I've heard he's very good. Definitely very responsive and also willing to work out any detail individually with each customer. He is the local farmers market of headphones
Got the Eikon (camphor) yesterday and first impressions are that they are a Fostex TR-X00 Ebony with more soundstage, more detail with Focal slam. This will probably be my closed back endgame if you can call them closed back because they sound kind of open. I've put these through all sorts of music: Yo-Yo Ma, Metallica, Tupac, Enya, GNR, Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Michael Jackson and it handles them all effortlessly. This destroys my Argon mk 3 and surpasses my Fostex Ebony. I'm expecting a Verite in a few days and I can only imagine what Zach put in that thing.
How would you compare the Eikon and the TH-X00 in the bass department. I was planning on getting the TH-X00 next as something with slamming bass... just curious.
They are both great musical headphones that don't assault your ears but still have good resolution. They are much better than the Sennheiser HD600 and 650. They get a lot more refined after a decent break-in period. They are very liquid and organic, not dry and raspy or shrill. Nice definition too. They are a real bargain in the land of high-end headphones. To answer the questions about the Sony Z1R here: The Sony Z1R is also a great headphone with a unique sound (lots of bass, but not overwhelming or bloated). But I feel the Z1R really shines with a more aggressive front end system (amp and digital source), one with tight bass and strong presence, a front end that would make many other headphones fatiguing. The Z1R tends to be dramatic and forceful, like big speakers, and convey a big space and deliver a powerful performance. But if the up-front system is weak, you can get soft bass or weak mids. But with a good food chain feeding it, it delivers a strong, compelling 3-D presentation and very good resolution. It is almost in a class by itself in this area among the high end headphones I have heard. Just my impressions. But again, it seems to need a pretty powerful amp and digital front end that is tight and fast and not rolled off.
Sadly many headphones in that price range aren't really worth 3x the price. In the case of ZMFs you're also paying a premium to have a bespoke product made-to-order by hand.
Need to say a couple of things regarding amps and DACs. You _must_ compare these things with the volumes matched, prefereably by multimeter but a sound meter can work too if you can get it to be consistent enough, and blindly. Just looking at the Modi vs Modibit, there is a difference in output voltage, which means there is a volume difference. Even if you cannot tell that one is louder than the other, it can still affect the perceived sound quality. One guy on SBAF found that a difference of 0.8dB made a difference, but said differentiating would be "very hard" once he had matched the volumes.
+Dr. Wiki about the best there is. There seems to be a limit to how good closed backs can sound and they're right up against that edge of about as good as it gets
Dr. Wiki i frequently see you in eletronic music coment sections, and would like to ask you a headphone recomendation for genres since dubstep untill mau5trap stuff. I know this is suden and a lot to ask but i really dont know what headphone i should buy.
Metal talking about different sounding dac/amps and burn it?! Jk love the review man. And yeah i have owned a magni 2u in the past and it definitely sounded brighter to me than any of my amps since then.
Don't get me wrong I don't think the magni 2u is bad. It is a great amp and the difference isn't huge. In my opinion spending money on a different headphone is always going to net the most change if that is what you want. However, after the magni 2u I went to the jds labs element and from there I went to the ifi idsd black label. The reason I went to the element is I found it slightly cleaner in the dac section compare to my modi 2 non uber and less bright in the amp. The black label upgrade was for its versatility (pre/line rca outs, bass boost, other switches, perfect for iems, portable, 4w a channel). If you don't use many of those functions then magni 2u is just fine.
+TinyTwist Combos now with the Magni 3 out its kinda obsolete since the 3 seems to solve all the 2U's problems. I would have to have them side by side to tell though
This is true but currently the magni 2 and magni 2u are on sale on amazon for $60 and $80 new respectively which is a crazy good deal. If the magni 3 is only slightly different those two deals might be something to get for people just entering in the hobby right now. Plus free shipping for Prime users.
metal571, first of all great review! Very detailed & comprehensive, thank you + subbed. I plan to move from Sennheiser HD 380 Pro to ZMF Atticus (Cherry) strictly for EDM. I like sub-bass and mid-bass of 380's but everything else is... you know better than me how it is. Some EDM requires not only good bass these days, midrange is also very important. What do you think about Atticus for EDM listening in general and moving from 380's to Atticus specifically? Thanks! Hope to see more cool reviews from you in the future!
+Paul K you will be sorely disappointed if you like the bass quantity of the 380, which is, by the way by audiophile standards, MASSIVE. Take a look at the measurements of my 380 on InnerFidelity, it has a huge sub bass region. The Atticus is nothing like that
Would love to see you do a review of the audio technica ad2000x just to hear your thoughts on its imaging compared to the eikon and other cans. Zeos thinks they're the best but you have more organized observations than he does these days, it seems.
+Ricardo Valenzuela idk why people are so hyped over those. After seeing the measurements and reading impressions from other reviewers I can't see why people even want one
@@metal571 I just bought a Sony MDR-Z1R brand new on amazon, I get where they are coming from, what they are trying to achieve and why people like it but I don't think its a good headphone overall and definitely not worth it at 1799$ and I have to agree with Tyll. They were going for the smooth soft sound but then they have a 8 or 10 k peak that really bothered me and overall ruined what they were trying to aim for. It slammed hard like people were saying but I think it was cheap boomy bass overall because when it came to drum kicks it sounded like a subwoofer constantly turned on instead feeling like a real drum kick like the audeze haedphones. The treble and mid range were just alright nothing spectacular. I would pay max 800$ for it but then still wouldn't feel like listening to it. I would love to see your opinion on it if you have a chance to review it!.
On/off topic. I opened up my laptop searching for a new decent headphones. Something good solid all around listening for tv, gaming and music. Stumbled on to your channel and have been sitting here now for three to four hours. Fascinated! Having learnt a lot from your videos but still not any closer to a decision. I don't have 2000$ for the Audeze LCD-3 however i would like a good pair for maybe 200-400$ and lets call it for a recreational use . I am keen on the Sennheiser HD 380 and the 599 or the 650 and again the 1500$ for the HD800 is just to much. if that helps at all, maybe not since I don't know what i'm talking about. What should I get? What is the "best" all a round for the money? ps I don't have an amplifier and the time or the know-how to be equalizing. And I'm in to metal. thank you in advance and keep up the good work. Oh and yeah, I subscribed :D
Aornic (another RU-vid reviewer) mentions the Atticus to be better with a fat trimming amp. Do you think I'd be better off with the Standard DAC module vs the fuller/warmer Multibit module for the Schiit Jotunheim with the Atticus?
+Vince Buonassi yeah I didn't a/b but it certainly sounds more organic than I remember with my old stack. Pairs well with the new Magni 3. Seems like a better setup more to my taste and a bit less edgy in the treble for accurate reviewing
I did some A/B as I had them side by side for a few days. Difference was easily audible though it was hard to volume match given different output voltages at the RCAs. If you look on head-fi you can see my review of the multibit where I go into more of the differences between it as an r2r and the uber's delta/sigma topology. Very worth the extra hundred for me. As a tip, if you're looking to achieve the next level with your mimby, use a player that can invoke "integer mode" on the DAC. Also, software EQs are not all equal. I decided to go TOTL here and buy fabfilter pro-Q2 which is being hosted by Audirvana+ for mac. I guess the tip I'm sending your way is that everything in your chain matters - even the software you use, and especially so if you use software EQ. This was something I previously was skeptical of - assuming that zero's and ones, clocks and the like, didn't produce an audible difference. While the FR isn't really affected, the time domain (phase) is compromised, causing transients to smear if your software isn't adequate. What I once thought was hocus pocus turned out to be yet another veil I was able to lift between the source and my ears.
Min phase eq over linear for us audiophiles. Linear has better fr but comes at cost of transient smearing. Fab filter has an advanced minimum phase setting they call natural phase and it's excellent. No preringing and preserves fr like linear phase.
This came out 2 years before the review of the Aeolus, I am kind of wondering what are the difference between this one and Aeolus because Aeolus is the open back version of Atticus, or so I heard. Between Atticus and Aeolus, which one has the better immersion or 3d holographic quality I wonder? Which one sound more lifelike and make you feel like you're in the space of the recording?
Atticus: lots of width, not much depth, kind of like a huge wall of sound. Aeolus: can't comment on stage but it's so smoothed over it loses a lot of appeal to me. Any other questionsy feel free to ask.
@@andreasschwarz4908 lots of width is good enough for me. I heard atticus is more exciting too. I've ordered one weeks ago waiting for it to arrive. I can't wait to try it out!
Not a critique or anything and it doesn't matter at this point, but as someone looking for info on the Eikon, looking back on it I find it funny that you talk about 10 seconds about it 😹
For some reason I just couldn't get along with it. Compared to Tyll's review though, the woods that I got in for demo were swapped between the models so that could have changed my mind at the time. I custom ordered a purple painted Atticus for a while and sold it, now only have an Aeolus, and I put back the full front damping like my review unit had. You'd hate it! Lol
Yup, I'm not a huge Audeze fan either - since our tastes are polar opposites, I'd say the odds of me enjoying the Eikon are pretty high, heh.@@metal571
Here is a million dollar question: Is it possible to EQ a good $500-$600 headphone and make them sound 90% to 95% similar to the ZMF Eikon or the Atticus?
Closed back compromises sound quality big time. I prefer my lcd2f with eq over either of these and it hovers around that range, maybe $650 on the used market
Going back to an old review here. You talk about the aggressive top and and a peak with the Eikons. They are not as bright as say the Focal Clears right? I like speakers to be revealing especially on the top end but I’ve found that in headphones I like it less so and the Clear seems to be my tipping point of reference
metal571 thanks for the reply! I’ve been considering the LCD-XC and was close to plunking down some cash on these Eikons (without audition which is hard for me) today and now mass drop announces the Either CX 🙄
Teak way more upper mid forward when I heard one, not really the same, and Atticus has a lot sharper of an 11k peak also. Also the cherry Atticus had much less well defined bass and slam than the foster driver
@@metal571 I agree with you regarding the mids I need to pull down the 3.5k and 6k by 4db . And i pull up the sub bass between 20hz and 60hz by 5db. The mid bass on the emu teak i have is so emphasis but the sub bass is so weak and not very detailed . I find it as you describe the atticus wide soundstage for closed back but the imaging is not very accurate. Overall I didn't like my emu teak due to the really bad seperation, the increase of THD on high volumes and the lack of sub bass presence. And i forget to say Thanks for your reply and Sorry for my long reply 😅
I owned one for a while after this but the camphor wood version I had didn't quite sound the same as this cherry wood one which I don't think is available anymore. More options are opening up like Aeon 2 Closed and Celestee now too
@@metal571 ooh interesting the cherry one you reviewed was an earlier version right? I gave my atticus from 2017 to my dad and bought a brand new camphor atty and there was definitely a difference. The older one had a weirdly nice treble presentation and a slightly bloomier lower midrange compared to the newer camphor, but the recent one has way more satisfying dynamics. Side-by-side however I noticed that the pads were different - older ori pads from ~2015-2017 are more shiny and have softer foam as opposed to the newer pads that are DENSE. Swapped the newer pads for the old pads on the camphor atty and boom the old sound was back with the delicious treble and silky mids. I've been meaning to ask Zach about what happened with the pads actually.. It's a shame since I much prefer the older ori lambs.
@@dnalekaw4699 very interesting, haven't at all heard about any pad revs, so I just assumed it was the wood differences. The cherry I reviewed here was really loose on the bass response but the highs were smoother and not as glarey as the camphor I owned, which did have more slam. I will forever be curious about the cherry Eikon which isn't made anymore because if you notice in Tyll's old review, he had the opposite of what I had - cherry Eikon and padauk Atticus, and his conclusion was that the Eikon was the no-brainer
@@metal571 yeah the bass with the softer pads is definitely less controlled, I hear slightly less sub bass too but maybe that's partly because of the relative lack of slam as you mention. If I a/b the cherry & camphor atticus whilst frantically swapping the same pair of pads I honestly can't tell a difference. Perhaps the early rev cherry eikon was the holy grail of all the combos lol
Regardless of price what would you choose between HD650 and Atticus if you could only have one of them? Any other suggestions on headphones similar to HD650 (especially mids) but with better technicalities?
Definitely still Atticus. And no idea about similar to 650 because usually I recommend the LCD2 as an upgrade but its mids are way more laid back. Maybe Elex, but its treble is somewhat brighter
@@metal571 I have the Clears and they're somewhat bright but not much. They have that weird metallic sibilance that doesn't go away with eq, but they sound fantastic with sonarworks. I guess Atticus will complement them will. Thanks
Would only buy Atticus if you have to have a closed back. Otherwise there's LCD2 and Aeolus which are also warmer choices, but I haven't reviewed either of those yet
Is the Atticus in cherry wood the headphone you held up first? And the Eikon in padauk was the second headphone you held up? I own the Eikon and it's the headphone on the left in the thumbnail.
metal571 if that is the case, then Tyll may have made an error in his Eikon video. He received an Atticus and Eikon pair for review, stating the Eikon was in Padauk when it was in a Cherry wood finish. His frequency response graphs may be flip flopped because of the confusion. What you described for the Freq Resp of Atticus is what he has for the Eikon. And vice versa.
+ViZ Flux his frequency response graphs are right. He just got a cherry Eikon and padauk Atticus. The Atticus sounds like his Atticus measurement and the Eikon sounds like his Eikon measurement, despite me apparently having swapped woods from his review units.
metal571 I checked the video and the headband checks out. The E for Eikon marks the headphones correctly in both of his videos. I was confused because I could've sworn I had Padauk wood, yet, mine is of a lighter color compared to the Padauk displayed in the video. If I received Camphor wood, then it must've been a supply issue with Padauk at the time. I am sorry for the misunderstanding I introduced.
+ViZ Flux not a misunderstanding lol. 3 types of woods that can be applied to two headphone models with small marking differences is bound to cause confusion somewhere. Not a problem
+Sam Gellaitry I don't think you even need to spend that much. A lot of producers seem to like the slightly warm but very well behaved and on-timbre sound of the Audeze stuff like the LCD2
metal571 dude you're legit one of my favorite headphone reviewers would you say that you prefer treble cans? Like the t1 would you pick the t1 over the eikon? Because I have the second generation t1 and I love those to death lol I don't know if it's worth the extra money to buy the eikon
+TheFijianGuy like I said I think the value of the ZMF stuff is really more in the individual attention you get, craftsmanship quality and lifetime warranty. It still sounds like a closed back. I can't really say if they're better or not, totally different cans.
X00 has more impact but Atticus blows it away in resolution and soundstage. I own an Atticus of my own now, but in Camphor wood. Zach doesn't offer padauk or cherry now
Hey metal, i was wondering if i should get a magni 3 and modi 2 combo for my k712 pro because i dont think my fiio e10k has enough power to drive them properly. Do you think it'll be a good upgrade?
+Andrés Rázuri definitely a good upgrade. I'd get the Modi 2 Uber at the least. Lots more input options and dedicated power port rather than running off of dirty USB power
+Andrés Rázuri lol you will go deaf with those headphones from running that amp. 2 Watts into 32 ohms is no joke. About tenfold increase in power from the E10K
+Andrés Rázuri I wouldn't expect it to be drastically different. Amp and DAC differences exist but they are hugely overblown by the ultra picky community
I still get the impression ZMF products are either too laid back or just uneven. Too many fanboi raves for what is a pretty set of cans that don't sound to me better than a lot of cans at thier price points.
You know what's sad? There is no way i can test both of these and decide which one to get because the only way you can get these is to buy them off from ZMF officially(DUH!) But hey... I can't even get HD 800/LCD-2/DT1990 and other high end stuff to try because again, There is no ''Audiophile'' store in my area except Boss, Beats, FacepalmCandy and other annoying brands that every idiot on this planet loves to brag about. Oh and F*** Sennheiser for releasing the HD 660S because my HD 6XX is arriving in december lol
AdeelZero sigh I know, the reason why people don't understand what a good headphone is supposed to sound like, especially in the US where I live, is because all you get on display at stores is Bose and Beats. They've gotten better, but it's hard to go out and hear very high end stuff like this.
I had both - the Modi to Mimby was a big change - it's sounds much more smooth and organic while still preserving a good amount of detail. It's a bit too warm imo so upgrading to a Gumby/Yggy would be better. Don't even bother with the Magni unless you got lower impedance headphones. It couldn't drive the 400is reliably loud. A much better amp will go a long way.
@@metal571 I agree with you totally. For me the best closed back i have ever tried is the aeon flow closed. I didn't like the other headphones from dan clark
@@davidmason8212 The original aeon closed was so boring to me i thought it was damaged. Also the driver on the right was slightly louder whereas on any other headphone its usually louder at the left to me because i have 1db sound loss in my right ear which is very irritating so definitely something wrong there. I just returned as soon as possible.
