[Hansotek]

Is there an upgrade cable that has synergy with both the Eikon and Atticus or do they need different type cables due to their sound differences? I know ZMF has a new cable coming, but one can never have too many cables.

I tend to look at cables somewhat prescriptively. So with that in mind, it depends on what you want more or less of in the sound. I use the DanaCable Lazuli with my Atticus, which adds a good extra amount of body to the sound: more bass impact and a fuller, more musical lower mid compared to stock. I am a big fan of Dana's work and since buying my first DanaCable last year, I've recabled my entire system with his stuff. With that extra body, the Atticus is just a massive tidal wave of sound, IMO.

There are some other really viable options out there too, Double Helix Cables sound great and have a very sweet, emotive sound and can reveal a better sense of stage depth. They also sell really good wire if you want to DIY it or have a friend do it.

I didn't really like the Moon Silver Dragon with the Atticus or Eikon, as it thinned out the sound, which took away a little of the magic for me. I didn't like the Norne Draug 2 either, I though the mids sounded a little wonky through that.

I don't want to derail with a lengthy cable discussion, as some folks find that annoying, so feel free to PM me if you have any questions. With that, I'll leave you with a few resources that may be helpful.

I thought this dude did a really nice breakdown of these cables and several of his observations gel closely with first-hand experiences I've had using these cables with other headphones:
https://audiobacon.net/2017/03/22/danacable-lazuli-reference-headphone-cable-for-the-focal-utopia/

I also reviewed the DanaCable Lazuli and Lazuli Reference here:
http://enjoythemusic.com/magazine/e..._Lazuli_Reference_Headphone_Cables_Review.htm

Cheers!

 

[Aornic]

Atticus review up! It's been a pleasure reviewing these headphones.

Nice review!
I like that you chose test music that most folks can relate to,as opposed to some who use music in reviews that nobody except a select few have ever even heard. Expanding upon that thought,im hearing from your comments that youre not thrilled with the Atticus when listening to dark classic rock recordings(Floyd,Zeppelin,etc).True?

Thanks. Yeah I even used one or two of these tracks during my 15-minute HE-1 appointment. I would prefer to hear tracks I know like the back of my hand instead of impressive audiophile mixes designed to awe listeners. I think Led Zeppelin fares far better with the Atticus than Pink Floyd, John Bonham's drumming is really dynamic!

Your review of the Atticus is very accomplished. It touches on just about everything I need to know about this design. Your recent review of the Eikon was similarly excellent (I heard the Eikon, was very impressed by it, and find your comments to be spot-on).

IMO, the best aspects of these reviews are 2 "meta" factors that go beyond the requisite observations re tonality, build quality, sound w/specific recordings, etc. (all of which you also do very well):

1 - Context: You explicitly frame the sound of these headphones in the context of ZMF's "house sound" & what Zach has tried to achieve with all his designs. You contrast these new designs it to earlier ones and note how different ZMF's tuning is from that of other endgame/big $$ headphone designs.

2 - Subjective experience: You really drill into the subjective experience of listening to these headphones. You talk about how they make you feel, just as much as how they sound (I wish more reviewers of headphones, the most personal of all audio gear, did this). A quote from your earlier (also excellent) review of the Ori exemplifies this perfectly:

"The name of the game for the Ori is fun. I neither know nor care how it measures in graphs as I only know how it sounds to my ears – the most pleasing sound I’ve ever owned."​

I can't help but contrast your excellent/perceptive reviews (& those of @grizzlybeast & several others on Head-Fi) to recent ones by Tyll in Inner Fidelity: IMO Tyll's reviews (particularly of the Atticus) are slack and uninvolved. Reading between the lines, Tyll seems to like & respect Zach & what he's doing w/ZMF, but can't quite take these designs as seriously as other big-$$, "shiny object" designs (Focal Utopia, Ether C Flow, etc). By contrast, what you did was listen to these headphones entirely on their own terms, paying strict attention to the headphones, their sound, and their unique design history--not external factors (signal, not noise).

I'm a fan of your reviews!

Thanks mate. Looking back over a year to my Ori review, I had forgotten the part about measurements and I feel that my sentiment is reinforced by recent events. I really appreciate being reviewed as a reviewer, gave me some perspective. Cheers.

 

[Jeezla]

Hello, 1st time poster here, and also a total noob when it comes to the world of audiophile headphones.
I'll probably be making my first (expensive) headphone purchase in the next month or two and feel like I've narrowed it down to the Atticus or Eikon.
I was hoping you guys could steer me towards one or the other.
I mostly listen to 90's and 2000's Metal (Metallica/Pantera/Alice in Chains/Tool), 90's and 2000's Rap (Biggie/Tupac/Jay-Z/Eminem), 50's,60's, & 70's Rock/Blues (Led Zeppelin/Howling Wolf/CCR/Hendrix), along with some electronic music and some classical.
I'd say 66% of my music listening time is spent going back and forth between metal, rap, and 50s/60's/70s music. The other 34% is split between classical, alternative, pop, jazz, and electronic.
Based on my musical leanings, would you recommend the Eikon or the Atticus? And which amp under $750-$800 would you recommend to go with it?

 

[Aornic]

Hello, 1st time poster here, and also a total noob when it comes to the world of audiophile headphones.
I'll probably be making my first (expensive) headphone purchase in the next month or two and feel like I've narrowed it down to the Atticus or Eikon.
I was hoping you guys could steer me towards one or the other.
I mostly listen to 90's and 2000's Metal (Metallica/Pantera/Alice in Chains/Tool), 90's and 2000's Rap (Biggie/Tupac/Jay-Z/Eminem), 50's,60's, & 70's Rock/Blues (Led Zeppelin/Howling Wolf/CCR/Hendrix), along with some electronic music and some classical.
I'd say 66% of my music listening time is spent going back and forth between metal, rap, and 50s/60's/70s music. The other 34% is split between classical, alternative, pop, jazz, and electronic.
Based on my musical leanings, would you recommend the Eikon or the Atticus? And which amp under $750-$800 would you recommend to go with it?

The Eikon, definitely for the classic rock stuff.

 

[drbobbybones]

Hello, 1st time poster here, and also a total noob when it comes to the world of audiophile headphones.
I'll probably be making my first (expensive) headphone purchase in the next month or two and feel like I've narrowed it down to the Atticus or Eikon.
I was hoping you guys could steer me towards one or the other.
I mostly listen to 90's and 2000's Metal (Metallica/Pantera/Alice in Chains/Tool), 90's and 2000's Rap (Biggie/Tupac/Jay-Z/Eminem), 50's,60's, & 70's Rock/Blues (Led Zeppelin/Howling Wolf/CCR/Hendrix), along with some electronic music and some classical.
I'd say 66% of my music listening time is spent going back and forth between metal, rap, and 50s/60's/70s music. The other 34% is split between classical, alternative, pop, jazz, and electronic.
Based on my musical leanings, would you recommend the Eikon or the Atticus? And which amp under $750-$800 would you recommend to go with it?

Just a question--did you consider any open cans? I love the Eikons, but I think they still don't hold a candle to open headphones. I would choose my Utopias, HE1000 V2, or my HD800 in a heartbeat over the Eikon if I had to only choose one.

And your choice will be highly dependent on your preferences in sound signature, which you haven't mentioned. The Eikon is closer to neutral with a bump in the bass and a slight treble rolloff. The Atticus is more relaxed with even more rounded treble, but the mid bass to mids are fantastic.

The Atticus is more responsive to amp pairings than the Eikon as well. So pick out your sound signature first, then think about your amps. You mentioned nothing about a DAC, meaning that's something you would probably have to think about as well. The Schiit Jotunheim fits your budget and is a good combo unit for the money. Personally, I think the DAC section in the Jotunheim is a bit sterile sounding, but others feel differently.

 

[Arcamera]

For Rock generally, I still prefer the Atticus over the Eikon.

 

[Arcamera]

I'm a fan of your reviews!

And I'm a fan of your analysis of the review! Lol. Well said.

 

[Monsterzero]

Hello, 1st time poster here, and also a total noob when it comes to the world of audiophile headphones.
I'll probably be making my first (expensive) headphone purchase in the next month or two and feel like I've narrowed it down to the Atticus or Eikon.
I was hoping you guys could steer me towards one or the other.
I mostly listen to 90's and 2000's Metal (Metallica/Pantera/Alice in Chains/Tool), 90's and 2000's Rap (Biggie/Tupac/Jay-Z/Eminem), 50's,60's, & 70's Rock/Blues (Led Zeppelin/Howling Wolf/CCR/Hendrix), along with some electronic music and some classical.
I'd say 66% of my music listening time is spent going back and forth between metal, rap, and 50s/60's/70s music. The other 34% is split between classical, alternative, pop, jazz, and electronic.
Based on my musical leanings, would you recommend the Eikon or the Atticus? And which amp under $750-$800 would you recommend to go with it?

For Rock generally, I still prefer the Atticus over the Eikon.

Same.
I dont have extended experience with either,just brief demos at Canjam,but the Atticus just sounded more fun for rock/metal to my ears.
YMMV.

 

[YtseJamer]

For Rock generally, I still prefer the Atticus over the Eikon.

+1

 

[Hansotek]

+2 for the Atticus.

 

[Jeezla]

Just a question--did you consider any open cans? I love the Eikons, but I think they still don't hold a candle to open headphones. I would choose my Utopias, HE1000 V2, or my HD800 in a heartbeat over the Eikon if I had to only choose one.

And your choice will be highly dependent on your preferences in sound signature, which you haven't mentioned. The Eikon is closer to neutral with a bump in the bass and a slight treble rolloff. The Atticus is more relaxed with even more rounded treble, but the mid bass to mids are fantastic.

The Atticus is more responsive to amp pairings than the Eikon as well. So pick out your sound signature first, then think about your amps. You mentioned nothing about a DAC, meaning that's something you would probably have to think about as well. The Schiit Jotunheim fits your budget and is a good combo unit for the money. Personally, I think the DAC section in the Jotunheim is a bit sterile sounding, but others feel differently.

I have not really considered open cans. I prefer more of a "DJ style" sound signature I guess. I might be wrong, because I am a total noob, but I believe I prefer a slightly dark sound with a relaxed high end, since I do occasionally get tinnitus. I also like a good amount of bass since I do mostly listen to rap and metal with lots of double bass. I listen to a lot of classic rock and 90's punk (like Pennywise) as well, but mostly heavy metal like Pantera, Metallica, Lamb of God, All That Remains, 5 Finger Death Punch, etc. when it comes to Rock and it's sub-genres. Seems like the Atticus would be the way to go based on the responses so far. Would the Schiit Jot work well with the atticus?, or is the Jot more of a match for the Eikon? A DAC is something I will likely look at farther down the road. Until then, my AKG influenced Galaxy S8+ will have to do unless it's a DAC/AMP combo like the Jot. Thanks for all the help and replies so far everyone.

 

[Hansotek]

I have not really considered open cans. I prefer more of a "DJ style" sound signature I guess. I might be wrong, because I am a total noob, but I believe I prefer a slightly dark sound with a relaxed high end, since I do occasionally get tinnitus. I also like a good amount of bass since I do mostly listen to rap and metal with lots of double bass. I listen to a lot of classic rock and 90's punk (like Pennywise) as well, but mostly heavy metal like Pantera, Metallica, Lamb of God, All That Remains, 5 Finger Death Punch, etc. when it comes to Rock and it's sub-genres. Seems like the Atticus would be the way to go based on the responses so far. Would the Schiit Jot work well with the atticus?, or is the Jot more of a match for the Eikon? A DAC is something I will likely look at farther down the road. Until then, my AKG influenced Galaxy S8+ will have to do unless it's a DAC/AMP combo like the Jot. Thanks for all the help and replies so far everyone.

Based on what you are saying, all signs point to Atticus. As recommendations go, this is about as easy as they come. Slightly dark, relaxed, easy to listen to for a long time... good with rock, hip-hop, metal, etc. @YtseJamer, @monsterzero, @Stillhart and I are all big metalheads, and we can all certify that the Atticus rocks real hard with metal.

As for amplification and DAC, I'm going to treat that as both a starting point investment and an end game for you, so you'll have a solid piece of gear that can comfortably serve as the only amp/DAC solution you ever need, or something you can build off of, if you want to make upgrades down the line (in other words, you'll already have a solid DAC, so you won't have to start at zero, make sense?).

I'm going to point you toward the iFi Micro iDSD Black Label for an amp/DAC solution for a number of reasons:

- It sounds great with the Atticus, I'm actually listening to it right now.

- At $549 it is on budget... it even gives you a little extra cash to upgrade your cables, if you are so inclined.

- The amp is extremely solid and extremely powerful. At 4 Watts/ch it will drive any headphone on the market.

- It is portable. Since you indicated you may be using your phone as a source, this gives you maximum flexibility. It should work perfectly with your phone. It also has 12 hours of playback on battery power (at 1.5A), which is excellent.

- For the price the DAC is tough to beat, it has a warm, analog sound, a good soundstage, superb impact and is overall very exciting and dynamic. Even if you decide to upgrade to a bigger desktop amps or some sweet tubes, the DAC will still be usable and relevant. I'm testing it on a $3,600 amp right now, and it's sounding pretty nice (though I would probably recommend a dedicated desktop DAC if you scale up that far!)

- Given your inclination toward rap and metal, you might enjoy the bass boost. I do. DAC filters and "3d Sound" give you some additional flexibility to tune the sound to your liking.

- You can buy it on Amazon, which means you benefit from their 30-day return policy: https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Black-Label-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B01MTNK3ZT

I'm not trying to give you the hard sell, I promise! I just read your last post and was like, "Hmmm.... the Black Label might be a good fit. Let's give it a listen!" So those are my thought on it.

 

[drbobbybones]

I have not really considered open cans. I prefer more of a "DJ style" sound signature I guess. I might be wrong, because I am a total noob, but I believe I prefer a slightly dark sound with a relaxed high end, since I do occasionally get tinnitus. I also like a good amount of bass since I do mostly listen to rap and metal with lots of double bass. I listen to a lot of classic rock and 90's punk (like Pennywise) as well, but mostly heavy metal like Pantera, Metallica, Lamb of God, All That Remains, 5 Finger Death Punch, etc. when it comes to Rock and it's sub-genres. Seems like the Atticus would be the way to go based on the responses so far. Would the Schiit Jot work well with the atticus?, or is the Jot more of a match for the Eikon? A DAC is something I will likely look at farther down the road. Until then, my AKG influenced Galaxy S8+ will have to do unless it's a DAC/AMP combo like the Jot. Thanks for all the help and replies so far everyone.

I'd listen to a few headphones before buying. You will learn a lot about your preferences after listening to a lot of different headphones and combos.

That said, I agree with @Hansotek that the Atticus sounds like it's more up your alley based on your preferences. But so would an Audeze LCD-2 or LCD-3--thus the importance in trying out a bunch of headphones first. If you need isolation, closed is the way to go. But if you don't, I don't think any closed headphone really competes on the same level with open headphones. YMMV though.

And I totally agree that the iFi Micro iDSD Black Label is a great unit for the money. Forgot about that one. Super versatile unit as well (equally as good with power hungry high impedance/low sensitivity headphones as it is with IEMs), and sounds better than the Jotunheim to my ears.

 

[Jeezla]

You guys are awesome. Thanks for the suggestions. Is the wood choice purely aesthetic? Or is there some slight difference in tone if you have robot ears?

 

[drbobbybones]

You guys are awesome. Thanks for the suggestions. Is the wood choice purely aesthetic? Or is there some slight difference in tone if you have robot ears?

There is a slight difference in tone, but the choice is largely aesthetic.

From the ZMF website:

Cherry, as a lighter wood will have more decay and Padauk will be a touch “faster” with more immediate sound. The changes are subtle, but noticeable while A/Bing.