[BassicScience]

If you are OK with Soutwest I would fly into Long Beach airport instead of LAX, if you can.

It's a smaller and more chill airport. About the size of two Best Buys. It's also closer to Irvine than LAX.

John Wayne Airport is closer than either, FWIW.

 

[idairyou]

John Wayne Airport is closer than either, FWIW.

Long Beach is still more chill and easier to deal with in terms of baggage security and getting in and out of the airport. That alone is worth the 30min Ubber/Lyft drive to Irvine.

 

[AudioDuck]

If you are OK with Soutwest I would fly into Long Beach airport instead of LAX, if you can.

It's a smaller and more chill airport. About the size of two Best Buys. It's also closer to Irvine than LAX.

As I have a lot of Alaska miles, I got sorted with flights in/out of John Wayne (SNA). It’s right next to the Irvine Marriott…

 

[AudioDuck]

If you are OK with Soutwest I would fly into Long Beach airport instead of LAX, if you can.

It's a smaller and more chill airport. About the size of two Best Buys. It's also closer to Irvine than LAX.

Thanks- I avoid LAX anytime I can. But I don’t mind John Wayne (SNA), and Alaska flies through there.

 

[goldwerger]

If you are OK with Soutwest I would fly into Long Beach airport instead of LAX, if you can.

It's a smaller and more chill airport. About the size of two Best Buys. It's also closer to Irvine than LAX.

John Wayne airport is 5 min away from the CanJam hotel (shortest commute to/from airport ever). It's a very small airport so direct flights are limited, though in my case I could get them last year from NYC and plan to do the same this year.

If this is an option (realize may or may not be depending on route), very highly recommended..

 

[goldwerger]

John Wayne Airport is closer than either, FWIW.

ahh, cross posted... sorry

 

[Marutks]

ZMF Caldera

 

[Pharmaboy]

What kind of sound do you seek?

• Slightly warm vs slightly cold?
• Emphasis on resolution & detail over tonality? Emphasis on tonal/timbral realism over sheer resolution?
• Big/wide soundstage vs intimate soundstage?
• Dynamics that are evident, always something you're aware of vs dynamics that scale with the music genre you're listening to?
• Do you prefer a planar or dynamic driver? (one of your listed headphones is dynamic).

I could tell you my preference (Caldera) but all that matters here is your preference.

 

[idairyou]

What kind of sound do you seek?

• Slightly warm vs slightly cold?
• Emphasis on resolution & detail over tonality? Emphasis on tonal/timbral realism over sheer resolution?
• Big/wide soundstage vs intimate soundstage?
• Dynamics that are evident, always something you're aware of vs dynamics that scale with the music genre you're listening to?
• Do you prefer a planar or dynamic driver? (one of your listed headphones is dynamic).

I could tell you my preference (Caldera) but all that matters here is your preference.

My opinion if he comes to the Caldera thread asking which one he should buy, he came here for one answer.

The Focal Utopia

In all seriousness, I'm pretty sure everybody here will tell you Caldera.

Your location says Austria, and High End Munich is just over a month away and I'm sure every brand on your list will be represented there. Great time to audition to help you make your choice.

 

[silverfox44]

I'm looking for some advice from those who have tried/own both Caldera and Atrium (open). I currently have an atrium closed on order and am looking to get an open ZMF to go with it. I mainly listen to electronic/EDM and rock. Would the Caldera or Atrium be better complement to the AC? Is there a lot of overlap between AO and AC? Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated!

 

[senseitedj]

I'm looking for some advice from those who have tried/own both Caldera and Atrium (open). I currently have an atrium closed on order and am looking to get an open ZMF to go with it. I mainly listen to electronic/EDM and rock. Would the Caldera or Atrium be better complement to the AC? Is there a lot of overlap between AO and AC? Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated!

Personally I think the Caldera would be a better compliment to the AC. I feel the Caldera would be more a significant difference to the AC.

If you look at the AC thread, many of us are also owners of a planar HP as the two sound really different from each other allowing for a variety of sonic profiles for different moods.

 

[G8torbyte]

@silverfox44
If you're OK with the added cost I'd highly recommend Caldera since you already have an excellent dynamic AC. The Caldera is the best planar driven HP I've ever experienced and it will play modern electro/EDM music superbly.

To paraphrase Zach:
"The biggest difference is the dynamic driver vs planar driver thing. The Caldera has the slightly higher resolution due to driver type and that firm sound, Atrium has the euphonic breath that only dynamic drivers can have."

Planars have a faster transient response that perform well with heavy beat music. I love the Atrium Open with older vintage rock and acoustic recordings.

 

[heliosphann]

I'm looking for some advice from those who have tried/own both Caldera and Atrium (open). I currently have an atrium closed on order and am looking to get an open ZMF to go with it. I mainly listen to electronic/EDM and rock. Would the Caldera or Atrium be better complement to the AC? Is there a lot of overlap between AO and AC? Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated!

Overall, I think the Caldera is a better compliment to the AC. They each have different strengths and presentations.

The AO is the ZMF king of rock IMO, so that's something to consider.

Ironically, I'm writing this while listening to an Atticus, when I should be listening to the Caldera Ultra Perf Suede Pads on my AO. You know what they say, "Mo ZMF's, Mo Problems." Well, at least when it comes to time management...

 

[mattiastomas]

I'm looking for some advice from those who have tried/own both Caldera and Atrium (open). I currently have an atrium closed on order and am looking to get an open ZMF to go with it. I mainly listen to electronic/EDM and rock. Would the Caldera or Atrium be better complement to the AC? Is there a lot of overlap between AO and AC? Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated!

I own both the Caldera and the AC and I must say that they complement each other very well. That said, I'm saving up for an AO as well. Listening to rock on the AO sounds amazing especially the crunch of guitars

 

[BeelzAlBob]

Overall, I think the Caldera is a better compliment to the AC. They each have different strengths and presentations.

The AO is the ZMF king of rock IMO, so that's something to consider.

Ironically, I'm writing this while listening to an Atticus, when I should be listening to the Caldera Ultra Perf Suede Pads on my AO. You know what they say, "Mo ZMF's, Mo Problems." Well, at least when it comes to time management...

What would you call the AC king of in terms on genre? I’m on the fence on owning one given I already have AO and Caldera and don’t listen to bass-heavy genres.