ZMF Caldera - New Planar Magnetic from ZMF!

[number1sixerfan]

I meant to share this post link to some thoughts from comparing the Caldera to the Susvara. Taking one step back, individually, the Caldera is *really* impressive. And beyond that, is just pure fun while still having strong technical performance. Enjoyed comparing the two and should a few days to a week left when I get back from a trip tomorrow. Both very good, but very different in presentation.

Very well done ZMF!

 

[Alenotta]

Got the mantle mesh in tonight for my Calderas. Darker to my ears. Not sure I'll prefer it in the long run but certainly a cool physical EQ that I'll test out for the next week.
On a side note the BBB strap was more difficult than I expected to get on but easy enough. Reminded me of the difficulty of trying to get in the crooks of a hard to reach small motherboard screw in a PC or an inner corner assembling furniture lol. And the looks and comfort (and smell ) are easily improved.

Mine arrived today too. I'll test them out tomorrow. Excited to try it.

 

[goldwerger]

I meant to share this post link to some thoughts from comparing the Caldera to the Susvara. Taking one step back, individually, the Caldera is *really* impressive. And beyond that, was is just pure fun while still having strong technical performance. Enjoyed comparing the two and should a few days to a week left when I get back from a trip tomorrow. Both very good, but very different in presentation.

Very well done ZMF!

Excellent comparison As I've already learned, we share similar tastes. I could have written this myself. Totally agree..

One note that may be helpful I hope (I too have the Kingwood): all ZMF heapdhones, include this, can have as little or as much clamp force as wish. You can freely apply force and mold the headband however you like, it is meant for it. This old video from Zach from 4 years ago shows how, it's practically unchanged. TLD, just bend it...

 

[number1sixerfan]

Excellent comparison As I've already learned, we share similar tastes. I could have written this myself. Totally agree..

One note that may be helpful I hope (I too have the Kingwood): all ZMF heapdhones, include this, can have as little or as much clamp force as wish. You can freely apply force and mold the headband however you like, it is meant for it. This old video from Zach from 4 years ago shows how, it's practically unchanged. TLD, just bend it...

I really appreciate this. I was actually wondering if it was the same case as say the TC for comfort when it comes to bending (which I almost had a heart attack doing do when I first owned them lol, but made a world of a difference). I'll do so, but only to a small degree, as for the most part their comfortable. Thanks again, will report back!

 

[Alenotta]

Mantle Mesh + Stock Pads Quick Thoughts:

I went ahead and put them on and tested them with the stock pads. They definitely tame treble on anything that is too forward. Much more effectively than pad swapping. This is what you'd want if you're trying to tame a bright system / are sensitive to the treble. Gets you to a smooth town faster than pads.

Application:
The mesh comes in two parts. A titan mesh, similar to what you may be used to with your other ZMF headphones, and a felt-like sticky layer that keeps the mesh in place. The sticky layer sticks only to the slatted areas that don't open up to the driver. When you're applying this you'll find the glue is quite sticky. If you've owned some DCA stuff you know what I'm talking about. The glue sticks to your finger like rubber cement, so I tried (unsuccessfully) not to touch it. I decided to line up the mesh part with the sticky part before putting them on the headphone. I used the flat edge of the desk to see if I was on a straight line.. I think that is the right move. If you're trying to line both of them up on the headphone you're probably going to accidentally move the mesh layer with the sticky felt layer. Zach I'm sure will make a video on doing it the best way.

Sound:
These darken the treble like I said at the start. They roll it off in a very smooth way and compress the dynamics on top. You gain a bit more silky sound at the cost of some treble micro detail and airiness. I agree it is a more relaxed listen. Cymbals and sharp peaks came down, female vocals smoothed out, male vocals have a bit less grit, etc. For any audio/video professionals out there, frontal dampening feels to me like putting a multi-band compressor on stuff above 3k. The peaks come down softening things like metallic string plucks. This can ultimately be a more natural solve than EQ if you're sensitive to those upper most registers.

For me I'll probably keep them off with my current 300b tube amp setup. If I switch to some brighter tubes or more neutral solid state they could really save the day.

If you're finding your Caldera a bit to aggressive in that treble area, this is likely your solution. I'd go as far as to recommend it over testing a bunch of pads if that is your specific gripe. I remember someone earlier had talked about sibilance. I recon this is your answer. You're not going to lose out on what makes the Caldera amazing. I haven't tested Mantle Mesh with anything other than the stock pad. It could be really interesting with the thin pads.

For 20 bucks try it out at some point. Zach makes these affordable so you can tinker.

Also, any DCA Ether 2 folks will know - save your wax paper. You can store them on that in the bag.

 

[Leto Dal]

To add to the conversation of Caldera and Holo DACs:
I own the Holo May and this DAC is to my ears very detailed and very neutral. That puts the audio burden on the amp. At CanJam, I tried the Caldera off Holo May/Bliss stack and it was pretty awesome!
(With all the normal caveats of show conditions, etc)

Would love to hear more about it What been other dac / amp setups and how did they perform vs May / Bliss? Does Caldera benefit from the power of Bliss?

 

[wizzman121]

Mantle Mesh + Stock Pads Quick Thoughts:

I went ahead and put them on and tested them with the stock pads. They definitely tame treble on anything that is too forward. Much more effectively than pad swapping. This is what you'd want if you're trying to tame a bright system / are sensitive to the treble. Gets you to a smooth town faster than pads.

Application:
The mesh comes in two parts. A titan mesh, similar to what you may be used to with your other ZMF headphones, and a felt-like sticky layer that keeps the mesh in place. The sticky layer sticks only to the slatted areas that don't open up to the driver. When you're applying this you'll find the glue is quite sticky. If you've owned some DCA stuff you know what I'm talking about. The glue sticks to your finger like rubber cement, so I tried (unsuccessfully) not to touch it. I decided to line up the mesh part with the sticky part before putting them on the headphone. I used the flat edge of the desk to see if I was on a straight line.. I think that is the right move. If you're trying to line both of them up on the headphone you're probably going to accidentally move the mesh layer with the sticky felt layer. Zach I'm sure will make a video on doing it the best way.

Sound:
These darken the treble like I said at the start. They roll it off in a very smooth way and compress the dynamics on top. You gain a bit more silky sound at the cost of some treble micro detail and airiness. I agree it is a more relaxed listen. Cymbals and sharp peaks came down, female vocals smoothed out, male vocals have a bit less grit, etc. For any audio/video professionals out there, frontal dampening feels to me like putting a multi-band compressor on stuff above 3k. The peaks come down softening things like metallic string plucks. This can ultimately be a more natural solve than EQ if you're sensitive to those upper most registers.

For me I'll probably keep them off with my current 300b tube amp setup. If I switch to some brighter tubes or more neutral solid state they could really save the day.

If you're finding your Caldera a bit to aggressive in that treble area, this is likely your solution. I'd go as far as to recommend it over testing a bunch of pads if that is your specific gripe. I remember someone earlier had talked about sibilance. I recon this is your answer. You're not going to lose out on what makes the Caldera amazing. I haven't tested Mantle Mesh with anything other than the stock pad. It could be really interesting with the thin pads.

For 20 bucks try it out at some point. Zach makes these affordable so you can tinker.

Also, any DCA Ether 2 folks will know - save your wax paper. You can store them on that in the bag.

Can the mesh be removed and reinstalled or is it more of a one-time use only application?

 

[Alenotta]

Can the mesh be removed and reinstalled or is it more of a one-time use only application?

You can carefully pull it off. I did it slowly and none of glue stuck to the pre-existing mesh. It is meant as a set it and forget it mod, but you could take it on and off for periods of time. You won't want to swap it as often as pads or anything. Keep it stuck on that wax paper and don't touch the glue with your fingers to prolong its effectiveness.

 

[thecrow]

To add to the conversation of Caldera and Holo DACs:
I own the Holo May and this DAC is to my ears very detailed and very neutral. That puts the audio burden on the amp. At CanJam, I tried the Caldera off Holo May/Bliss stack and it was pretty awesome!
(With all the normal caveats of show conditions, etc)

Is it the kte or level 2 May that you own?

 

[Pharmaboy]

Gets you to a smooth town faster than pads.

I'm hearing these words spoken inside my mind...

 

[Alenotta]

Next stop SmoothTown™. Free ticket to ride something other than your volume knob.

 

[heyguyslol]

Looks like I'll be getting my Caldera "Redheart" a bit sooner than expected...

 

[DJJEZ]

Caldera are finally in. Very excited to sit down tonight and spend some time with them.

 

[XVampireX]

Looks like I'll be getting my Caldera "Redheart" a bit sooner than expected...

It sounds like we'll get it about the same time

 

[DenverW]

Caldera are finally in. Very excited to sit down tonight and spend some time with them.

Why bother, with all that terrible gear! (I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous!)


Ok. I'm jealous. That is an awesome set up!