Anyone else order Caladans from Clayton Shaw?

@vthokie83 

I'm curious what speakers did you have previously and what is the rest of the system? Thanks, glad you're enjoying them!

I met Clayton at Pacific Audio Fest. He was in Spatial Audio Labs' room where they were showing off their Q6 speaker. This seems very much like a similar product although significantly less costly. I know Spatial Audio Lab has put the Q6 on pause because this product would essentially make the Q6 obsolete before it ever came to market. In any case, I thought the Q6 was a really great speaker so if this is anywhere close, it is a gonga. 

abd1,

My virtual system is listed in my profile, except I do rotate cables in and out. I have an Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp and a CODA S5.5 amp on order.....preamp arrives in about 9 weeks and the CODA will be here next week hopefully. I'll move on from the Denafrips amp and preamp at that time.

Speakers I've owned: Thiel CS 1.2s, CS 2.3s, CS 3.6s, and CS 3.7s, vintage Infinity REF Kappa 7s, and Kappa 9s, Buchardt Audio S400 MKIIs, Tannoy Autograph Mini, Proac Response D2s, 1980s Sansui that I can't remember the model.....that's probably it. Never owned an open baffle or electrostatic before.

Okay here you go, first listening notes from 3 days of listening to the Clayton Shaw Caladans. I am not very good at describing what I hear, so don't fry me on that.

1. I warmed the speakers up just for a couple of hours by connecting to my system in my office, and let maybe 4 CDs play through them without any listening. Moved them to my current listening space, and connected to my equipment. It was all left on for 24 hours previously to be warmed up sufficiently. I did two listening passes through each CD, over 3 days
2. I must also say that my current listening room is in no way optimal, I’d say it’s below average. My wife decided she wanted to swap the living room with the family room, and my gear now resides in the living room which has minimal treatment (curtains and wool area rug; open concept to two other rooms. I can definitely tell the negative difference in rooms, both with my existing Thiel CS2.3 and Buchardt Audio S400 MKII speakers. I am constructing a listening room, but that is a bunch of months out
3. Having never owned open baffle speakers before, I did not know what to expect. I will certainly say that they are much more workable compared to my traditional speakers, in their current room
4. Each time I sat down with the intention to listen for a few hours, the next thing I knew it was many hours later, and I had done no work for the afternoon. It eventually piled up, and had to spend a couple of days catching up. These are really fun speakers
5. Gear used: Audiolab 6000 CDT transport > Morrow Audio DIG4 digital coax cable > Denafrips Pontus II DAC > Morrow Audio MA4 XLR cables > Denafrips Hades preamp > Morrow Audio MA4 XLR cables > Denafrips Thallo amplifier (120 watts 8 ohm/220 watts 4 ohm) > Anti-Cables Level 3.1 speaker cables > Clayton Shaw Caladan speakers
6. Music used (all CD, whole album listened to): Poi Dog Pondering “Wishing Like a Mountain and Thinking Like a Sea” & “Pomegranate” – Eagles “One of These Nights” – Nirvana “MTV Unplugged” – Chris Isaak “Heart Shaped World” – Gorillaz “Demon Days” – The Talking Heads “Stop Making Sense Remastered” – Chris Stapleton “Traveler” – 10,000 Maniacs “MTV Unplugged” – Johnny Cash American IV - Supertramp “Crime of the Century” – Dire Straits “Brothers in Arms” – Memoirs of a Geisha “Soundtrack” – The Civil Wars “Barton Hollow” – Atlanta Rhythm Section “Champagne Jam” – Amy Winehouse “Back to Black”
7. Several of the albums I chose for their difficulty. Some can be bright, some can be congested (Poi Dog sometimes up to 16 musicians and vocalists on stage), some to get a variety of genres, and some because I just love the album.
8. Take my listening notes with a grain of salt, if your musical tastes vary from mine. I do not listen to classical, chamber music, opera, jazz, fusion jazz, electronical (mostly), Norah Jones (or the like), or too much country
9. Speakers about 2 feet into the room, seating position 8 feet from speakers, and speakers about 8’ between the tweeters. Speakers toed in so they were each aimed just outside of my ears, maybe 12”…..I did not try playing with positioning beyond that
10. Initial thoughts –

1. These are the best speakers I have ever owned.
2.  Bass is a little laid back, but slowly improved throughout the next few days, was never muddy…..quick, punchy, detailed, not overly deep. I’m not sure if that is just the OB design, or improper placement, or needing to break in the woofers
3. Voices are incredible, male and female. Clear, articulate, great tone and full of body, I was able to understand words in songs that I know the words to but couldn’t clearly make out otherwise. I could pick out different vocalists when they were singing at the same time. Vocals were natural and without any harshness, showed all the nuances and grit and vibrato and breath and failings (Chris Stapleton, Natalie Merchant, David Byrne, Johnny Cash), almost like a live performance, dynamic changes from soft to crescendos were effortless. Vocals kept between speakers and could place where vocalists were on the stage even with multiple vocalists, great emotion. Chris Issak’s voice was brilliant, hypnotic
4. Complicated songs and music where there were a lot of musicians and vocalists (Talking Heads, Poi Dog Pondering, Gorillaz), were rendered more like a live setting where you can place and distinguish each, articulate and detailed without being jumbled or confused
5. Some songs that can be bright and brittle with intertwined detail (Poi Dog Pondering, Supertramp, Gorillaz) were delivered much more clearly and individually and smoothly, with no sense of being overwhelmed, I could separate an electric violin from a cello from saxophone from a mandolin from bells from recorder from synth from horns while they were all being played simultaneously, multiple percussion instruments from each other, and multiple vocalists. They all had their own space and somewhat their own location
6. Imaging and soundstage and presentation – For now the soundstage is limited to the outer edges of the speakers, a little beyond……soundstage height is very good, depth is there more than my current Buchardt Audio S400 MKIIs, but at this point the soundstage is not “magical” like I’ve heard on some systems. The sound does not seem to come from the speakers, it is more presented from a stage of sound. I certainly need to play around positioning more, but for now this is where I am
7. So far so good. I am ecstatic with the speakers, I suspect there is a lot of testing with speaker placement and just getting used to open baffle. I also suspect that my current electronics, while good, are not going to really allow the Caladans to reach their full potential. My new Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp will be here in a couple of months, and CODA S5.5 amp in a couple of weeks

Great write up. They sound promising. Wonder if they’ll continue to open up. 

If they are anything like the Spatial Audio Labs speakers Clayton used to run, they will continue to open up for around 300 hours. Check out AudioCircle where this is discussed extensively under Spatial Audio Labs' Circle. 

@vthokie83 Keep those new Caladans playing music and experiment with positioning. When the new preamp and amp arrive I have a feeling you are going to soil your pants!

Well I will make sure to have my Depends on then. I truly am very excited, the Caladans bass continues to open a bit more each day.....and I think the Aric Audio and CODA pieces will truly be a magical grouping

Vthokie83,

I have these on order as well, Nov 2nd, I'm patiently waiting at the door.  I managed to get ahold of Clayton today (he's always busy), I asked about the break in method he circled back on playing an audio file on YouTube 10hz, he said that's the target and to let it play through the day, just enough to see woofer movement.  He said this would FastTrack the initial break-in 100 hrs, with full break in happening around 300 to 500 hrs.  

Owain,

Did he mention anything specific? I found several things when I searched YouTube for 10HZ audio

Hey Vthokie83,

He said just to loop the 10hz track and let that play for about 100 hours. I also brought up over heating concerns which he advised that he was not at all concerned being that the speaker is so efficient. He was more about breaking in the spider by the voice coil that the part that needs to move as the woofer are so rigid right now being so new. He also said you didn’t have to play at loud volumes but look for some excursion happening with the woofer. I also tried that 10Hz on my CSS Criton 1TDX and those woofers were moving. He also brought up The user Tyson from AudioCircle saying that Tyson experienced break in on the at around the 500 hr mark on his Saphires using this method.

What I'll do is let them play that 10hz from 7 -4 then I'll play my track and listen for improvements throughout the week I have that cd from bass mekanik  that does all those sweeps and ill just put on the track to repeat. 

When I did my RF7-III upgrade, I could not tell I my situation because of what that speaker went thru going from a two way to a 2.5.  A completely different  animal, but I was shocked from that bass I heard from Ron's video,

Or try calling Clayton, 801-631-2994

Figured I would weigh in here. I also ordered on 11/1/23. Received confirmation of order on 1/21/24. No additional update as of yet. Similar to another poster I ordered the Walnut baffles. Hoping to see the speakers at some point this month.

the_nick

Please share when you receive a shipping confirmation response. I ordered mine on 11/05 and was told by Clayton in February via phone that I should expect them around mid-March.

I'll keep this group posted on my updates.

I ordered on 11/29/23.  Have spoken to Clayton once or twice since then and given the expectation of March 2024 delivery.  Will not be surprised if that slips into April 2024 though.

I'm pumped,  I received tracking showing Wednesday eta.  

Vthokie83,  did you try that 10hz track, also what about the bass, is it opening up for you?

Seems like my order hit a snag. Looks like it is related to a PayPal issue. Clayton and team are asking me to dispute the transaction because they can't access the money I already paid. They then want me to reorder and will hold my place in line. Sounds a little fishy to me. Anyone else experience something like this?

@owain if it is not too personal, what was your invoice number? I envy you with your delivery date! I have ordered mine on Nov 22 and my invoice is 182.

Nov 2nd below 90

thanks

@the_nick That sounds really fishy. What would you be disputing? Non-delivery? That would be bad for them. You'd have to provide PayPal with assorted proof and an email asking you to dispute it would not look good for them.

@vthokie83 mine are enroute, did you play the 10hz file at all, how are they sounding now? and how many hours do you have on them?

Owain,

I did not play the 10Hz files, as my streaming set up was disconnected when I changed my equipment to a different listening room....I tried to find the CD, and it was not available anywhere. I ended up ordering the "Isotek High Resolution Full System Enhancer", and have used it as directed. I have about 65 hours or so on them.

The bass has definitely opened up as expected, drives deeper, gets even punchier, is still quick and accurate......but I have no idea if they deliver the 32Hz as advertised. Frankly I don't care, the bass is just fun and enjoyable and accurate. Deep enough for everyone? I don't know, but more than enough for me.

What I wasn't prepared for was the treble to relax so much more. As much as I thought they were exceptional for the first week or so, they have opened up even more with zero edginess, and just delivering information that sounds "correct" and effortless at all times....impressive.

Here is where I am going to have an issue following up on the progress of the Caladans going forward. Last week I took possession of my CODA S5.5 amplifier, and it is now installed driving the Caladans for the last 30 hours or so. I will occasionally go back to my Buchardt Audio S400 MKIIs for brief periods,  but not for long.

The CODA S5.5 and Caladans are RIDICULOUSLY GREAT together....sorry for the caps, but I am running out of descriptives. How many different ways can I describe magic, effortless, beautiful, amazing, emotional, accurate, soundstage, emotion, depth, joy, happiness.....these have brought me to tears several times this past week. I don't know how they work with jazz, classical, chamber music, opera, choral, etc.....but with the music I listen to, I am amazed every morning I turn them on.

And that is still with my old Denafrips Hades preamp (which definitely is better than I gave it credit for), I cannot imagine what will happen when I receive the Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp in a couple of months, but damn I cannot wait.

@the_nick 

Don't see anything fishy in Clayton's request.  He's telling you to get a refund and then re-send the money while he holds your place in line.  He's not asking you to pay him twice. If you in fact sent the money to the right account phone number or e-mail and he hasn't received it then it's a problem on PayPal's end. If you questions ask him about it directly as nobody on this forum can help you. 

@the_nick  Clayton called my friend and told him the same thing. He mentioned he had to call at least 75 customers. Maybe PP did this because the money was sitting in Clayton's PP account for a long time?

@evank  Very interesting, and thanks for passing that information along (which was the intended purpose of me posting here). I followed up on the email I received from Mark at CSAL after I received it yesterday but have yet to hear back.

And not sure of the PayPal specifics, but don't want to speculate. At this point I am just looking forward to receiving the speakers.

@jackd 

I want to read the response as constructive, but it's just not how it comes across. For awareness, I received an email from Mark at CSAL and responded to it as soon as I read it. So, as you mention I am following up with the company.

As far as posting here for "help", that was not my intent. My intent was to see if others encountered a similar experience. This is informative not just for me, but others that may be in a similar situation.

Hopefully if you ordered your transactions and experience have been smooth.

@vthokie83 this is what I am planning to run in a loop when my Caladans arrive

I ordered a pair in cherry the week before Christmas. Confirmed the charge to Spatial Audio on my CC but never received a confirmation email or any other response from CSAL. I’ve sent two on line inquiries through their website but no response. Customer service is lacking but the product appears to be outstanding at least from the new recipients of the Calladan. 
… anxiously waiting to add these to my collection. I have 3 amps: Luxman 550 axII, Luxman LX-380, Musical Fidelity 6si and am in the Q for a Decware so very curious about the compatibility with these.

@vthokie83 Thank you for that great followup, I was really curious what your ear was picking up, your sorta mirroring what Clayton was laying down on the road-map to full break-in.  I don't have that type of Amp congrats to your accomplishments there perhaps one day. WAF is still an occurrence here. I bought those cd from discog the sheffield audio labs test and burn in cd.  You have me curious with the option you used, I might have to look at that, I loved seeing your emotions, sounds like there taking your breath away.  I was also looking at those Buchhardt mkii but went with the CSS Criton 1TDX, with superior xo.  Those floored me into going to GR to upgrade the RF7-III,  that was so much work.  

Man, so little time on this rock to get exposed to this hobby.

I too initially ordered via PayPal on NOV 1st. It seems there are some shady practices going on with them. Allegedly several lawsuits settled out of court as to not bring public attention to PP's poor service to vendors. Per Clayton's recommendation, I disputed the order and received my money from PP after 100 days. I'm ready to purchase via Square, but can't seem to figure out how. Do I need to request an Square invoice from Clayton?

Correction: I received my refund after 10 days. 

Why not to use credit card?

Hey @knock1 ​​,

For reference my order was done with a credit card, just passed through my PayPal account. I use PayPal due to the good customer support and dispute resolution when needed. Anyway, my intent was not to steer this thread too far off topic, but I am glad some other folks chimed in to make me aware of other, similar situations, so thank you for that.

@vthokie83 as a fellow Tech alum I am looking forward to more of your impressions and hope to have my Caladans soon as well. I saw some other comments from you in DAC threads and may reach out directly to pick your brain on it. Right now I am on a middle of the road Schiit stack (modi multibit, Freya s, and Vidar 2), along with a Wiim Pro streamer and Wharfedale Lintons. I get the feeling the Caladans will outpace those and have me itching for the next upgrade.

Nick

the_nick,

Let's go Hokies!

Feel free to reach out any time, love to talk audio

I have them setup, over in Clayton's forum will start tomorrow  AM

This is little disconcerting, unless my train of thoughts is flawed.

@vthokie83 ordered on 11/1/23, received on 2/7/24, serial # 00023.

@owain ordered on 11/2/23, received on 3/13/24, serial #00032.

It looks as if only nine sets were made in more than one month! I hope this is wrong conclusion.

I placed an order on 2/27, invoice #245. Got a confirmation email on 3/4. Clayton emailed me asking for the finish choice since it wasn’t listed on my order. I asked him about the lead time for recent orders. He said 60 days.

I placed an order (#259) with Clayton on 3/9. Had I nice chat on what I could expect from the Caladans, as I have a unique listening room. I did not press him for an exact time frame for delivery, but he did say he has hired additional people, and is ramping up production. Realstically, I would imagine obtaining them in 2-4 months. This is a new company, so I’d imagine there will be growing pains long the way. Can’t wait to play with the new Caladans!

I suspect the Invoice/Order numbers may give a sense of relative ordering in the production process, but also imagine the production queue is dependent on baffle availability.

Good point. I chose Cherry.

I placed my order January 11th and have the order number 1089...makes me wanna cry. How can that be? I talked to Clayton 2/28 and he said, "give it a couple of months." So I'm hoping to get my walnut Caladans in April (but maybe not until May).

@mewsickbuff Your order # is from the Spatial Audio order system. When I placed an order, my # was 1111, but the invoice I got directly from Clayton was 245.

I'm not sure how the invoice numbers work, I'm not positive there is a correlation. I ordered on 11/1/2023 with Invoice #179, and received SN 00023.

It was hard for me to be patient, but in the end I have an amazing pair of speakers for what I consider a steal of a price. The speakers are gorgeous, use very high quality components, are well built, and sound better than anything I have every owned....and I've had some expensive speakers over the years (at least for me)

Any new company will have some growing pains, and I think the positive response to the Caladans from the New Record Day video caught everyone off guard.....and pressed them into production earlier than planned. For me it was well worth the frustration.

@terrapin77 exactly, my order was 845 and invoice is 182

@vthokie83 good things come to those who wait!

vthokie83

I agree and I have an additional data point/info.  Clayton left a voicemail yesterday evening because my original wood choice was white oak (invoice #107 order date 12 Nov).  I was wavering on my wood choice after Clayton posted the pics of actual baffles in the cherry, maple, and walnut.  I asked if I could get a picture of a white oak baffle to help determine my final wood selection. They have not yet received the first round of baffles in the oak.  Clayton has seen the raw wood, "which looked really good".

I took a closer look at the invoice Clayton emailed to me and the No. he gave was 225, so I'm feeling better  :)  Greatly enjoyed the review, vthokie83! 

Hello All,

I also worked to reverse my charge per Clayton's feedback and was asked to reorder it for delivery, but have two questions.

1. The new price is more expensive than when I originally ordered. There's a premium now for walnut and shipping is more expensive. How did you resolve these differences with Clayton?

2. I was told the dispute case is considered open for 90-days, thus the merchant can show proof of delivery and they will reverse the credit return. How have you mitigated the risk of being billed twice, if the dispute is reversed with proof of delivery?

I ordered on 1/6 and have never received an actual invoice, despite requesting such. Waiting isn't the issue, customer service is. I just emailed Clayton again, requesting cancellation of my order. 

@middlemass 

I feel ya. Agree about the customer service. It took 2 online inquiry, an email and a phone call before I got a call back from Clayton. Compare this to the Eversolo I bought online and the owner called me the same day to thank me for the order.

It appears CSAL had an initial production slowdown due to the furniture manufacturer which has now been resolved and the baffles are better than expected according to CS. As of 3-23 they are working on November orders producing 30-40 pair per month but production is anticipated to ramp up now that the woodworking issue is fixed. No promised date but looks better than ordering a Decware amp.LOL. I ordered Dec 20 and looking forward to these. April???

BTW there is a recent blog update by Clayton on the website describing the PayPal / billing etc.