[NutritiousNoodles]

First Impressions: Holy crap! These are the most natural sounding planars I've ever heard (previously owned the Susvara and LCD-5). All the detail is there without the over-emphasized treble or wonky midrange. Soundstage is comparable to Atrium and the treble is much more defined without any zing or glare. Can't wait to try the suede pads.

This just reminds me why I’m getting the caldera. Should be getting them on Tuesday can’t wait!

 

[YtseJamer]

The Atriums are great too, these just have a bit more speed for the fast stuff

To be honest with you, the only reason why I have still not order the Caldera is because I fear the mids are not going to be enough forward for my tastes.

 

[gonintendo]

To be honest with you, the only reason why I have still not order the Caldera is because I fear the mids are not going to be enough forward for my tastes.

they certainly seem a bit less forward than the atrium, I think the description I’ve seen floating around that they’re between the verite and atrium is probably true. I wonder how much that can be affected by pad rolling though. I’ve only tried the stock pads (suede and leather) so far and the mids are perfect for me. I found the Atrium to be on the edge of being too forward in the mids, and these dial it back just a bit to my ideal level. I will share pad rolling thoughts once I’ve tried them all out (I grabbed all them lol)

 

[YtseJamer]

they certainly seem a bit less forward than the atrium, I think the description I’ve seen floating around that they’re between the verite and atrium is probably true. I wonder how much that can be affected by pad rolling though. I’ve only tried the stock pads (suede and leather) so far and the mids are perfect for me. I found the Atrium to be on the edge of being too forward in the mids, and these dial it back just a bit to my ideal level. I will share pad rolling thoughts once I’ve tried them all out (I grabbed all them lol)

Thank you so much for your feedback. To my ears, the mids of the Atrium are almost perfect, but the mids of the VC are a bit too much recessed for my tastes. Even if the Caldera are the fastest and most resolving ZMF headphones, I will probably not like them if the mids are not more forward than the mids of the VC.

 

[gonintendo]

Thank you so much for your feedback. To my ears, the mids of the Atrium are almost perfect, but the mids of the VC are a bit too much recessed for my tastes. Even if the Caldera are the fastest and most resolving ZMF headphones, I will probably not like them if the mids are not more forward than the mids of the VC.

They are definitely more forward than VC
If VC is -3 on the mids, and Atrium is +3, I’d say Caldera is +1 or 2

 

[jinxy245]

Thank you so much for your feedback. To my ears, the mids of the Atrium are almost perfect, but the mids of the VC are a bit too much recessed for my tastes. Even if the Caldera are the fastest and most resolving ZMF headphones, I will probably not like them if the mids are not more forward than the mids of the VC.

It's been a while since I've heard the VC personally, but I'm about 85-90% sure the Caldera mids are indeed more forward than the VC. Less than Atrium to my ears, but not a huge margin.

 

[lllkkkoo]

Thank you so much for your feedback. To my ears, the mids of the Atrium are almost perfect, but the mids of the VC are a bit too much recessed for my tastes. Even if the Caldera are the fastest and most resolving ZMF headphones, I will probably not like them if the mids are not more forward than the mids of the VC.

Just had my Caldera delivered yesterday, yeah i also find the mids pretty close to the atrium. i have atrium and vc together with caldera.
For initial impression i find caldera on the energetic/lively side, definitely more energetic than atrium i think. Using the stockpad. Apart from the slight mid forwardness, caldera also have better separation so it kinda helps with the mid clarity.

 

[Disco3]

The Caldera definitely has the mids quite a bit more forward compared to the VC. I usually prefer to not have the mids forward. But the Caldera with the suede pads makes the mid range incredible. It's so natural, textured and detailed. There isn't any graininess or honk, but has a rich warmth to it. The suede pads are definitely the way to go in my opinion, for both sound and comfort. I usually prefer lambskin.

Also, they feel lighter fit better than my VC's, which I assume is because of the pads (I dont know what kind of black magic Zach used to make these suede pads, but I'm in love)

I agree with @Monsterzero, these are excellent for metal. They're fast. There's no sibilance and they're highly detailed. There's absolutely no bloom or flub. The staging is amazing. The instrument separation is top tier. And with the wonderful mids, electric guitars sound authentic and life like.

I want to A/B the Caldera with my VC's and even try the suede Caldera pads on the VC (and try my lambskin Eikon pads on the Caldera), but I can't stop listening to them

 

[Monsterzero]

Thank you so much for your feedback. To my ears, the mids of the Atrium are almost perfect, but the mids of the VC are a bit too much recessed for my tastes. Even if the Caldera are the fastest and most resolving ZMF headphones, I will probably not like them if the mids are not more forward than the mids of the VC.

They are definitely more forward than VC
If VC is -3 on the mids, and Atrium is +3, I’d say Caldera is +1 or 2

Agreed. Somewhere in between VC and the Atrium.
If the most forward mids are the ultimate goal for metal enjoyment, stick with the Atrium, and I totally get that, hence why I still love my K240 sextetts, but the Caldera is killer for metal IMHO

 

[TheFrator]

The FedEx driver delivered my package to the wrong address and "signed for" by my last name. I got an email saying the package was delivered so I walked down the block and spotted my package on someone's porch. I rang the bell and the owner of the house says he didn't sign for it which means the driver forged my signature and left it there. I called customer service to report the driver for his incompetence (my first time being a male Karen and it feels great!). If I didn't locate this package myself I would be spending weeks dealing with the claims department so this driver needed to be reported to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

Now it's time to listen to the Caldera

This is why I ship everything with UPS. UPS employees are salaried while FedEx Ground is contractors.

Fun fact: FedEx Ground and FedEx Express are actually different companies under the FedEx conglomerate. FedEx Express employees are salaried like UPS and they're better than Ground.

Thank you for attending my TedTalk on knowledge I picked up while working in a shipping department.

 

[gonintendo]

This is why I ship everything with UPS. UPS employees are salaried while FedEx Ground is contractors.

Fun fact: FedEx Ground and FedEx Express are actually different companies under the FedEx conglomerate. FedEx Express employees are salaried like UPS and they're better than Ground.

Thank you for attending my TedTalk on knowledge I picked up while working in a shipping department.

UPS is also union so less leeway for unreasonable schedules

 

[zach915m]

A

Dude. Both of the ZMF’s I ordered specifically had signature required and both times FedEx signed “on my behalf” and just left it at my front door. Fortunately I was home or that woulda been a porch thief’s lucky day…twice.

This is why I ship everything with UPS. UPS employees are salaried while FedEx Ground is contractors.

Fun fact: FedEx Ground and FedEx Express are actually different companies under the FedEx conglomerate. FedEx Express employees are salaried like UPS and they're better than Ground.

Thank you for attending my TedTalk on knowledge I picked up while working in a shipping department.

We went to UPS last year for this very reason as I figured the same, within two months UPS had lost three outgoing packages and two headphones. This hasnt happened with fedex - (knock on wood!)

 

[TheFrator]

I’m gonna gonna go ahead and say these are the best ZMF for metal. These straight RIP

Can you give Vicarious by Tool a listen for me on the Caldera? How tactile do the intro guitars feel (first 40 seconds)? And does the brief drum solo at 2:40 sound compressed at all?

I ask about the tactility because the LCD-5 has that in spades. And once you get used to headphones that move air so precisely that sounds feel like they're physically hitting your ear, you can't go back. The drum portion I ask about because most more affordable headphones can't render each drum hit - it just sounds blurred together. Hell, even the Meze Elite can't render it well to my ear.

 

[TheFrator]

We went to UPS last year for this very reason as I figured the same, within two months UPS had lost three outgoing packages and two headphones. This hasnt happened with fedex - (knock on wood!)

Don't jinx me! I just sold something on the classifieds

 

[zach915m]

Don't jinx me! I just sold something on the classifieds

Ha well truth is if you ship enough stuff human error is going to get you somewhere. Overall I will say the shippers do a greta job, we lose very very few packages, like a couple a year usually and they're usually pads sent FedEx abroad. DHL is by far the best of any shipper we use.