[Pharmaboy]

It's phenomenal, and according to Jeremy, Output resistance is the secret sauce to "synergy" which is why on their amps you can adjust it. An both the Eikon and Atticus sound the best out of my Ember at 35R, I lose a lot when I switch into either of my Solid States

I'm just catching up to something you wrote in this post...

the Atticus has often been described in this thread as responding very well to higher output impedance sources (ie, OTL amps; adjustable output impedance outputs in various Garage1217 amps). Various posts talk about its midrange "coming alive" on higher impedance sources in a way that doesn't happen on std. SS smps. But the Eikon hasn't been described that way (if it was, I missed it). In your post, you've apparently compared the Eikon at different output impedance settings and like the 35 ohm setting the best.

That's kind of a bombshell to me. I mean, I heard a friend's Eikon fairly extensively on 2 occasions with 3 different SS amps (V281; Liquid Carbon; Audio GD SA-31SE), none of which have adjustable output impedance. I thought the Eikon sounded spectacular, especially on the V281 & LC.

If I may ask...what is it you're hearing on these headphones at the higher impedance setting?

 

[Tom Blake]

wow taboo mark IV is $2195- you are so luicky to have such a stereo equip budget

I bought a used Taboo Mk III so didn't spend nearly that much.

 

[Makiah S]

I'm just catching up to something you wrote in this post...

the Atticus has often been described in this thread as responding very well to higher output impedance sources (ie, OTL amps; adjustable output impedance outputs in various Garage1217 amps). Various posts talk about its midrange "coming alive" on higher impedance sources in a way that doesn't happen on std. SS smps. But the Eikon hasn't been described that way (if it was, I missed it). In your post, you've apparently compared the Eikon at different output impedance settings and like the 35 ohm setting the best.

That's kind of a bombshell to me. I mean, I heard a friend's Eikon fairly extensively on 2 occasions with 3 different SS amps (V281; Liquid Carbon; Audio GD SA-31SE), none of which have adjustable output impedance. I thought the Eikon sounded spectacular, especially on the V281 & LC.

If I may ask...what is it you're hearing on these headphones at the higher impedance setting?

With low out of my Audio GD NFB10 ES2 I found the high end to be really.. SPLASHY, everything kinda sounded like Christmas bells, aside from having a softer and more diffuse sound overall. But that jingle bells sounding, high hat is what sticks with me the most. The same can be said for the .1R out on the Ember, the highs really suffered to my ears.

Oh the other problem! The midrange... had a LOT of reflections, with low output impedance. I remember listening to one of my favorite piano sessions, with Igor Levit, and the entire track sounded terrible, there was excessive decay and audible reflections on each and every note he struck. The sound was cacophonous. When I swapped into the Ember II running 35R, I got MUCH more control. So both the Treble and midrange had more audible definition. An less resonance overall. My Hybrid Tube gave me the definition to the sound that I expected. An the Eikon is really impressive, it has the tactility and impact that I expect out of my HE 4, without the very forced aggressive presence


Aside from that, I can't say what else lacked.

For reference the Liquid Carbon is .12R out, the v281 is also .1R out,

I can't find the output impedance for mine nor your [the amp you demo'd with] Audio GD Amp.

 

[Makiah S]

Ran through only 3 songs tonight, I brought the Eikon to a level I found pleasant, then matched the Atticus to it

thus far the Atticus has a sweeter more focus mid range, while it's sound stage is wider, it's mid range is a touch more intimate. It resolves well, some mid range details resolve a little more obviously than they do on the Eikon, how ever with the Eikon there's more balance overall. Things that Stand out on the Atticus, aren't hidden in the Eikon but aren't as obvious. The Eikon has a airier sound stage, and does better at resolving micro detail as a whole, though it doesn't offer the same focus on the mid range [and it's mysteries] as the Atticus.

Speed wise, the Eikon is faster and blacker, but the Atticus has a real sense of beauty to it! As far as genres go, I like the a little Atticus more for some genres of EDM, it's a touch darker overall. High Hats and synth horns don't have as much presence, so you can push it a little louder before it starts to fatigue, which is wonderful! Though it lacks the Sub Bass texture and speed of the Eikon, though overall, the Atticus is certainly "funner"

As far as how they change with different amps, .1R on my Ember II boosts the bass, gives it more decay and reverb also it kinda sucks out the highs a little. They start to sound kinda flat, the mid range doesn't... gain anything either. The sound overall is... both thicker and thinner... kinda like breaking a sauce, the sound just isn't not as homogeneous or cohesive.

Now High Gain my NFB10ES2, is a bit strident. The Bass though... is QUITE POWERFUL and very IN YOUR FACE. Atticus actually gains a little more sub Bass texture though it loses some control it's more audibly distorted... so yea the sub bass is more textured but not in a good way, low gain is much the same... but with worse highs...

Mid wise though it does better than .1R on the Ember II, I still prefer the Atticus more with the Ember II on 35R, I'll do the Eikon tommorow morning!

 

[Maxx134]

How's the aging of the wood going for you guys so far?

My Padauk Eikon looks exactly as it did when I got it a few months ago. I don't store it in direct sunlight though.

Here is an Eikon straight out the box:

This was the Eikon in Padauk.

My phone could not fully capture the blood red glow at certain angles.
The camera translates the intense red into a brighter pic.
In reality it does not look as bright as this,
but instead more red.

It does look different at different angles wich is eye opening.

See here the wood ALmost same as the red bag which has the cable..

The finish is very unique to these headphones to have those physical texture on the cups shine ..

That was straight out the box without aging..(!)

 

[Maxx134]

As for sound, it seems identical from memory to the used unit I had tried in past,
so I must assume the burn in period Before shipping is well done .
Just excellent balanced sound.

 

[Maxx134]

Just had chance to compare a mint unit I have now,
to a used B-stock one,
and they sound identical,
but the wood on mine really glows so I not sure if the other was hand varnish ,

Mine is not varmish and mine really has glow/shimmer/depth to the wood, nice..

Still cant catch actual appearance but m these are really sweet headphones.
I have & had other Woodies with and without gloss and none have this type of look.

 

[zzzmonster]

Ignore my previous comment about Atticus for Pop / Rock and Eikon for the rest.

After 2 weeks I have listening to A&E I fell Atticus is for "HOT" mastering music -> the bad in loudness war
Eikon is for music that are not affect by the loudness war - (many of the audiophile / audiophool recordings fall into this category)

Therefore you still require both headphones to complement each other - just not based on genre.
They are both Genre masters.

If you listen to Audiophile recordings - it can be rock, pop, jazz or even audiophile metal(not sure if this exists) - the vocals are very clear and sweet,
otherwise the vocals sound very distant - I believe that is why some forumers prefer Atticus to Eikon for mainstream recordings and Vice Versa

If it sounds good on Eikon, it will sound either harsh or boring on Atticus and Vice Versa

 

[401133]

Could anyone with experience give a comparison of these (an possibly also Blackwood) to TH-X00 (also with Lawton mod) and E-MU Teaks? I'm very undecided about whether to get TH-X00 (and do Lawton mod), E-MU Teaks or any of the ZMF headphones.

 

[Makiah S]

Could anyone with experience give a comparison of these (an possibly also Blackwood) to TH-X00 (also with Lawton mod) and E-MU Teaks? I'm very undecided about whether to get TH-X00 (and do Lawton mod), E-MU Teaks or any of the ZMF headphones.

The atticus is a VERY straight forward upgrade to the TH X00, I don't have lawton mods for my TH X00 but I have Alpha Pads and balanced Cable, I'll have more details for you later though in my official review

 

[LepakVT]

"Burn In and Final Test"

 

[Pharmaboy]

Could anyone with experience give a comparison of these (an possibly also Blackwood) to TH-X00 (also with Lawton mod) and E-MU Teaks? I'm very undecided about whether to get TH-X00 (and do Lawton mod), E-MU Teaks or any of the ZMF headphones.

I owned a mahogany TX-00 in April & May of 2016. I got it with high hopes, but soon realized it was not right for me. I'm extremely averse to elevated treble. Many here do not feel the same way; also, I haven't heard the TX-00s in over a year...so pls take my comments below w/a grain of salt. My impressions of the TX-00s were:

• Very attractive design & very nice wooden cups
• Fit was pretty good; basic comfort was fine
• I wasn't as evolved in headphone awareness then as I am now, but even back then, the stock pads struck me as a bit shallow & not quite as comfortable as they looked.
• Re sound:
  • Bass & sub-bass were really eye-opening. A touch on the dry side (TX-00 isn't warm in the least), but hit very hard. I'd never actually heard sub-bass until I got the TX-00 (it turned out to mean less than I thought it would). But overall, bass was IMO the best thing about this headphone.
    
  • Midrange was good; however, the upper midrange & lower treble were definitely elevated for me. I heard it on most recordings; it also came through very clearly on a good/truthful amp, the Lake People G109-A, which itself isn't peaky in the treble at all.
  • I also heard what other people consistently described as "grainy" or "coarse" treble on these headphones. Hard to describe, but it just sounded somewhat ragged & out-of-control to me.
• I couldn't live with that treble, so quickly sold the TX-00's. It was a big disappointment at the time.

Since then I purchased a ZMF Ori (formerly Omni) and immediately fell in love with its (IMO) uniquely musical, organic & "friendly" voicing--terrific bass (incl. some sub-bass); excellent midrange w/plenty of unforced detail & a spacious sound (soundstaging + "space between the note") I'd never heard from closed back designs before; and treble that managed to have lots of detail/information, but didn't sound elevated or peaky. The Ori pads are just about the best I've ever used. It's a heavy headphone, but w/those great pads + the "Pilot Pad" on the headband, I never feel the weight to be obnoxious. IMO the Ori is a world-class planar design w/the best bass I've ever heard.

I've also had the opportunity, thanks for a generous local Head-Fi pal, to listen to a cherry Eikon in some detail on 2 occasions (through my Liquid Carbon, V281, and Audio GD SA-31SE amps). The Eikon is a revelation to me--IMO the best overall competence of sound & design + easily the best "technicalities" I've ever heard. If the Eikon does a single thing "wrong," I couldn't find it. I expected, based on user comments & reviews about the Eikon being the flattest, most accurate ZMF design, to find it bright or a too emphatic in upper midrange & treble. Not even close. The treble goes out to infinity, but always sounds "friendly" to my ears. And i must say, the midrange is packed with information and soundstage cues (without being the least bit bright or oppressive) in a way I'd never heard before.

The bass of the Eikon was also quite instructive--it has all the sub-bass that the TX-00 had, and if anything, the rest of the bass spectrum was even better. Very tuneful and accurate sounding: easy to tell the difference between electric bass, acoustic bass, synths...crazy accurate, but also "musical."

I can't wait hear the Atticus, after being so impressed with the Ori & Eikon.

Finally, I have an E MU Teak on order--a headphone I've always wanted to try because it's said to have extremely good bass & the most musical/ear-friendly overall tonal balance of any headphone based on the Fostex platform.

Net/net: I don't think the TX-00 is in the same league as ZMF headphones on any level. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Ori and Eikon to anyone, if they can handle the price (and in the case of the Ori, have an amp that can do justice to a power-hungry planar design). And I'll soon find out how the E MU Teak compares/contrasts to the ZMF designs (+ my memory of the TX-00). Re the TX-OO vs E MU Teak, I've read a number of user comments that the TX-00 is not quite a good technically & satisfying musically overall as the E MU Teak (identical platform, but different wooden cups). That's just the consensus I found--no doubt, plenty of TX-00 owners would dispute that.

 

[401133]

Yeah, I'm stuck between X00 with Lawton Mod, Ori, Blackwood or Atticus/Eikon. I'm trying to find an allrounder of a headphone, and have been looking into the ZMF headphones. Right now I'm trying to find used Oris or Atticus/Eikons for a good price, but it's very difficult.

Be sure to give your impressions (and comaprisons) about the E-MU Teaks, when you recieve them.

 

[Makiah S]

Yeah, I'm stuck between X00 with Lawton Mod, Ori, Blackwood or Atticus/Eikon. I'm trying to find an allrounder of a headphone, and have been looking into the ZMF headphones. Right now I'm trying to find used Oris or Atticus/Eikons for a good price, but it's very difficult.

Be sure to give your impressions (and comaprisons) about the E-MU Teaks, when you recieve them.

Honestly, I'd avoid getting a modded headphone as you lose any kind of warrenty. I'd try and see if Zach has any B Stock for sale, they often have... odd grain patterns that don't impact performance at all

 

[Pharmaboy]

Yeah, I'm stuck between X00 with Lawton Mod, Ori, Blackwood or Atticus/Eikon. I'm trying to find an allrounder of a headphone, and have been looking into the ZMF headphones. Right now I'm trying to find used Oris or Atticus/Eikons for a good price, but it's very difficult.

Be sure to give your impressions (and comaprisons) about the E-MU Teaks, when you recieve them.

I'll be glad to do that. It's been a couple weeks, and I have to pin Chan (the E MU Teak man in China--I'm buying them direct, not from Massdrop) for an update. It can take many weeks to get things made in a foreign country, as I'm finding out.

Anyway, reading all these headphones you're interested in, it occurs to me that the most important factor here (beyond availability of this or that used HP) is what your sonic preferences are. What are you looking for? What are your "bottom-line" needs in a headphone--sound, comfort, etc?