It's funny. To each his own. I just received a custom Caldera. I don't like them at all. They are lush with dense thick notes. They sound muddy to me. I own 4 headphones and much prefer a more neutral lighter sound. I understand the appeal. Just not for me.

I rank my headphones as follows:

1. Susvara
2. Utopia 22
3. Meze Elite
4. Caldera

P.S. My FIR Radon 6 iems are spectacular .

@ppbb Luckily, we have choices for every taste. I would pick the Caldera or Elite any day over the Utopia or Susvara, but they are good headphones too.

@ppbb - have you tried the thin pads and a power/fast amp like the holo bliss or something like the GSX MK II? The thin pads make the Caldera quite a bit more linear and paired with that kind of source is pretty zesty and brighter, you might like it more.

I definitely try to accommodate options for listeners of different ages, preferences, sources, and listening volumes and the above might help your tastes.

It's funny, a lot of people are thrown off by the Caldera the first few days but then praise it when they hold onto it for 2 weeks.

@DAPpower -it certainly is "different," which was my main goal to make a unique sound because so many great planars already exist. I think change is hard, because well, it is!

Also it's not so much different from a tuning perspective, but different in that it's strengths are unique.

Dude, this is such a fantastic review. Awesome job

Having both tried and been impressed with the Elites and the Expanse, I’m very happy I wound up with the Caldera instead. From the reviews and the comments of owners, the Caldera just seemed more my thing and that’s turned out to be accurate.

Great read, to the point, clear, cohesive arguments. Used gear, comparison to favorite HP/presentation, test tracks... all to get a good understanding. 20+ likes for each picture if posted by itself in this thread.

Excellent review! As a fellow Elite owner, I look forward to hearing the Caldera in the near future. I have said for a while that it might be the only headphone that could convince me to sell my Elite. I won't know until I get some time with it though.