ZMF Caldera - New Planar Magnetic from ZMF!

[dfiled]

I guess we’re engaging in a whole bunch of guessing at the moment.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

Damn I just bought a VO from hot cup summer

 

[457139]

Woah..

Now you have my full attention Zach haha

Edit: not at that price..

 

[Monsterzero]

This thread should probably be moved to the 'High End' section of the forum...

I'm so excited for this headphone. When the Atticus and Eikon first came out my headphone collection consisted of HE6,HE500 and LCD-2.2 pf, but Zach's magic lured me away from planars. I finally have a reason to get another.

 

[skhan007]

Would love to hear these at some point!!

 

[kumar402]

I wonder if this will unwittingly become the Atrium killer.

If this ends up having Atrium-level punch and slam I’ll be pretty pissed I bought the Atrium.

New headphone doesn’t mean Atrium is no longer the flagship. You may like Atrium more then this new one. Let’s wait and watch

 

[goldwerger]

There will be a lot of ppl with otl amps just for ZMF cans sick now. Glad I got the WA22! I can't wait for impressions of the Caldera! I'm curious if it will shine on tubes like the DD ZMF cans!

Planars can absolutely shine on transformer-coupled tube amps. I love my planars on my Auris Nirvana, and I bet the Caldera would prove amazing with it. @L0rdGwyn has shared here in another thread he will be showcasing a new transfomer-coupled prototype at SoCal (I think at ZMF's?). I have a hunch the synergy between those two would be something else..!

 

[goldwerger]

I wonder if this will unwittingly become the Atrium killer.

If this ends up having Atrium-level punch and slam I’ll be pretty pissed I bought the Atrium.

I love the Atrium and, for me, it occupies such a different listening experience than my planar headphones, I would assume the Caldera and Atrium will prove a yin and yang offering (consider both have probably been in R&D for years and are launched within few weeks of each other). This looks like a very thoughtful evolution of the ZMF lineup with new dynamic and planar flagships

as an aside, I always remind myself that any headphone I've enjoyed until now, doesn't become less enjoyable when I get a new model (and why some of my favourite cans are some vintage pairs, sentimentality aside).

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Planars can absolutely shine on transformer-coupled tube amps. I love my planars on my Auris Nirvana, and I bet the Caldera would prove amazing with. @L0rdGwyn has shared here in another thread he will be showcasing a new transfomer-coupled prototype at SoCal (I think at ZMFs?). I have a hunch the synergy between those two would be something else..!

Unfortunately, due to a technical issue, it won't be making it to CanJam. The IEC inlet failed shortly after arrival to ZMF HQ, it is on it way back to me for a swap out but the timeline is too tight for it to make it to SoCal. Sorry! This does give me more time to flesh out the design however, maybe next CanJam.

 

[goldwerger]

Unfortunately, due to a technical issue, it won't be making it to CanJam. The IEC inlet failed shortly after arrival to ZMF HQ, it is on it way back to me for a swap out but the timeline is too tight for it to make it to SoCal. Sorry! This does give me more time to flesh out the design however, maybe next CanJam.

ok.. you know I couldn't meet you at SoCal as I'm stuck home that weekend.. this means that I get to test it at CanJam NYC in February then? A silverlining...
but yea, best to get it right. we will all be here when it's ready to test it!

 

[ufospls2]

Super neat to see @zach915m doing his own planar after his beginnings with the Fostex mods. Full circle sort of thing. They look cool too, which helps, lol.

 

[Insidious Meme]

I wonder if this will unwittingly become the Atrium killer.

If this ends up having Atrium-level punch and slam I’ll be pretty pissed I bought the Atrium.

I'm sure @zach915m would have differentiated the Caldera from the Atrium and Verite at worst from the types of drivers. We'll know soon enough how different they are.

 

[shwnwllms]

Can’t wait for the impressions of these. The coffee stained oak is and would be a perfect match to my gold resin oak VO from HCS

 

[Monsterzero]

Where's the damn Canjam preview video?!? Ive been hitting refresh for two hours!

 

[cats4cans]

Between my burgeoning headphone habit and a taste for expensive whisky, I may just have to resign myself to strict rationing everywhere else. I wish I lived in a state where I could legally sell my plasma. Been saving my nickels while deciding between VO and Atrium, now the choice may become even more difficult, and more expensive. Oh well, I like instant ramen.