[rustydabear]

Took some pictures last night. Never really got around to pad rolling I've been enjoying the stock pads and just enjoying that for a while. These still seem to be hitting the sweet spot to me sound wise the treble is really beautiful on them really detailed and smooth. I've always been a big Verite fan because of the detail and these seem to be aiming for that same sound but from a different direction and it just really clicks with me.

Wow!
Beautiful pair and an amazing stand.
Where did you get that stand?
Is it an angry goose?

 

[jaboki]

Took some pictures last night. Never really got around to pad rolling I've been enjoying the stock pads and just enjoying that for a while. These still seem to be hitting the sweet spot to me sound wise the treble is really beautiful on them really detailed and smooth. I've always been a big Verite fan because of the detail and these seem to be aiming for that same sound but from a different direction and it just really clicks with me.

Great picture. I remember reading somewhere Kingwood has red undertones (but I never saw it in pictures), and now I see it with that beautiful headphone stand.

 

[Karnicopia]

Wow!
Beautiful pair and an amazing stand.
Where did you get that stand?
Is it an angry goose?

Thanks I really appreciate it! The seller is on Etsy and it isn't an angry goose but from grain acoustics and the guy that makes these does amazing work the finish he is able to get on these are extremely smooth and he just does beautiful work from picking the wood to the shape of it and finishing work is amazing. I feel like they really complement ZMF well. He also has some under desk mount stands that are really cool too. He doesn't have anything now but he puts things out every once in a while as he makes it.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/grainacoustics?ref=nla_listing_details

Great picture. I remember reading somewhere Kingwood has red undertones (but I never saw it in pictures), and now I see it with that beautiful headphone stand.

Thanks it seems like you really see the red undertones in direct light so was trying to capture that. These definitely seem to shift a bit depending on how the light hits them which is really cool.

 

[shafat777]

Just received my Caldera, but it seems the Gods are testing my patience. My girlfriend/soon to be fiance just text me and told me to hold off on opening the box. She enjoys opening boxes and discovering fancy objects packed inside them. So now i gotta wait till 8m central time to see exactly what type of magic zach and team has sent me this time.

.........Patience is a virtue, but I aint got none.....

 

[shafat777]

VO is great, but when direct comparison with Caldera, you wil notice that there are some upper mid / lower treble VO that a bit piercing or has metallic feel. While Caldera, project these area much more effortlessly. Caldera is also the one with more transparent feel, like I can "see" the instrument with better glasses.



Nice, even though I think it's almost impossible for me here to be able to try Envy, but heard a lot of good thing about this tube beast.




At the same time resolution in Atrium also appear more blurry, with less precise "cut" on each notes. Doesn't want to start war, just to balance the opinion haha.

Thank you for the clarification good sir. Wouald you say that the VO is the direct comparison to the Caldera? Or would it be the Atrium? I have the big 4 zmfs to compare to the caldera but seems to be the VO would be the closest match.....is that correct?

 

[DenverW]

Just received my Caldera, but it seems the Gods are testing my patience. My girlfriend/soon to be fiance just text me and told me to hold off on opening the box. She enjoys opening boxes and discovering fancy objects packed inside them. So now i gotta wait till 8m central time to see exactly what type of magic zach and team has sent me this time.

.........Patience is a virtue, but I aint got none.....

LOL! She must be worth it .

 

[shafat777]

LOL! She must be worth it .

Yupp absolutely !!!

 

[goldwerger]

Thank you for the clarification good sir. Wouald you say that the VO is the direct comparison to the Caldera? Or would it be the Atrium? I have the big 4 zmfs to compare to the caldera but seems to be the VO would be the closest match.....is that correct?

I made some comparisons between the Caldera on the Atrium and VO in my first impressions writeup (which, remarkably, have remained rather consistent after second, third, and fourth impressions...): https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/authors/goldwerger.546676/reviews

Enjoy the big reveal! Literally, and sonically...

 

[Alenotta]

Took some pictures last night. Never really got around to pad rolling I've been enjoying the stock pads and just enjoying that for a while. These still seem to be hitting the sweet spot to me sound wise the treble is really beautiful on them really detailed and smooth. I've always been a big Verite fan because of the detail and these seem to be aiming for that same sound but from a different direction and it just really clicks with me.

Yeah the Verité has a bit more energy in the upper mids. The Caldera seems to punch a little harder in the mid bass and sparkle a little more up top. Also you really feel the layers of separation on the Caldera. To me the Caldera feels a bit more like you're in the middle of the music.

 

[geoffalter11]

I made some comparisons between the Caldera on the Atrium and VO in my first impressions writeup (which, remarkably, have remained rather consistent after second, third, and fourth impressions...): https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/authors/goldwerger.546676/reviews

Enjoy the big reveal! Literally, and sonically...

Eyal, your review is amazing. Thank you! I agree that the Caldera sounds best with a silver cable. Caldera, CFA3, Silver Cable and great music make for a mighty fine listening experience.

 

[geoffalter11]

Man, this thread is growing fast. 171 pages and counting. Tonight the Caldera and I are spending some much needed time with the CFA3 and a silver cable. Impressed by what I am hearing. I am listening to a mix of music tonight and it is just crackling with energy, reverb, lightning fast transients; coupled with impeccable lateral and front to back definition. I love the CFA3, it is sounding better and better with each passing day. The Caldera is right at home! It is hard to keep describing the same feeling I get every time I listen to this combo. I am gobsmacked by the amount of detail The Caldera is extracting from my music without beating me over the head. It is so smooth and coherent. This is the first ZMF headphone that I prefer on a SS amp. I love the Atrium! That headphone has my heart, and the way it meshes with my HP8 is the sound of home. However, the Caldera continues to blow me away with each listen. The CFA3 has quickly become an amp that I will NEVER live without. Integrity, humility, craftsmanship, subtlety, power, and grace. These are just a few of the attributes of the CFA3 and Caldera. I am filled with appreciation tonight as I listen. Or insanity as it is almost 2am... I am also filled with respect for those who have created careers that build and design such fine musical instruments. They know who they are...

There is a physical nature to the sound that is addictive. Pacing, timing, and space allow the pocket to open up and I don't want to leave its comfortable confines. The way the bass just strolls, the sound of the cymbals crashing in the back of my right ear, the sounds of polyrhythmic drumming, the guitar floating above the melody while the hammond organ and piano fill in the space. The sound of full band improvisation in full flight. A headphone that is providing pinpoint imaging, and an amp opening up fully the resolving powers of my chain captured completely and without any reservation. I can feel the music searching for the outer reaches of the cliff yet it never goes over the edge. To be there with the music and for a headphone and amp together allowing me to experience this feeling makes it really hard to stop listening.

This is by far the hardest headphone I have ever written about. The unique qualities of a soundscape that ZMF has created in a dynamic world mixed with the tactility of a TOTL Planar is really hard to describe. This headphone has an enormous amount going on, and every time I listen I hear something else that I didn't hear before. It is awakening my senses. It isn't just a listening experience. It is more visceral. The CFA3 is an amazing amp for a headphone with this much subtlety. I am beginning to sound ridiculous, so I think I will stop and just listen.

Happy Holidays to all you audio nuts out there... Enjoy your new Calderas! Enjoy your music and your loved ones. And please keep sending music, pics and love through the community and this thread!

Cheers!

 

[George Hincapie]

Man, this thread is growing fast. 171 pages and counting. Tonight the Caldera and I are spending some much needed time with the CFA3 and a silver cable. Impressed by what I am hearing. I am listening to a mix of music tonight and it is just crackling with energy, reverb, lightning fast transients; coupled with impeccable lateral and front to back definition. I love the CFA3, it is sounding better and better with each passing day. The Caldera is right at home! It is hard to keep describing the same feeling I get every time I listen to this combo. I am gobsmacked by the amount of detail The Caldera is extracting from my music without beating me over the head. It is so smooth and coherent. This is the first ZMF headphone that I prefer on a SS amp. I love the Atrium! That headphone has my heart, and the way it meshes with my HP8 is the sound of home. However, the Caldera continues to blow me away with each listen. The CFA3 has quickly become an amp that I will NEVER live without. Integrity, humility, craftsmanship, subtlety, power, and grace. These are just a few of the attributes of the CFA3 and Caldera. I am filled with appreciation tonight as I listen. Or insanity as it is almost 2am... I am also filled with respect for those who have created careers that build and design such fine musical instruments. They know who they are...

There is a physical nature to the sound that is addictive. Pacing, timing, and space allow the pocket to open up and I don't want to leave its comfortable confines. The way the bass just strolls, the sound of the cymbals crashing in the back of my right ear, the sounds of polyrhythmic drumming, the guitar floating above the melody while the hammond organ and piano fill in the space. The sound of full band improvisation in full flight. A headphone that is providing pinpoint imaging, and an amp opening up fully the resolving powers of my chain captured completely and without any reservation. I can feel the music searching for the outer reaches of the cliff yet it never goes over the edge. To be there with the music and for a headphone and amp together allowing me to experience this feeling makes it really hard to stop listening.

This is by far the hardest headphone I have ever written about. The unique qualities of a soundscape that ZMF has created in a dynamic world mixed with the tactility of a TOTL Planar is really hard to describe. This headphone has an enormous amount going on, and every time I listen I hear something else that I didn't hear before. It is awakening my senses. It isn't just a listening experience. It is more visceral. The CFA3 is an amazing amp for a headphone with this much subtlety. I am beginning to sound ridiculous, so I think I will stop and just listen.

Happy Holidays to all you audio nuts out there... Enjoy your new Calderas! Enjoy your music and your loved ones. And please keep sending music, pics and love through the community and this thread!

Cheers!

I love the enthusiasim

 

[Sharppain]

I made some comparisons between the Caldera on the Atrium and VO in my first impressions writeup (which, remarkably, have remained rather consistent after second, third, and fourth impressions...): https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/authors/goldwerger.546676/reviews

Enjoy the big reveal! Literally, and sonically...

Great reviewing - most detailed and feels fair, not only bias.

 

[goldwerger]

Great reviewing - most detailed and feels fair, not only bias.

Eyal, your review is amazing. Thank you!

Thank you both

Caldera, CFA3, Silver Cable and great music make for a mighty fine listening experience.

I love the CFA3, it is sounding better and better with each passing day.

The more I listen to the CFA-3 the more it grows on me. As my ear is mostly calibrated to my Auris Nirvana’s tube sound, still my default driver, it has taken me some mental adjustment to embrace the great synergies of a powerful SS amp with a planar like the Caldera. After continued listening, the trade offs are becoming clearer. Where the Nirvana offers an unrivaled bass texture and weight to the notes, the CFA-3 offers incredible treble extension and expanded soundstage. I find it’s strength pulls threw in highly complex and layered music, such as classical orchestra or big band jazz, where the extra higher frequency resolution helps in creating crystal imaging and a sense of spacial accuracy.

 

[paradoxper]

I felt like this at times but now with Envy + ElrogER300B and some good NOS 6sN7s/6f8Gs ... the Susvara loses that fatigue and gains so much body. Its very very nice now.

It's the magic of 300B and planars and the real game changer listening to the Elrog difference.