[PsilocybinCube]

Has anyone tried the different solid Auteur pads on the Eikon? Curious what the difference is between the Lambskin and the Hybrid versions.

I have the hybrid Auteur pads on my Eikon and have swapped between the Eikon and the Auteur pads.

The Auteur pads certainly widen the soundstage and make the sound a bit more v-shaped in my opinion. They take the sound more into 'fun' territory and make it bit less accurate. That's what I sought from the Eikon - to have a really fun headphones - so mission accomplished.

With the auteur pads, the soundstage isn't too far away from the stage on the HD800 in my opinion and it's more engaging. I realize they are very different headphones, but from a soundstage width and depth perspective, they get close and it's an interesting point of comparison.

The hybrid is leather on the inside and the suede is only the portion contacting your head, so I'd imagine the hybrid and lambskin wouldn't sound too different, but that's conjecture.

 

[kid vic]

Has anyone tried the different solid Auteur pads on the Eikon? Curious what the difference is between the Lambskin and the Hybrid versions.

Solid Auteur lambskins on mine, compared to the solid lambskin Eikons there is less: midbass bump, slight increase in treble, wider and deeper soundstage, cleaner bass extension overall. If you find that your eikons sound to "squished" with the Eikon pads consider the Auteur pads; if you want a more even but slightly weightier midrange compared to the Auteur pads with an increase in soundstage over the Auteur pads, pick the universe pads.

 

[hikaru12]

Solid Auteur lambskins on mine, compared to the solid lambskin Eikons there is less: midbass bump, slight increase in treble, wider and deeper soundstage, cleaner bass extension overall. If you find that your eikons sound to "squished" with the Eikon pads consider the Auteur pads; if you want a more even but slightly weightier midrange compared to the Auteur pads with an increase in soundstage over the Auteur pads, pick the universe pads.

Do the universe pads bring the bass too neutral? I'm still trying to see if anyone can compare the Eikon leather solid and the Eikon suede solids for the Eikons.

 

[PsilocybinCube]

Do the universe pads bring the bass too neutral? I'm still trying to see if anyone can compare the Eikon leather solid and the Eikon suede solids for the Eikons.

Zach does say that suede (on any of the pads) causes a greater tilt toward neutral.

 

[hikaru12]

The Auteur pads certainly widen the soundstage and make the sound a bit more v-shaped in my opinion. They take the sound more into 'fun' territory and make it bit less accurate.

Would you say they tune the Eikons too bright? I had the Teak Auteurs which were a bit bright on some songs but I preferred them over the Eikon perf. that came with the Auteurs. I'm thinking I would probably be able to handle it if I got them if they gave them a more airy feel which I think the Eikon excels at.

Tbh, I haven't had much luck with alternate pads on any of Zach's offerings. I tried the Eikon Suede on the Atticus which I think took away too much from their fun quality and reduced the midbass too much. I tried the Universe perf. suede on the Aeolus and I found them to be very rich, but started to tone down the detail and midbass which gave the Aeolus their fun but more precise tuning.

 

[kid vic]

Do the universe pads bring the bass too neutral? I'm still trying to see if anyone can compare the Eikon leather solid and the Eikon suede solids for the Eikons.

I maintain that the Eikon is a bass neutral headphone to begin with. The universe pads are roughly the same in bass quantity as the Eikon pads, maybe marginally less but not by a lot.
However, the auteur pads brought a bit more of an emphasized treble over the Eikon pads imo.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Tbh, I haven't had much luck with alternate pads on any of Zach's offerings.

When I had my Eikon, I never tried other pads, simply because the ZMF earpad sound diagram showed that stock Eikon pads were the warmest/most musical pad choice for that headphone. I really wouldn't have liked a more neutral (aka, brighter) Eikon, so I never bothered w/pads for it.

For reasons I don't fully understand, there seem to be more successful (ZMF-recommended) pad options for the open back dynamics. That's certainly true for the Aeolus (open back version of Atticus) for which any of 3 ZMF-recommended pads can produce meaningful but effective changes in the sound (in the manner of fine-tuning what's already there).

I'm told it's the same w/the Verite Open, but love the sound w/stock pads so much that I can't even think about trying other pads on that one.

 

[1-MiC]

Well my big head gets a slight hotspot at the top in certain positions with the Eikon. I orded the pilot pad, and threw in some Eikon suede pads!

 

[hikaru12]

Well my big head gets a slight hotspot at the top in certain positions with the Eikon. I orded the pilot pad, and threw in some Eikon suede pads!

Do post your impressions here when the suedes come in. I might order a Pilot Pad myself. I always did like the Suede strap the Aeolus had. It was different and felt great.

That's certainly true for the Aeolus (open back version of Atticus) for which any of 3 ZMF-recommended pads can produce meaningful but effective changes in the sound (in the manner of fine-tuning what's already there).

I concur with this. When I had the Aeolus no pairing was actually really bad just really up to preference. The Verite pads were the most detailed, universe suede were the most lush and the hybrids did a pretty good job of being in between both of those.

I think I need to go back to my LP. This Tuba amp is a bad pairing IMO because of how low impedance the high impedance output is (35 ohms). That’s the low impedance on the Pendant and any of the AmpsandSound amps (Kenzie, Mogwai - 32 ohms on the low). It was a good pairing with my Clears and Stellias but it sounds rather dry and uninspiring on the Eikons. I can’t wait till my Crack kit ships. I’ve read I probably should have gotten the Crackatowa with the amount of upgrades I put into the BHC but it takes up more desk real estate and it has more tubes to swap.

For me what I love about the Eikon and I find unique among the ZMFs I’ve heard is that’s it’s airy and the mid detail is great, very akin to the Auteur while still maintaining the fun factor. Only this and the Aeolus straddle the detail but fun factor enough for me to be fully satisfied. I’ve been thinking of getting another pair of the Aeolus for my weekend cabin.

 

[Kevin.T]

New Atticus owner here! Since we're on the subject of pads, I thought I'd share my experience:

When I first got the headphones, I'd wear them with a pretty snug fit (clamp). I've since switched to a more relaxed fit, with the cups resting on my ears (rather than pressing against my ears). This had a huge effect on sound!

I think too much clamp makes the Ori pads compress, which affects the sound (possibly by changing the driver distance, angle, and/or pad chamber acoustics). Whatever the reason, in my experience, this made the imaging a bit unfocussed; the midbass wasn't quite right; the highs felt too subdued against the mids; etc. As soon as I tried with the cups just resting on my ears (no pad compression), I instantly thought "this is what they're supposed to sound like". Everything came into focus: clear imaging, wider sense of space, natural highs, punchy and clean midbass. (Btw, this is all with the lambskin Ori pads.)

So, if you ever feel like your Atticus sound slightly "off", make sure you're not compressing the pads from an overly tight fit. It might be worth a try!

 

[AudioDuck]

New Atticus owner here! Since we're on the subject of pads, I thought I'd share my experience:

When I first got the headphones, I'd wear them with a pretty snug fit (clamp). I've since switched to a more relaxed fit, with the cups resting on my ears (rather than pressing against my ears). This had a huge effect on sound!

I think too much clamp makes the Ori pads compress, which affects the sound (possibly by changing the driver distance, angle, and/or pad chamber acoustics). Whatever the reason, in my experience, this made the imaging a bit unfocussed; the midbass wasn't quite right; the highs felt too subdued against the mids; etc. As soon as I tried with the cups just resting on my ears (no pad compression), I instantly thought "this is what they're supposed to sound like". Everything came

Atticus and Eikon

Living right on the Wisconsin/Illinois border, I am fortunate to be able to attend many of the audio shows in the greater Chicago area. One of the things I look forward to with these meets is having a chance to chat with @zach915m from ZMF. It's always fun to chat about gear and check out his booth. Anyone who attends these meets will agree, Zach is one of the coolest and nicest dudes you will ever meet in this hobby. Usual talks include baseball, audio gear and music. Every now and then Zach would hint on his aspirations to break free from the modded Fostex drivers and produce his first dynamic driver headphone. Occasional communications discussed progress with his all-original design of the dynamic driver headphone. A few times over the course of the last year Zach would send a beta sample with a dynamic driver in an Omni cup and ask my thoughts on the product. Nothing he sent was a disappointment in terms of sound quality.

Zach recently purchased a home in Chicago, moving the ZMF headquarters as well. I went to pay him a visit and check out the new shop. At that time I had a chance to experience one of the final beta samples of the new headphone.

When a picture leaked on the Omni page I asked him if the cat was out of the bag. It was at that point Zach gave me the okay to start a thread. Zach sent me some more pictures to help get the thread started.

Introducing the ZMF Eikon and Atticus


Atticus: TPE Driver, 300 ohms

Eikon: Biocellulose Driver, 300 Ohms

MSRP is TBD


*Both will be available in cherry or padauk and denoted by a stamp.


​

*Click on images for a larger view

For now, I won't discuss tuning until impressions from RMAF start rolling in. All I can say for now is the last tuning I heard sounded excellent. It was tuned by Zach, so we should have an idea of what to expect. The design/build reminds me of a Sony R10 and ZMF Omni lovechild. It's heavy duty from top to bottom.

More information to come.
​

​

Hi ZMF fans/owners, I’d love to get your feedback to validate my own research:
My 50th birthday is coming up this summer, and I’m considering asking my spouse for a pair of Atticus headphones as my present.

While I’d love to ask for a pair of Verite Closed headphones, they are outside our household budget, I’m afraid. However, the alternative is of course the Eikons, and while I am nearly positive the Atticus is the right sound signature for me, I wanted to get your input as well.

My current headphones are the Focal Elear (my go-to open headphones) and Audeze LCD-XCs. I’ve come to realize that while the LCD-XCs are lovely for some specific genres (well-recorded jazz for example), they are simply too bright in the treble and upper midrange for me with many genres and with poorer recordings. If I could somehow conjure up a closed headphone with the sound signature of the Elears with the deeper bass response of the LCD-XCs, I’d be very happy.
I love the speed of the Elears (and of the planar XCs), as well as it’s fairly forgiving nature with poorly-engineered or compressed pop/rock recordings. This seems to match better with the fun, warmer signature of the Atticus, from what I’ve read. The one draw of the Eikon is its deep bass, but I am wary of it potentially being too neutral in the midrange for me.

I might sell or trade the LCD-XCs if the ZMFs are versatile and the sound signature is to my tastes. If not, I’ll keep the LCD-XCs for higher-quality recordings, as well as jazz and folk recordings.

I use a Violectric V200 as my amp, with a Schiit Gungnir MB as my source.

My musical tastes are as follows:

• Genres most listened to:
  • Alt-Rock (e.g. Radiohead, The Black Keys, Jack White, Foo Fighters)
  • Pop (e.g. Khalid, Death Cab for Cutie, Oh Wonder)
  • Jazz (e.g. Norah Jones, Miles Davis)
• Genres occasionally listened to:
  • Folk (e.g. The Civil Wars, Shawn Colvin, Damien Rice)
  • Rap (e.g. The Roots, Jurassic 5, Rage Against the Machine)
• Genres hardly ever listened to or never listened to:
  • Classical, country, bluegrass, metal

Would you concur that the Atticus is the best fit for my tastes, given the above?

I’m soliciting the feedback of the ZMF team as well, but am a fan of getting opinions from multiple sources.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[robo24]

Hi ZMF fans/owners, I’d love to get your feedback to validate my own research:
My 50th birthday is coming up this summer, and I’m considering asking my spouse for a pair of Atticus headphones as my present.

While I’d love to ask for a pair of Verite Closed headphones, they are outside our household budget, I’m afraid. However, the alternative is of course the Eikons, and while I am nearly positive the Atticus is the right sound signature for me, I wanted to get your input as well.

I've had the VC for 4 months or so but still use the Atticus regularly and just got the Eikon last month. The Eikon is definitely brighter, but also has excellent mids, but the Atticus is more lush, warm, and fun. I'm loving the Eikon with acoustic and country, so again, Atticus seems the better pick for your music tastes. I've not heard your amp, but have seen a lot of praise for various ZMFs with Violectrics, mostly the 280/281 which may just be because more ZMF owners have it instead of the 200. You've probably seen a lot of praise for ZMFs with tubes, but I've also enjoyed them with the solid state amps I have or had, so tubes aren't a must.

 

[hikaru12]

I've had the VC for 4 months or so but still use the Atticus regularly and just got the Eikon last month. The Eikon is definitely brighter, but also has excellent mids, but the Atticus is more lush, warm, and fun. I'm loving the Eikon with acoustic and country, so again, Atticus seems the better pick for your music tastes. I've not heard your amp, but have seen a lot of praise for various ZMFs with Violectrics, mostly the 280/281 which may just be because more ZMF owners have it instead of the 200. You've probably seen a lot of praise for ZMFs with tubes, but I've also enjoyed them with the solid state amps I have or had, so tubes aren't a must.

Just to chime in, I find the Eikon is also great with Electronia and hip-hop. The less recessed treble helps with Hi-Hats and such.

 

[U2Edge]

My musical tastes are as follows:

• Genres most listened to:
  • Alt-Rock (e.g. Radiohead, The Black Keys, Jack White, Foo Fighters)
    
    Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

• • 
    
    I’m a big alt rock guy and the Atticus are heavenly. A better fit for my tastes than the Eikons — even though they are also amazing headphones.

 

[AudioDuck]

I've had the VC for 4 months or so but still use the Atticus regularly and just got the Eikon last month. The Eikon is definitely brighter, but also has excellent mids, but the Atticus is more lush, warm, and fun. I'm loving the Eikon with acoustic and country, so again, Atticus seems the better pick for your music tastes. I've not heard your amp, but have seen a lot of praise for various ZMFs with Violectrics, mostly the 280/281 which may just be because more ZMF owners have it instead of the 200. You've probably seen a lot of praise for ZMFs with tubes, but I've also enjoyed them with the solid state amps I have or had, so tubes aren't a must.

Thanks for the feedback so far!

@robo24 , great point on amp compatibility!

@U2Edge , to your point and robo24’s, music genres seem to be on point with the Atticus.

@hikaru12 , thanks for the note on electronica. I do listen to some (The Crystal Method, Trentemøller, The Chemical Brothers, etc). I think the LCD-XCs should have me covered if I long for deep sub-bass.

Between this feedback, any other inputs from the Head-fi community, and ZMF, chances are very good Atticus is the choice!

Much appreciated-