[YtseJamer]

well, I had fun checking out the cladera, it's nice, but ultimately I was correct in thinking it's not really my preference. I want my atrium now!!!! T_T

People in the Caldera thread are saying these headphones sound better with the thick pads than the stock ones. If you've got those thick pads with you, maybe give them a shot.

 

[recstar24]

I've not heard the hybrid Universe pads. I tend to almost always prefer full lambskin over hybrids, the Auteur pads are close enough in sound it's probably not worth owning both pair of pads of the same type IMO

Thank you! That is what I Figure too, they’d be close enough that I shouldn’t bother feeling the need to get both universe types.

 

[Edosan227]

People in the Caldera thread are saying these headphones sound better with the thick pads than the stock ones. If you've got those thick pads with you, maybe give them a shot.

it only came with one pad, it's fun and impactful, but I love to be immersed in my music, so airy sound and big soundstage is pretty important to me. I'm not sure changing pad will make the caldera provide that. I do appreciate the attack of the caldera, but at the end of the day, it's still not a sound signature I'd go for.

 

[Edosan227]

Care to elaborate? Esp compared to your Elites?

elite is my favorite headphone, especially with the angled alcantara pads, and is pretty much what I look for in headphones. I love feeling immersed in my music with huge stage, airy sounds, good texture. While the caldera does provide good texture, especially with the initial attacks of acoustic instruments, I find its musical presentation and staging while good, not to my taste. The caldera have good layering, but it's stage is not that big, so there are time where while the vocal is clear, sometime the symphony in the back kind of run out of "room" to develop their sound. So in turn, the good layering just make the symphony sound small, as opposed to conveying distance, but still having enough room for the sound to develop. I use symphony because that is where the size of the stage matter, whereas if it's just one or a few instruments, that issue becomes less apparent. Overall I can appreciate what it does well, but just not for me.

 

[bunnygal23]

elite is my favorite headphone, especially with the angled alcantara pads, and is pretty much what I look for in headphones. I love feeling immersed in my music with huge stage, airy sounds, good texture. While the caldera does provide good texture, especially with the initial attacks of acoustic instruments, I find its musical presentation and staging while good, not to my taste. The caldera have good layering, but it's stage is not that big, so there are time where while the vocal is clear, sometime the symphony in the back kind of run out of "room" to develop their sound. So in turn, the good layering just make the symphony sound small, as opposed to conveying distance, but still having enough room for the sound to develop. I use symphony because that is where the size of the stage matter, whereas if it's just one or a few instruments, that issue becomes less apparent. Overall I can appreciate what it does well, but just not for me.

Thanks for the impressions! That large stage is the reason I ultimately went with the Atriums, it really helps me immerse myself in the music, its why I love the Elites so much too. Still super cool you got to try them out while you wait for your atriums, still (im)patiently waiting for mine

 

[AcousticMatt]

Amphitrite arrived this past week and it looks gorgeous! Like everyone else, they're hard to do justice in photographs to the awesomeness that they are in real life. Wanted to get some good light though so you can see how cool the wood grain and colors look. I really dig how different each cup looks.

Feeling very grateful to own these. Thanks so much @zach915m and everyone else at ZMF!

 

[Leto Dal]

I sti

Amphitrite arrived this past week and it looks gorgeous! Like everyone else, they're hard to do justice in photographs to the awesomeness that they are in real life. Wanted to get some good light though so you can see how cool the wood grain and colors look. I really dig how different each cup looks.

Feeling very grateful to own these. Thanks so much @zach915m and everyone else at ZMF!

I still wonder why it did not sell immidiatly and sat there for several weeks without anyone buying it. Absolutely beautiful unit. Love how calm it is.

How heavy is it and what wood was it again?

 

[AcousticMatt]

I sti

I still wonder why it did not sell immidiatly and sat there for several weeks without anyone buying it. Absolutely beautiful unit. Love how calm it is.

How heavy is it and what wood was it again?

I bought them the minute they went on sale

They're stabilized maple. I agree - very calm looking. A cool compliment to the stabilized ACs.

Not sure how heavy they are, but the fit is amazing. My favorite fit out of Caldera and ACs, even though they all are magnesium and not aluminum like these.

 

[Leto Dal]

Hmmm I was sure to see the unit for quite some time in the Store, maybe its bugged since I had it my basket before I went with Caerulea AO

Congraz again, a beauty!

 

[AcousticMatt]

Hmmm I was sure to see the unit for quite some time in the Store, maybe its bugged since I had it my basket before I went with Caerulea AO

Congraz again, a beauty!

Thanks man! Congrats to you too!

 

[JackarlTwo]

Amphitrite arrived this past week and it looks gorgeous! Like everyone else, they're hard to do justice in photographs to the awesomeness that they are in real life. Wanted to get some good light though so you can see how cool the wood grain and colors look. I really dig how different each cup looks.

Feeling very grateful to own these. Thanks so much @zach915m and everyone else at ZMF!

Absolutely beautiful! I love the non-gloss or satine finish.

 

[JackarlTwo]

Tonight I did not enjoy Atrium nearly as much as I usually do. I'm probably going to change back to the stock or solid mesh because I feel like I've lost too much of that euphonic sound that got me hooked with Atrium in the first place. While I've really had fun with the more open mesh it probably isn't for me. I'm pretty treble sensitive to begin so it is what it is. Drums haven't sounded better than this.

 

[orbilius]

If you're not a planar magnetic fan, your gut may be correct here. That said, the Caldera is a planar with one of the liveliest attacks and most pleasant timbres I've ever heard. At this point, the Atrium and Caldera share roughly equal time on my head as I like them for very different reasons:

Atrium:

• The best timbre I've ever heard in a headphone... there's something almost euphoric about how some songs sound with these.
• Nice, wide soundstage.
• Forgiving for poorly-recorded tracks (the Caldera... not so much so).
• Works well with any genre, but especially rock, metal, alternative, etc. (which is a lot of what I listen to)

Caldera:

• More resolving without sacrificing timbre. The Atrium is no slouch when it comes to detail retrieval, but the Caldera is definitely noticeably better in this department.
• Deeper sub bass extension.
• Very crisp and fast.
• Definitely my go-to for electronic music, pop, or anything where I want to hear as much detail as possible. I am happy to use these with pretty much any genre as well, though.

If I wanted to use my most fun pair of ZMFs (or if I wanted something more isolating), the Atrium Closed would be my choice.

This post resonates with me. I am a recent Atrium owner and am rediscovering music and enjoying listening to the natural timbre. I have no regrets for Jazz, Classical, Acoustic, Folk, and some Rock. However, my LCD-X is more enjoyable for electronic music, but even after EQ, it doesn't sound as natural as the Atrium. I am curious if a Caldera + Atrium is my ideal combo.

 

[MatW]

This post resonates with me. I am a recent Atrium owner and am rediscovering music and enjoying listening to the natural timbre. I have no regrets for Jazz, Classical, Acoustic, Folk, and some Rock. However, my LCD-X is more enjoyable for electronic music, but even after EQ, it doesn't sound as natural as the Atrium. I am curious if a Caldera + Atrium is my ideal combo.

I have seen some folks adding an HE1000SE as a complementary headphone next to the AO. I’m thinking of getting one as well, as they’re attractively priced these days.

 

[spittis]

Got my Atriums today Not as spectacular as some of the limited sets, but very good looking nevertheless. I assume the B-stock status comes from the slight deviations in the wood on B-stock stamp side, which is very minor, so I'm happy with my decision to go with the cheaper alternative. This way I got them for the "standard" price, since the damn taxes are almost 500€.