[ApertureSilence]

Hows the resolution and microdetail of d7k vs d8k ?

I am not able to make a direct comparison as I haven't heard the D8000 or D8000 Pro since CanJam NY '23. From memory, I'd say they're roughly equivalent though I'd have to A/B them to say for sure.

That said, resolution and microdetail is excellent.

 

[smodtactical]

I am not able to make a direct comparison as I haven't heard the D8000 or D8000 Pro since CanJam NY '23. From memory, I'd say they're roughly equivalent though I'd have to A/B them to say for sure.

That said, resolution and microdetail is excellent.

Hows the resolution and overall sound quality vs your caldera and atrium, verite, sus etc ?

 

[ApertureSilence]

Hows the resolution and overall sound quality vs your caldera and atrium, verite, sus etc ?

It only lags behind Susvara in technicalities. Otherwise, I’d also say it’s at least on part with everything else I own, while giving a presentation that’s utterly unique.

It has a really beautiful soundstage. Nearly as three-dimensional and holographic as the Atrium Open, and only behind the Susvara and the HE1000 in size.

The overall treble is deliciously sweet and smooth, yet it retains just the right amount of sparkle and has an ethereal quality and a sense of refinement that’s addictive and completely non-fatiguing. Treble detail is excellent though still a little more veiled than Susvara (but also an even easier listen than Susvara).

The mids are surprisingly lush and full sounding, considering the V-shaped signature. They are pushed back, but not too far, and they feel tonally correct still. The timbre is quite good here, but not on the level of Susvara or Auteur. This is honestly the best V-shape signature I’ve experienced outside of IEMs. There’s no thinness or wonkiness here. I’ve found that the way this is balanced, it is a wonderful headphone for female-led pop and City Pop in particular.

The bass is quite interesting, and it’s where this headphone really sets itself apart in both a good and a bad way. Firstly, there’s a lot of it, and it can be a little much on some tracks. Secondly, it manages to not sound like planar bass at all, but it’s not a tuning thing like on the Caldera. Caldera is the “planar that doesn’t sound like a planar” because it’s tuned like a ZMF, whereas this is doing something with the driver diffusion design to get closer to a speaker-like presentation. It’s not 100% convincing, but the effect is still really cool, and it’s a very articulate and detailed bass presentation that does feel more realistic than your usual planar. Something about this implementation also makes it easier to get these to clip than on other planars, especially on very high dynamic range tracks with a lot of sub-bass information around 60hz. There are occasionally orchestral tracks in particular (such the last minute and a half of Basil Poledouris’ “Klendathu Drop”) where you just can’t turn these up as high as other planars before the bass starts sounding crunchy and weird. That said, on 98% of tracks it’s perfectly fine, and I’ve never had any genre besides orchestral give me trouble. I largely prefer the D7000 bass to Susvara’s, but Atrium Closed is still much more satisfying when it comes to bass slam and tactility.

 

[tholt]

Something about this implementation also makes it easier to get these to clip than on other planars, especially on very high dynamic range tracks with a lot of sub-bass information around 60hz. There are occasionally orchestral tracks in particular (such the last minute and a half of Basil Poledouris’ “Klendathu Drop”) where you just can’t turn these up as high as other planars before the bass starts sounding crunchy and weird.

This would likely be a huge deal breaker for me. I listen to a lot of electronic music and if bass started to clip at low hz or loudish volumes, that would be a hard stop. I've read similar comments about the D8000 Pro bass as well, though the comments seem to be a bit sporadic

 

[Lakerfreak]

This would likely be a huge deal breaker for me. I listen to a lot of electronic music and if bass started to clip at low hz or loudish volumes, that would be a hard stop. I've read similar comments about the D8000 Pro bass as well, though the comments seem to be a bit sporadic

I haven't experienced this issue in any genre at this point, but I don't listen to music at super high volume...

 

[ApertureSilence]

This would likely be a huge deal breaker for me. I listen to a lot of electronic music and if bass started to clip at low hz or loudish volumes, that would be a hard stop. I've read similar comments about the D8000 Pro bass as well, though the comments seem to be a bit sporadic

It doesn't happen with electronic music. I listen to every genre and I've only ever had it happen with very specific orchestral tracks.

 

[tholt]

It doesn't happen with electronic music. I listen to every genre and I've only ever had it happen with very specific orchestral tracks.

Interesting. Ok, good to know and thanks for the follow up

 

[Lakerfreak]

It only lags behind Susvara in technicalities. Otherwise, I’d also say it’s at least on part with everything else I own, while giving a presentation that’s utterly unique.

It has a really beautiful soundstage. Nearly as three-dimensional and holographic as the Atrium Open, and only behind the Susvara and the HE1000 in size.

The overall treble is deliciously sweet and smooth, yet it retains just the right amount of sparkle and has an ethereal quality and a sense of refinement that’s addictive and completely non-fatiguing. Treble detail is excellent though still a little more veiled than Susvara (but also an even easier listen than Susvara).

The mids are surprisingly lush and full sounding, considering the V-shaped signature. They are pushed back, but not too far, and they feel tonally correct still. The timbre is quite good here, but not on the level of Susvara or Auteur. This is honestly the best V-shape signature I’ve experienced outside of IEMs. There’s no thinness or wonkiness here. I’ve found that the way this is balanced, it is a wonderful headphone for female-led pop and City Pop in particular.

The bass is quite interesting, and it’s where this headphone really sets itself apart in both a good and a bad way. Firstly, there’s a lot of it, and it can be a little much on some tracks. Secondly, it manages to not sound like planar bass at all, but it’s not a tuning thing like on the Caldera. Caldera is the “planar that doesn’t sound like a planar” because it’s tuned like a ZMF, whereas this is doing something with the driver diffusion design to get closer to a speaker-like presentation. It’s not 100% convincing, but the effect is still really cool, and it’s a very articulate and detailed bass presentation that does feel more realistic than your usual planar. Something about this implementation also makes it easier to get these to clip than on other planars, especially on very high dynamic range tracks with a lot of sub-bass information around 60hz. There are occasionally orchestral tracks in particular (such the last minute and a half of Basil Poledouris’ “Klendathu Drop”) where you just can’t turn these up as high as other planars before the bass starts sounding crunchy and weird. That said, on 98% of tracks it’s perfectly fine, and I’ve never had any genre besides orchestral give me trouble. I largely prefer the D7000 bass to Susvara’s, but Atrium Closed is still much more satisfying when it comes to bass slam and tactility.

Hi, how would you compare the D7000 vs. the ZMF headphones you own? I also have a D7000 and a Diana TC, and am considering purchasing a Caldera Open or a Verite Open. Thanks in advance.

 

[ApertureSilence]

Hi, how would you compare the D7000 vs. the ZMF headphones you own? I also have a D7000 and a Diana TC, and am considering purchasing a Caldera Open or a Verite Open. Thanks in advance.

The Caldera to me has more of a sense of being there. It feels more organic and real to me, with more coherence to the way the instruments are presented - especially drums. I feel on the D7000, the bass is more separated from the rest of the frequencies, and quite a bit more prominent. D7000’s bass is more speaker-like too, which is a quality I enjoy, but on the Caldera it’s more textured and refined. Soundstage is bigger on the D7000, but the Caldera presents a more buttoned-down, pulled-together overall image. Both have excellent treble, but I think the D7000 is actually a bit smoother and more relaxed than the Caldera, even with suede pads (it’s got a bit of zing around 6k). The D7000 presents a nice, clean V-shape, whereas the Caldera tuning is just a bit lusher and more romanticized than neutral.

The Verite Open has the biggest soundstage of the three, and is also darker and more relaxed in the midrange than either the D7000 or the Caldera. Thus, it’s the most colored, most romanticized of the three, yet it is still just as technically proficient, with a lot of detail even if you’ve gotta listen for it a bit more. In terms of bass-quantity, I find it’s somewhere between the Caldera and the D7000, but in terms of bass dynamics, it’s the best of the three. It punches hard and fast, similar to my Focal Radiance. I personally love the tuning, but it’s not for everyone, so it definitely warrants an audition. It especially comes alive on tubes.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite. I mostly take a "horses for courses" approach with my headphones, and I love all three of these pretty much equally. I think if you put a gun to my head and made me choose, I might pick the Verite Open for myself, but it's also probably the least safe to recommend. Folks who love the VO REALLY love the VO, but it's not for everyone. Caldera is more of an all-rounder. They both have that wonderful ZMF flavor, whereas the D7000 comes across as more of a classic old-fashioned hi-fi sound.