The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first

So I squeezed in two tracks on my Atrium Closed before heading to office today. First, I played the Simple Man cover by Shinedown with my AC off the iFi Diablo connected to my iPhone.

The first impression you get is how well-spaced out a stage you get with distinct positioning of instruments. The song starts with the strumming of the acoustic guitar from the left; vocals somewhere on the center right; someone in the audience whistling, further back in the venue to right of the vocals.

The drums come in authoritatively and I am left smiling at the AC’s subbass prowess. The song encounters a busy passage as the chorus starts at 1:36, and the AC handles it without breaking a sweat. So impressive.

I have the Italian Olive Ltd version and its a harder wood, which is supposed to have slightly less decay and more impact. However, the biocellulose drivers have more decay in general than the beryllium drivers so there’s that.

I also appreciate how @zach915m and Bevin pay attention to little details like the olive color of the inner strap, which complements the color of the wood.

Next, I played Ode to my Family from The Cranberries.

What was noticeable about this track is again how open the AC sounds. Dolores sounds as lovely as always and the violin sounds perfect timbrally. Overall, ZMF headphones tend to do timbre really well and the AC continues that legacy.

Those of you looking for a closedback option to add to your IEMs and you fancy a good deep and gutteral subbass whilst keeping the midrange clean and pristine, the Atrium Closed is worth considering.

Sources: Sony DMP-Z1 | Sony WM1ZM2 | Brise Tsuranagi Transducers: Campfire Trifecta + Effect Audio Centurion | Dita Perpetua + Dita Celeste | Aroma Fei Wan (Incoming) + PW Audio Orpheus YT Channel: Amplify Audio Show