I am absolutely interested in Eikon because of sub bass. I listen to EDM and that sub bass is key.
You need to buy this headphone. The sub bass is spectacular.
10hz seems audible even though it is not, during tone sweeps there was some fluttering of the drivers. 20 hz is very audible, 30-40 hz is fully kicked in and rich.
You know what... Let me just take this time to post some impressions.
ZMF EIKON - IMPRESSIONS
Honest impressions. I did post these on HF too.
Aesthetics / Comfort - Both Atticus and EiKon I find the ZMF to be a bit bulky but very in its presentation. It is a huge headphone but every part on it is either leather, metal, or gorgeous wood. The shape and design is very appealing and reminiscent of the Sony. I think the headband is okay aesthetically but can be improved upon. As is it provides a decent amount of comfort. Speaking of comfort these fit on the head a lot better than the Omni and the weight is more evenly distributed. The pads... ummm.... well...here goes me trying to not use superlatives but too bad...they are the most comfortable leather pads I have worn. Only beaten by my personal preference of the vegan Audezes because I like the feel.
Sound
Bass
The bass reaches extremely low. 10 hz and the driver flutters slightly. 20 hz is clearly audible. 30 hz is just slightly more audible. 40hz is in full effect. The sub bass is better than that of the Omni and THX00. Very low distortion and very much present. In fact I know that some people will not want the Eikon because it has too much sub bass. There was one song where it was dominant over the vocals but that was because it was electronic based and the vocals were processed. Most others I tried take no hits. The mid bass around 60 -120 hz sounds boosted as well, as 90hz is fairly present but the upper bass above 120 hz does not muddy up the lower mids much. In fact, on most acoustic music mud seems pretty much absent. Really though, if you don't like a lot of bass, The Eikon is not for you.
OR TRY pad rolling. Honestly if you find the Elear to be too heavy down low the Eikon will be overwhelming. Now its not bass head ideal (or is it.?..I am losing my bass head bearings). Its a good thing that the bass is of very good quality because there is a lot of it. Who knows by the time of release.. Zach the tinkerer... may end up dropping it a db or two but the word is that they are very close to the final tuning. Now EDM heads rejoice, not only do you have your mids, but you have your bass drops. Gamers, Movie watchers... yeah you too.
Midrange
Here is how I know the midrange is not ill-effected by the mid-upper bass on most songs. Because compared to my modded 650(has tighter bass, more present highs, and sounds more clear and a little more open than stock) they sound very similar in tonality. After our mini meet I left thinking that the 650 is more tonally accurate. It is, by my standards, the standard for how a midrange should sound. The trouble with the 650 to me though, apart from its grain, is that the vocalist is a bit too close and forward since the soundstage is flat by comparison. That gives it a shouty kind of sound on some songs or the wrong tubes in my amp. The tubes I have now make this a non issue but with the Gold lions in there they become fatiguing after a couple of hours. The vocals have a slightly larger image size on the Eikon but have a blacker background around the vocalists with a more distant position. Simply put, for a closed back I have no criticisms here or at least not yet. For another example, its richer than the Code-X and a lot more wet in decay.
Treble
This is not for the treble head. The transients are quick but the treble is not shimmery, super crisp but the treble to my ears sounds only a couple of DB shy of being truly neutral. It is not as dark as the Kennerton Vali or rolled off. High hats seem the same level as my modded 650 but less grainy and better defined. Overall I find the treble nicely tuned but in need of just a little bit of air. Besides that I really like where it sits in balance. What is cool though is that it doesn't sound over dampened. This area sounds like it is pretty much being free where as on the Omni I can sense some compression or dampening to help fix the inherent issues of the T50.
Soundstage
Almost as spacious as the LFF Code-X more or less but seems to have a deeper and layered sound because it has more body. Now I compared the Code-X directly to the Ether Flow and found the Code-X to be more spacious. However I did not compare the Flow to the Eikon directly even if I compared it the Code-X. For perspectives sake (not many have heard the Code-X) The Eikon is almost as wide, not as tall, slightly more layered, more cavernous, and almost as good at separation but not quite because the decay and sub bass hold it back relative to the Code-X. But the Code-X is more pin point and sounds more technical and dry so the soundstage sounds more acute with less resonance. The Eikon basically is holding its own next to a TOTL open back in soundstage size and is a lot better than the average but is not going to supplant something of the likes, or most open high end phones. Imaging is very good as well.
Dynamics/Timbre/Presentation
It sits under the Elear, but over a well amped HD650 in Macro Dynamics. That means it is very dynamic but the music is smooth and rich. Notes resonate with a slight lingering of decay. It reminds me of a rich and fancy guitar cabinet that when strummed vibrates with a fervent and smooth pulse. This Eikon sounds clear but closed and organic with a black background. The transients are very responsive but are not super sharp. This headphone is not dry but also not as cavernous as something like the DX1000. The Kennerton Vali has this very thick and heavy sound by comparison where as this is more swift and nimble yet still rich. It sounds to me something like the nighthawk in speed and texture but this Eikon is more spacious, not nearly as muddy, sounds more detailed, and has a more effortless flow to it (both are biocellulose). Tones sound very natural to my ears with rich and full modulations that embolden the notches of accentuations the recording intends to display.
The Eikon does not sound like an open back. If you treasure the relief from cup enclosures and the openness it provides then something like the Elear ( though less holographic with a relatively smaller soundstage) will sound more open and less acoustically manipulated. I for one find the Eikon to be my closed back Unicorn but not open enough to replace an open back.
Well that is more like a review than impressions but there you have it.
Atticus - Impressions
Bass
The Sub bass on the Atticus is not as present. Instead the upper and mid bass is actually more present. Bass extension is good as well but 20-50 hz is not nearly as present as on the Eikon and from 90-200 hz is more boosted. Though everything is song dependent, the Atticus has more of a tendency to effect the midrange than the Eikon does. This is because 200-300 hz is a bit thick. Certain tracks did not reveal this because they did not have as much drum kicks. Take for example Amber Rubarth - "Lay your burdens" there are not many instruments in the lower mids to upper bass. However a song like Fleet Foxes - Sun Rises or Alabama Shakes - "Sound and Color" there is an extra warmth around the lower midrange. I am of the impression that the upper bass needs a cut to relieve some of the dimness/obscurity. The mid bass presence, as is seems deliberately tuned to give the headphone a relatively musical sound. I also do not find the bass of the Atticus to be as tight and controlled as the Eikon bass either. Opinions though seem to be very split on the Atticus. At our mini meet a member quickly preferred the Atticus to the Eikon and liked the punchiness of the midbass and was turned off by the rumble of the sub bass in the Eikon. Another and myself favored the Eikon; noting its depth, reach, and control.
Midrange
During eq tinkering I realized that the lower midrange is tuned very well. I implemented that medium band cut at 250 hz and the lower midrange from 500hz+ sounded very even. The midrange proper and area is only slightly elevated by only about 1-2 db as to stamp ZMF on the midrange without getting too honky. But I would prefer a slight trim there. As is gives it that ZMF house sound and as it continues to up the frequency range it is very much in line with how something like the Omni was tuned, albeit totally different presentation due to the dynamic driver.
Treble
The upper midrange is present but the sibilance region where "S's" and Cymbals crassshhshsh is actually very tamed and in my opinion can use a very slight boost for some definition. But this makes for a very non-fatiguing listen. I attempted to boost and drop 10 hz but actually liked it right where it was at as well. I also felt that the treble has enough extension.
Overall technicalities
The Eikons are better technically. The Eikon has a blacker background, lower distortion, and sounds more spacious. Both have an inherent transparency though and both are pretty much equally clear. To put this in perspective, the Atticus is still more spacious than average. It bests the Vali in that aspect and the 650. It also sounds less gritty and is decently refined. I have a feeling that some of these impressions has to do with my set up and amp that has an impedance setting to match the 300 ohms perfectly which will flesh out the depth of both of these headphones. But also I must admit that the Eikon got more than double the head time due to my preference for it over the Atticus.
Both
I do think that these headphones will be amp picky and some will have vastly different experiences based on the amps they use. Similar to how the 800 or HE-6 will sound different depending on the amp used. No headphone is exclusive to this. Feed the Pandora hope VI too much power and it will sound all messy. I just have a feeling that both of these will be more amp picky than the average mid-hifi headphone. They sound good on tubes too.
On the pot they are both similar in volume and get louder than the 650.
So there are my impressions.
I don't think he is done yet....We will see the final products!
