[sameh931]

Zebra immediately caught my eye for this LTD run. I grew appreciation for the canare over time as I see more pictures/videos revealing that sunburst treatment. I don’t have an Atrium, so maybe I’ll get that one in canare before this LTD run ends.

Wish I'd have the money to get both the Caldera and Atrium or upgraded DAC/AMP xD Already sold nearly my whole TCG Collection except some beautys for display to have some money on hand if i buy the Caldera's.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I'm probably in the minority here in saying this, but the only closed back of any quality that I own is the ZMF Ori. I'm still nuts about the sound of the Ori, my first planar & still one of the most enjoyable.

I mention it because I still find it interesting & informative to compare the Ori to the Caldera Open (have done countless times), and will soon do so for the Caldera Closed. The main reasons I use this headphone for comparisons are:

• Bass: The Ori has dense, pressurized planar bass in spades. When I compare a newer planar, I'm looking for depth & impact of bass at least comparable to the Ori (though likely more resolving); and
• Resolution: Much as I love the Ori's sound, it doesn't resolve as well as newer TOTLs. Still, comparing them gives me a good idea just how resolving something like the Caldera open is (ie, definitely more)

The Ori was the first headphone I listened to on the loaner ZMF Aegis. I've never heard the Ori scale so high on any other amps. It was my 1st clue how good the Aegis would be. Did my later listening w/the Caldera Open & Verite Open, which totally sealed the deal (great amp).

 

[djentbat]

So as far as using Thick pads and going back to stock, that’s me every time.

The stock has everything going for them. They are energetic, punchy, tight, nice low end warmth, rich mids, and airy highs. Decent sized soundstage with precise imaging.

The thick is tuned slightly warmer because of slight recession in the mids. The thick lose some of the bite and energy of the stock. It’s replaced with a wider and deeper soundstage with more layering. Imagine if have a bright setup, the thick would tame that a bit. I find them a little too laid back for my tastes. It’s nice to hear that big soundstage but takes away the intimacy of the stock.

I find the suede the best for mids but less dynamic and less precise soundstage. There’s a slight fuzziness to the edges of music. It’s very euphoric but if listening to something with a strong beat, it sounds weaker than the stock.

I have never listened to the thin for too long but finally gave it a slightly longer listen. I don’t care for them at all. It sounds like the mid highs are out of tune with a slight piercing sound. The soundstage is somewhat collapsed and mids are too forward.

Don’t think I’m going to spend any more money on pads at this point. I’ll see if I can try the cowhide and the ultra perforated ones at CanJam. Not sure if anything will win me over the stock.

Also reading about the Caldera Closed doesn’t sound like it will fit my preference. Seems it even falls short of the open with thick pads for mids. But I’ll have to listen for myself to be sure.

Your statements are exactly how I feel. I recently got some Millard E80CC tubes and they are very bright. I swapped to the thick’s to tame it out a bit. But in general I love the stock pads for the same reason you described.

 

[betula]

Your statements are exactly how I feel. I recently got some Millard E80CC tubes and they are very bright. I swapped to the thick’s to tame it out a bit. But in general I love the stock pads for the same reason you described.

Give a good 100-200 hour burn in to those E80CCs. They will get warmer and smoother.

 

[AudioDuck]

Give a good 100-200 hour burn in to those E80CCs. They will get warmer and smoother.

Agreed. Mullards are typically never bright and thin-sounding in my experience.

 

[betula]

Agreed. Mullards are typically never bright and thin-sounding in my experience.

Initially, the E80CCs sounded a bit bright and harsh after the 12AU7s in the Cayin HA-3A. I was surprised too. Thankfully after the mentioned longer burn in period the familiar Mullard warmth and smoothness appeared, just with a lot more dynamics, space and clarity compared to the 12AU7s.

 

[djentbat]

Initially, the E80CCs sounded a bit bright and harsh after the 12AU7s in the Cayin HA-3A. I was surprised too. Thankfully after the mentioned longer burn in period the familiar Mullard warmth and smoothness appeared, just with a lot more dynamics, space and clarity compared to the 12AU7s.

Yeah this was the biggest surprised too as I have Mullard 12AU7s and they have a nice warm tone. Kinda shocked from it, but yeah I need to let them burn in more. Most of the time when I burn in, it’s about 10 hours or so. So I was kinda shocked they were still bright.

 

[betula]

Yeah this was the biggest surprised too as I have Mullard 12AU7s and they have a nice warm tone. Kinda shocked from it, but yeah I need to let them burn in more. Most of the time when I burn in, it’s about 10 hours or so. So I was kinda shocked they were still bright.

Yeah, me too. Almost started to worry a bit after 40-50 hours that it will stay like that. Then I read somewhere that E80CC tubes apparently need more burn in time than usual. And it has turned out to be true. They really got a lot smoother (yet still retaining excellent dynamics) after 100-150+ hours.

 

[djentbat]

Yeah, me too. Almost started to worry a bit after 40-50 hours that it will stay like that. Then I read somewhere that E80CC tubes apparently need more burn in time than usual. And it has turned out to be true. They really got a lot smoother (yet still retaining excellent dynamics) after 100-150+ hours.

I will say it has made the staging crazy sounding though haha.

But I’m glad to hear I just gotta give em some time.

 

[robo24]

Yeah, I think there's no substitute for listening and forming one's own opinion.

One thing Zach and I have discussed a lot, is that there seem to be a lot of comparisons of the CC vs the CO. If one is deciding between an open and a closed back planar, then that's a pretty obvious and useful comparison.

But it is important to remember that the CC, as a closed back headphone, is going to be a bit different than the CO and it's just as valuable to compare it's sonic qualities vs other closed backs, which is really what it is competing against.

Once I have the CC on hand I plan to compare quite a bit to my DCA Stealth, along with the VC & AC and look forward to sharing impressions. Though I already prefer the VC & AC over the Stealth, I think another closed planar in the same price range will be the more fair and useful comparison. The Stealth is certainly extremely different from the CO and while I really enjoy it, it doesn't grab me emotionally in the way that all of the ZMFs do, though I'm not a big fan of Harman tuning.

 

[iamoneagain]

Once I have the CC on hand I plan to compare quite a bit to my DCA Stealth, along with the VC & AC and look forward to sharing impressions. Though I already prefer the VC & AC over the Stealth, I think another closed planar in the same price range will be the more fair and useful comparison. The Stealth is certainly extremely different from the CO and while I really enjoy it, it doesn't grab me emotionally in the way that all of the ZMFs do, though I'm not a big fan of Harman tuning.

That was sort of the issue I had with the Expanse. For the most part I thought it was technically a great headphone. It was after extended use, 2 months, that I realized I wasn’t as emotionally connected to my music. It wasn’t even something I could explain.

When I first got the Caldera, with suede pads installed, I thought maybe these are not technically as good, but this really has something emotional about it. I just want to keep listening. Once I got the stock pads a few months later, I felt the Caldera was now technically in same league and still had the emotional connection. I still don’t quite know how that connection works, but Zach seems to understand it with the way he personally tunes all his headphones regardless of what the final graph looks like.

 

[erics75]

I've had about a week of time with the CO demo unit and what a week. The clarity, separation, and tone are amazing. I generally prefer dynamic drivers but the CO is challenging that hard. I still prefer a darker overall tuning for every day use, but the CO's air and clarity are a breath of fresh air when I'm in the mood for a change. I see the Caldera and Atrium models as an amazing complimentary set of ZMFs for those who want variety. The Atriums are darker, thicker, more euphonic and romantic sounding. The Calderas faster, clearer, and all around more of a analytical listen, while still being highly musical and engaging.

The CO in particular is making me revisit my playlists, digging deep into tracks I've known most of my life, to find hidden bits of detail here and there. I'm really enjoying it so far, and know at the end of this demo either the CC or CO will remain with me. I'll just sell one of the kiddos to fund it!

I tend to listen mostly to "fun" music (code word for crappy studio quality), with a handful of audiophile worthy test tracks. But truth be told those tracks are boring the heck out of me. Anyone got some killer tracks they can share that will show off the full capabilities of the CO? Sharing is caring!

 

[Lucikun]

I used to slightly prefer the suede pads to the thick on the Caldera, but after listening today I can confidently say the thick pads are easily the best pad for my taste. The clarity and bass increase are sooooo nice. So damn good.

 

[GarlicBiscuit]

Anyone got some killer tracks they can share that will show off the full capabilities of the CO? Sharing is caring!

I gotta give a big nod to the Sonic Unleashed OST. It's probably the best produced Sonic soundtrack I enjoy, and my favorite from the series. There's so much variety to the instruments used for each area of the game. The two tracks I enjoyed using the CO so far was Mazuri Night and Savannah Citadel Night. Both are beautiful, and the Calderas do them justice with their timbre/imaging/separation qualities.

 

[Lyssky]

Anyone got some killer tracks they can share that will show off the full capabilities of the CO? Sharing is caring!

Here are some genres that Caldera especially specializes in:
- Haken, Polyphia, Agent Fresco, Rishloo, Porcupine Tree, Soen, Caligula's Horse, Riverside and many more for progressive metal.
- The Aristocrats, Oz Noy, Dirty Loops, Cory Wong, Alain Caron and countless many for jazz fusion and jazz funk.
- The Strokes especially Is This It album is incredible on the Caldera.
- 311, Dirty Heads, Stick Figure and many more for reggae rock.
- Every kind of film score.