This is just a starting point to make my otherwise great sounding hifiman edition xs fit better, I think it helps a bit with the clamping issue too. I believe it helps because it is up about an inch on the sides of my head where the face gets wider. I also think the foam going down as far as it does helps with the weak clamping issue. Just have to keep experimenting to find a permanent solution. Any ideas on how to make it better?

No reason not to use USB, as far as I know (and assuming you’ll not have driver issues because of obscure hard- and software).

Yes. More dynamics and detail on soft 100%.

EQ them.

I've mine with this preset and they're a delight to listen, especially for its comfort:

https://i.ibb.co/TKVQw9q/image-2023-03-25-17-10-46.png

Day and night difference vs stock sound.

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Acoustic sounds fantastic, listening to I see fire by Ed Sheeran was an experience.

Agree 100% The sound is so smooth, I particularly love them for acoustic music.

Thx

I'm very new at this, and was not even familiar with ZMF brand. Will take a look !!

Honestly the bass surprised me I didn't really know if it would be as present as it is. Not too much and not too little it's just right.

Thanks! I really feel like this was the best choice I could've made for myself. I'm going to enjoy these for a long time.

I think the 58x are lovely. I actually like the tuning of them better than the 6xx. The little bit more bass is nice.

Haven’t settled on the motherboard yet. But you’re definitely correct. It maybe difficult to find ones with anything other than USB.

But assuming you had all the options, what do you recommend?

Great Choice I grabbed a pair myself a couple months ago and I gotta say they’re the perfect entry point for the price and sound. Good luck on growing out your collection !

"The PC motherboard may limit my options."
Why don't you TELL us if you have optical or coax digital outputs????

Thanks

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.

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

Direct from ZMF

I’ve got two. Topping D90SE and R2R Denafrips Ares II. They both offer me options when listening and varying experience whilst listening. Topping gives me Bluetooth option to connect, so I can stream Apple Music from my phone, or other streaming services or YouYube. I’ve really utilised this feature, so useful. A great DAC IMHO, and is a very resolving and clear sounding DAC. The Ares II gives me a slightly less fatiguing listen, with more spaciousness and smoothness. Perhaps slightly less detailed than the Topping, but so minuscule a difference. I enjoy both. I bought DACS only, so could pair with different amps. Balanced connectors for everything. That’s my input.

For sure a win for consumers with the heavy competition but the <$100 price bracket is getting so competitive that it's getting boring. You can pretty much throw a dart at a wall of IEM's and get a good one, it mostly just comes down to preferred tuning, fit, accessories.

HifiGo uses a caliper for nozzle size on a lot of IEM's like this. I wish it was consistent though, many don't have measurements posted.

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

You most likely didn't get a bad pair... You just don't like the tonality... Same thing for those who may not like the Audio-Technicas and the Marshall you have if they demoed it... Different HRTF makes for differing opinions on headphones. Also the frequency response of both the KPH40 and the PortaPros are so close you might as well call them the same headphones but you getting enjoyment out of those and not the KPH40 is certainly eye brow raising.

Also yes return them

They do have spares for it, but only selling them in bundle.
So when you only need M size hook, you will also have to purchase S size. So wasteful.

Well not like I have another option, since there's nothing else like LCD i3/i4 haha.

Yea there may be something aftermarket out there to improve the hook fit. Not sure these have been particularly big sellers for Audeze so not sure how much aftermarket support they have. Something to look into though!