My Eikons just arrived (Camphor cups)! I'll be comparing to my beloved MrSpeakers Alpha Primes over the next two weeks - the winner stays.
Build quality is wonderful - feels like old school hand-crafted luxury quality, all wood and metal and leather. Like if summit-fi headphones were around in 1917.Super-comfy; you don't feel the weight, at least initially. The pads are lovely, though wonder if they might feel warm after a while (might not want to wear them on a hot, sweaty day). Got the OFC cable, which seems to be very good quality, though I can't tell for sure which plug is right and which is left??
Now, sonic first impressions (after literally an hour of listening)... I only have my Chord Mojo today, so will test with that via my MacBook Pro. The Mojo sounds *phenomenal* with the Primes, but doesn't gel with everything - it did *not* sound good with the MrSpeakers Aeons when I tried them in a local store - so I'll reserve judgment until I've tried them with other amps. (I'll be in the office tomorrow, with my Schiit Lyr.) So this really is just very early impressions...
Pros:
BIG, chunky, meaty sound! Dynamic, full-fat, tons of power.
Bass is deep, clean, textured, and powerful. Mids are sweet and rich. Treble is very much present, but sweet and natural - not at all grainy or peaky. Overall the frequency response is very balanced and natural, and smoothly integrated.
It's not warm or soft, and has quite a neutral tonal balance, but it's... creamy? Velvety? There's definitely a luscious, seductive smoothness across the frequency range. I think this is the ZMF wood cups and by-ear tuning - I remember it from the ZMF Blackwood Purple Hearts I bought at the same time as my Alpha Primes (and returned), though this is *far* more refined, sweeter, more detailed.
Great pace & rhythm. Nimble and fast. Fun and bouncy.
Soundstage is very open and wide for a closed `phone. (But it's still clearly a closed `phone.)
Cons:
That creamy/velvetiness seems to smooth over detail. My Alpha Primes have subjectively a lot more detail/plankton, and sound a more transparent & clear. The Primes are also more neutral, without any added warmth. Compared to the Primes, the Eikons sound like they're somewhat muddled or coarse. Tones are also sweeter, more colorful, and more accurate on the Primes.
My first impression is that these are beautiful, seductive, delightful, balanced, headphones... but not as good as my Primes.
But of course all of this comes with three gigantic caveats: 1) I need to try them with other amps, 2) they probably need to burn in, and 3) I need to spend a lot more time with them. I feel like if I got used to the Eikons sound, the Primes might sound anemic and dry... so we'll see how I go after two weeks.
Dunc
P.S. - I'm tempted to get an OTL tube amp to try with them... A Schiit Valhalla would be the obvious choice (15-day return policy, woot), or maybe a second-hand Bottlehead Crack or chi-fi... Will see how the Lyr goes first though.
Oh. I was wrong. The Eikons hate the Mojo! :-O
Suddenly remembered last night that I had a Centrance Hifi Skyn gathering dust in a drawer, so got that out and… MUCH better! The overbearing richness of the Mojo is gone, and though there’s still a creaminess to everything, it’s much subtler and more inoffensive. There was a congested quality to the sound with the Mojo that’s gone with the Centrance.
Back in the office today, so I’ve been listening via my Schiit Lyr all day (using Mojo as just DAC), and it’s so damn good! Sexy af! The sound is open, sweet, smooth, clear, and natural! But still huge and dynamic! Tones and textures are glorious (never heard electric guitar sound this good)!
I’ll post a more in-depth impression after I’ve had them longer, but thought I’d get this out there straight away. Not sure what’s going on with the Mojo, but it seems to “over-excite” the Eikons? Maybe the Mojo doesn’t like sensitive cans? Had a similar experience with the MrSpeakers Aeons, which really did not gel with the Mojo either (over-excited treble). Whereas the Mojo is the best amp I’ve heard for the Alpha Primes - really brings them to life! Synergy, eh.
Dunc
