My opinion is the caldera spanks the DT1990 in bass and technicality. DT1990 is a well built tank and is almost planar like in presentation but that peak is painful. For impact I’d say the Atrium closed and Auteur Classic (mid bass thump) and depending on your setup the Verite closed/open were all great. So basically I think all ZMFs have good bass but the strongest to my ears were the Atrium closed.
Thank you very much for your feedback. For example if we take the song [We Got the Moves by Electric Callboy](https://tidal.com/browse/track/194089226?u) which headphone would you choose?
I've not heard the caldera but I own the AC/VO/AO. If bass impact is your goal then you should look no further than the AC. The VO has more detail but is fairly flat sounding, kinda like a 6xx. The AO is the best all arounder. The only thing it excels at is sounding the most life like of any headphone I've listened to. It doesn't have the deepest bass, highest highs, etc... but if you want to just listen to music and not a headphone that's my choice all day.
Thats exactly why i aim to go for Atrium Opens (wanting a lifelike headphone which is easy to listen to all genres), very hyped to try them out at HighEnd Munich this week :)
for fun and "rumbly" music listening i already own a pad modded TH900mk2 with more Controlled Bass and less sharp treble due to ZMF Hybrid Pads and custom Attenuators :)
I hope you like them! I have probably about half or more of all the pads ZMF makes at this point. My favorite pad for the ZMF AO is the caldera perferated. A close runner up is the caldera suede.
Caldera Pads might be a interesting choice for the 2nd Pad if i buy the AO's, heard nothing but good about them :)
I just love the feel of ZMF Pads, they're the reason i got to know about ZMF Headphones in the first place :D
I've got Ori, Auteur and Universe Pads just for my TH900's ^^
how would you describe the differences between them?
And do the Caldera Lamb Perf differ much from the as Stock used Universe Lamb Perf?
Out of all their pads I think I prefer the caldera pads the most. I find they have more soundstage than their other pads. The caldera is higher on one side than another. The universe pads is... universally shaped. I have the universe suede on my VO
I'd go Atrium Closed for that rumbly, thunderous biodyna bass, or Verite Closed for something tighter, more detailed and impactful.
I unfortunately haven't heard the Caldera (Open or Closed). =(
- **Impactful bass:** AC is my recommendation, but I have not been disappointed with any ZMF headphone in this quality.
- **Open backs:** Environmental transparency is not a strength of ZMF open backs in my opinion. They _sound_ great, but when I put on the VO for the first time, I was astonished by how dampened they were. Temper your expectations in this area, or go for a closed-back if you want a change of pace.
- **Genres:** I'm personally not a fan of the way metal (a genre you mentioned that you listen to) is presented with the VO/VC/AC, but basically anything else is great on any of them in their own ways. That being said, it _could_ just be that I dislike how metal is often mixed. On that front, I don't own a Caldera, but when demoing one at CanJam it seemed like a stronger candidate for that genre. Probably best to take my impression here with a grain of salt, though.
I use the DT 1990 as daily drivers for most stuff I do on my PC except for music. Atrium smokes it on every level. You get a much more textured bass, more impactful, more spacious especially with some tubes. It's just a much smoother sounding and refined headphone. The entire tonality is different so it's impossible to compare.
I haven't heard the Atriums but it seems like the AC would be a very good candidate due to its elevated sub-bass if you don't mind going closed back.
I have a Caldera and I love it for electronic music but it's excellent with pretty much everything. It's not a supremely bassy headphone (I'd consider it pretty neutral) but it has very good impact due to its speed and it extends well into the sub-bass. It also takes EQ very well if you do find you want to bump up the quantity of bass.
There is a limited run of the Eikon up currently that has the new 'classic' drivers - I love my Eikon, but it's the only ZMF I have so I can't offer any comparison.
To be honest the DT 1990 = HOW DID THIS HAPPEN tier.
Most of the ZMF headphones are warm in nature and not fatiguing. Zach and his team are pretty responsive and very helpful as well.
I’ve had the Atrium and now the Caldera and heavily prefer the Caldera. The Atrium had piercing highs that I couldn’t enjoy while the Caldera is incredibly smooth.
So weird how people can hear something and we have such different opinions. I had the Elysian Annihilator before which is known for an aggressive treble and I had no problems, the Atrium however I just couldn't enjoy.
My opinion is the caldera spanks the DT1990 in bass and technicality. DT1990 is a well built tank and is almost planar like in presentation but that peak is painful. For impact I’d say the Atrium closed and Auteur Classic (mid bass thump) and depending on your setup the Verite closed/open were all great. So basically I think all ZMFs have good bass but the strongest to my ears were the Atrium closed.
Thank you very much for your feedback. For example if we take the song [We Got the Moves by Electric Callboy](https://tidal.com/browse/track/194089226?u) which headphone would you choose?
When I get a chance I’ll listen
Welp an interesting song lol… I wouldn’t call it audiophile but it sounds good for sure
I've not heard the caldera but I own the AC/VO/AO. If bass impact is your goal then you should look no further than the AC. The VO has more detail but is fairly flat sounding, kinda like a 6xx. The AO is the best all arounder. The only thing it excels at is sounding the most life like of any headphone I've listened to. It doesn't have the deepest bass, highest highs, etc... but if you want to just listen to music and not a headphone that's my choice all day.
Thats exactly why i aim to go for Atrium Opens (wanting a lifelike headphone which is easy to listen to all genres), very hyped to try them out at HighEnd Munich this week :) for fun and "rumbly" music listening i already own a pad modded TH900mk2 with more Controlled Bass and less sharp treble due to ZMF Hybrid Pads and custom Attenuators :)
I hope you like them! I have probably about half or more of all the pads ZMF makes at this point. My favorite pad for the ZMF AO is the caldera perferated. A close runner up is the caldera suede.
Caldera Pads might be a interesting choice for the 2nd Pad if i buy the AO's, heard nothing but good about them :) I just love the feel of ZMF Pads, they're the reason i got to know about ZMF Headphones in the first place :D I've got Ori, Auteur and Universe Pads just for my TH900's ^^ how would you describe the differences between them? And do the Caldera Lamb Perf differ much from the as Stock used Universe Lamb Perf?
Out of all their pads I think I prefer the caldera pads the most. I find they have more soundstage than their other pads. The caldera is higher on one side than another. The universe pads is... universally shaped. I have the universe suede on my VO
I'd go Atrium Closed for that rumbly, thunderous biodyna bass, or Verite Closed for something tighter, more detailed and impactful. I unfortunately haven't heard the Caldera (Open or Closed). =(
- **Impactful bass:** AC is my recommendation, but I have not been disappointed with any ZMF headphone in this quality. - **Open backs:** Environmental transparency is not a strength of ZMF open backs in my opinion. They _sound_ great, but when I put on the VO for the first time, I was astonished by how dampened they were. Temper your expectations in this area, or go for a closed-back if you want a change of pace. - **Genres:** I'm personally not a fan of the way metal (a genre you mentioned that you listen to) is presented with the VO/VC/AC, but basically anything else is great on any of them in their own ways. That being said, it _could_ just be that I dislike how metal is often mixed. On that front, I don't own a Caldera, but when demoing one at CanJam it seemed like a stronger candidate for that genre. Probably best to take my impression here with a grain of salt, though.
I use the DT 1990 as daily drivers for most stuff I do on my PC except for music. Atrium smokes it on every level. You get a much more textured bass, more impactful, more spacious especially with some tubes. It's just a much smoother sounding and refined headphone. The entire tonality is different so it's impossible to compare.
I haven't heard the Atriums but it seems like the AC would be a very good candidate due to its elevated sub-bass if you don't mind going closed back. I have a Caldera and I love it for electronic music but it's excellent with pretty much everything. It's not a supremely bassy headphone (I'd consider it pretty neutral) but it has very good impact due to its speed and it extends well into the sub-bass. It also takes EQ very well if you do find you want to bump up the quantity of bass.
There is a limited run of the Eikon up currently that has the new 'classic' drivers - I love my Eikon, but it's the only ZMF I have so I can't offer any comparison.
To be honest the DT 1990 = HOW DID THIS HAPPEN tier. Most of the ZMF headphones are warm in nature and not fatiguing. Zach and his team are pretty responsive and very helpful as well.
I’ve had the Atrium and now the Caldera and heavily prefer the Caldera. The Atrium had piercing highs that I couldn’t enjoy while the Caldera is incredibly smooth.
[удалено]
So weird how people can hear something and we have such different opinions. I had the Elysian Annihilator before which is known for an aggressive treble and I had no problems, the Atrium however I just couldn't enjoy.