u/-j-o-n-n-y-

Hi,

So I need some advice from ZMF owners.

I am looking to replace my ageing T5 gen 3... Yes I know, not universally liked. It's always been OK enough for me but I tried the Caldera Closed recently and umm my T5s just sound like mud to me now XD

So, I demo'd the Caldera Closed. They had great bass rumble, and sounded great, but female vocals sounded a little to set back in the mix for me. My favourite artist is Aurora, such a beautiful voice, and on the caldera it just sounded recessed in the mix to me. There was something overall about the sound in the treble that sounded off to me also, not bad, just muted. Removing the mesh made them come alive, but also made them too aggressive for more than a shirt listen. Perhaps different pads or mesh might have helped but I only had the stock pads to try.

Most of the music I listen to has female vocals, Aurora, EDM, I also enjoy rock from classic like acdc to system of a down and rammstein. I have a very eclectic taste, music from the 60s through to the 90s in addition to more modern electronic stuff.

I am usually listening at my desk through a Neumann Mt48 interface. It can drive pretty much anything and the signal is pretty transparent so doesn't colour the music much.

I have spent HOURS on YouTube and HeadFi etc. trying to decide if something like the Atrium Closed would be a good idea for what I listen to. Half of what I read suggests it would be a great choice and give lush female vocals, the other half says the kids can be a bit recessed which might push female vocals back in the mix, which is the issue I had with the caldera.

Some advice from people who have listened to these would be very much appreciated. Atrium Closed? Bokeh, Verite (I can get a hold of them still I think).

For context I did enjoy the Caldera, I just didn't love how they handled my favorite artist. I have also tried the DCA E3 which I did not enjoy, very harsh to my ears with aggressive treble. The Focal Stellia I enjoyed but they were very uncomfortable with excess clamp and they got super hot.

I'm this close to pulling the trigger on the AC with a magnesium frame and BBB (caldera had a regular strap which felt a little heavy after an hour or two).

But I don't want to spend so much and find the AC aren't a good match for my music.

I live in Scotland so it's quite a commitment. There are some dealers I might be able to try and demo them at first, which I'll try to do, but it's not easy over here to access ZMF as they aren't as commonly stocked.

Thanks for your help :)

UPDATE: Well ZMF just did a LTD edition drop and I quite liked the English Oak AC and may have just accidentally ordered the LTD Edition English Oak Atrium Closed (Mg + BBB optioon) 👀 Thank you all for your advice. I was quite torn but I think on balance, and especially with feedback from AC owners in this thread on the good vocals I should be quite happy with the AC. I will let you all know how I get on with them!

Hi all, first time posting but I've read so many threads here before making purchases in the past.

Some background: I love listening to music, I also game.

My setup for the past few years has been:

• Neumann MT48 on my desktop, this acts as DAC/AMP and mic input for gaming (SM7B).
• Beyerdynamic T5 (Gen 3) for desktop use, don't really ever move them from here.
• Audio Technica AZ100 for true wireless when out and about.
• FIIO BTR17 if I want a more mobile setup with my bigger cans at home or out.
• Kanto TUK speakers for when the other half is out! These also run through the MT48 or sometimes bluetooth if I'm working and don't have my own desktop on. (I WFH a lot).

I just splashed and treated myself to the Focal Stellia. I spent a long time reading and watching reviews and it ticket all my boxes:

• Top tier audio quality.
• Closed back (these are for listening while others are around so don't want sound leaking out, and I want some good passive isolation).
• Comfortable.
• Easy to drive (for the BTR17 and mobile use, though arguably l will seldom take them out the house so this isn't a dealbreaker).
• Well built (to last - I was honestly a little worried reading about some Focals on this point but they seem well made).

The Stellia arrived today and I really mixed feelings:

• Audio quality is amazing. I sat listening to songs I've heard a thousand times and heard new detail I've never heard before, they're honestly the best headphones I've ever heard.
• Isolation is great so no problem there.
• Comfort... this is my main issue. Putting them on initially the clamp feels a bit tight but not too bad, but I'm struggling with comfort over a period of time. I suppose as the pads compress part of my ear just touches the inside of the cup on the right side. They are also quite hot temperature wise. My old Beyers are much more comfortable (yes they are a much lighter HP but the clamp is way lighter on them and they don't get hot like the Focal. I guess the heat is the leather pads? The headband is also not great tbh.

I am torn, because the music is beautiful, but I the discomfort is bothering me enough after 20 minutes or so that I don't think I can enjoy them for extended periods of time. I don't want to spend 2.5K plus on a set of HP that are uncomfortable. Switching between these and my T5s makes me cry because the T5 sounds almost muddy by comparison but I can listen to the T5 for hours.

SO.

What do I do? I didn't unpack anything that came with the Focal, just the headphones (using my own cable etc.) and have been very careful with them. Do I wait it out and see if it improves as they "break in" - I don't want to do that if I am sending them back, I wouldn't return anything that isn't factory new so don't want to try for more than a short burst.

If I do return them, what are my other options? Price isn't really a concern, though I'd rather not go more expensive. The Dan Clark Audio E3 has gotten a lot of praise (though the glued on cups put me off a little). Is the DCA E3 worth a try, is it much more comfortable as I've read it might be? I also read that the height of the cups can be annoying on the jaw and getting the position can be tricky... but they are said to be very comfortable. How does audio compare, again lots of praise.

Anything else you'd recommend, I looked at the Verite Closed but the weight of that seems excessive.

I could order the DCA E3 to try out, but I don't really like the idea of ordering something just to potentially return it, I'd be rather annoyed if I ran a business where customers were returning things after trying them. I don't have anywhere close I can try different HPs unfortunately.

Ah. Help me reddit. So many choices. Something in the same league as the Stellia but with comfort that will let me enjoy music for hours?

Edit to add that I do wear glasses at the computer, again Stellia aren't bad for comfort with glasses but definitely worse than the T5.