Between the Auteur and Arya I sold my 800 SDR. The Arya gave me the incredible detail and expansive soundstage and the Auteur has some overlap with the 800 by being more neutral, but is less detailed, does have a narrower soundstage, but just sounds so much more natural and involving. I almost kept it once I got the Pendant SE, because it made the 800 so much more enjoyable, but the annoying too lose fit and too hot treble along with sounding thin, it just wasn't enough to justify me keeping. Don't miss it either.
Between the Auteur and Arya I sold my 800 SDR. The Arya gave me the incredible detail and expansive soundstage and the Auteur has some overlap with the 800 by being more neutral, but is less detailed, does have a narrower soundstage, but just sounds so much more natural and involving. I almost kept it once I got the Pendant SE, because it made the 800 so much more enjoyable, but the annoying too lose fit and too hot treble along with sounding thin, it just wasn't enough to justify me keeping. Don't miss it either.
They're much more alike than different. The Atticus' midbass hump is larger and more pronounced. It slams a bit harder, especially when you factor in cup resonance. That's probably the biggest difference between them. You also get that pressurized feel on your ear being closed, vs the more open feeling Aeolus. The Aeolus is a more evenly tuned headphone, with less midbass and slightly more treble presence. But pad rolling can make either set sound like the other, honestly. The main difference is the closed vs open configuration and head/ear-feel. IMO selecting one vs the other should mostly come down to your preference for open or closed headphones in general, and the aesthetics of each set. sound-wise they're so similar it's not worth worrying about. just my opinion though, some think they're quite different sounding. when i had both and did a long shootout between them, i kept thinking they're so similar it mostly was just the open vs closed characteristics that differentiated them.
I owned both together for several months, and ended up preferring the slightly more immediate/quicker and impactful Atticus, vs. the slightly more diffused and even sounding Aeolus. One might say, the Atticus is more on the fun side, and the Aeolus is a bit safer. I like a more immediate and impactful sound myself, and the Atticus never disappoints with some well recorded acoustic stuff, like Punch Brother's, Ottmart Liebert, Agnes Obel, etc . . .In my opinion, both headphones are similar, but different enough that one might prefer one over the other like myself.
Of note, my pair of Atticus are Cocobolo and my Aeolus were Sapele, so perhaps that could account for the bigger difference I heard between my two sets. Either way, the differences were there and I clearly prefer my Atticus.
I've had a pair of Eikons for a little over 2 weeks now. I got a Ltd. version in rusted Zebrawood. I have really been enjoying them. To me they sound good with the lambskin Eikon pads but the 5k peak can be a little hot at times with poorly recorded music. I tried the suede Eikon pads and they made a huge difference. The suede pads really tamed the 5k peak and I'm finding them to be a real pleasure to listen to. Both the Atticus and Eikon are incredible closed back cans.
I've had a pair of Eikons for a little over 2 weeks now. I got a Ltd. version in rusted Zebrawood. I have really been enjoying them. To me they sound good with the lambskin Eikon pads but the 5k peak can be a little hot at times with poorly recorded music. I tried the suede Eikon pads and they made a huge difference. The suede pads really tamed the 5k peak and I'm finding them to be a real pleasure to listen to. Both the Atticus and Eikon are incredible closed back cans.
I use the Eikon Suede pads (and a Suede Co-Pilot) with mine as well, and the combination of detail, bass and midrange quality, comfort, and build quality is really something else.
I’m debating between Atticus and Verité Closed as my replacement headphone for my Focal Elears for Christmas… (trying to stay with four “serious” headphones in addition to my daily drivers).
I use the Eikon Suede pads (and a Suede Co-Pilot) with mine as well, and the combination of detail, bass and midrange quality, comfort, and build quality is really something else.
I’m debating between Atticus and Verité Closed as my replacement headphone for my Focal Elears for Christmas… (trying to stay with four “serious” headphones in addition to my daily drivers).
Agreed after listening to these for a couple of weeks they sound a lot better than some of the reviews I've read. Underrated indeed.
I'm also using a suede Pilot pad with them and combined with the suede pads, the comfort is outstanding.
I have yet to hear the Verite Closed but I love the Atticus. That sounds like a tough decision between the two. I think the Eikon's more reference tuning is a great compliment to the fun and engaging sound of the Atticus. Either way its a ZMF so hard to go wrong with either.
I've had a pair of Eikons for a little over 2 weeks now. I got a Ltd. version in rusted Zebrawood. I have really been enjoying them. To me they sound good with the lambskin Eikon pads but the 5k peak can be a little hot at times with poorly recorded music. I tried the suede Eikon pads and they made a huge difference. The suede pads really tamed the 5k peak and I'm finding them to be a real pleasure to listen to. Both the Atticus and Eikon are incredible closed back cans.
I no longer have my padauk Eikon ... sold it because closed back dynamic headphones tend to trigger migraine & tinnitus. But I miss it sometimes. That headphone impressed me greatly, both physically and sonically.
I no longer have my padauk Eikon ... sold it because closed back dynamic headphones tend to trigger migraine & tinnitus. But I miss it sometimes. That headphone impressed me greatly, both physically and sonically.
Sorry to hear about the migraines and tinnitus. I've read a lot of folks have that issue with closed back cans.
Consider me impressed as well. The Padauk versions are beautiful. I almost bought a pair a couple months ago.
When I first saw the rusted Zebrawood version I have now in person it didn't wow me aesthetically due to the matte finish. I have to say its really grown on me but I have thought about contacting Zach and asking if there is anything I can put on the finish to add a touch more gloss to it (maybe semi-gloss or satin in terms of glossiness). To me they look fantastic when I apply Penthouse Polish and its still wet. I like that look a lot. Other times I just enjoy the matte finish for a nice change of pace.
Sorry to hear about the migraines and tinnitus. I've read a lot of folks have that issue with closed back cans.
Consider me impressed as well. The Padauk versions are beautiful. I almost bought a pair a couple months ago.
When I first saw the rusted Zebrawood version I have now in person it didn't wow me aesthetically due to the matte finish. I have to say its really grown on me but I have thought about contacting Zach and asking if there is anything I can put on the finish to add a touch more gloss to it (maybe semi-gloss or satin in terms of glossiness). To me they look fantastic when I apply Penthouse Polish and its still wet. I like that look a lot. Other times I just enjoy the matte finish for a nice change of pace.
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