ZMF Caldera - New Planar Magnetic from ZMF!

[mattiastomas]

I've never purchased from a ZMF drop. The one I ordered in the drop was M204, Macassar Ebony. Since there are pictures of the headphones available in the drop, I assumed that they were already made and they would ship much sooner than the standard 10 weeks. Was that a bad assumption? The AI chat bot said to expect it to take up to 10 weeks. Are the pictures in the drop the actual headphones available for purchase or just a close representation?

For the drops the pictures are of the actual headphone.
While it’s been assembled it still has to go thru the ZMF QC process. All that is done by hand. So it joins the queue of headphones already in the QC process.
So depending how many other headphones they already have in the QC queue it could be sooner or later. Hence why there is a time frame given for delivery.

 

[bajaed]

Ok my CC is on its way…that was really fast. Less than 4 weeks.

I assume they notify by email when they ship?

 

[erics75]

I assume they notify by email when they ship?

Yes

 

[TheOnetoWin]

Hey guys! Another proud owner of a Caldera Open that just arrived today! I was going to take a photo, but I'm too lazy and the one I have is just the standard Oak finish (not as special as some of the other ones in this thread ). After applying the mantle mesh, I'm really in love with these cans. I'm actually surprised how wide and deep the soundstage is (at least with the thick lambskin pads, I'm experimenting between these and the regular lambskin). But these really are like a perfect marriage between a planar and dynamic driver.

I'll also say these headphones are much more comfortable on my head so far compared to the Auteur Classic. Idk why (maybe it's the thinner cups and pads?) but I feel like I can comfortably wear these for many hours before needing a rest as compared to the Auteur where after maybe 30 minutes I started getting a hotspot on the top of my head.

I'm excited to continue listening to these as the days continue.

 

[idairyou]

Hey guys! Another proud owner of a Caldera Open that just arrived today! I was going to take a photo, but I'm too lazy and the one I have is just the standard Oak finish (not as special as some of the other ones in this thread ). After applying the mantle mesh, I'm really in love with these cans. I'm actually surprised how wide and deep the soundstage is (at least with the thick lambskin pads, I'm experimenting between these and the regular lambskin). But these really are like a perfect marriage between a planar and dynamic driver.

I'll also say these headphones are much more comfortable on my head so far compared to the Auteur Classic. Idk why (maybe it's the thinner cups and pads?) but I feel like I can comfortably wear these for many hours before needing a rest as compared to the Auteur where after maybe 30 minutes I started getting a hotspot on the top of my head.

I'm excited to continue listening to these as the days continue.

Congrats.

There is no such thing as standard finish with a ZMF. They are all unique in terms of their wood pattern and you own a one of a kind. It's one of the things that made me a bit of a ZMF fanboy.

 

[Frankie D]

Hey guys! Another proud owner of a Caldera Open that just arrived today! I was going to take a photo, but I'm too lazy and the one I have is just the standard Oak finish (not as special as some of the other ones in this thread ). After applying the mantle mesh, I'm really in love with these cans. I'm actually surprised how wide and deep the soundstage is (at least with the thick lambskin pads, I'm experimenting between these and the regular lambskin). But these really are like a perfect marriage between a planar and dynamic driver.

I'll also say these headphones are much more comfortable on my head so far compared to the Auteur Classic. Idk why (maybe it's the thinner cups and pads?) but I feel like I can comfortably wear these for many hours before needing a rest as compared to the Auteur where after maybe 30 minutes I started getting a hotspot on the top of my head.

I'm excited to continue listening to these as the days continue.

Congratulations. Send a pic, would love to see it.

 

[Lanvin]

Does top perf only pads perform well on the caldera opens?

 

[GarlicBiscuit]

Does top perf only pads perform well on the caldera opens?

I have the thick top perf pads with me, and that thought did cross my mind recently. I imagine the Caldera Opens were specifically designed with their pads in mind, where them being solid only on the inside helps with bass extension. The top perfs would probably make the Opens sound too bassy and closed in, similar to what I've heard happens when you put top/side perf pads on the Atrium Open (which normally uses fully perforated pads).

 

[TheOnetoWin]

I have to say after around a full day of listening to these, ZMF really struck the perfect fusion between having the best qualities of a planar and dynamic driver headphone combined into one. What really shocks me is the resolution of these cans for the price. Everything just seems so large, almost like a hifiman, but also clear, and impactful at the same time. Mind you, I'm a hip-hop head, so maybe that plays a part in this, but it's really interesting and neat to experience on so many tracks.