[betula]

I have the same headphone in-house, too. Set it up for burn-in yesterday.

Interesting how novel & different these earcups look. Between the graphic grain pattern, the strong contrast between light & dark colors, and the raised "triangle" emerging from the circular earcups, the CC looks nothing liike any other headphone.

Then I put them on (w/stock pads) to check that I have sound coming through the amp I'm using for burn-in. Even straight out of the box, the sound is so familiar--it's pure Caldera. So this is a headphone that looks very different, but sounds very familiar.

A harbinger of good things to come: that familiar Caldera sound is just about the best planar sound I've heard in all my time in this hobby.

Familiar Caldera sound, but at the same time there are some distinct differences as well.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Familiar Caldera sound, but at the same time there are some distinct differences as well.

I think you'll prove right, but I'm not there yet. Regardless, the sonic family rememblance is strong...

Obvious differences (besides the open vs closed earcups):

• The CC has stock pads vs my Open having lambskin thicks
• I'm unclear as to mesh on the CC. Does it have mesh, like the Open? If yes, that's another variable (my Open has the Mantle mesh)

 

[Monsterzero]

Glad to see you're back in review-form

Much appreciated. It's great to be able to enjoy this hobby again!

 

[AnyDave]

I think you'll prove right, but I'm not there yet. Regardless, the sonic family rememblance is strong...

Obvious differences (besides the open vs closed earcups):

• The CC has stock pads vs my Open having lambskin thicks
• I'm unclear as to mesh on the CC. Does it have mesh, like the Open? If yes, that's another variable (my Open has the Mantle mesh)

Yes, the CC has full face mesh by default. Without mesh, it's brighter than the Caldera Open. We are likely going to offer a second mesh option for folks that want more damping.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Yes, the CC has full face mesh by default. Without mesh, it's brighter than the Caldera Open. We are likely going to offer a second mesh option for folks that want more damping.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Way too early for me to tell if I find this headphone (and mesh) bright or not. Because ZMF included the CC's "thick" pads as 2nd set of pads, at least I'll be able to experiment with those vs stock pads to assess any tonal changes that result.

With my Caldera Open, switching to the lambskin thicks was exactly the right thing for my ears, but the CC is a different headphone, so I'm not assuming anything at this point...

 

[betula]

I think you'll prove right, but I'm not there yet. Regardless, the sonic family rememblance is strong...

Obvious differences (besides the open vs closed earcups):

• The CC has stock pads vs my Open having lambskin thicks
• I'm unclear as to mesh on the CC. Does it have mesh, like the Open? If yes, that's another variable (my Open has the Mantle mesh)

The sonic resemblance is indeed strong, but to me there are stand out differences withing that realm, pretty much regardless of what pads are on.
I also use the thick pads on my Caldera open, but without the Mantle mesh. The mesh on the CO dampens the sound, especially treble, too much for my taste. On the stock pads I find the upper mids/lower treble a bit too accentuated after a while, so thick pads offer ideal balance to me with just enough smoothening on those frequencies while also adding a little bass.
Obviously, I am still experimenting with pads on the CC, but the internals seem different lacking the option of attaching the Mantle mesh. That said, it could partially explain why you hear the CO and CC more similar as it seems the CO with mesh is a little closer to CC sound in the treble region (more damping on CC by default). Mind you, these are very early impressions.

 

[zach915m]

just wait, those who have been handpicked to receive units and post impressions will have a say . And sure enough...

Sounds like the perfect opportunity for you to go to High End Munich and make some impressions of your own! Or we have a ton of EU dealers who will have sets where you can hear them. If you've heard Caldera Open - you kind of have some idea what a closed version might sound like though...ish!

https://www.zmfheadphones.com/dealersnew

You also seem to have noticed that I focus a lot more on enthusiasts than paid reviewers/review sites. For better or worse I do think it helps provide more accurate and well rounded impressions before release. For our last release, the Bokeh, we didn't send a single unit to a review website for release. This time around Headfonics, Headfonia, will get units in hand as well as the guy on that other site.

The sonic resemblance is indeed strong, but to me there are stand out differences withing that realm, pretty much regardless of what pads are on.
I also use the thick pads on my Caldera open, but without the Mantle mesh. The mesh on the CO dampens the sound, especially treble, too much for my taste. On the stock pads I find the upper mids/lower treble a bit too accentuated after a while, so thick pads offer ideal balance to me with just enough smoothening on those frequencies while also adding a little bass.
Obviously, I am still experimenting with pads on the CC, but the internals seem different lacking the option of attaching the Mantle mesh. That said, it could partially explain why you hear the CO and CC more similar as it seems the CO with mesh is a little closer to CC sound in the treble region (more damping on CC by default). Mind you, these are very early impressions.

There will be an option to go "up" or "down" with the frontal damping, it's just impossible to go without any damping for the CC, as the energy coming from the planar driver is immense. We definitely utilized the full Atrium Damping system here in a totally new format to get the sound correct.

 

[betula]

...as well as the guy on that other site.

Bold move.

 

[erics75]

Sounds like the perfect opportunity for you to go to High End Munich and make some impressions of your own! Or we have a ton of EU dealers who will have sets where you can hear them. If you've heard Caldera Open - you kind of have some idea what a closed version might sound like though...ish!

https://www.zmfheadphones.com/dealersnew

You also seem to have noticed that I focus a lot more on enthusiasts than paid reviewers/review sites. For better or worse I do think it helps provide more accurate and well rounded impressions before release. For our last release, the Bokeh, we didn't send a single unit to a review website for release. This time around Headfonics, Headfonia, will get units in hand as well as the guy on that other site.


There will be an option to go "up" or "down" with the frontal damping, it's just impossible to go without any damping for the CC, as the energy coming from the planar driver is immense. We definitely utilized the full Atrium Damping system here in a totally new format to get the sound correct.

I think the normal user impressions are far more valuable than review houses that just churn out reviews for a living. Especially those who keep the sets and provide ongoing feedback over longer periods of time. That intimate knowledge of the product is lost on the review houses and IMO provides the most value to prospective buyers. I'm glad you embrace the end user so much, IMO it's one of the many great qualities that separates you guys from the more traditional headphone manufacturers.

 

[AnyDave]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Way too early for me to tell if I find this headphone (and mesh) bright or not. Because ZMF included the CC's "thick" pads as 2nd set of pads, at least I'll be able to experiment with those vs stock pads to assess any tonal changes that result.

With my Caldera Open, switching to the lambskin thicks was exactly the right thing for my ears, but the CC is a different headphone, so I'm not assuming anything at this point...

You can remove the mesh if you want (it's designed to be replaceable). But, unlike the mantle mesh, it holds on quite tight, so just pull it off carefully and it'll be fine (and can be used again). That said, I can't imagine anybody wanting to use it without the mesh (unlike the CO which does work without any mesh).

 

[erics75]

Bold move.

the benefit of having them review a product is you just have to send them the graph, not the headphones themselves i know, i'm evil...

 

[betula]

the benefit of having them review a product is you just have to send them the graph, not the headphones themselves i know, i'm evil...

Haha! Spot on.

 

[djentbat]

I have the same headphone in-house, too. Set it up for burn-in yesterday.

Interesting how novel & different these earcups look. Between the graphic grain pattern, the strong contrast between light & dark colors, and the raised "triangle" emerging from the circular earcups, the CC looks nothing liike any other headphone.

Then I put them on (w/stock pads) to check that I have sound coming through the amp I'm using for burn-in. Even straight out of the box, the sound is so familiar--it's pure Caldera. So this is a headphone that looks very different, but sounds very familiar.

A harbinger of good things to come: that familiar Caldera sound is just about the best planar sound I've heard in all my time in this hobby.

Yeah it’s weird, at first I didn’t love the trianglish shaped cups, but now I love the look. It really does make them unique

 

[zach915m]

the benefit of having them review a product is you just have to send them the graph, not the headphones themselves i know, i'm evil...

Oh - I wasn't talking about that site, but the other other site haha...but given how the Caldera Closed measures, I think they'd like the Closed version better as well.

 

[erics75]

Oh - I wasn't talking about that site, but the other other site haha...

or will it be that other other other site... wait what were we talking about?