ZMF Caldera Review and Impressions

I personally would.

Though, if you also need a lot of boosted bass I wouldn't recommend them. They are very naturally tuned so they add nothing to the bass.

Edit: I own the Thror Novel version. I don't think there is any difference in the sound over the standard edition. Just a different wood shell design.

 

I sold my previous caldera and I never tried eq’ing the upper mids to see if I could get enough bite on guitars. I miss that headphone.

 

I don't use equalizers. Though, I would imagine the Caldera would work fantastically with an eq.

 

Hi Vtory, I'm curious which amplifier you used with Caldera to make a sound you described, because its sound a bit different when I listened in an audio shop. If Caldera can be just similar like what you said, it might be just what I want!

 

I've evaluated a wide range of amplifiers, from the Schiit Magnius to the Holo Bliss. My opinions remain consistent regardless of the amplifier pairing although Bliss is better than anything else by meaningful margins. For reference, I primarily used the Topping LA90, paired with a bananas-to-XLR adapter and set to the low gain mode.

 

Thank you so much!

 

It's worth skimming the head-fi threads for suggested amp pairings with the Caldera.* Apparently, the Caldera's sound changes quite considerably with different amps. Zach has noted this, too. See the Caldera and the recommended amp threads (do a search for "Caldera" on the latter thread).


* the ZMF threads on head-fi tend to be much more informative, and a good deal less annoying, than is usually the case over there. You'll still need to skip lots of posts, though (and hit ignore for the repeat-noise offenders). Keep an eye out for posts goldwerger, Monsterzero, TheMiddleSky, helljudgement, and heliosphann, as well as some of the sbaf crew who also post over there, inc. the esteemed @Jinxy245 and @Pharmaboy.

 

Thank you！

 

@Jinxy245 is esteemed? Now I'll have to rethink my entire relationship with the cosmos!!

 

FWIW, the best sound I've gotten with my Caldera is from these 3 amps:

1. Violectric V281*
2. Wells Audio Milo**
3. Icon Audio HP8 (TC-tube amp w/the best NOS tubes I could afford

Of course they don't all sound the same, but in each case, the very special sonic attributes of this headphone got even more audible (and special).

*The V281 has been my favorite amp (period) for 5+ years. Yesterday I was astounded to hear there's a limited edition reissue of the V281 now accepting pre-orders by the very fine U.S. agent for Violectric, Arthur Power:
https://power-holdings-inc.com/Violectric-HPA-V281-Reissue-Headphone-Amp-p585718067

**The Milo has extreme power (26dB). That means unless your DAC is single ended and putting out lower than usual voltage (ie, 1-1.5V vs trad SE output of 2.0V); or you have a DAC with a transparent, high-quality volume pot--it's difficult to use the Milo for any headphone, even a planar. I have a DAC w/good volume pot AND ordered my Milo w/the per-channel 13 dB attenuator switches, so I'm good to go w/any headphone.

 

That's so kind of you. For my sound preference ,a bit of warm sound with a tiny amount of thick sound is perfect for me now. For Caldera, I have to say that I had an experience that not quite like the others (and with so many reviews I could say it must be a huge different pairing from others.). My audio set now is MM500-Da9-macOS, and it's too slow and not punchy, which compares to MM500 directly putting to my macOS, and lacks of separation and some bass. Without these flaws, the entire sound is my taste. And I think it's mainly due to the amplifier of the Da9, so next step of me would be pairing an amp for it. (And in some probability I know that I may not be satisfied for this set even without these flaws, and maybe I would be satisfied for it when I get it all right, who knows.)

 

Thx for sharing! Violectric is good with its clarity and neutral sound, which I heard it from my friends.

 

With the amps I own that drive Caldera best (Ferrum Oor and Schiit Mjornir 3), there may be a hint of warmth, but no thickness I can hear.

 

I would take a note, so next time when I went to an audiophile shop, I can compare all of these equipments. Thx a lot, my friend!

 

Things I noticed:
-) Good lord this thing is beautiful. Even this well-traveled loaner looks the part.
-) Caldera doesn't need expensive gear to shine, but still likes it. May induce Source-First Nervosa.

Things I liked:
-) Familiar comfort: If you have a ZMF you like, these shouldn't feel much different, plus/minus weight differences.
-) Fast. Notes didn't hang around for very long. Every beat felt like it stopped on a dime.
-) Bass was solid, but not overpowering. I think Atrium is better here though, at least on my rig.
-) Amazing background detail. If someone stepped on a pillow in the recording studio, you're going to hear it.
-) Low-Z tube amps (ZDT Jr, SW51) were quite lovely.

Things I didn't like:
-) Maybe a bit too sharp in places with some solid state gear (MJ1, Jot 2).
-) Folkvangr wasn't a real hit with Caldera either, but it's probably the best I've heard with the IM switch engaged.
-) All that attack and speed can become grating (and fatiguing) if you have the wrong pairings.

Blank slate, I'm probably picking Caldera to build a system around. It's a phenomenal piece of kit. That said, I've already built a system around Atrium. My personal measure of diminishing returns kicks in fast as Caldera trying to justify the jump in price and supporting gear. ZMF is competing with itself again, and somehow I feel it's not a fair fight.

Thank you to ZMF for allowing this to go on tour, and thank you ChaCha for managing logistics. I continue to enjoy being part of these loaners.

 

Firstly, thanks for the opportunity to hear these @zach915m!

Very early impressions (2 hours of listening)...

How do you guys listen to these without the mantle mesh!? These sounded like HD800 without mods and the treble knob turned to 11 out of the box.

Edit: I was able to take the mesh off of Caldera when using MJ3. Sounds much better this way.

With the mesh installed, (very easy sticker application), I am really enjoying them on Stratus, balanced out and low ohm setting with stock pads.

Compared to Atrium, the Caldera...

• Presents more fine detail and plankton.
• Has more precise imaging. Voices and instruments are more clearly placed in the mix with more space between them (or at least that space is easier to identify).
• Has less midbass, but what is there is very clean.
• Goes lower into the sub bass region with more authority and clarity (this is a weakness with Atrium). These actually remind me a lot of the bass quality and quantity of Atrium Closed (Olive).
• Faster. This headphone makes Atrium sound a tad slow in direct comparison. After brain burn in it's not a problem though switching between them. I may prefer (thicker and more forward mids) presentation of Atrium.
• Is not as forgiving as Atrium on bad recordings. Tends to be a bit much at louder volumes with bad recordings.
• has a really nice tone. Still has that ZMF flavor that is a nice balance of fun and accuracy.
• No treble fuckery. With the mesh and stock pads the treble is super clean and clear. No harshness or sibilance on female or male vocals compared to Verite Open even.

Longer (longer term) impressions coming once MJ3 gets here (this weekend) to give Caldera a "better pairing" that some here seem to really like. Like @Qildail I've built a system around Atrium so introducing MJ3 might tweak things quite a bit.

I plan on having longer listening sessions to see if I get any irritation or fatigue. Atrium and Verite Open don't cause fatigue even at loud levels.

UPDATE: After another hour I can say that Stratus is NOT a bad pairing with Caldera if you use the mesh. This is arguably sounding better than either Atrium or Verite have ever sounded on this system...the absolute clarity with that ZMF musicality is some good stuff. One more song syndrome in full effect.

Prefering single ended out with the impedance switch on low for Caldera. Balanced on this amp can sound a bit bright on all ZMFs IMO. Prefer single ended out and high impedance for Atrium and Verite.

TLDR: This sounds like a combination of Verite Open (speed, imaging and resolution), Atrium Open (awesome tone and 3D / wide and deep soundstage and impressive macro dynamics), and Atrium Closed (linear, deep, hard hitting bass).


UPDATE: MJ3 didn't transform this headphone for me. Added a bit of weight, but the treble energy is still a bit much for me. I find myself wanting to listen louder to get more impact but then get irritated by the higher frequencies. I think I will stick with the rest of the ZMF fleet long term.

 

General Sound & Impressions

TL;DR The ZMF Caldera with perforated stock pads was not completely to my liking. The system used is Holo Bliss with Eversolo DAC Z8 and Qobuz streaming from a Wiim Mini. Unfortunately I did not have time to try my Holo Spring 3 KTE as that lives in my stereo where things get super serious. Headphone compared directly was Focal Utopia 2020 with ZMF Lambskin perf pads, and WyWires Platinum cable and recollection of the Meze Empyrean which I sold recently.

I wish I had spent more time with the Caldera, but unfortunately I only had time to give it two good listening sessions. Even worse, I screwed up the first day by using XLR output on my Bliss and having the wrong output impedance setting. I read into the documentation only on the second day and discovered that zero output impedance sources may not get along well with the Caldera. The Bliss basically has 0 output impedance on the XLR output at Lo-Z according to Goldensound. So, I switched to Pentaconn the second time I listened to the Caldera. I also found that Hi-Z on the Bliss seemed to clean up the presentation a bit and sound better, presumably because Hi-Z has higher output impedance. Overall, the first day with the Caldera was a disappointment because I had the wrong setup completely. The second day found good improvements with the proper outputs and config on my amp.

Generally I felt like the tonality and timbre of the Caldera with perforated stock pads was spot on. I do not care to screw around with various pads so I did not bother to change them and just rolled with what was on them when they arrived. To me the Caldera with perf pads was just the slightest warm side of neutral. I do not like too much warmth, but this was a very reasonable compromise for me. Compared to the Meze Empyrean I would say the Empyrean is far too warm which is the final reason I decided not to keep mine. The Utopia is brighter, but it's overall presentation is ultimately my preference. The Utopia gives me a better sense of airiness and space which I believe comes from the extended high-end.

The primary thing that I could not get along with on the Caldera was the presentation of soundstage. It was all wrong for me. I felt like I was listening to a "wall of sound" from all tracks. I am not a fan of this at all. I wanted more soundstage separation horizontally and vertically but I felt like all things were just being mushed together. Compared to the Utopia or even the Empyrean, I feel like those give me far more separation and detail across the entire width and height of the soundstage. This is the trick that I like the most out of headphones and stereo listening. The Caldera just did not work with me here and this is the main reason why I did not like it.

This may have been improved/altered with different pads but I also do not believe there was enough bass from the Caldera. I feel like my Utopia had better sustain and impact.

The Experience & Thoughts Unrelated to Sound Quality

Cables

I really appreciate the feel of the cable jacket and I believe it's one of the best stock cables I have encountered. It feels robust but it's a nice soft rubber and very pliable. Nice. Unfortunately, I would wager that the 4-pin XLR connector is out of spec. It is very difficult to fit onto my Bliss. The Furutech connector on my Wywires Focal cable is far superior and fits perfectly. I had to really push the ZMF XLR connector on and it was applying a lot of force to the female connector on the Bliss. The Furutech connects easily with a light "snap" once the latching mechanism is engaged. By contrast, the ZMF connector does not have any positive engagement with no discernible latching. It just sort of resists you the entire time when you try to connect it and it feels like it's being broken the entire time. Very scary feeling. I had to hold the Bliss down in order to get the ZMF XLR cable to connect otherwise the amp would just slide across the rack. The Holo Bliss weighs 22 lbs.

Headband & Hanger

There is no doubt I am becoming a curmudgeon but I cannot get along with this design. Too difficult to adjust. You can also get your fingers easily stuck in the hanger which happened to me the first time I tried to put the headphones on. The headphone is very unbalanced and unwieldy so as you are handling it, it is easy for the cans to flop around. Not a fan. Overall the headphone is way, way lighter than I was expecting so this was great. I just cannot get along with this hanger mechanism.

Hard Case

Really cool rotating lock mechanism on the Pelican style case. I need to see laser cut foam at this price, not pick and pluck.

 

Do you know which pads you used? The Caldera pads are perf on the top and outside but solid on the inside, and there's five different types, thin, thick, cowhide, suede and stock. I think we labeled the pouches for the tour but obviously for the tour I don't know what state they're in now. The ultra perf pads do have perforations on all sides, and there's other pads that have perforations on all sides, but I generally don't recommend them as they make for a bass roll off and a much brighter headphone.

 

I've got the loaner Caldera right now (and will be shipping it to the next person today). All of the pads are in good shape. The stock Caldera lambskin pads were on the Caldera when I received it from Greg121986. These have clearly had the most use as the outer sleeving is looser and more stretched out than the others. But they still work perfectly fine.

The other pads are labeled and consist of the following:

Caldera Cowhide
Caldera Suede
Caldera Thick Lambskin
Caldera Thin Cowhide