[lauthoerer]

The pad naming does confuse me… between Caldera and Bokeh With thickness and hybrids…

 

[lauthoerer]

CC demo is in the house!



This is my first time seeing the Caldera Closed in person, and they are drop dead gorgeous. I love the look of the cup shape and the feel in hand. These headphones definitely look like a flagship ZMF no doubt.

That wood grain has been a hit and miss for me in the pics that I’ve seen so far, but these are definitely a winner! Really wouldn’t mind getting that exact pair

 

[zach915m]

Now, I got to get me some of those Hybrids. Curious, are the same as the Bokeh Hybrids?

The pad naming does confuse me… between Caldera and Bokeh With thickness and hybrids…

The Hybrid pads will be installed as stock.

In order to quell the confusion which I understand and is totally our fault for naming the Bokeh pads what they are, all Bokeh and Caldera pads going forward will be named "Caldera Pads" and then will be denoted based on the Thickness, material, and perforation style.

Then we will have charts for each headphone which of each are recommended and also not compatible for tuning purposes.

So the Bokeh pad will in turn be listed as -

Caldera Thin Pads, Hybrid, top perforated (recommended for Bokeh)

And for example Full perf would be -

Caldera Stock Thickness, Lambskin, full perforated (recommended for all ZMF open backs)

Hope that makes sense and sorry sorry sorry for the confusion.

 

[lauthoerer]

no sweat!

 

[erics75]

The Hybrid pads will be installed as stock.

In order to quell the confusion which I understand and is totally our fault for naming the Bokeh pads what they are, all Bokeh and Caldera pads going forward will be named "Caldera Pads" and then will be denoted based on the Thickness, material, and perforation style.

Then we will have charts for each headphone which of each are recommended and also not compatible for tuning purposes.

So the Bokeh pad will in turn be listed as -

Caldera Thin Pads, Hybrid, top perforated (recommended for Bokeh)

And for example Full perf would be -

Caldera Stock Thickness, Lambskin, full perforated (recommended for all ZMF open backs)

Hope that makes sense and sorry sorry sorry for the confusion.

 

[ttys0]

"The naming of Pads is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a Pad must have three different names."

 

[Monsterzero]

The Hybrid pads will be installed as stock.

In order to quell the confusion which I understand and is totally our fault for naming the Bokeh pads what they are, all Bokeh and Caldera pads going forward will be named "Caldera Pads" and then will be denoted based on the Thickness, material, and perforation style.

Then we will have charts for each headphone which of each are recommended and also not compatible for tuning purposes.

So the Bokeh pad will in turn be listed as -

Caldera Thin Pads, Hybrid, top perforated (recommended for Bokeh)

And for example Full perf would be -

Caldera Stock Thickness, Lambskin, full perforated (recommended for all ZMF open backs)

Hope that makes sense and sorry sorry sorry for the confusion.

All I can say is thank goodness I'm on @heliosphann good side!
Lord have mercy.

 

[LXMc]

Lord have mercy.

I wonder if the upcoming ZMF custom shop will extend to pad configurations...

 

[AudioDuck]

I wonder if the upcoming ZMF custom shop will extend to pad configurations...

Now you’re just begging for Zach and team to have a meltdown… don’t push our luck!

 

[eTHE2]

Honestly, with all the variations, filters and models, its a bit overwhelming now, Reminds me of tube rolling.

 

[PierPP]

Regarding pads... one thing that would be extremely handy (and almost a game changer for me) would be a small label on each pad, with the "model name." I have many of them and every time I have to be very careful not to mix them up

... in the meantime, I have equipped myself with paper tape

 

[SLC1966]

Regarding pads... one thing that would be extremely handy (and almost a game changer for me) would be a small label on each pad, with the "model name." I have many of them and every time I have to be very careful not to mix them up

... in the meantime, I have equipped myself with paper tape

Agree, I keep each set up pads in a different Ziplock bag with a label. I have made the mistake in the past of taking two pairs of pads out at the same time and then could not remember which labeled ziplock they came from.

 

[vsg28]

Honestly, with all the variations, filters and models, its a bit overwhelming now, Reminds me of tube rolling.

If you go by basic rules of thumb when it comes to pad type, it isn't that hard:

1) The more perforated the pad, the more air going in and out, the less seal you get. This can affect bass (body and impact) and upper mids (that ethereal/spacial feeling) and can generally be seen in FR measurements.

2) Protein leather seals more relative to good lambskin (more breathable) and suede in that order. Protein leather pads can have a snappier response, especially in the bass, but can then cut down spaciousness elsewhere. Hybrid pads are a good balance of everything as a result and a safe "stock" pad.

3) There are three recommended pads for the Caldera Closed. The Caldera open pads are more perforated and I didn't like them with the Caldera Closed as it was far too diffused. I think ZMF did the right thing in having only top perforated pads for this model.

Speaking on the protein leather pads, some photos as promised before:

The Caldera Closed comes off slightly V-shaped to my ears so these pads can help push the bass even deeper. Personally I am not a fan as the planar driver is fast enough as it is and this makes drums feel less natural compared to the other two. So far I am leaning towards the deep lambskin pads to get more of the upper mids I prefer with my music library (acoustic jazz, orchestral).

 

[zach915m]

The Caldera Closed comes off slightly V-shaped to my ears so these pads can help push the bass even deeper. Personally I am not a fan as the planar driver is fast enough as it is and this makes drums feel less natural compared to the other two. So far I am leaning towards the deep lambskin pads to get more of the upper mids I prefer with my music library (acoustic jazz, orchestral).

Protein are for the adrenaline junkies.

 

[vsg28]

Protein are for the adrenaline junkies.

Definitely going to use "Protein pads are for the adrenaline junkies" in my review now btw