I will be a little unique in saying this but I am reaching for the Atticus more. yeah yeah the Eikon is better but I just keep reaching for the Atticus.
Let me just put some impressions of the Atticus out here. I will post a full review on my site probably before the weekend is over
ZMF ATTICUS
So the overall presentation of the Atticus is extremely reminiscent of a venue space. Me and some friends when salsa dancing and the bass was pumping, the music was full but coming from every angle, the treble was smooth. While the bass dominated everything else was clear. I could have just relaxed in a couch there with my drink and enjoyed the atmosphere. Smooth but very engaging.
This version of the Atticus is MUCH better than the prototype I heard before. This type of tuning is a little bit ballsy because it is not for everyone (but it is for me!
) It has good sub bass extension even though the midbass seems elevated over it tone sweeps show a smoother transition than what I sometimes think I am hearing. The lower midrange and upper bass is warm but the Atticus has a very good sweet spot where the 'fullness/mud region' of 300-500hz adds fullness but is not boosted into muddiness. The midrange is a little more distant than some other headphones positionally but also has a sweet spot of positioning to my ears where it is not too far or distant or too close. The upper midrange has a bit of a dip but is nothing like the Elear. The treble is kind of soft and overall the headphone is dark but very smooth. I suspect Nighthawk fans will really love the Atticus. The NH has its voices 'underwater' though and even has a dipped midrange proper followed by a sharp peak in the lower treble that the Atticus does not have. The Atticus is a warm sound signature done right but with a more enveloping bass and richer midrange proper, and less upper bass bleed. So NH fans can expect a serious upgrade in balance and technicalities when going to the Atticus.
One thing of note is how the headphone handles volume, eq, and the likes. It is very easy to eq without getting distortion and holds up extremely well at high volumes. I did face some issues trying to eq the upper midrange from 3-5khz because it caused fatigue. I also wanted to add a little more definition and edge by boosting 6hkz just a little bit but while it stayed clean, none of the eq settings seemed to really do it for me and caused some fatigue. I was told it is possibly due to the more nodal response of the driver, meaning the way the driver responds it delivers more of a concentrated response from the center of the driver. However fatiguing it may have been (caused some aches) it never distorts. In the end I just left it as is. I may tube roll with the Mogwai and Auris HA2SE to see what I can do to that little dip. With the loaner Mogwai and JJ tubes that dip seemed null. I'd really like to hear the Atticus on the Taboo UFO by Decware.
The other couple of points about the Atticus is that it's soundstage is very good! better than the Eikon. Yes this is contrary to some other people's posts but I don't care. The Eikon has better separation and articulation but the Atticus is more spacious and slightly more cavernous. My favorite dynamic closed back (until now) the JVC DX1000 had that same cavernous feel to the Atticus does but memory recalls it sounding a little more cavernous but less technically capable.
Also contrary to some posts, I actually feel the Atticus responds better to tube amps. I am pretty firm with this sentiment. The Atticus gains body, solidity, and microdynamics from the right tube amplifier. I feel that if you only play it on a solid state amp you will kind of rob it of the microdynamics it is capable of and it's high impedance requires careful system matching. Just be careful to not throw it on a super syrupy tube amp. Tube amp does not always mean slow and syrupy. The Mogwai grabbed the Atticus by the neck shook it around like:
It has a lot of potential but results will vary on the Atticus even more than the Eikon when amping it. Without the transients being controlled and the response synergized by the right amp, the Atticus loses articulation.
Anyhow. Might as well call that a mini review but the Atticus really good. I mean really good.
