ZMF Headphones - Caldera Closed

High-end headphones with a lot of bass ZMF Atrium Closed Xk-Audio Fluxio (DIY headphone from China) Focal Clear MG Caldera Closed: not a LOT of bass, but some of the best bass quality I've ever heard T+P Soltaire P

Probably the Caldera is closed in the office. I actually prefer it to the Caldera open that I have at home lol Probably bc I’m less distracted in the office, and can properly concentrate on the subtle qualities of a headphone. At home. I tend to mostly use the HD800S for general use and gaming (flight sims, and some BF6). Because it’s light, it works well with my head tracking gear. For music, coming out of a class-A solid state (Cayin IHA-8), I find them to be kinda sterile and boring tbh. For music,  tend to reach for the Caldera open and the Atrium the most. My Solitaire P should be my most technically accomplished headphone in my collection. But TBH I’m not a fan of their tuning. Thinking of selling it (I got mine second hand, for around 20k rmb), and getting a He1000 unveiled. Or maybe a Susvara Unveiled, if I find one for 30k rmb. Which would hopefully stop me from buying any more headphones lol

I have the CC but the DCA Stealth is better.

Caldera Closed and Susvara are the perfect complimentary pair to me.

lol you are really chasing that end game(i feel the same way). I actually prefered the atrium to the caldera closed on brief listen. cc didn't do anything special to me somehow. he1k unveiled is crazy good detail/tuning though probably endgame next susvara if you are chasing technicalities/detail

If the Caldera closed is anything like its Open variant sound wise, then it would be it for me. I used to own the E3.

On top of punchiness, the Caldera also has a better sub-bass extension. You can actually hear and discern sub-bass tones better than on the Focals (which sounded a bit one note-y down low) I also love the mid-range on the Caldera. They just sound super lush/smooth (with the thick pads). The Focals in comparison sounded a bit 'cold', but still decent. That said, I've yet to hear either of the Utopias, so I wouldn't be so quick to place one above the other. If anything, I keep hearing how similar they can sound off of different amps/dacs. The Caldera works great for all electronic genres, if you're into that.

I've got the Caldera Closed for use at work in-office and they're great for that. Best closed cans I've heard. For open though, I'd have to go with the Meze Elite.

susvara can get engaging on an incredible/expensive source chain. i think i had the most fun listen with the caldera open. and i'll like to try the utopia again on a better amp when i had my listen with it at CAF. is that the original utopia or the nutopia?

For the love of all that's good and holy, avoid those bell-shaped headphone stands at all costs, especially where planars are concerned. They look nice, but they can denigrate both your pads, and drivers. >To me, headphone is more like personal preference than money game(e.g. more expensive gear = better sound) This is spot on. Perfect example, I vehemently dislike the 800S and strongly prefer the HD 490s. Same with the Utopia; I prefer the Radiance and the Stellia. Prefer the LCD-X and LCD-2 to the LCD-5. Meze 109 Pros over the Elites, the Liric II's over the Empyrean IIs. The Bokeh Closed and Atrium over the Caldera. The list goes on. Most brands are obsessed with focusing on technical performance as they push toward summit-fi, prioritizing upper mid and treble clarity and detail, soundstage, etc. I need low frequency energy in my headphones; not just extension, but emphasis. I've learned, the hard way, that, with a couple of exceptions, anything from that 3.5-5k region is not going to be tuned to my preferences.

Almost all of my headphone purchases were blind buys based on reviews from YouTube and comments / posts people left here on Reddit and Head-fi. I think the only expectations being the Diana MR and E3, which I was able to demo at Audio 46 in NYC on a trip and the Caldera which another Redditor let me listen to. Seeing everyone else’s comments with a similar blind purchase after reading or watching reviews had me wondering, is there another hobby that has this level of spending purely based off reviews with very little in person demoing?

For sound, the focal bathys seem hard to beat to my ear, especially in DAC mode.  My wired ZMFs are better of course but the Bathys are surprising close while having the ability to switch BT to go wireless.  With that, for travel, the Bose are hard to beat for portability, comfort & ANC, and the Gen 2 adding charging while listening completed the package. Just for the heck though I may try a pair of the Ankers