[Serge Bernamej]

Why is it depressing? I am not saying that solid state doesn't sound good and I used extreme examples. The Atticus sounds decenht from my Pro iCan but better from even cheaper tube amps to me when it comes to revealing its inherent strengths. It has better synergy from something like a Torpedo III, Kenzie (same price) or an Euphoria and responds better. I actually even like it from the Cayin HA 1A MK2 because that amplifier can show how the Atticus snaps and is really good at bringing out its microdynamics. I am speaking about a synergy where the amps themselves are able to open it up and make it pop, yet control its transients and give them body. I had the Cayin Iha6 and really liked the Atticus from that solid state and is one of the exceptions in some areas. The Taurus is much like Cayin solid state amp.

I have the Milo inbound tomorrow and will/can provide some feedback. That amplifier is designed with the dimensionality, timbre, and nuance of a tube amp in mind which is why it has become special to a lot of people. I am eager to hear it finally.

Thanks for the precisions ! I hope you're right and the synergy won't be too bad with the Taurus.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Thanks for the impressions, I was starting to despair...

I haven't heard the Atticus yet (hope that will happen in Feb)--but I heard @jinxy245's Eikon at some length on 4 different SS amps, including the V281 & Liquid Carbon.

It sounded amazing on every amp. Hard for me to believe it could get much better on OTL tubes.

I'm actually thinking of getting a used Darkvoice 336SE in case I end up getting an Atticus (Yes, I need therapy!)

 

[mysticstryk]

Thanks for the impressions, I was starting to despair...

The great thing about the A&E is they will sound great out of just about anything. The even better thing about them is they scale up really well, much like the hd600 and 800 series. I wasn't trying to discourage anyone from using SS. Like I said, even the super cheap $99 Magni 3 is an awesome budget amp for the ZMFs. Just something to keep in mind if you decide to upgrade/build your system around either of the ZMFs.

 

[Serge Bernamej]

The great thing about the A&E is they will sound great out of just about anything. The even better thing about them is they scale up really well, much like the hd600 and 800 series. I wasn't trying to discourage anyone from using SS. Like I said, even the super cheap $99 Magni 3 is an awesome budget amp for the ZMFs. Just something to keep in mind if you decide to upgrade/build your system around either of the ZMFs.

Great!!!
So here are my current amps :
Auralic Taurus mkii
Ifi ican pro
Rega Ear
(And a no name DIY that i can't describe here)

I just hope i find "synergy" with some of those.

 

[czy6412]

I like the pairing of Eikon and Valhalla 2, and I can assume this pairing is better than many solid state amps. I heard Taurus mkii and ican pro (not with either Atticus or Eikon) and I don't like them. Taurus sounds lean and ican pro sounds dull to me.

 

[xenithon]

Don't suppose anyone has heard the A and/or E on the Matrix HPA-3B? It is very powerful, and quite meaty / warm (without being syrupy or lacking detail)? Or similarly, has anyone heard them on the Audeze Deckard, which is apparently very similar (Matrix OEM for them)?

 

[AeRoPLoDgE]

Do any of you guys have an issue with the clamp force on the eikon? Like my left ear is in serious pain after just about 30 minutes of use. I've had the headphone since it was released and barely use it anymore and might sell it, its just been sitting in its case for the while now. I don't have this problem with my blackwoods, I think its due to the cup being slightly shallower, Anyone else experience this?

 

[gLer]

Don't suppose anyone has heard the A and/or E on the Matrix HPA-3B? It is very powerful, and quite meaty / warm (without being syrupy or lacking detail)? Or similarly, has anyone heard them on the Audeze Deckard, which is apparently very similar (Matrix OEM for them)?

I'd like to know this as well. One of the most underrated and "under the radar" amps available IMO, with a beautifully warm, "tube-like" sound. Don't be fooled by the price, this is high-end in every respect. Can only imagine what the Atticus sounds like on this.

 

[cptnhindsight]

Do any of you guys have an issue with the clamp force on the eikon? Like my left ear is in serious pain after just about 30 minutes of use. I've had the headphone since it was released and barely use it anymore and might sell it, its just been sitting in its case for the while now. I don't have this problem with my blackwoods, I think its due to the cup being slightly shallower, Anyone else experience this?

The headband is super easy to bend giving you the ability to adjust the clamp. I have had zero issues with comfort after a little tweaking

 

[AeRoPLoDgE]

The headband is super easy to bend giving you the ability to adjust the clamp. I have had zero issues with comfort after a little tweaking

Cheers!, i'll play around with the headband see if it makes a difference.

 

[dunkyboy]

From my limited experience, I’d say that if you’re tired of amp rolling, then A&E might not be for you... They’re very sensitive to different amps, as they’re electrically quite demanding and particular.

For instance, while Eikon sounds great out of my Mojo, and ok out of my Lyr, they only really came to life with my Valhalla 2 (the difference is not subtle). And it’s not as simple as just OTL tubes - the Atticus by contrast sounds “off” with the Valhalla, uneven and loose. But it sounds great with the Mojo!

So you might get lucky with the amp(s) you already have, but don’t be surprised if the synergy isn’t there and you need to go on an amp quest...

Dunc

 

[nocturaline]

From my limited experience, I’d say that if you’re tired of amp rolling, then A&E might not be for you... They’re very sensitive to different amps, as they’re electrically quite demanding and particular.

For instance, while Eikon sounds great out of my Mojo, and ok out of my Lyr, they only really came to life with my Valhalla 2 (the difference is not subtle). And it’s not as simple as just OTL tubes - the Atticus by contrast sounds “off” with the Valhalla, uneven and loose. But it sounds great with the Mojo!

So you might get lucky with the amp(s) you already have, but don’t be surprised if the synergy isn’t there and you need to go on an amp quest...

Dunc

It is true that the choice of amp is very important, especially with the Atticus, but now I've been reminded that the source is the most vital part of it all. Last week I posted that I no longer loved my Atticus paired with the Valhalla 2, and had found out that it sounded way better with my old X-Can V3. That is still true, but ONLY, in my case, with the source being an iPad 4 with iTunes playing AIFF files.

Last night, I went back to using Roon (whose subscription I wanted to cancel due to the high price) on my Mac, and suddenly, the Valhalla 2 became way better than the X-Can V3, which sounded too bright – and I haven't used Roon's DSP engine yet, which I'm going to take a closer look at today.

So I'm going to keep Roon, because, despite the high price, I haven't found anything that sounded better to me; I'm going to keep using the Valhalla 2, because it works better with the Atticus when Roon is the source (and I'm a Schiit fan); and finally, I'll make sure to never forget what Dirk Gently always says: "EVERYTHING is connected."

When the same headphone plugged into the same amp gives opposite results to different people, ask them which DAC and source they use. This might be where the difference in opinion lies – not to mention that we all hear things differently, a fact that will never get old.

 

[Serge Bernamej]

I just talked with Zach avout the OTL tube issue, paired with the Atticus, and he explained to me that It's somewhat of a misnomer that the Atticus needs tubes to sound great. The Atticus, the creator says, can still certainly sound great out of a SS amp.
Now we can go on forever about this, but at the end of the day, it's up to us to listen to which amps will have the best synergy with our respective cans.

 

[cptnhindsight]

I just talked with Zach avout the OTL tube issue, paired with the Atticus, and he explained to me that It's somewhat of a misnomer that the Atticus needs tubes to sound great. The Atticus, the creator says, can still certainly sound great out of a SS amp.
Now we can go on forever about this, but at the end of the day, it's up to us to listen to which amps will have the best synergy with our respective cans.

Given that source components will add flavor to the headphones (some more than others) I agree that yes it is important to tweak your setup based on personal preference. With that being said, I think this is being blown way out of proportion. To me, the atticus sounds great on any decent amp/dac combo. The question is to what lengths will you go to to find your true happy place. I feed my atticus with the theta pro prime ii --> audio-gd nfb 1 amp and I am extremely happy with the results. I will eventually invest in a good tube amp down the line but there is no reason to think they will sound like crap out of a solid state. Zach has done a great job engineering all of his headphones with the glorious zmf house sound.

 

[Serge Bernamej]

Given that source components will add flavor to the headphones (some more than others) I agree that yes it is important to tweak your setup based on personal preference. With that being said, I think this is being blown way out of proportion. To me, the atticus sounds great on any decent amp/dac combo. The question is to what lengths will you go to to find your true happy place. I feed my atticus with the theta pro prime ii --> audio-gd nfb 1 amp and I am extremely happy with the results. I will eventually invest in a good tube amp down the line but there is no reason to think they will sound like crap out of a solid state. Zach has done a great job engineering all of his headphones with the glorious zmf house sound.

Zach seems to confirm your common sense ! Which does not invalidate all the prefious discussion. But I'm happy to know it's not a SS-crap or TUBE OTL-bliss dilemma.