ZMF Caldera Closed Review

@zach915m You might have to tell me. I'm not sure which pads are which

 

One pad should be leather and suede hybrid, another one full protein and then the other all lambskin. Is that the case?

They also should have been in labeled pad bags. Happy to send more bags out to help if needed as well.

 

I think so. Only one bag though. The ones in the bag seem like protein and the bag is marked protein.

The pair on the headphones are the thicker so I assume those are the leather hybrid and the thinner ones are the lambskin.

 

I had these just before @roshambo123 and I just left on the pads that were already on, and didn't see any extra bags.

First off, I would really like to thank SBAF and @zach915m for the chance to hear a $3500 headphone for an extended period of time, at home in my own setup. It’s legitimately amazing to have that opportunity, and likely something I would not have done on my own - I heard the CC at Canjam SoCal and loved it there, but I seriously doubted it would be usable in my own tubey setup at home and wouldn’t throw $3k+ around for the sake of trying.

Second, I feel pretty lame posting my impressions coming on the heels of @theveterans exceptionally thoughtful and detailed notes and comparisons. Personally, I struggle to put what I hear into writing, so my impressions tend to be much more qualitative and I get that some people may not find that quite helpful. I’m relatively new to the hobby and still working to be more detailed and quantitative in my notes.

At first, I was right about the synergy with my all-tube setup. All below notes were using the Abbas U1 tube dac, and all amps were tubed. I tried it on the Glenn OTL (a muffled, blobby mess that felt overly dampened, like thick smoke between me and the music… sometimes details would peek through the smoke beautifully but overall it just didn’t work. On the Cayin HA-300b it was good, but nothing special, no unique synergy to my ears. I made a note to return to the Cayin, but got waylaid by the Stratus.

I first tried it on the Stratus v3 using a 2k balanced cable and while it was the best amp so far, it still left me wanting more. Towards the end of my too-limited time with them, I swapped the cable for the unbalanced 6.3mm stock cable, now via the Low Z output on the Stratus, and the synergy really kicked in. I was and still am surprised by how big a difference there was between the balanced connection and the unbalanced low-z output. Once I had that connection locked in, it was hard for me to stop listening.

In the earlier combinations, the CC felt limited to me. First, the overall positives regardless of amp - for a closed back, it had a very spacious feeling. It never felt closed-in like other closed backs, but the stage was more flat and vertical and while I was amazed by the ability to simulate a wide stage within the cups, when I would switch over the Atrium Opens, the difference was clear (not really a knock on the closed back CC, but it was interesting to me how it could seem so wide open while listening to it, but when I moved to a true open back, the simulation fell apart). CC feels like it is blowing things out to create the impression of a vast stage, when in reality it’s not that vast. But by creating that impression, things feel more spread out and less intimate. In my notes, I wrote that it reminded me of the Auteur OG but splayed out in a way that loses the immediate intimacy The CC had a wide, flat wall of sound - not as high or as deep as the AO.

I am not really a fan of planars in general. I get the metallic tinge, lack of decay and thin edges of notes. It’s not a judgment, it’s just that I prefer dynamics (and electrostats, for that matter) so I guess the biggest compliment that I can give the CC is that it very much does not sound like a planar to me. I’ve heard the Susvara in show conditions and just didn’t find them enjoyable, for me. The CC had a very natural tone, lots of microdynamics but fell behind the AO in terms stage and macrodynamics, for me.

So back to the magic combo of the CC and low-Z SE input on the Stratus, all my comments below reflect that, and comparisons to the AO were on the balanced jack. The AO was more open and expansive, more macrodynamics, and a heavier emphasis on upper bass vs sub-bass. AO had more treble energy, which was strange to me as I am particularly treble sensitive and love the AO because it’s so measured in the treble. The CC (on this setup) was richer and darker, with less treble. Really was a unique combination to me, that I haven’t been able to capture before. I found myself getting totally lost in songs I’ve heard hundreds of times before.

The CC felt darker, more sub-bass and it was just a little bloomy, but in a very pleasant, enveloping way. It felt more congested to me, that wall or blanket of sound, but the plankton was exceptional so I’d still get this wonderful level of detail even within the darker enveloping sound. Not a high stage, but a wide one. With certain songs, I’d get this heavy, holographic reverberation experience within the cups (particularly evident on Weeping Song by Nell Smith & The Flaming Lips). I chase holography and this combo was probably the best I’d ever heard on my setup. Male vocals (Neil Young, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen) shone through the darkness.

One of my favorite tests of any gear is Mercy, Mercy, Mercy by Cannonball Adderley. The degree to which I can hear into the crowd conversation, the hoots and hollers, the spacing, tells me a lot about a headphone. The CC’s stage shape portrayed that club-like setting perfectly - one of my favorite songs, replicated better than I’ve ever heard on any other headphone. The openness of the Atrium doesn’t stage this setting as accurately as the CCs do. I feel like I can hear the cigarette smoke in the room and the coughs in the corner. The bass felt more real, like the reverberations I’d get in a low-ceilinged club. The CC felt like a VR simulation of that night in that place. Or so I imagine, to be clear. That bass heft was also evident in the Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye. Clean phat bass.

I loved the experience of listening to these, and I genuinely miss them. I’m not sure how likely I am to ever own a pair, but the experience of listening to them has stuck with me a lot in the 5 days since I heard them, and I hope that I can have a pair some day. I keep emphasizing that my experience is fairly unique to me (a planar on a double dose of tubes) but the CC were rich and thick, but allowed exceptional levels of detail to shine through. A heft to the notes that sometimes got bloomy but enjoyably so. I started out liking these for the detail they offered, then disliking them on most of my gear to finally loving the living hell out of them on the 'right' setup which just emphasized how big a role synergy plays at this level.

 

USB > DANTE > AES > Yggrasil A1/GS > Pietus Maximus > Caldera Closed (XLR)
USB > DANTE > AES > Yggrasil A1/GS > Piety > Caldera Closed (1/4")

This review was based on the loaner. Thank you @zach915m

TL;DR, Caldera closed has the traditional ZMF house sound with low fatigue, superb bass that reaches low but doesn't overwhelm, and excellent cohesion that is held together by the plastic-free timbre that doesn't sound like a traditional planar. It ranks with Susvara and LCD-4.

Enough has been said already so I'll just give my notes.

- very low fatigue
- dark tilt, warm
- work great for rock. Electric guitars are smooth as glass
- work great for techno. Bass = party mode /enable
- Genremaster, sounds pretty solid on everything I tried.
- character is laidback at first even felt somewhat slow motion
- cohesion is great, bass needs seal. wearing glasses causes bass to disappear
- stage is quite wide for closed backs
- timbre is really good for planar, no plastic/artificiality
- Forgot for a moment they were planar
- engagement factor makes you want to keep them on
- comfort is just at the limit of what I can handle in terms of weight
- Very easy listen on MJ3
- Piety works nicely and adds some extra zest over MJ3, which has better bass extension and quality
- Pietus also works, prefer Piety>Pietus here tho for moar lively. MJ3 is my top choice though
- dimensionality isn't holographic, but for closed backs it's great
- HD6XX is more lively in mids to me than Caldera Closed
- outrageous amount of detail on MJ3 I haven't heard in middle and low frequencies
- at the same time they aren't dry while having so much detail. It's a bit magical
- I do not want to send these loaners on. At all lol.

 

Thanks for the opportunity to try these lovely headphones.

Did all my listening with the Hybrid pads on. Found the all leather ones to veil the sound too much compared to the hybrid pads.

The Caldera is a warm-neutral headphone that seems to play well with every type of music I threw at it. It doesn't really sound like a planar headphone also not exactly like a dynamic headphone. It kinda floats in a space between the two. Not as natural as a dynamic but not as aggressive and forward as a planar. The comfort is top-notch and I could wear them all day with no fatigue. The system Zack installed to help with the top end sibilant works wonderfully. Though I felt on some songs it cut a little too much off. The bass is fantastic and the most planar like sounding the headphones become. The headphones are kind of a jack of all trades. Completely unoffensive wonderfully detailed and precise in instrument placement in its above average sound stage.

I can't say I was ever truly wowed when listening to them but I was never disappointed to put them back on. They take quite a bit of power to run properly but they worked well on my Master-9, Mainline, and TorBalanced. I enjoyed the CC most on the tube amps I have. It really helped open up the sound stage and lift a little bit of the veil I was still hearing with the hybrid pads on the CC.

I was also able to power them properly on my ifi Gryphon xDSD. I don't know that I would personally use them as portable headphone just due to the price but some might want to. So I figured I would test it. They weren't quite as reveling on the portable but still quite enjoyable. The over all sound was darker but that could just be how the Gryphon sounds. Haven't had a chance to really test that out yet.

If you are looking for a top of the line closed back headphone that will work with all music, doesn't offend in any way, and has fantastic comfort I would stop your search here. Also, If you are looking at figuring out what to change in your system the CC would work wonderfully in that situation. They are very reveling and true to there tuning.

Would I buy a pair?
Honestly? No. They are wonder and balanced but they are too "safe" sounding for what I'm looking for in headphones. Which I completely understand is something very desirable for some in the high end headphone world. I started there in my high end journey but ended up liking the headphones that have a little wonky-ness in there sound. Personally I would buy the Bokeh over these. Which is probably nuts to some but preferences can be weird.

P.S. The CC sound terrible on the Crack and the Crackatwoa. Which I expected since those amps are meant to be used with 200ohm and higher headphones.

 

Loaner impressions

Big thanks to Zach for the loaner and to the gear masters for organizing it.

Gear used: Soekris 2541, Studio B, Mjolnir 3.
Headphone for comparison: ZMF Atrium

Atrium fed from my Studio B. Caldera Closed mostly from the Mjolnir 3.

I was pretty excited going into this loaner. After the Caldera Open loaner, I was pretty hyped to hear what the closed back could do, especially considering I am in the market for a new closed back headphone.

Not Sound Stuff:

Comfort and build quality is the typical ZMF we all know. Comfort is good, if a little on the heavier side, but evenly spread out. The small changes that have been made to the suspension strap and headband over the years has culminated in a very comfortable headphone, despite the extra weight it has over the mostly plastic competition. Build quality and looks are unmatched in the industry.

Sound Stuff:

Maybe I went in with too high of expectations, but while I did enjoy the Caldera Closed, it is lower down in the ZMF hierarchy for me. While that might sound bad, I don’t think Zach has ever made a headphone I disliked. I’d 100% buy a CC over 98% of the other planar headphones on the market.

I feel I must also stress that I typically do NOT care for planar headphones. I have tried dozens over the years, from budget to kilobuck and in all that time I enjoyed exactly 3 of them. The ZMF Blackwood and Ori from Zach’s t50rp modding days, and the Caldera Open. Note that all three are ZMFs.

Atrium comparison:

The CC excelled in complex passages, though the Atrium wasn’t far behind. I felt that the CC was a little stuffy in back to back comparison, having a negative impact on staging. A little unfair considering the Atrium is an open headphone, but it was there nonetheless. I’d say the CC openness, staging, etc was decent for a closed back. Small nuances in the music, dynamic swings, etc, were all more prominent on the Atrium. This is something I think dynamic headphones do very well, and I put a very high priority on it (probably why I don’t get along with most planars). Notes lingered a little longer on the Atrium, whether this is due to wood reverb or something else, I’m not sure. This could even be a negative for some, but for me, I love it. It’s a quality the Atrium shares with the OG Auteur, which is one of my favorite headphones.

For pads, I preferred the stiffer/thicker non-hybrid pads. I think they were the lambskin (felt a lot like my own ZMF lambskin pads). The flatter protein pads were a bit too muffled for my taste. The hybrid was decent, but I preferred the bass with the lambskin, not as soft hitting, better defined.

If I were in the market for another open headphone, I’d have already happily bought a Caldera Open. The closed version just didn’t mesh with my preferences as much as I had hoped. If you’re a big fan of planars though, definitely give this one a listen as it is still one of the best.

 

I had a great week with the Caldera Closed loaner. I’m incredibly appreciative to have gotten the chance to try these out at home. Thanks @zach915m @ChaChaRealSmooth and SBAF for the privilege!

I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to headphones these days, so it was going to take a lot to convince me a $3500 closed-back was worth considering. My three headphones in rotation are a Meze Elite, Atrium Closed and OG Auteur.

My chain is iFi Zen Stream (USB out)>Yggdrasil A2 (SE out)>ZMF Aegis. I’ve got some nice tubes rolled in the Aegis at present and didn’t change anything while the CC was here. For those that care, I used my ZMF 2K Copper cable the whole time.

I spent the first couple days only listening to the CC without doing any A/B comparisons with my other headphones. I just wanted to get a feel for the CC in isolation. They had the Caldera Thick Lambskin (Top Perforation) pads installed when I got them. I used those for a few hours, but decided it made more sense to switch to the stock Caldera Hybrid (Top Perforation) pads to get a baseline assessment of the sound.

First and foremost, they sound like a ZMF. In my book, that’s a good thing. I’ve owned close to 10 different ZMF’s over the years, and I tend to get along with the tunings of Zach’s creations. The CC was no different.

To me, these have a warm and mellow vibe. They are highly-resolving at the same time, which is an impressive feat. The thick lambskin pads were warmer than the stock hybrids, and for me were a bit too warm. I ended up preferring the hybrids overall and kept them on for most of my time with the headphones. I briefly tried the thinner Bokeh Protein pads, but didn’t really like those at all.

The CC seemed to be a great match with my DAC/amp. To be fair though, I haven’t found any headphones that don’t sound at least very good with the Yggdrasil/Aegis combo when you factor in the extensive tube-rolling possibilities of the amp. I used the SE-out of the Aegis using the lowest output impedance setting, which I believe is 5 ohms. These required a bit more power than my other headphones to get to the same volume, but in general I don’t think they’re particularly hard to drive.

After getting a feel for the CC, I tried to do some comparisons with my Elite and Atrium Closed. I didn’t go about this scientificly or anything, but I tried to adjust to a similar volume-level and used the same handful of tracks while going back and forth.

I expected the CC to have more bass-quantity than the Elite, but if they did, it was only by a small amount. Both headphones have great, articulate bass that extends all the way down. My Atrium Closed has more bass overall than either, even with the Caldera Suede (Top Perforated) pads I use most of the time, which tame the bass the most of all the recommended pads. All three headphones get top marks in the bass department.

Mids and vocals was a tough comparison. I prefer vocals on my ZMF dynamics with bio-cellulose drivers. The OG Auteur has my favorite midrange. The CC was excellent here, but didn’t stand out amongst my 3 headphones. I found human voices a little more natural on the Elite, which was the only other planar I had on hand. The CC came across a hair drier in the mids, but only in this A/B comparison. When I listened to the CC by itself for an hour or so, I never detected anything negative. All 4 of these headphones are great in the mids.

As far as treble is concerned, my Elite won out. It is very open and airy and has a little more detail up top. Of course, the CC is a closed-back, so it’s not really a fair comparison. Against my Atrium Closed, I found it to be a toss up. I could listen to either without any fatigue setting in. The CC acquitted itself nicely in the highs.

The soundstage of the CC was superb for a closed-back. The Elite is noticeably more spacious-sounding. The CC definitely one-upped the OG Auteur in this department, so that’s saying something. I thought the imaging was precise, and it just sounded natural no matter what kind of music I was listening to.

After reading so much about the CC, and the Caldera Open before them (which I also got to demo), I thought one of these might temp me away from my current trio of headphones. Turns out I remain content with what I’ve got. That’s a huge sigh of relief. I don’t like thinking about what I’d have to sell to come up with the cash for a Caldera!

To sum things up, the CC is another excellent pair of headphones from ZMF. Zach and his team have created another winner that is certainly worth considering if you’re in the market for a TOTL closed-back. Thanks again for the opportunity to try these out!

 

TLDR - A technically great headphone, with exceptional separation and tone. But no wow moments which means I wouldn't buy one.

I have been dying to hear the Caldera or Caldera Closed so I am super appreciative of the SBAF loaner program. Thanks to ZMF. Thanks to the mods here who continue to make loaner tours happen.

Current setup
Amps: Eddie Current Studio B; Schiit Mjolnir 3; AMB M³
Dacs: Geshelli Dayzee; Schiit Yggdrasil MiB
Headphones: ZMF Auteur Classic and Atrium Open; Senn HD 650; Meze Empyrean (loaned)

What I loved
I loved that the warmth of the CC is a bit lower lower in the frequency range than the Atrium. It seems a bit more natural than the Atrium's warmth which more in the midbass and midrange.

Instrument and vocal separation is awesome. It kept things coherent on everything I threw at including Patty Griffin's ridiculously hectic song 'Flaming Red' - I can count all the instruments.

No problematic cup resonance that I can hear. The SBAF loaner Bokeh closed had cup resonance that made it a more limited use case headphone for me. I can listen to anything on the CC.

What I am just OK with
There were no "wow" moments to be had with the CC for me. I never really wanted to sit and listen to it for hours - I just didn't connect with it. I've had many long sessions with other ZMFs including the Bokeh closed - which often made me forget that I was supposed to be reviewing it.

Soundstage was good not great. I am not experienced with closed back headphones, I've only had the Bokeh and Fostex TX00 purple heart in house.

What I disliked
I kept hearing a metallic edge or sheen on the leading edges of vocal and percussion. The Meze had this sheen too but less than the CC due to the Meze's added warmth, so I guess it is a planar thing. The Meze and the CC are only the 2nd and 3rd planar headphones I have ever heard in my setup (the other being the LCD2C), so this isn't something I had noticed before. It was more prominent when using the MJ3. I think the warmth of the Mj3 causes that sheen to stick out more. Maybe this is an amp matching thing. When I owned the LCD2C I drove it with a lesser resolving, warmer amp (Audio GD Master 9) and I never heard any metallic sheen from it.

Please note that this sheen isn't super prominent and I don't even hear it on some or most songs - so I don't know if the CC is just digging out info that I had not heard before or what. It is sort of like sibilance but way less annoying to me. I know I don't hear anything like this from my dynamic headphones. It's not terrible, it just doesn't sound natural to me.

Amp and Dac matching
I didn't have the the same luck most people had with driving the CC from just about anything. As someone else noted, the CC is terrible from the Studio B - it just sounds anemic. The Mj3 would often sound too warm, but when it was good, it was very good. I found I enjoyed the CC the most from my AMB M³ which is my least warm amp. Bass was more articulate, punchy and clean than when using the Mj3 and as I stated earlier, there was audibly less of that metallic sheen with the AMB than the Schiit. My M³ is loaded with Staccato opamps, so ymmv.

As far as dacs go, I prefered the Dayzee with the CC 100% of the time. The Dayzee has been my daily preferred dac over the MiB for about 4 months now. Again, the Dayzee is less soft in the treble and generally less warm than the MiB which imo works better with the CC. The CC sounds clearer and more spacious with the Dayzee in the chain.

Versus other headphones

Meze Empyrean -
The Meze is warmer and more forgiving. The Meze is far easier to drive and I got great sound pairing it with the Studio B. The Meze, being a open back, has a slightly bigger soundstage - but the Meze's warmth still holds it back here. Soundstage is probably more of a toss up. Both headphones beat the dynamics in instrument separation. I did enjoy the Meze more than the CC but the Meze's warmth can sometimes get overwhelming. CC seems a bit more resolving and a bit punchier. All-in-all this is a preference based tie. Both sounded best from the M³.

Atrium -
I greatly preferred the Atrium. I think, but I am not completely certain, that the Atrium is a hair less resolving but it bests the CC in everything else. Dynamics, bass presentation, treble, mids, clarity, soundstage etc. The Atrium is just an exciting listen and the CC is on the other side of the spectrum.

Auteur Classic-
I like the Auteur more. Not counting the HD 650, the Auteur is the most different out of this bunch and usually takes a full minute or more for my ears to adjust to its tone. The CC is more resolving and has more bass but the Auteur is more dynamic and feels more nimble. It gets vocals just right. I can listen to it for hours.

Sennheiser HD 650 -
The CC bests the HD 650 in all technical categories, including soundstage. But this is like enjoying your grandma's brownies more than some fancy desserts from a Michelin starred restaurant. The HD650 gets me and this is why I have owned one for 17 years.

Bokeh Closed -
I don't have this on hand and it has been quite some time since I have heard it. I am including it here because of the enjoyment factor. I spent more time listening to the Bokeh loaner than I probably spent listening to the Fostex TX00 that I actually owned. There are some things I would never listen to through the Bokeh. However, the stuff I would listen to with it was simply phenomenal through it. I didn't experience anything like this from the CC.

STFU already
I totally get why people like the CC, it just isn't my cup of tea. In terms of enjoyment, out of the four headphones I had on hand (I'm not including the HD650 here) I'd rank the CC 3rd tied with the Meze but if I had to choose between the Meze and CC - the Meze is the safer bet for my preferences. I guess I don't like planars and am super partial to open backs. It is my least favorite ZMF but not by a huge margin. It is very good but when I listen to it I keep thinking how much more I like whatever song I am listening to at the time with my other headphones.

I read Purrin's review of the CC and his comparison to the Verite closed. The VC sounds more like my jam - its either that or my long delayed Bokeh closed purchase.

 

Thanks to @zach915m and SBAF for giving me the opportunity to hear this wonderful headphone in my own system. Thanks to @ChaChaRealSmooth for arranging this tour.

Please note that I am biased towards liking ZMF headphones (currently own Atrium open and Auteur Classic) and I am also #Team Dynamic.

I assume the Caldera Closed (CC) loaner has magnesium hardware because this is trivially light for a ZMF. I also find the Caldera pads to be a very nice fit and the combo makes CC the most comfortable ZMF headphone I’ve tried.

The CC was used with both my Roon/Red/MIB/DIY Aegis and Pietus Maximus with ESS DAC card systems.

I liked the Caldera Hybrid pads the best and my comments reflect use with these pads.

To cut to the chase, this is easily the best Planar headphone I’ve heard. I’ve only owned a few mid-grade HFN and Audeze so that statement doesn’t really mean much.
I recently borrowed my friend’s DCA E3 which was the first closed back planar I’ve tried.
The CC has better external isolation than E3, it is also much easier to drive.
The CC is more open sounding even than E3 and surprisingly my Auteur. I am extremely impressed with these closed-backed headphones that manage to sound more open than some open-backs.

Bass is solid, especially in the mids, definitely has the groove down. Tap your foot, nod your head and shake your rump. Zach’s tuning is nothing short of amazing here. The timbre of electric guitar sounds so right to me. I kept listening to anything I had with guitar in it.

The CC sounds EXCELLENT with Rock, Pop, and Electronic. Especially so with busy, layered, complex material. This is some of the best separation of layers I have ever heard. I own OG Utopia which excels at this, but I think CC is even a notch better. Maybe this is why I think it feels so open sounding. There is a nice spherical soundstage. Listening to multiple Wilco albums, the mix appears in a night sky with each part entering like a fireworks display. Depending on the track, it can be a cloudy grey sky. This is the best I’ve heard Wilco sound: guitars, noise, effects, drums, bass, and Tweedy all shooting into sound stage and fading away. I guess the name Caldera fits in that everything erupts out into being from the void.

I sent off CC a few days ago and I miss it. I’m already thinking how I could fit into my systems and rotation. I was surprised at how good CC sounded with Pietus Maximus and the ESS card. It is an expensive headphone, but like Utopia I feel it is worth the price of admission here. If all I listened to was Rock/Pop/Electronic this could easily be my only headphone. Bravo ZMF.

 

You hear the saying a lot: Transducers first. This is one of those headphones that shows you why.

Thanks to ZMF and SBAF for letting me enjoy some time with these. I spend most of my time in upper mid-fi purgatory; settling in with daily drivers that include LCD-X, LCD-3 and TH900 getting most of the attention. The Caldera Closed is clearly a step above all of those.

The first thing I noticed is how sibilant female vocals are smoothed over. From Thee Marloes to Susan Tedeshci, the CC provided fatigue free listening with any pairing it received.

To me, this is what a more refined LCD-X should sound like. The better instrument separation and layering allowed you to really hear more into the mix. The CC's consistency and resolution also allowed me to hear the nuance between sources much more easily. Switching between a Mac mini and a Mercury V2, I was able to cherry pick the source that sounded better with each track.

I think the tuning here for a closed back is almost perfect. I say almost because as good as it is, it might be a little too polite at times. A little more bombasticness would be welcome on some tracks. I really wish i would have spent some time experimenting with the different pads and mesh as I suspect I could have found what I was looking for.

Overall, I think the Caldera Closed is a winner and worthy of the price of admission.

 

@AlPastor what amp were you running them on? And can you give any more detail on the differences on the Mac mini vs the Mercury?

 

@bigjako Systems used for eval were primarily Mjolnir 2/Gungnir A2 and Lyr+/Bifrost 2/64. My MJ3 was at the mothership getting some melted parts replaced. Really wish I could have heard these with MJ3/Yggdrasil A2 as I think that combo could probably provide the slam I was looking for.

With regards to Mac mini vs Mercury - I usually hear more macro differences between the two and put them in their respective flavor camps. With the CC, I felt there was more micro details to pick out. But we're really talking two different things feeding dacs with different inputs so it's hard for me to distinguish what exactly it is between the two. USB mac vs BNC/Coax Mercury. I usually find the Mercury BNC/coax more polite and rounded compared to Unison. So I was surprised when a test track like Murray Perahia's latest Presto Agiato (Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 "Moonlight" (Ludwig van Beethoven)) had more clarity on the CC via Mac mini Unison. Switching genres and styles was fun with CC between the two.

 

Can confirm MJ+GS+CC hammers

 

I’ll begin by thanking SBAF and ZMF for the opportunity to participate in this loaner program for the Caldera Closed. The opportunity is truly invaluable and remarkable to experience a variety of headphones.

While I probably won’t add anything new to the discussion of the technicalities here already mentioned, I will share the highlights of what struck me the most about the Caldera Closed. Also, I have not much experience at all when it comes to what is considered “TOTL” or any headphone costing north of 2K.

Gear Tested on: Lampizator L4/G4 > CI Audio VHP1+VAC1 > Caldera Closed

(Yes – I am basically just running through vintage kind of gear and stuff OOP these days – I enjoy being able to still find value and synergy through this gear and sounds just as good as their modern counterparts).

I’ll jump right to it then. When I started to listen to the Caldera Closed, I think about 15 mins into the session, I almost forgot this was a planar magnetic closed back. So first major impression to come to mind is that the CC is a result -- as if the best planar and dynamic had a child, it resulted in the Caldera Closed. It literally splits the difference and takes the best qualities of both sides – speed and resolution/imaging of the planar, and that enveloping bass, and some punchiness in the bass, with natural sounding timbre and vocals all under one roof. It just does not sound like your typical planar magnetic headphone.

Next takeaway for me is that is a very neutral tuned headphone, nothing really stands out, it just feels so even keeled across the spectrum – it was just very polite no matter where you looked. I hate to say it, but I found the CC a little bit boring in this regard. Only two other headphones gave me a similar experience and that is with the original ZMF Auteur, and the Hifiman HE6se v2. The CC wasn’t just enchantingly captivating to me – it sounded good, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t as compelling to me as other headphones, and really no “wow” moments. I think its just the way I am perceiving the tuning and my personal preferences (which is not-neutral tuned headphones – I like the different color/flavor).

Breaking down some of the technicalities:

Bass – impressive for a planar (because it's got more dynamic sounding bass). Not as deep quality of bass like LCD-X and the like, but instead compensates for the note weight/heft, and it does have good punchiness and more slam. The CC is definitely more mid-bass focused. The enveloping (bloom) quality is very nice (controlled), it just fills out the bass region nicely, and with the closed cup resonance, makes for a nice listen for being a planar headphone. I’ve never been able to find a planar I really liked because I always felt it was just too thin in the bass. The CC shines in this area for me. Sub-bass in return is dialed down; it still rumbles for me but only in the background very lightly. So, more quantity but slightly less quality and texture, but it works nicely with the overall experience.

Mids – very natural vocals and instrument timbre are (for lack of a better term) much more “organic” than the typical planar sound.

Treble – the CC is very resolving, detailed but smooth, definitely no fatigue in this area. Nothing sounds artificial or over exaggerated.

Soundstage - very impressive for a closed back. Still feels like a medium soundstage (width and depth), one of best I've heard for closed backs though.

Imaging/Resolution - Placement and positioning of instruments and singers is easy-peasy, has space and nicely layered, and details come through crystal clear, even so that I can distinctly make out note decays and reverb. This technicality really shines here; it easily handles complex tracks and passages with ease.

Final thoughts: I would definitely recommend this as a contender for someone needing a great closed back that is suitable for nearly all genres (Rock/Pop/Hip-Hop/Electronic). The only genre where I really didn’t like the CC as much is when it came to jazz music. But that could just be my being used to the Grado RS1x on it, which definitely has its unique energy and flavor, and Grado still definitely more centered on the treble and upper mids. I felt the CC’s bass bloom in this case obscured the jazz magic a bit, and coupled with its very polite pacing and energy, jazz wasn’t that enjoyable comparatively. In the end, I believe a lot of people will still love this headphone, it does very little if anything at all, wrong. It’s a headphone that combines the best strengths of both a planar and a dynamic headphone – that alone is compelling enough to give the CC a real shot to be part of your collection in my opinion.

 

I have had the loaner only since yesterday, so about 3 hours in, and I can't resist a drive by (review). I was reading the reviews here, particularly around vocals, separation, and 'naturalness' compared to Atrium and was thinking "but but..." when I put on The Wailin Jennings cover of Emmylou's "Boulder to Birmingham" and it hit me: most of you are wrong!

So I did that tedious back to back 1 track comparison with the track, vs. the Atrium and finally the Utopia OG and this is what I am hearing:

Separation (which involves placement in head space, clarity, detail and even "naturalness" of the human voice), 10 being best:

• Atrium: 6.5, not that far ahead (if at all on this attribute) of Jar650
• Utopia: 8.4, excellent but "inner note realism" just is not quite there - like it gives up in the middle, folks often describing this as "lack of warmth/depth".
• Caldera Closed: 9.4 just beating Utopia on raw separation/placement while a whole step above on "naturalness"

This is a great f*&^ing headphone.

This is a drive by, I may or may not revise as I spend more time listening, swaping pads, etc..

Chain for the above opinoni is HQPlayer > Holo Cyan 2 at 1 bit (DSD) > Freya in passive mode (SE) > DNA Supernaut > Caldera C with solid leather (protein?) pads

update: I just realized I have been listening to this headphone through an 1970’s nos RCA input tube on my Supernaught that’s best with the Utopia and Atrium. With the more neutral stock new production tube the sound is less “laidback/relaxed”…

 

@zach915m or perhaps someone else, which (if any) of the two mesh's that are part of the "Tuning Kit" is installed on this Caldera Closed loaner in the below pic?:



I find no mesh envelope in the case, so whatever is on it is on it...

Thanks!

Edit: Oops, I just realized I posted this question on the review thread and not the Caldera Closed loaner thread - perhaps an admin could move it for me?

Edit #2: Answer found here:

 

Prologue:

Open back headphones are just unnatural. Really ask your wife. Mine, the few times she ever talks about my personal audio habits/gear, tells friends and family about how odd it is she can hear what I'm listening to and wonders out loud why anyone would want headphones like that. If we were to use a time machine and put 'closed back' headphones on a neanderthal, an Athenian from the classical age, and an English peasant from the high middle ages after the initial shock they would start tapping their foot and swaying. If we were to replace those HP's with 'open back' they would look at us sideways and say "WTF are these?"

In the past I have owned the Focal Stellia and they ZMF Verite Closed in the quest for normal TOTL headphones. Sold them both as they just had too many compromises for my preferences, and the open back Utopia's, Jar6whatevers, and ZMF Atrium's out of DNA amps seemed to be about as good as it gets.

Sound:

Others upstream said it better so I will just quote others:

• Marv: "If I have preference, it would be slight: the Verite Closed. The reasons would be as follows: I prefer dynamics and feel that they extract more plankton and more lively, even with modest gear like the Unity I am willing to sacrifice clean lows, clarity, etc. (distortion) to get the above..."
• Vtory: "The overall character strikes me as less colored than typical ZMF offerings, though that organic quality they're known for remains present. The planar implementation achieves impressive technical performance without veering into analytical territory..."
• futbutts: "the Caldera Closed (to my ear) are tuned moreso towards naturalistic, open-like presentation, despite their being closed. They achieve this with gusto -- these are the most open-sounding closed-backs I've ever heard. It's really quite the magic trick..."
• gaspasser: "The CC sounds EXCELLENT with Rock, Pop, and Electronic. Especially so with busy, layered, complex material. This is some of the best separation of layers I have ever heard. I own OG Utopia which excels at this, but I think CC is even a notch better..."

Characterization and comparison with Utopia and Atrium:

• As I said in my previous post, I think I rate the Caldera Closed as having more plankton then Marv and a few others - more than Atrium and right next to if maybe not quite even with Utopia. I know it is easy to be impressed with blackground/clarity and think there might be more detail then there is, but I think most of our ears are used to that dynamical related "grit" of TOTL dynamic HP's. If the Caldera was just a touch more dynamic (particularly macro) and 'light on its feet' in presentation I think more would be "wowed".
• For me I am "wowed" by its instrumental/vocal clarity, separation, and detail. It really showed how 'grey', flat (both in headstage and general presentation) and gritty the Atrium can be relatively speaking. Both the Atrium and Utopia have that "point source" dynamic presentation, whereas the Caldera has an expansive presentation without being "ethereal"
• Marv noted the low distortion measurements. Within 20 minutes of getting it I thought to myself "is this the lowest distortion I have ever heard from a HP?". I found myself at times listening too loudly, because I could without the usual distorting consequences.
• If there is any cup resonance and 'woody' interplay I could not hear it - perhaps being a planar this does not factor in as much. I would want to compare this standard Ash to a hardwood model to be sure however.
• Most of the time I really could hardly tell I was listening to a closed back. This to my mind is a significant feature of this HP that should not be overlooked.
• Someone mentioned upstream how well this HP deals with sibilance and poor recordings. It's kind of spooky how good it is at this, almost as if there is a some sort of DSP from the year 2089 built into it. If there is a sin of omission "coloring" from this HP perhaps this reveals it, but I simply could not hear what ever else it was leaving out on my test tracks - the music, minus just a hair of dynamical "grit" was all there.
• As Marv mentioned this HP does better then the TOTL dynamics out of mid/modest gear. My new bedroom system is a Mercury > Mimir >Lyr + stack, and the Caldera scales better on it then the Atrium fer sur, though the Utopia does well with the Lyr + the Caldera is still better.
• My Yggdrasil/HQPlayer & Holo > DNA Supernaut chain gets all three HP's closer together, but Caldera still keeps its blackgound/clarity/separation advantages
• While I wish there was just a touch more energy in the 4-8k region, my ears/brain adjust pretty quick and when switching back to the dynamics I thought this region on them sounded somewhat artificial.

Final thoughts:

I found myself seriously appreciating this HP's strengths. I think I want one - will probably end up with a high janka wood version to see if there is any advantage. I guess I will have to move myself closer to midnight on the Ken Doomsday Clock, but then again my wife will appreciate this HP more than any of my others so I got that going for me...

 

“Open back headphones are just unnatural. Really ask your wife.” -Crenca


Yeah, I am leading with that too. My wife has literally the exact same sentiment….which she expressed again while I was taking part in this loaner. My listening room is out of commission right now so I have been swapping out components bedside the whole time I had these. She told me to please buy these until I told her how much they are. After the shock wore off she said I still could after I buy her a hot tub.


On a more serious note these always make guitars sound great. If it is actually in the recording then the mid and sub bass are tastefully present and do not bleed into the mids, if the recording itself lacks the low end in any way these will not add to it. I also own an Atticus and a Bokeh and they are both much more colored and forgiving. Cymbals sound like cymbals and not a computer generated effect which I find kind of rare in general.


These are high end headphones and I doubt any of that would help anyone on a purchase decision. I mean they are supposed to sound great and obviously cannot do that if the material is lacking because they are designed to be revealing. So what can I say that actually adds to the discussion? I am not sure.


These have only been a little amp dependent. I have tried them with a Super 7, MJ3, and Ragnarok 2. For the one other person on the planet that owns both an MJ3 and a Super 7 I just want you to know they sound way more similar than different. I definitely preferred the the push-pull setting here on the MJ3 even though I greatly prefer single-ended with every dynamic headphone that I have used with it. I have not tube swapped the S7 in years so I understand I could have changed things up here if I had wanted to. These sounded great with both. I imagine someone who likes tubes more would slightly prefer the S7 and vice verse for the MJ3.


I initially liked the Ragnarok fine, but the least with the Caldera. It was a big enough difference that I actually stopped using them and swapped out with my Heddphone 2 while reading a book. This was kind of jarring for me because typically I have a slight preference for the Rag over the other two amps. I swapped DACs and then happened upon some really special synergy using an SFD1 MKii as a source. At this point I went from grateful to be included in the loaner program to “I have to have them”. Funny how that happens sometimes.


The worst thing I can say about these is that they can be like the straight A student that does everything really well but never wows anyone depending on what you are running them with. On the other hand they are, from top to bottom, the most cohesive headphone I have ever heard and when you get them dialed in right…well I could see this being my only headphone. Except I am a sick audio hoarder and would never do that.

 

Some brief impressions, mostly from a local loaner. To prevent any conflicts of interest I will mostly compare against my Auteur Classic and comment on amp synergy.

Synergy Thoughts
Ambre -> Modi Multibit 1 (modded) -> Pietus Maximus
Sounds good! I preferred medium gain, high gain I found the bass too boomy.

Ambre -> iFi xDSD Gryphon
Also sounds good! The Gryphon is the smoothest of the three and least resolving.

Ambre -> SFD-2 MK II -> Stratus V3
The Stratus shines again, my favorite of the three. I was a little surprised considering the Caldera is an ortho, looks like this is one of those exceptions. Most resolving, great staging and separation.

Comparison
This was done on the Stratus since they both sound best there. For my taste both headphones have neutral tuning though I'd also classify them as a bit warm.

• Auteur: More cozy, more mid-bass boom, smoother upper mids
  
• Caldera: More resolution, more clarity*, better separation, vocals more forward
• Caldera open (from a meet): The closed is smoother, especially in the upper mids

*I don't want to suggest the Auteur is muddy or anything but the Caldera still sounds cleaner when I switch, it's almost like a sheen but not in a bad way.