The Eikon wins in sub-bass and less treble roll, but the Atticus wins in mids and mid-bass. I feel the Atticus is smoother overall, but the Eikon is more precise with complex music with a slight edge in separation.

Well, my Schiit experience is quite limited. But I found the Amethyst and Musette to have quite a wide soundstage but not a bunch of depth. Schiit DACs (especially the higher level ones) have a much larger front to back depth of stage. I'm also surprised the Amethyst isn't getting talked...

Good choice if you ask me. I feel The Atticus, and your amps will pair extremely well together, especially the OTL...

I would suspect you'd be disappointed, if you skipped proper amplification. There is an HD660s, which should be easier to drive. But it hasn't hit the market yet, so real listening impressions are basically non existent. Jude is the only one I'm aware of who has a pair...

Does anyone have any experience pairing the ZDS with efficient planars like the LCD-X? I'm basically a "dynamic" guy, but I get an itch every once in a while, that I want this Audeze (or something similar) to scratch. Any impressions would be appreciated...

  An amplifier with more "punch" would help a lot.  The Jotunheim is such an amp, but it is a desktop solution only.  There are plenty of other options...

  If he doesn't need full portable, its a good suggestion...

  You'd get a greater return on investment if you got new tubes and interconnects...

  Look, I apologize if you think I was beating you up over your choice in amp.  I'm sure its a fine amp..... for Audeze headphones.  Maybe you you just found some poor synergy, which is what I think.  Trust your ears, I do...

When I hear someone say the HD650 is veiled, I check out their amplification.  I usually find my answer...

  While I enjoyed listening to the Elears, I wouldn't call them a "super HD650" or even necessarily a superior headphone.  They are more lively, and will give you more bass.  But that's a different flavor and not necessarily an elevated music listening experience

  I believe there are rumors of a Bifrost update, which might make one want to wait just a bit and see how true that is.  I'm not sure which Bifrosts Schiit will offer future upgrades for.  It might only be for the multibit variety...

If a balanced DAC is well designed/built, the RCA outputs should be no slouch.  Shop the sound, not the design...

  The Liquid Carbon is a superior amp to the HiFi-M8.  But that isn't saying the M8 doesn't have its purpose.  Oddly the M8 is less quiet background then the LC.  One would think being battery powered, would lend itself to the opposite.   Before getting my Musette, I used my M8 as a DAC for...

  I thought that was when there was 2 headphones plugged in?