ATTICUS and EIKON, the new dynamic driver headphones from ZMF
Jul 22, 2018 at 4:46 AM Post #5,986 of 9,671
It wouldn’t be my first, second, third, fourth or fifth choice.

The Glenn basic OTL build at $750 was the best suggestion of all the amps, by far.

Also, regarding the portable solution, the iFi iDSD Black Label is the best choice. Pretty noticeable improvement from the Mojo. I spent about 2 hours comparing them head-to-head one day a few months ago.


The basic Glenn OTL amp is an incredible deal, especially when you see how much most pure tube amps cost.
The thing is that it is very hard to order just the basic model, lol.
You want to add this upgrade, and that upgrade....so say that you get the amp to the $1250-$1500 range..then the EL3N amp comes into play as it cost just a tad bit more, but there is no need to roll tubes other than rectifier tubes if you wish to.
Some may find this a better option and others not so much as you can't roll many tubes.
Some of the best tubes for the OTL are pretty expensive these days, but there are always other tubes that do not break the bank and being that Glenns amps can use so many of them, you can still get a great sound for not too much money.
The GOTL will sound great no matter what tubes as it is very transparent to tube rolling.

If one has a strict budget and they can stick to the basic design...they can still roll rectifier, power and driver tubes.
The bang for the buck here is totally off the hook...the only downside is the wait time...so must have an amp that you can use while you wait for your amp to be built....many people can not stand to wait and I understand that as patience is not
a lot of peoples thing, it is very much worth the wait though.
 
Jul 22, 2018 at 6:18 PM Post #5,987 of 9,671
The mcth is a great bargain at $250, while the ifi black label doesn’t pair very well with the Atticus.
 
Jul 22, 2018 at 11:06 PM Post #5,988 of 9,671
The basic Glenn OTL amp is an incredible deal, especially when you see how much most pure tube amps cost.
The thing is that it is very hard to order just the basic model, lol.
You want to add this upgrade, and that upgrade....so say that you get the amp to the $1250-$1500 range..then the EL3N amp comes into play as it cost just a tad bit more, but there is no need to roll tubes other than rectifier tubes if you wish to.

gawddammit, now I want the GEL3N! :anguished:

Maybe I'd regret it, but I like the idea of NOT tube rolling ... I just want that killer ZMF sound in a more set it and forget way

Any reviews of the GEL3N out there better than others? Thanks!
 
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Jul 22, 2018 at 11:41 PM Post #5,989 of 9,671
As a counterpoint, R2R 11 is about the one amp I just don't care for with Atticus. I find it overly warm and congested compared to my other amps. For $700 budget there's a lot of solid options. I really like it with my Valhalla 2. I also enjoyed Atticus on Massdrop CTH as well as Lyr 3. I have the Massdrop EC ZDT Jr coming in the next couple weeks and I bought it because Zach gave it really high praise when he got to demo it. I also really liked Atticus on Feliks Elise, but I know that is hard to find in that budget these days. For solid states, the one most people seem to be recommending these days (including Zach) is the Gilmore Lite mk2. I haven't heard myself, but that is high on my wish list.
Hmmm that rec is encouraging. I just ordered a Gilmore Lite Mk2 yesterday to go with the Hugo 2. Really looking forward to trying it out to hear what it can do.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 12:28 AM Post #5,990 of 9,671
Hmmm that rec is encouraging. I just ordered a Gilmore Lite Mk2 yesterday to go with the Hugo 2. Really looking forward to trying it out to hear what it can do.

Nice, that should be a pretty sweet setup. Please report impressions when you get a chance.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 1:09 AM Post #5,991 of 9,671
gawddammit, now I want the GEL3N! :anguished:

Maybe I'd regret it, but I like the idea of NOT tube rolling ... I just want that killer ZMF sound in a more set it and forget way

Any reviews of the GEL3N out there better than others? Thanks!
I'm not a big fan of tube rolling either. My solution? Figure out what the best tubes out there (for your amp) cost and add it to the cost of the amp in your head. Then just assume that's the actual cost of the amp. When you order the amp, order the good tube(s) and be done with it.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 1:59 AM Post #5,992 of 9,671
Maybe I'd regret it, but I like the idea of NOT tube rolling ... I just want that killer ZMF sound in a more set it and forget way
Unlike @Stillhart my solution is keeping well away from tube amps altogether.

The whole point of tube rolling is to discover which tubes sound ‘best’ for your headphones and music. That takes time, patience, and money, unless you’re lucky enough to hit on a solid combination quickly. But in my experience, with so many options available, you’ll inevitably end up wondering if there isn’t something better for this song or that song. One day you’ll be casually listening to a track and thinking ‘I wonder if some new tubes won’t make the vocals pop more?’

And so it starts. You can never ‘settle’. And even if you do, change your headphone or dac and suddenly everything is ‘off’ and you have to start again. And then you realise one of your favorite headphones doesn’t actually like tubes. It becomes all about the gear, always. Aargh!

I know myself, and too many options and flavours ultimately detract from my goal: to switch on my amp, plug in my headphones and just enjoy my music, be it old favorites or new discoveries.

But that’s me. Plenty of us started on this journey as gearheads, and plenty others discovered the insatiable joy (or pain) of curiosity as we went along. I’ve reached a point where more is not actually more. Less is more, and even three headphones are starting to seem excessive for me, given two very expensive headphones are often sat idle for days or weeks at a time.

TL;DR - like any addiction, the only cure is going cold turkey. Tubes, for me, in my brief flirtation with them, were the worst kind of addiction, and with a quality all-in-one solid state on my desk, I don’t miss them for a minute.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 2:45 AM Post #5,993 of 9,671
Unlike @Stillhart my solution is keeping well away from tube amps altogether.

The whole point of tube rolling is to discover which tubes sound ‘best’ for your headphones and music. That takes time, patience, and money, unless you’re lucky enough to hit on a solid combination quickly. But in my experience, with so many options available, you’ll inevitably end up wondering if there isn’t something better for this song or that song. One day you’ll be casually listening to a track and thinking ‘I wonder if some new tubes won’t make the vocals pop more?’

And so it starts. You can never ‘settle’. And even if you do, change your headphone or dac and suddenly everything is ‘off’ and you have to start again. And then you realise one of your favorite headphones doesn’t actually like tubes. It becomes all about the gear, always. Aargh!

I know myself, and too many options and flavours ultimately detract from my goal: to switch on my amp, plug in my headphones and just enjoy my music, be it old favorites or new discoveries.

But that’s me. Plenty of us started on this journey as gearheads, and plenty others discovered the insatiable joy (or pain) of curiosity as we went along. I’ve reached a point where more is not actually more. Less is more, and even three headphones are starting to seem excessive for me, given two very expensive headphones are often sat idle for days or weeks at a time.

TL;DR - like any addiction, the only cure is going cold turkey. Tubes, for me, in my brief flirtation with them, were the worst kind of addiction, and with a quality all-in-one solid state on my desk, I don’t miss them for a minute.

Valid points,but....

I have to give major props to the guys in the Glenn thread. Each and every one of them have helped me in choosing solid tubes,providing links to good deals and answering all of my toob noob questions. Without the Glenn bunch I never would've known where to begin.

Great bunch of Head-Fiers!
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 3:24 AM Post #5,994 of 9,671
Hey guys!

2) What is the good portable/transportable amp with enough power to reveal potential of Atticus (Mojo, iFi iDSD Black Label or others)?

Hi, on question 2 I can suggest you the Alo Audio Continental V5 or Centrance M8 even though it might sound heretic to drive Atticus with a portable amp.

The V5 can do magic with the mid-high range of the Atticus while mid-bass region strictly depends on the source. There is no issue with power as V5 can drive Atticus to normal/fun playing volume unless you lean on damaging your ears. However with some sources it could be too soft on bass/mid-bass. Surely the performance of the V5+Atticus on voices and the entire midrange/treble area is really great. With Centrance Mini M8 performance is great and better on mid-bass/bass frequencies but loose some magic on mid/treble while the M8 has lot of power and driveability not to mention the possibility to go balanced.

Have a good day
Alessandro
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 5:36 AM Post #5,995 of 9,671
Unlike @Stillhart my solution is keeping well away from tube amps altogether.

The whole point of tube rolling is to discover which tubes sound ‘best’ for your headphones and music. That takes time, patience, and money, unless you’re lucky enough to hit on a solid combination quickly. But in my experience, with so many options available, you’ll inevitably end up wondering if there isn’t something better for this song or that song. One day you’ll be casually listening to a track and thinking ‘I wonder if some new tubes won’t make the vocals pop more?’

And so it starts. You can never ‘settle’. And even if you do, change your headphone or dac and suddenly everything is ‘off’ and you have to start again. And then you realise one of your favorite headphones doesn’t actually like tubes. It becomes all about the gear, always. Aargh!

I know myself, and too many options and flavours ultimately detract from my goal: to switch on my amp, plug in my headphones and just enjoy my music, be it old favorites or new discoveries.

But that’s me. Plenty of us started on this journey as gearheads, and plenty others discovered the insatiable joy (or pain) of curiosity as we went along. I’ve reached a point where more is not actually more. Less is more, and even three headphones are starting to seem excessive for me, given two very expensive headphones are often sat idle for days or weeks at a time.

TL;DR - like any addiction, the only cure is going cold turkey. Tubes, for me, in my brief flirtation with them, were the worst kind of addiction, and with a quality all-in-one solid state on my desk, I don’t miss them for a minute.


This is a very valid point indeed, and I understand your way of thinking...many people think the same way and that is fine, to each their own.

I do disagree with your thought of the whole point of tube rolling is to find the best sound for your headphones....after listening to enough tubes, the best sound for your headphones can be for the mood and the genre of music...for instance, I may roll just a driver tube to change the tone of my headphone to a much warmer sound, when in the mood, with options like this I never feel boxed in with a certain sound, I may use the same tubes for months...then the mood hits for a slightly different presentation....different strokes for different folks I guess :)



gawddammit, now I want the GEL3N! :anguished:

Maybe I'd regret it, but I like the idea of NOT tube rolling ... I just want that killer ZMF sound in a more set it and forget way

Any reviews of the GEL3N out there better than others? Thanks!



I don't want to derail this thread with amp talk....best to visit this thread for your info.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/2359glenn-studio.600110/page-1426#post-14376241
 
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Jul 23, 2018 at 11:25 AM Post #5,996 of 9,671
I was wondering if any of you folks could vouch for a portable headphone that has a similar sound to the Eikon? I hope it's ok to ask here, it's just that because the Eikon isn't really a practical option for carrying around with you, then some of you may have secondary headphones that have similar qualities.
From the fair bit of research I've done, i'm feeling that maybe i'd have better luck with in-ears then over-ears.
B&O H6 Gen 2 is the only thing remotely close that i can think of. a bit warmer than the Eikon, but still in the same ballpark, signature-wise.
 
Jul 23, 2018 at 12:00 PM Post #5,997 of 9,671
I like the sound of both the Atticus and Auteur with my Mjolnir I; however, that is my only amp at this time, so I cannot provide nearly the depth of comparison as others here.

The sound is clean and neutral to my ears with plenty of power to support the Atticus' bass slam. The Mjolnir easily steps enough out of the way to allow me to hear the differences between the HE-500, Atticus and Auteur. Sure, the HE-500 is not hard to spot in that group...

I originally bought my Mjolnir I to support my HE-500, which it does to my satisfaction.
 
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Jul 23, 2018 at 1:16 PM Post #5,999 of 9,671
B&O H6 Gen 2 is the only thing remotely close that i can think of. a bit warmer than the Eikon, but still in the same ballpark, signature-wise.

That's interesting - i actually have/had these phones, they're damaged at the moment and not sure if i'm pushed repairing them. They do seem in the ballpark but there was something strangely unsatisfying about them. It wasn't helped by the fact that they never clamped tightly enough on my head, so the subbass was affected by that. More frustrating was that - particularly with ambient or drone-ey music - they seemed distant, not engaging enough, like i wasn't absorbing the music. I'd often reach for my in-ears if i was listening to ambient music. I guess it's maybe a common thing with closed headphones?
 
Jul 25, 2018 at 10:42 AM Post #6,000 of 9,671
Thanks to all for the really invaluable help and advices. I believe Glenn OTL is the excellent amplifier, but even hardly imagine how to order one. What do you think about Polish Feliks Audio amps, if someone had a chance to listen certainly?
 
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