The atlas and encore have completely different signatures. The atlas has a relatively warm, natural tone with robust subwoofer like base, slightly laid back mids and somewhat airy treble that has sheen but not a ton of sparkle. The encore has a much brighter, cooler, signature, with more forward mids, more energetic (too energetic to some), quite sparkly treble, and much leaner, less bodied, tightly controlled bass that can at times seem to hide away even on some tracks where you feel it should be more present. The bass is there and can be authoritative on tracks with really emphasized bass, but it often feels on the lean side (I have the encore universals so a perfectly fitted custom encore may do a little better in the bass department) In addition to more bass, the atlas has deeper bass extension. The Encores have more detail retrieval, clarity, and transparency, further emphasized by the brighter signature, but in the treble and upper mids have a less natural, slightly robotic tone. The Encore’s notes, especially up high and down low are sharper and crisper, while the atlas’s notes are rounded and fuller, weighted down low like a medicine ball. Instrument separation is more pronounced with the Encores, while with the atlas you are hit with a bigger wall off sound. Both have fairly large stages, but the Encores have perhaps a bit more width and height, while the atlas has more depth. They really have very different sounds.
