ZMF EIKON & ZMF ATTICUS

I am considering the Atticus or Eikon as a closed back for when I go back to an office.

Some background... I bought B-stock Aeolus and Verite Open a while back. I enjoyed the Aeolus until I got a great price on a pair of OG pre-Fazor Audeze LCD-2.2. I like them much better, so I sold the Aeolus.

The Verite Open was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed it from the mids down, but the presence was off. It would present the attack of ride cymbals without the air or decay after the strike. I noticed the same issue with hand claps, finger snaps, etc. There was no sense of space or decay after the attack, like the recording was in a dead room. I sold them because I could never un-hear this issue.

I'm gun shy on the VC because I'm not sure a closed version would add presence, air, decay.

So now I'm down to the Atticus or Eikon. I'm leaning Eikon for the more accurate FR and I think the mid-bass bloom of the Atticus would get tiring long term.

Between the two, which would get me the bass to mids of the Verite Open with the treble of the Aeolus?

Thanks in advance.

 

@scottcw I don't have advice but I'm just curious which amp you used with the Verite's? was it a <1ohm output impedance job?

 

It was a Coffman Labs G1-A. I don't find output impedance in the specs. There is a switch for low impedance cans (32-100) and high impedance cans (100-300). I was using the high setting since the Verite is 300.

 

Good to know. To clarify, I did not have the same issue with the Aeolus. I would have kept it happily had I not heard the early LCD-2.2.

Would the Elegia be a better option?

 

Sounds like the damping factor was probably pretty high - decreased damping factor = more decay. One of the reason when I'm listening for enjoyment any of those THX amps or Rupert Neve just sound strange to me as the Impedance is basically 0 on those. Works great for many headphones but not for ZMFs IMHO YMMV ETC ETC.

 

You can find the review/measurements/impressions here:

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/focal-elegia-review-and-measurements.8190/

&

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/focal-elegia.6898/

Take a look at those measurements and the "BBC dip", and compare to response on the Verite for example. I wonder if you would not judge them as having a similar "dead room" character.

 

Was your chain resolving enough?

I don't experience any of this with my VO through Starlett/Bifrost 2/CDP setup.

VO's downward sloping tonality shouldn't be confused with unresolving. The information is there in spades if your chain is resolving enough to present it. In fact, the cup resonance gives the impression of alot of acoustic resonance... dead room?

Either that or the headphones are broken. You may just prefer a brighter signature.

 

The Auteur is open, so that is out for office. I'm perfectly happy with my LCD-2s for open cans.

From my required "introduce yourself" post:

My music tastes are all over, rock, jazz, americana, country, Broadway. I've played guitar for around 40 years though you wouldn't know it to hear me play. That said, I have played a lot with other musicians and have a pretty good idea of the tonality of instruments and the space of live playing. The latter is what I frequently miss listening to recordings. Even equipment that gets the tonality of instruments right can often miss the sense of the room/recording space.

For my listening preferences, I will describe two concerts rather than use audiophile descriptors. A few years back, I saw Damien Rice at the Fox in Oakland and The Frames at the Fillmore in SF. Damien opened with Cannonball, no microphone, no amplification, just his acoustic guitar and his voice. Glen did the same thing with a mandolin on a cover of REMs Hairshirt. Both experiences gave goosebumps. Nobody was concerned with frequency response, sound stage, macro or micro dynamics. It was all about feel.

Using digital photography/video as an analogy, the extreme detail of digital or 4K is impressive, but it can look unnatural. There is a point where the eye is overwhelmed by the detail and it becomes distracting. I find film to look more realistic. I feel the same about audio. I prefer enjoyment over analyzing within reason. My enjoyment will be interrupted by anything that sounds unnatural. I am specifically sensitive to anything in the 8-11K and up region being off, either too recessed or too pronounced.

I primarily listened to vinyl up until a year ago - Clearaudio Ovation > Coffman G1-A > Audion Super Sterling > Coincident Total Eclipse speakers.

I moved back to California last July and don't have room to set up the turntable and speakers. Small price to live in the sun again. I have gone to computer audio and headphones. Home system is Amazon HD > Red Wine Audez'e Edition NOS R2R DAC > EC Balancing Act > Audeze LCD-2.1 (original pre-Fazor) or Audeze LCD-2.2 (original pre-Fazor).

 

@scottcw , I just did a quick faceoff between the Elegia (I gave mine to my wife a while back to use with laptop/movies) and my Verite Closed (close enough FR to Verite Open for our purposes I think) paying attention to " hand claps, finger snaps" and the "bite" and decay in that 3,4 khz region. Chain is Gungnir MB A2 > Iso-Max (Bal to SE transform) > Asgard 3

I will say yes, the Elegia gives you more. A bit more Focal bite/attack, and more balanced with mids down because it's not a downward slope ZMF sound. I can't say the decay had more "space" or presence than the Verite however. Still, the FR balance was more "normal" for what you're looking for I think. Still, the technicalities of the Elegia bring their own disadvantages compared to the Verite.

Still getting ears on stuff yourself is the best of course...

 

Thanks for that. I don't think I am going to have an opportunity to hear ZMF closed or Elegia anytime soon with COVID.

The bright side is we won't be going back to the office until there is a vaccine, so I have plenty of time.

 

Yeah, I'd be happy if I could get similar sound from a closed back. Of course, my BA isn't going to the office. Amplification there will be a RWA Isabella DAC/headphone amp.

 

Just wrote a little comparison in the Pads thread but maybe its better here for anyone (like me recently) searching for this info. (https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...f-ear-pads-compendium.7885/page-2#post-383290)

Just saw the Eikon isn't on ZMF's site anymore, glad I got a pair, for the second time, last year.


I got Eikon Suede (ES) pads this week for my Camphor Eikon, and will briefly compare to the stock Eikon Lambskin (EL pads). Still sounds like an Eikon, all changes are small.

-Stage is smaller on the suede

-Sub and mid-bass registers are still there but less noticeable, hit softer, less wow factor. Much (relatively) less thickness and bounce in midbass. Arguably better tho, bass blends in more naturally to the lower mids, kinda like an HD800 on a warm rig

-Despite less bass, the suede feels like it seals around my head better

-Treble definitely still rolls off, but sounds calmer with less excited peaks. Makes for a more relaxed listening experience. Arguably better, or at least more neutral/natural.

I'd make the argument the ES pads make the Eikon "better", if the goal is a slightly bassy and warm closed back, with a lush and natural midrange, and somewhat rolled off treble. I have an Eikon for fun and color though, so I'll likely stick to the stock EL pads except in the summer when the ES is (likely) a cooler wear.

 

I thought I'd share some pics of a new Eikon I recently got during the ZMF November/December event. Zach released a handful of stabilized Eikons and Atticus on December 21st, the Eikons sold out very quickly (I think there were only 5 or 6, maybe less).

This is stabilized Maple burl, with the Auteur Classic drivers. As all of you who have/had an Eikon know, it slams so hard in the bass/sub-bass, harder than any headphone I own. Yet it has a very natural timbre, with great midrange and surprisingly good soundstage.

Of course it's great for rock, electronic, hip-hop/rap, reggae, anything with a driving bass line. But it also sounds quite good with classical and vocal. I tried some symphonic music, solo piano (Goldberg Variations), and choir (Chanticleer classical a cappella). All sound excellent!

What a great headphone! Using DSHA-3FN with Yggdrasil OG.

Boo, pics didn't load, not sure why...

 

Can't see shit, Captain

 

Your Eikon looks remarkable!



You could click the "IMAGE" button here and paste the links to your images there individually for them to be embedded. Sorta like how I went to the one photo, right-clicked it to get the image URL, and can now do this (mind, it's the image URL and not just the album):