ZMF Atrium Closed Headphone Review

[Madlop26]

Well, the company strategy is clear, make them look very nice and expensive, with that in their minds, how many will notice we have not spent a dime in sound quality? very few; and how many will think they are in heaven? enough to make good business.

 

[VientoB]

$2500 for that response??? 2kHz hole

 

[Curupira]

how many will notice we have not spent a dime in sound quality?

They do, actually. If you watch their videos and Zachs podcasts you'll see they actually spend a ton of time doing measurements and fittings for their headphones, as amirm pointed out.

The discrepancy that we see in the Atrium closed happens when we see the company with the wrong expectations. It's not that they don't chase sound quality, it's they don't chase Harman and the best price to performance.

ZMF has their market segment nailed down: they offer luxury, artisanal made non neutral headphones for people with the disposable income to buy them. And people do buy them, with a lot of customers having more than one model exactly because the FR is so exotic and varies accross their catalogue.

Regarding the distortion peak/resonances, I can't speak for ZMF and won't go out on a limb here, but one thing that is prevailant inside the niche is the disregard for distortion measurements, even from a objetivism standpoint: aside from the usual subjectivists that simply don't care for the numbers, there is a recurring argument inside the online headphone/iem community that distortion measurements on headphones and iems aren't useful, either because we're dealing with minimum phase devices, or because they're relatively minor in terms of THD and safe volumes.

 

[SuicideSquid]

There are many ZMF fans who actually believe that the different wood choices effect the sound audibly which seems like people who believe in custom cables to me. In fact over at Head fi you will see the saddest of all misinformed people who spend massive money on these wooden cupped headphones and then go equally deep into buying the best aftermarket cable to synergize with the type of wood. Truly painful to read.

I don't think this is obviously wrong on its face - different kinds of wood can resonate in wildly different ways depending on the density, porousness, and uniformity of the grain. How much that might impact the frequency response of a headphone, I don't know. I wouldn't be comfortable declaring this is "definitely true" or "definitely false" without objective measurements to back me up, though, because there is at least a mechanism by which this could make a difference.

The idea of a particular cable synergizing with a particular wood, though, is obviously ludicrous on its face.

 

[Adamant11746]

So far out of the 4 ZMF headphones reviewed here I'm seeing a pretty significant pattern. The frequency response isn't neutral on any of them, but the newer designs (Caldera, Bokeh Closed) have much better engineering behind things like distortion and resonance control. Both of those got a recommendation with EQ, where the older models (Atticus, Atrium Closed) had problems EQ couldn't fix. I'd be interested to see a review of the Caldera Closed, just to see if the pattern continues, but it's not particularly likely given the price that someone would send it in.

Interestingly enough, if you like the wood cups it seems like the best choice of the various ZMFs is the less insanely priced Bokeh Closed.

PS: Did the owner mention which pads were on the headphone? It probably wouldn't affect the review, but like most ZMF headphones it has several choices when you order it.

 

[oleg87]

I've said this before, but I've listened to a bunch of ZMF headphones (including this one, I'm quite sure, but I can't possibly remember since the various models don't have very distinct appearances) over the years and always get the impression of unrefined acoustics, always with some bothersome peaks/dips, strange tuning choices etc. Clearly this works for some people as they they have a large and zealous fanbase, but I don't really get it.

 

[Limopard]

I cold live with some deviations from the target at the ends of the spectrum. But this dip (or better "gorge") between 1 and 4k is definitely more than I can bear.

 

[aagstn]

Guess it has a sound that is unique enough and a price that is high enough where it will get nothing but recommendations from the audiophiles out there that review this stuff subjectively.

 

[NorthernSoul73]

I think one of the challenges with ZMF headphones is that the owner clearly has a particular taste and genre he loves, and the tuning reflects what sounds best to him. While I’ve owned several ZMF models, I’ve always come away feeling somewhat disappointed. I absolutely love the aesthetics, build quality, and comfort—they’re truly unmatched in terms of craftsmanship. However, for me, the sound has always felt lacking. As beautiful as they are, I personally find their sonic character dull a for that they are overpriced.

 

[Matt_Holland]

I think a link to the Truthear Gate review should be placed in every headphone review as a reminder of what is possible.

 

[RogerSmith]

Of course not, and I have no interest in looking out for them on purpose. But when I'm near the local store that stocks them and has them for demo, I'll give them a listen, just to be fair. And they are significantly more expensive in my location, around USD4000.

BTW, I have yet to find a headphone that would convince me to replace my old and trusty Sennheiser HD 6XX, which sounds just right to me with EQ to Oratory1990's target. There are good-sounding phones, sure, but none of them made me want to put out the money. The same goes for IEMs. The Blessing 3 with a touch of EQ turned out to be my endgame IEM, even when I tried out some higher-end models. I just don't feel that great deal of a difference, if any, compared to the expense I'd need to bear. So EQ is the best investment we can make in this hobby: it turns good speakers and phones into exceptional ones.

I agree with you about the IEM part, just get one that you like and that has a smooth FR and EQ at will. I also agree that theSennheiser HD 6XX is quite nice, actually a true classic. But it has two significant shortcommings that cannot be remedied with EQ. The bass distorts when lifting it to an appropriate level and the soundstage is very narrow, so it might be worth the trouble to update that, if you are really interested in the best experience.

 

[RogerSmith]

I think one of the challenges with ZMF headphones is that the owner clearly has a particular taste and genre he loves, and the tuning reflects what sounds best to him. While I’ve owned several ZMF models, I’ve always come away feeling somewhat disappointed. I absolutely love the aesthetics, build quality, and comfort—they’re truly unmatched in terms of craftsmanship. However, for me, the sound has always felt lacking. As beautiful as they are, I personally find their sonic character dull a for that they are overpriced.

So it looks Zach should rather make furniture or decorative elements than headphones

 

[RogerSmith]

Essentially people pay Zach, a nice person by all accounts,

Not by the account he gave of himself in the Caldera review, though.

Below some background info on this headphone by the manufacturer.

The video suggests that he puts a lot of effort in the tuning, not only in the woodwork which everybody seems to like. So then he is either incompetent or totally deluded. While I still can somehow imagine how anyone might like such a strange frequency response with a massive suckout, it is unimaginable to me how a huge distortion peak at 1,8kHz might be a preferred thing. I have more the impression it is a combination of driver/cup resonance and he is simply not able to get rid of it and calls it, as a bold and brave move, his personal tuning.

 

[lloyd84]

Yes but it's pretty and expensive and sounds different to anything else the listener has ever heard before... It must be amazing. The end-game headphone. /s

 

[A Surfer]

We should not completely discount the tuning Zach seems to gravitate towards. Many of his customers are well off and they have owned or own a pretty broad spectrum of headphones so it is unlikely that his tuning ethos is truly agregious.

Many people may not gel with it, but many do. Each to their own. There is no right or wrong, there is just personal preference. Even if we accept that Harmon is the bees knees of tuning, the notion of the tyranny of the majority is still applicable.

 

[unpluggged]

Even if we accept that Harmon is the bees knees of tuning, the notion of the tyranny of the majority is still applicable.

What we need is a less V- or U-shaped tuning than Harman 2019, not the opposite of that. And if it was just about the tuning, it wouldn't be such a big deal. The problem is that they charge multiple thousands of dollars for technical performance of a $20 headphone, and with such distortion levels no EQ will ever be able to fix that 1.8 kHz dip. And there is also significant channel imbalance and, I strongly suspect, unit variance.

 

[solderdude]

it is unimaginable to me how a huge distortion peak at 1,8kHz might be a preferred thing. I have more the impression it is a combination of driver/cup resonance and he is simply not able to get rid of it and calls it, as a bold and brave move, his personal tuning.

That is my guess too. Tuning a closed headphone always has some trade-offs.
One of the few manufacturers that have this part down to a T are Dan Clark and OLLO (S4R) which are both well tuned (provided a good seal is obtained).

 

[Limopard]

That is my guess too. Tuning a closed headphone always has some trade-offs.
One of the few manufacturers that have this part down to a T are Dan Clark and OLLO (S4R) which are both well tuned (provided a good seal is obtained).

Definitely, there are huge variations in tuning of closed backs - a lot of them ranging between "flawed" and "atrocious". The good ones sometimes have other shortcomings - build quality (K 371), comfort (HD 25) or both (SRH 940). Best compromise for me so far - DT 700 pro x. Hope it lasts a few years.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Some older male folks appear to be less tolerant of frequencies in the lower kHz, rather than simply more sensitive to these frequencies when younger, if that makes any sense. This headphone may well have a nice 'mellow tone' without hint of screech for these people able to afford such confections. Just sayin'.......

That might apply if there was a shallow trough in the lower treble, but I think such a deep suck-out would make things sound odd, or just plain wrong.

 

[A Surfer]

What we need is a less V- or U-shaped tuning than Harman 2019, not the opposite of that. And if it was just about the tuning, it wouldn't be such a big deal. The problem is that they charge multiple thousands of dollars for technical performance of a $20 headphone, and with such distortion levels no EQ will ever be able to fix that 1.8 kHz dip. And there is also significant channel imbalance and, I strongly suspect, unit variance.

As I said, I'm not a ZMF apologist. I think the pricing is crazy and I find much of the fan base almost cult like which is both surprising and frightening. Each to their own right?