My thought is that the VC is most technical, Atrium next. Between Atticus and Aeolus, Aeolus is probably my preference for overall listening pleasure (agreeing again, I know).
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Now it gets harder to answer. There is much more to these headphones than tonality/how they are voiced.
I own a silkwood Verite Open â my favorite headphone ever. I had a stock wood VO & VC here on loan for a couple weeks 3+ yrs ago. So Iâve heard the VC at length IMS, but not recently. Also, I will confine my comments to the Aeolus, which I am so familiar with (far less so the Attticus).
The Aeolus is warmer than the VO/VC. But the warmth gets dialed back when one moves from the stock Universal performated pads to the Universe perforated suedes, and even more when one moves to the Verite pads (perforated lambskin). My preference is the Universe perforated suedes, which IMO maintain the perfect balance.
No matter which pads one uses, the Aeolus has a midbass hump that is either noticeable (stock Universe pads) or nearly unnoticeable (Verite pads). But at least some midbass bump is always there, and this puts a natural weight in the lower registers. The VC and Atrium do not have this.
The Aeolus is a more resolving headphone than one first thinks (w/stock pads) as soon as one starts pad swapping. But it doesnât approach what the VC can do in terms of speed and detail. The VC itself is slightly warm, but has great musicality due to the realistic tone and timbre of every instrument and voice. The special sauce of the VC is how realistic and natural musical instruments and voices sound. Itâs very fast but not edgy or bright (a neat trick).
The Aeolus and the VC both image very well, very pleasingly with large soundstages and plenty of depth. The sound from both is spacious, perhaps a bit more so with the Aeolus.
The Atrium is another species altogether. I reviewed the Atrium, bought it, sold it to a friend, then recently borrowed it back and got reacquainted with it. Tonally the Atrium strikes me at the âGolden Meanâ of all the ZMFs. Itâs right down the middle, not edgy or bright at all, but also not conspicuously warm. I suppose people who like treble cannons would call it âwarm,â but to me itâs âslightly warmâ at best.
But the trick up the Atriumâs sleeve is the ADS, the new damping system, which is remarkably successfulâthis headphone images like crazy. The soundstage seems to be all around you. Some call it âpsychedelic,â and thatâs not far off. Listening to the Atrium really means (for me, at least) savoring the way it portrays space in an eerily detailed, three dimensional way. Indeed, the greatest feat of detail by the Atrium is spatial, not tonal. All I can say is, you should try to get an audition with one because the sound is seriously different from other ZMFs (other headphones, period).
Frankly I was very relieved to go back to my VO after my first immersive weeks of listening to the Atrium, and realize I still loved that VO sound. The Atrium really affected my point-of-view for a time, though in the long run the VO remains TOTL for me.
For classic technicalities/âplankton,â itâs the VC. For dynamics, itâs the VC going away (that headphone can really pound). For a big, spacious, natural representation of every kind of music, itâs the Aeolus. And for imaging/soundstaging, itâs the Atrium by a country mile, though the VC and Aeolus have very pleasing (albeit more conventional) soundstaging.
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I generally quite agree with @Pharmaboyâs descriptions of Aeolus and VO, but I do feel the Atrium is a âwarmerâ sound than he describes perhaps?
I absolutely love its midrange presentation, it has perhaps some of the sweetest though balanced mids Iâve heard. How it voices acoustical instruments and things like classical violin, cello, or piano are just beautiful. It also does slam pretty hard in the bass when youâre rocking out! 
I am using U perf lambskin pads on mine.
Regarding Aeolus, it also depends on your chain, what else you have in headphones, and what youâre looking for it to do for youâŠ
Iâve tried it with the Univ perf lamb (stock pads), Aeolus pads (very very warm, punchy bass, but to me too much of everything), and Univ perf suede.
I found the stock pads âjust rightâ. To me, the Univ suede pads pushed it to a more âtechnicalâ sound more towards a Verite, or a Focal Clear OG. This was using a Burson Soloist GT. Aeolus will âscaleâ with better amplification too. Prior to getting the Burson I was using a Schiit Lyr 3, which is a fine amp. But the Burson really took them to the next level with clarity and resolution, detail retrieval, and imaging.
But I found I preferred the more balanced but fun sound of the stock pads. I have other headphones for high level resolving of detail and razor sharp clarity.
They also love tubes! (like all ZMF dynamics do)
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I shouldâve mentioned that I owned an aged cherry Atrium and olive VC in the past 
Thank you all for the commentary its very helpful
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Good insight.
I was actually looking at updating to universe suede perforated or BE2 perforated suede.
I actually wouldnât mind getting closer to balanced midrange and exciting treble.
Iâm going to AXPONA next week so guess Iâll just ask lol.
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A couple months ago I borrowed my old Atrium back from the friend I sold it to. Hadnât heard it in quite awhile. Have to agree that itâs a big warmer than I remembered, a bit closer to the Aeolus in that way. The midrange is beyond lovely, as you sayâand the spectacular soundstaging only heightens its impact. Itâs a fantastic, âgoldilocksâ headphone, for sure.
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Sorry, if this is too random. Are ZMF headphones smooth/non-fatiguing?
Been using Aurisionics ASG 2,5 the past 5 years and thatâs pretty much the extent of my experience with audio. Tried a few other iems, but I craved the bass from my Aurisonics. I guesss I might be a basshead.
Ordered my first cans a few days ago. Fostex TH-900. Iâm sure Iâll love it for the bass, but a lot of people call it fatiguing. That itâs nearly impossible to enjoy it for hours on end.
Can I get a pair of non-fatiguing and bass-heavy cans from ZMF? It will be impossible for me to audition any of their cans.
Thanks.
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The non-random answer is âyes,â though the specifics really depend on which ZMF headphone weâre talking about. There are a number of dynamic driver headphones; and the most recent model launch has a planar driver.
A few details, please:
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Budget? Whatâs your top spend for the next headphone?
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Amp? What amp to you plan to use with the Fostex?
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DAC? What will you be using?
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Sonic preferences: it seems you seek smooth & non-fatiguing. But beyond that, do you like sound that is highly detailed? Sound that is musical (sounds like real music)? âWarmâ sound OK? Lots & lots of bass vs quality of bass? (and so on)
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Music preferences: do any particular genres of music matter most to you?
Thanks!
PS: I own 3 ZMFs at present; owned & sold 3 others; and have a loaner (the planar) that I fully intend to buy. So you might say Iâm a ZMF fan. That either makes my advice âauthoritativeâ ⊠or âhighly suspect.â
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I would say both, and your characterization fits me as well! 
(Verite, Atrium, & Aeolus)
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Hi @dan26, welcome to our forum!
A @Pharmaboy said, the short answer is âyesâ, and we need more details like he described.
It will also depend on what you want out of your ZMF, as Atrium has certain strengths which make it really enjoyable, while Verite has others. They are different, but share a lineage and sound/tuning preference.
Both are excellent, it just depends what you want an emphasis on.
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Non-fatiguing can mean different things to different people. For me, fatigue can come from being very detailed and listening for a long time. It can also happen easily when Iâm tired.
The most bass heavy is going to be the Atrium Closed coming out later this months. Early impressions are very positive as they are for the open version which came out a year ago. The Atrium is to me a less fatiguing option than the Verite models because theyâre slightly less detailed. I find tons of detail kind of forces my brain to pay attention to it all, while much of my listening is while on my computer doing other things.
The Atticus is another good, and less expensive, option that you donât have to wait to buy. Plenty of bass, beautiful mids, and an easy listen with plenty of detail, especially for the price. Iâve never found it fatiguing. Itâs probably the most colored ZMF but in the best way. While it may not keep up in technicalities with higher end models, it does in overall enjoyment most of the time.
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I would also add several things (regarding the Aeolus):
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The Aeolus (open-back version of the Atticus) has a well-earned reputation as one of the most musical and âfunâ of all the ZMF dynamics. Hard to explain exactly why I smile every single time I hear itâŠbut I do.
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All ZMF dynamics have multiple ZMF earpad options that can considerably fine-tune the sound for each listener. That is to say, the basic sound profile doesnât change: but subtle things like amt of mid-bass punch, upper midrange âbite,â and fine aspects of the soundstage do change. I have personally experienced this with the Aeolus: the stock pads are bassist and most âfunâ; the perforated universe suedes bring down the mid-bass a bit and bring up the treble very slightly, for a more level, yet still fun sound. And the Verite pads flatten the sound top-to-bottom, bringing out this headphoneâs considerable resolution that few ever seem to mention.
The perforated universe suedes were my favorite from the first listen. Never even thought of taking those off again.
Like the closed back Atticus, Aeolus are still available new for non-outrageous prices, and come up F.S. fairly often.
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Very informative discussion for the potential ZMF first-time buyer. I am interested in the Auteur Classic and maybe the Aeolus. I am unable to hear and compare them in Canada. The amplifier is the SPL Phonitor se. I read somewhere on this forum that the Aeolus plays wonderfully with this amplifier. I have no interest in tubes amplifiers, for the sake of simplicity. What is the best choice for classical music? The more I read about ZMF, the more obvious it seems to me that what Harbeth is in the world of loudspeakers, ZMF is in the head-fi world. In both cases, tonal accuracy is important. I presently use the Sennheiser HD6XX. Digital source is a Roksan cdi K3 CD player, sometimes used as a transport with the La Voce S3 dac (Aqua Acoustic). At a higher price, the Vérité Open is another possibility. What do you think?
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I own 4 ZMFs at the moment (the original Ori; blackwood Aeolus; Verite open, and oak Caldera) and previously owned the Atrium open and Eikon.
And this is one of the more intriguing and âit just feels rightâ statements Iâve ever read about ZMF headphones. Yes, tonal accuracy is paramountâactually, musicality, capturing the musical realism of music (as if hearing it in a real space) is paramount.
Iâve heard Harbeth several times, and the comparison is accurate. Both ZMF and Harbeth are designed to capture the heart of the music being played. Itâs a given that no audio transducer can fully convey the true scale, dynamics, volume, and spatial depth of real music. But transducers like these very cleverly and carefully excerpt all that is necessary to give the illusion of real music. We really canât ask for more than that.
Iâve heard both the Auteur and Auteur classic. IMHO the very best ZMFs for classical music would be the Verite open, followed by the Auteur classic. Classical music being >3/4s of what I listen to, Iâve given this some thought.
PS: The Aeolus is also a superb classical music headphone. It has a well deserved reputation as a party/feel good headphone, which is totally true. But with the right pads, it has way more natural resolution than most give it credit for, and classical music sounds pretty great on it.
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ZMF user. Old thread, yes.
After trying many cans over the years, Iâve attained my end-game: ZMF Auteur (OG), Eikon, and Atrium (Open). Tube, SS Iâve done it.
With that, I would never have my selections if I didnât have the 7 years of A/Bâing I had.
Sit tight, enjoy and set budget limits. (Side note: Iâm retiredâŠ)
Best,
Bill
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Still playing around with different tubes, but I think my endgame is this ZMF Atrium and ZMF Pendant. Just brilliant, I get happy every time I use them.
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Looks great too, with matching look to your desk as well. 
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Yeah, that wasnât intentional but a nice coincidence! The whole set-up is very aesthetic
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Just what I wanted to know, thanks. ZMF is one of the few innovators in the headphone world, maybe the new damping system will be integrated into the more affordable models like the Aeolus. Fascinating evolution, seldom seen elsewhere.
Question for the hivemind:
I have been using a pair of ZMF VOs for the past 2 years, and have had so much enjoyment with them. In planning for finding the next higher level of âdo it allâ primary headphone, I borrowed a friendâs Susvara and while it sounds beautiful and obviously very detailed, and with great vocals, I feel like it lacks a certain magic. Almost like itâs too neutral. I like how it has some technical advantages over the VO but it doesnât bring as much of a smile as when I listen to the ZMF.
Is the Caldera the one for me then? This is paired with the Ampsandsound Nautilus running either 6L6GC or KT88 (I had to switch back to the bigger tube this week for the Susvara).
TIA.
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