[NutritiousNoodles]

pictures like this make it very difficult to not spend oney

That’s how I felt when I saw the closeups in the launch video.

 

[George Hincapie]

Sensitivity is more what you want to look at. At 95db/mw they’re only a bit more power hungry than other ZMFs. The 60hms does tell you they’ll need more current at a given power level though, so that affects amp choice (and is why you don’t want to use an OTL probably as others have mentioned)

Surely that depends on the OTL? Mine is driving Arya SE beautifully, so I'd hope Caldera would fall into the same camp.

 

[joshua1122]

Surely that depends on the OTL? Mine is driving Arya SE beautifully, so I'd hope Caldera would fall into the same camp.

Without an output transformer, an OTL's output impedance will be relatively high. I suppose it depends on your tubes (and I'm not an expert in OTL design or tube selection), but the ideal OI for an Arya SE should be less than 4Ω (16Ω if you're going for 2:1), and most OTL's I know are triple or more of that. The OTL will still drive your headphone, but if its OI is too high, you will have very little electrical dampening, which will definitely have audible effects. Whether you like that effect or not is your preference, but it isn't everyone's cup of tea.

I did try running my Arya Stealth through my BHC (120Ω vs 32Ω) and it's definitely okay for casual listening, although I feel it loses some much texture and microdynamics from lack of dampening. I don't think it'd be my favorite critical listening amp. Similarly, the Caldera is a bit better match at 60Ω, but I don't think it'll get much dampening either.

There's an article by NwAvGuy that goes into great depth about headphones and output impedance if you Google for that, so that may be of some interest.

 

[NutritiousNoodles]

When I read that these sounds like a planar/dynamic hybrid, it worries me that they would sound incoherent through the frequency spectrum.

I’ve had multiple experiences with well known hybrid iems with a dynamic driver for bass and BA for mids and highs where the bass sounded like it was coming from a slower driver. This usually means that mids and highs a bit disjointed.

The caldera has none of this, the tuning is coherent to my ears. Which makes sense as there’s only one type of drivers.

 

[goldwerger]

I’ve ran the Caldera through my SP2000 dap. Volume wasn’t an issue but it wasn’t the best I’ve heard them. They are not very hard to drive, but they do scale very well, and benefit tremendously from, a strong amp (SS or TC) so I would recommend a decently powerful desktop amp when possible.

 

[marcusd]

Our review of the Caldera is now published. A very impressive planar performance!

https://headfonics.com/zmf-headphones-caldera-review/

 

[NutritiousNoodles]

I'm getting enough volume with the RU6 but the sound is noticeably more congested.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Our friend @Sajid Amit created a first impressions video for the Caldera even though he quit headphone reviews - that in itself is a big Statement to the quality of the Caldera

Enjoy:

Thanks for sharing, buddy.

 

[Kbeau]

Both amazing in their own right.. Had to sneak some Headphone pron..

 

[dfiled]

Is anyone running their caldera through an amp with multiple jacks for different impedances and if so which are you finding works best?

 

[gonintendo]

Is anyone running their caldera through an amp with multiple jacks for different impedances and if so which are you finding works best?

I run them on the 8 ohm tap of my Mogwai, which is the lowest. They seem to sound best on it. On my iha6 I use the balanced out which is <1ohm, and that sounded best to me.

 

[wkesquire]

Wore my ZMF t-shirt to sleep last night hoping for some good news, and FedEx just sent me a notice saying my kingwood set will be arriving today (a day early). So, do I go to the office after the long weekend or work from home so I’m here when my package arrives?

 

[goldwerger]

Is anyone running their caldera through an amp with multiple jacks for different impedances and if so which are you finding works best?

I run them out of the closest impedance to their rating out of my Nirvana (80ohm) which sounds best to me

 

[jandrese]

Posted my review of the Caldera on the Headphones (full-size) subforum. I just ordered the Cayin iHA-6 amp to try with the Caldera. Was really enjoying them last night on off the Topping A90D but I know there is more to be had. In my testing the Caldera loves current and power so good sounding SS is what I will feed them. Great headphones, seriously good. Rock on Zach and ZMF team!

 

[trollbearpig]

Posted my review of the Caldera on the Headphones (full-size) subforum. I just ordered the Cayin iHA-6 amp to try with the Caldera. Was really enjoying them last night on off the Topping A90D but I know there is more to be had. In my testing the Caldera loves current and power so good sounding SS is what I will feed them. Great headphones, seriously good. Rock on Zach and ZMF team!

Nice ! What's the AMP you're running them off now?

Edit: Woops seeing in the review post you mention this in detail haha