[goldwerger]

Amen - there's a huge difference between "audiophile neutral" and "realistic" to a musicians performance. I'm not arguing for one over the other, and as mmay know we have the line of headphone I consider zmf neutral (auteur, atrium,) and the headphones that have more flavour (verite, aeolus.) with the Caldera sitting dead center between the two which can be amended in either direction with pads.

Completely agree. Had a discussion just last evening about it with a community member.. measurements are always valuable and no doubt you use them extensively, but it's not about one dimension of performance or one measured metric or another, but about how they all integrate and come together to create realisticalyl sound music. Timbre alone is such a complex topic, the harmonics orders involved in generating any specific instrument's timbre isn't discretely represented in any one graph or one specific performance attribute. etc. I really admire the complexity of R&D and how many things go into "tuning". A true balance of science and art.

 

[DenverW]

So after several months with suede pads on the Caldera I've swapped to stock to give my ears a change and prepare for a stock vs. cowhide experience when the new pads arrive next week. When I originally went to suede from the stock caldera lambskin I found the transition greater than I'm getting now switching back. I still slightly prefer the comfort of the suede pads, but I'm perfectly content either way with them sonically.

 

[iamoneagain]

I just got my stock pads and what do you know, I got them on myself. It took a few tries.

So as far the sound compared to the suede and thick. I’ve mentioned before but after bit of extended listening, the thick pads just don’t sound right, especially in the mids. Soundstage also has little weirdness to it as well.

The suede I’ve been using this whole time since Christmas weekend and have been very happy. It’s those euphoric mids that make the Caldera amazing. Nice airier highs and great bass. However the stock pads seem to have better bass. It’s tighter, punchier, and better textured. The overall warmth is actually about the same. The other nice thing is for the most part, the mids are unchanged. And that’s good thing. Vocals are crystal clear and not recessed. The highs are also relatively unchanged as well. Perhaps a hint less air, but the Verite Silver already gave me that extra hint of air, so still nice and airy.

Currently making my way thru some of the genres I tried the other day and so far liking everything even more than the suede. So I’d recommend just order with stock to get a feel of what that sounds like. And then if want it slightly brighter, suede or thin or want it warmer at the expense of the mids, the thick. Haven’t tried the cowhide but think I’m done with pads. Also believe I’m done with my headphone setup . Maybe revisit things in 12 years.

 

[David A Silva]

@iamoneagain , congrats on finding your "forever" headphones!

 

[aloki]

I know some pads had a red dot to distinguish right side. I wanted to swap pads and I have a set of cowhide thin pads that have a blue dot and what seems like a faded dot, maybe the red faded while I was handling them. @zach915m is the right pad exclusively red?

 

[goldwerger]

The suede I’ve been using this whole time since Christmas weekend and have been very happy. It’s those euphoric mids that make the Caldera amazing. Nice airier highs and great bass. However the stock pads seem to have better bass. It’s tighter, punchier, and better textured. The overall warmth is actually about the same. The other nice thing is for the most part, the mids are unchanged. And that’s good thing. Vocals are crystal clear and not recessed. The highs are also relatively unchanged as well. Perhaps a hint less air, but the Verite Silver already gave me that extra hint of air, so still nice and airy.

Currently making my way thru some of the genres I tried the other day and so far liking everything even more than the suede. So I’d recommend just order with stock to get a feel of what that sounds like. And then if want it slightly brighter, suede or thin or want it warmer at the expense of the mids, the thick. Haven’t tried the cowhide but think I’m done with pads. Also believe I’m done with my headphone setup . Maybe revisit things in 12 years.

Completely agree with your impressions..

 

[zach915m]

I know some pads had a red dot to distinguish right side. I wanted to swap pads and I have a set of cowhide thin pads that have a blue dot and what seems like a faded dot, maybe the red faded while I was handling them. @zach915m is the right pad exclusively red?

The dots can fade over time, blue dot likely means left. I'll let @BooUrns let me know if I'm wrong though.

Regardless of dot, seam faces down towards the jack with the thick part behind the ear.

 

[iamoneagain]

Completely agree with your impressions..

Just to add few more observations. I believe the soundstage is slightly closer with the stock vs suede. A little more intimate. The good thing is it’s not quite as close as the Expanse was. But as for as placement and layers, it’s all still there and very precise. Not loss in clarity that I can detect. Really made a perfect headphone somehow more perfect for my taste.

At some point I’ll probably be putting the thick pads up for sale since I can’t see myself ever using them again.

 

[goldwerger]

Just to add few more observations. I believe the soundstage is slightly closer with the stock vs suede. A little more intimate. The good thing is it’s not quite as close as the Expanse was. But as for as placement and layers, it’s all still there and very precise. Not loss in clarity that I can detect. Really made a perfect headphone somehow more perfect for my taste.

At some point I’ll probably be putting the thick pads up for sale since I can’t see myself ever using them again.

spot on... (had similar impressions: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf...gnetic-from-zmf.964836/page-192#post-17337651)

I ended with the stock Caldera pads, as they really strike a perfect balance for me. But for some genres I can see the alure of the suede (hey, this sounds like a movie title... "The Alure of the Suede"... )

 

[heliosphann]

Just to add few more observations. I believe the soundstage is slightly closer with the stock vs suede. A little more intimate. The good thing is it’s not quite as close as the Expanse was. But as for as placement and layers, it’s all still there and very precise. Not loss in clarity that I can detect. Really made a perfect headphone somehow more perfect for my taste.

At some point I’ll probably be putting the thick pads up for sale since I can’t see myself ever using them again.

Yep. Suede pads usually give you a little more air and space. It's not quite as pronounced on the Caldera suede pads, but it's there.

 

[iamoneagain]

spot on... (had similar impressions: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf...gnetic-from-zmf.964836/page-192#post-17337651)

I ended with the stock Caldera pads, as they really strike a perfect balance for me. But for some genres I can see the alure of the suede (hey, this sounds like a movie title... "The Alure of the Suede"... )

Even though I can now change the pads myself, I don’t see swapping back to the suede just for certain songs. I tend to just use one headphone and not fuss with it once I’m set.

Sometimes having too many choices can be overwhelming. I know I’ve seen some people be scared off by all the ZMF has to offer. I even mentioned when I had the Expanse, that I kind of liked that they only had the one set of pads so didn’t have to think about it. Not sure how I feel that they’re actually taped on. But I think with ZMF makes sense to just start stock and then if want, mess around with the options.

And so happy I took a chance on ZMF. Kind of wish I found them sooner but I was perfectly happy with my L3000 and then Utopia at the time, so only recently discovered them. I guess coming in right when the Caldera was introduced is not bad timing.

 

[robo24]

Even though I can now change the pads myself, I don’t see swapping back to the suede just for certain songs. I tend to just use one headphone and not fuss with it once I’m set.

Sometimes having too many choices can be overwhelming. I know I’ve seen some people be scared off by all the ZMF has to offer. I even mentioned when I had the Expanse, that I kind of liked that they only had the one set of pads so didn’t have to think about it. Not sure how I feel that they’re actually taped on. But I think with ZMF makes sense to just start stock and then if want, mess around with the options.

And so happy I took a chance on ZMF. Kind of wish I found them sooner but I was perfectly happy with my L3000 and then Utopia at the time, so only recently discovered them. I guess coming in right when the Caldera was introduced is not bad timing.

Even for someone like myself who only uses suedes, I've stuck with the suede version of the default/stock lambskin pad for nearly every model. I think in general the default pads are usually best for most. For the Caldera I've not felt a need to try to get something else by pad rolling, and there's only the one suede Caldera pad anyway. I did stick the suede BE-2 perforated on once for a few minutes but it was surprisingly good too.

 

[iamoneagain]

Even for someone like myself who only uses suedes, I've stuck with the suede version of the default/stock lambskin pad for nearly every model. I think in general the default pads are usually best for most. For the Caldera I've not felt a need to try to get something else by pad rolling, and there's only the one suede Caldera pad anyway. I did stick the suede BE-2 perforated on once for a few minutes but it was surprisingly good too.

If I didn’t hear the stock, I’d be perfectly happy with the suede. I think I found the difference between stock and suede more about soundstage than warmth. I’d say suede is better if someone’s looking to move a few rows back from the stage. So with that you loose a hint of bass and weight but gain more air and space. I tend to like being right in the front row, which the stock feels like. Think the Expanse actually puts you on stage, which was too close for me but did sound great with live acoustic guitar.

 

[Alenotta]

Even for someone like myself who only uses suedes, I've stuck with the suede version of the default/stock lambskin pad for nearly every model. I think in general the default pads are usually best for most. For the Caldera I've not felt a need to try to get something else by pad rolling, and there's only the one suede Caldera pad anyway. I did stick the suede BE-2 perforated on once for a few minutes but it was surprisingly good too.

Yeah I tried a ton of my Verité pads on it, but I didn't like any of them. So far I prefer the stock to the suede personally for the punch and tightness in the mid-bass. I have the cowhide and thick on order to test out.

 

[goldwerger]

I think in general the default pads are usually best for most.

That has been my personal experience as well across my ZMF headphones.