[Wes S]

The CC is amazing for classical with it's clarity and separation. I actually like the closed a bit more than the open for classical for the added isolation. I'm not a huge classical listener, but do dabble in it from time to time. With the CC it's allowing me to really understand the complexity of each arrangement, the layering and blending of instruments. But unlike some more neutrally tuned headphones (HD800, etc.), the CC is musical enough to be engaging as well as resolving. It adds an emotional element that I found lacking with thinner, less musical headphones. Been really enjoying this one lately:

Heck yeah! The separation and layering is stunning, and are two traits that continually come to mind while listening with the CC. The staging is awesome with these headphones, and they most definitely do not sound like closed backs.

 

[goldwerger]

The CC is amazing for classical with it's clarity and separation. I actually like the closed a bit more than the open for classical for the added isolation. I'm not a huge classical listener, but do dabble in it from time to time. With the CC it's allowing me to really understand the complexity of each arrangement, the layering and blending of instruments. But unlike some more neutrally tuned headphones (HD800, etc.), the CC is musical enough to be engaging as well as resolving. It adds an emotional element that I found lacking with thinner, less musical headphones. Been really enjoying this one lately:

that's a great album!

 

[Coran]

Funnily enough my next audio-related purchase will be a new and larger/better cabinet for my setup.

Thankfully I’ve found a very well-regarded builder in the area who has fair prices and lovely items. I’m thinking something like the below, with the headamps and preamp in the middle/open section.

PSU, DAC, power conditioner, CD player, and storage behind closed doors.

The cherry wood will match my tower speakers and subwoofer reasonably well. Exciting!

Oh hello fellow Washingtonian. Would you mind PMing me this builders website, if they have one? I've been looking for storage solutions myself and have found nothing I like so far.

 

[AudioDuck]

Oh hello fellow Washingtonian. Would you mind PMing me this builders website, if they have one? I've been looking for storage solutions myself and have found nothing I like so far.

Done!

 

[OnlySoMany]

I've made those mental calculations endless times. The scary part is, I've always found a solution. That means, my rack is now 4 wide shelves high and another amp is on another cabinet. My mental maneuvers with my wife are deserving an Oscar nomination, at minimum

Been there so many times with so many different setups

 

[OnlySoMany]

These headphones are continuing to blow my mind! The speed, impact, and texture are first class, and the staging is so open and layered that it's stunning. The speed helps keep everything in focus, and nothing sounds too diffused even though the staging is ridiculously grand. While listening, you can clearly tell these headphones were a labor of love, as everything top to bottom is just so right. That excellent balance top to bottom with a warm leaning tilt, is perfection for my preferences. The reverb and decay seem to go on forever, and the sound is effortless with speed and warmth combined. I love being able to feel the music, and these headphones definitely deliver that in spades. Zach has truly created something special, and I can't think of a single thing I would like to change.

I am using the stock hybrid pads, and have the CC paired up with the Aegis, and honestly I don't think you will find a better pairing.

Long live the CC's!

This makes me super excited for my set

 

[swedishpat]

Did anyone notice a sound difference depending on wood? I liked hard wood best for atrium closed. Would it be the same for caldera closed? Is stock hard or soft wood?

 

[jandrese]

My pair of Caldera Closed arrived over the weekend. I find the stock burnt wood (Shou Sugi Ban Ash) quite attractive and the first thing I did was take some photos: Zach is not a bad photographer but I wanted to give him a run for his money. Included in my package was the tuning kit, the magnesium chassis, and the braided silver cable. My Caldera Closed weigh exactly 2 grams less than my Caldera Open so the magnesium must be doing something right. As for the cable, I just wanted a visually different cable from my other ZMF headphones.

First things first, this is a flagship headphone in terms of sonics, looks, and comfort. Second, it is different from the Caldera Open, that is, it’s not just a closed Caldera Open. For me the isolation is also a major bonus. I have listened to them on their own on three different setups, compared them to the Caldera Open and the Verite Closed, and rolled some pads. What follows are the main points from early listening.

I really want to be brief so here goes. The Caldera Closed are uncannily open sounding, even more so than the Verite Closed. No, they don’t stage as wide as the Caldera Open, and they don’t handle loud volumes as well either, but they offer a sense of body that is missing or perhaps less obvious with the Caldera Open (insert any open back headphone too). The Verite Closed do this too. It’s almost as if the internal reflections are giving a better sense of the recording space in 3D terms at the cost of stage width and the ability of notes to trail off into the forever distance.

The Caldera Closed are detailed and composed. When the music gets complex the Caldera Closed don’t get congested or lose the ability to pick out details. This was best evinced on Explosions in the Sky Postcards from 1952. Sure, the Caldera Open exposes more of the delicate micro details like fingers moving on a string, and it maintains its composure to ridiculously loud volumes, but the Closed model is still top tier in detail and clarity. Everything on the Caldera Closed sounds so…right. It’s not a bass monster, it’s not bright, it’s not hyper detailed or wickedly fast (it’s a planar so it’s snappy)….it’s musical with scale. Throw a better recording at them, better equipment, and they sound better. The Verite Closed are, in comparison, more congested sounding with a tendency to have a low end rumble present. I dearly love the Verite Closed but the Caldera Closed are all together better but not as isolating. The Verite Closed are also more than 10% lighter, which is noticeable on the head.

Regarding pad changes, well, I think I prefer the stock hybrid pads. On my other ZMF headphones I prefer suede pads. On the Caldera Closed the suede seemed to take away some of the magic. I left it at that. The thin pads (protein) were quite nice, very similar to stock, and benefit male vocals as well as lowering stage height but the stock hybrids have more magic. The thick pads and the different meshes have not been tried yet and may not get trialed. I absolutely loathe changing ZMF pads and it takes me days to recover from the trauma. Someday I’ll get an irrational urge to try another pad but I reckon I’ll return to the stock pads.

That’s it for now. This is clearly a flagship headphone and a labor of love. The love really comes through. Love and science. There will be clearly many times I reach for the Caldera Closed first when it’s time to slap on some headphones.

 

[OnlySoMany]

My pair of Caldera Closed arrived over the weekend. I find the stock burnt wood (Shou Sugi Ban Ash) quite attractive and the first thing I did was take some photos: Zach is not a bad photographer but I wanted to give him a run for his money. Included in my package was the tuning kit, the magnesium chassis, and the braided silver cable. My Caldera Closed weigh exactly 2 grams less than my Caldera Open so the magnesium must be doing something right. As for the cable, I just wanted a visually different cable from my other ZMF headphones.



First things first, this is a flagship headphone in terms of sonics, looks, and comfort. Second, it is different from the Caldera Open, that is, it’s not just a closed Caldera Open. For me the isolation is also a major bonus. I have listened to them on their own on three different setups, compared them to the Caldera Open and the Verite Closed, and rolled some pads. What follows are the main points from early listening.



I really want to be brief so here goes. The Caldera Closed are uncannily open sounding, even more so than the Verite Closed. No, they don’t stage as wide as the Caldera Open, and they don’t handle loud volumes as well either, but they offer a sense of body that is missing or perhaps less obvious with the Caldera Open (insert any open back headphone too). The Verite Closed do this too. It’s almost as if the internal reflections are giving a better sense of the recording space in 3D terms at the cost of stage width and the ability of notes to trail off into the forever distance.



The Caldera Closed are detailed and composed. When the music gets complex the Caldera Closed don’t get congested or lose the ability to pick out details. This was best evinced on Explosions in the Sky Postcards from 1952. Sure, the Caldera Open exposes more of the delicate micro details like fingers moving on a string, and it maintains its composure to ridiculously loud volumes, but the Closed model is still top tier in detail and clarity. Everything on the Caldera Closed sounds so…right. It’s not a bass monster, it’s not bright, it’s not hyper detailed or wickedly fast (it’s a planar so it’s snappy)….it’s musical with scale. Throw a better recording at them, better equipment, and they sound better. The Verite Closed are, in comparison, more congested sounding with a tendency to have a low end rumble present. I dearly love the Verite Closed but the Caldera Closed are all together better but not as isolating. The Verite Closed are also more than 10% lighter, which is noticeable on the head.



Regarding pad changes, well, I think I prefer the stock hybrid pads. On my other ZMF headphones I prefer suede pads. On the Caldera Closed the suede seemed to take away some of the magic. I left it at that. The thin pads (protein) were quite nice, very similar to stock, and benefit male vocals as well as lowering stage height but the stock hybrids have more magic. The thick pads and the different meshes have not been tried yet and may not get trialed. I absolutely loathe changing ZMF pads and it takes me days to recover from the trauma. Someday I’ll get an irrational urge to try another pad but I reckon I’ll return to the stock pads.

That’s it for now. This is clearly a flagship headphone and a labor of love. The love really comes through. Love and science. There will be clearly many times I reach for the Caldera Closed first when it’s time to slap on some headphones.

You mention the Verite closed quite a few times, what about a comparison to the Atrium Closed?

 

[jandrese]

You mention the Verite closed quite a few times, what about a comparison to the Atrium Closed?

I’ve never heard the Atrium Closed. I once owned the Atrium Open in cocobolo: gorgeous but heavy. The Atrium Open and I never got along. Heavy on the head with a slow woolly sound. I didn’t think the midrange was all that special nor the sound staging. That runs contrary to many but it’s my experience. Based on memory of Atrium Open vs the Caldera Open and Verite Closed and extrapolating to the Atirum Closed (which is wrong to do) I suppose the Caldera Closed sound cleaner, crisper, more extended on both ends, and image better than the Atrium Closed. But, again, I’ve never heard them and am deeply biased against anything Atirum.

 

[suno23]

My pair of Caldera Closed arrived over the weekend. I find the stock burnt wood (Shou Sugi Ban Ash) quite attractive and the first thing I did was take some photos: Zach is not a bad photographer but I wanted to give him a run for his money. Included in my package was the tuning kit, the magnesium chassis, and the braided silver cable. My Caldera Closed weigh exactly 2 grams less than my Caldera Open so the magnesium must be doing something right. As for the cable, I just wanted a visually different cable from my other ZMF headphones.



First things first, this is a flagship headphone in terms of sonics, looks, and comfort. Second, it is different from the Caldera Open, that is, it’s not just a closed Caldera Open. For me the isolation is also a major bonus. I have listened to them on their own on three different setups, compared them to the Caldera Open and the Verite Closed, and rolled some pads. What follows are the main points from early listening.



I really want to be brief so here goes. The Caldera Closed are uncannily open sounding, even more so than the Verite Closed. No, they don’t stage as wide as the Caldera Open, and they don’t handle loud volumes as well either, but they offer a sense of body that is missing or perhaps less obvious with the Caldera Open (insert any open back headphone too). The Verite Closed do this too. It’s almost as if the internal reflections are giving a better sense of the recording space in 3D terms at the cost of stage width and the ability of notes to trail off into the forever distance.



The Caldera Closed are detailed and composed. When the music gets complex the Caldera Closed don’t get congested or lose the ability to pick out details. This was best evinced on Explosions in the Sky Postcards from 1952. Sure, the Caldera Open exposes more of the delicate micro details like fingers moving on a string, and it maintains its composure to ridiculously loud volumes, but the Closed model is still top tier in detail and clarity. Everything on the Caldera Closed sounds so…right. It’s not a bass monster, it’s not bright, it’s not hyper detailed or wickedly fast (it’s a planar so it’s snappy)….it’s musical with scale. Throw a better recording at them, better equipment, and they sound better. The Verite Closed are, in comparison, more congested sounding with a tendency to have a low end rumble present. I dearly love the Verite Closed but the Caldera Closed are all together better but not as isolating. The Verite Closed are also more than 10% lighter, which is noticeable on the head.



Regarding pad changes, well, I think I prefer the stock hybrid pads. On my other ZMF headphones I prefer suede pads. On the Caldera Closed the suede seemed to take away some of the magic. I left it at that. The thin pads (protein) were quite nice, very similar to stock, and benefit male vocals as well as lowering stage height but the stock hybrids have more magic. The thick pads and the different meshes have not been tried yet and may not get trialed. I absolutely loathe changing ZMF pads and it takes me days to recover from the trauma. Someday I’ll get an irrational urge to try another pad but I reckon I’ll return to the stock pads.

That’s it for now. This is clearly a flagship headphone and a labor of love. The love really comes through. Love and science. There will be clearly many times I reach for the Caldera Closed first when it’s time to slap on some headphones.

nice to meet you on FB haha...great write up! can't wait and the itch just got worse!

 

[OnlySoMany]

I’ve never heard the Atrium Closed. I once owned the Atrium Open in cocobolo: gorgeous but heavy. The Atrium Open and I never got along. Heavy on the head with a slow woolly sound. I didn’t think the midrange was all that special nor the sound staging. That runs contrary to many but it’s my experience. Based on memory of Atrium Open vs the Caldera Open and Verite Closed and extrapolating to the Atirum Closed (which is wrong to do) I suppose the Caldera Closed sound cleaner, crisper, more extended on both ends, and image better than the Atrium Closed. But, again, I’ve never heard them and am deeply biased against anything Atirum.

I own a few of the Atrium open and I by far prefer the closed backs. To me they sound like completely different headphones. It's not that the AO is bad, it's just not my personal preference. I can see how some would like it. Metaphorically, to me the AO is more solid state, where the AC is more tubes.

 

[Wes S]

Thoughts that come to mind while listening with the CC paired up with the Aegis.

TOTL levels of detail and resolution without any fatigue, and without any part of the frequency being overwhelming.

Staging for days, and impact and texture you can feel, without sounding overdone. There is just enough pressure and the sound really breathes.

Notes seem to trail off and decay forever, and you can really hear the room.

The CC sound high end, and very natural, and continue to blow my mind every time I listen.

I honestly don't want to use any other headphone, and the CC has truly won my heart. This headphone has it all, and then some I did not even know was possible.

For all you ZMF close back fans like myself, the CC is the pinnacle of the ZMF closed back sound in my opinion, and is what I have been dreaming of for years. My VC's have their strengths yet have their weaknesses as well, and same goes for my beloved Atticus. The CC are just flat out magical top to bottom.

I can seriously listen loud and proud with the CC all day long without fatigue, and never stop being amazed the entire time song after song.

So to reiterate my point, the CC are the closed back of all closed backs in my opinion. Zach has truly created a masterpiece with the Caldera Closed, and I can't wait for more to discover this.

Long live the CC!!!

 

[Wes S]

My pair of Caldera Closed arrived over the weekend. I find the stock burnt wood (Shou Sugi Ban Ash) quite attractive and the first thing I did was take some photos: Zach is not a bad photographer but I wanted to give him a run for his money. Included in my package was the tuning kit, the magnesium chassis, and the braided silver cable. My Caldera Closed weigh exactly 2 grams less than my Caldera Open so the magnesium must be doing something right. As for the cable, I just wanted a visually different cable from my other ZMF headphones.



First things first, this is a flagship headphone in terms of sonics, looks, and comfort. Second, it is different from the Caldera Open, that is, it’s not just a closed Caldera Open. For me the isolation is also a major bonus. I have listened to them on their own on three different setups, compared them to the Caldera Open and the Verite Closed, and rolled some pads. What follows are the main points from early listening.



I really want to be brief so here goes. The Caldera Closed are uncannily open sounding, even more so than the Verite Closed. No, they don’t stage as wide as the Caldera Open, and they don’t handle loud volumes as well either, but they offer a sense of body that is missing or perhaps less obvious with the Caldera Open (insert any open back headphone too). The Verite Closed do this too. It’s almost as if the internal reflections are giving a better sense of the recording space in 3D terms at the cost of stage width and the ability of notes to trail off into the forever distance.



The Caldera Closed are detailed and composed. When the music gets complex the Caldera Closed don’t get congested or lose the ability to pick out details. This was best evinced on Explosions in the Sky Postcards from 1952. Sure, the Caldera Open exposes more of the delicate micro details like fingers moving on a string, and it maintains its composure to ridiculously loud volumes, but the Closed model is still top tier in detail and clarity. Everything on the Caldera Closed sounds so…right. It’s not a bass monster, it’s not bright, it’s not hyper detailed or wickedly fast (it’s a planar so it’s snappy)….it’s musical with scale. Throw a better recording at them, better equipment, and they sound better. The Verite Closed are, in comparison, more congested sounding with a tendency to have a low end rumble present. I dearly love the Verite Closed but the Caldera Closed are all together better but not as isolating. The Verite Closed are also more than 10% lighter, which is noticeable on the head.



Regarding pad changes, well, I think I prefer the stock hybrid pads. On my other ZMF headphones I prefer suede pads. On the Caldera Closed the suede seemed to take away some of the magic. I left it at that. The thin pads (protein) were quite nice, very similar to stock, and benefit male vocals as well as lowering stage height but the stock hybrids have more magic. The thick pads and the different meshes have not been tried yet and may not get trialed. I absolutely loathe changing ZMF pads and it takes me days to recover from the trauma. Someday I’ll get an irrational urge to try another pad but I reckon I’ll return to the stock pads.

That’s it for now. This is clearly a flagship headphone and a labor of love. The love really comes through. Love and science. There will be clearly many times I reach for the Caldera Closed first when it’s time to slap on some headphones.

That is a drop dead gorgeous pair, and as a fellow VC fan, I totally agree with everything said.

 

[swedishpat]

Which wood is harder, stock or LTD???