[Leto Dal]

The thing is that Caldera is just like Zach and his team in the way that it performs its duty remarkably and excels at it not leaving a trace of uncovered speck of the song I'm listening to. This is indeed making me proud to own this headphone and I'm not to stop talking about something that is a decent example of its kind which I call an inspiration.

After trying few other Calderas including stabilised maple burl , Redheart is still one of my fav Caldera woods to date, apart of looking gorgeous and suiting the volcano theme, it got just the right amount of resonance and decay to my ear.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

T In the brief listen, the Elite just didn’t measure up for me because it lacked weight in comparison. It wasn’t getting my foot tapping. If I could afford more than one headphone it would probably be a good complimentary headphone. The Utopia and Caldera have too much overlap so wouldn’t see the point of owning both.

Interesting, did you noticed which pad attached on Elite? If everything is standard, then Elite should has bigger bass quantity than Caldera. Perhaps "weight" here means something else? As Elite also produce brighter treble.

Did you try it with mantle mesh? I am sensitive to energy in treble too and for that reason didn't enjoy cowhide initially but its a lot more fun after mantle mesh. reminds me a bit of my experience with BE2 on VOs.

No. With standard pad I don't really like mantle mesh, so I never tried it with other pads.

 

[iamoneagain]

Interesting, did you noticed which pad attached on Elite? If everything is standard, then Elite should has bigger bass quantity than Caldera. Perhaps "weight" here means something else? As Elite also produce brighter treble.

I have no idea about the pads. I think it’s more about the punch than overall weight because the Utopia don’t have as much weight but hit the hardest and are fun and exciting. Also remember this was just CanJam conditions, even though in quiet dcs room, it’s with unfamiliar equipment and just quick back and forth. Don’t take anything I said too serious. More just gut reactions. I’m sure if I had the Elite at home for a while with pad choices and cables, I could have a completely different opinion of them.

But my preference for headphones have been based on how they sound with rock, especially with rhythm and pace. I also like a warmer heardphone with great punch. Forward, rich mids, and airy treble. Ultimate resolution is not the goal but still like nice clarity. I also don’t like a big soundstage, prefer closer intimate one but with 3D sound within that space. I feel the Caldera hits all these marks. Perhaps a point off for not the airiest highs but overall balance lines up prefect for my tastes. So if something has good bass quality but isn’t hard hitting, I’m not a fan. I really like Grado headphones even though they lack over bass presence but still hit hard and capture rhythm and pace well. It’s the flow of the music over the detail.

 

[LXMc]

Regarding gaming and Caldera - got into Alan Wake 2 which has some insane sound design and production, its a privelege to expierience it with this headphone, you can stand there for minutes listening to the rain in the forest... or a cofee machine in sheriffs office, its incredibly immersive. Cant say I find Caldera tiring for gaming, but if you come from some with less resolution, you certainly will need some time to get used to the detail.

Sorry for jumping back in the timeline but I just wanted to mention I'm now playing through Alan Wake 2 on the Caldera and man, the soundscape in that game is incredible. From all the tiny details, as you mentioned, as well as the warping and explosive bass from the shadow enemies really feel like it all plays to the strengths of the Caldera so well. It really enhances what is already a super immersive experience.

Hopefully it's ok to post clip that I think shows of some of this off pretty well - content warning for some disturbing visuals, violence, swearing & maybe very mild spoilers

 

[hafzz123]

I'm really considering to sell my Verite Closed to fund Caldera, i just can't get Caldera out of my mind this several months.

I'm still torn about which wood to buy though, i love the slightly relaxed and bassier sound from softer wood ( Oak ) but really dig crispness and added clarity from harder wood ( Kingwood )

 

[Alboxhen]

If true slam is the agenda, shouldn’t the greater goal of headphone manufacturers be to devise a device with two basketballs attached on a pendulum that straps to your head and pounds the balls towards your ears in synchronicity with any bass beat? You’ve got the beat, you’ve got the beat, you’ve got the beat, oh yeeaaahh

 

[Pharmaboy]

I'm really considering to sell my Verite Closed to fund Caldera, i just can't get Caldera out of my mind this several months.

I'm still torn about which wood to buy though, i love the slightly relaxed and bassier sound from softer wood ( Oak ) but really dig crispness and added clarity from harder wood ( Kingwood )

I have a theory that has worked pretty well for me:

1. For high resolution, accurate, hard-hitting headphones--I prefer softer to medium-hard woods; hardwoods with large pores such as padauk or oak also work (ie, my oak Caldera; and the padauk Eikon, since sold)
2. For warmer, more resonant headphones--I find it's best to have the hardest wood available (ie, my Blackwood Aeolus)

I've had a number of good planars here, and heard others that are renowned for resolution (Susvara/fascinating; OG HEK1000/a treble cannon; Abyss/still unsure). IMO the Caldera plays with the best of them, despite (maybe because of) its slight warmth & distinct musicality.

I'm more averse to treble and "edgy" sound than many here, so I purchased my Caldera w/mantle mesh installed, and appreciate the way it slightly relaxed the upper mids compared to the stock mesh on a loaner I heard. Of the four earpads I have (stock; cowhide; suedes; lambskin thicks), stock is pretty amazing, but I greatly prefer the atmospheric, chill sound of the thicks (which others find too warm). So I "stacked the deck" of my Caldera against the edgy, tense quality that sometimes accompanies high resolution.

Someone with different tastes might choose a super-hard wood + the stock mesh + the suedes to push their Caldera's inherent resolution to its limits. The beauty of the Caldera is that its sound can be pushed in one direction or the other without losing any sonic goodness.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I'm really considering to sell my Verite Closed to fund Caldera, i just can't get Caldera out of my mind this several months.

I'm still torn about which wood to buy though, i love the slightly relaxed and bassier sound from softer wood ( Oak ) but really dig crispness and added clarity from harder wood ( Kingwood )

As a Verite user I think "crispiness" of Caldera should suit you better. Harder wood tend to deliver more energy on bite and impact as well (closer to your preference).

 

[OnlySoMany]

If anyone is interested in why I love ZMF so much, I just posted a detailed thread here about something very special Zach did for me. It is seriously worth a read.

More info, with LOTS of pictures.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/why-i-think-zmf-is-the-best-headphone-company-in-the-world.970552/

 

[goldwerger]

If anyone is interested in why I love ZMF so much, I just posted a detailed thread here about something very special Zach did for me. It is seriously worth a read.

More info, with LOTS of pictures.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/why-i-think-zmf-is-the-best-headphone-company-in-the-world.970552/

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm quite moved (replied in thread).

For anyone who hasn't, do yourself a favor and click above. This was one of the most moving reads on head-fi for me, ever.

 

[Karnicopia]

 

[TommehHiFi]

Been listening to my new ultra perf caldera pads for the last 4 hours since they came in the mail today. Immediately put them on my Atriums and while the increased resolution was ridiculous, it lost a bit too much of the Atrium magic in tone and bass slam to be my forever pads so I'll still use the BE2 perforated suede for them.

But for the Caldera with mantle mesh installed, this pad is almost what I would call a straight upgrade to the stock lambskin calderas I've come to prefer. The mantle takes away the treble harshness I get with MY ears, and the ultra perf seems to add back more air to make up for it. And I get pretty little, if any, bass loss to my ears with the ultra perf.

This has been my bass test track forever now:

 

[betula]

My Black & White Ebony Caldera has just arrived. Piece of art in its appearance and piece of art in its sonic performance. Thank you Zach and team ZMF for such a beauty!

Choosing wood was a long process. I was leaning towards the sound of hard wood editions, but I was also worrying about too much weight. While I respect all the stabilised and coloured editions, a natural wood look is much closer to my taste.
I had a weight limit around 550g in my mind as I remember from years ago that the LCD2C is exactly 550g and I found that comfortable. 600g or above was unfortunately out of question as I find that too much for occasionally wearing all day. Of course, I know, weight is not everything as I didn't find the 490g Focals very comfy and ZMF also has excellent weight distribution which makes the headphones feel lighter than they are.

As the lightest options I almost went for redwood or walnut as I love the look of those sets, but I was quite sure I would prefer the sound of hard wood cups. Macassar ebony was a strong candidate as well, but the potential weight scared me off. This is when I found black & white ebony: still ebony, still hard wood, but a lot lighter than other ebonies (and absolutely gorgeous looking!). The oak Caldera I have on loan weighs 526g with the thick pads, and it is 1350 lbf on the Janka hardness index. Walnut has a rating of 1000 lbf for perspective, redwood is way under 1000 lbf, macassar ebony is 3200 lbf, but the black & white ebony has a rating of 1800 lbf. So, while not as hard as other ebonies, still harder than oak and only weighs 566g with the thick pads on. I can live with that and also enjoy the small benefits what harder woods bring to the sound. (I consider them benefits; it depends on what sound you are after.)

My new Caldera still has some burn-in to do, but some quick a/b comparisons with my oak loaner Caldera pretty much confirmed what I was expecting. Sound on my ebony unit is a little tighter, a little clearer. I suspect, it is mostly because of shorter decay and slightly quicker transients in general, a tad more immediate cup reflection. It is really not night and day difference, but present. The ebony is somehow a little tighter, more coherent than the oak. I like the lush mids on the oak, but the clearer bass and the slight improvement in overall perceived clarity and immediacy makes me prefer the ebony. Also, what got me as a bit of a surprise, treble feels more controlled, more rounded as well. Very happy betula here.

 

[Toonartist]

My Black & White Ebony Caldera has just arrived. Piece of art in its appearance and piece of art in its sonic performance. Thank you Zach and team ZMF for such a beauty!

Choosing wood was a long process. I was leaning towards the sound of hard wood editions, but I was also worrying about too much weight. While I respect all the stabilised and coloured editions, a natural wood look is much closer to my taste.
I had a weight limit around 550g in my mind as I remember from years ago that the LCD2C is exactly 550g and I found that comfortable. 600g or above was unfortunately out of question as I find that too much for occasionally wearing all day. Of course, I know, weight is not everything as I didn't find the 490g Focals very comfy and ZMF also has excellent weight distribution which makes the headphones feel lighter than they are.



As the lightest options I almost went for redwood or walnut as I love the look of those sets, but I was quite sure I would prefer the sound of hard wood cups. Macassar ebony was a strong candidate as well, but the potential weight scared me off. This is when I found black & white ebony: still ebony, still hard wood, but a lot lighter than other ebonies (and absolutely gorgeous looking!). The oak Caldera I have on loan weighs 526g with the thick pads, and it is 1350 lbf on the Janka hardness index. Walnut has a rating of 1000 lbf for perspective, redwood is way under 1000 lbf, macassar ebony is 3200 lbf, but the black & white ebony has a rating of 1800 lbf. So, while not as hard as other ebonies, still harder than oak and only weighs 566g with the thick pads on. I can live with that and also enjoy the small benefits what harder woods bring to the sound. (I consider them benefits; it depends on what sound you are after.)



My new Caldera still has some burn-in to do, but some quick a/b comparisons with my oak loaner Caldera pretty much confirmed what I was expecting. Sound on my ebony unit is a little tighter, a little clearer. I suspect, it is mostly because of shorter decay and slightly quicker transients in general, a tad more immediate cup reflection. It is really not night and day difference, but present. The ebony is somehow a little tighter, more coherent than the oak. I like the lush mids on the oak, but the clearer bass and the slight improvement in overall perceived clarity and immediacy makes me prefer the ebony. Also, what got me as a bit of a surprise, treble feels more controlled, more rounded as well. Very happy betula here.

Beautiful... very unique patterning! I'm quite sure I don't have to say, Enjoy them!!

 

[Wes S]

My Black & White Ebony Caldera has just arrived. Piece of art in its appearance and piece of art in its sonic performance. Thank you Zach and team ZMF for such a beauty!

Choosing wood was a long process. I was leaning towards the sound of hard wood editions, but I was also worrying about too much weight. While I respect all the stabilised and coloured editions, a natural wood look is much closer to my taste.
I had a weight limit around 550g in my mind as I remember from years ago that the LCD2C is exactly 550g and I found that comfortable. 600g or above was unfortunately out of question as I find that too much for occasionally wearing all day. Of course, I know, weight is not everything as I didn't find the 490g Focals very comfy and ZMF also has excellent weight distribution which makes the headphones feel lighter than they are.



As the lightest options I almost went for redwood or walnut as I love the look of those sets, but I was quite sure I would prefer the sound of hard wood cups. Macassar ebony was a strong candidate as well, but the potential weight scared me off. This is when I found black & white ebony: still ebony, still hard wood, but a lot lighter than other ebonies (and absolutely gorgeous looking!). The oak Caldera I have on loan weighs 526g with the thick pads, and it is 1350 lbf on the Janka hardness index. Walnut has a rating of 1000 lbf for perspective, redwood is way under 1000 lbf, macassar ebony is 3200 lbf, but the black & white ebony has a rating of 1800 lbf. So, while not as hard as other ebonies, still harder than oak and only weighs 566g with the thick pads on. I can live with that and also enjoy the small benefits what harder woods bring to the sound. (I consider them benefits; it depends on what sound you are after.)



My new Caldera still has some burn-in to do, but some quick a/b comparisons with my oak loaner Caldera pretty much confirmed what I was expecting. Sound on my ebony unit is a little tighter, a little clearer. I suspect, it is mostly because of shorter decay and slightly quicker transients in general, a tad more immediate cup reflection. It is really not night and day difference, but present. The ebony is somehow a little tighter, more coherent than the oak. I like the lush mids on the oak, but the clearer bass and the slight improvement in overall perceived clarity and immediacy makes me prefer the ebony. Also, what got me as a bit of a surprise, treble feels more controlled, more rounded as well. Very happy betula here.

Absolutely stunning looking pair!