Hello, I just joined, primarily for the audiophile products. Looking at purchasing the NHT C3 speakers for our new living room. Space is about 15 feet wide by 33 long and they will fire long ways. Space is just for general listening, music room with all equipment is downstairs, so hoping they will fill it with sound nicely. Cheers.
Mar 18, 2024
♡Thank you so much in advance♡
The Andromeda lacks the impact and to an extent dynamics compared to the Atlas but has amazing mids and treble while maintaining a wide, airy stage. The S version I have has a newly tuned mid driver and it really makes the Andro S more dynamic in that range. Drums, vocals, guitars, etc. have so much energy and detail retrieval is high. Layering and imaging are stronger on the Andro vs Atlas but it does lose that thickness which adds weight to instruments, guitar plucks, and vocals. The added mid-bass bump is also nice although the bass on the Andro is nothing to write home about. At least it's not bass anemic. And while these are a spin on neutral, they are truly more musical than anything and happen to have some analytical qualities thrown in for good measure.
Just from an accessories perspective, they both come in (real) leather hard cases, with 3 tip types (marshmallow foam, Final E tips, Campfire silicone), very nice premium litz cables (Atlas is pure silver), beefy beryllium MMCX connectors, and they're both made from a polished stainless steel so physically they are very strong (and visually stunning). Add everything up, and I think they're worth their price tag and more.
Truly, the two go hand in hand. The Atlas has very dynamic, impactful bass and a natural mid range, while the Andro has a dynamic, energetic midrange and sparkly, airy treble. The Atlas has a very deep sound stage and the Andro is very wide (they're both about the same height). Both have great micro-detail retrieval but the Andro wins as the superior here amongst the two. Still, overall, I would pick the Atlas as the better IEM due to ergonomics (lighter and fits better) and its unique impactful sound.
All that said, I think the Zeus is a good buy if you don't already have something that's a mid-centric IEM. I don't need another so while this drop is interesting, my $1k would be better spent on the Ether CX as that's a void I need to fill in my current line-up. There's a lot to like here in this drop but, just not for me.
The Andro, much like the Zeus and Senns, offer a high level of musicality. I would venture the Andro is the least neutral of the group and leans more on the warm/neutral side of things. I believe we have very similar taste (as we own a lot of the same gear) so the Andro might be the better option as its not as analytical as the Zeus and has a nice mid-bass bump. Even then, I still vastly prefer the Atlas over the Andro. I'm even thinking of returning the Andros since the aren't that much better than the Atlas and lack the dynamics and impact. I think I can say the Atlas is 80% Vega/20% Andromeda which to my ears, is perfect.
And as biased as this sounds, it's absurd how good the Atlas looks and feels great in stainless steel. Just another factor that adds to their price tag that I find justifiable.
Truthfully, the Atlas is making me sell off all my other IEMs except for the Lyra II and Pinnacle PX. To me, they're that damn good.
I really can't think of any others I haven't heard at this point but I'm really just waiting on the Xelento to have a slight discount. Same with the T8ie. Hopefully they'll go on some sort fo sale around the holidays so I can finally sample them.