ZMF Caldera - New Planar Magnetic from ZMF!
- Thread starter ScornDefeat
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CharlyBrown
Headphoneus Supremus
I‘ll be getting my Calderas tomorrow. The cables are way too short for me so I also ordered longer aftermarket cables that will take 2 weeks or so to arrive.
For the time being, is there an option to attach an extension? I only found xlr power extensions in a quick search.
Edit. I will use a single ended extension, together with my 4.4 to 3.5 adapter and the 4.4 stock ZMF cable. Not perfect but it will do for the short period of time.
For the time being, is there an option to attach an extension? I only found xlr power extensions in a quick search.
Edit. I will use a single ended extension, together with my 4.4 to 3.5 adapter and the 4.4 stock ZMF cable. Not perfect but it will do for the short period of time.
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MSwiss
100+ Head-Fier
I’ve just received mine and had an hour listening. First impressions are very favourable, vocals are especially beautifully presented. They are detailed but not fatiguing, so far I’m really enjoying the ZMF experience.
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Pharmaboy
Headphoneus Supremus
Just beautiful!I’ve just received mine and had an hour listening. First impressions are very favourable, vocals are especially beautifully presented. They are detailed but not fatiguing, so far I’m really enjoying the ZMF experience.
I love the green/blue cup colors with the gray/silver grille. Absolutely beautiful. Congratulations!I’ve just received mine and had an hour listening. First impressions are very favourable, vocals are especially beautifully presented. They are detailed but not fatiguing, so far I’m really enjoying the ZMF experience.
Tanalasta
1000+ Head-Fier
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There are extensions possible - cable companies can certainly make one - but with the potential signal degradation and cost it is often easier to order new cables.
I sometimes wish they considered a short cable ; and then a longer one like Focal does with their Utopia. I have 6 ZMF cables that have never been used.
CharlyBrown
Headphoneus Supremus
That would be too much of a stretch because I only need the extension until my good (and long enough, 3m) XLR cable arrives.
For the time being I use the Caldera with 4.4 to 3.5 DDHifi adapter and a 120cm extension cable. I compared that with 4.4/XLR directly from the amp and there is not much of a difference. At least it will work just fine until I get the nice cable
Love the Caldera btw. I never had it on my radar until I got the Immanis and was looking for a good complement. It does the job perfectly, but the Caldera ist much more than just that. I would be happy with it as my only headphone, if I hadn’t the Immanis. The Caldera is superior over the Immanis when it comes to vocals, especially male vocals, for my preference.
illegalcyrus
New Head-Fier
Hey everyone, caldera owner with suede pads here.
Attaching a pic of the beauty because honestly, it really is beautiful. Tbh I love this headphone a lot. Like I think honestly it just has this weight to everything that it adds to music that makes everything sound great. I guess my thing is honestly, I've constantly been thinking about how much these are and honestly it does make me feel uncomfortable at times.
I've been debating about selling them honestly and wondering if I really can get something like the caldera at a cheaper price point. I love listening to super energetic jpop mostly so I love how effortlessly caldera handles that stuff. I guess my question is, is there anything that does 95% of what caldera does for less money or am I kinda SoL and caldera is just built different. I've looked back and kinda wanted to try atrium again but remove the mesh or do a different mesh because i felt at times atrium sounded the same as my 6xx but i also probably was doing poor A/Bing or would something like the Auteur Classic have what I want in a zmf? Or should I just be looking elsewhere? The final option is just getting over myself and just enjoy the calderas for what they are.
Sorry for the rambling post I kinda am all over the place.
Attaching a pic of the beauty because honestly, it really is beautiful. Tbh I love this headphone a lot. Like I think honestly it just has this weight to everything that it adds to music that makes everything sound great. I guess my thing is honestly, I've constantly been thinking about how much these are and honestly it does make me feel uncomfortable at times.
I've been debating about selling them honestly and wondering if I really can get something like the caldera at a cheaper price point. I love listening to super energetic jpop mostly so I love how effortlessly caldera handles that stuff. I guess my question is, is there anything that does 95% of what caldera does for less money or am I kinda SoL and caldera is just built different. I've looked back and kinda wanted to try atrium again but remove the mesh or do a different mesh because i felt at times atrium sounded the same as my 6xx but i also probably was doing poor A/Bing or would something like the Auteur Classic have what I want in a zmf? Or should I just be looking elsewhere? The final option is just getting over myself and just enjoy the calderas for what they are.
Sorry for the rambling post I kinda am all over the place.
Attachments
That is a lovely set. Looks like the Redheart wood if I'm seeing it correctly. It would be difficult to part with those. If you listen to higher tempo music and modern recordings you'll likely want to stay with planars for the faster transient response. The Caldera is the best planar I have heard in my experience. The damping (ADS) design ZMF developed carries over some of the nice characteristics of their dynamic headphones. Other planars I have enjoyed recently are the Fostex T-series and Dan Clark Audio (DCA) Aeon-2 Noire. The new T50RP-4th generation and DCA Noire-X are getting good impressions. I suggest trying out some alternatives at a shop if you get a chance before letting go of the Caldera.
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dguitarnut
100+ Head-Fier
I love my Caldera Open even if it’s a plain Jane oak. I’ve had a couple other Zmf’s and they don’t compare in sonics….for my tastes.
The 3D imaging is what wins it for me. I wouldn’t be happy with anything less.
The 3D imaging is what wins it for me. I wouldn’t be happy with anything less.
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illegalcyrus
New Head-Fier
Thank you! That's what makes it even more painful to let go of. Redheart is my ideal color so it would hurt a ton to get rid of if I decide to. I think Caldera is just so good but and I've accepted it but honestly if something can come close and be cheap used i would totally jump on it. There is a shop near me that does demos for DCA products but they dont have the noire x in yet. Shop also has focal and audeze so I'll probably go next week to try all of that out. If I don't get rid of caldera I will for sure do upgrades on the rest of my system to get the most out of it.
Thank you!
If the weight/body of the Caldera's sound is one of your favorite aspects, I think you might have some luck with Audezes (so long as you can tolerate the physical weight). I have LCD-4zs on the way to compare to my MX4s, and the latter is amazing with its bass impact and cleanliness after EQ. In your case, I think the 2021 LCD-Xs would be a great alternative to try. Like the other Audezes, they're amazing with EDM and metal, and I imagine your jpop would mesh well too.
TheMiddleSky
Headphoneus Supremus
Noire X could be too bright and soft impact if you like Caldera. If you like ZMF's character, I think best bet is to stick with other ZMF Headphones. Other alternative, such Audeze LCD-3/LCD-4 may become the solution, but the comfort is definitely worse than ZMFs.
ckhirnigs113
Headphoneus Supremus
I’ve seen a few Meze Elite’s for sale recently under $2000. That’s a great alternative to the Caldera if you want to save a little money. I had the chance to compare them at home for a week and came away loving them both. I already owned the Elite, so I stuck with those. I think you can save about $1000 going with a used Elite vs a used Caldera these days. I love ZMF and own two currently, but the Elite is amazing as well.
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Don't rush the decision. Think it through twice and three and four times. Of course, only you know your financial situation and usage scenario, but this could easily be a decision that you might regret afterwards. No other headphones will sound exactly like the Caldera. Caldera is unique in its speed, technicalities which are combined with a thick texture and weighty notes. You get the latter in ZMF dynamics like the Atrium but won't get the former to the same extent. I agree with previous suggestions that a somewhat similar and good tuning would be the Meze Elite or the Audeze LCD line. You can get the LCD3 used around $1K these days, but the drop in technical performance will still be significant. Premium performance unfortunately comes with a premium price tag. I wouldn't even bother with DCA or Fostex, I would bet a large sum of money that they won't satisfy you after the Caldera.
One thing to consider is if you bought your Caldera new, you would lose a large amount of money by selling them. If you are unhappy with the replacement and ever decide to get the Caldera again, that would effectively mean a much more expensive Caldera than what you currently have.
As I said, only you know your financial circumstances and listening habits, but IMO no other headphones sound quite like the Caldera, and the potential replacement candidates that might sound equally satisfying are also at least $2K on the second-hand market. So, for the sake of saving $500-$1000 is the whole hassle of selling/buying replacement really worth it? Maybe just control your monthly spendings a little tighter for half a year and save up $100 each month to make you feel better and keep enjoying these extremely enjoyable headphones. Just my 2c.
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