Definitely more of a stress level/ambient noise and lighting issue for me. I've been able to reach night like experiences during the day, just not with frequency.

Out of the folks here who have tried the Empy II and Atrium Open, how would you compare the two in terms of sound stage (depth, width, and height), tonality, and detail retrieval?

If I was prohibited from listening to music before 8 PM, I would've saved a lot of money since joining this hobby.

How easy or difficult is the atrium to drive relative to the caldera?

Am I right in concluding that you cannot purchase the Grand Silver Palladium on its own-only the Grand Palladium? Anyone have experience with both?

For Caldera thick pad lovers, what pads would folks recommend for the atrium?

I could see that. I have the Empy 2s in addition to the Caldera. The Empy's stage is taller/wider, and its images are larger (though not quite as sharply defined) relative to the Caldera IMO.

What does the Atrium bring to the table that the Caldera does not?

It's scary how loud you can listen to these headphones with the thick pads in. It's butter at "your ears are begging you to turn the ****ing volume down" levels.

It makes you wonder if we experience the same degree of variance in respect of our other sensory systems. I might just be high though.

After a couple days with the Caldera, consider me firmly within team thick pads. The midrange into the mid bass with the thick pads is remarkably lush and detailed whereas I find the midrange and bass presentation with the stock pads thin and underwhelming. I also think the thick pads opens up a...

@CFGamescape was a pleasure to trade with. Incredibly responsive communication and prompt delivery. Delivered on his promises.

Haven't heard the HE 6 unfortunately.

I'll take your word for it.

Bought these open-box from Headphones.com on May 9th (happy to verify upon request). They're in excellent condition. After listening to these extensively for over a week, I can say that I really enjoy these headphones, but I marginally prefer the Empy 2s. I'm guessing this would change with...