Kaldas Research RR 1 Conquest ($500 Electrostatic)
- Thread starter SHAMuuu
- Start date
Today is a bit of a personal history post about how Kaldas Research started. Nobody asked for it but I'm a Head-Fi Sponsor for only one reason : the ability to post my stories. I could care less about using those posting privileges for marketing garbage that nobody cares about.
It all began with my HD650 around 7-8 years ago, technically with my Uncle's Sennheiser HE60 (Baby Orpheus) around 9 years ago. As with most enthusiasts, there's a limit to an obsession, not for me. I was hooked. The HD650 was followed by another Headphone and then yet another until I had to ask myself if I really wanted to invest so much time and money into it.
Currently, my personal collection includes over 150 and mostly vintage Headphones. I like the historical aspect of it hence I own the STAX SR-1 (First production Electrostatic Headphone) - only a handful that might have survived today. The Beyerdynamic ET1000 - the first Electrostatic to be manufactured in Europe with a very interesting sintering process used in the design which till date remains one of the most ingenious design elements to be incorporated into an Headphone.
At some point during being just an enthusiast, there was always the question of making one myself at the back of my head. This notion cemented when I visited Beyerdynamic in 2015.
Beyerdynamic is a company close to my heart, among the oldest companies still in business today, not to mention Eugen Beyer's contribution to Electrodynamic technology. In my personal opinion, the importance of Beyerdynamic is highly ignored in this industry.
The Heilbronn visit was a very instrumental moment in my life and I do miss the people I knew there, some have left due to the Management shift that took place very recently.
After the Beyerdynamic visit. I founded Kaldas Research. Kaldas is named after my Grandfather - Mr. Gokaldas Chandan, a man who started literally from zero to support his family and grew a business from absolutely nothing. Something, I won't ever be. In comparison, my hardships are a joke.
As the name suggests, we are a Research company and do a lot of private contract based R&D and Manufacturing. It's all mostly confidential hence I don't really talk about that aspect of my business. With Kaldas Research established, it wasn't completely unfathomable to make my own Headphone, there were some personal clauses I had set -
1) 100% Manufacturing and R&D to be done in-house
2) Not to outsource Drivers from China
3) Approach vertical integration
RR1 is very close to being a 100% in-house Manufactured product which is extremely, extremely rare in the current industry.
From Raw Material to Manufacturing to Assembly to Distribution. We do all of it ourselves. Hence, it takes time. We might be doing all of it but we aren't particularly large, our operation is small with mostly skilled labor.
In the end, we are working on the RR1 day and night. This is a complete passion project, I'm not doing it for the money. The industry is over-crowded with people trying to sell lackluster products and ramping out revisions every other month. R&D and being methodical is what I've learnt from the great Scientists and people I have met during the development of the RR1. Here are some more photos from when I visited Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Klippel and Klippel GmbH in Dresden for their 20 years celebration. Dr. Klippel is among the greatest living minds in the Audio industry today.
The incredible Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon - Klippel's 20th Anniversary celebration.
Some more photos from when I visited G.R.A.S Sound & Vibration in Denmark for the European delivery of our KEMAR and other Measurement equipment.
I wish I could show more of G.R.A.S. but no cameras are allowed inside their incredible R&D and Manufacturing facility.
As we increase our production output and start delivering units to our first domestic customers, I just want to say thank you to the community here. The response and demand for the RR1 is more than I ever expected, we didn't really plan for such enthusiasm and hence we are in production hell but, to see my own Headphone come to life like this makes me a really happy boy. R&D guys like us don't really have a very social life hence this is all we have got.
Lastly, the CEO of Audeze was very kind enough to message me about the RR1 which I thought was a very nice gesture. I still remember when I was at RMAF 2016, it was my first time there and only two people who stood out as being absolute Gentleman's were Tyll and Sankar. Both took the time to talk and were unbelievably nice. In the end, products are irrelevant. The men and the story behind it is KING.
It all began with my HD650 around 7-8 years ago, technically with my Uncle's Sennheiser HE60 (Baby Orpheus) around 9 years ago. As with most enthusiasts, there's a limit to an obsession, not for me. I was hooked. The HD650 was followed by another Headphone and then yet another until I had to ask myself if I really wanted to invest so much time and money into it.
Currently, my personal collection includes over 150 and mostly vintage Headphones. I like the historical aspect of it hence I own the STAX SR-1 (First production Electrostatic Headphone) - only a handful that might have survived today. The Beyerdynamic ET1000 - the first Electrostatic to be manufactured in Europe with a very interesting sintering process used in the design which till date remains one of the most ingenious design elements to be incorporated into an Headphone.
At some point during being just an enthusiast, there was always the question of making one myself at the back of my head. This notion cemented when I visited Beyerdynamic in 2015.
Beyerdynamic is a company close to my heart, among the oldest companies still in business today, not to mention Eugen Beyer's contribution to Electrodynamic technology. In my personal opinion, the importance of Beyerdynamic is highly ignored in this industry.
The Heilbronn visit was a very instrumental moment in my life and I do miss the people I knew there, some have left due to the Management shift that took place very recently.
After the Beyerdynamic visit. I founded Kaldas Research. Kaldas is named after my Grandfather - Mr. Gokaldas Chandan, a man who started literally from zero to support his family and grew a business from absolutely nothing. Something, I won't ever be. In comparison, my hardships are a joke.
As the name suggests, we are a Research company and do a lot of private contract based R&D and Manufacturing. It's all mostly confidential hence I don't really talk about that aspect of my business. With Kaldas Research established, it wasn't completely unfathomable to make my own Headphone, there were some personal clauses I had set -
1) 100% Manufacturing and R&D to be done in-house
2) Not to outsource Drivers from China
3) Approach vertical integration
RR1 is very close to being a 100% in-house Manufactured product which is extremely, extremely rare in the current industry.
From Raw Material to Manufacturing to Assembly to Distribution. We do all of it ourselves. Hence, it takes time. We might be doing all of it but we aren't particularly large, our operation is small with mostly skilled labor.
In the end, we are working on the RR1 day and night. This is a complete passion project, I'm not doing it for the money. The industry is over-crowded with people trying to sell lackluster products and ramping out revisions every other month. R&D and being methodical is what I've learnt from the great Scientists and people I have met during the development of the RR1. Here are some more photos from when I visited Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Klippel and Klippel GmbH in Dresden for their 20 years celebration. Dr. Klippel is among the greatest living minds in the Audio industry today.
The incredible Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon - Klippel's 20th Anniversary celebration.
Some more photos from when I visited G.R.A.S Sound & Vibration in Denmark for the European delivery of our KEMAR and other Measurement equipment.
I wish I could show more of G.R.A.S. but no cameras are allowed inside their incredible R&D and Manufacturing facility.
As we increase our production output and start delivering units to our first domestic customers, I just want to say thank you to the community here. The response and demand for the RR1 is more than I ever expected, we didn't really plan for such enthusiasm and hence we are in production hell but, to see my own Headphone come to life like this makes me a really happy boy. R&D guys like us don't really have a very social life hence this is all we have got.
Lastly, the CEO of Audeze was very kind enough to message me about the RR1 which I thought was a very nice gesture. I still remember when I was at RMAF 2016, it was my first time there and only two people who stood out as being absolute Gentleman's were Tyll and Sankar. Both took the time to talk and were unbelievably nice. In the end, products are irrelevant. The men and the story behind it is KING.
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wish you all the best.
I hope it does well and brings India in the map of great headphone manufacturer
I hope it does well and brings India in the map of great headphone manufacturer
xEcuToR
500+ Head-Fier
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So I received my pair of RR1 Conquest yesterday #2. I played with it for an hour or so. I will post impressions about it as I get more time with it and hopefully will be able to do some comparisons with 007 Mk1 & Mk2 in the coming days. I got the premium version which comes for 650 USD, in a nice box and longer 2.5-meter cable compared to the base model which comes in a regular Kraft Box (IIRC) and standard 1.5-meter cable at 500USD.
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huh, pretty cool looking design
I read about the parasitic capacitance at the first time, maybe the best solotion to store the electrostatic headphone is with specified cap that will short all it connections.
If I were shure how to build one properly, then I could make one for my other headphones.
cool guide, never saw such one befor, I will like to get such manual. really unusual (never read them)
If I were shure how to build one properly, then I could make one for my other headphones.
cool guide, never saw such one befor, I will like to get such manual. really unusual (never read them)
I read about the parasitic capacitance at the first time, maybe the best solotion to store the electrostatic headphone is with specified cap that will short all it connections.
If I were shure how to build one properly, then I could make one for my other headphones.
cool guide, never saw such one before, I will like to get such manual. really unusual (never read them)
That is because other Manufacturer's are afraid to talk about it.
As a Manufacturer, it is our duty to be open about most of the important technical aspects to ensure the customer has the most trouble-free experience as possible.
Parasitic Capacitance is a very common side-effect of Electrostatic headphones that can occur as a result of improper handling and care. You might remember the very famous SR-009 imbalance issue?
Your solution is good but is not necessary, just shorting the pins and storing it inside an Anti-Static bag is enough to prevent the Electret effect.
Even our instruction manual consists of a lot of technical information. All the paperwork will be included in all RR1s.
Some photos of a bespoke commission Conquest through the "Kaldas Bespoke" program.
Sound Eq
Headphoneus Supremus
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i can't wait to buy one
ruhenheiM
1000+ Head-Fier
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- Dec 27, 2010
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fresh from the oven of certain baker in land of fire and ice 
This has been a killer of a week for me so I'm late with the impressions. Then all of sudden we had a holiday today so I finally have some free time.I'm too lazy to find my camera so I'll take some pics later. First off, this is set nr.4 so I very much view it as a "work in progress" but...they are pretty awesome. From the first impressions and until now they keep reminding me of the SR-007. Clearly power hogs (I measured the system with stock cable at 160pf) too and a bit dark sounding. Now in my book this is a welcome reprise from all the bright models out there now. Doesn't mean the treble is subdued or anything like that, it is just not as apparent as with the L700 or 009's for instance. This also gives it a fuller sound and well...that bass.
The cups are ported so the bass could have been compromised due to that but not so here, it's deep, tight and tuneful. It doesn't match a closed SR-007 but I frankly don't mind that...I can always grab my 007's if I want to listen to them. These are a bit more tuneful with more presence higher up. One of the first tracks I tried on them is the one which 009, 009S and 009BK all fail miserably at, but no issues here. They replicate the snare drum perfectly and same goes for everything else I've thrown at them.
The midrange is perfectly fine and really showcases the difference in mastering on some tracks. The soundstage is just about perfect, follows what the tracks should sound like and doesn't pull a HE90 on us. Not quite up to the layering of the 007's but then again...that is the gold standard. Overall they are very neutral and do what any transducer should do, get out of the way. For me the biggest compliment to any headphones is me willing to listen to them as well, I have a lot of headphones at hand. I've used these almost exclusively since I got them, only swapping out to do comparisons.
Now for fit and finish, I have no complaints. The headband is very sturdy with nice spring steel for the main span and they fit my head nicely. A bit snug but then again, I have a melon for a head.I did bend the arc a bit and now I can use them for hours at a time. The housing is attached to the earcups with a single M4 bolt and I did experience some rubbing there. This joint wasn't really supposed to move but for my use, they fit better that way so I place a nylon washer between the two parts and that has fixed this. I've already relayed this to Aumkar who should be arriving back home soon.
The only major issue I've had is with the cable or rather one of the connectors. One channel started to drop out and after some troubleshooting this was traced to the mini XLR plug. I bought some new ones and made a quick replacement cable this morning and now it works perfectly. To keep the cost down the mini XLR does work for this but yeah... I'd like something better but given the cost constraints I get why they use it. Same for the cable, getting anything which works for this is difficult and costly. The cable is still better than what Hifiman are using so yeah... I'm not too worried about that.
So over all, I'm very, very impressed and I will be working with Aumkar to see if we can't improve on these small issues.
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@MrTechAgent hi, first of all, my compliments for proposing an electrostatic headphone for the masses at human price.
you have in mind a dedicated amplifier or you rely on the products offered on the market? in this last case your headphone is hard to drive?. thanks a lot. Aldo
you have in mind a dedicated amplifier or you rely on the products offered on the market? in this last case your headphone is hard to drive?. thanks a lot. Aldo
Hubert481
500+ Head-Fier
Any plans to can hear them in Vienna (austria) - the centre of music in europe
I thought I'd share this here as well. Last week, I flew down to Reykjavík to meet an industry Legend and technically our first International customer - Spritzer.
His opinion is out on a different website which I don't think I'm allowed to mention on Head-Fi, you'll have to find it for yourself, sorry! Not my rules.
Also, since I was all the way in Iceland, I had to visit my favorite place on earth being a car enthusiast. My first time driving on de-restricted Autobahns, only could find 24 hours in Germany as I had to be back to work but fantastic visiting Zuffenhausen and Sindelfingen.
His opinion is out on a different website which I don't think I'm allowed to mention on Head-Fi, you'll have to find it for yourself, sorry! Not my rules.
Also, since I was all the way in Iceland, I had to visit my favorite place on earth being a car enthusiast. My first time driving on de-restricted Autobahns, only could find 24 hours in Germany as I had to be back to work but fantastic visiting Zuffenhausen and Sindelfingen.
Hello,
We used the 252S for our development. You can get a 353X for better performance and the KGSSHV-Carbon for ultimate performance.
We will also be selling Koss E/90 adapters for existing ESP-950 customers.
I'm not sure to be honest, we will be touring across Europe for shows so....
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