The Caldera to me has more of a sense of being there. It feels more organic and real to me, with more coherence to the way the instruments are presented - especially drums. I feel on the D7000, the bass is more separated from the rest of the frequencies, and quite a bit more prominent. D7000’s bass is more speaker-like too, which is a quality I enjoy, but on the Caldera it’s more textured and refined. Soundstage is bigger on the D7000, but the Caldera presents a more buttoned-down, pulled-together overall image. Both have excellent treble, but I think the D7000 is actually a bit smoother and more relaxed than the Caldera, even with suede pads (it’s got a bit of zing around 6k). The D7000 presents a nice, clean V-shape, whereas the Caldera tuning is just a bit lusher and more romanticized than neutral.
The Verite Open has the biggest soundstage of the three, and is also darker and more relaxed in the midrange than either the D7000 or the Caldera. Thus, it’s the most colored, most romanticized of the three, yet it is still just as technically proficient, with a lot of detail even if you’ve gotta listen for it a bit more. In terms of bass-quantity, I find it’s somewhere between the Caldera and the D7000, but in terms of bass dynamics, it’s the best of the three. It punches hard and fast, similar to my Focal Radiance. I personally love the tuning, but it’s not for everyone, so it definitely warrants an audition. It especially comes alive on tubes.
It's hard for me to pick a favorite. I mostly take a "horses for courses" approach with my headphones, and I love all three of these pretty much equally. I think if you put a gun to my head and made me choose, I might pick the Verite Open for myself, but it's also probably the least safe to recommend. Folks who love the VO REALLY love the VO, but it's not for everyone. Caldera is more of an all-rounder. They both have that wonderful ZMF flavor, whereas the D7000 comes across as more of a classic old-fashioned hi-fi sound.