[Monsterzero]

I'm crazy about the cherry Atticus with my digital source but I want something more revealing for my vinyl source. Unfortunately not having great luck with the Auteur. Would the Eikon be worth a try or would I be better off with a harder wood Atticus? Also considering the Focal Utopia although it's so pricey. The HD800S is impressive but too thin sounding for me.

Perhaps wait for more members to report in regarding the new open backed version of the Atticus, the Aeolus,or the Verite.
I should have both here soon(I think)

 

[smodtactical]

My friend has an auteur and loves them but wants advice on whether he should get the Atticus or eikon as a complementary headphone. He’s looking for a powerful fun jamming headphone .

I don’t think it’s complementary im looking for but something different, almost opposite. The Auteurs are great for Jazz, acoustic, ladies voice and to get the ying to my yang I want something to kick the door down with Prince, Michael Jackson, Madona..

See what i mean?

What do you recommend ?

 

[novisnick]

That's exactly what I was afraid of.
Thanks.
I think.

Im so lost! Im hearing the Verite calling me by name!

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

I brought my Eitr/Modi Multibit, Crack, and Atticus into the office today for a show 'n' tell for my extremely non audiophile coworkers. Usually my office setup is SDAC+CTH>ZMF Classic mk3, but I thought I'd switch it up today (and to show the Crack off to my boss, since my job involves a fair amount of EE-related stuff, and the fact that I built the Crack demonstrates competence to that end). So far people have said they'll stop by for a listen at some point but morning schedules are pretty packed... and that's fine with me because the classroom next to me is extremely loud in the morning. There's a class on race and culture going on right now, which is fun and interesting to listen into but when he shows clips from movies/news conferences/whatever, he plays that crap EXTREMELY ****ING LOUD so that it not only booms clear as day into my office but way down the hall. Then there's the woman lecturer who YELLS INTO A MICROPHONE EVEN THOUGH THE CLASSROOM IS 10 x 10 FT. I can't understand her accent through the wall, so I have no clue what she's even going on about. Then there's the extremely passionate evolutionary biology teacher, who would be very fun to listen to except I'm a geologist so I've already been through those classes. (My boss actually suggested we get some acoustical foam panels to put over the door that goes between here and the classroom next door, and I want to DIY them as practice building some for home... I might even get to take them home when I relocate my office in five months or so).

Anyway, in deciding which headphone to bring in to demonstrate audiophile sound quality... HD800 vs Atticus... I think the choice was clear for several reasons:
1. Atticus are closed so I don't have to hear the lecturers next door, or the construction across the hallway. Also, this way I don't have to explain the concept of open-backed headphones to people who are already confused by a headphone amp (I already got "So...your headphones weren't getting loud enough??")
2. Basic bitches* love bangin' bass and Atticus has that in spades over the HD800.
3. Although HD800 has more detail, Atticus will still reveal more details than most people have ever heard in their music, which will trigger the "hearing it again for the first time" part of their brains.
4. Atticus has a much more musical and emotional presentation vs HD800's analytical and clean approach.
5. Pelican case makes transporting them to campus that much less anxiety inducing
6. Cocobolo is gorgeous

* in this context, 'basic bitch' = non-audiophile, I just really wanted to alliterate

 

[gLer]

I brought my Eitr/Modi Multibit, Crack, and Atticus into the office today for a show 'n' tell for my extremely non audiophile coworkers. Usually my office setup is SDAC+CTH>ZMF Classic mk3, but I thought I'd switch it up today (and to show the Crack off to my boss, since my job involves a fair amount of EE-related stuff, and the fact that I built the Crack demonstrates competence to that end). So far people have said they'll stop by for a listen at some point but morning schedules are pretty packed... and that's fine with me because the classroom next to me is extremely loud in the morning. There's a class on race and culture going on right now, which is fun and interesting to listen into but when he shows clips from movies/news conferences/whatever, he plays that **** EXTREMELY ****ING LOUD so that it not only booms clear as day into my office but way down the hall. Then there's the woman lecturer who YELLS INTO A MICROPHONE EVEN THOUGH THE CLASSROOM IS 10 x 10 FT. I can't understand her accent through the wall, so I have no clue what she's even going on about. Then there's the extremely passionate evolutionary biology teacher, who would be very fun to listen to except I'm a geologist so I've already been through those classes. (My boss actually suggested we get some acoustical foam panels to put over the door that goes between here and the classroom next door, and I want to DIY them as practice building some for home... I might even get to take them home when I relocate my office in five months or so).

Anyway, in deciding which headphone to bring in to demonstrate audiophile sound quality... HD800 vs Atticus... I think the choice was clear for several reasons:
1. Atticus are closed so I don't have to hear the lecturers next door, or the construction across the hallway. Also, this way I don't have to explain the concept of open-backed headphones to people who are already confused by a headphone amp (I already got "So...your headphones weren't getting loud enough??")
2. Basic bitches* love bangin' bass and Atticus has that in spades over the HD800.
3. Although HD800 has more detail, Atticus will still reveal more details than most people have ever heard in their music, which will trigger the "hearing it again for the first time" part of their brains.
4. Atticus has a much more musical and emotional presentation vs HD800's analytical and clean approach.
5. Pelican case makes transporting them to campus that much less anxiety inducing
6. Cocobolo is gorgeous

* in this context, 'basic bitch' = non-audiophile, I just really wanted to alliterate

That ^^ is awesome! Please come back with a blow-by-blow account and retell some of the funny stuff that will inevitably go down during your demos.

 

[koover]

That ^^ is awesome! Please come back with a blow-by-blow account and retell some of the funny stuff that will inevitably go down during your demos.

I second that. Love these kinda stories

 

[Pharmaboy]

I brought my Eitr/Modi Multibit, Crack, and Atticus into the office today for a show 'n' tell for my extremely non audiophile coworkers. Usually my office setup is SDAC+CTH>ZMF Classic mk3, but I thought I'd switch it up today (and to show the Crack off to my boss, since my job involves a fair amount of EE-related stuff, and the fact that I built the Crack demonstrates competence to that end). So far people have said they'll stop by for a listen at some point but morning schedules are pretty packed... and that's fine with me because the classroom next to me is extremely loud in the morning. There's a class on race and culture going on right now, which is fun and interesting to listen into but when he shows clips from movies/news conferences/whatever, he plays that **** EXTREMELY ****ING LOUD so that it not only booms clear as day into my office but way down the hall. Then there's the woman lecturer who YELLS INTO A MICROPHONE EVEN THOUGH THE CLASSROOM IS 10 x 10 FT. I can't understand her accent through the wall, so I have no clue what she's even going on about. Then there's the extremely passionate evolutionary biology teacher, who would be very fun to listen to except I'm a geologist so I've already been through those classes. (My boss actually suggested we get some acoustical foam panels to put over the door that goes between here and the classroom next door, and I want to DIY them as practice building some for home... I might even get to take them home when I relocate my office in five months or so).

Anyway, in deciding which headphone to bring in to demonstrate audiophile sound quality... HD800 vs Atticus... I think the choice was clear for several reasons:
1. Atticus are closed so I don't have to hear the lecturers next door, or the construction across the hallway. Also, this way I don't have to explain the concept of open-backed headphones to people who are already confused by a headphone amp (I already got "So...your headphones weren't getting loud enough??")
2. Basic bitches* love bangin' bass and Atticus has that in spades over the HD800.
3. Although HD800 has more detail, Atticus will still reveal more details than most people have ever heard in their music, which will trigger the "hearing it again for the first time" part of their brains.
4. Atticus has a much more musical and emotional presentation vs HD800's analytical and clean approach.
5. Pelican case makes transporting them to campus that much less anxiety inducing
6. Cocobolo is gorgeous

* in this context, 'basic bitch' = non-audiophile, I just really wanted to alliterate

Based on this, I have to ask--where do you work & what do you do?

"Basic bitches" -- pretty funny, definitely alliterative. An interesting thing to call non-audiophiles. I give you credit for dealing w/all that Wizard of Oz crap that happens when you play serious audio gear of newbies. The ones who actually listen to it generally get flattened by the sound ("I didn't know headphones could make bass like that!"). Those are the ones I enjoy dealing with.

But others don't even bother listening, instead talk about how much $$ it cost, or how big the headphones/speakers are & how they couldn't live with that. The occasional one even makes fun of me for being an OCD lunatic who would even know such stuff exists, much less pay big $$ to own it.

(several of those types are buried out back...)

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

Based on this, I have to ask--where do you work & what do you do?

"Basic bitches" -- pretty funny, definitely alliterative. An interesting thing to call non-audiophiles. I give you credit for dealing w/all that Wizard of Oz crap that happens when you play serious audio gear of newbies. The ones who actually listen to it generally get flattened by the sound ("I didn't know headphones could make bass like that!"). Those are the ones I enjoy dealing with.

But others don't even bother listening, instead talk about how much $$ it cost, or how big the headphones/speakers are & how they couldn't live with that. The occasional one even makes fun of me for being an OCD lunatic who would even know such stuff exists, much less pay big $$ to own it.

(several of those types are buried out back...)

I am research faculty/lab manager in geosciences at the University of Connecticut, my specialty is radiometric dating techniques. Most of my time goes towards maintaining our mass spectrometers, with some time set aside for my own research.

I definitely didn't mean that my coworkers are actually basic bitches LOL, I just couldn't help saying "basic bitches love bangin bass". (I almost went with "bangin bass be beloved by basic bitches" but that felt like a bit much). I think a more accurate statement would be "most people who haven't explored their preferred sound profile like big bass". I like my coworkers, and I'm really hoping none of them ask me how much this cost. Doing the rough cost of everything on the desk right now, including Crack mods, the price tag is approaching $2k. It's 2:30 here so people's schedules should be freeing up....

 

[Pharmaboy]

Damn, that is fascinating work! Now I have to get a mass spectrometer!

Back to headphone audio (where I have a clue, unlike radiometric dating)--did you get your coco Atticus new or used, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[jinxy245]

I am research faculty/lab manager in geosciences at the University of Connecticut, my specialty is radiometric dating techniques.

So where does one take radiometrics out to eat on one of those dates?

Seriously, that sounds fascinating. More than likely way above my comprehension, but fascinating.

Interesting experiment too...I am curious about your coworker's reactions. I imagine they'll appreciate Zach's tuning, but that's when the price issue would likely pop up.

Do keep us posted!

 

[macdonjh]

Based on this, I have to ask--where do you work & what do you do?

"Basic bitches" -- pretty funny, definitely alliterative. An interesting thing to call non-audiophiles. I give you credit for dealing w/all that Wizard of Oz crap that happens when you play serious audio gear of newbies. The ones who actually listen to it generally get flattened by the sound ("I didn't know headphones could make bass like that!"). Those are the ones I enjoy dealing with.

But others don't even bother listening, instead talk about how much $$ it cost, or how big the headphones/speakers are & how they couldn't live with that. The occasional one even makes fun of me for being an OCD lunatic who would even know such stuff exists, much less pay big $$ to own it.

(several of those types are buried out back...)

I have found there are three kinds of people in the world:
- Those that cannot hear the difference.
- Those that can hear the difference, but do not care.
- Those that can hear the difference and do care.

I have never had any luck explaining money, let alone value, to anyone in the first two groups.

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

Damn, that is fascinating work! Now I have to get a mass spectrometer!

Back to headphone audio (where I have a clue, unlike radiometric dating)--did you get your coco Atticus new or used, if you don't mind my asking?

I think I was one of the first people on the list for the original cocobolo, I had messaged Zach about ordering an Atticus and he mentioned that he had some limited edition woods coming up, I think a day or two before the announcement. It took about 5 seconds of google image searching "cocobolo" before I'd made my decision. Zero regrets.

So where does one take radiometrics out to eat on one of those dates?

Seriously, that sounds fascinating. More than likely way above my comprehension, but fascinating.

Interesting experiment too...I am curious about your coworker's reactions. I imagine they'll appreciate Zach's tuning, but that's when the price issue would likely pop up.

Do keep us posted!

Dating minerals isn't quite the same as dating humans. While people enjoy food and drink, minerals tend to prefer to be hit with a laser up to 1100 C while sitting in an ultra-high vacuum contraption then removed and dissolved in hot acid. I mean, I don't know that that's really what they prefer, but that's what they get regardless. Actually, most of my PhD focused on the mineral zircon. You can imagine being me, browsing /r/headphones at 2 am and seeing something about the Rock Zircon IEMs... I swore I was hallucinating. I still don't own a pair of the Zircons, I really need to get on that. I never thought about it as an acoustic material, but it is extremely rigid and dense even for minerals (Zach, I know what you might be thinking--don't do it! zircon cups would probably be too heavy for even your headbands!). It can also withstand billions of years of self-irradiation causing a complete breakdown of the crystalline structure... a couple years ago a zircon was used to achieve the oldest age of any mineral, but now we're getting really far off topic. But yeah, I love my job and the kind of labwork I get to do.

Unfortunately, we've got some stuff going on in the lab with our laser that requires my attention, so no impressions from n00bs today...I lugged my entire setup up this hill for nothing lmao. I can't blame people for being more confused than excited to hear a fancy pair of headphones, but on Friday we have a research group meeting and I've been given permission to make everyone listen after the meeting is over. That way I'll get the opportunity to walk everyone through the basics of the amp's wiring, teach a little EE to geologists along the way (and to announce beforehand that no one should ask me how much it all cost LOL).

re: not being able to hear the difference or not caring, I think that even most noobs listening attentively to the Crack/Atticus combo will notice the realism, detail, and separation/sense of space. It's kinda in-your-face with how good it is. Although maybe you're right, maybe no one will notice...but I will insist that people listen to their favorite song, so hopefully the differences will stand out a little more than usual.

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

I do remember once meeting another audiophile back in Texas (who I have since cut off after he said something jarringly racist in a text...). He had never paid any attention to headphones, speakers all the way. Magnepan 1.7i with a McIntosh power amp, and a budget audio-GD preamp (??). I went over there to let him try my AGD C2 in his system, and he was happy with how it sounded. I also brought the Atticus and Crack along for fun. I originally plugged the Atticus into the C2, and he listened for a few songs and said "Yeah, that's pretty good, but I dunno if it's worth the list price." Then, I plugged it into the Crack and his jaw immediately hit the floor. Like literally, mouth gaping, eyes wide, just stunned at how good it sounded.

 

[gLer]

Then, I plugged it into the Crack and his jaw immediately hit the floor. Like literally, mouth gaping, eyes wide, just stunned at how good it sounded.

Oh yes, the Atty likes tubes. Wish I did too...

 

[gLer]

You can imagine being me, browsing /r/headphones at 2 am and seeing something about the Rock Zircon IEMs... I swore I was hallucinating. I still don't own a pair of the Zircons, I really need to get on that.

You really do! I’m so glad someone here actually mentioned the ‘Rocks’ as I call them. For $15 they have absolutely NO RIGHT to sound as good as they do. You think the Atty has bass - get onto Amazon and get yourself a pair of these! They’re every bit as good looking as you describe, and best of all they don’t need any fancy tube amps to do what they do best.