Right now Utopia 2020. Probably my favorite headphone

I can understand this, depending on the amp pairing the Utopia can be anemic to bass. but with what i use there is so much on tap

I think the Utopia has better bass than the Caldera, with that said I’m a stock pad enjoyer and have the thick’s but didn’t feel the bass was all that much different without sacrificing what I enjoy most about the caldera. When I pair the Utopia with the Hugo 2 there is a deep sub bass growl...

Yeah this was my experience, I needed around 75ish hours to fully burn in

I tend to agree with you on this, the Utopia's imaging prowess makes one think it has a larger stage.

I personally found the nimbus a little too dark leaning for my preference. I tried it at canjam with my atrium I brought. Some may like this though

I got some 6v6Gs in my rig. With the E80CC mullards. It’s nice for dialing in on the calderas low end. I tried my utopias with them recently and they made have so much more bass, but not where it influenced the headphone to be warm. It’s just nice tasteful bass.

Dang the aeigis made you cold 😂😂

Got some mazdas in and they definitely tighten the low end. Really good pairing with warm leaning tubes

I really love the rebel amp, really punches above its weight

Ya Blackwood VC is very similar to the caldera in terms of speed and dynamics but I gotta give the tonality to the caldera

Personally for me, the caldera soundstage can be a little small at times, pad rolling and the right tubes can fix this but I think the strength of the caldera is the more intimate presentation. That said the atriums soundstage, dynamics, and warm timbre are so good that it has a differently...

For me it definitely has. I’ve had the pleasure of trying out a lot of high end gear and my the three headphones I’ll never part with are the Caldera, Utopia 2020, and the Atrium

I just turn it off. The user manual says it’s takes about 5-10 minutes for it to fully warm up. Haven’t had any issues

I’m team stock as well, but I haven’t tried the mantle mesh. The siblance hasn’t gotten to much at all. Only on certain songs, and if I’m listening for more than like 3 hours a day lol

This is an amazing tube amp for headphones low impedance (ie focals and planar) I prefer this sound over the traditional tube amp. That said I actually bought my HA-3A from Zach at CJ SoCal. I was looking for the perfect pairing for my Atriums and there were non stock tubes in there that...

I have the VC, had the Empy II, and I have the 650. All run flawlessly

A Blackwood CC would be insane though, love the wood a lot

Utopia can definitely do this well, but I think I’d recommend the HD800S more. Stringed instruments of the HD800S sound heavenly. The Utopia has a small stage and intimate presentation on a SS amp that may feel lacking the grandiose of an orchestral track. The answer depends on if you’re ok...

I like the suedes when I want a more relaxed presentation. And they are comfy haha. I think my personal preference is 1. Stock 2. Ultra perf 3. Suede 4. Thick

Stock gang :)

I agree I had gotten the ultra perf for my atrium prior to getting a caldera. In the caldera it’s a fun pad for when I’m bored. I feel like it makes caldera more holographic and the dynamics are retained. Bass is a little sucked out but I feel similar about the stock tuning of caldera so it’s...

I will tell you if you haven’t heard any ZMF’s with the holo audio stuff… it is a transcendent experience. I had my atrium at hand for SoCal CJ 2023 and it turned the atrium into an extremely detailed bass cannon. It was remarkable…. Currently saving to get the entire stack haha

Thanks for the great write up, nowadays I prefer great imaging with a bit of a neutral focus. But I also like to switch it up and have some more warm and brassy tubes depending on the headphone. Open to suggestions but I can’t deny that the blue tube color isn’t incredible lol

What's everyone's opinion of tube rolling the 6v6s? I have heard itr doesnt make as big of a difference as the preamps tubes. Just wondering if its worth my while. Currently have fivres in.