[voja]

Good news everybody!

Altiat's 2023 is starting early by releasing two brand-new finishes for the CAL.1H:

1) Emerald King

2) Nardo Grey

King Emerald is the first flagship finish that's not limited edition. Official finish description:
Multi-stage Automotive paint with metallic sparkle and clear coat, Ceramic coating further enhances the finish and protects the paint. Due to the very labor intensive nature of this finish, we had to bump up the price by $50.

Nando Grey was a highly requested finish, and now it's available. Official description finish:
Multi-stage Automotive paint with matte clear coat.


Personal opinion: that Nando Grey finish looks absolutely stunning! Of course, if you are more into the fancy automotive finishes, King Emerald will be more appealing. As Aumkar wrote on his website, a lot of new finishes are coming next year. Exciting stuff =)

 

[chaotic_angel]

So I have both CAL.1H and R70X, using Shanling EM5 and Singxer SA1 amp, both in BAL, I found that CAL.1A has better clarity and definition/resolution in tunes, while R70X I found wins in comfortable and can be worn longer time.

 

[Results45]

So I have both CAL.1H and R70X, using Shanling EM5 and Singxer SA1 amp, both in BAL, I found that CAL.1A has better clarity and definition/resolution in tunes, while R70X I found wins in comfortable and can be worn longer time.

The R70x can had for $256 (28% off) right now on Amazon:

 

[chaotic_angel]

The R70x can had for $256 (28% off) right now on Amazon:

got BNIB $185 in my country

 

[Mhog55]

So, I've got some good news and some bad news.

Let's start with the good. Aumkar let me know that my pair of Cal.1H will be sent out soon.

The bad news is that you won't get a review from me soon... But there's a positive catch. I have a very big project going on currently, and this is something that I think people will enjoy (completely unrelated to Altiat). There's a very good chance that I won't publish my review this year. I know @Mhog55 has been waiting ages to hear my impressions, and I genuinely feel bad for the wait.

Aumkar and I have been chasing each other for quite some time, and when I was ready, Aumkar was fulfilling customer's orders, and when he was ready, I had something going on or was discussing some ideas with Aumkar.

Anyhow, I can't wait to give you guys what you want.

Did this ever come to fruition?

 

[voja]

Did this ever come to fruition?

Absolutely!

The CAL.1H has been with me since November. I only started listening to it since December, and the review should be out soon.

 

[Mhog55]

Absolutely!

The CAL.1H has been with me since November. I only started listening to it since December, and the review should be out soon.

Cool. Let me know when you publish. I'm sure there will be comparisons to the other headphone we both enjoy.

 

[voja]

The review has finally been published! I know it was quite the wait, but it's here. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, let me know what you guys think.

You can read it here (my preferred format, more narrow and readable):
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/altiat-cal-1h.25674/

or if you want the direct link to my review (wider format):
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/altiat-cal-1h.25674/reviews#review-30105

 

[Mhog55]

The review has finally been published! I know it was quite the wait, but it's here. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, let me know what you guys think.

You can read it here (my preferred format, more narrow and readable):
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/altiat-cal-1h.25674/

or if you want the direct link to my review (wider format):
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/altiat-cal-1h.25674/reviews#review-30105

Surprised you did not include SR2 comparisons. Reading the review, I feel it's safe to assume that you prefer the SR2?

 

[voja]

Surprised you did not include SR2 comparisons. Reading the review, I feel it's safe to assume that you prefer the SR2?

You know me, I always prefer something sparkly with a mid-forward presentation, i.e. a mid-centric. That's personal preference, and I, as an author and critic, must put my personal preference to the side when writing. My role is to judge the headphones as neutrally as possible, meaning judging them by their qualities. Of course, if something does fit my personal preference, I put an emphasis on how much I personally enjoy it.

I focused on the HD6XX because that's the closest thing I had to the HD650, so I found it to be a more relevant comparison. You know how special and specific the SR2 is, it's in its own category. Also, the CAL.1H is a fully open-back headphone, while the SR2 is a semi-open one. When I make comparisons, I like to do them between headphones that fit the same category. But in general, I like judging and enjoying headphones individually.

 

[Arcamera]

Just received my Cal.1H today (King Emerald). It has a sound just as I imagined, and hoped. Very much enjoying so far Back to the music...

 

[MrTechAgent]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to give an update regarding the CAL.1H. We have been slowly working away in the background building up our Worldwide retail presence. The sub-$500 Headphone market is the most competitive as everyone knows. We understand the value of auditioning the Headphones amongst the vast array of options available and hence it has been a top priority of mine to increase CAL.1H's retail presence around the world.

Geographically, we are limited by the number of CanJam shows we can attend but, that will never stop. I am also limited by the time I have with the obligations of my other businesses. So it becomes very difficult to attend multiple CanJams a year. Nevertheless, I should have a rough idea if we'll be attending the CanJam in California or Texas this year in a few months. I want to thank everyone for the exceptional support shown towards the CAL.1H. The CAL.1H has surpassed the sales records of our first headphone, the RR1. The reception from our long-term customers has been brilliant and we are very thankful for it.

Here's our list of retailers worldwide so far -

1) Supersonido (Barcelona/Bilbao) - Supersonido

The CAL.1H is available for audition at both Supersonido stores in Barcelona and Bilbao. I had visited them in Barcelona for the holidays last year and I highly recommend going to Supersonido. The amount of HiFi quality they have is unreal. The owners, Mr. Ernesto and Caroline are extremely gracious and you're going to pretty much have an excellent experience.



2) Beach HiFi (Long Beach, California) -BeachHiFi

If you're a local, BeachHiFi is the place! BeachHiFi also has our flagship King Emerald finish available.
Highly recommended!



3) K55 (Zürich, Switzerland) - K55

The CAL.1H is again available for audition at K55. Neel is a true veteran of our Headphone industry and I highly recommend K55 in Switzerland.



4) Beyond The Music (Jakarta, Indonesia) - Beyond The Music

Another excellent place to audition the CAL.1H in Indonesia. Nico has built a great place for enthusiasts in Indonesia.



5) Headphone Zone (Mumbai, India) - HeadphoneZone

Our homebase! Headphone Zone has heavily invested in Headphone shows all over India on a yearly basis. Anyone aware of the vintage Head-Fi meets will feel right at home here. Headphone Zone deserves praise for creating awareness about HiFi Headphones to new blood.



Best Regards,
Aumkar

 

[Results45]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to give an update regarding the CAL.1H. We have been slowly working away in the background building up our Worldwide retail presence. The sub-$500 Headphone market is the most competitive as everyone knows. We understand the value of auditioning the Headphones amongst the vast array of options available and hence it has been a top priority of mine to increase CAL.1H's retail presence around the world.

Geographically, we are limited by the number of CanJam shows we can attend but, that will never stop. I am also limited by the time I have with the obligations of my other businesses. So it becomes very difficult to attend multiple CanJams a year. Nevertheless, I should have a rough idea if we'll be attending the CanJam in California or Texas this year in a few months. I want to thank everyone for the exceptional support shown towards the CAL.1H. The CAL.1H has surpassed the sales records of our first headphone, the RR1. The reception from our long-term customers has been brilliant and we are very thankful for it.

Here's our list of retailers worldwide so far -

1) Supersonido (Barcelona/Bilbao) - Supersonido

The CAL.1H is available for audition at both Supersonido stores in Barcelona and Bilbao. I had visited them in Barcelona for the holidays last year and I highly recommend going to Supersonido. The amount of HiFi quality they have is unreal. The owners, Mr. Ernesto and Caroline are extremely gracious and you're going to pretty much have an excellent experience.



2) Beach HiFi (Long Beach, California) -BeachHiFi

If you're a local, BeachHiFi is the place! BeachHiFi also has our flagship King Emerald finish available.
Highly recommended!



3) K55 (Zürich, Switzerland) - K55

The CAL.1H is again available for audition at K55. Neel is a true veteran of our Headphone industry and I highly recommend K55 in Switzerland.



4) Beyond The Music (Jakarta, Indonesia) - Beyond The Music

Another excellent place to audition the CAL.1H in Indonesia. Nico has built a great place for enthusiasts in Indonesia.



5) Headphone Zone (Mumbai, India) - HeadphoneZone

Our homebase! Headphone Zone has heavily invested in Headphone shows all over India on a yearly basis. Anyone aware of the vintage Head-Fi meets will feel right at home here. Headphone Zone deserves praise for creating awareness about HiFi Headphones to new blood.



Best Regards,
Aumkar

Will the "Cal.1Ha" or "Cal.1H V2" have earcup swivel and a smidge less clamping force?

 

[MrTechAgent]

Will the "Cal.1Ha" or "Cal.1H V2" have earcup swivel and a smidge less clamping force?

Unfortunately, we have no plans for any revision to the CAL.1H.

 

[GREQ]

I published my review of the Cal.1H King Emerald + Velour Pads

If you're interested, you can read it here
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/altiat-cal-1h.25674/reviews#review-33123