martinlin08302000 t1_jdo8oq3 wrote on March 25, 2023 at 10:04 PM

Reply to comment by No_Veterinarian_3515 in ZMF Atrium Owl by maybeBlackMesa890

I just got my atrium today, I daily drive clear OG. Planning on doing a full comp/review after I get some more time in. But from the 4-5 hours I got. Atrium is much more euphoric, the timbre is much better. Vocals I would say Atrium is on the warmer side with more weight behind it. Bass isn't anemic or too much just a balanced approach to add colour to the overall tonality of the tuning. Treble is dampened considerably. Soundstage and imaging is much better compared to Focal but I love Focal's vocal presentation just a tad bit better. The bass and treble extension is done better on the focals IMO. Though I should note I run my Clears off of an Echo MK2 which adds a slight down tilt to the sound signature giving the Clears a bigger low end presence and opening up the sound for space and taking away some of that metallic timbre and retaining that Focal punch and slam. Which is why the focals are my dailys and something I can wear when I'm grinding through research paper, it's overall slightly more neutral and sometimes can fade to the back of mind. Whereas the Atrium makes me giggle and put a big fat smile on my face when I just want to vibe to music. It's hard to describe it because you know there is a lack of detail, slightly less punchy bass or even bass quality but when you listen to it as a whole it just sounds so good. That's my initial impression

Steelmaker01 t1_jdocx91 wrote on March 25, 2023 at 10:37 PM

Good comparison. Are you saying that the Clear has more punchy bass and quality?

martinlin08302000 t1_jdodenx wrote on March 25, 2023 at 10:41 PM

Yes, it has better slam and punch, one thing I will say about the atrium is the bass texture is much more pleasing. While it doesn't hit as hard (it has plenty of bass in my opinion just in comparison to the clears) the bass texture is smoother and overall smoother. Might be a direct result of Zach's linear tuning for the atrium and biocellulose driver doing it's thing. It isn't a fast or as precise but it has slightly nicer texture. These are all short impressions I noted down listening to it.

Steelmaker01 t1_jdoebvy wrote on March 25, 2023 at 10:48 PM

Thanks

runninturtle7 t1_jdpdyiv wrote on March 26, 2023 at 3:27 AM

I still use a magni heresy for an amp + modi dac.. I was looking into tube amps but wasn't sure if I really wanted to take the dive. I appreciate the information though! I look forward to your review.