[DAPpower]

Have you tried crossfeed? It was designed for and works best with mono recordings

Yes I have, it's great and I use it for harshly recorded music but its not the same as speakers for me unfortunately.

 

[jonathan c]

ok, since we're going into Jazz piano territory, here are couple of my all-time favouite piano albums:

Barry Harris: "Listen to Barry Harris... Solo Piano (Reissue)":



Tommy Flanagan: "Jazz Poet"



Thelonius Monk: "Monk's Dream"



Wynton Kelly: "Wynton Kelly!"



Marian McPartland: "Just Friends" (collabs with other pianists; check the eponymous track)

How about this one? … a staggering oeuvre …

[Edition of Contemporary Music: March, 1972.]

 

[Pharmaboy]

How about this one? … a staggering oeuvre … [Edition of Contemporary Music: March, 1972.]

DIdn't much care for Keith in his later ultimate piano maestro incarnations. Saw him early in his career (~1970) with Charles Lloyd. Damn, he was brilliant on that elecric piano. Virtually unknown then, young and brilliant. Around the same time he was recording with Miles ("Live Evil"). Always thought it funny when years later Keith denied ever having played electric piano--only acoustic piano. Not true.

 

[heliosphann]

Did some heavy duty comparisons of Susvara vs Caldera recently at an audio show. Some quick takeaways:

* Susvara - Wins out with vocals and strings, lighter on bass impact but has a more natural airy presentation. The vocals sounded truly like the singer was next to me and really had a magic to them I haven't heard elsewhere. For strings when listening to Billy Strings, his plucking speed really shined and you got a sense of his speed and skill where the Calderas it just didn't come through in the same light and have the same magic. I felt like I couldn't get enough of the Susvaras and they were very addicting for certain types of music. The less punchy feel of them also made it feel like it was an easier listen (except for when you hit an 'unlistenable' song, ouch).

* Caldera - Way more heft and weight when it comes to bass, great for electronic music, super punchy and engaging. Much more balanced and forgiving, haven't yet heard a song on these that sounded bad. Caldera really shines with electronic music.

Overall I felt like these headphones would actually be great complements to each other

I also had very similar feeling and felt these were great complimentary headphones. Unfortunately I don't have either right now, so I'm a sad panda...

Interesting. I felt that electronica was the only genre that I listen to frequently where I actually preferred the Susvara over the Caldera.

You're just weird Darren.

 

[Monsterzero]

You're just weird Darren.

Yeah?!? Well...well you smoke kitty litter

 

[heliosphann]

Yeah?!? Well...well you smoke kitty litter

The Big Lebowski just turned 25. I feel so old.

 

[goldwerger]

The Big Lebowski just turned 25. I feel so old.

A classic. i remember when it came out, I was in stitches..

 

[Monsterzero]

The Big Lebowski just turned 25. I feel so old.

Kitty litter will do that to ya!

 

[heliosphann]

Kitty litter will do that to ya!

You're close, but it's actually called cheesing.

 

[wkesquire]

ok, since we're going into Jazz piano territory, here are couple of my all-time favouite piano albums:

I love this. Didn’t expect that I’d be opening a whole can of worms. But these are some of my favorite jazz pianists, all of whom sound amazing on the Caldera (the subject of this thread…I feel the moderators watching). Every ZMF I’ve ever owned has a natural timbre, yes, but piano especially sounds terrific.

Junko Onishi – I’m not sure how I found out about Junko or this long out of print album. She took an extended hiatus from playing professionally, and she’s not known nearly as well as she deserves. On her rendition of “Blue Skies,” you can tell that a reverence for Bud Powell runs deep in her veins.



Jason Moran – I see Jason play at the Village Vanguard (my favorite place on earth) every Thanksgiving. Here’s Jason playing Monk’s tune “Crepuscule with Nellie.” Too bad he hasn’t released a live album recording of this song. Every time I’ve seen him perform this live, his playing is especially raucous. Would love to hear how the Caldera, with its spectacular imaging, handles some of the denser passages. This may sound disrespectful, but I find that my favorite versions of Monk’s best songs are versions played by pianists other than Monk himself. In my defense, this is less of a reflection of my views about Monk’s chops as an instrumentalist (as opposed to his chops as a composer) and more a reflection of my struggle to find albums he played on that sound great with headphones. Any recommendations are welcome! What Monk records sound good on the Caldera?



McCoy Tyner – This solo from 4:45-6:10 on Joe Henderson’s “El Barrio” is a lot of fun.



Keith Jarrett – I love Keith Jarrett, at least whenever he decides to play jazz and not classical, which sadly was not enough of his long, distinguished career. His playing throughout “Forest Flower Sunrise-Sunset” is especially inspired.



Kris Davis (my favorite jazz pianist at the moment) and Craig Taborn – I’ve seen Kris live many times and have met and talked with her on a few occasions. Right before the pandemic, I saw her play with Jonathan Blake and Dezron Douglas at the Vanguard. Yeesh!!! I will never forget the version of Douglas’ song “Shakin’ the Biscuits.” Kris unleashed one of the most impressive solos I’ve ever witnessed in all my years going to the Vanguard. If the band was serving up a plate of peach cobbler, Kris brought the band back to the kitchen and reimagined the dish, giving listeners instead a deconstructed masterpiece, a slice of warm peach here, a spoonful of crumble there, topped with a dash of cinnamon, and surrounded by dollops of whipped cream. Never have I seen a musician take such a tightly constructed song and set it so free. When I tell people the Village Vanguard is my favorite place on earth, I mean it because of moments like that, which occur often and usually live on only in the memories of the people who crammed into that basement on that night for that 60-75 minute set.

Brining this back to the Caldera, well recorded live music on these cans is such a treat.



Brad Mehldau – “Paris.” The progression of this track from meditative to swinging shows off a wide range of Mehldau’s influences



Myra Melford – Myra Melford’s dizzying Snowy Egrets band makes some of my favorite avant garde music. I find the density of “Attic” exhilarating. This track really shows off the Caldera’s imaging and its solid punch and slam for a planar magnetic headphone. I think the dynamic driver in the Atrium is punchier, but the percussion on a track like this has a great tactile quality on the Caldera.



Hiromi – Some of Hiromi’s music is admittedly an acquired taste, but I share this track for a few reasons. First, her music sounds great on the Caldera, obviously. Second, this song shows off her technical mastery of the instrument. Third, and primarily, her expressions while she plays captures how I feel inside when I listen to an especially moving jazz song. To really “get” jazz, first you’ve gotta feel it. I love seeing jazz performed live because seeing the musicians perform makes it easier to feel it, at least in my experience



And lest you think I’m only interested in pianists lighting the keys on fire, I offer you one last favorite—Paul Bley, whose sensitive yet swinging playing on the sparse “Brief Hesitation” with Jimmy Giuffre and Steve Swallow, floors me every time I listen to it. I mean, this track at 1:24-2:24 – how beautiful is that? The drummer Paul Motian, whose music I didn’t much care for when I first heard it but then grew to absolutely adore, helped me learn to love a song like this. Motian’s approach to playing the drums taught me to appreciate how the notes of the band’s instruments linger in the air and continue to interact with one another well after the note was played. Each of the musicians on this short list can light it up when they need or want to, but on “Brief Hesitation” this drumless trio fills the space creatively with deftly-placed notes.



I’ll stop now, but in the interest of naming some contemporary pianists who I love, I’ve left out three legends—Herbie, Chick, and Andrew Hill. Shame that Hill needs to have a first and last name, but what jazz fan doesn’t know Herbie and Chick?

 

[goldwerger]

I love this. Didn’t expect that I’d be opening a whole can of worms. But these are some of my favorite jazz pianists, all of whom sound amazing on the Caldera (the subject of this thread…I feel the moderators watching). Every ZMF I’ve ever owned has a natural timbre, yes, but piano especially sounds terrific.

Junko Onishi – I’m not sure how I found out about Junko or this long out of print album. She took an extended hiatus from playing professionally, and she’s not known nearly as well as she deserves. On her rendition of “Blue Skies,” you can tell that a reverence for Bud Powell runs deep in her veins.


Jason Moran – I see Jason play at the Village Vanguard (my favorite place on earth) every Thanksgiving. Here’s Jason playing Monk’s tune “Crepuscule with Nellie.” Too bad he hasn’t released a live album recording of this song. Every time I’ve seen him perform this live, his playing is especially raucous. Would love to hear how the Caldera, with its spectacular imaging, handles some of the denser passages. This may sound disrespectful, but I find that my favorite versions of Monk’s best songs are versions played by pianists other than Monk himself. In my defense, this is less of a reflection of my views about Monk’s chops as an instrumentalist (as opposed to his chops as a composer) and more a reflection of my struggle to find albums he played on that sound great with headphones. Any recommendations are welcome! What Monk records sound good on the Caldera?



McCoy Tyner – This solo from 4:45-6:10 on Joe Henderson’s “El Barrio” is a lot of fun.



Keith Jarrett – I love Keith Jarrett, at least whenever he decides to play jazz and not classical, which sadly was not enough of his long, distinguished career. His playing throughout “Forest Flower Sunrise-Sunset” is especially inspired.



Kris Davis (my favorite jazz pianist at the moment) and Craig Taborn – I’ve seen Kris live many times and have met and talked with her on a few occasions. Right before the pandemic, I saw her play with Jonathan Blake and Dezron Douglas at the Vanguard. Yeesh!!! I will never forget the version of Douglas’ song “Shakin’ the Biscuits.” Kris unleashed one of the most impressive solos I’ve ever witnessed in all my years going to the Vanguard. If the band was serving up a plate of peach cobbler, Kris brought the band back to the kitchen and reimagined the dish, giving listeners instead a deconstructed masterpiece, a slice of warm peach here, a spoonful of crumble there, topped with a dash of cinnamon, and surrounded by dollops of whipped cream. Never have I seen a musician take such a tightly constructed song and set it so free. When I tell people the Village Vanguard is my favorite place on earth, I mean it because of moments like that, which occur often and usually live on only in the memories of the people who crammed into that basement on that night for that 60-75 minute set.

Brining this back to the Caldera, well recorded live music on these cans is such a treat.



Brad Mehldau – “Paris.” The progression of this track from meditative to swinging shows off a wide range of Mehldau’s influences.



Myra Melford – Myra Melford’s dizzying Snowy Egrets band makes some of my favorite avant garde music. I find the density of “Attic” exhilarating. This track really shows off the Caldera’s imaging and its solid punch and slam for a planar magnetic headphone. I think the dynamic driver in the Atrium is punchier, but the percussion on a track like this has a great tactile quality on the Caldera.



Hiromi – Some of Hiromi’s music is admittedly an acquired taste, but I share this track for a few reasons. First, her music sounds great on the Caldera, obviously. Second, this song shows off her technical mastery of the instrument. Third, and primarily, her expressions while she plays captures how I feel inside when I listen to an especially moving jazz song. To really “get” jazz, first you’ve gotta feel it. I love seeing jazz performed live because seeing the musicians perform makes it easier to feel it, at least in my experience.


And lest you think I’m only interested in pianists lighting the keys on fire, I offer you one last favorite—Paul Bley, whose sensitive yet swinging playing on the sparse “Brief Hesitation” with Jimmy Giuffre and Steve Swallow, floors me every time I listen to it. I mean, this track at 1:24-2:24 – how beautiful is that? The drummer Paul Motian, whose music I didn’t much care for when I first heard it but then grew to absolutely adore, helped me learn to love a song like this. Motian’s approach to playing the drums taught me how to appreciate how the notes of the band’s instruments linger in the air and continue to interact with one another well after the note was played. Each of the musicians on this short list can light it up when they need or want to, but on “Brief Hesitation” this drumless trio fills the space creatively with deftly-placed notes.


I’ll stop now, but in the interest of naming some contemporary pianists who I love, I’ve left out three legends—Herbie, Chick, and Andrew Hill. Shame that Hill needs to have a first and last name, but what jazz fan doesn’t know Herbie and Chick?

Some great recommendations here, don’t know all of these so.. thanks!

I love Hiromi. Discovered her a couple of years ago, so talented.

I’m wondering if we should start a thread for jazz music… perhaps if there’s enough demand I’ll do it

 

[Monsterzero]

I’m wondering if we should start a thread for jazz music…

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/on-a-mission-to-like-jazz.693212/

 

[Alenotta]

I like the weekend evolution/devolution of the Caldera Jazz Piano thread. I'm sort of basic when it comes to jazz piano, but I'll add some tracks and artist that sound nice on the Caldera that I've been listening to lately.

I don't see a lot of Oscar Peterson love yet:

https://tidal.com/browse/track/77618798
This production on this album is fantastic. The Caldera loves that upright bass. With a lot of Oscar Peterson stuff you get that early stereo mastering where instruments are placed only on one side. As @Monsterzero mentioned crossfeed is perfect for this. Roon lets you dial in the cut frequency if you click into that DSP setting. I only discovered it a few months ago and it opened up so many speaker-only records to my headphone library.

https://tidal.com/browse/track/218099905

Orions Belte, Kim Age Furuhaug - Jangle Med

This is a really cool contemporary album:
Amaro Freitas - Sankofa

https://tidal.com/browse/track/179961792

Don Shirley Trio - Water Boy

https://tidal.com/browse/track/37028177

Ahmad Jamal - Jamal At The Penthouse

https://tidal.com/browse/track/75168991

Eugen Cicero - Rokoko Jazz

https://tidal.com/browse/track/37913604

Vince Guaraldi - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus

https://tidal.com/browse/track/259849930
Also the Vince Guaraldi Bola Sete collaboration.


Errol Garner High Wire - that bass is so good on Caldera. Have you noticed I like upright bass?
Bud Powell A Portrait of Thelonious
Jacques Loussier - Play Bach N 5

 

[DenverW]

The Big Lebowski just turned 25. I feel so old.

Don’t get me started. There is less time from the end of WWII to Star Wars than from star wars to now…

 

[Monsterzero]

Don’t get me started. There is less time from the end of WWII to Star Wars than from star wars to now…

Me reading Head Fi in one year