[Benesyed]

You’ll also need to let them break-in. It’s very real with these drivers and I guarantee you’ll notice it over the next 100 hours.


I am surprised by how well my Questyle M15 drives the AC (balanced), but IME, the AC really blooms with higher output amplifiers that have no problem swinging higher voltages.

Yeah it will take time. Especially for me it takes a while to really immerse myself and weigh things out.

From what I understand of the Sony WM1 it has a very clean linear power output by design of the digital amp but I might be wrong. Will eventually get a desktop set up for these!

 

[Coran]

I have recently realized that I need to add an excellent closed back to my collection. Being born and raised in Northern California, that Redwood Burl calls to me...

The Caldera has been my main headphone since it released, so my poor Atrium Open gets limited play. Everything I have read about the closed back is so tantalizing though.

 

[heliosphann]

I have recently realized that I need to add an excellent closed back to my collection. Being born and raised in Northern California, that Redwood Burl calls to me...

The Caldera has been my main headphone since it released, so my poor Atrium Open gets limited play. Everything I have read about the closed back is so tantalizing though.

YES.

 

[Monsterzero]

I have recently realized that I need to add an excellent closed back to my collection. Being born and raised in Northern California, that Redwood Burl calls to me...

The Caldera has been my main headphone since it released, so my poor Atrium Open gets limited play. Everything I have read about the closed back is so tantalizing though.

If I were to own only two ZMF headphones, it would be the Caldera and the Atrium closed. They sound nothing alike and compliment each other so well.

 

[goldwerger]

If I were to own only two ZMF headphones, it would be the Caldera and the Atrium closed. They sound nothing alike and compliment each other so well.

+1

 

[Coran]

If I were to own only two ZMF headphones, it would be the Caldera and the Atrium closed. They sound nothing alike and compliment each other so well.

After reading all the impressions here, I can certainly understand why!

I loved my Atrium open when it came in, but then Caldera happened. The open might get rotated out fully once I give the closed their due.

 

[SlothRock]

Similarly, I only have a Susvara and Atrium Closed (Verite Closed as well, but I am likely to keep the AC). Perfect compliment. One amazing planar, one amazing dynamic and they sound so different you're really getting a ton of variety between the two. Haven't heard the Caldera but, based off impressions, I can see how that'd be similar

 

[goldwerger]

I loved my Atrium open when it came in, but then Caldera happened. The open might get rotated out fully once I give the closed their due.

Not to the throw a ranch into my own prior input, but I did recently rediscovered the AO with the caldera ultra perf pads and I'm having a wonderful second honeymoon with them. I love rotating between headphones over periods of time, discovering new ones, and rediscovering my love for older ones. And then again, the VO is such an enjoyabled relaxed listen that is always so great to go back to...

if I had to pick only 2 ZMF headphones I would definitely recommend the Caldera and AC, as they complement each other so well on so many levels, and are both so incredibly enjoyable. But if you could pick 4... there you have it...

 

[Coran]

Not to the throw a ranch into my own prior input, but I did recently rediscovered the AO with the caldera ultra perf pads and I'm having a wonderful second honeymoon with them. I love rotating between headphones over periods of time, discovering new ones, and rediscovering my love for older ones. And then again, the VO is such an enjoyabled relaxed listen that is always so great to go back to...

if I had to pick only 2 ZMF headphones I would definitely recommend the Caldera and AC, as they complement each other so well on so many levels, and are both so incredibly enjoyable. But if you could pick 4... there you have it...

I have actually had those pads on my Atrium for almost two weeks now. Your observations in the Atrium thread were quite right! They are a delightful change for those headphones, and yet the Caldera keeps calling to me. Something about that planar sound that they do so well (I rarely enjoyed planars before the Caldera entered my life).

I very much agree, it's fun rotating out headphones. Remembering why you loved them, learning something new about them, all of it is a treat!

 

[goldwerger]

I have actually had those pads on my Atrium for almost two weeks now. Your observations in the Atrium thread were quite right! They are a delightful change for those headphones, and yet the Caldera keeps calling to me. Something about that planar sound that they do so well (I rarely enjoyed planars before the Caldera entered my life).

I very much agree, it's fun rotating out headphones. Remembering why you loved them, learning something new about them, all of it is a treat!

Glad this worked out for you!

yea, the Caldera don't sound like any typical planar, enjoying the technicalities of speed and extended frequencies, yet retaining so much of that organic and natural ZMF timbre

 

[goldwerger]

Much appreciated! That helps a lot. My only concern now is the soundstage. The Decware csp3 is known to be more intimate with a smaller soundstage than the Taboo for example, and we all know the AC can use some help with that! Do you feel the ZMF model exceeds the taboo or csp3.?
Same case for dynamics.

Great Amp collection by the way!!

Sorry it took me a few days, but I finally got around to doing a comparison of soundstage between the Decware/ZMF OTL and the Decware Taboo amps (note my Taboo is an older mk2.5, i.e. the SE84TS+).

With regards to soundstage only - the Taboo indeed has a more expansive soundstage than the OTL. While the OTL soundstage is comparatively smaller, on its own and without any A/B comparisons, it sounds great, offering a cohesive 3D presentation enveloping the head.

Finally, the OTL as a preamp to the Taboo (which, together, is one of my absolute favorite amp combos; my top choice for the Caldera), has a bigger soundstage combined than each of those components individually. This may seem out of scope to your interest, but I'm mentioning this because the OTL is really an outstanding preamp and gives you the optionality to listen to it on its own (for hi Z cans), as well as use it a pre to any future amp (TC tube or SS) to get that extra effect (for any cans).

Not related to soundstage -- I absolutely think the OTL sounds much better with the AC than the Taboo. I wouldn't buy the Taboo as a standalone amp for the AC. I would absolutely buy the OTL for the AC. In fact, the OTL is currently my favorite amp for the AC.

 

[sp33ls]

In fact, the OTL is currently my favorite amp for the AC.

I was actually listening to the AC with my OTL last night for the first time (it’s been a warm summer), and it was amazing. Everything you mentioned above. Can't wait to do some more listening.

as well as use it a pre to any future amp (TC tube or SS) to get that extra effect (for any cans).

Just a heads up to any novices out there who may be reading this: be careful when chaining headlamps together. This is obviously a common practice in HiFi with pre/power amps, but speaker power amps are designed with the impedances and levels of most preamps in mind.

I'm not saying it's likely, but it is possible to damage your headgear by overdriving it (like accidentally bumping your preamp volume pot and feeding a high-level signal into your headamp which also happened to be set to a high position). There's also a possibility of having impedance mismatches, but, that's more of an issue with distortion.

Just depends on the gear... some high-end preamp outputs can output 7V, which for a headamp expecting a maximum of like 2-3V may result in some undesirable playback.

In case anyone is curious is curious in wanting add tube sound to an existing headamp, one option could be unity gain tube buffers.
Or, I know Nelson Pass had shared a design for turning a knob and adjusting the level of 2nd order harmonic distortion being "injected" into the signal.

All that being said, the risks are still pretty low with most gear if you want to experiment.

 

[goldwerger]

I was actually listening to the AC with my OTL last night for the first time (it’s been a warm summer), and it was amazing. Everything you mentioned above. Can't wait to do some more listening.

Awesome!

Just depends on the gear... some high-end preamp outputs can output 7V, which for a headamp expecting a maximum of like 2-3V may result in some undesirable playback.

Good news is this volume control is very gradual and linear. But that’s a good call out. When I use it with the Taboo, I’m using the Taboo’s variable input and its own volume control in tandem as integrated amp (rather than its fixed inputs for pure power amp), otherwise it would be too much for the AC (as opposed to the Susvara). So yea, excellent call out on being methodical when chaining amps.

(I usually choose the volume in my Taboo to let me set the pot on the OTL at 11-12 o’clock, which sounds best to me, but carefully playing around with volume pots is part of finding out what sounds best)

 

[Benesyed]

Does anyone use their atrium with the jds elements? Looking at it as my initial foray into desktop dac/amps

 

[KlaraKlang]

yes i do, since yesterday