When it comes to wood, I am easily impressed. Just slap some wooden cups on a headphone and I think the headphone will look amazing.
Regarding the Zelkova wood, I heard the Sony team waited until winter (to get rid off excess moisture of sap) and got the wood from a 200 + year old Zelkova tree (1 of the reason why the R10 was so expensive to produced). I can only think of 2 headphones at the top of my head that attempted or use Zelkova wood but unfortunately didn’t get the same results as the R10, but it was a nice try. I heard there was a prototype TH-900 was made of Zelkova wood, but the company later decide to use a different wood for the final product which is the Japanese Cherry Birch I think. The other headphone that uses Zelkova wood was the ES-R10. 2/3 guys I spoke to that owned the Sony R10 said it’s pretty close, but not quite there and 1/3 guy told me it wasn’t close at all. This might be due to the fact that the Zelkova Wood that Sony uses came from a 200 + year old tree during winter. If I remember correctly, the Zelkova Wood the ES-R10 uses wasn’t close to that age and I don’t think they got the wood during winter so the properties of the wood might’ve been very different even though it’s from same type of wood.
It’s the imaging with the caldera that does it for me. I was original gonna rank it third, but it doesn’t feel right to rank it third when I would rank it above the rest in a general ranking list with every headphone I’ve tried.
The Atrium looks interesting to me. I didn’t like the Aeolus at all, and the Verite Closed was okay, but I found the 6k peak fatiguing. Maybe the Atrium could be a ZMF that I enjoy.
the 6k peak… that’s what it was. I just called it a metallic sound in the midrange. The Atrium doesn’t have that which is why I ranked it first. If it wasn’t for that peak, the VC would have a comfortable lead in tuning
Yeah, it’s not that bad. I’m just sensitive in that range (basically 6-8k). Just below and above that as well, but that’s where I’m most sensitive.
If you check out FR graphs, a lot of “TOTL” headphones will have a peak there. It’s kind of a way to enhance detail perception, IMO. Sometimes it’s subtle, and sometimes not (Focal Utopia OG is a good example of not subtle).
One of the better headphones I’ve heard and a great buy in the used market imo
It competes for the same type of listening that I have my Susvara for but with other chains and smaller investment it could be a great alternative.
I have 2 target tunings so it’s hard for me to compare.
For me, the Atrium, RAD-0 and Elite are perfect for relaxing and enjoying the music.
On the other hand, I love how engaging the Caldera is, and wasn’t expecting to like it’s tuning as much as I do.
The Verite was a bit of a middle child for me, neither one nor the other, and the recessed mids bothered me a lot. However, switching to BE2 pads and DHC Complement C cable boosted the mids and created a warm but detailed tuning (a positive middle child sound LOL) I really enjoy.
Yep, like Orrman said, Zach is selling the AC (Atrium Close-Back) at CanJam NYC next weekend. I find it interesting that he likes Suede Caldera pads more than thin Caldera pads. I might give ZMF Suede pads another shot…
Per Zach in the other forum talked about the difference between the pre-release ACs you’ll have at hand at CanJam NY and the launch version:
“Only difference will be included pads - as the versions at Canjam may only have one set of pads, although I am bringing some extra’s for those who want suede as well. Some may have to buy suede off the site if they want suede or others as well. We also will not have the titan mesh on all sets, I’m finding I prefer it with suede and not on lambskin (since it’s bassier.)”
Zach also mentions what the 1st first LTD edition for AC will be:
“The first LTD edition for Atrium Closed will be a very special couple slabs of figured Olive that I’ve been hoarding for a few years and been waiting for a closed back to use it on.”
I haven’t tried the Atrium Open back yet. My ZMF experience was with the Caldera, but only for like a month. Was the upper mids more laid back? All I know about the Atrium is that people always mention it has a liquid midrange so I always assumed midrange was the Atrium’s best feature.
The Atrium Open doesn’t have much upper mids, but the caldera had too much. The midrange on the atrium sounded really good, My only gripe with the midrange of the atrium is that is doesn’t seem to blend many different sounds well together well, the verite was much better in that respect. The Atrium could benefit from a bit of body in the lower mids, but it is already tuned so well and I don’t see how an emphasis on upper mids could be a positive. I hope I’m wrong tho
I’m still reading the review, but so far it seems like sub-bass and female vocals are main feature for the Atrium Close. But at the same time, he mention this, “The Caldera Suede pads are therefore me my reference point in what follows, unless otherwise specified.” IIRC, the Caldera Suede Pads makes the female vocals shine, but I think it shine a little too much over everything else and thats why I remember disliking the Caldera Suede pads. Maybe with the Caldera thin pads, Cowhide or the Caldera stock pads might help, but idk.
I also remember Zach was talking about “Titan Mesh” in the Caldera Thread. This is what Zach said about the Titan Mesh, " Conversely, we will have titan mesh to make the headphone darker which will be for sale on the website shortly." so that might help with the upper mid range
Haven’t read the whole thing, not sure I’ll ever get to it but as has been the case in the past - I find ZMF reviews impossible to grasp and somewhat trust - people are cherry-picked, brand fanfare is at its finest, and the pads (and now mesh) swapping present so many options that I’m always like “once I hear it I’ll form an opinion”…
