ZMF Caldera Closed

[idairyou]

This is the face of a man who just realized headphones don't have to be limited by any form factor:

I see one drawback right off the bat.

They're not an all-day wear set.

 

[Grunt66]

That's a great stand for your setup! Is it something widely available? Of course the CC look great too

Purchased two of them off of Amazon and stacked them, works great.

 

[goldwerger]

One of my CanJam SoCal highlights was discovering the incredible synergy between the Caldera Closed and the Woo WA23 Luna. An incredibly lush and holographic presentation, this was sublime synergy for me. I think I may need to get on of those amps in the future just for this pairing

 

[nick97]

Hey guys, I want to get one of the closed-back ZMF flagships (either caldera or atrium) but I'm an exclusively portable user.

I know it's probably sacrilegious to ask, but would I be happy driving it from the balanced output of some of the high-end dongle dacs out there? Should I just go to something with its own battery?

All advice welcome!

 

[goldwerger]

Hey guys, I want to get one of the closed-back ZMF flagships (either caldera or atrium) but I'm an exclusively portable user.

I know it's probably sacrilegious to ask, but would I be happy driving it from the balanced output of some of the high-end dongle dacs out there? Should I just go to something with its own battery?

All advice welcome!

A portable amp that is more powerful will work just fine. Ideally something that outputs 6V or more. Any powerful portable DAC/amp or DAP would give you a good starting point.

 

[nick97]

A portable amp that is more powerful will work just fine. Ideally something that outputs 6V or more. Any powerful portable DAC/amp or DAP would give you a good starting point.

Thanks for the reply! Quick question, what would 6V translate to in mw? Always wondered how that converted

 

[goldwerger]

At 32ohm it would be about 1 watt (6x6/32) and at 300phm about 100 mw (6x6/300)

 

[nick97]

At 32ohm it would be about 1 watt (6x6/32) and at 300phm about 100 mw (6x6/300)

Interesting, I don't think I've heard of a dongle that can output that kind of power ... Probably have to go battery

 

[erics75]

Hey guys, I want to get one of the closed-back ZMF flagships (either caldera or atrium) but I'm an exclusively portable user.

I know it's probably sacrilegious to ask, but would I be happy driving it from the balanced output of some of the high-end dongle dacs out there? Should I just go to something with its own battery?

All advice welcome!

I don't have any high end high power dongles so my experience is limited. But I do have the AC, CC, and also Bokeh, with a Dragonfly Red as my portable dongle. If I were to choose a ZMF and could only use the Dragonfly, it would be the Bokeh without question. The CC needs way too much power and is significantly underpowered by the Dragonfly. The Atrium doesn't sound horrible, but it's still slow/sluggish/soft sounding due to being moderately underpowered. The Bokeh lacks some of the speed and precision of a more powerful amp pairing, but isn't that far off either. It's engaging and fun sounding, and IMO reasonably well powered by the Dragonfly. I know there are portable units out there outputting way more power than the Dragonfly, but I haven't used them myself much. Don't overlook the Bokeh, it's legit. I use it just as much as the AC and CC, and do not feel like i'm missing anything with it. Yeah the other two are more technically capable, but the Bokeh is just as fun to listen to. I value musicality and engagement far more than technical prowess.

 

[goldwerger]

Interesting, I don't think I've heard of a dongle that can output that kind of power ... Probably have to go battery

Get a a small mobile usb connected portable DAC/amp (or DAP)

 

[ECKHUAAA]

Get a a small mobile usb connected portable DAC/amp (or DAP)

I drive my CC and CO currently with the Cayin N30LE DAP and it is sooo good but as we audiophiles are always trying to improve, I will be adding a Cayin mobile headamp the C9ii simply because it implemented the full complement of the enhancements initially meant for the N30LE but rescinded due to limitations of a complete DAP. FYI the Cayin N3ultra uses that output stage also and drives the CO reasonably but struggles with the CC (understandably)

 

[goldwerger]

I drive my CC and CO currently with the Cayin N30LE DAP and it is sooo good but as we audiophiles are always trying to improve, I will be adding a Cayin mobile headamp the C9ii simply because it implemented the full complement of the enhancements initially meant for the N30LE but rescinded due to limitations of a complete DAP. FYI the Cayin N3ultra uses that output stage also and drives the CO reasonably but struggles with the CC (understandably)

My friend @HiFiHawaii808 heard the C9ii at the show and thought it was excellent (he also uses an N30LE DAP among others I believe). I love the C9 og so can only assume this would be even better… nice!

 

[psy472]

Any of the red heart CC orders being filled yet? I’m still waiting for mine week 4-5 now.

 

[bluex]

Any of the red heart CC orders being filled yet? I’m still waiting for mine week 4-5 now.

Me too, still waiting, for about 8 weeks

 

[zach915m]

Any of the red heart CC orders being filled yet? I’m still waiting for mine week 4-5 now.

Me too, still waiting, for about 8 weeks

I sanded a lot of them a couple weeks ago and they are coming through QC right now. Sorry for the delay, moving spaces took longer than expected but headphones will be flying through now.