[betula]

My custom Caldera is finally on its way, arriving next week. Will be interesting to compare a brand-new unit with slightly harder wood to an older coffee oak pair.

 

[betula]

I had a nice 5-day in-home demo with the Caldera. I’ve really wanted to hear them since they were announced. As a long-time lover of ZMF dynamics that has been converted to planar by the Meze Elite, I suspected the Caldera would be right up my alley. Let’s just say I wasn’t wrong.

The Caldera is officially my favorite ZMF to date. By that I mean if I had to choose only one ZMF to own as my one-and-only, do-it-all headphone, and no other brands were even considered, it would be the Caldera. Things get complicated in reality, a reality in which I already own and love a Meze Elite and OG Auteur. In the end, the Caldera wasn’t enough of a departure from the sound of my Elite to consider purchasing.

I felt the Elite and Caldera were on the same level in technicalities with many of the same strengths. They are both as technically proficient as I feel I would ever need a headphone to be. They are also both highly musical and engaging without ever causing any listening fatigue. If I had to try to describe the overall differences, the Elite sounded a bit more spacious and airy while the Caldera had a slightly “meatier” or denser sound to it. Both of them have great bass extension and treble that is detailed but not over the top or sharp in any way. I’d describe both as very natural and pleasant to listen to while also detailed enough to use for critical listening if the mood strikes. Overall, nothing sounded out of place in either of their tunings. They both just sound “right”.

I still find the Elite to be the most comfortable high-end headphone I’ve ever tried. The Caldera with the new BBB strap is very comfortable in its own right, but the Elite wins in the comfort department.

I compared both headphones using the same setup: Zen Stream>Yggy A2>Mjolnir 3 (low gain, push pull, no feedback)>XLR ZMF cable (2K Copper for Caldera and Verite Silver for Elite). After briefly auditioning the Caldera Thick pads, I went back to the stock Caldera pads. I used my preferred Angled Alcantara pads on the Elite.

Zach has once again created a wonderful new headphone. I wholeheartedly recommend it to any ZMF dynamic fans wanting to try a planar. If I didn’t already have the Elite, the Caldera would be at the top of my list.

You are right with your observations. I would add, that in the first 1-2 days I also preferred the Elite. I was just so used to the sound. It took me pretty much 2-3 weeks to really start to appreciate the Caldera. So much, that I swapped boats in the end. I like the Elite's spacious and smooth, easy-listening sound, but ultimately prefer the organic physicality, separation, weight and body of the ZMF planar. Elite can sound too 'light' and soft in comparison. I also find bass more satisfying on the Caldera. You can't go wrong with either headphones though, it is a matter of preference. Zach also loves the Elite.

 

[ThanatosVI]

You are right with your observations. I would add, that in the first 1-2 days I also preferred the Elite. I was just so used to the sound. It took me pretty much 2-3 weeks to really start to appreciate the Caldera. So much, that I swapped boats in the end. I like the Elite's spacious and smooth, easy-listening sound, but ultimately prefer the organic physicality, separation, weight and body of the ZMF planar. Elite can sound too 'light' and soft in comparison. I also find bass more satisfying on the Caldera. You can't go wrong with either headphones though, it is a matter of preference. Zach also loves the Elite.

I prefer the Elite, but I immediately liked what I heard with the Caldera.

Can't go wrong with either.

 

[jinxy245]

This hobby is all about preferences and synergy I think, you could easily build a kick-ask system with either headphone.

 

[betula]

This hobby is all about preferences and synergy I think, you could easily build a kick-ask system with either headphone.

Exactly. I love them both, just can't afford both.

 

[IvanE92]

Received my Caldera today. Wow. Wow. Wow.

So happy I decided on this headphone. Couldn’t recommend it enough - does everything so well and suites my tastes just right, striking that right balance between musicality and technicality.

So hard to take them off. Makes me now want to rehear every song in my collection. And this is on a Cayin C9 amp + Mojo2 DAC. Going to start saving now for a proper desktop setup!

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I had a nice 5-day in-home demo with the Caldera. I’ve really wanted to hear them since they were announced. As a long-time lover of ZMF dynamics that has been converted to planar by the Meze Elite, I suspected the Caldera would be right up my alley. Let’s just say I wasn’t wrong.

The Caldera is officially my favorite ZMF to date. By that I mean if I had to choose only one ZMF to own as my one-and-only, do-it-all headphone, and no other brands were even considered, it would be the Caldera. Things get complicated in reality, a reality in which I already own and love a Meze Elite and OG Auteur. In the end, the Caldera wasn’t enough of a departure from the sound of my Elite to consider purchasing.

I felt the Elite and Caldera were on the same level in technicalities with many of the same strengths. They are both as technically proficient as I feel I would ever need a headphone to be. They are also both highly musical and engaging without ever causing any listening fatigue. If I had to try to describe the overall differences, the Elite sounded a bit more spacious and airy while the Caldera had a slightly “meatier” or denser sound to it. Both of them have great bass extension and treble that is detailed but not over the top or sharp in any way. I’d describe both as very natural and pleasant to listen to while also detailed enough to use for critical listening if the mood strikes. Overall, nothing sounded out of place in either of their tunings. They both just sound “right”.

I still find the Elite to be the most comfortable high-end headphone I’ve ever tried. The Caldera with the new BBB strap is very comfortable in its own right, but the Elite wins in the comfort department.

I compared both headphones using the same setup: Zen Stream>Yggy A2>Mjolnir 3 (low gain, push pull, no feedback)>XLR ZMF cable (2K Copper for Caldera and Verite Silver for Elite). After briefly auditioning the Caldera Thick pads, I went back to the stock Caldera pads. I used my preferred Angled Alcantara pads on the Elite.

Zach has once again created a wonderful new headphone. I wholeheartedly recommend it to any ZMF dynamic fans wanting to try a planar. If I didn’t already have the Elite, the Caldera would be at the top of my list.

Somehow we have same preference about matching cable for Caldera and Elite. Full Copper for Caldera and hybrid Silver/Copper for Elite.

Both headphones definitely very easy to enjoy, allrounder, focus on musicality and emotions. However, I think Caldera need a little more effort to find the match pairing. It doesn't need a "specialist" set up like Susvara or Ab1266 indeed, but it's just that Elite a bit easier to be paired with various rigs. As a positive note, it also means Caldera is more transparent/sensitive in term of "translate" the sound quality of a set up.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I purposely chose not to try the Caldera with any of my other amps while I had it on loan. I assumed, maybe naively, that the Mjolnir 3 was going to be the best amp I had for the Caldera since it was my clear favorite with the Elite. I’ve since heard several other MJ3 owners really liking the pairing with the Caldera.

Not too sure if it’s just my particular chain of Yggy A2>MJ3, but it seems to make both the Caldera and Elite sound equally phenomenal. I get the feeling the Caldera might be a little more particular about downstream equipment, but I can strongly recommend my setup for either of these headphones.

 

[JGreen08]

Received my Caldera today. Wow. Wow. Wow.

So happy I decided on this headphone. Couldn’t recommend it enough - does everything so well and suites my tastes just right, striking that right balance between musicality and technicality.

So hard to take them off. Makes me now want to rehear every song in my collection. And this is on a Cayin C9 amp + Mojo2 DAC. Going to start saving now for a proper desktop setup!

How would you compare them to the Focal Clear? I haven’t heard any of the headphones in the Caldera’s class, but I’m curious if it’s worth it down the line.

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

How would you compare them to the Focal Clear? I haven’t heard any of the headphones in the Caldera’s class, but I’m curious if it’s worth it down the line.

I'm not the person you asked but I hope you won't mind me offering a partial answer. I owned the Clear until last year. I auditioned a Caldera recently for 5 days in my system. I'd say the upgrade is well worth it, but personal preferences do matter a great deal, of course.

The following is not based on a direct comparison, and is subject to poor memory, so please don't rely on my comparative impressions.

The Clear...

• has snappier transient attacks - in other words, the leading edges of notes sound cleaner and faster and more incisive, which can come across as a bit more exciting and aggressive (although the attacks can be softened and rounded slightly with certain tube amps)
• has more slam
• has more macrodynamic strength
• has more pin-point specific imaging
• has more treble extension, but also a bit more of a crystalline hardness to the treble

The Caldera...

• has a richer, weightier sound
• has a more liquid or wet quality to its sound (the Clear has a drier tonality)
• has more rounded transient attacks; they're still incisive enough, though
• has more pleasing decay, which lingers for longer and, with the slightly warm tuning, makes for a more engaging, mellifluous sound
• has stronger, richer bass (it's one of the best bass presentations I've heard)
  • from memory, and without direct comparison, I can't say which has more mid-bass punch or sub-bass depth and rumble, but I'd say the Caldera goes deeper and is punchier, with the right source
• has richer, more forward mids
  • the mids really are the star of the show with the Caldera
• has a more natural timbre; some find the Clear slightly metallic
• has a smoother treble, although it rolls off a bit more than the Clear, I think (again, would need to A/B them to be sure)
• offers a larger soundstage
• is much more resolving

The Caldera is also made from better materials: the headband doesn't creak, the pads don't discolor, and the driver has a lifetime warranty when purchased new. I hope this helps.

 

[DavidSerig]

I purposely chose not to try the Caldera with any of my other amps while I had it on loan. I assumed, maybe naively, that the Mjolnir 3 was going to be the best amp I had for the Caldera since it was my clear favorite with the Elite. I’ve since heard several other MJ3 owners really liking the pairing with the Caldera.

Not too sure if it’s just my particular chain of Yggy A2>MJ3, but it seems to make both the Caldera and Elite sound equally phenomenal. I get the feeling the Caldera might be a little more particular about downstream equipment, but I can strongly recommend my setup for either of these headphones.

Does not surprise me. The m3 isn't considered a tubey amplifier but nevertheless with Auteur it's a great match that really allows Auteur to show it's stuff.

 

[Pharmaboy]

How would you compare them to the Focal Clear? I haven’t heard any of the headphones in the Caldera’s class, but I’m curious if it’s worth it down the line.

I'm hardly an expert on the Clear or any other Focal headphones, but I've heard them a few times. I own a Caldera and am quite familiar with it.

You really couldn't name two more different headphones than the Clear and the Caldera. To my ears they sound completely different (as @Tchoupitoulas laid out so well in the post above). But there are several other, meta differences that matter almost as much as the sonic ones:

• Dynamic vs planar driver: In my experience there are fundamental differences in how headphones of each driver type sound and behave in real world systems. I happen to love planar sound. My appreciation of it began with ZMFs own Ori, still one of my favorite heardphones, and since then I owned a half dozen other quality planars besides the three I currently have (Ori, Caldera, Final D8000). Planars typically ask a little more of the amplifier, but they usually repay the favor with deep, impactful bass, strong dynamics, and that wonderful notes-arising-from-blackness sensation of low distortion planar drivers.
• High-end industrial design vs handmade "heirloom" design: Focal is a great example of a company that has their design aesthetic completely nailed down and perfected. I'm not personally a fan of the look, but all the Focals have that perfected, modern, high-end look; all are put together extremely well. ZMF does headphone design very differently: all ZMF headphones are handmade, heirloom designs featuring the best species of wood and types of wood finishes on the earcups. Each new ZMF design is a different expression of a fine woodwork + audio aesthetic, reminiscent of guitar- and musical instrument-making
• Wood vs no wood: Focal doesn't use wood for their earcups, while ZMF does. This definitely adds to the different sound of each company's headphones

A more suitable Focal comparator to the Caldera might be the Utopia, going by what I've read (never heard one). Either way, IMO the Caldera is a big step up in class from the Clear: an endgame model vs a solid middle-of-the-pack model.

 

[iamoneagain]

I'm not the person you asked but I hope you won't mind me offering a partial answer. I owned the Clear until last year. I auditioned a Caldera recently for 5 days in my system. I'd say the upgrade is well worth it, but personal preferences do matter a great deal, of course.

The following is not based on a direct comparison, and is subject to poor memory, so please don't rely on my comparative impressions.

The Clear...

• has snappier transient attacks - in other words, the leading edges of notes sound cleaner and faster and more incisive, which can come across as a bit more exciting and aggressive (although the attacks can be softened and rounded slightly with certain tube amps)
• has more slam
• has more macrodynamic strength
• has more pin-point specific imaging
• has more treble extension, but also a bit more of a crystalline hardness to the treble

The Caldera...

• has a richer, weightier sound
• has a more liquid or wet quality to its sound (the Clear has a drier tonality)
• has more rounded transient attacks; they're still incisive enough, though
• has more pleasing decay, which lingers for longer and, with the slightly warm tuning, makes for a more engaging, mellifluous sound
• has stronger, richer bass (it's one of the best bass presentations I've heard)
  • from memory, and without direct comparison, I can't say which has more mid-bass punch or sub-bass depth and rumble, but I'd say the Caldera goes deeper and is punchier, with the right source
• has richer, more forward mids
  • the mids really are the star of the show with the Caldera
• has a more natural timbre; some find the Clear slightly metallic
• has a smoother treble, although it rolls off a bit more than the Clear, I think (again, would need to A/B them to be sure)
• offers a larger soundstage
• is much more resolving

The Caldera is also made from better materials: the headband doesn't creak, the pads don't discolor, and the driver has a lifetime warranty when purchased new. I hope this helps.

This description of the Clear vs the Caldera is pretty similar of how I’d describe the Utopia against the Caldera. I didn’t find the Utopia to sound metallic but some have claimed that. For me it really comes down to the Caldera being more organic sounding and slightly warmer with maybe what you’d call bass bloom. The Utopia does hit a little harder, has a snappier sound and is little more aggressive. But the Caldera can keep right up there and is still a very exciting headphone. Because it’s slightly warmer I think it loses a little bit in pin point imaging. But adding the Verite Silver cable brings the sound closer to Utopia with more clarity, harder leading edges and almost pin point imaging. This comes at a very slight loss to the bass bloom but think it ends up being a tighter more controlled bass.

I prefer the Caldera for the organic sound and looks. After 11 months, there hasn’t been a moment where I wish I still owned the Utopia for any particular track or song. When I owned the Expanse, this started to happen around the second month in and then realized I preferred the Utopia overall. And at CanJam I finally got to hear the Utopia and Caldera on same setup and swapped back and forth a few times, along with Elite. The Utopia did bring a smile to my face reminding me why I liked it so much but the lack of warmth compared to Caldera showed me why the Caldera is my current favorite. In the brief listen, the Elite just didn’t measure up for me because it lacked weight in comparison. It wasn’t getting my foot tapping. If I could afford more than one headphone it would probably be a good complimentary headphone. The Utopia and Caldera have too much overlap so wouldn’t see the point of owning both.

 

[OnlySoMany]

This description of the Clear vs the Caldera is pretty similar of how I’d describe the Utopia against the Caldera. I didn’t find the Utopia to sound metallic but some have claimed that. For me it really comes down to the Caldera being more organic sounding and slightly warmer with maybe what you’d call bass bloom. The Utopia does hit a little harder, has a snappier sound and is little more aggressive. But the Caldera can keep right up there and is still a very exciting headphone. Because it’s slightly warmer I think it loses a little bit in pin point imaging. But adding the Verite Silver cable brings the sound closer to Utopia with more clarity, harder leading edges and almost pin point imaging. This comes at a very slight loss to the bass bloom but think it ends up being a tighter more controlled bass.

I prefer the Caldera for the organic sound and looks. After 11 months, there hasn’t been a moment where I wish I still owned the Utopia for any particular track or song. When I owned the Expanse, this started to happen around the second month in and then realized I preferred the Utopia overall. And at CanJam I finally got to hear the Utopia and Caldera on same setup and swapped back and forth a few times, along with Elite. The Utopia did bring a smile to my face reminding me why I liked it so much but the lack of warmth compared to Caldera showed me why the Caldera is my current favorite. In the brief listen, the Elite just didn’t measure up for me because it lacked weight in comparison. It wasn’t getting my foot tapping. If I could afford more than one headphone it would probably be a good complimentary headphone. The Utopia and Caldera have too much overlap so wouldn’t see the point of owning both.

I 1000% agree with everything said here, with the exception of the last sentence. Own both! YOLO

 

[goldwerger]

How would you compare them to the Focal Clear? I haven’t heard any of the headphones in the Caldera’s class, but I’m curious if it’s worth it down the line.

A lot of great info was offered to you above, so not need repeating.

I'll just echo the sentiment - it will be a massive upgrade and a real joy if you ever get to experience the Caldera.