[XVampireX]

The more I read the more I’m dying for my redheart to arrive

If you get it before me, let me know the difference between it and OG Focal Utopia

 

[rsbrsvp]

I believe that the Caldera may have the best bass of any headphone I have ever heard. Yes, I owned the TC, TH-900, LCD-4 and others with excellent bass.

I am not saying it has the most bass; but rather the best bass (or tied with Phi TC). It sounds the most correct to me. It is not bloated, it is very detailed, and it is raised throughout the bass region rather than a hump. It is crisp and sharp and weighty and transparent.- and seemingly correct. TC is a close call- because there is more bass and it is also not bloated- but it is heavily emphasized at the cost of a hallow midrange.

 

[Alenotta]

I believe that the Caldera may have the best bass of any headphone I have ever heard. Yes, I owned the TC, TH-900, LCD-4 and others with excellent bass.

I am not saying it has the most bass; but rather the best bass (or tied with Phi TC). It sounds the most correct to me. It is not bloated, it is very detailed, and it is raised throughout the bass region rather than a hump. It is crisp and sharp and weighty and transparent.- and seemingly correct. TC is a close call- because there is more bass and it is also not bloated- but it is heavily emphasized at the cost of a hallow midrange.

Yeah I totally agree with you. The bass has a lot of dimension. I also have the Empyreans with Elite Pads that I pair with the same WyWire Platinum cable that I use on the Caldera. The bass quantity is similar, but the quality is much better on the Caldera. It feels much tighter and more realistic. The Meze Elite has slightly more realistic bass, but I always felt like it was a bit too lean for me as a fan of bass. Caldera does not disappoint in the low end if there is bass in the recording.

 

[robo24]

I believe that the Caldera may have the best bass of any headphone I have ever heard. Yes, I owned the TC, TH-900, LCD-4 and others with excellent bass.

I am not saying it has the most bass; but rather the best bass (or tied with Phi TC). It sounds the most correct to me. It is not bloated, it is very detailed, and it is raised throughout the bass region rather than a hump. It is crisp and sharp and weighty and transparent.- and seemingly correct. TC is a close call- because there is more bass and it is also not bloated- but it is heavily emphasized at the cost of a hallow midrange.

Maybe splitting hairs but for myself I'll give the nod to the TC for bass, but the Caldera pretty clearly for everything else other than soundstage (which is wider for me on the TC). Of course, TC bass is very dependent and changeable based on ideal fit so may differ slightly every time you wear it. I find myself still regularly fidgeting with the TC and the recessed midrange is a problem, especially coming from ZMFs where the midrange is always glorious.

But the Caldera (which preceeded my TC by a couple months) was the first time I really understood exceptional quality bass and bass texture. It permeates the music and kind of just exists rather than feeling like it's thumping out of the headphones themselves.

 

[rsbrsvp]

Maybe splitting hairs but for myself I'll give the nod to the TC for bass, but the Caldera pretty clearly for everything else other than soundstage (which is wider for me on the TC). Of course, TC bass is very dependent and changeable based on ideal fit so may differ slightly every time you wear it. I find myself still regularly fidgeting with the TC and the recessed midrange is a problem, especially coming from ZMFs where the midrange is always glorious.

But the Caldera (which preceeded my TC by a couple months) was the first time I really understood exceptional quality bass and bass texture. It permeates the music and kind of just exists rather than feeling like it's thumping out of the headphones themselves.

This is totally accurate IMHO. The TC has speaker like bass which is very special but the Cladera has the best "headphone" bass I ever heard and- yes- it wins out the TC in everything else minus soundstage. Bass and Soundstage are the TC's #1 strengths over perhaps everything- but at a cost to several other areas.

Like you said, the Caldera, unlike TC or TH900 which have more bass is not a thumping bass, but rather a focused, transparent, more refined bass IMHO. It is like a bass shelf..

 

[chrisnyc75]

If you get it before me, let me know the difference between it and OG Focal Utopia

I can tell you right now the difference is this (*I've been a/b'ing them this week):

Utopia: mid-focused, hyper-resolving, immediate, honest.
Caldera: lush & euphonic, spacious but not to the point of editorializing, relaxed but still engaging, bass extension like a planar but euphonic like a dynamic.

Basically, I've determined that [I think] Caldera is a much better Arya in every way. It's a compliment to Utopia, but I don't see how they compete with each other in almost any way. And despite the hype, I would not say Caldera approaches Utopia (or Susvara) in resolution. Caldera is resolving, but it is not giving Utopia a run for its money in that particular area.

 

[chrisnyc75]

I believe that the Caldera may have the best bass of any headphone I have ever heard. Yes, I owned the TC, TH-900, LCD-4 and others with excellent bass.

I am not saying it has the most bass; but rather the best bass (or tied with Phi TC). It sounds the most correct to me. It is not bloated, it is very detailed, and it is raised throughout the bass region rather than a hump. It is crisp and sharp and weighty and transparent.- and seemingly correct. TC is a close call- because there is more bass and it is also not bloated- but it is heavily emphasized at the cost of a hallow midrange.

I second this. What has surprised me the most about Caldera is how EXCELLENT the bass is. It's thick and lush and deeply extended without ever sounding overdone or over-emphasized. I have long been a big fan of Arya's bass, but Caldera outshines Arya in the bass department by a mile.

 

[XVampireX]

I can tell you right now the difference is this (*I've been a/b'ing them this week):

Utopia: mid-focused, hyper-resolving, immediate, honest.
Caldera: lush & euphonic, spacious but not to the point of editorializing, relaxed but still engaging, bass extension like a planar but euphonic like a dynamic.

Basically, I've determined that [I think] Caldera is a much better Arya in every way. It's a compliment to Utopia, but I don't see how they compete with each other in almost any way. And despite the hype, I would not say Caldera approaches Utopia (or Susvara) in resolution. Caldera is resolving, but it is not giving Utopia a run for its money in that particular area.

This sounds good, especially the mention of it being "Spacious" comparatively I guess to Utopia though Utopia while definitely having a narrow soundstage, on proper tracks it can be quite spacious as well.

I can't wait for my pair, and will get a listen to the regular Caldera (Not LTD) next Tuesday most likely from the 23r amp and a few DACs

 

[chrisnyc75]

This sounds good, especially the mention of it being "Spacious" comparatively I guess to Utopia though Utopia while definitely having a narrow soundstage, on proper tracks it can be quite spacious as well.

I can't wait for my pair, and will get a listen to the regular Caldera (Not LTD) next Tuesday most likely from the 23r amp and a few DACs

Utopia is hyper-HONEST. I like to say Utopia is a plane of crystal clear glass transmitting the bits directly into your brain - "Here's your music, this is what it is." Caldera puts a slight filter on it, giving it just a little space to breathe and kicking up the glamour (re: bass) just enough to make it *pop*

 

[iamoneagain]

Utopia is hyper-HONEST. I like to say Utopia is a plane of crystal clear glass transmitting the bits directly into your brain - "Here's your music, this is what it is." Caldera puts a slight filter on it, giving it just a little space to breathe and kicking up the glamour (re: bass) just enough to make it *pop*

So I sold my original Utopia but when would you use it over the Caldera? I still don’t have the feeling that I wish I still had the Utopia. I loved them when I owned them but the Caldera also does everything right but has a different presentation. The Utopia is as almost too in your face but that’s what I liked about it. The Caldera is a little more relaxed in comparison but still rocks out. Feel it has better weight and soundstage over the Utopia.

If you want better resolution on the Caldera, the Verite Silver cable improves this but not sure at Utopia level. If you want more resolution than the Utopia, the Expanse or Stealth have it beat. I have since learned resolution isn’t everything and can make the experience less enjoyable. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t find the Caldera the best at any one thing but it’s the overall presentation that I find to be one of the best I’ve heard. Just being technically better in one area doesn’t necessarily make for a more enjoyable listen. But with that said, the Utopia was excellent out of the Naim HE and so is the Caldera.

 

[zach915m]

So I sold my original Utopia but when would you use it over the Caldera? I still don’t have the feeling that I wish I still had the Utopia. I loved them when I owned them but the Caldera also does everything right but has a different presentation. The Utopia is as almost too in your face but that’s what I liked about it. The Caldera is a little more relaxed in comparison but still rocks out. Feel it has better weight and soundstage over the Utopia.

If you want better resolution on the Caldera, the Verite Silver cable improves this but not sure at Utopia level. If you want more resolution than the Utopia, the Expanse or Stealth have it beat. I have since learned resolution isn’t everything and can make the experience less enjoyable. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t find the Caldera the best at any one thing but it’s the overall presentation that I find to be one of the best I’ve heard. Just being technically better in one area doesn’t necessarily make for a more enjoyable listen. But with that said, the Utopia was excellent out of the Naim HE and so is the Caldera.

If resolution is the goal, than you'd want to use an amp like the the GSX MK ii, or even better for my preferences the sparkos aries.

But I agree, my goal in tuning is never to prioritize one element to the extent that it hurts another to keep the headphone from being an enjoyable musical package.

 

[Alenotta]

So I sold my original Utopia but when would you use it over the Caldera? I still don’t have the feeling that I wish I still had the Utopia. I loved them when I owned them but the Caldera also does everything right but has a different presentation. The Utopia is as almost too in your face but that’s what I liked about it. The Caldera is a little more relaxed in comparison but still rocks out. Feel it has better weight and soundstage over the Utopia.

If you want better resolution on the Caldera, the Verite Silver cable improves this but not sure at Utopia level. If you want more resolution than the Utopia, the Expanse or Stealth have it beat. I have since learned resolution isn’t everything and can make the experience less enjoyable. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t find the Caldera the best at any one thing but it’s the overall presentation that I find to be one of the best I’ve heard. Just being technically better in one area doesn’t necessarily make for a more enjoyable listen. But with that said, the Utopia was excellent out of the Naim HE and so is the Caldera.

Yeah I totally agree that you should try different cables & pad combos if you think you're lacking resolution. I don't find there to be a big gap between Caldera and other TOTL. I mean if you've heard the Verité and know how much resolution you're getting with that - this is a bit more. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with resolution or bass. I guess someone will be...

 

[rsbrsvp]

If resolution is your goal- there are many things that can be done. A Mytek Dac is one of them. I dont have one myself- but they are detail monsters.


But another is to get this: https://fibbrcable.com/products/alpha-usb-a-b-optical-fiber-digital-audio-cable and

this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174916750687?var=474066697019

and this: http://www.ghentaudio.com/part/dc-7n18c.html

and a SR purple fuse.

The combination of these four items (well under $1000) results in the most transparent, noise free, dark, detailed sound you can get from your system if you have a usb dac. No usb cable on earth can compare at any price.

 

[goldwerger]

 

[Since1991]

Very unfortunate that this happened, but is there anything I can do to make this look or be better? I don’t even know how it happened, it was like this when I looked at it today.