ZMF Caldera Headphone Review

[next2nothing]

That is precisely what we have here. Incredible research conducted over 5 years from top experts in that field. Companies are adopting it and we are doing our work to spread the news to get wider adoption. There are always people whose interest is threatened by standards and create FUD to slow down such progress. We have good examples of it here. Fortunately they don't do their homework to justify alternative approach so we continue on our path to make progress here.

Its great that some companies and designers share your idea of the tuning or just like this particular sound signature. I wouldnt generalize. I asked you for the data of market research with percentage of comapneis that are going this direction. I believe this argument is purely based on confirmation bias.

I dont think anyone feels threatened here and is creating "FUD" for that reason, honestly to me it sounds like a default 4chan conspiracy theory and somewhat hints the level of discussion here.
There people that just disagree with you pointing at possibility that we just dont know enough to make as adamant conclusions as you do and that there is more layers of complexity to the question of "what does the majority like and why we like something". I pointed you at the problems with sample size and the richness of the presented data, as well as how carefully data is sociology is evaluated to avoid generalizing conclusions. As soon as a scientist gets high on his own supply, its pretty much over.

So you say without evidence. I don't see how anyone is not influenced by the gorgeous looks of this headphone. Or the participation of the likable designer behind it in videos and such. I know I am influenced and I pride myself in resisting such. Fortunately I have a tool you don't have: neutral/objective measurements that show flaws in the design.

Do you have a research that proves that I was influenced by the look of the headphone or what do you base you assumption upon? I mean Amir, this game can be played by two=)

Yes I like the design, but as industrial designer by trade I can distinguish front end design from the perfomance and enjoy both parts seperately. I have a Meze Elite next to my Caldera for about a year now which looks stunning and is argueably one of the best designed headphones on the market and yet I grab it far less frequent than the Caldera. Because of the sound.

That and $5 will get you a cup of coffee. "Insight?" What insight? He has not conducted one unbiased, controlled test on tonality of headphones. Him saying he knows about Harman but decided to do otherwise is not "insight." He should do a controlled test for himself to see how valid his assumptions are.

You failed to address most of my previous post. There I mentioned, that its not the job of designers in any field to create scientific research papers about the reasons of the choices that been made. The assumptions and choices made, been validated by the market, the designs are either successful or they are not. Its your job as a researcher to understand why. You choose a low hanging fruit-explanation like "nice craftsmanship" "nice marketing" "delusional audiophiles" and carry on with predictable ideological rants about the design deviating from the tuning you would like to see.

This is not me talking, is it. This is authoritative research that you like to throw out the window. Why? Because you bought a headphone that this research says is colored and likely not going to be liked by many others. I suggest accepting this fact and moving on because heaven knows we are not going to be influenced by word salads.

I mentioned in the previous post why despite all the work done and usefulness of the harman research, I find it difficult to come to generalizing conclusions like you do. You failed to address that points, but copy pasted stuff that most of on this board already read. Yes there is some colouration and with a certain target audience in mind, which is not the mainstream market. And still it remains questionable if majority would dislike this particular tuning for various reasons mentioned previously.

Most of the previous post was ignored by you and I am bit bored repeating stuff all over again, while you reply to cherry picked statements. As an example you chose not to address the lack of product research and overall lack of data in your review and I think we both know why. I see your point and I understand to a certain degree the zealotry you bring to the table and why you do that, I understand your idea of universal standard while I doubt it will work in this field. I appreciate your messurement work. Still I dont think what you do can be called a "review". Its a messuremens with EQ test and a short rather predictable commentary. As a cherry on top a vote for your crowd, most of which never tried the headphone in the first place.

Here a great recent review of Caldera, nothing overly euphoric, but truly informative for a potential buyer, including messurements and a rather unbiased interpretation of those. https://www.techpowerup.com/review/zmf-caldera-open-back-planar-magnetic-headphones/

 

[Tachyon88]

@next2nothing Dear diary - "I have Meze Elite next to my Caldera for about a year now which looks stunning and is arguably one of the best designed headphones on the market and yet I grab it far less frequent than the Caldera. Because of the sound.". Wonderful, jut wonderful. Please continue to update us on your journey, moods and wisdom.

 

[next2nothing]

@next2nothing Dear diary - "I have Meze Elite next to my Caldera for about a year now which looks stunning and is arguably one of the best designed headphones on the market and yet I grab it far less frequent than the Caldera. Because of the sound.". Wonderful, jut wonderful. Please continue to update us on your journey, moods and wisdom.

Im not the one who made the assumption that the choice is based on the craftsmanship and not the sound. Excited to see the behavioural research data on this topic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Chagall]

Caldera sounds very good without EQ to me here is my pair in Kingwood (rosewood), driven by a tube amp of my design, along with a NOS DAC of my design with a tube output stage. The horror! Shield your eyes lest you go blind

If you like it, you like it!
I'm just wondering how would I feel if my Bluetooth media player was a cleaner source than my main DAC.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

If you like it, you like it!
I'm just wondering how would I feel if my Bluetooth media player was a cleaner source than my main DAC.

I think even the most ardent objectivists would be shocked at how good something like this can sound. But I can't prove it, so I won't try to. If you are somewhere near the Pittsburgh area, there will likely be a Head-Fi meet up in April and I will bring it along and you can bring your Bluetooth player

 

[amirm]

Here's another recent informative review by techpowerup with objective measurements and subjective impressions that is more thorough: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/zmf-caldera-open-back-planar-magnetic-headphones/

You supplied the headphone to him, right? Would have been good to state that up front. Let's review his measurements.

First, he uses a fixture that looks very much like Minidsp. I assume it is a cheap 711 clone, not what is used in Harman research:

He goes on to say:
"Our current headphones test setup uses a set of two custom in-ear microphones for the two channels. These microphones closely adhere to the IEC711 class, but have been tweaked to be more reliable in the >10 kHz frequency range, the precise issue with my previous setup, that is otherwise still very good and will continue to be used for IEMs and earphones. Two soft silicone pinnae are installed on the sides, separated by a distance matching my head, and multiple "height" adapters have been 3D-printed for further customization, based on fit, head size and shape."

In other words, it is unique measurement tool with no research backing its efficacy. Let's go with it anyway and look at his measurements with the same "stock" pad I used:

I trust "stock" pad is what most people use and hence the reason he is leading with that measurement. Ignore the bass for the moment and focus on 1K to 6K response. We see serious deficiencies there in the response of Caldera, nicely matching my measurements:

Since his review is approved by you, we can conclude that there was no issue with my measurements in that regard. When I buy music, I buy all the tonality in there. If you don't mind, I like to hear all of that, not have the headphone forever put its signature on it but taking three bites out of it.

Now to the bass. How come he is showing such close alignment in that department when I don't? Answer is in the text right below it:

"Those who have read my headphone reviews would have noted how I typically go for the "Harman Combined" target based off the Harman 2018 over-ear target but with the lower bass target from the Harman 2013 curve instead. I prefer this for open-back sets which it feels far more natural to me, but at the end of the day there are always personal preferences so this is where what matters more is how a pair of headphones is tuned and how it ultimately sounds."

As you clearly see from the sentence I bolded, he is making up his own objective target based on his one-person personal preference. In no way is that response compliant with the latest research from Harman that shows majority of listeners prefer more bass. Here is their AES paper again:
Factors that Influence Listeners’ Preferred Bass and Treble Balance in Headphones
Sean E. Olive and Todd Welti

Notice how pronounced bass target response is in Harman research and how he has nearly completely backed that out. At the risk of stating the obvious, Harman performed this extensive research to get to the right data. They could have used one person's opinion as well as this reviewer. But they choose to conduct controlled testing. And that testing shows that the target this reviewer is using is improper. Mine matches Harman target (and my preference as well).

If this reviewer had used the proper target, he would have shown the same bass deficiency as I have, confirm that my results are correct and without bias as you claimed.

As to his subjective remarks like this, "The Caldera stages wider and taller too while also enabling better layering of complex tracks," few of us have use for them in this forum. Loan a reviewer an expensive piece of audio gear (or really any audio gear) and you can get them to sing the opera even if they have never been to one!

Conclusions
Objective aspects of that review confirm my finding. Lower treble response has oscillations that must not be in any proper headphone and is confirmed in that review as well as mine. More careful reading is needed to be sure you are not misled with the bass response. He uses his own made up target on a custom fixture. Proper interpretation shows the same bass deficiency I found. He also repeatedly states that the pad that I tested is the "stock" one, making it very important that we focus on that, and not less used pads.

 

[amirm]

Its great that some companies and designers share your idea of the tuning or just like this particular sound signature.

I had no idea about any target curves for headphones until I started to test them per published research. I created EQ and preformed both blind and sighted tests across now 100 some headphones and IEM. It confirms the findings of years of research that there is high likelihood of listeners preferring their target as me, randomly picked out of the audiophile population, liked their target. So no, these researchers and designers are not "sharing my idea" of a proper headphone target. They are following the research and finding, just like me, that there is huge merit in it. Dan Clark tells me that both Stealth and Expanse have been hugely successful for them and hence the reason they now have the E3 with similar target.

 

[amirm]

I dont think anyone feels threatened here and is creating "FUD" for that reason, honestly to me it sounds like a default 4chan conspiracy theory and somewhat hints the level of discussion here.
There people that just disagree with you pointing at possibility that we just dont know enough to make as adamant conclusions as you do and that there is more layers of complexity to the question of "what does the majority like and why we like something". I pointed you at the problems with sample size and the richness of the presented data, as well as how carefully data is sociology is evaluated to avoid generalizing conclusions. As soon as a scientist gets high on his own supply, its pretty much over.

You say there is no FUD and then go on to created exactly that: FUD! You have no data expressed in the above sentence. All you are doing is attempting to create doubt with word salad arguments. Neither you, nor ZMF have brought any research, new insight, or really any reliable data whatsoever to counter the research. Your entire claim is "well, this research is not good enough" complying with the "D" in FUD. Come back when you have read all the research, conducted your own controlled test and then make a proper argument. Writhing 5 pages of text thinking you are smarter than us in making high-school debate argument is not going to work.

 

[solderdude]

How can I like something where the majority of other people here DON'T like it, or view it as badly tuned

Quite simple... you obviously belong to the minority that does not prefer Harman tuning.
Most likely the 1 out of 5 listeners that preferred less bass boost.

 

[Tachyon88]

Im not the one who made the assumption that the choice is based on the craftsmanship and not the sound. Excited to see the behavioural research data on this topic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I never assumed anything. I read what you write and never assumed that is the sole reason.....yet there is that craftsmanship. However you owning and liking the headphone is sort of beside the point. I wouldn't buy this HP until I see how it performs because if I bought it I would tune it to Harman. IF I was interested in this HP I would actually buy it BECAUSE of Amir's review, not his opinion, but the data he provided. Among other things....you're complaining because this site isn't like the dozens of other sites you can go to and affirm each other and complain ASR is trying to rain on your parade.

Anyways, when trying EQ profiles I highly recommend just leaving it on for a few weeks instead of toggling back and forth. When you switch back to stock the difference will be more stark that way.

 

[Madlop26]

I think even the most ardent objectivists would be shocked at how good something like this can sound. But I can't prove it, so I won't try to.

Well, you can prove it, just do a proper blind testing again another set up that measures well, that would be much more productive than making childish statements.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Well, you can prove it, just do a proper blind testing again another set up that measures well, that would be much more productive than making childish statements.

The hostility on this forum still shocks me, but I guess it is woven into the culture at this point.

No, I cannot prove that an objectivist would like the sound of my DAC with a blind test, please read more carefully. What you are suggesting is a blind test to prove that I prefer my DAC over a better measuring one, which is a different question entirely. I do have the capability to do that.

 

[Benesyed]

EQ Caldera vs No-Q Caldera battle royale. Just have CanJam get a hotel room like Sennheisser does for the HE-1. I would donate to the research!

 

[solderdude]

Conclusion from TechPowerup:

The Caldera isn't for everyone. It has a warmer tonality that doesn't come off as the cleanest sound in the world, and it isn't the most resolving set either—probably a good thing here given the non-fatiguing frequency response.

This is what they say about the slightly higher priced DCA Stealth:

The Dan Clark Audio STEALTH is the only thing so far to convince me a closed-back set of headphones does not have to be uncomfortable or sound weird somewhere. I would of course prefer it cost less but I concede that there is nothing else in my collection to best it, thus the asking price seems justified purely by being the best of the lot.

 

[Hemi-Demon]

There's quite a lot of info subjective and objective on the web now about the Caldera. Most users spending that much on a headphone either know their preferences or reach out, or post on a forum somewhere and get help from other owners. Since we go to Canjams and shows/meets a lot many owners hear it ahead of time before buying.

In the rare case they don't have info ahead of time and aren't satisfied they reach out afterwards and we help out. Here's another recent informative review by techpowerup with objective measurements and subjective impressions that is more thorough: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/zmf-caldera-open-back-planar-magnetic-headphones/

Oddly enough, with a different rig and a different target that techpower created, they came to pretty much the same summary opinion:

• Flagship cost, albeit not as much as most others
• The tonality isn't for everyone
• Fairly heavy, especially with the aluminium chassis
• Extensive options can be overwhelming for some
• Upper treble might be irksome if you are sensitive

Amir comes off far more aggressive in his writing, than on video, but I think he offered a pretty balanced review of this device, especially with his eq recommendations. Why in the world all the back and forth?

ZMF feels that Amir is biased so he won't send the gear to him. So be it. Techpowerup received a full loaner package, and showed better control from 1K - 8k with the lambskin ultra pads, but the bass drops significantly.

Why would a listener want to have to decide on either no bass, or a major cut in musical reproduction in the 1K - 8K band, depending on the pad or insert chosen?

Either way it's cool that Amir allows new members, manufacturers and long standing members to engage like this. There are few forums left like this.

If this was Head-fi half this thread would have been deleted and every user would have to pay a member of the trade fee. Did ZMF pay the manufacturer fee to Head-fi!

 

[Hemi-Demon]

Caldera sounds very good without EQ to me here is my pair in Kingwood (rosewood), driven by a tube amp of my design, along with a NOS DAC of my design with a tube output stage. The horror! Shield your eyes lest you go blind

View attachment 333733

Do you have a build thread for your design? It looks great. Hats off to you, if you built all of that by hand.

 

[isostasy]

I have a Meze Elite next to my Caldera for about a year now which looks stunning and is argueably one of the best designed headphones on the market and yet I grab it far less frequent than the Caldera. Because of the sound.

Your preference for the Caldera would be predicted.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Do you have a build thread for your design? It looks great. Hats off to you, if you built all of that by hand.

You can build the amplifier yourself if you please, I released the design for free with extensive step-by-step instructions, but it is relatively expensive to build given the transformers and chokes involved.

diyAudio: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/aegis-diy-tube-headphone-amplifier.399473/
Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aegis-diy-tube-headphone-amplifier.965530/

I didn't release the DAC as a DIY project, just too complicated for most people and the PCM63 chip is quite rare and expensive at this point.

I actually made a post to release the project on this forum, but the first person to reply was so rude I took it down lol.

 

[zach915m]

EQ Caldera vs No-Q Caldera battle royale.

Funny thing is I've clearly stated I'm happy with however owners want to use the Caldera and there's those that like it each way, yet I continually am argued at as if I've stated something else. So be it I suppose.

Thank you all this was fun in it's own way. The passion for the hobby is strong which I love.

Hopefully my statements about my reasoning for tuning are clear (regardless of your personal beliefs) but if not, hit us up through our website we're happy to answer questions at any time.

 

[Resolve]

EQ Caldera vs No-Q Caldera battle royale. Just have CanJam get a hotel room like Sennheisser does for the HE-1. I would donate to the research!

Is the idea here to see if canjam audiophiles have a unique preference that isn't reflected by the controlled preference research that's already done? Because... we already know that the Caldera with these pads would be less preferred to the largest segment compared to a headphone tuned intentionally to OE 2018. I don't think there's really any question about that. The other thing is that EQ reveals a lot about a headphone's various FR quirks, and I imagine that most people aren't doing that with these headphones, so I uh... I wouldn't be overly optimistic about the outcome being in favor of no EQ hahah. The same goes for most headphones really, depending on their features.

So I guess I'd be curious what the purpose of this is given what we already have from more controlled research. What I'd like to see, by contrast is how the wideband result here looks relative to the lower bound of the preference data.