[lentoviolento]

hi folks,
has anyone ever tried atticus with ifi micro idsd BL?

 

[Hansotek]

hi folks,
has anyone ever tried atticus with ifi micro idsd BL?

Yes. It is freaking fantastic! That's my go-to, if I don't have an OTL handy. Highly recommended combo!

 

[Hansotek]

Thanks Zach. Do you have any particular OTL recommendations for the Atticus? Also, do you use any other ifi products (Micro iDSD specifically) and if so how do they pair with the Atticus?

This is a "triangle of expectations" type of proposition - do you want it fast and cheap, cheap and high quality, or fast and high quality?

If you want cheap and fast, you could grab a La Figaro 339 or similar- which is about $750 and I know @monsterzero has had good results with it.

If you want cheap and high quality, you could order a Glenn OTL (which is what I have and is probably the biggest steal in high-end audio, IMO, starting at $750 (before upgrades)). IME, it goes toe-to-toe with $2-$3k OTLs and holds its ground very well. The only catch is the wait is 10-12 months.

If you want fast and high quality, the DecWare CSP3 and the Ampsandsound Kenzie are both pretty incredible with the Atticus at $1,299-$1,399(ish, depending on options) and $1,999 respectively.

Of course, if money is no object, there are lots of other great options like the DNA Stratus and Stellaris, Glenn GEL3N or maxed-out OTL, EC Studio, Apex Teton and the Woo WA-33... I haven't heard the Atticus with all of those (and they aren't all OTLs, either), but those are some of the best tube amps on the planet, so probably worth mentioning if they are in the cards.

 

[Serge Bernamej]

That's very positive news. Is your Alpha Prime feeling threatened by the newcomer? Not sure if they would compliment each other well, but a direct comparison would be cool.

Sorry, was sick all day, still am. Well let's say first that I did not even consider departing from the beloved Prime. I should A/B them for you and let you know, but of the top of my head I tend to think that they definitely complement each other. Prime is not rolled off in the highs, and seems to have a sub bass that is tighter. The Prime is more high energy...but i'm sick and can't say anything meaningful right now.
Should A/B them soon ")

 

[gLer]

Yes. It is freaking fantastic! That's my go-to, if I don't have an OTL handy. Highly recommended combo!

That’s good to know! I’m currently using the silver version as a dac to feed the Matrix HPA-3B, and the combo has beautiful synergy, so look forward to hearing the Atticus on these one day.

 

[christianicon]

1. Not sure about the bass-head test or how to do it. If an owner here knows how to do it I'm sure they could do it and post here or PM you if they are interested.
2. The driver is a mixture of Biocellulose and Polyurethane for the right stiffness for the sound we were after. It uses N50 magnets, two of them stacked on each other and ported to our specifications.
3. Eikon has more sub-bass in comparison to the mid-bass of the Eikon where-as Atticus has more mid-bass in comparison to the sub-bass of the atticus. The Atticus sub bass is still above the mids of the atticus.

Hope that helps!



So glad you got them safely Serge always makes me happy when new owners get them in! Your metaphor is

Hi Zach,
Really enjoying the eikon, what a great job!
I would like to ask you, what dac / amp do you use to listen with eikon? What you consider the best?

 

[lentoviolento]

do they have slam and impact like audeze lcd2 or night owl??

 

[gLer]

do they have slam and impact like audeze lcd2 or night owl??

The question should be do they have slam and impact like the Fostex TH-X00 variants? Have a listen to James Gillespie’s new single “What You Do” with its incredibly powerful drum tracks on the LCD-2 (which I now own, 2016 Fazor) and the Fostex TH-X00 (which I’ve owned for a while and remains my daily driver), and you’ll FEEL the meaning of slam on the Fostex. Not that the LCD-2 is lacking - it’s powerful, rich and detailed. But the Fostex you can feel in your chest. If the Atticus has the same level of slam and depth as the Fostex along with all the honey goodness of the LCD’s mids and warm but detailed highs, it might - just might - make me consider switching out my Fostex.

 

[lentoviolento]

The question should be do they have slam and impact like the Fostex TH-X00 variants? Have a listen to James Gillespie’s new single “What You Do” with its incredibly powerful drum tracks on the LCD-2 (which I now own, 2016 Fazor) and the Fostex TH-X00 (which I’ve owned for a while and remains my daily driver), and you’ll FEEL the meaning of slam on the Fostex. Not that the LCD-2 is lacking - it’s powerful, rich and detailed. But the Fostex you can feel in your chest. If the Atticus has the same level of slam and depth as the Fostex along with all the honey goodness of the LCD’s mids and warm but detailed highs, it might - just might - make me consider switching out my Fostex.

i didn't like fostex beacause of the piercing treble, i'm very sensitive.. to me lcd2 remains my golden standard and the best all rounder, i had to sell them cause they were too heavy, now i'm looking for a replacement.... maybe i should look elsewhere, maybe atticus....

 

[gLer]

i didn't like fostex beacause of the piercing treble, i'm very sensitive.. to me lcd2 remains my golden standard and the best all rounder, i had to sell them cause they were too heavy, now i'm looking for a replacement.... maybe i should look elsewhere, maybe atticus....

I hear you. With the wrong source/amp the Fostex treble can run loose and kill you. Luckily I have a dac and amp that control the treble and perfectly complement the bass quality of the Fostex.

I got my LCD-2 yesterday and I still don’t get why they’re considered too heavy. I guess compared to Sennheiser or even the lightweight Fostex they’re solid and heavy, and I admit the original headband doesn’t distribute the weight very well, but add a Lohb strap or an Audeze carbon fibre headband and you’re good to go for hours.

But I digress. While I agree the LCD is smooth and quite clearly TOTL, it still can’t touch the Fostex slam and sub bass depth (treble issues aside). So my question is, is the Atticus closer to the LCD-2 in bass terms, or to the Fostex? If I had to swap my Fostex for the Atticus would I miss that slam?

 

[lentoviolento]

I hear you. With the wrong source/amp the Fostex treble can run loose and kill you. Luckily I have a dac and amp that control the treble and perfectly complement the bass quality of the Fostex.

I got my LCD-2 yesterday and I still don’t get why they’re considered too heavy. I guess compared to Sennheiser or even the lightweight Fostex they’re solid and heavy, and I admit the original headband doesn’t distribute the weight very well, but add a Lohb strap or an Audeze carbon fibre headband and you’re good to go for hours.

But I digress. While I agree the LCD is smooth and quite clearly TOTL, it still can’t touch the Fostex slam and sub bass depth (treble issues aside). So my question is, is the Atticus closer to the LCD-2 in bass terms, or to the Fostex? If I had to swap my Fostex for the Atticus would I miss that slam?

I'd like to know that too. I want a bit of slam

 

[captkirk]

The Atticus has the potential for a good amount of slam, and handles macro-dynamics exceedingly well. That said, it comes down to what amp is driving it. My SS hits harder than my tube amp, so amp characteristics come into play.

No experience with the LCD-2, so YMMV.

 

[captkirk]

@zach915m

Any upcoming S.E. models of the Atticus/Eikon?

 

[givemetacos]

I hear you. With the wrong source/amp the Fostex treble can run loose and kill you. Luckily I have a dac and amp that control the treble and perfectly complement the bass quality of the Fostex.

I got my LCD-2 yesterday and I still don’t get why they’re considered too heavy. I guess compared to Sennheiser or even the lightweight Fostex they’re solid and heavy, and I admit the original headband doesn’t distribute the weight very well, but add a Lohb strap or an Audeze carbon fibre headband and you’re good to go for hours.

But I digress. While I agree the LCD is smooth and quite clearly TOTL, it still can’t touch the Fostex slam and sub bass depth (treble issues aside). So my question is, is the Atticus closer to the LCD-2 in bass terms, or to the Fostex? If I had to swap my Fostex for the Atticus would I miss that slam?

My LCD-2 (2016) also had the Lohb strap and it was "fine". I think it is still way too heavy, but I could wear it comfortably enough and it wasn't a deal breaker. That said, if I had to wear it for more than a few hours straight it would annoy me. Whereas my HD800 doesn't annoy me in the slightest for long sessions. But compared to LCD-2, the Atticus is night and day more comfortable. For weighing about the same, it just sits completely different and because of how adjustable the metal headband is you can find a perfect clamp. I could also wear Atticus all day long and not notice.

I'd like to know that too. I want a bit of slam

The Atticus slams much much harder than LCD-2. I would say it slams about as hard as my TH-X00 and EMU Teak, but it still has a more mid bass emphasis whereas the X00/Teak elevate both sub-bass and mid-bass about the same. I've said this before, but I think the Atticus is superior to X00/Teak and LCD-2. The biggest advantage is that the mids on Atticus really take it to another level that the X00/Teak and LCD-2 can't match. I have sold or will sell all 3 of those others because I just don't use them anymore once I got Atticus. The only major difference is that X00/Teak have hotter treble and are brighter up top in case you are a treblehead. And while the soundstage of Atticus is quite big, it still feels like a closed headphone.

 

[zach915m]

@zach915m

Any upcoming S.E. models of the Atticus/Eikon?

Yeah! We just released the two LTD's were doing for the Atticus an Eikon. You can check them out on our site!

The Cocobolo is super expensive wood and I've been saving up a batch for a while to get to the amount of wood needed for a run like this.

we're also doing oxidized barnyard cherry

I want a bit of slam

Harder woods like Cocobolo will have more "slam" than softer woods. Cocobolo is harder than padauk and you will hear a little more of that slammy girth, ofcourse with any wood it's subtle bu noticeable.