[Monsterzero]

What do you mean you lost a tube by overdoing it?

Just tongue -in-cheek humor so i can stop crying about my tube

 

[paradoxper]

Just tongue -in-cheek humor so i can stop crying about my tube

We're the few running tube DACs so you had me worried.

 

[Monsterzero]

I was wondering how the guitars are vs atrium and if caldera is mid forward sounding?

I havent done any a/b yet so I cant say for sure.
I can say that guitars are not recessed on the Caldera if thats what you're asking

 

[Monsterzero]

Detail caldera> atrium>Atticus
Soundstage atrium>caldera

I would agree with that.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Just tongue -in-cheek humor so i can stop crying about my tube

Please don't stop...this is fun!

 

[Zachik]

Cannot wait for MY Caldera!

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

I’m going to play with my Stratus and Ragnarok tonight!!

Do please post some impressions of the Caldera with your Stratus - and Rag! I've got a Stratus and am excited by the prospect of the Caldera, and I'm hoping the two pair well together.

I've found the Stratus pairs well with some planars that don't demand too much power, among them the LCD-2 Classic, LCD-4, Ether 2, HE 1k v2, and the RAD-0 (this last isn't hard to drive). I'm not sure the Stratus is the ideal amp for some these headphones but I've come to really like the LCD-4 with it, when paired with the right DAC. It'd be awesome to know how the Caldera fares. I hope you have a good evening's listen!

 

[heliosphann]

Do please post some impressions of the Caldera with your Stratus - and Rag! I've got a Stratus and am excited by the prospect of the Caldera, and I'm hoping the two pair well together.

I've found the Stratus pairs well with some planars that don't demand too much power, among them the LCD-2 Classic, LCD-4, Ether 2, HE 1k v2, and the RAD-0 (this last isn't hard to drive). I'm not sure the Stratus is the ideal amp for some these headphones but I've come to really like the LCD-4 with it, when paired with the right DAC. It'd be awesome to know how the Caldera fares. I hope you have a good evening's listen!

I've used it a little with the Stratus, but not enough to form an opinion yet. I'll spend some more time with it next week as I'm trying to finish up my Auteur Classic review.

 

[Alenotta]

Started with my new Atticus that I just bought, then switched to the Caldera and gotta say what an entirely different headphone. In their own right each amazing but equally different on so many levels. Then to the atrium and again so different. Sounded more holographic and smooth where the Caldera sounded more tight, clean and closer and then the Atticus just a dreamy heavenly warm God tier sound. Caldera is the most detailed, the atrium is more natural and smooth, and the Atticus just has you jump into the honey pot face first. I love acoustic music with the Atticus. The Atrium with anything and I’m blown away with metal on the Caldera.

Detail caldera> atrium>Atticus
Soundstage atrium>caldera


Just quick impressions. Not polished at all.Will write up something soon.

Gear:

Ayon sigma dac
Triode labs finale el84 amp

I’m going to play with my Stratus and Ragnarok tonight!!

I've never listened to the Atticus. I bet I'd enjoy it because I love a warm sound. The Caldera feels really warm to me, but accurate to life too. I've been really enjoying the clarity of acoustic music on the Caldera. Between your three ZMFs would you say Caldera is the punchiest? I feel like the punch is more visceral compared to my VC. Atrium had a bit more of that boom than the VC, but at CanJam when I was going back and forth I felt like Caldera hit harder.

 

[Monsterzero]

Between your three ZMFs would you say Caldera is the punchiest?

Thats such a hard question to answer when you consider how much the nature of ZMFs change with a pad and/or tube roll.

Like the Uni pads on the VC have more punch in the midbass than the Auteur pads do. So, owners who prefer uni pads might say VC hits harder, whereas Auteur pad users (like me) would say 'no'.

Zach sent me a single set of pads for the Caldera cuz he knows im not a pad roller, and other than on the Atrium, I prefer the stock pads on ZMF headphones. To my ears, the Caldera is punchier sounding than the VC, with these pads installed.

Then you have the curious case of tubes involved. Given that other than the Caldera and Ori, all of ZMF's headphones currently are high impedance. Given that fact, ZMF listeners have a higher propensity towards tubes than pretty much any other headphone manufacturer out there.

Tonight I'm using an entirely different set of tubes in my DAC than I did the last two nights. The roll I currently have in place cut the slam of the Caldera considerably, but strengthened the sub bass and widened the stage substantially and imparted a lot more warmth overall. What I am hearing tonight is not punchy. Last night with different tubes it was very punchy. Hence why it takes myself and other reviewers quite a bit of listening time before we are ready to get in front of camera, or put pen to paper and state what any given headphone sounds like.

 

[dfiled]

I've never listened to the Atticus. I bet I'd enjoy it because I love a warm sound. The Caldera feels really warm to me, but accurate to life too. I've been really enjoying the clarity of acoustic music on the Caldera. Between your three ZMFs would you say Caldera is the punchiest? I feel like the punch is more visceral compared to my VC. Atrium had a bit more of that boom than the VC, but at CanJam when I was going back and forth I felt like Caldera hit harder.

A headphone both more detailed and punchy than the VC? I’m salivating over here.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

Started with my new Atticus that I just bought, then switched to the Caldera and gotta say what an entirely different headphone. In their own right each amazing but equally different on so many levels. Then to the atrium and again so different. Sounded more holographic and smooth where the Caldera sounded more tight, clean and closer and then the Atticus just a dreamy heavenly warm God tier sound. Caldera is the most detailed, the atrium is more natural and smooth, and the Atticus just has you jump into the honey pot face first. I love acoustic music with the Atticus. The Atrium with anything and I’m blown away with metal on the Caldera.

Detail caldera> atrium>Atticus
Soundstage atrium>caldera


Just quick impressions. Not polished at all.Will write up something soon.

Gear:

Ayon sigma dac
Triode labs finale el84 amp

I’m going to play with my Stratus and Ragnarok tonight!!

Where does the VO fit into here?

 

[Alenotta]

Like the Uni pads on the VC have more punch in the midbass than the Auteur pads do. So, owners who prefer uni pads might say VC hits harder, whereas Auteur pad users (like me) would say 'no'.

Then you have the curious case of tubes involved. Given that other than the Caldera and Ori, all of ZMF's headphones currently are high impedance. Given that fact, ZMF listeners have a higher propensity towards tubes than pretty much any other headphone manufacturer out there.

Yeah I'm a universe solid pads person on my VC. The Caldera still hits a lot harder on my current setup. Interesting to hear that the tube roll had such an effect for the Caldera too. I assumed it would be less sensitive to rolling because it is planar, but the higher impedance must have some effect on that.

 

[dfiled]

I've never listened to the Atticus. I bet I'd enjoy it because I love a warm sound. The Caldera feels really warm to me, but accurate to life too. I've been really enjoying the clarity of acoustic music on the Caldera. Between your three ZMFs would you say Caldera is the punchiest? I feel like the punch is more visceral compared to my VC. Atrium had a bit more of that boom than the VC, but at CanJam when I was going back and forth I felt like Caldera hit harder.

A headphone both more detailed and punchy than the VC? I’m salivating over here.

Yeah I'm a universe solid pads person on my VC. The Caldera still hits a lot harder on my current setup. Interesting to hear that the tube roll had such an effect for the Caldera too. I assumed it would be less sensitive to rolling because it is planar, but the higher impedance must have some effect on that.

I also have the Universe on the VC and with the Feliks amps it punches like George Forman. Maybe the Caldera is Mike Tyson?

 

[Alenotta]

I also have the Universe on the VC and with the Feliks amps it punches like George Forman. Maybe the Caldera is Mike Tyson?

Haven’t tried the VC on a Feliks. That is probably a real nice combo.