[matthewh133]

Are there any portable amp/dacs or daps that would give the Eikon sufficient power? I have a Mojo but I heard that it won't be enough juice to give these all they might need.

 

[cptnhindsight]

Are there any portable amp/dacs or daps that would give the Eikon sufficient power? I have a Mojo but I heard that it won't be enough juice to give these all they might need.

To be honest they aren't all that difficult to drive. That being said I use the mojo at work with both the eikon/atticus and it gets the job done.

 

[matthewh133]

To be honest they aren't all that difficult to drive. That being said I use the mojo at work with both the eikon/atticus and it gets the job done.

When you say "gets the job done", how much would I really be missing out on? Is it worth spending the kind of money needed for an Eikon if it's only being run from a Mojo?

Appreciate your help!

 

[cptnhindsight]

When you say "gets the job done", how much would I really be missing out on? Is it worth spending the kind of money needed for an Eikon if it's only being run from a Mojo?

Appreciate your help!

I mean you could always do "better". I obviously enjoy my home setup much more with the amethyst and nfb 1 amp but the mojo keeps me satisfied.

 

[matthewh133]

I mean you could always do "better". I obviously enjoy my home setup much more with the amethyst and nfb 1 amp but the mojo keeps me satisfied.

Thanks for the feedback. I might get them to compare with the Aeon.

 

[Erikson2k]

Guys I'm driving my Atticus with an 02 Dac/Amp combo and she sounds amazing. Am I doing myself a disservice by not using something higher end? I haven't had much experience with higher end Dac/Amps so I have no way to tell.

With no gain @ 30% they are plenty loud.

 

[cptnhindsight]

Guys I'm driving my Atticus with an 02 Dac/Amp combo and she sounds amazing. Am I doing myself a disservice by not using something higher end? I haven't had much experience with higher end Dac/Amps so I have no way to tell.

With no gain @ 30% they are plenty loud.

Again, it really comes down to the individual. There are differences it really just depends how far you want to take it.

 

[ProfFalkin]

Guys I'm driving my Atticus with an 02 Dac/Amp combo and she sounds amazing. Am I doing myself a disservice by not using something higher end?

Lord, yes!

Get a Crack+SB and Modi 2 MB and thank me later. Go now. Don't stop at red lights.

Grab a TungSol 6080 or Winged "C" 6H13C power tube and a Mullard ECC82 input tube. You'll never leave the house again.

(Well, until the tubes die... or upgradeitus forces you into buying an AmpsandSound Kenzie or a Decware Taboo. RIP wallet.)

 

[Erikson2k]

Again, it really comes down to the individual. There are differences it really just depends how far you want to take it.

Do the differences require incredibly mastered high quality flac audio files to be heard? What I want to know is what are the differences? Any specific audio track examples would be really helpful.

 

[Erikson2k]

Lord, yes!

Get a Crack+SB and Modi 2 MB and thank me later. Go now. Don't stop at red lights.

Grab a TungSol 6080 or Winged "C" 6H13C power tube and a Mullard ECC82 input tube. You'll never leave the house again.

(Well, until the tubes die... or upgradeitus forces you into buying an AmpsandSound Kenzie or a Decware Taboo. RIP wallet.)

Let the research begin!

 

[ProfFalkin]

Do the differences require incredibly mastered high quality flac audio files to be heard? What I want to know is what are the differences? Any specific audio track examples would be really helpful.

I listen to Google Play Music quite a bit. I used to use Spotify. Both are good for discovering new music. Is it the best sound quality? No, but when you are multitasking at a PC (browsing the web while listening, for example) I don't think it matters. I hear something I like, I buy the CD and rip to WAV or FLAC. That collection gets played when I just sit in the lazy boy and purely listen. That's when it matters to me. YMMV, IMO, etc.

I kid you not on amp selection though, the Atticus begs to be played from decent OTL amps. The ODAC/O2 is rather bland to my ears.

It's not all about volume. Good masters of music count, probably more than anything. This is true if you use Apple ear pods or the best Stax setup. The bit rate, file format, etc, of those masters matter less especially early on when you haven't trained the ears to hear the differences. I'd guess that 95% of people couldn't hear the difference between WAV/FLAC and a decent MP3 of the same recording. But I'd also bet 95% of people could hear the difference between the O2 combo and the Crack. So take a practical approach to it.

Also, 89.637% of the statistics used were completely made up.

 

[cptnhindsight]

Do the differences require incredibly mastered high quality flac audio files to be heard? What I want to know is what are the differences? Any specific audio track examples would be really helpful.

You will get different answers from different people, but I can't personally hear the difference between flac and say 320 or v0 when it comes to that. Most streaming services offer a decent bit-rate these days regardless. At the very least, all of the upgrades I have gone through have been well worth it to me.

Each dac/amp will present the music to you in a different light. Some may sound more natural and laid back while others can be more edgy and detailed. Clearly this is a very basic explanation but it comes down to the implementation.

 

[Erikson2k]

I listen to Google Play Music quite a bit. I used to use Spotify. Both are good for discovering new music. Is it the best sound quality? No, but when you are multitasking at a PC (browsing the web while listening, for example) I don't think it matters. I hear something I like, I buy the CD and rip to WAV or FLAC. That collection gets played when I just sit in the lazy boy and purely listen. That's when it matters to me. YMMV, IMO, etc.

I kid you not on amp selection though, the Atticus begs to be played from decent OTL amps. The ODAC/O2 is rather bland to my ears.

It's not all about volume. Good masters of music count, probably more than anything. This is true if you use Apple ear pods or the best Stax setup. The bit rate, file format, etc, of those masters matter less especially early on when you haven't trained the ears to hear the differences. I'd guess that 95% of people couldn't hear the difference between WAV/FLAC and a decent MP3 of the same recording. So take a practical approach to it.

Very insightful and helpful thank you.

 

[whirlwind]

+1

Also if you're in Asia, Kristy just got a bunch of new Eikon/Atticus in her shop "Zeppelin and Co.." Looking at her store I'm jealous we don't have audio Cafe's like this in Chicago, or the USA for that matter. Coffee + Headphones, two of my favorite things! (if there is one like this here let me know!)

http://www.straitstimes.com/tech/audio-cafe-in-sim-lim-square-draws-audiophiles-coffee-lovers

I could spend my early mornings in a place like this, for sure.

 

[felix3650]

I'll share my initial experience with the Eikon too.

I have a pair of Padauk Eikons, toslink optical cable feeding the Mojo, a Norne 3.5 to 3.5 interconnect, a Solv Hybrid balanced cable all run through the Liquid Carbon in balanced mode.

At first the Eikons sounded good out of the Mojo alone. A bit in your head sound (typical of closed back headphones) and with a small upper midrange peak. I listened only on 2-3 occasions (1-2h in total) with this setup as I was expecting some more gear and didn't want to reach a conclusion this early. Come the Liquid Carbon and Norne cables..well yeah it was good
Next I started burn-in for the entire setup. Once finished (around the 150h mark), that's where the fun started. The headstage is round and spherical like an aura, just outside of your head. Bass goes deeper and is very detailed. Mids...a lot of details and none of the initial peak. The Carbon helps too. Highs rounded extended and never harsh or sibilant. Just how I like them. Balanced does make a difference and quite a substantial one.

My next goal is getting the Taboo MkIV. I've never heard it but based on other people's impressions it should sound wonderful. Or, based on the budget and how things develop over time, the new Cavalli tube/ss hybrid, the Liquid Platinum I think was called the prototype. Tubes should really step-up the Eikons. What do you guys think?