ZMF Atrium Headphone Review and Measurements

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by purr1n, Mar 20, 2022.

  1. sp33ls

    sp33ls Friend

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    Well, that's super interesting to me. I recall that awhile back some folks were debating whether or not the grille pattern on the Z1R made any discernable difference, or if it was just some marketing fluff (example below.)

    Fibonacci-patterned grills reproduce the intended sound properties smoothly at all frequencies.
    [​IMG]

    Tho, I don't know if I'd call the treble particularly smooth on the Z1R.

    Nonetheless, I'm curious what may be happening here at an acoustical level. It's not surprising that mesh vs no mesh makes a discernable difference, but your observations with the pattern is really cool.

    It got me thinking -- which is dangerous, I know -- "wait, maybe it has something to do with the golden mean being the most symmetrical, and thus natural, for our ears?" And suddenly, I felt like Leonardo DiCaprio when it dawned on me that the ear too follows the golden mean.

    [​IMG]

    I'm sure this was a well-known fact amongst many here, but it was fun to think this through and draw my own conclusions.

    Edit: this is not to say I feel like I've unlocked some secret to the universe, just that I've never actually noticed the human ear tends to resemble the golden ratio lol
     
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    Last edited: Mar 24, 2022
  2. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Really bummed I wont be able to jump on the loaner as I'll be out of town on a film shoot for 2 months, but this may be a blind buy when I get back.
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Are you referred to a cupped-hands, sea-shell effect? This is more prevalent on certain ZMFs (and also with other closed headphones) than others, e.g. Atticus, Verite Closed, as well as Atrium. I didn't notice it much because I took the Verite Closed with me for travel. But switching back from Sennheisers and other open headphones, I do notice it more.
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Redid impedance with the Vented Mesh. Mostly the same except the impedance peak in the bass is slightly higher.

    ZMF Atrium
    Universe Pads and Vented Mesh
    Impedance YEL=free air; GRN= on head
    upload_2022-3-25_11-39-14.png

    ZMF Atrium
    Universe Pads; Vented Mesh (YEL) and Solid Mesh (GRN)
    Impedance On-had upload_2022-3-25_11-41-28.png
     
  5. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    As far as I know, no. In the lower and middle octaves, the normal sound signature of the headphone is retained and things do not have this timbre issue. I didn't experience this much with VC or some other closed headphones either. The closed headphones I did experience similar timbre issues with had timbre issues through most of the audible range. Granted, my experience with most closed headphones is somewhat limited given I usually don't like closed HP and the industry just seems to make less of them.
     
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Maybe it's the bio-cellulose sound. It does have a certain timbre.
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    This would be a good idea. I think the Vented Titan mesh, which is very close to no mesh, may be too much. Split the difference between the solid mesh and Vented Titan, that would be a good starting for most.
     
  8. Raidersfan8118

    Raidersfan8118 New

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    I was wondering to those who’ve tried the atrium with either perforated or no mesh is the atrium darker than vo/vc?
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Atrium with the solid mesh is darker than VO/VC in the sense that the mid-treble (area around stridency and sizzle) is more muted and the lows are more evident (from a slam and warmth standpoint). VO is laid-back, dipped upper mids. The VC is like this too, but less so (generally flatter than VO). Atrium is less recessed in the mids and upper mids compared to VO/VC.

    With the Vented Titan Mesh, the Atrium is warm sounding with aggressive mids, almost Grado like, and just a touch muted in the mid-treble. I can see @zach915m's suggestion of a mesh that lies between the Vented Titan and Solid as a good one.

    The VO/VC have a very different sound from the Atrium. The VO/VC are faster, more delicate, touch more resolving, more laid-back - they have a seductive quality. The Atrium is tactile, hits like truck, with the vented mesh, very responsive micro dynamically, not quite as fast, and a touch less resolving.

    Atrium (Vented Mesh) is a party with quality cocaine. VO/VC is soapy suds time on hospital grade morphine. Pick your poison, or collect them all.
     
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    Last edited: Mar 26, 2022
  10. Raidersfan8118

    Raidersfan8118 New

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    Thanks that was very informative. I currently have vc but I feel like the lack of aggression kind of hurts it for rock/metal. I like it for certain things a lot though. What I was kind of hoping for is just more aggressive vc that isn’t any darker. Losing a little resolution for aggression sounds like an okay trade.
     
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The Verite Closed continues to be one of my favorite headphones. This is the one that I bring with me on business trips along with the iFi Diablo. I put them on and eventually fall asleep with music playing while I drool. It's got that seductive quality and charming wood resonance play that helps me relax.

    The Atrium (Vented Mesh) is certainly more aggressive than VC. More emphasis in upper mids, where VC is slightly recessed. The VC does have more mid-treble than Atrium though. We will hear more sibilants and sizzle in recordings where this never seems to be the case with Atrium regardless of mesh. Upper treble, top octave, I'd say that there seems just a bit more with Atrium (Vented). Atrium Solid Mesh is simply just darkly tilted, sloped.

    The plankton differences are minimal, or perhaps different. The Atrium reproduces the textures from drum skins, bass guitar, and bass synth better. VC does the fine plankton, ambient cues, trailing decays better.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2022
  12. roshambo123

    roshambo123 Friend

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    Loaner opportunity opened up yet? Love to jump on.
     
  13. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    No. And before anyone else starts turning this into a Head fi thread, it won't happen for a bit. If you need to know as soon as it happens, I suggest you follow @ChaChaRealSmooth for notifications as he's the one that will post about it.

    I'll say keep an eye out on the loaner announcement regardless.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2022
  14. Jinxy245

    Jinxy245 Vegan Puss

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    I posted my Atrium review over on Head-Fi, so I thought I'd edit it a bit & post it here for you.

    Intro


    As always I’ll begin with sincere thanks to Zach & all of ZMF for their generosity. Somehow I was fortunate enough to be on the loaner for the Atrium, one of ZMF’s newest and co-flagship with the Verite lineup. The Atrium is a departure from other ZMF headphones in a variety of ways.The concept behind the Atrium includes a new patent pending dampening/airflow scheme combined with an updated biocellulose driver, and the result is IMO a captivating listening experience.

    Fit & Comfort

    Like every ZMF IMO the appearance, fit & finish is Sterling. Aesthetics are subjective, but the Atrium ticks all the boxes for me and is a beauty to behold. Physically, the screen on the headphone is larger than any ZMF so far, and the Gothic flair appeals to me. The set I have is a beautifully finished Cherry wood, and comfort is everything I’ve come to expect from ZMF. That is to say very comfortable despite the approximately 490 gram weight. I have always found the headband they utilize to distribute the weight beautifully.

    Review Details

    My chain for playback is various WAV, FLAC, & MP3 files from my refurbed HP Elite Desk via USB to a Bifrost 2 to either my ifi Pro iCan (1st version) or ZMF Pendant (also 1st version). Although all ZMF headphones seem to have a distinct preference for tubes, the Atrium also sounded fantastic from the ifi. I burned the headphone for over 100 hours before critical listening. I found the Atrium relatively easy to drive for 300 ohm headphones (the Verite series is a bit more efficient), however there is assuredly a benefit to be had from a better audio chain.

    Isolation

    The Atrium is now the most “open” headphone in the ZMF lineup, though it is still not as open sounding as an open Focal or the Sennheiser 600 or 800. It still sounds more like a partially open design to me. It doesn’t bother me in the least, and the sonic presentation is remarkably “airy” and “open” but there is still a bit of isolation when compared to an HD650 or something similar.

    Sound

    This headphone adheres to what Zach is calling “ZMF Neutral”. I think it’s fair to say that ZMFs in general have a rich and full bass response almost across the board, and a more relaxed treble than many other manufacturers would be comfortable with. I have always enjoyed the “house sound” myself, and the Atrium is my favorite example to date. There is a unique sound to any biocellulose driver I’ve ever heard, and I enjoy it. There is a smoothness, but it’s not overly soft IMO. The transients are not as sharp as beryllium but there is still plenty of snap when required. Changing pads will alter the sound, if not the nature of the Atrium and I’ll include a bit after I touch on the basic sound.

    The bass is full and rich without being overly sluggish. It extends deep and feels powerful yet manages not to overwhelm the rest of the sound for my tastes. There is a tactile quality I rarely experience with headphones, and I think it’s not due to the quantity of bass as much as the movement of air or some other factor. It makes listening an absolute joy for me. There is a bit more mid bass than sub bass but again I don’t find it to be overdone. Excellent detail from acoustic bass and deep drum hits.

    The mids are the most even and the least “peaky” that I can recall from ZMF. I’ve always experienced a bit of fatigue from the mids of the Auteur after a while, but not so the Atrium. There is still a lush feeling in the mids, but it never crosses into being husky or anything unnatural to my ear. Vocals male & female, piano, violin all sounded clear and detailed.

    The highs while not the most airy & extended I found to be wholly satisfyingly. This could be due to advancing age/hearing loss but I didn’t feel too much information was lacking, if at all. That being said I doubt these would satisfy a “treble head”. There was sufficient ring to cymbals and the like, and harmonics were audible. Not the strong suit of the Atrium to be sure, but I didn’t find it deficient.

    Resolution is fitting of a TOTL headphone IMO, though it might not be on the level of the “detail giants” out there like the Utopia or HD800. Maybe slightly behind ZMFs own Verite, there is enough information discernible even if it’s not presented in your face. The search for a musicians finest breath and every audience member’s cough never thrilled me, but I can hear fingers sliding on frets and bowstrings being plucked quite well.

    One of the most engaging aspects of the Atrium IMO is the sense of space it renders to the listener. This is also the most difficult aspect to try and articulate, at least for me. The Headstage doesn’t come off as exaggerated (I’m looking at you HD800) but it does feel deep and wide with good height. I hesitate to use this phrase because it is somewhat hyperbolic but there is a certain “3d-ness” there that I don’t experience with other headphones. The Verite series has it’s own similar quality, but the Atrium presents it differently. Whereas the Verite has a sense of wide open space and excellent imaging, I think the atrium gives a better sense of instruments being in that space, if that makes sense. I guess the best way I can put it is that live music just sounds more “live” to me.

    Pads

    One aspect of headphone listening that I enjoy is being able to dial in my sonic preferences with a change of pads, and fortunately ZMF likes to accommodate that little proclivity. Zach has been a leader in offering a variety of options to fine tune your listening experience, so I would be remiss not to touch on pads.

    After the kudos, I’ll also include what is probably my biggest gripe, which is the difficulty I have in identifying pads. I do keep them organized in zip-locks, and ZMF now seems to ship them in larger more durable zip-locks of sorts which is a great help. However once out of the baggie, they can be comically difficult to identify. I usually write up some index cards to keep in the proper pad until use, but I still got turned around/distracted & mixed them up at one point. Fortunately Zach was quite helpful assisting my to identify which was which. One suggestion I heard was using a laundry marker on the inner cloth which is a good idea, but I’d appreciate if there were some sort of tagging for rapid I.D.

    Included with the loaner were the Universe pads, the BE2 pads and the Auteur Pads all of which were lambskin. Each pad did bring something worthwhile to the sonic pallet IMO.

    Universe Pads

    These are the stock option. The have the largest headstage and the most prominent bass response. Little to no bleeding into the mids, which are rather linear overall. On the flip side of that coin I also found that they had the most delicate treble of the three.

    BE2 pads

    Bass is more subdued/neutral yet still has plenty of punch. A touch of a sub bass boost I think. I found the treble to be slightly lifted/clearer and not emphasized so much as clarified. The stage is smaller but not collapsed, mids are still magical, and I found no sibilance.

    Auteur pads

    These are the most linear/neutral pads of the three to my ears. These brings mids out a bit more, and I found vocals both male & female to be hypnotic. While bass and treble are still present, they are slightly more subdued overall. I didn’t find anything lacking, I wasn’t yearning for more bass/treble. While the headstage was probably the smallest of the three it still felt wide & deep, probably due to the Atrium’s uncanny ability to paint a sonic landscape.

    Some Comparisons

    The most obvious comparison would be to ZMF’s other flagship the VO. I did cover this somewhat throughout, but I’ll summarize again here. I find the VO to be a bit better at retrieving fine details, but the difference isn’t stark. The Verite has a few more peaks & valleys in the mids, whereas the Atrium’s deviations are less pronounced. Transients are faster, sharper with the VO and the Atrium is more visceral. VO goes a bit deeper into the sub-bass I think, again not night & day. Headstage is a similar size & shape between the two I think, VO a bit wider, Atrium deeper but I find the presentation different. It is likely a coin toss as to which you might prefer, but my preference is for the Atrium.

    My usual daily driver has been the Aeolus. I’ve become addicted to it’s forgiving qualities and (for me) an ear friendly sound. The Atrium is more detailed overall, picking up more “plankton” even though there’s more treble energy found in the Aeolus. Like the VO Aeolus has more peaks & valleys in the midrange in comparison to the Atrium. Also like the VO there is a little more sub bass extension to be found with the Aeolus, but the bass overall is a bit looser and less nuanced. Not surprisingly, headstage is no contest with the Atrium being wider, deeper, and taller than the Aeolus.

    In the end, I think Zach has another winner on his hands and with the Atrium. I don't think it'll be for everyone, especially those who aren't fans of bass, or those who prize treble response above all else. For those who already like the ZMF house sound, these should be a must hear headphone.
     
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  15. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    That's interesting, since compared to the Auteur I much prefer the VC for hard rock/metal. I've been hoping for a ZMF creation that would mix the qualities that I enjoy of each (speed & impact of VC and timbre of Auteur) and would also do better than each for Classical, which I think the HD600/650 still excel at compared to them.

    Not necessarily expecting the Atrium to replace all 3, but thank you Zach for continuing the ZMF product evolution.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2022
  16. Raidersfan8118

    Raidersfan8118 New

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    I think it was the upper mids being recessed guitars just lacked a bit of bite for me. I do really like the vc for hip hop though. I have never tried auteur was thinking of trying atrium since it seems most are calling it the most aggressive zmf yet.
     
  17. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    Intro

    PXL_20220329_230245146.jpg

    Let's get this out of the way: personally, I found the ZMF Atrium to be so damn mesmerizing that I immediately wanted to buy a pair, especially with the vented titan mesh. It was incredibly hard for me to sit down and focus on listening, instead getting sucked into listening to albums on end. If you know you like the overall tonality of ZMF headphones, I see no reason why you wouldn't like this unless you wanted the more stately presentation (which the Atrium can still give with the solid mesh).

    Just a note: these impressions, unless explicitly stated otherwise, assumes the vented mesh is in place. For reference, I also preferred the Auteur pads for reasons I will explain later in the review.

    Sonics

    The Atrium in a lot of ways reminds me of an Auteur+, but not quite. Very open headstage compared to Auteur (which can give off an impression of being semi-closed), immensely resolving (on the level of Verite), and very dynamic. However, the Atrium really differentiates itself from the rest of the ZMF lineup in two ways: the way it stages and its dynamics. The whole package comes together to make a presentation that warrants its place as a different headphone and not just an Auteur with some upgrades, so if you own an Auteur and are happy with it I wouldn't jump ship without trying out the Atrium first.

    The stage is very open compared to the other ZMF headphones, even edging out the OG Verite. The open feeling of the headstage isn't quite to the level of the Focals. This is probably unfair to the Atrium (and ZMF in general) since the open-back Focals are essentially open baffles, with the driver suspended in the cup. I would say that the Atrium and HD650 are about tied in terms of how "open" they sound. The headstage size of the Atrium is probably somewhere between the Verite and Auteur, with it leaning closer to Verite, but it's not that easy for me to determine since the headstage of the Atrium is much more nebulous in the sense that the stage doesn't seem to have well-defined boundaries. The Verite and other ZMFs I felt had much more defined boundaries to the stage. This is neither a knock on the Atrium nor praise, but I do think that this effect is what Zach was going for with the Atrium.

    As Marv mentioned in his thoughts with the vented titan mesh, the Atrium is the most aggressive ZMF to date in terms of dynamics, which is the second area I feel this ZMF differentiates itself. In terms of slam and macrodynamics, it's like getting hit by Mjolnir; like a fire-breathing dragon in this regard especially with an aggressive amp like EC Ultralinear. Coupled with its heft, I'm tempted to say its overall impact is greater than my Code-6. It's no exaggeration when Marv says this:

    Some people will find this dynamism and this animal-out-of-its-cage impact to be too much. Personally, I grin like a loon and I f'ing love it. To steal Marv's drum analogy, maybe I love this because I've spent way too much time in high school and other places playing in jazz bands, either with the trombone or on the piano; so I'm very used to how real drums sound. Or maybe I'm delusional! I'm going to use the Stereophile cop-out; this is up to the listener.

    In terms of overall speed though, the Atrium noticeably lags behind headphones like the Verite and Utopia. I wouldn't call Atrium sedate and slow (especially considering how dynamic it is), but it isn't quite as snappy as a Focal. Maybe somewhere in between a Clear and a HD650, with Atrium being a bit closer to Clear. It might be in the ballpark of the Aeolus, however I didn't spend much time with that headphone and memory of it is foggy at best.

    The resolve of the Atrium I find to be on par with Verite, but in different ways. Verite is better at things like the little inflections and decays (like microdynamics) and in terms of the separation/layering of multiple sounds. I'm not sure if the Verite's timbre gets in the way of this, but I found that where Atrium excels is in the texture of notes, especially in the bass. The difference in how things are recorded or the type of instrument played is very apparent with the Atrium. Anyhow, they're both neck and neck here and deserved to be talked about amongst the old kings such as Utopia and HD800.

    Anyone who loves the biocell timbre of the Auteur will be well pleased with the Atrium's timbre, but the drivers do sound a bit different. The Auteur itself innately has this tubelike richness innate within the sound, possibly due to its high-ish degree of second order distortion present in the mids. The Atrium does not have this innate richness, but for better or worse it sounds like a biocell driver. Whichever one is preferred is up to the listener here (tbh here I don't have a preference between the Auteur and Atrium; I think both headphones have fantastic timbre).

    As far as the overall tonality, it's kind of similar to Verite, except Verite has more of an uplift at around the mid treble and the Atrium has a touch more energy at the tippy top end of my shitty hearing range. I do believe I hear a touch of upper mid edge in the sound which otherwise is not present with the full mesh, but this doesn't bother me. In fact, this character is similar to the OG Auteur, where that headphone also has a hill in the 5-6k region. Those used to the HD600 will not be bothered at all, with maybe HD650 users only noticing it but not wince-worthy.

    Amps
    1. DNA Starlett: This pairing complements each other in many ways. The Starlett is more refined and restrained than the Atrium's borderline bombastic nature, so it helps reign it in just a tad. Very solid pairing that I enjoyed greatly, especially the headstage which turns enormous. However, I don't think the Starlett has enough power to really let the low end textures shine.
    2. EC Ultralinear: This pairing is what made me think that the Atrium is harder hitting than even Code-6. Explosive and energetic. The overall sound is like a sledgehammer, but a very refined one if that makes sense. Fun to listen to but can wear you out after a few hours. The bass textures with this amp are to die for.
    3. Feliks Euforia: I initially was of the opinion that this pairing would be boring. Color me surprised, what actually happens is that the listen is much more laid-back in character, but not in a way that lacks macrodynamics or anything like that. Kind of a complete contrast to EC Ultralinear, and in a way I think it does take away a little bit of what the Atrium is capable of (and I certainly wouldn't pair this with the full mesh), but the Aeolus/Atrium stock mesh with this amp is pretty good.
    My personal recommendation would be to play to the Atrium's strengths since its strengths are really quite high. This being said, Atrium does indeed seem to respond positively to more power (not to HE-6 levels, but the amount it gained in the sound by moving to Ultralinear is more than that amp sounds if that makes sense). It sounds noticeably worse out of something like Fulla E versus using even the lowly OG Liquid Carbon. I suspect things like SW51 would also not do that well here despite being an amazing amp otherwise.

    Pads
    • The Universe pads I believe are stock. These are probably the flattest measuring and most neutral pads. I did enjoy these, just not as much as Auteur pads
    • Auteur pads add a bit of euphony and have a little more midbass than Universe pads. To me, the timbre of instruments like piano sound more "correct" with these pads and I just like them better.
    • Be2 pads I did not like much. They're almost okay, but for my tastes too much biodyna sharpness.

    Conclusion

    If it isn't clear and for some reason you're still reading this, I like this headphone a lot and would definitely recommend it to those looking to buy a TOTL-level headphone. Yes, it's not cheap at the same MSRP as the Verite, but I can't deny that it brings things to the table that ZMF hasn't really done before, and Zach pulled it off in a big way. Absolutely a fan.
     
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    Last edited: Sep 23, 2022
  18. poohlikehoney

    poohlikehoney Facebook Friend

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    Manage to snag one for listening today.

    First impressions:

    My god this hits like a truck. It is visceral and explosive and most apparent when the drums kicks in on the opening seconds of Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Was hoping to get more listening time for other genres but ended up listening to the entire album. Doesn't feel as quick as the verite and utopia but the bass response is just so satisfying to listen to. Decided to get one based purely on this merit.

    Tonally it is as dark as the verite in my experience. Zmf have a signature that sounds very zmffy regardless of the model so zmf owners will pretty much feel at home with this sound. No apparent harshness or peaks noted from my listening and in fact it sounds smoother than the verite. Can't say much about it's detail retrieval on first impression other than it's similar to the verite.

    Will need more listening time before I gather my final thoughts but so far it's safe to say I'm liking what I'm hearing.
     
  19. Failed Engineer

    Failed Engineer Friend

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    What would be the recommended suede pads on Atrium? And a general descriptor for the contenders? Brightest would be the BE2 suedes?
     
  20. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    So what's the word on the mesh @zach915m ?

    I asked for the Marv Special on a reply to order email as instructed, is that still a thing? :)

    .... usually I go for the LTDs but Aged Cheery with the Aged Copper metalwork is so in my strike zone, I just had to.
     

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