasoning with the impedance adapter completely off? I know that DMS for example has discussed using a 100 ohm impedance adapter with his Omegas, and I’ve seen measurements online boosting some of the bass region. I know that uses a peerless driver, but could I expect something similar with an atrium, being that it is a dynamic driver?
Sorry again if these are stupid questions, I am a novice afterall.
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You can increase the output impedance for a headphone with resistors, but the easiest way by far is just to get an impedance adaptor like one of these: https://penonaudio.com/3.5mm-impedance-adapter.html
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Opinions on tweaks, like an impedance adapter, will vary, but objectively, anything you put in the signal path is going to (at least slightly) degrade the signal. That can vary a lot, depending on what the tweak/adapter/element is, and I won’t claim to know how much an impedance adapter does in terms of signal degradation - probably not too much. In general though, unless you really feel like it’s needed to fix a problem that’s audibly bugging you, there isn’t a reason to do it.
Having a low output impedance amp isn’t an issue, even if your headphones have a high impedance. Raising output impedance past a certain point, in a ratio to the input impedance of your headphone, can start to affect the frequency response of the headphone, most often in the bass region. You can do this on purpose, and might even find it desirable, but ultimately, you’re altering the “native” behavior of the headphone.
If you like how the Atrium sounds out of your THX 887, you shouldn’t feel like you need to do anything.
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An impedance adapter will have basically the same impact as the higher impedance output of an amplifier, with the caveat, amp impedance does vary a bit by frequency and a resistor in a box won’t do that. It will mean you have to turn the volume up to get the same output level which will increase distortion as well (how much depends a lot on the amp design, tube amps in particular have distortion that rise with output level).
Basically you get a voltage divider between the load impedance and the output impedance, if the output impedance is small relative to the load impedance you basically get a voltage source, so the output you get is the measured frequency response into a constant load, even though the actual load isn’t constant across the frequency range.
If the Output impedance is in the same ballpark as the load impedance then the FR is no longer flat it to some extent follows the Impedance variation of the load (headphone). So something like an HD600 where the impedance rises pretty dramatically in the Bass and Treble regions, you get a lift there in the FR from an amplifier that has a higher output impedance. And it’s commonly the case you get a bit of a bass boost for Dynamic drivers because they all increase in impedance in the Bass frequencies. In some cases this can come across bloated and uncontrolled, which is why the ratio of load impedance to output impedance is often described as an amps ability to “control” a driver.
In effect the higher output impedance is basically partly acting as a current source rather than a pure voltage source.
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I just ordered these headphones… Friday? I really hope they get here sooner than later because I took on a good chunk of debt for them. I figured that I couldn’t stand waiting for my Tungsten anymore so these are something to scratch the itch while I wait a little longer for them.
I might as well talk about myself in the hobby for a bit. I am a meat and potatoes kind of guy, I enjoy the mystery of headphones and hardware, and I work to avoid the pitfalls of it while appreciating what the hardware itself provides. Confirmation bias is real, but this hobby is SO nuanced and subjective that I think it’s ok to have favorite headphones for various reasons. For some reason I greatly enjoy difficult to drive headphones while also loving tubes. I just want something different for an experience. And of my 20+ mid-fi headphones I learned this much. I like the ability to change gear so I can change the experience, rather than doing EQ. My logic is that I’m only in control up to a point of piecing together the tubes pads dac amp cable etc etc. Beyond that it’s just something I can enjoy, either sitting back and relaxing or in front of a flicker box (PC). I do NOT enjoy tinkering with the sound then assuming I can tell the differences. I DO like letting the hardware carry me.
I do like learning about the scientific side of things because this is one of my hobbies. What of listening to music is science? At the same time how do you convey an experience to someone else without breaking it down?
I chose the Atrium because of my journey through life, through my wallet, and my life experiences. I had an HDB630 ordered but bought a project car and cancelled it. The Strada peaked my interest but I wanted something with high ohm’s. Something warm and enveloping. Bokeh was what I was going to get but watched some reviews and chose the Atrium. In the end these are the most expensive headphones I will own even as a “stop gap” but they just spoke to me.
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I bought a Bokeh closed recently and love it for a specific use-closed back forgiving, fun headphone especially (in my case) for electric rock, blues and related distorted heavy guitar based genres that tend to have less than pristine recording quality. But the Atrium is def on my shortlist for my next high end HP as an open back ZMF endgame alternative to my Bokeh. I’d probably want to invest in a proper OTL, though. Currently have a Lyr+ as my only tube option. I also read that the that Violectrics are a good solid state option and I have the old school 280 that might fit the bill. I’m also considering looking for a used LCD-4 but that’s another thread LOL. Let us know how you get on with your Atrium Klute!
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Just got them today! I’m having a difficult time writing anything about them because….. well I’m listening to music and don’t exactly want to be typing right now.
I put them on my smsl su-9 and topping A70pro because I didn’t have the foresight to hook up my tube amp and dac. I’m…….. going to stop typing now
sad panda noises I couldn’t find my XLR to 4.4 adapter, the one I have is 2.5 and lord only knows where the 4.4 is, so no tube amp tonight. I think that this is legitimately the first time I’ve been able to sort through someone describing a headphone in text and graph form and been able to understand what they’re saying. I’ve never been good at describing audio qualities or reading graphs, I just know what I like. The thing that really got me into this hobby, was going from a bland headset to a boring neutral headphone, to hearing the dt770 80ohm and geeking out because they sounded so “different”. I enjoy different which is probably why I have so many headphones now. But this is my first set of high-end headphones
*rewrite: I have spent most of the day/evening/night listening to music and researching these headphones. I find that it is truly difficult to understand a headphone until you have your hands on it. What I’ve found is that loud and fast music like yellow claw can be aggressive in stock configuration. While anything less is a dream. I have pad swapped and will be changing the mesh along with more pad swap’s to come based off reviews. These headphones are amazing I just want them to handle aggressive electronica better. Now I have to say that when you slow it down just a touch they become pure gold. I haven’t heard anything like this in the 6 or so years I’ve been in the headphone space. Going from yellow claw to bliss greatest hit’s or fleetwood mac is unlike anything I’ve experienced. It’s been an emotional journey for sure. When I got my focal Elex I absolutely disliked it, today it “was” my favorite headphone. The fact that these blew me away from the start is incredible. I truly enjoy this hobby in a tactile way; I don’t like to EQ at all rather I enjoy using equipment and mods to change my sound to suit my tastes. When I first got these headphones I listened to my current favorite album by the chainsmokers “breathe” then tried to quickly switch to my tube amp. That didn’t work out but I was speechless and sometimes thoughtless as I couldn’t even focus on my search for the right cables for my Centaurus and dragon which has been waiting for my Tungsten and partially unused.
I can’t explain these headphones any better than the cacophony of respected reviewers that adore it, rather I can say that I hang on every word they say and agree completely. I live for thing’s like this in the hobby, finding people I respect the opinion of and listening to what they recommend to understand what they’re saying. I will be modding and rolling this headphone, not because I don’t greatly enjoy it, rather it’s a love of mine.
The only thing I didn’t fully understand is output impedance because I only have one amp with a 4.4 and my short sighted nature left me with that as the only option, rather something with incredibly low output impedance.
I am spending time with the equipment at my disposal and I’m loving it.
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Hi, I do not want to spoil ZMF party here. I love ZMF tunning. However, I want to ask if you have experienced the following problem. I purchased used Bokeh stabilized wood few months ago. I turned out that in both caps the wood near the screws holding the driver part was seriously cracked. In one cap it was in 3 out of 6 wholes. This is mechanical integrity and possible even sound issue. I was able to fix all of them with some wood filling chemicals. However, some disappointment is still with me. Take a look at the picture. Is it a systemic issue considering that the screws go directly into the caps wood? Any similar issues that you have found?
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I’d definitely suggest reaching out to ZMF customer service. They are as good as it gets. I’m sure they’ll be able to help. I’ve never seen anything like what you’re describing on any ZMF headphones before. Good luck!
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I can’t tell from your picture, but is that an actual hole or cavity in the outside of the cup? If it’s just an anomaly in the appearance of the wood, it may be natural. Like the fellow below, I suggest you reach out to their customer service. They are great and will respond quickly.
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Yeah looks like a natural feature of the wood. Hard to tell in the picture. If it’s stablized….. I would be astonished if the wood was cracking. I just took my Atrium off to look at them and there is a “feature” near the left ear cup, far closer than yours and it’s not stabilized. Without a clearer picture I’d have to say you have literally nothing to worry about.
*I’ll just give an update on my Atrium journey since purchase apparently a month in. I have tried a couple of times a week to take these off and listen to something else, and….. all of my collection of mid-tier headphones just offer nothing to me. I have at least 14 “keepers” and I don’t want to listen to any of them. I do have a slight squeek in on of the mounting mechanism’s but it is ONLY when I take them off and turn it 90 degrees. This is to be expected with a metal construction and I haven’t even bothered to contact ZMF for a solution. Why? Because it’s only when I’m putting them on or taking them off. It’s not like my XS which clicks for half an hour after putting them on. Honestly if I knew then what I knew now I would have purchased these as my first headphone and been on the upside financially. But this has been a hobby for me and reaching an informed endgame was not a cheap one. My headphones are as basic as it get’s for ZMF but…….. I mean I can’t really ask for anything more. The sound quality is stellar and the build quality is next to none that I own. After wearing for 4+ hours I get a hotspot behind my ears but a simple adjustment of where they sit on my head does the trick. They are a heavy headphone and can’t compete with something like the R70X-Refine but you gain an inconceivable amount of immersion. I haven’t had to contact ZMF, only for a question about humidity and the answer I got was sufficient. Treat it like a guitar. Well I’m going to treat it like a golden headphone in my collection and use the bejesus out of it with no special care. If I have an issue I’ll deal with it then. There is no reason to obsess over thing’s out of my control. I keep a decent humidity in my house but live in CO where it’s dry. If something happens I’ll rely on ZMF for a solution.
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