[Loose-Leaf]

Not to derail the thread - but Teak arrived for the Auteur and I'm finishing up a set that will be at Capitol Audio Fest on Nov 3/4/5 in DC. Linear Tube Audio and AmpsandSound will have both the Eikon and Auteur to listen to that weekend. I wish we could make it but some awesome amp manufacturers will be representing us. I love my ZOTL and Kenzie to death!!!!

Looking Beautiful Zachary ......Love my ZOTL & Eikon

 

[captkirk]

Not to derail the thread - but Teak arrived for the Auteur and I'm finishing up a set that will be at Capitol Audio Fest on Nov 3/4/5 in DC. Linear Tube Audio and AmpsandSound will have both the Eikon and Auteur to listen to that weekend. I wish we could make it but some awesome amp manufacturers will be representing us. I love my ZOTL and Kenzie to death!!!!

...my wallet gently weeps...

 

[mysticstryk]

@zach915m

With cherry disappearing, will the entry price on both models be the same they are now for camphor wood?

 

[AppleheadMay]

Not to derail the thread - but Teak arrived for the Auteur and I'm finishing up a set that will be at Capitol Audio Fest on Nov 3/4/5 in DC. Linear Tube Audio and AmpsandSound will have both the Eikon and Auteur to listen to that weekend. I wish we could make it but some awesome amp manufacturers will be representing us. I love my ZOTL and Kenzie to death!!!!

Absolutely gorgeous Zach!

 

[verbositynow]

...my wallet gently weeps...

Hahaha. I wish the weeping was gentle...

 

[Arcamera]

Just another shout out for the Atticus. Such an easy, detailed, full, rich, warm yet dynamic/punchy sound (paired with my OTL Woo WA2). If people are looking for, say, an upgrade to the HD650 (as was mentioned), this is it. Or what I'd recommend at least.

Sticking with the Sennheiser parallel, the Eikon on the other hand is more like playing in the HD800 territory (no not as transparent and spacious, but like the HD800 it is more linear and perhaps a touch more detailed than the Atticus). As with the HD800 though, people with treble sensitivities be advised: the Eikon can run a bit hot up top, as has been mentioned before. It also does not sound as full or rich or 'present' to my ears, compared to the Atticus. It has a distant quality in its presentation that makes me keep wanting to turn it up, only to aggravate my treble sensitivity. Those concerns aside, I do think it is otherwise a lovely headphone, and I'm sure for some it would be just right (for instance, someone like Tyll Hertsens saying how much better he thought the Eikon was. Go figure. That still takes me aback).

 

[dunkyboy]

Just another shout out for the Atticus. Such an easy, detailed, full, rich, warm yet dynamic/punchy sound (paired with my OTL Woo WA2). If people are looking for, say, an upgrade to the HD650 (as was mentioned), this is it. Or what I'd recommend at least.

Sticking with the Sennheiser parallel, the Eikon on the other hand is more like playing in the HD800 territory (no not as transparent and spacious, but like the HD800 it is more linear and perhaps a touch more detailed than the Atticus). As with the HD800 though, people with treble sensitivities be advised: the Eikon can run a bit hot up top, as has been mentioned before. It also does not sound as full or rich or 'present' to my ears, compared to the Atticus. It has a distant quality in its presentation that makes me keep wanting to turn it up, only to aggravate my treble sensitivity. Those concerns aside, I do think it is otherwise a lovely headphone, and I'm sure for some it would be just right (for instance, someone like Tyll Hertsens saying how much better he thought the Eikon was. Go figure. That still takes me aback).

Count me as one who much prefers the Eikon. It's that gloriously open, breathy treble that gets me, coupled with wonderful ZMF mid tones (less rich than the Atticus, but I'd say smoother and more beautifully real), and perfect just-a-smidge-above-neutral bass. The only flaw is that slightly-hot treble, but it's so sweet and smooth and liquid that the "heat" doesn't bother me except very occasionally on certain tracks when playing too loud - and I'm generally very sensitive to hot treble. Plus, I suspect tube rolling can help here (and later, amp rolling ).

So it's definitely a matter of personal preference between the two!

Dunc

P.S. - I'm also a little flummoxed by the Atticus' poor pairing with the Valhalla. I'd love to hear it with a tube amp, but don't have any to hand other than the Val. :-/
P.P.S. - If someone's interested in a cherry Atticus, mine will most likely be up for sale shortly...

 

[SQ13]

Just curious, does Zach offers wood change service for the headphone ?
I currently have the Camphor Eikon but thought it may be fun to change to Teak as it looks gorgeous on the Auteur.
and is it even possible to change the wooden cup ourselves.

 

[jdhore]

Just curious, does Zach offers wood change service for the headphone ?
I currently have the Camphor Eikon but thought it may be fun to change to Teak as it looks gorgeous on the Auteur.
and is it even possible to change the wooden cup ourselves.

He does not offer wood change service as it would be extremely time-intensive and extremely costly.

It is likely POSSIBLE to change the wood yourself, but you would likely be voiding the warranty and without getting your cup milled EXACTLY right and adjusting the dampening to account for the different wood, it would cause sonic issues.

The shorter answer (or tl;dr) to both questions is: No

 

[felix3650]

He would need to build the cups from scratch which is the most time consuming and costly operation.
The headband, gimbals and drivers are ready made but the cups need calibration and fine tuning to sound the same for both ears.
Believe me, I've built speaker enclosures and know what it takes

 

[nocturaline]

P.S. - I'm also a little flummoxed by the Atticus' poor pairing with the Valhalla. I'd love to hear it with a tube amp, but don't have any to hand other than the Val. :-/

I must admit–although reluctantly–that I agree with your statement. I've been using the Atticus with the Valhalla 2 for about 4 months now. I liked it a lot at the beginning, but now, I must say I find it not to be a perfect pairing. It has gotten boring somehow. I've switched back and forth between the Atticus and the HD 650, and in the end, the HD 650 is the one of the two which is best suited to pair with the Valhalla.

Yesterday, I remembered I had a 14-year-old Musical Fidelity X-Can V3 somewhere. I dug it up, and although it's not as good as the Valhalla 2 with the HD 650, it works beautifully with the Atticus. The soundstage has increased, there's a lot of air, everything is punchy. The bass is clean, deep and clear, the mids are beautiful, upfront without being overwhelming, and the treble is present, not recessed at all, without being harsh. Rock, pop, electronica, and my favorite, Drum & Bass, sound pretty amazing. I haven't tried Classical yet (which was quite disappointing with the Valhalla), but I suspect it should sound pretty good.

It's always about finding the right pairing, isn't it?

 

[wowyahoo]

I wonder how these will stax up against other similaly classed closed backs.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Question: Has anyone on this thread tried the Atticus with the Darkvoice 336SE? If yes, what was the result?

I ask because I'm very interested in the Atticus, and suspect (based on various comments) that it would be helpful to have an OTL/tube amp on-hand to get the absolute best sound out of them.

(thanks in advance for any feedback)

 

[Nick-s-f]

Ah those Teak Auteur are so nice looking..now I can't decide between it or getting an Eikon..decisions!

 

[nScott89]

Ah those Teak Auteur are so nice looking..now I can't decide between it or getting an Eikon..decisions!

I haven't heard the Auteur yet, but if you're worried the Eikon might be a bit too much on the "fun" side, and don't want to wait for the Auteur you might want to consider getting the Eikon and a set of the new ZMF Universe pads. Zach was kind enough to send the non-perforated lambskin version to me early this month for evaluation purposes. I've always found my Eikon to be a bit too rambunctious for more well-mannered genres.As such I've been in touch with him fairly regularly for ideas on how to make it a little bit more even-keeled and these pads have done that. Not only do they make the Eikon significantly more neutral, but they also smooth the treble out too. They're a really good way to make the Eikon less of a 'flavor' can and more of a neutral, reference friendly sound, while still maintaining a fairly warm, smooth signature. I did notice that you do kind of lose the classic layered sound that characterizes the Eikon and makes it so unique. But on the other hand instruments are still really nicely separated and sub-bass extension is not affected either. You just get a bit flatter response transitioning from mids to bass. Another plus is the ear opening is a bit larger so you have a bit more breathing room.

If anyone is interested they're on the ZMF site now.