ZMF Caldera - New Planar Magnetic from ZMF!

[Pharmaboy]

Had another little pad-swap session between the stock, thick, ultra-perforated leather and Bokeh open suede.

The Bokeh open suede is not officially compatible with the Caldera, as the suede pads of the Bokeh open have a higher foam density and tighter fenestration versus the suede pads for the Caldera. Still, I was curious to try. (I find the normal suede pads nice, natural, but transients are overly softened for my taste.)
I can hear why the Bokeh open suedes are not recommended with other ZMF headphones: bass-light and somewhat uneven. This was an easy no-go on the Caldera.

The ultra-perforated pads are not bad, I would say they offer an alternative to folks who normally prefer the stock pads. A little brighter, airier sound versus the stock. Bass gets a tiny bit lighter which I do not like.
Stock pads are probably still the best balanced; bass, mids and treble are equally present. Stock pads have a tiny bit more bass definition versus the ultra-perforated pads and a more focused mid/treble soundscape. Not as open, pleasantly bright and precise as the ultra-perforated pads, but still kind of along those lines.
My personal favourites are still the thick pads. There are two main reasons why I love these: 1, I enjoy the subtle bass elevation these bring versus any other pads, 2, these take away the 'zing' in the upper-mid/treble area which can be present on the other pads. This 'zing' to me only becomes slightly bothering after 1-2 hours of listening. Thick pads are the best remedy, and combined with the bass fun these just make my Caldera the most enjoyable to me. (Plus, I also enjoy the enhanced space of the thick pads.)

"Space: The Final Frontier"

 

[lostumpire]

I'm also tempted to also the Caldera Open. Is there a huge difference between the open and the closed back version?

I see that there are quite a few open backs in the classified but they sell out quickly.

 

[dguitarnut]

Both great headphones….but the open back is on another level of staging and spaciousness. It’s like standing in the orchestra pit while with the cc you are in the 5th row or so…….although still a premium seat.

 

[betula]

I'm also tempted to also the Caldera Open. Is there a huge difference between the open and the closed back version?

I see that there are quite a few open backs in the classified but they sell out quickly.

There are plenty of comparisons in both Caldera threads, if you do a simple search. Even just a few pages back. Also comparison reviews available on the site.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I'm also tempted to also the Caldera Open. Is there a huge difference between the open and the closed back version?

I see that there are quite a few open backs in the classified but they sell out quickly.

There's indeed a noticeable difference between CO and CC. Based on your current open back headphones, CC will provide more uniqueness in sound signature.

 

[GridIroN]

Had another little pad-swap session between the stock, thick, ultra-perforated leather and Bokeh open suede.

The Bokeh open suede is not officially compatible with the Caldera, as the suede pads of the Bokeh open have a higher foam density and tighter fenestration versus the suede pads for the Caldera. Still, I was curious to try. (I find the normal suede pads nice, natural, but transients are overly softened for my taste.)
I can hear why the Bokeh open suedes are not recommended with other ZMF headphones: bass-light and somewhat uneven. This was an easy no-go on the Caldera.

The ultra-perforated pads are not bad, I would say they offer an alternative to folks who normally prefer the stock pads. A little brighter, airier sound versus the stock. Bass gets a tiny bit lighter which I do not like.
Stock pads are probably still the best balanced; bass, mids and treble are equally present. Stock pads have a tiny bit more bass definition versus the ultra-perforated pads and a more focused mid/treble soundscape. Not as open, pleasantly bright and precise as the ultra-perforated pads, but still kind of along those lines.
My personal favourites are still the thick pads. There are two main reasons why I love these: 1, I enjoy the subtle bass elevation these bring versus any other pads, 2, these take away the 'zing' in the upper-mid/treble area which can be present on the other pads. This 'zing' to me only becomes slightly bothering after 1-2 hours of listening. Thick pads are the best remedy, and combined with the bass fun these just make my Caldera the most enjoyable to me. (Plus, I also enjoy the enhanced space of the thick pads.)

Coincidentally, I am currently conducting an A/B test on my Caldera Open with thick vs ultra-perforated pads as I read this. I would have to agree with a lot of what you've written, though to my ears the thick pads just sound like the standard Caldera pads with everything improved either a little bit, or a lot, so I don't know why the regular Caldera pads were chosen as the factory pad. Of course everyone has different tastes, but I find it hard to imagine someone would want what the standard Caldera does over the Caldera thicks if for some reason they could only have 1 of them.

Either way, my take:

Caldera Thicks:

• Thick sound (duh).
  • Warm in tone, mid forward.
  • Caldera planar membrane gives great note impact.
• Great soundstage pan, likely from increased distance. Not as precise as my Meze Elite though.
  • Does not get bogged down in details. Can articulate freely in congested arrangements.
• Great plankton in general. Detail retrieval is lovely.
• Upper range can be rather sharp, incisive, but doesn't bother me personally. This is a known quality of the Caldera.
• Bass remains washy, and tense, though well controlled.

Ultra-Perf:

• Increased accuracy in the soundstage. Immediately noticeable.
• A significant reduction of bass impact, as expected.
• Articulation is kept, and in fact enhanced.
  • Instrument space in the soundstage is slightly more precise
• Sublime mids, and a more relaxed timbre.
  • Timbre is a slightly faster, and cleaner presentation.
• Greater air extension in the treble, though a tad softer in timbre.

Ultimately, I would say these pads turn the Caldera from a bumping club into a ballroom style orchestra. I do not dislike the ultra-perf pads as much as I expected to, especially as many said they sounded like a revision of the BE2 line, which I strongly disliked. Nevertheless, I still would not use these as a daily driver personally, but I would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants the ZMF sound with a cleaner, more linear presentation.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I'm also tempted to also the Caldera Open. Is there a huge difference between the open and the closed back version?

I see that there are quite a few open backs in the classified but they sell out quickly.

I compared the two fairly extensively in my review of the Caldera Closed. The differences were smaller than I expected, but pretty interesting and unexpected.

I don't do well with closed back headphones these days, but I could see owning the CC if I didn't already own a CO. It's a headphone of considerable nuance and subtlety.

 

[robo24]

I'm also tempted to also the Caldera Open. Is there a huge difference between the open and the closed back version?

I see that there are quite a few open backs in the classified but they sell out quickly.

Check out some of the CC reviews here, as some have that comparison.

 

[PopZeus]

Really loved the Caldera Open when I got to demo them with an Aegis rig at Axpona this past weekend. Just a lovely headphone and amp combo. I tried the AO and AC on the same amp and I think the Caldera were my favorite out of the 3. It’s nice to know where I stand with ZMF’s flagships…

 

[Lyssky]

Recommendation for Caldera: Eyes of Eden - Faith album

 

[VanHai]

It is going to be a headache for ZMF used market headphones. Fake VC and CO are coming out of Aliexpress.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256...VwCHAwFZzqlRjAL5bVVSDA9m4or8bz4MDrxMuBATCb214

 

[AnyDave]

It is going to be a headache for ZMF used market headphones. Fake VC and CO are coming out of Aliexpress.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807042662864.html?spm=a2g0o.home.pcJustForYou.1.671076dbnybx0Z&gps-id=pcJustForYou&scm=1007.13562.416251.0&scm_id=1007.13562.416251.0&scm-url=1007.13562.416251.0&pvid=85ff8bb7-89d7-489f-bc36-3df4df1fcded&_t=gps-idcJustForYou,scm-url:1007.13562.416251.0,pvid:85ff8bb7-89d7-489f-bc36-3df4df1fcded,tpp_buckets:668#2846#8109#1935&pdp_ext_f={"order":"11","eval":"1","sceneId":"3562"}&pdp_npi=4@dis!USD!916.09!916.09!!!6662.50!6662.50!@210312d517448953099767892ecaf3!12000044609246352!rec!US!1910485934!X&utparam-url=scenecJustForYou|query_from:&tblci=GiDSeYofA5pQKv6qI69ROz_vUHVwCHAwFZzqlRjAL5bVVSDA9m4or8bz4MDrxMuBATCb214

It already is a headache. Somebody bought a fake one and complained on Reddit about how they don't like the sound of the ZMF Caldera. It causes confusion in the marketplace.

It's fine if folks don't like the sound of the Caldera, but it's better if they've heard the real one.

 

[Lyssky]

It is going to be a headache for ZMF used market headphones. Fake VC and CO are coming out of Aliexpress.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807042662864.html?spm=a2g0o.home.pcJustForYou.1.671076dbnybx0Z&gps-id=pcJustForYou&scm=1007.13562.416251.0&scm_id=1007.13562.416251.0&scm-url=1007.13562.416251.0&pvid=85ff8bb7-89d7-489f-bc36-3df4df1fcded&_t=gps-idcJustForYou,scm-url:1007.13562.416251.0,pvid:85ff8bb7-89d7-489f-bc36-3df4df1fcded,tpp_buckets:668#2846#8109#1935&pdp_ext_f={"order":"11","eval":"1","sceneId":"3562"}&pdp_npi=4@dis!USD!916.09!916.09!!!6662.50!6662.50!@210312d517448953099767892ecaf3!12000044609246352!rec!US!1910485934!X&utparam-url=scenecJustForYou|query_from:&tblci=GiDSeYofA5pQKv6qI69ROz_vUHVwCHAwFZzqlRjAL5bVVSDA9m4or8bz4MDrxMuBATCb214

What the funk?!

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Unfortunately, people will create fakes of almost anything if they see a way to make money doing it. To show how extensive the problem is, I recently bought multiple pairs of Superfeet shoe insoles on eBay that ended up being counterfeit. They’re even faking insoles now!

 

[AnyDave]

Unfortunately, people will create fakes of almost anything if they see a way to make money doing it. To show how extensive the problem is, I recently bought multiple pairs of Superfeet shoe insoles on eBay that ended up being counterfeit. They’re even faking insoles now!

Truly a step in the wrong direction.