The Altiat CAL.1H is a specialized set of headphones that is not for everyone, and I don't think this makes it a bad product by any means. If anything, it somewhat forces users to skip the usual consumer progression pathway by not being an all-rounder set, and you will find yourself liking it—possibly even a lot—or doing one of three things thereafter. First, use EQ and/or replacement ear pads to try and get the tuning more to your liking. The CAL.1H being easy to drive helps in this regard, but try to not push things up too much to avoid potential distortion. Second, cope with what you have and see if you can reconcile with the sound signature on offer. It works nicely for bass-centric tracks, and heavy metal/classic rock works well too. There's also the relaxed upper treble which can result in a smooth, pleasant listening experience. Note that this also means the CAL.1H may not sound as resolving to your ears, but there's more going on here beyond just the tamer highs. Lastly, you will simply decide this is not for you and sell/swap it for something else. Altiat being a small brand means the CAL.1H is less likely to be around, so you may also be able to recoup most of your purchase. Helping also is the part where these headphones come in a variety of ear cup options, ranging from lightweight wood to some of the fanciest aluminium finishes I have ever seen.

I will also give a shoutout to that small subset of owners who decided to purchase the CAL.1H to support Altiat and Aumkar, especially after he gained some community popularity for his outspoken transparency. It's not often you come across a business that openly says on the product page that it does not want to make money, and rather is using the manufacturing prowess on hand to put out a long-lasting hobby to fruition. Kaldas Research offers one of the least expensive e-stat headphones on the market and, very soon, will have the world's first commercially made closed-back e-stat for audiophiles. No one in their right mind does this knowing you will almost never make the money back from all the R&D that has gone into it. Then there's the part where every single unit is hand made, assembled, painted (if so chosen), and tested on industry-standard rigs which cost a lot themselves. I appreciate everything going here, but I need to reiterate that the CAL.1H is likely not the best value for money purely from a sound perspective. You can get headphones which are more universally pleasing and offer more detail retrieval out of the box. These tend to use a plastic chassis, but that does not mean they will break apart easily—while also weighing less than the metal versions here. Do check out your options and see whether the CAL.1H is for you. Personally, I see this more as a second or third set in a collection rather than a single one that does it all. The exception being people who will find this near-perfect already, such as the person I bought this for as a gift. Altiat also makes it very easy to get after-sales support, so I am sure this particular CAL.1H will be in use for a long time.