As a father of a son myself, I am pretty sure your father’s heart would melt if he could have seen that Caldera on your head. Well done!Skip ahead a few months.
Life was becoming busy, and I felt like I was in a bit of a rut. Many of my nights were spent trying to occupy my mind and not think about work, or what had been happening in my life. Not that I was self-pitying, just that it was a bit much, and I tend not to think of myself as often as I should. I imagine that is what most mean by self-care. I saw that there was a headphone show coming up, and I figured, what the hell? Time for a mini vacation? I hadn't been on one in years, so I was able to justify it to myself. On the other hand, convincing my Fiance to go to a “headphone show” was a bit of a task. But I have been in sales for many years so it didn't take that long (“just think of all the cool restaurants we can eat at baby!”)
My main reason for going was to demo the Caldera, and even possibly meet Zach, this random person I had seen in the forums and YouTube. Seemed like a cool guy, and it would give me a chance to nerd out with a fellow enthusiast, talk tube amps, etc. I grabbed some tickets, we packed up, hopped in the truck, and were on the way.
We get to the show, and it's epic. All of the gear that I had lusted after is here, everyone is excited, and the event has a buzz to it. I sit down at a few tables, try some very good gear, and then I see it. Over in the corner, the ZMF room. I walk by it a few times just because I am working up the courage to go in. At this point, I am a pretty big fan of their stuff, and own multiple sets, but don't want to come off like a fanboy.
I eventually get over myself, say screw it and go in. I instantly feel like one of those kids in the original Willy Wonka movie when he first opens the door to the mixing room and candy factory. So much cool gear, so many amps/dacs, all the ones you read about and see in the videos, and SO MANY cool headphones, all in different colors and woods. Oh yeah
After I dabbled about a bit, I finally got the nerve to go talk to the big guy himself. He and Bevin were over in the corner talking about something and I didn’t originally want to barge in. But I did have questions about a Caldera so….. Here I go. To be honest, I don't even remember what I said, but I can say that any perceived notion I had about meeting Zach was instantly washed away. He was so down to earth, calm, polite, cool, and almost seemed nervous that he wasn't sure if people would like the Caldera. I was like, is this the same guy who has no idea of all the people who absolutely love what he creates? That rave over the art, the sound, the dedication to improve, and the service? Who has entire threads about how great the product is and are so happy to show off what they bought and received? This guy?!
So anyway, we get to talking, and I ended up leaving with 2 Calderas, as I couldn’t put either of them down. As I was leaving, I remembered that he makes custom wood headphones and that I have this neat piece of wood that was my father's, and I have no idea what I should do with it. But wouldn't it be cool as a keepsake or memento since he wanted to make something cool out of it, but unfortunately never had the chance? He said yeah, it might be possible, and then we said goodbyes, and I went back home, Caldera (x2) in tow, happy as could be. It wasn't really thought of again for a while.
I was emailing Zach about another set and remembered our conversation that was had at the event. I sent him a few pictures of the piece, and asked what was possible. I’ll spare you the series of emails (it was a LOT!) and eventually I mailed him the piece of wood. Zach stated during this email exchange that he had been thinking of starting a custom program, but wasn't ready to do so yet. But that this could be a neat way to test the idea and the process.
I also sent a few examples of what I wanted them to look like. Teal/torquoise was one of my father's favorite colors, and I wanted something that would be special but also artistic. I remember seeing a bunch of neat resin tables online, so I sent Zach these as an example:
Now, I know that this is the headphone guy, but I have to admit that I was a bit nervous. What is the wood turns out really ugly? What if the wood just explodes on the drill/lathe/CNC machine? What if it turns to dust when they try to machine it? A lot was going through my head, but eventually I calmed down and just had to trust the people I sent it to. After all, if anyone could make it right, it had to be ZMF. I am sure that my piece was not the worst they had ever worked with.
I’ll keep this short. Here is what I sent them, and here is what I received in return.
In conclusion, this public testimonial serves as an expression of heartfelt gratitude for transforming a seemingly worthless, sentimental artifact into a living testament to my father's legacy.
I made this post as a way of publicly saying thank you to Zach, Bevin, and the ZMF team. This was such a wonderful experience, and it means the world to me that a company as successful and busy as ZMF would even take a moment to make something so special and dear to my heart.
Seriously, thank you. @zach915m
Dude, you just won HeadFi!Skip ahead a few months.
Life was becoming busy, and I felt like I was in a bit of a rut. Many of my nights were spent trying to occupy my mind and not think about work, or what had been happening in my life. Not that I was self-pitying, just that it was a bit much, and I tend not to think of myself as often as I should. I imagine that is what most mean by self-care. I saw that there was a headphone show coming up, and I figured, what the hell? Time for a mini vacation? I hadn't been on one in years, so I was able to justify it to myself. On the other hand, convincing my Fiance to go to a “headphone show” was a bit of a task. But I have been in sales for many years so it didn't take that long (“just think of all the cool restaurants we can eat at baby!”)
My main reason for going was to demo the Caldera, and even possibly meet Zach, this random person I had seen in the forums and YouTube. Seemed like a cool guy, and it would give me a chance to nerd out with a fellow enthusiast, talk tube amps, etc. I grabbed some tickets, we packed up, hopped in the truck, and were on the way.
We get to the show, and it's epic. All of the gear that I had lusted after is here, everyone is excited, and the event has a buzz to it. I sit down at a few tables, try some very good gear, and then I see it. Over in the corner, the ZMF room. I walk by it a few times just because I am working up the courage to go in. At this point, I am a pretty big fan of their stuff, and own multiple sets, but don't want to come off like a fanboy.
I eventually get over myself, say screw it and go in. I instantly feel like one of those kids in the original Willy Wonka movie when he first opens the door to the mixing room and candy factory. So much cool gear, so many amps/dacs, all the ones you read about and see in the videos, and SO MANY cool headphones, all in different colors and woods. Oh yeah
After I dabbled about a bit, I finally got the nerve to go talk to the big guy himself. He and Bevin were over in the corner talking about something and I didn’t originally want to barge in. But I did have questions about a Caldera so….. Here I go. To be honest, I don't even remember what I said, but I can say that any perceived notion I had about meeting Zach was instantly washed away. He was so down to earth, calm, polite, cool, and almost seemed nervous that he wasn't sure if people would like the Caldera. I was like, is this the same guy who has no idea of all the people who absolutely love what he creates? That rave over the art, the sound, the dedication to improve, and the service? Who has entire threads about how great the product is and are so happy to show off what they bought and received? This guy?!
So anyway, we get to talking, and I ended up leaving with 2 Calderas, as I couldn’t put either of them down. As I was leaving, I remembered that he makes custom wood headphones and that I have this neat piece of wood that was my father's, and I have no idea what I should do with it. But wouldn't it be cool as a keepsake or memento since he wanted to make something cool out of it, but unfortunately never had the chance? He said yeah, it might be possible, and then we said goodbyes, and I went back home, Caldera (x2) in tow, happy as could be. It wasn't really thought of again for a while.
I was emailing Zach about another set and remembered our conversation that was had at the event. I sent him a few pictures of the piece, and asked what was possible. I’ll spare you the series of emails (it was a LOT!) and eventually I mailed him the piece of wood. Zach stated during this email exchange that he had been thinking of starting a custom program, but wasn't ready to do so yet. But that this could be a neat way to test the idea and the process.
I also sent a few examples of what I wanted them to look like. Teal/torquoise was one of my father's favorite colors, and I wanted something that would be special but also artistic. I remember seeing a bunch of neat resin tables online, so I sent Zach these as an example:
Now, I know that this is the headphone guy, but I have to admit that I was a bit nervous. What is the wood turns out really ugly? What if the wood just explodes on the drill/lathe/CNC machine? What if it turns to dust when they try to machine it? A lot was going through my head, but eventually I calmed down and just had to trust the people I sent it to. After all, if anyone could make it right, it had to be ZMF. I am sure that my piece was not the worst they had ever worked with.
I’ll keep this short. Here is what I sent them, and here is what I received in return.
In conclusion, this public testimonial serves as an expression of heartfelt gratitude for transforming a seemingly worthless, sentimental artifact into a living testament to my father's legacy.
I made this post as a way of publicly saying thank you to Zach, Bevin, and the ZMF team. This was such a wonderful experience, and it means the world to me that a company as successful and busy as ZMF would even take a moment to make something so special and dear to my heart.
Seriously, thank you. @zach915m
. This is the best post i have ever seen on this site. Thank you for sharingSkip ahead a few months.
Life was becoming busy, and I felt like I was in a bit of a rut. Many of my nights were spent trying to occupy my mind and not think about work, or what had been happening in my life. Not that I was self-pitying, just that it was a bit much, and I tend not to think of myself as often as I should. I imagine that is what most mean by self-care. I saw that there was a headphone show coming up, and I figured, what the hell? Time for a mini vacation? I hadn't been on one in years, so I was able to justify it to myself. On the other hand, convincing my Fiance to go to a “headphone show” was a bit of a task. But I have been in sales for many years so it didn't take that long (“just think of all the cool restaurants we can eat at baby!”)
My main reason for going was to demo the Caldera, and even possibly meet Zach, this random person I had seen in the forums and YouTube. Seemed like a cool guy, and it would give me a chance to nerd out with a fellow enthusiast, talk tube amps, etc. I grabbed some tickets, we packed up, hopped in the truck, and were on the way.
We get to the show, and it's epic. All of the gear that I had lusted after is here, everyone is excited, and the event has a buzz to it. I sit down at a few tables, try some very good gear, and then I see it. Over in the corner, the ZMF room. I walk by it a few times just because I am working up the courage to go in. At this point, I am a pretty big fan of their stuff, and own multiple sets, but don't want to come off like a fanboy.
I eventually get over myself, say screw it and go in. I instantly feel like one of those kids in the original Willy Wonka movie when he first opens the door to the mixing room and candy factory. So much cool gear, so many amps/dacs, all the ones you read about and see in the videos, and SO MANY cool headphones, all in different colors and woods. Oh yeah
After I dabbled about a bit, I finally got the nerve to go talk to the big guy himself. He and Bevin were over in the corner talking about something and I didn’t originally want to barge in. But I did have questions about a Caldera so….. Here I go. To be honest, I don't even remember what I said, but I can say that any perceived notion I had about meeting Zach was instantly washed away. He was so down to earth, calm, polite, cool, and almost seemed nervous that he wasn't sure if people would like the Caldera. I was like, is this the same guy who has no idea of all the people who absolutely love what he creates? That rave over the art, the sound, the dedication to improve, and the service? Who has entire threads about how great the product is and are so happy to show off what they bought and received? This guy?!
So anyway, we get to talking, and I ended up leaving with 2 Calderas, as I couldn’t put either of them down. As I was leaving, I remembered that he makes custom wood headphones and that I have this neat piece of wood that was my father's, and I have no idea what I should do with it. But wouldn't it be cool as a keepsake or memento since he wanted to make something cool out of it, but unfortunately never had the chance? He said yeah, it might be possible, and then we said goodbyes, and I went back home, Caldera (x2) in tow, happy as could be. It wasn't really thought of again for a while.
I was emailing Zach about another set and remembered our conversation that was had at the event. I sent him a few pictures of the piece, and asked what was possible. I’ll spare you the series of emails (it was a LOT!) and eventually I mailed him the piece of wood. Zach stated during this email exchange that he had been thinking of starting a custom program, but wasn't ready to do so yet. But that this could be a neat way to test the idea and the process.
I also sent a few examples of what I wanted them to look like. Teal/torquoise was one of my father's favorite colors, and I wanted something that would be special but also artistic. I remember seeing a bunch of neat resin tables online, so I sent Zach these as an example:
Now, I know that this is the headphone guy, but I have to admit that I was a bit nervous. What is the wood turns out really ugly? What if the wood just explodes on the drill/lathe/CNC machine? What if it turns to dust when they try to machine it? A lot was going through my head, but eventually I calmed down and just had to trust the people I sent it to. After all, if anyone could make it right, it had to be ZMF. I am sure that my piece was not the worst they had ever worked with.
I’ll keep this short. Here is what I sent them, and here is what I received in return.
In conclusion, this public testimonial serves as an expression of heartfelt gratitude for transforming a seemingly worthless, sentimental artifact into a living testament to my father's legacy.
I made this post as a way of publicly saying thank you to Zach, Bevin, and the ZMF team. This was such a wonderful experience, and it means the world to me that a company as successful and busy as ZMF would even take a moment to make something so special and dear to my heart.
Seriously, thank you. @zach915m
Yes, I plan on updating it soon. Been busy with work and family lately, but it's coming soon. Lots of people been asking about it.
Really great overall. I don't have any complaints. In my main listening station I use the Viva Egoista 845 now, and it's the best amp I've ever heard. Expensive, but imo worth every penny, especially if you have a supporting high end source. The Woo is a great runner up. Different flavors for different moods.
