Interesting, i figured it would be close to that with a U shape to it. And the differences you get with it being closed vs open.
U Shape meaning forward bass and trebleā¦the HD600 are extremely mid forwardā¦2 totally different sound signatures.
I mean u shaped as bass and treble have slight bumps. Just enough for a little more fullness and sparkle. Mids are not missing or recessed, theyre still the emphasis and the slight u just compliments it. But that could just be my take.
a V to me is that bass and mid forward sound
U shaped can mean neutral mids or slightly recessed mids. V shaped is referred to when the mids are extremely recessed. Thatās neither here nor there thoughā¦the Atticus and HD600 sound nothing alike.
Noted and noted
On another note, the Aeolus and HD650 have similar-ish sound signatures, with the Aeolus having better more linear bass and better treble extensionā¦something to considerā¦
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@Hazi59, Iām doing some budgeting/planning for a ZMF headphone and itās difficult for me to pin down which model is what Iām looking for. Iām relatively sensitive to harsh treble (Dekoni Blues murdered me and DT770 was too much for me at times) and it seems like the Atticus is the āwarmestā ZMF offers?
Iām not an especially āanalyticalā listener at all - I mostly prefer tight, punchy, fast bass, relatively forward mids and relaxed treble but without sacrificing detail, in a closed-back headphone. Is the Atticus that, or should I be looking at another ZMF headphone?
I should add that my signal chain is a Grace SDAC to a Liquid Carbon X.
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I debated the choice between an Eikon and the Atticus, they both seems like they would have fit my tastes but given your description preferring punchy fast bass, thatās the Atticus. I bought an Eikon and love it, it is actually similar in signature to an LCD-2 which is what I was looking for, but in a closed back. I presents a lot more refinement and better voicing with smoother highs and a good bit more detail but it does miss the slam, not that it doesnāt do it, but that it isnāt a planar capable level of slam but it doesnāt slam below 100 Khz or so.
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I appreciate your response! Yeah, I looked at the Eikon as well and the description of it having āthe most sub-bass of any ZMF headphoneā had me cautious. Iām 100% in the same boat as you that Iām sure theyād both fit my tastes, but I appreciate your explanation. In that case I do think the Atticus would be more in line of what Iām looking for.
Yeah I think that the Atticus would suit what youāre looking for really well, I love mine they are nice and relaxing to listen to with really good timbre and clarity whilst also having very nice bass (enough to either rival my hawks or beat them).
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The Atticus is the warmest for sure, but there is still some treble sparkle around 7 to 10 KHzā¦but it is nothing compared to the DT770 trebleā¦at least with the stock leather Ori pads.
Another plus is if the Atticus is too warm for you stock, eikon leather pads make it much more neutral, but still maintains good bass extension (you do lose the midbass hump though).
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Thatās not what I experienced. The chart Zach has posted on his site also says otherwise. Maybe what you perceive as warmth is something else.
The eikon pads on my Atticus push up the upper bass and lower mindrange as opposed to the Ori pads, upper midrange and treble is increased so this could make some people percieve this as being less warm but the Ori bads have more mid-bass. The thing with the ori pads is they donāt make the bass bleed into the lower mids like the eikons. Zach said in a recent livestream that the eikon pads on the ori are bloomier in the lower midrange, HD 650 style and this is where warmth is percieved in my experience
Interesting. In my experience I have universally preferred whatever the stock pad is for each ZMF headphone that Iāve heard. But, it is nice to have options.
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Would you mind elaborating a bit more on Ori Suede vs Eikon suede on the Atticus? Thanks in advance!
I donāt care for the suede pads on the Atticus. When I owned the Atticus I mainly used Ori Leathers. The suede pads made the Atticus too neutral for my liking. But of the 2, the Ori are the way to go. The eikon suede disrupted the soundstage, ruined the bass, and created a harsh peak in the upper mids.
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Gotcha, thanks. The Ori leather is bit bassy for my taste and I quite like the Ori suede but was wondering how Eikon suede would sound. Guess I can save some money by sticking to Ori suede then
I think that is a good idea. The ori suede werent awful, just too neutral for my tastes (I have/had other headphones I used for neutrality). The eikon suede though were just a lot worse in almost every category. Ori suede sounded much better.
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If I prefer Ori suede than Ori leather on the Atticus, do you think Iāll enjoy Eikon more than Atticus? (I kinda wanna ask about Aeolus and Auteur too but I am aware having an open back design may mean itās less comparable)
I donāt think so. The ori suede maintained the nice soundstage that the Leathers also had. The eikon pads bring everything in and are narrow. The upper mid spike is a bit harsh too. If you like the ori suede, I say stick with them.
I do think that the Auteur and Eikon are both better than the Atticus if you are going after a more balanced sound signature. I personally own the Auteur and they are basically my main headphone that I use, so I can easily recommend them.
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