ATTICUS and EIKON, the new dynamic driver headphones from ZMF
Jul 6, 2020 at 11:40 AM Post #7,771 of 9,668
Congrats!
Almost like my set :) Eikon and 3XP here. Let us know your impressions, but ZMF's and Burson's need some time to give their best! :)

Ohhh, one thing I'm sorry to say! :worried:

I've been listening for half an hour with the 3XP and right now on the iFi iCan Pro.

Yeah what can I say? Simple, the Burson feels like an old grandma, the iCan feels like Mike Tyson. Definitely rad! The Burson definitely seems to run out of air at 300Ohm (300mW :sleepy:). No bass, listless, no commitment, nothing. With the iCan the exact opposite and not recognizable anymore.

I have to keep testing. But I wouldn't have expected such a crass difference. At first I thought the Atticus was a lame horse, but with the iCan it immediately becomes a racehorse!:slight_smile:

Definitely means that the ZMF seem to need a V8 with supercharger and not a 3-4 cylinder! But hell yes, he sounds damn cool with the iCan! There via tube mode, gain plus 9dB!
 
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Jul 6, 2020 at 11:57 AM Post #7,772 of 9,668
So, the postman was here today... and lo and behold, he brought two little things with him! One from the other side of the world (Australia) and one from our neighboring country (Germany), but of course originally from the USA.

What can I say? Feels like Christmas and just a little bit excited! :blush:

But see for yourself!:relaxed:

Give me a few more days for first listening impressions!

Congrats, and welcome to the club.
Ohhh, one thing I'm sorry to say! :worried:

I've been listening for half an hour with the 3XP and right now on the iFi iCan Pro.

Yeah what can I say? Simple, the Burson feels like an old grandma, the iCan feels like Mike Tyson. Definitely rad! The Burson definitely seems to run out of air at 300Ohm (300mW :sleepy:). No bass, listless, no commitment, nothing. With the iCan the exact opposite and not recognizable anymore.

I have to keep testing. But I wouldn't have expected such a crass difference. At first I thought the Atticus was a lame horse, but with the iCan it immediately becomes a racehorse!:slight_smile:

Definitely means that the ZMF seem to need a V8 with supercharger and not a 3-4 cylinder! But hell yes, he sounds damn cool with the iCan! There via tube mode, gain plus 9dB!
ZMFs are generally very amp picky, and really come to life on an OTL amp.
 
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Jul 6, 2020 at 12:35 PM Post #7,773 of 9,668
Congrats, and welcome to the club.

ZMFs and generally very amp picky, and really come to life on an OTL amp.
The Atticus is the pickiest of them all. The Atticus and a "good" OTL amp, go together like peanut butter and jelly. :o2smile:
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 12:45 PM Post #7,774 of 9,668
ZMFs and generally very amp picky, and really come to life on an OTL amp.
The Atticus is the pickiest of them all. The Atticus and a "good" OTL amp, go together like peanut butter and jelly. :o2smile:
That’s what I was afraid of. Was hoping the Atticus would be relatively easy to drive like the website says. That way I could postpone the DAC/amp and get the headphones first while I save up for the OTL amp later, but it looks like driving the Atticus with a DAP would be a waste of good headphones.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 12:50 PM Post #7,775 of 9,668
That’s what I was afraid of. Was hoping the Atticus would be relatively easy to drive like the website says. That way I could postpone the DAC/amp and get the headphones first while I save up for the OTL amp later, but it looks like driving the Atticus with a DAP would be a waste of good headphones.
Unconditionally: having Atticus > not having Atticus.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 12:57 PM Post #7,776 of 9,668
That’s what I was afraid of. Was hoping the Atticus would be relatively easy to drive like the website says. That way I could postpone the DAC/amp and get the headphones first while I save up for the OTL amp later, but it looks like driving the Atticus with a DAP would be a waste of good headphones.
I've tried my Eikons on several daps and they've never sounded good, even when paired with various portable tube amps. I don't think they're designed for portable set-up. I imagine it's the same if not worse for the Atticus.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 12:59 PM Post #7,777 of 9,668
The Atticus is the pickiest of them all. The Atticus and a "good" OTL amp, go together like peanut butter and jelly. :o2smile:

I get the screaming meemies picturing an OTL w/those sizzling hot tubes--and close by, a big/thick PB&J sandwich, jelly oozing out of the sides...it's a recipe for disaster!
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 1:01 PM Post #7,778 of 9,668
That’s what I was afraid of. Was hoping the Atticus would be relatively easy to drive like the website says. That way I could postpone the DAC/amp and get the headphones first while I save up for the OTL amp later, but it looks like driving the Atticus with a DAP would be a waste of good headphones.
it is actually quite easy to drive, from a power perspective. what is tougher about the Atticus is synergy. there's lots of amps that have more than enough power to drive them, yet they seem to lack something. My personal example is the Schiit Lyr 3. That amp is a monster, power-wise, yet i found the Atticus to sound sleepy and unengaging on it. Moving over to a Violectric V100 woke it up and made it sing, despite having less power than the Lyr.

I do find good clean solid state amps with high dynamic range sound quite good with the Atticus. Yes tube amps are great, but a good solid state works quite well also. The solid state amps I've enjoyed the Atticus on: Lake People RS08 and G109, Violectric V100, Phonitor e (my favorite non-tube amp so far for the Atticus, Jotunheim, and Gilmore Lite MK2. The THX amps aren't bad, but will make the treble a bit hard sounding, imo. Some love those amps, I find them a tad fatiguing for long sessions. Just my .02
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 1:10 PM Post #7,779 of 9,668
I've tried my Eikons on several daps and they've never sounded good, even when paired with various portable tube amps. I don't think they're designed for portable set-up. I imagine it's the same if not worse for the Atticus.
Thanks!
it is actually quite easy to drive, from a power perspective. what is tougher about the Atticus is synergy. there's lots of amps that have more than enough power to drive them, yet they seem to lack something. My personal example is the Schiit Lyr 3. That amp is a monster, power-wise, yet i found the Atticus to sound sleepy and unengaging on it. Moving over to a Violectric V100 woke it up and made it sing, despite having less power than the Lyr.

I do find good clean solid state amps with high dynamic range sound quite good with the Atticus. Yes tube amps are great, but a good solid state works quite well also. The solid state amps I've enjoyed the Atticus on: Lake People RS08 and G109, Violectric V100, Phonitor e (my favorite non-tube amp so far for the Atticus, Jotunheim, and Gilmore Lite MK2. The THX amps aren't bad, but will make the treble a bit hard sounding, imo. Some love those amps, I find them a tad fatiguing for long sessions. Just my .02
Thanks! That also seems a running theme when moving from IEMs, which are generally very straightforward, to headphones, which require more thought to get the most out of them. Really helps to hear some thoughts like these to get a good sense of what I would need to save up for.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 1:17 PM Post #7,780 of 9,668
Thanks!

Thanks! That also seems a running theme when moving from IEMs, which are generally very straightforward, to headphones, which require more thought to get the most out of them. Really helps to hear some thoughts like these to get a good sense of what I would need to save up for.
I would strongly recommend if you are near any shops and/or meets, try everything you can. Get as much ear time as possible on different amps to see what you find synergistic. it's a very subjective and personal thing. my synergy won't be yours, etc. that's always the best way to go when possible.

and if not, buying used often helps as if you buy smart, the price you pay for a used amp should be pretty close to what you can turn around and sell it for. it's more work for sure, but it's a good way to try lots of stuff with minimal loss. i look at any minor loss i take as a rental fee, which i'm happy to pay for the experience.

i'll finish with this, don't worry too too much about the amp/gear right now. enjoy the Atticus with what you have, and see how you like it. think of areas that you feel are lacking, and then you can narrow down your search by focusing on amps with those strengths. and though many of us run our stuff on expensive gear, that doesn't mean you can't really enjoy them on modest equipment as well. my little modi 3/vali 2 stack is surprisingly fun with my ZMFs. i think it's the vali's high output impedance on high gain. but despite it's modest ability, i just enjoy the experience quite a bit.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 1:28 PM Post #7,781 of 9,668
I would strongly recommend if you are near any shops and/or meets, try everything you can. Get as much ear time as possible on different amps to see what you find synergistic. it's a very subjective and personal thing. my synergy won't be yours, etc. that's always the best way to go when possible.

and if not, buying used often helps as if you buy smart, the price you pay for a used amp should be pretty close to what you can turn around and sell it for. it's more work for sure, but it's a good way to try lots of stuff with minimal loss. i look at any minor loss i take as a rental fee, which i'm happy to pay for the experience.

i'll finish with this, don't worry too too much about the amp/gear right now. enjoy the Atticus with what you have, and see how you like it. think of areas that you feel are lacking, and then you can narrow down your search by focusing on amps with those strengths. and though many of us run our stuff on expensive gear, that doesn't mean you can't really enjoy them on modest equipment as well. my little modi 3/vali 2 stack is surprisingly fun with my ZMFs. i think it's the vali's high output impedance on high gain. but despite it's modest ability, i just enjoy the experience quite a bit.
The Feliks Echo is also a good foray into OTL life, which I understand Zach himself recommends as a good pairing. Fairly affordable, too.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 1:33 PM Post #7,782 of 9,668
The Feliks Echo is also a good foray into OTL life, which I understand Zach himself recommends as a good pairing. Fairly affordable, too.
Zach has recommended Feliks a few times to me when asking about tube amps for ZMF. I was able to hear some of the Feliks line at a local distributor, and they do indeed sound very good.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 1:37 PM Post #7,783 of 9,668
The Feliks Echo is also a good foray into OTL life, which I understand Zach himself recommends as a good pairing. Fairly affordable, too.
That is actually the amp at the top of my wish list in any case. :grin:
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 2:13 PM Post #7,784 of 9,668
Just at the Burson listening with the LCD-X. Yeah, there's definitely something going on! Tough, powerful bass, extremely precise. Super nice sound, I like it here much better than with an iFi micro iDSD BL. Here you can feel the power it has. LCD-X has 20Ohm. So the Burson brings about 6 watts of power. That is definitely a huge difference to 300mW at 300 ohms.

Very short conclusion, highly recommended for low impedance headphones, but definitely not for ZMF! Something else has to come up, they do everything but no fun!
 

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