[robo24]

I'm still so torn apart about ordering Atrium or Caldera (both open).

Tried them out at HighEnd last week (Caldera on dcs Lina and Feliks Elise, Atrium on Feliks Elise and Envy) and Caldera on Lina was my #1 in that comparison, Atrium on Tubes tho were better than Caldera on Tubes.

Being realistic that i won't buy the dcs Lina for the Caldera makes me think that i should rather go for the Atrium + a solid Tube AMP for the same price than just the Caldera.

Has anyone some TubeAMP recommendations under 1.000€/$ with balanced input and XLR4 connections?

In case you don't know, there's a whole thread on amp pairings with ZMFs so you're likely to find some suggestions there. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-un-official-amp-thread-for-zmf-headphones.965309/
You definitely don't need something like the Lina to thoroughly enjoy the Caldera, though. Certainly getting both headphones if you can swing it is the way to go, as you can always upgrade amps later.

 

[idairyou]

I'm still so torn apart about ordering Atrium or Caldera (both open).

Tried them out at HighEnd last week (Caldera on dcs Lina and Feliks Elise, Atrium on Feliks Elise and Envy) and Caldera on Lina was my #1 in that comparison, Atrium on Tubes tho were better than Caldera on Tubes.

Being realistic that i won't buy the dcs Lina for the Caldera makes me think that i should rather go for the Atrium + a solid Tube AMP for the same price than just the Caldera.

Has anyone some TubeAMP recommendations under 1.000€/$ with balanced input and XLR4 connections?

If you willing to go over a couple of hundred Euro there is the Cayin HA-2A.

While I don't own the HA-2A, I do own the HA-300MKII so I can at least attest to Cayin's build quality and that all my Dynamic ZMFs sound fantastic on it.

Plus, it sells on ZMFs website, and I don't think ZMF would sell an amp that didn't have good synergy with their products.

 

[macfan]

Thank you everyone. I will keep messing with it. Right now I sometimes get big adjustments - move top to bottom - but the more nuanced adjustments are not coming together just yet. I do not want to force it too much. I will give it a rest and try again with the videos and thoughts here.

Thanks to all who replied. Very appreciated.

 

[JackarlTwo]

Thank you everyone. I will keep messing with it. Right now I sometimes get big adjustments - move top to bottom - but the more nuanced adjustments are not coming together just yet. I do not want to force it too much. I will give it a rest and try again with the videos and thoughts here.

Thanks to all who replied. Very appreciated.

Hope you can get a proper fit!

Definitely mail support@zmfheadphones.com - if need be, they're always super helpful.

 

[hafzz123]

I'm still so torn apart about ordering Atrium or Caldera (both open).

Tried them out at HighEnd last week (Caldera on dcs Lina and Feliks Elise, Atrium on Feliks Elise and Envy) and Caldera on Lina was my #1 in that comparison, Atrium on Tubes tho were better than Caldera on Tubes.

They compliment each other, can't go wrong with either of those. I also prefer CO with SS and AO with thbes

 

[G8torbyte]

I'm still so torn apart about ordering Atrium or Caldera (both open).

Has anyone some TubeAMP recommendations under 1.000€/$ with balanced input and XLR4 connections?

True, ZMF dynamic drivers sound magical on tube amps but they also work very well with some solid state amps. The Violectric V2 series are fantastic and have a warmish characteristic that pair well with both dynamic and planars. The Lake People/Violectric/Nimbus team are also developing new gear too. I enjoyed meeting some of the team including designer Fried Reim at a CanJam.

 

[Torino]

I'm still so torn apart about ordering Atrium or Caldera (both open).

Tried them out at HighEnd last week (Caldera on dcs Lina and Feliks Elise, Atrium on Feliks Elise and Envy) and Caldera on Lina was my #1 in that comparison, Atrium on Tubes tho were better than Caldera on Tubes.

Being realistic that i won't buy the dcs Lina for the Caldera makes me think that i should rather go for the Atrium + a solid Tube AMP for the same price than just the Caldera.

Has anyone some TubeAMP recommendations under 1.000€/$ with balanced input and XLR4 connections?

I would recommend the Cayin HA-3A. A very good amplifier for the atrium and currently available from Son-Video in France at a very good price. A little more than €1000, but I think it would be worth it. I also bought my Envy there at a very good price. The transaction was problem-free.


https://www.son-video.com/article/haute-fidelite-amplificateurs-amplis-casque/cayin/ha-3a-noir

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I'm still so torn apart about ordering Atrium or Caldera (both open).

Tried them out at HighEnd last week (Caldera on dcs Lina and Feliks Elise, Atrium on Feliks Elise and Envy) and Caldera on Lina was my #1 in that comparison, Atrium on Tubes tho were better than Caldera on Tubes.

Being realistic that i won't buy the dcs Lina for the Caldera makes me think that i should rather go for the Atrium + a solid Tube AMP for the same price than just the Caldera.

Has anyone some TubeAMP recommendations under 1.000€/$ with balanced input and XLR4 connections?

Not under one grand, but Cayin HA2A is truly superb for the price. Also has lower noise floor than HA3A too.

 

[sameh931]

In case you don't know, there's a whole thread on amp pairings with ZMFs so you're likely to find some suggestions there. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-un-official-amp-thread-for-zmf-headphones.965309/
You definitely don't need something like the Lina to thoroughly enjoy the Caldera, though. Certainly getting both headphones if you can swing it is the way to go, as you can always upgrade amps later.

this thread looks great and i've already seen some interesting hybrid tube AMPs (with easy tube rolling) for about 500€ that caught my attention.
I think they would also pair well with the DAC of my K9 AKM. They clearly couldn't compete with those higher priced AMPs but they might be a good budgety option
But that thread definitely needs more time so i marked it as my Sunday activity after taking out the Grill

If you willing to go over a couple of hundred Euro there is the Cayin HA-2A.

While I don't own the HA-2A, I do own the HA-300MKII so I can at least attest to Cayin's build quality and that all my Dynamic ZMFs sound fantastic on it.

Plus, it sells on ZMFs website, and I don't think ZMF would sell an amp that didn't have good synergy with their products.

Cayin HA-2A caught my eye too (having that tube guard might pair well with my cats^^), but here in Germany the Cayin's are a tad higher priced, but definitely would be one too look out as a used one for a good price.

They compliment each other, can't go wrong with either of those. I also prefer CO with SS and AO with thbes

guess owning both in the future would be the ideal but my wallet has to revive from it's near death experience first, before getting the 2nd pair xD

True, ZMF dynamic drivers sound magical on tube amps but they also work very well with some solid state amps. The Violectric V2 series are fantastic and have a warmish characteristic that pair well with both dynamic and planars. The Lake People/Violectric/Nimbus team are also developing new gear too. I enjoyed meeting some of the team including designer Fried Reim at a CanJam.

there's my concern, i think I'd miss that magic if i pair the Atrium with my current used K9 AKM. It's a very cool and versatile DAC/AMP, especially for it's price, but that really sterile/linear THX AMP might kill that magic, the DAC on the other side should be fine to pair with tubes i guess

I would recommend the Cayin HA-3A. A very good amplifier for the atrium and currently available from Son-Video in France at a very good price. A little more than €1000, but I think it would be worth it. I also bought my Envy there at a very good price. The transaction was problem-free.


https://www.son-video.com/article/haute-fidelite-amplificateurs-amplis-casque/cayin/ha-3a-noir

that offer honestly looks like a steal when compared to the HA-2A price of ~1450€ here in Germany. But it's dimensions might be too huge for my limited space on my desk :/

Not under one grand, but Cayin HA2A is truly superb for the price. Also has lower noise floor than HA3A too.

guess i should really look out for some HA-2A sales and offers.


Also thanks to anyone who replied

One more request of mine, has anyone here a unit of the current LTD runs? For the Caldera i would've gone for Zebrawood, but the Atriums pair so well with Copper Grille.
I'm just a little bit unsure of the looks on that wood they looked very nice on the ZMF '24 Spring Video on YouTube, but that's on studio lighting.

 

[funkyfish]

One more request of mine, has anyone here a unit of the current LTD runs? For the Caldera i would've gone for Zebrawood, but the Atriums pair so well with Copper Grille.
I'm just a little bit unsure of the looks on that wood they looked very nice on the ZMF '24 Spring Video on YouTube, but that's on studio lighting.

I have not yet seen anyone posting a picture of a LTD '24, but I ordered an Atrium Open with Canarywood and will post pictures as soon as I got it. According to my dealer it should be here in 2 or 3 weeks — hopefully. Ordered it 9 weeks ago and delivery is getting delayed again and again, so… who knows

 

[Dexterama]

One more request of mine, has anyone here a unit of the current LTD runs? For the Caldera i would've gone for Zebrawood, but the Atriums pair so well with Copper Grille.
I'm just a little bit unsure of the looks on that wood they looked very nice on the ZMF '24 Spring Video on YouTube, but that's on studio lighting.

There is an owner of the Zebra Atrium that posted a picture of it in the link below
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-atrium-new-open-back-co-flagship.962609/post-18076509

Also, I posted some pictures of my Zebra Caldera in the links below:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-caldera-new-planar-magnetic-from-zmf.964836/post-18108179
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-caldera-new-planar-magnetic-from-zmf.964836/post-18122052

Edit: My bad if you're looking for pictures of the canare one. Yeah, I haven't seen that posted here either.

 

[sameh931]

There is an owner of the Zebra Atrium that posted a picture of it in the link below
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-atrium-new-open-back-co-flagship.962609/post-18076509

Also, I posted some pictures of my Zebra Caldera in the links below:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-caldera-new-planar-magnetic-from-zmf.964836/post-18108179
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-caldera-new-planar-magnetic-from-zmf.964836/post-18122052

Edit: My bad if you're looking for pictures of the canare one. Yeah, I haven't seen that posted here either.

ah you've already shown me those beautys in the Caldera thread, thanks again!
but yeah, canary seems to be more rare tho.

I have not yet seen anyone posting a picture of a LTD '24, but I ordered an Atrium Open with Canarywood and will post pictures as soon as I got it. According to my dealer it should be here in 2 or 3 weeks — hopefully. Ordered it 9 weeks ago and delivery is getting delayed again and again, so… who knows

current LTD run ends after May if I am not wrong, therefore i should decide if i buy it now or wait for another LTD run in the future. is there btw always a LTD run ongoing or do they just drop a few of them per year? still want too see some pictures when they arrive!

in the Caldera thread someone made a poll for pad choices, think that's a nice idea for the Atrium too if not done yet, also due to the new ultra perforated pads that came with caldera release.

https://smartpolls.co.uk/p/67189

 

[funkyfish]

current LTD run ends after May if I am not wrong, therefore i should decide if i buy it now or wait for another LTD run in the future. is there btw always a LTD run ongoing or do they just drop a few of them per year? still want too see some pictures when they arrive!

If I understood Zach correctly, the LTDs will be available until all the wood is gone and he estimated that that would be the case in May. So, no fixed date afaik. I might be wrong though. And they don't always have LTDs.

 

[Deleeh]

ah, du hast mir diese Schönheiten im Caldera-Thread schon gezeigt, nochmals vielen Dank! Aber ja, der Kanarienvogel scheint seltener zu sein. Der aktuelle LTD-Lauf endet nach Mai, wenn ich mich nicht irre, daher sollte ich entscheiden, ob ich ihn jetzt kaufe oder in Zukunft auf einen weiteren LTD-Lauf warte. Gibt es übrigens immer einen laufenden LTD-Lauf oder lassen sie nur ein paar von ihnen pro Jahr fallen? Ich möchte immer noch ein paar Bilder sehen, wenn sie ankommen! Im Caldera-Thread hat jemand eine Umfrage für die Pad-Auswahl gemacht, denke, das ist auch eine gute Idee für das Atrium, wenn es noch nicht fertig ist, auch aufgrund der neuen ultraperforierten Pads, die mit der Caldera-Freigabe kamen. https://smartpolls.co.uk/p/67189

In fact, and although the Caldera ultra perf are also good, I prefer the Universe lamb perf on the atrium.
The Caldera ultra are a little more neutral and less enveloping but retain most of the character of the Universe pad.
In principle it is good to have both, if you really dare to go for a tube amp and the tubes are tonally too warm you will do very well with the Caldera ultra perf.
With the Universe you should choose more neutral tubes.
For tube amplifiers there is also the Feliks Echo.
The Icon Audio Hp8 Signature would probably be better.
Used Elise or Euforias are also available from time to time and are also very good with the Atrium.
Ldt's come up from time to time, just like the colourful headphones.
Ldt comes with a wood until it is bought up or the promotion is over.
What the Ltd comes up with is always a surprise.
Whether you take one of the two or not is your decision.
The next Ltd could probably not be released until November.
The Hot Summer cup will certainly be back soon.

 

[MindBreak]

ah you've already shown me those beautys in the Caldera thread, thanks again!
but yeah, canary seems to be more rare tho.


current LTD run ends after May if I am not wrong, therefore i should decide if i buy it now or wait for another LTD run in the future. is there btw always a LTD run ongoing or do they just drop a few of them per year? still want too see some pictures when they arrive!

in the Caldera thread someone made a poll for pad choices, think that's a nice idea for the Atrium too if not done yet, also due to the new ultra perforated pads that came with caldera release.

https://smartpolls.co.uk/p/67189

I have my Atrium 2024 LTD (canare) on order as of late last month, and the last update I got was that they were heading to machining. So it will probably be a few more weeks until I have them in hand. I will post picks once I get them though.