[Erikson2k]

I've been enjoying my Atticus now for several weeks as follows:
O2 dac/amp -> Atticus

Finally pulled the trigger and purchased Bimby + Valhalla2. They arrived yesterday and I've honestly been afraid to plug them in and use them because this is sort of the first time I have an opportunity to listen to higher end gear.
I've been waiting to see what true HIFI is (admittedly, this is probably MiDFi in your guys world).
See my fear is that these upgrades will be imperceptible to my ears and there is no mystical HIFI paradise that's attainable and it's all just extremely diminishing returns above the O2.

So I A/B tested using lossless files only with the goal to see just how much difference there is in this upgrade.

Bifrost Multibit -> Valhalla2 -> Atticus
vs
ODAC dac/amp -> Atticus

Now, I realize that this is comparing Tube to a solid state amp. But the differences. Oh man the sweet glorious differences. Wow, just wow.

The Valhalla is enriching the bass dramatically, it's so warm and smooth. It's opening up the soundstage quite a bit, there's more room between the instruments. The punch is so strong and sharp. I guess this is one of the main characteristics of the Atticus I was missing out on.
The Bifrost is considerably cleaner and crisper. I don't really even have to try that hard to detect the difference, it's really apparent. There's just so much more resolution and clarity. I'm hearing things in songs I've never heard before. I can actually hear notes decay instead of just disappear.

Some examples of things that were blowing me away...

The sweet warm richness of the bass guitar in "Alice In Chains - Rooster (Unplugged)" is amazing.
The punch on "Deadmau5 - Ghosts n Stuff" is a thing of beauty.
The clarity of the guitar strum in "Fleetwood Mac - Dreams" during the chorus.
Everything about "Steely Dan - Black Cow".

Aornic was right when he said the Atticus and the Valhalla2 was a revelation.

The Valhalla2 is the real deal, even more than I ever could have anticipated and the Bifrost Multibit is a huge upgrade over the O2 Dac. The Atticus was rocking before, but it's reaching new heights of musical glory now.

I'm blown away!

 

[ProfFalkin]

I've been enjoying my Atticus now for several weeks as follows:
O2 dac/amp -> Atticus

Finally pulled the trigger and purchased Bimby + Valhalla2. They arrived yesterday and I've honestly been afraid to plug them in and use them because this is sort of the first time I have an opportunity to listen to higher end gear.
I've been waiting to see what true HIFI is (admittedly, this is probably MiDFi in your guys world).
See my fear is that these upgrades will be imperceptible to my ears and there is no mystical HIFI paradise that's attainable and it's all just extremely diminishing returns above the O2.

So I A/B tested using lossless files only with the goal to see just how much difference there is in this upgrade.

Bifrost Multibit -> Valhalla2 -> Atticus
vs
ODAC dac/amp -> Atticus

Now, I realize that this is comparing Tube to a solid state amp. But the differences. Oh man the sweet glorious differences. Wow, just wow.

The Valhalla is enriching the bass dramatically, it's so warm and smooth. It's opening up the soundstage quite a bit, there's more room between the instruments. The punch is so strong and sharp. I guess this is one of the main characteristics of the Atticus I was missing out on.
The Bifrost is considerably cleaner and crisper. I don't really even have to try that hard to detect the difference, it's really apparent. There's just so much more resolution and clarity. I'm hearing things in songs I've never heard before. I can actually hear notes decay instead of just disappear.

Some examples of things that were blowing me away...

The sweet warm richness of the bass guitar in "Alice In Chains - Rooster (Unplugged)" is amazing.
The punch on "Deadmau5 - Ghosts n Stuff" is a thing of beauty.
The clarity of the guitar strum in "Fleetwood Mac - Dreams" during the chorus.
Everything about "Steely Dan - Black Cow".

Aornic was right when he said the Atticus and the Valhalla2 was a revelation.

The Valhalla2 is the real deal, even more than I ever could have anticipated and the Bifrost Multibit is a huge upgrade over the O2 Dac. The Atticus was rocking before, but it's reaching new heights of musical glory now.

I'm blown away!

Great stuff, isn't it?

Next thing you know you'll be craving a A&S Mogwai to pair with your new Gumby.

 

[Erikson2k]

Great stuff, isn't it?

Next thing you know you'll be craving a A&S Mogwai to pair with your new Gumby.

What a slippery slope eh?

Would be nice to hear the upper limit of what the Atticus can do but I think I've gotten to the point where I'd need to listen to hardware first hand before upgrading further.

I do regret selling my HD600s though. I just assumed I was getting **most** of what they had to offer from the O2.
I'm guessing that was a gross miscalculation. I'll pickup a HDXX when massdrop gets them back in (think I'd prefer the 650 sound over the 600 anyways).

 

[matthewh133]

What are people's thoughts of the Eikon going through a Cavelli Liquid Carbon? Tempted to get on the Massdrop right now but I'm interested in people's experiences with the pairing.

 

[ProfFalkin]

What a slippery slope eh?

Would be nice to hear the upper limit of what the Atticus can do but I think I've gotten to the point where I'd need to listen to hardware first hand before upgrading further.

I do regret selling my HD600s though. I just assumed I was getting **most** of what they had to offer from the O2.
I'm guessing that was a gross miscalculation. I'll pickup a HDXX when massdrop gets them back in (think I'd prefer the 650 sound over the 600 anyways).

The 600/650 scale extremely well with better gear.

Enjoy where you are now, though.

 

[Erikson2k]

What are people's thoughts of the Eikon going through a Cavelli Liquid Carbon? Tempted to get on the Massdrop right now but I'm interested in people's experiences with the pairing.

Keep in mind that's a Liquid Carbon X and not the 2.0

 

[matthewh133]

Keep in mind that's a Liquid Carbon X and not the 2.0

Roger that. I guess I'm looking for thoughts regarding the first Liquid Carbon then.

 

[felix3650]

Great stuff, isn't it?

Next thing you know you'll be craving a A&S Mogwai to pair with your new Gumby.

And after that comes tube rolling

Roger that. I guess I'm looking for thoughts regarding the first Liquid Carbon then.

Mine sounded great. A very nice synergy. The Eikon translates the warmth of the Liquid Carbon quite musically, retaining all the detail the Eikon is capable of. My combo was LC 2.0 and Padauk Eikon with a balanced Norne cable.

If you need a mint LC 2.0 drop me a PM. I have mine up for sell

 

[UntilThen]

Good to hear everyone enjoying their Eikon and Atticus with their respective gear.

In evaluating these headphones, I tend not to focus too much on the amp. With most respectable amps (I say respectable because I don't think an O2 would do it justice because I once had a JDS Lab o2/odac so I know what they sound like), whether it's solid state or tube amps, Eikon and Atticus will sound lovely. My headphones have a bit more hours on them now and they are starting to flesh out. There's more texture and density now and that very infectious bass. Now one can overemphasise on the bass but these headphones are more than that. I get these headphones thinking that they will make musical and fun cans but they are starting to prove that they are indeed very articulate and full of clarity and details.

My HD800 and HD650 are sitting in a corner sulking now. Those are still good sounding headphones to my ears. I have just tried them again to verify that but when I put on Eikon or Atticus, the ZMF headphones are just a lot more engaging and dynamic. They feel alive and energetic but never fatiguing. I can say that I'm more than satisfied with the bass from both cans. I don't think I would want anymore. These seems to present the whole FR spot on.

When I listen to Eikon, I get bucket loads of details and clarity. When I put on Atticus, it's more relaxed but never dull. At this initial stage, I really can't put a finger as to which I like more. Let's just say that at this stage I like both equally.

Now back to more listening to music because that is the purpose.

Ps... I am quite surprise that the fit is more comfortable than I expected. In fact I would be so engrossed with listening to a song that the weight of these headphones just doesn't seem to bother me anymore. You certainly can get used to it and I can affirm now that they are indeed more comfortable than my LCD-2f.

One thing I'm curious about. Would using the Eikon pads on Atticus change the tone much. I find the Eikon pads softer and much more comfortable.

 

[Erikson2k]

You guys ever randomly catch a glimpse of the Eikon or Atticus in your peripheral vision while wearing them? First time I noticed, it scared the crap out of me.

 

[devilboy]

One of the funniest posts on a long time.
Now you have me wondering if I will see my Atticus. Lol.
Put my order in earlier this week.

 

[devilboy]

One of the funniest posts on a long time.
Now you have me wondering if I will see my Atticus. Lol.
Put my order in earlier this week.

You guys ever randomly catch a glimpse of the Eikon or Atticus in your peripheral vision while wearing them? First time I noticed, it scared the crap out of me.

 

[devilboy]

Damn.....I'm tried to quote you and messed up. I'm still learning this site.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Keep in mind that's a Liquid Carbon X and not the 2.0

I heard the Eikon on 3 occasions through my LC v2.0 (as well as through the V281 and Audio GD SA-31SE). The Eikon sounded extremely good through all 3, perhaps best through the V281 (a clear, level, dynamic headphone heard through a clear, level, dynamic amp)--but I could very happily live w/the Eikon through an LC

 

[Pharmaboy]

You guys ever randomly catch a glimpse of the Eikon or Atticus in your peripheral vision while wearing them? First time I noticed, it scared the crap out of me.

I'm astounded to see this post. I've read this entire thread, and I believe you're the 1st one to mention this.

My very generous Head-Fi pal, @jinxy245, loaned me his Eikon overnight a couple months back (a trusting fellow--I was sorely tempted to leave the state clutching those headphones). Anyway, I was wailing away with the Eikon that night around 10PM in my dimly lit office, when suddenly I saw what looked like someone reaching around my right ear from behind me. It scared the living crap out of me...I quickly figured out I was seeing the front edge of rt earcup in my peripheral vision.

We all make sacrifices for our audio hobby. If I have to down a xanax smoothie to get though a listening session with the Eikon--so be it!

PS: seriously, in all fairness to these amazing headphones and their talented designer, this "see the headphone" phenomenon is almost certainly anatomy-dependent. Clearly a lot of people just don't experience this, or if they do, aren't mentioning it. Sure, the Eikon is on the large side, but so are many other designs. I have a rather large head, and that's probably what caused it...