[Monsterzero]

Yeah, I am actually using iFi Diablo to drive the Susvara decently while doing chores. But yeah, the problem is that no app supports Apple Music really, and for me a streaming service is a must since I listen to a different new album almost every day.

Have you considered Roon?

 

[AntonRisto]

Have you considered Roon?

I did consider it before while I was using Tidal and Qobuz, but at the end I didn't like those streaming services and changed to Apple Music, so I never got to try it out. Hoping that someday Roon would have Apple Music support.

 

[joshua1122]

I did consider it before while I was using Tidal and Qobuz, but at the end I didn't like those streaming services and changed to Apple Music, so I never got to try it out. Hoping that someday Roon would have Apple Music support.

Well, if you're tied down to Apple Music on the go... and to bring the conversation back to the thread topic: the most realistic option would likely to use Qudelix 5K + 2.5mm on the Caldera. That should give you nice PEQ, power it sufficiently, and it's decent sounding enough with my planar collection (for on-the-go use, at least).

 

[AntonRisto]

Well, if you're tied down to Apple Music on the go... and to bring the conversation back to the thread topic: the most realistic option would likely to use Qudelix 5K + 2.5mm on the Caldera. That should give you nice PEQ, power it sufficiently, and it's decent sounding enough with my planar collection (for on-the-go use, at least).

Yeah, thanks! I'll check the Qudelix 5K out!

 

[AntonRisto]

I have the Susvara here as well as the Caldera. I like the Susvara a lot, but I can only take it for about an hour before I have to tap out. I don't necessarily find it "sibilant" so much as I find it to be a bit of sensory overload after awhile. Too much detail, too much air...it becomes distracting and a bit fatiguing after a short time listening.

I find the Caldera to be a more musical, coherent listen with more body and weight to the sound. YMMV.

Thanks for the comment! I am actually still waiting on my Atrium to arrive. Those have so far been one of the only headphones I had no problems with sibilance, when I tested them. But I also love the fast planar sound once in a while and have been thinking that maybe the Caldera could replace the Susvara, if the treble isn't as spicy as with the Susvara sometimes.

 

[ajreynol]

Hello everyone! Well, I'm extremely tempted today. Has anyone had the opportunity to A/B test these with something like an LCD-4? I currently use a pair as my daily drivers and have for what feels like the last several years. Love them to bits but have always been interested in the ZMF sound but have not had the opportunity to try them anywhere so these might be my first.

I hate to ask, but am hoping for some feedback with a handful of tracks. Played at high volume, preferably in a residential area :


(perhaps my most favorite song ever)


(surprising build up to attack, crazy percussion)


(dat visceral attack @ ~10 seconds)


(bassiest thing I could find in my collection)


(next bassiest thing I could find)

Interested in the bass performance as one who leans heavily towards bass presence and impact. Any thoughts or experiences would be helpful for my buying decision. Also, my ears are extremely sensitive to sibilance and had to send back a pair of LCD-4z's because they'd hurt in something I listened to regularly, so I may be slightly more sensitive than most. That said, all the headphones in my signature + the LCD5's were fine. If we're around that ballpark, I'm good2go.

Any and all related experiences would be hugely helpful. Thank you!

 

[joshua1122]

Thanks for the comment! I am actually still waiting on my Atrium to arrive. Those have so far been one of the only headphones I had no problems with sibilance, when I tested them. But I also love the fast planar sound once in a while and have been thinking that maybe the Caldera could replace the Susvara, if the treble isn't as spicy as with the Susvara sometimes.

Looking at measurement charts, if you perceive Atriums as one of the only headphones without silbilance problems (possibly thanks to the 6-8kHz dip), then the Caldera with the 6.5-8kHz peak (on the stock pads) may be too sibilant for you – at least without a high-shelf filter EQ.

 

[Monsterzero]

Thanks for the comment! I am actually still waiting on my Atrium to arrive. Those have so far been one of the only headphones I had no problems with sibilance, when I tested them. But I also love the fast planar sound once in a while and have been thinking that maybe the Caldera could replace the Susvara, if the treble isn't as spicy as with the Susvara sometimes.

I find the Caldera treble to be quite polite and I enjoy the treble more on the Caldera than any other ZMF to date. I don't know necessarily that there is more energy in the treble region of the Caldera vs. other ZMFs, or if its a byproduct of the layering and seperation allowing the treble more space to shine. Either way, the Caldera sounds warmer to my ears vs. Susvara, but to reiterate, I do not find the Susvara to be sibilant, so my .02 cents might not be worth much.

 

[betula]

That Kingwood version is not just one of the most beautiful headphones on Earth but also one of the most beautiful ZMFs. That said, $500 is quite a sum to pay over the oak model for looks only. The oak version is also lighter, which is a strong selling point, and it is pretty too. I will wait for an audition though or at least more reviews.
By the way some of those Black Friday deals on ZMF website are quite good guys.

 

[Pharmaboy]

New video comparing the Caldera to Rad-0… my two favorite Planars

I may be the 100th person to ask this (if so, sorry): but the comfort of the Rosson Rad-0 w/o underband was so off-putting at CanJam NYC that I didn't even seriously listen to it. I thought that was too bad, since I'd read many interesting comments about it.

But your pair has an underband, which means that weird bulging-under-the-headband pad isn't creating a hot spot on your head. Is that a stock underband? Something available after-market?

 

[Ishcabible]

I’ve had a Caldera for a week or so and was hoping to have a full review with comparison to the Susvara, HE6 4 Screw, and MM500 before the end of preorder but my friends’ schedules have been (understandably) hectic enough that I won’t have the units for direct comparison until around the end of the preorder period, so I wanted to write some short impressions of the Caldera alone!

I haven’t posted on Head-Fi in a while, but you can read a sample of my writing and preferences here: https://den-fi.com/abyss-1266-tc-review/

As you can probably tell, I have pretty high standards for something in this price range and have no hesitation really going in when I hate something, and when I got the Caldera in, one thing shocked me: I actually liked it. I’ve had a hard time getting comfortable with any modern planar, and I’ve had time with almost all the flagships: 1266 TC, Diana TC, LCD4, LCD5, all of the Ethers except the OG open Ether, Stealth, D8000, D8000 Pro, HE1000SE, HE6 (4 and 6 screw), Susvara, Empyrean, Elite, RAD-0, Solitaire, and I’m probably missing more. The Caldera almost instantly clicked with me with the lambskin pads (the non-flared ones).

I think the first thing to enunciate right off the bat is that these are not a dead flat neutral reference headphone. Zach’s measurements clearly show that, so I don’t think that should be an expectation for anyone. However, every headphone I’ve heard to date that strives for neutrality ends up falling seriously flat in some way, so I appreciate that ZMF tuned the Caldera to what they do best: a fun, unique experience that colors vocals and instruments in a very particular way that works really well for my preferences.

Quick notes about the major elements of FR:
Treble: Extends pretty well, the pads I'm using have a little bit of spice but it's not overwhelming even as someone who is treble sensitive. Very solid resolution.

Midrange: Super fun! Adds intimacy to vocals and gives them a "glow" that I find very nice, just like other ZMF headphones. Not perfectly Harman-compliant which I'm thankful for, as Harman tends to lean a little shouty to me. Solid texture which is interesting as texture is one of the things I tend to miss most with planars as they usually decay too quickly to convey good texture.

Bass: Extends pretty flat to 20Hz but this is always going to differ depending on people's head shapes or haircuts. Like the midrange I get more texture here than e.g. the Susvara or LCD5 but I actually don't know if it's more textured than the LCD4. I wish I still had mine to compare back to back but I sold it when I found out I lost the Audeze variance lottery and tried three other LCD4 units I liked more.

What I think is so interesting about the Caldera is that unlike most planars that sound limp to me, even off speaker amps, the Caldera manages to split the difference between the speed of a planar and the weight of a dynamic headphone. I’ve primarily been using it out of my Neurochrome DG300B as the 300B coloration seems to augment the Caldera’s midrange strengths, but I have plugged it into my FirstWatt F5 for when I want more bass attack.

I also have an Atrium review on deck so I actually have been comparing the Caldera and Atrium back to back and interestingly, the Caldera actually sounds a bit warmer than the Atrium, with a mildly more even upper midrange. I do think it’s a little less impactful than the Atrium, but it does sound that little bit cleaner, possibly due to the faster driver.

My main complaint is that occasionally, the Caldera can get in its own way, especially with poor recordings. I think part of this has to do with the slight amount of warmth, which can make recordings with low dynamic range sound congested as the compression in the song jumbles too much together. I actually have this exact problem with the HD800, so those familiar with the HD800 can likely understand what to expect.

So, preliminary impressions show that this is probably my favorite planar to date, but feeding the Caldera my crappy pop punk nostalgia music isn’t quite ideal… I’m incredibly impressed with what the team at ZMF has been able to do for their first planar. I can’t even imagine what’s to come way down the line if this is their first entry into the planar wars.

I’m absolutely open to questions, though as we’re hosting Thanksgiving on Thursday, I’ll only be on sporadically for the next few days. I have a few other amps I can try it as well: SW51+, Cayin IHA-6, Questyle CMA800R, Headamp Pico, and probably others if I look hard enough...

 

[SlothRock]

I’ve had a Caldera for a week or so and was hoping to have a full review with comparison to the Susvara, HE6 4 Screw, and MM500 before the end of preorder but my friends’ schedules have been (understandably) hectic enough that I won’t have the units for direct comparison until around the end of the preorder period, so I wanted to write some short impressions of the Caldera alone!

I haven’t posted on Head-Fi in a while, but you can read a sample of my writing and preferences here: https://den-fi.com/abyss-1266-tc-review/

As you can probably tell, I have pretty high standards for something in this price range and have no hesitation really going in when I hate something, and when I got the Caldera in, one thing shocked me: I actually liked it. I’ve had a hard time getting comfortable with any modern planar, and I’ve had time with almost all the flagships: 1266 TC, Diana TC, LCD4, LCD5, all of the Ethers except the OG open Ether, Stealth, D8000, D8000 Pro, HE1000SE, HE6 (4 and 6 screw), Susvara, Empyrean, Elite, RAD-0, Solitaire, and I’m probably missing more. The Caldera almost instantly clicked with me with the lambskin pads (the non-flared ones).

I think the first thing to enunciate right off the bat is that these are not a dead flat neutral reference headphone. Zach’s measurements clearly show that, so I don’t think that should be an expectation for anyone. However, every headphone I’ve heard to date that strives for neutrality ends up falling seriously flat in some way, so I appreciate that ZMF tuned the Caldera to what they do best: a fun, unique experience that colors vocals and instruments in a very particular way that works really well for my preferences.

Quick notes about the major elements of FR:
Treble: Extends pretty well, the pads I'm using have a little bit of spice but it's not overwhelming even as someone who is treble sensitive. Very solid resolution.

Midrange: Super fun! Adds intimacy to vocals and gives them a "glow" that I find very nice, just like other ZMF headphones. Not perfectly Harman-compliant which I'm thankful for, as Harman tends to lean a little shouty to me. Solid texture which is interesting as texture is one of the things I tend to miss most with planars as they usually decay too quickly to convey good texture.

Bass: Extends pretty flat to 20Hz but this is always going to differ depending on people's head shapes or haircuts. Like the midrange I get more texture here than e.g. the Susvara or LCD5 but I actually don't know if it's more textured than the LCD4. I wish I still had mine to compare back to back but I sold it when I found out I lost the Audeze variance lottery and tried three other LCD4 units I liked more.

What I think is so interesting about the Caldera is that unlike most planars that sound limp to me, even off speaker amps, the Caldera manages to split the difference between the speed of a planar and the weight of a dynamic headphone. I’ve primarily been using it out of my Neurochrome DG300B as the 300B coloration seems to augment the Caldera’s midrange strengths, but I have plugged it into my FirstWatt F5 for when I want more bass attack.

I also have an Atrium review on deck so I actually have been comparing the Caldera and Atrium back to back and interestingly, the Caldera actually sounds a bit warmer than the Atrium, with a mildly more even upper midrange. I do think it’s a little less impactful than the Atrium, but it does sound that little bit cleaner, possibly due to the faster driver.

My main complaint is that occasionally, the Caldera can get in its own way, especially with poor recordings. I think part of this has to do with the slight amount of warmth, which can make recordings with low dynamic range sound congested as the compression in the song jumbles too much together. I actually have this exact problem with the HD800, so those familiar with the HD800 can likely understand what to expect.

So, preliminary impressions show that this is probably my favorite planar to date, but feeding the Caldera my crappy pop punk nostalgia music isn’t quite ideal… I’m incredibly impressed with what the team at ZMF has been able to do for their first planar. I can’t even imagine what’s to come way down the line if this is their first entry into the planar wars.

I’m absolutely open to questions, though as we’re hosting Thanksgiving on Thursday, I’ll only be on sporadically for the next few days. I have a few other amps I can try it as well: SW51+, Cayin IHA-6, Questyle CMA800R, Headamp Pico, and probably others if I look hard enough...

This is a fantastic review, thank you so much! When do you think you'll have the Atrium vs. Caldera review goin up? I am currently trying to decide whether to move on the Atrium Closed that feels like it'll be out in the next few months or waiting for the Caldera closed in the back half of 2023/2024 potentially. They seem to have some overlap and then also some major differences of course so I'd love comparisons

 

[AntonRisto]

Looking at measurement charts, if you perceive Atriums as one of the only headphones without silbilance problems (possibly thanks to the 6-8kHz dip), then the Caldera with the 6.5-8kHz peak (on the stock pads) may be too sibilant for you – at least without a high-shelf filter EQ.

You might be right. Other headphones, that I didn’t really find sibilant, were HD650, Sundara and Clear OG.

 

[Takarajima]

Thoughts on Some Caldera FAQs

Finally, Caldera is officially launched today (yeah!). While more and more reviews are beginning to pop up, some may think it’s still not sufficiently clear which audiophile cluster Caldera will serve for. Below are my answers to some of the frequently asked questions either I was asked or I’ve witnessed. I will post a fuller write-up later once I collect more thoughts -- Can't draw any firm conclusions atm because Caldera is still growing on me..

-----------------

Q1. Is LTD (Kingwood atm) a must?

There are surely a lot of sonic and aesthetic considerations. People often vary in opinions of hardwood value/worthiness. I used to be a hardcore hardwood advocate and I still am.

Nonetheless, potential buyers should be aware that Caldera is inherently heavier than other ZMF models, ceteris paribus. This is probably due to larger radiating space and magnets. Choosing too heavy headphones without taking one’s long-hour neck tolerance into consideration would result in less headtime, which happened to my hardwood Auteur and Verite previously.

The demo unit I’m having is stock wood and weighs 525g (wo cable) -- lighter than hardwood ZMFs I owned before lol. I can attest it can exhibit whatever magic Caldera is capable of. If I pick up my own pair today, I will very likely go for the stock wood. YMMV.


Q2. Can Caldera replace my Verite/Atrium/Auteur with?

Well, not exactly.

This question is probably asked hoping to recoup (daunting) Caldera costs. Unfortunately, if you like the way how your ZMF sounds, I can see you will find some areas Caldera can’t fulfill as much as the ZMF you’re having.

Don’t get me wrong. Caldera has audibly greater technical prowess such as resolution, separation, and 3d headstage. No doubt. But ZMF products come with distinct sets of strengths and presentation styles. And in particular, if you highly value organic expressions and dynamic driver timbres, Caldera may not be substitutional enough -- different at best.

For the reference, if I’m asked for HFMs (e.g., “Can Susvara replace HE1000 or HE6?”), I wouldn’t hesitate to answer yes any day.

That said, I’m perfectly fine with Caldera being the only ZMF pair I’d keep (even in timbre or organism). But it’s really subject to what you’re looking after.


Q3. Do I need hyper-powerful amps to drive Caldera?

I’m not chasing headphone amplification rabbit holes these days as much as I used to be. I still believe amps make differences.. But, beyond certain points, not proportional to the benefits I’d expect for the price deltas or searching efforts. I’m also a little disagreeing with general underpowering concerns when it comes to orthos/planars. I am rather concerned with overpowering cases because surplus current does more harm than good to me.

That being said, Caldera has not shown any hints of underpowering with moderate SS amps I hooked up with. The current amount Caldera requires is way less than Stealth or Susvara by lots of decibels. I believe Sonic synergies or flavor alignments should be prioritized in choosing amps for Caldera. I’m planning to test with some exotic tube amps my local pals have down the road. But for now, I do recommend not to rule out Caldera solely because you don’t have monster-power amps.

As an aside, I’m personally liking when Caldera is driven by amps with low noise floor, harmonically colorless, and clean power supply.


Q4. Which secondary pads should I choose?

I’ve briefly discussed this previously. Choose suede if you want to hear all the sonic components more distinctly and clearly. Or, go for cowhide if you want more engaging styles.


Q5. Who should shortlist Caldera?

One audiophile cluster I’d recommend shortlisting Caldera to is those who are considering Susvara.

I’m saying neither that Caldera is better than Susvara nor that Caldera perfectly satisfies this group. But I found these two headphones were more closely matched to each other than to anything else in this price range. And for this reason, I do believe Caldera is the closest alternative to Susvara.

To me it’s pretty obvious they both are in similar capability realm and style in detail retrievals, soundstages, and liveliness. Tone, warmth, and/or planar-likeness (or lack thereof) can be deciding factors in final purchases. I am currently debating whether to replace Sus with Caldera for myself. Sigh.

 

[Ishcabible]

This is a fantastic review, thank you so much! When do you think you'll have the Atrium vs. Caldera review goin up? I am currently trying to decide whether to move on the Atrium Closed that feels like it'll be out in the next few months or waiting for the Caldera closed in the back half of 2023/2024 potentially. They seem to have some overlap and then also some major differences of course so I'd love comparisons

Thank you! I'm planning on having separate reviews to properly talk about them but I'm hoping my Caldera review will be done in the first half of December, then the Atrium review in the second half of December. I do think they are complementary rather than competitive though. While they are both undoubtedly ZMF headphones, they actually fill different roles for me--I like the Atrium a little more with acoustic music because I get a little more decay while the Caldera is more fun with EDM, for example.