This is interesting. I’m assuming this is a replacement of the Auteur because they’re not selling the Auteur or Eikon on the site any more.
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Those are discontinued. The auteur will come back as “auteur classic” with the new damping system used in the Atrium.
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Auteur “classic” returns in the summer. No immediate plans for Eikon to return.
The Atrium sounds quite different vs. Auteur as well as both Verite, yet still maintains that ZMF house sound.
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What type of driver does it have?
300 ohm Bio-cellulose.
THE ZMF ATRIUM HEADPHONES PATENT PENDING ACOUSTIC DESIGN — ZMF Headphones
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YouTube too:
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Love me a good bio-cellulose driver… want to hear them!
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So I LOVED the eikon, but I sold it to try other things. I’ve now tried cans from sennheiser, focal, audeze, akg, ect and i still MISS the Eikon. Now it’s discontinued and this cost $1000 more. I assume I would love this too, but dang!
I’m sure curiosity will get the best of me…
The bright side is Eikons come up used fairly regularly, so if you really want to go back, you should be able to. I miss my Eikon too, it’s such a fun listen.
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I am.
My guess is the Atrium will be a big seller for ZMF. It’s a fantastic looking & sounding headphone IMHO.
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Do you think it’s better than the Verite?
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No, I don’t. The silkwood Verite Open remains my favorite headphone.
The Atrium sounds rather different from the VO–from every other headphone I’ve heard. The different-ness of its sound makes comparisons somewhat challenging.
My Atrium review is here, along with 3 other reviews:
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Normally I’d take at least a few days to gather my thoughts but I’ll just say the Atrium is another unique entry to the ZMF line up. There are certainly similarities to be heard between VO and Atrium but both are distinctly different with different strengths. I’ve just gotten the vented titan mesh in and will be switching them over in the coming days. The one thing that stood out on first impression is it’s thunderous bass response.
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What I’m curious about is how it compares to the Auteur. Have you compared them?
Ordered a magnesium aged copper Atrium this morning and it’s going to be my first ZMF ever (it’s joining my Susvara and LCD-5)… super excited about this one.
I had my eyes on a VC for a long time and generally wanted to see and hear what all the fuss is about as it seems anybody who owns a ZMF is such a huge fan of the brand.
All the reviews of the Atrium made me think this will be a good addition and fits the sound profile I enjoy. I hope this will represent the brand and dynamic drivers in my collection for a while. One day I might still snag a Olive LTD VC if it shows up used.
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Unfortunately the last I’ve heard the Auteur was before the pandemic so I’m probably not the best person to ask but the Atrium is noticeably darker and punches way harder and that’s about as much comparison that I’m capable of providing.
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It must be said that the 3 earpad options being talked about for the Atrium make a real difference in overall sound:
- Universal pads (stock)
- Atrium pads
- BE2 pads
All are perforated lambskin and nearly impossible to tell apart (thank god for the well marked plastic zip/bags they came in).
Anyway, I did 99% of my listening to the stock Universal pads and loved that sound.
When I switched to the Auteur pads (described as warmer), I was surprised at the big tonal shift: everything became swoon-inducing, ravishing beauty. And I do mean beauty. It was magical for classical music (if I had 2 Atriums I’d put Auteur pads on one just for classical), but less magical for everything else.
By contrast, the BE2 pads (described as brighter) really were brighter. Not to the point of ear-bleed, but there was a noticeable lift in the upper mids/treble and somewhat of a cut in the bass impact.
So IMO the Atrium is operationally somewhat similar to the Aeolus, the sound of which can be readily and sanely adjusted by using stock Universe pads; perforated suede Universe pads (my clear favorite); or Verite pads (very nice, too), in order of warmest-to-least warm.
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Mids are not quite as forward, treble is less, bass has more body and presence while it quickly comes and goes on the Auteur. Details and expansive soundstage are much better on the Atrium.
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Having been able to spend some time with the Atrium (about two weeks), I definitely agree.
The soundstage of the Atrium is part of what makes it so special. Very speaker like, airy but not in an overpowering or lacking way. Just right.
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