Interesting. I’m loving my Atrium so far with the Quicksilver Amp, but I’m in search of a good SS amp under $1,500 to drive them and my HE1000SE. Do you have any recommendations?
You didn't ask me, but I have a few suggestions (based on owning the Atrium at one time):
Pretty much any Violectric amp. My V281 worked like magic on the Atrium (on all the ZMF high impedance dynamics). There's a reissue of the V281 available, but it's over your budget. However, two newer, compact Vios (said to sound very much like the V281) are available w/in your budget/new: the V222 (balanced) and V202 (unbalanced). There's a long thread here about those. Apparently they work equally well on dynamics and planars, just like my V281
Find a used Cavalli Liquid Carbon v2. They come up F.S. now and then. Mine sounds good with literally every headphone I try on it, planar or dynamic
I'm a big fan of the Wells Milo (have 2 of them, believe it or not, and will sell one soon). These have a lot of gain and tend to work better w/single ended DACs that have no more than 2v output; or that have a volume pot. But if you can satisfy those requirements, you'll probably love the sound you get with this amp
Interesting. I’m loving my Atrium so far with the Quicksilver Amp, but I’m in search of a good SS amp under $1,500 to drive them and my HE1000SE. Do you have any recommendations?
You didn't ask me, but I have a few suggestions (based on owning the Atrium at one time):
Pretty much any Violectric amp. My V281 worked like magic on the Atrium (on all the ZMF high impedance dynamics). There's a reissue of the V281 available, but it's over your budget. However, two newer, compact Vios (said to sound very much like the V281) are available w/in your budget/new: the V222 (balanced) and V202 (unbalanced). There's a long thread here about those. Apparently they work equally well on dynamics and planars, just like my V281
Find a used Cavalli Liquid Carbon v2. They come up F.S. now and then. Mine sounds good with literally every headphone I try on it, planar or dynamic
I'm a big fan of the Wells Milo (have 2 of them, believe it or not, and will sell one soon). These have a lot of gain and tend to work better w/single ended DACs that have no more than 2v output; or that have a volume pot. But if you can satisfy those requirements, you'll probably love the sound you get with this amp
@Pharmaboy I actually have been eyeing some Vioelectric amps for a minute now, but they're so rare given their origins. WaveTheory's reviews on them are nothing but positive. However, I see the occasional comments here and there on their cheap interior components, and well, they're not worth the asking price. Have you encountered any issues with your Violectric V281?
(had to google Roblox) No matter what inspired the design choice, it's to my benefit: I have a fairly large, L-shaped desktop that holds a TON of stuff. There's very little room here, so a vertical design like the Milo (and V281) works well for me.
My V281 is the TOTL version with the 128-stepped volume pot & remote control. Several years ago the volume pot developed a noise issue--not noise heard through headphones or speakers (that never happened), but audible sound heard from the case. It was fixed under warranty and never bothered me since. Besides the V281, I owned another amp made by Lake People/Violectric (the LP G109-A); like the V281, it was built like a tank and sounded amazing.
I've read about the V222 and V202 since they launched. I'm not aware of much controversy about parts used, design, etc. Most people just talk about how good they sound.
Interesting. I’m loving my Atrium so far with the Quicksilver Amp, but I’m in search of a good SS amp under $1,500 to drive them and my HE1000SE. Do you have any recommendations?
I am probably going to kick off a storm, but I think my THX-789 does a fantastic job with the Atriums. They can be had for next to nothing, so I think its a low risk tryout. My view is that this amp is as neutral as it gets, but powerful, and let's the tuning of the Atrium come through while brining on the dynamics and control of SS. That said, I may get to try a Benchmark HPA4 soon and am curious how much better an amp that costs 20x the THX sounds.
I am probably going to kick off a storm, but I think my THX-789 does a fantastic job with the Atriums. They can be had for next to nothing, so I think its a low risk tryout. My view is that this amp is as neutral as it gets, but powerful, and let's the tuning of the Atrium come through while brining on the dynamics and control of SS. That said, I may get to try a Benchmark HPA4 soon and am curious how much better an amp that costs 20x the THX sounds.
given your taste, you will likely enjoy the HPA4 very much (I owned it very briefly 3 years ago or so; it's pristine neutral, characterless, and very enjoyable to use).
not so much my direction, but I think you are on the right path for your preferences
I am probably going to kick off a storm, but I think my THX-789 does a fantastic job with the Atriums. They can be had for next to nothing, so I think its a low risk tryout. My view is that this amp is as neutral as it gets, but powerful, and let's the tuning of the Atrium come through while brining on the dynamics and control of SS. That said, I may get to try a Benchmark HPA4 soon and am curious how much better an amp that costs 20x the THX sounds.
I have a Benchmark HPA4 that I use both as a reference amp for my headphone test system and for listening. I also have a Violectric V226 here. Both are wonderful SS amps, but different. The Violectric is slightly on the warm side of neutral, while the Benchmark is clean, clear and dynamic. It is indeed quite neutral, which makes the choice of DAC pairing very important. Either one can suit your needs well depending on what your preference is.
I have a Feliks Euforia EVO and Chord Hugo 2 and have been painfully deliberating over the purchase of a Caldera.
What I have read suggests that the EVO is not a good match for the Calera planer, I wrote to ZMF who also said its not a perfect pairing. I am not sure either that the Hugo 2 will provide the warm, weighty, punchy sound that I am looking for.
Am I resigned to being better off to purchase a new amp were I to buy the Caldera? I would probably be looking at at Violectric solid state amp but keen to hear of any suggestions as I am going round in circles on this.
My other train of thought is to get an Atrium Closed which (by all accounts) is a good pairing with the EVO. My worry here is that it may be a lot less of an 'all rounder' than the Caldera, I listen to mostly bass-driven music but I also listen to a lot of other genres and I prefer not to own two headphones.
My other train of thought is to get an Atrium Closed which (by all accounts) is a good pairing with the EVO. My worry here is that it may be a lot less of an 'all rounder' than the Caldera, I listen to mostly bass-driven music but I also listen to a lot of other genres and I prefer not to own two headphones.
Maybe consider an Atrium Open over the Atrium Closed. I have the AC after owning the AO previously. The AC is good fun with bass heavy genres, but the AO is the better "all-rounder" in my experience. I'm not sure how it compares to the Caldera in that sense, as I have not listened to the Caldera yet.
I have a Feliks Euforia EVO and Chord Hugo 2 and have been painfully deliberating over the purchase of a Caldera.
What I have read suggests that the EVO is not a good match for the Calera planer, I wrote to ZMF who also said its not a perfect pairing. I am not sure either that the Hugo 2 will provide the warm, weighty, punchy sound that I am looking for.
Am I resigned to being better off to purchase a new amp were I to buy the Caldera? I would probably be looking at at Violectric solid state amp but keen to hear of any suggestions as I am going round in circles on this.
My other train of thought is to get an Atrium Closed which (by all accounts) is a good pairing with the EVO. My worry here is that it may be a lot less of an 'all rounder' than the Caldera, I listen to mostly bass-driven music but I also listen to a lot of other genres and I prefer not to own two headphones.
I love my AC. The suede pads really tame down the bass. You could always use the leather as stock and suede when you need to listen to things not as bass heavy. I use my AC as my only pair of headphones as well don't have any issues. I will say the bass is like super clean and separated and while there is a bunch I never feel like it intrudes.
I have a Feliks Euforia EVO and Chord Hugo 2 and have been painfully deliberating over the purchase of a Caldera.
What I have read suggests that the EVO is not a good match for the Calera planer, I wrote to ZMF who also said its not a perfect pairing. I am not sure either that the Hugo 2 will provide the warm, weighty, punchy sound that I am looking for.
Am I resigned to being better off to purchase a new amp were I to buy the Caldera? I would probably be looking at at Violectric solid state amp but keen to hear of any suggestions as I am going round in circles on this.
My other train of thought is to get an Atrium Closed which (by all accounts) is a good pairing with the EVO. My worry here is that it may be a lot less of an 'all rounder' than the Caldera, I listen to mostly bass-driven music but I also listen to a lot of other genres and I prefer not to own two headphones.
Have you looked into the Burson Audio Soloist 3xGT 2023? You can find them used for under $2000. I use it to drive both my Atrium & Caldera. You can also adjust the sound of the Soloist by swapping the opamps (V6, V7, Classic, Vivid), power supply(Super charger or LPS), internal power supply (V1 or V2). It’s a great pure Solid State amp with lots of options.
I also tried to power my HE1000se on the Feliks Euphoria Evo and it worked, but not a good match IMO. It did sound great on my VO though. I sold it an bought the Burson instead.
I have a Feliks Euforia EVO and Chord Hugo 2 and have been painfully deliberating over the purchase of a Caldera.
What I have read suggests that the EVO is not a good match for the Calera planer, I wrote to ZMF who also said its not a perfect pairing. I am not sure either that the Hugo 2 will provide the warm, weighty, punchy sound that I am looking for.
Am I resigned to being better off to purchase a new amp were I to buy the Caldera? I would probably be looking at at Violectric solid state amp but keen to hear of any suggestions as I am going round in circles on this.
My other train of thought is to get an Atrium Closed which (by all accounts) is a good pairing with the EVO. My worry here is that it may be a lot less of an 'all rounder' than the Caldera, I listen to mostly bass-driven music but I also listen to a lot of other genres and I prefer not to own two headphones.
I can listen to pretty much every genre with the Caldera, whereas with the AC I tend to gravitate towards bass laden genres. That isnt saying that the AC is lacking, but when I put the AC on my head I'm in the mood to get my skull shaken, so I choose not to listen to folk with the AC, for example.
Regarding amps for the Caldera, there are two camps when it comes to amping planars: Those that prefer solid state and those who prefer tubes. Personally I prefer solid state with planars, though some TC amps sound fantastic with the Caldera as well.
It's a tough spot that you're in, especially since you want one headphone to rule them all. I'd opt for the Caldera in that case, which would require a new amp (Violectric is a fine choice BTW). I feel that the AC is a more fun listen though, especially since you prefer bass heavy genres and you wouldn't need a new amp.
FWIW the Caldera and AC are my two fav ZMFs. Hard to go wrong either way.
I have a Feliks Euforia EVO and Chord Hugo 2 and have been painfully deliberating over the purchase of a Caldera.
What I have read suggests that the EVO is not a good match for the Calera planer, I wrote to ZMF who also said its not a perfect pairing. I am not sure either that the Hugo 2 will provide the warm, weighty, punchy sound that I am looking for.
Am I resigned to being better off to purchase a new amp were I to buy the Caldera? I would probably be looking at at Violectric solid state amp but keen to hear of any suggestions as I am going round in circles on this.
My other train of thought is to get an Atrium Closed which (by all accounts) is a good pairing with the EVO. My worry here is that it may be a lot less of an 'all rounder' than the Caldera, I listen to mostly bass-driven music but I also listen to a lot of other genres and I prefer not to own two headphones.
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