Hellow!
Judging from your shortlist, I get the perception that you are not only after a good sound, whatever that might mean to you, but you also value a good build quality, durability, good looks, maybe long term comfort - it that right?
You haven't told us anything about your taste or preferences really - you said you liked your headphones to perform well at pretty much everything people use headphones for.
What kind of headphones you tried and liked so far? Which Atrium is in your radar? why did you shortlist these specific cans - what is your decision criteria. Without knowing these at least, people will tell you what they think is better for them, not what they think is better for you.
Objective headphone review and recommendation is a myth in my opinion. What sounds great and is very comfortable and looks great for someone else might sound not so good to you, might feel like a medieval torture device physically and be very ugly as per your taste. So try to find our reviews that provide you with a wide variety of objective data and information. I'd recommend
solderdude's site but I don't think he reviewed any Atriums or Empyrean II. Your best change is to see if you can get to try them before you buy them honestly.
Based on where I live, unfortunately there isn't an audio store close by for me to try any high-end headphones out
So I'm trying to go off other peoples perspectives and reviews.
The headphones I've tried so far are Superlux HD688B, M50x, Philips SHP9500, Philips X2HR, DT 1770 Pro, LCD 2 (Fazor), Audeze Maxwell. So far out of all of these, the LCD 2 Fazor edition with my old 789 AMP was my favourite. I also loved the V shape sound of the Maxwell Immersive preset.
If I were to only have 1 headphone, I want something in the middle that can be played across all genres.
I typically look for something that doesn't sound too harsh in the treble, has really good mid-range and detail, while being relaxing enough to not sound fatiguing to my ears. I also prefer if soundstage is expansive for the instruments while the vocals stay sort of intimate. I also prefer if the bass is not too overpowering but I like a bit of punch. I prefer more of fun rather than a reference sounding headphone.
My friend was kind enough to sell me his used euforia ae and his dx9. And I heard these 3 headphones suit really well for them.
The reason why I am interested in the Empy 2 is because of its overall design, build quality, cabling and it looks to be more comfortable aswell. The black and silver look matches my setup and it is machined so well and really appreciate the amount of engineering put into these. The intricacies of the cup and the carbon fibre headband makes me really happy. As for the sound, I heard that it is a really fun, warm, lush headphone while having the details still there.
I am also interested on the Atriums for the same reason. I love the gorgeous wood design and how it'll be unique for every customer and how it is one of the best headphones for mid-range and it'll only excel when using tubes. With its warm and punchy sound signature, I thought it'll be a great compliment to the HD800s.
I've been interested on the HD800/s ever since I was a kid. I've always dreamed of owning one. So it kind of has a sort of achievement or sentimental value to me. I heard that the soundstage is one of the biggest out of everything and the transient response is on another level. I heard that they also benefit a lot from tubes and I'll be mostly these for gaming, classical, jazz, and orchestral pieces, maybe even video editing while the Atriums are for the rest.
