Introduction

The IHA-1 is the concoction of Dennis Had, formerly of Cary Audio, who has a reputation in the audio community for his tube power amps. After Drew Baird, CEO of Moon Audio, used an Audeze LCD-3 to showcase to Dennis just how far headphone technology had come, he decided to give a commercial headphone amplifier a go – distributed by Moon Audio exclusively. He also sells his other amps on eBay separately, but I have no experience with those. Essentially, the IHA-1 was Dennis taking elements from his years of designing highly-regarded tube speaker amps and distilling them down to something that could be enjoyed with headphones.

I received mine on the 9th of August, 2017. It was a personal purchase, done purely out of curiousity as several of my peers had one and liked it considerably. Based in the United Kingdom, I wasn’t able to demo it anywhere as it is sold exclusively by Moon Audio – who are based in North Carolina, USA. I did meet Drew at the 2016 London Can Jam however, where I listened to the Focal Elear and Utopia out of this amp. At the time, I had no reference point for what I was hearing – all I knew was that it was really, really good. Over the next few months, I found myself with an Elear and then eventually a Utopia – but I wanted to know more about that amplifier with which I had first experienced these headphones.

After filming an unboxing video, I was pleased to hear that the amp immediately sounded like a considerable upgrade over my other options at the time – with the stock tubes. I fell into a downward spiral of tube exploration based on expensive curiousity over the next few months – culminating in me buying one of the most sought after rectifiers out there for it. After that, I retreated and worked with what I had. Ten months after purchasing it, I’m ready to present my findings.


Specifications (According to Moon Audio)

· Stepped DACT 100K attenuator running a pair of 6SN7's at over 1 watt of output power

· Output impedance of 4.4 ohms

· Transformer Pro Balanced output

· 2 analogue RCA input selector positions, including a mute position

· 4pin XLR Headphone output

· 1/4" headphone output

· Pre-amp RCA Outputs with switch that mutes the headphone output

· A Sovtek 5Y3GT tube is standard

· A RCA 5U4GB Rectifier New Old Stock Tube is available for an additional $100

· A pair of 6SN7 Electro-Harmonix tubes come standard

· A pair of 6SN7 New Old Stock Tubes are available for an additional $100

· Direct coupling and transformer output are included as part of the standard configuration.

· 10 inches wide 8 inches deep, height varies based on tubes used.

· Frequency Response 12 Hz to 32 KHz + - 0 dB

· Power output into 40 ohms 1.7 watts less than 1% THD 2nd harmonic

· Amplifier gain: 18 dB

· Noise Floor -87 dB

· Dual Headphone outputs 1/4” Pro-Type/ 4 pin XLR Pro-Type

· Switchable line level dual channel line preamplifier output (optional)

· AC voltage 120 or 240 VAC 50/60 Hz

· Output power tubes X 2 6SN7 dual triodes

· Vacuum tube rectification 5Y3

· .090 aluminium chassis

· Powder Coat: Copper/Clear Coat

· Dimensions: 10” x 8” x 6” high with tubes installed

· Weight: 15 lbs



Build Quality & Features

For the younger members in the community, particularly those who have dabbled in audio production, the look of the IHA-1 will probably remind them of the Focusrite Scarlett series due to the deep red colour. Others will notice that the tube glow is quite dim on this amp, the Feliks Elise lit up the same pre-amp tubes far more – as far as aesthetics go. The compactness of the IHA-1 surprised me, as I had forgotten the exact size in the year since Canjam London 2016. After shopping around and seeing amps with so, so many tubes plugged in – the IHA-1 seemed quite approachable with its two pre-amp and single rectifier design. When it comes to build quality, it is quite solid -although I noticed one day that a small piece of plastic had chipped off at some point.


It should be noted that this amplifier is not balanced. It is single-ended, despite the 4-pin XLR output on the front existing. Also, rather interestingly, there is no volume or sound degradation if both the XLR and ¼ inch outputs are used simultaneously. Two sets of single-ended inputs exist in the back, with a front dial allowing you to switch between the two and putting the amp on standby mode – cutting off any sound. The volume dial is on a stepped attenuator, and I usually never really go beyond the 12 ‘o clock mark. However, I have heard of people saying this amp (even with the Lundahl transformers) isn’t loud enough for them entirely. That boggles my mind a bit.


The Lundahl transformers are an upgrade I opted for, costing $250 more than the fully stock IHA-1. To my knowledge, these don’t add more wattage to headphones – but rather more clean gain. I find this essential if you are planning on using planar magnetic headphones with this amplifier. I also opted to get the pre-outs in the back added for an additional $100, as this was an option back then but has since been made mandatory and had its cost added to the baseline price. These had significant hum when used with my active speakers, and nothing I tried could eliminate that. I surmised that they were designed for passive systems and stopped using them. At the time I purchased it, the stock tubes were a pair of NOS Raytheon 6SN7s alongside a JJ 5Y3GT – with upgrade options being a pair of Sylvania 6SN7 GTA or GTB pre-amp tubes alongside a RCA 5U4GB. These have since been changed, as you can see in the specifications list – and I assume Moon rotates according to availability.


Sound

The IHA-1’s main strength, if you share my obsessive inclinations in hobbies, is a double-edged sword. It simply morphs with the tubes you plug in, and is a very capable blank canvas in doing so. On one hand, I have no doubt that a large number of users will be perfectly happy with the stock tubes, but I also do not doubt that others will find the payoff from trying different tube pairings to be quite substantial – as the differences are not subtle.

The sound of the amp itself is also very much to my liking. I’ve tried a variety of sources with it and felt that it did not stretch nor narrow the soundstage in any way by itself. Its own tendencies are geared towards detail retrieval and trying to remove itself from the chain as much as possible. It’s because of this that I’ve found it (with a tube pairing that I am familiar with) an easy amp to evaluate source gear with.





The bass amount might, however, be a detraction for some people - particularly those who are used to certain solid-state offerings with elevated punch. I don’t find the IHA-1 thin or unsatisfying at all, and with certain tubes it is far from that – according to my preferences. But, I will admit, it’s a bit leaner than the aforementioned solid-state amps. It’s interesting because I had heard through the grapevine that the IHA-1 was an amp that was very similar to a solid-state in sound despite injecting the benefits of tubes as well – but the bass immediately gives it away if you are someone who is used to a lot of slam.

The midrange is remarkably transparent and clean sounding, with no emphasis in lower or upper registers. The former is something I heard with the Feliks Audio Elise, and when I reviewed it last year I pointed out this tonal difference with the IHA-1. That being said, if a slightly warmer and more euphonic experience is something you desire from your tube amp – you can always swap in some tubes to cater to your needs (and I’ll detail some pairings below you might want to check out). I, personally, prefer a more even ascent up the frequency spectrum with the IHA-1 – so I did swap out the stock Raytheon 6SN7 pre-amp tubes, although I find them very capable and a good stock option on Moon Audio’s part.

While I would not characterise the IHA-1 as a bright amp, I would again mention that this isn’t a warm and gooey experience that some enjoy tube amps for. It can be taken there, but it will never quite go all the way. The treble is delicately balanced yet has the ability to soar, and does not seem etched with the majority of the tube pairings I have tried. It also doesn’t become too rolled with others, changing just enough without removing an important aspect of the listening experience.

Now that I’ve attempted to explain the tonality of the amp, I’d like to mention that what I enjoy the IHA-1 mostly for is its ability to bring out more detail in tracks. Not to be dramatic, but I heard this even the first time I plugged it in with the stock tubes. Even today, writing this almost a year later – I’m hearing the same benefits from the stock tubes even though I haven’t used them in almost as long as I’ve had this amp. Track separation is very well done, depending on source, with the stereotypical “hearing things I didn’t hear before” in full effect if it is a significant upgrade to your source chain. Paired with a Schiit Yggdrasil and driving a Focal Utopia, I often find myself in the position that music I’ve listened to for a long, long time (predating my involvement in this hobby) makes another shift in how I hear it. More is exposed, and it’s a struggle (for some) to not chase further than the stock tubes to enhance this ability.


Pre-Amp Tube Pairings

Raytheon 6SN7 GTB

I understand why this was included in my set as a stock pre-amp tube option. These manage to display the capabilities of the IHA-1 sufficiently while retaining a bit of the stereotypical tube warmth that some expect. I’ll admit that the sweetness in the midrange is quite compelling with this pair and could be a reason why someone would return to it after an upgrade. Disadvantages are that it can, compared to better offerings, mask detail a bit and that it’s quite laid back.

Sylvania 6SN7 GTA

These are possibly available from Moon Audio to add to the IHA-1 order for an extra $100. My favourite 6SN7 option, the Sylvanias veer towards the brighter side of things but have very well-controlled bass alongside sparkling and detailed highs. The midrange isn’t as lush as the Raytheon 6SN7, but has more texture to my ears. Be cautious when pairing with bright rectifiers such as the RCA 5R4GY, as it might be too much treble for some.

Ken Rad 6SN7

Warmer than the Raytheons and even more masking of detail, the main reason for using the Ken Rads is the bass slam injection. Fuller in the lows, these tubes are punchy and quite good for EDM and other electronic genres – but not something I would want for jazz or classical.

Raytheon 6BX7

Interestingly, Drew told me that they had made revisions to the amp that made it no longer support this tube set, despite me reading somewhere that it was Dennis Had’s favourite for the IHA-1. Simply put, they work in my unit at least. Considerably lower in output than the 6SN7, the 6BX7 has what I can only call a more mature warmth to it than the Ken Rads and Raytheons. It’s somewhere between them and the more articulate Sylvanias. However, you will need to crank the volume on the amp even further to volume match these, and there is a slightly higher noise floor than the 6SN7s.



Rectifier Tube Pairings

JJ 5Y3S (Stock Option)

The major failing of this rectifier is in its sub-bass control. This wasn’t quite apparent with headphones that don’t dig down as deep, but when you do plug in one that does – it’s very noticeable. Flabby and sluggish, these will slow down punchiness in such headphones and be an unsatisfying listen. I recommend replacing them even if you don’t use headphones with well-extended lows.

Electro-Harmonix 5U4GB

The cheapest replacement for the stock JJ that I can think of. A mere $15 on eBay will gain you a considerable upgrade in lower-bass control. Overall sound is leaner than the JJ and not very euphonic at all. To my understanding, these are current production tubes made in Russia. I find them quite capable, but far from my favourite pairing for the IHA-1.

Mullard GZ34 Reissue

These are current production tubes based on the legendary Mullard black-base tubes made in Blackburn way back in the day. The difference is that these are made in Russia by, allegedly, Electro-Harmonix – who purchased the original machinery from the UK factory. Considerably cheaper than the original tubes, I had hopes that these would match them. However, that wasn’t the case. These sound more like the Electro-Harmonix 5U4GB than original Mullard GZ34 black-base tubes. Lean and a bit etched in the treble, these do not sound stereotypically “tubey” at all. Detail retrieval and bass control is similar to the cheaper Electro-Harmonix 5U4GB as well. A headscratcher, this one.

Telefunken GZ34 Black-Base (Not Fat Base)

The black-base GZ34 can be found for anywhere between $50-100 and beyond. These are warmer than their reissues, but have a more organic sound that will immediately be appreciated by those chasing “tube” characteristics. They also have ample bass compared to the re-issues, that were a bit lean throughout. Treble is a bit rolled, however, and detail retrieval is more or less equal to 5U4GB variants. Staging is a bit narrow too. Despite the aforementioned “organic” sound, these are possibly some of the most solid-state sounding options you can grab for the IHA-1 due to their very focused presentation that does away with any slightly “romantic” diffuse/ethereal sound that some might expect from tubes.

Philips Metal-Base GZ34

By far the most I’ve spent on tubes, the metal-base GZ34 earns its reputation due to its incredible melding of detail retrieval with a focused sound that somehow still retains a slight etherealness to its signature that makes some genres very satisfying to listen to. There is a slight lingering to the decay, which is an addition to the IHA-1 which doesn’t have such a characteristic by its own nature, that is very romantic sounding without overstaying its welcome. It’s very delicate and effective.

I wouldn’t recommend it for its bass capabilities however, as it is quite lean in that area. The midrange is the highlight, as detail is presented effortlessly alongside texture. What sets this apart further over the aforementioned rectifiers is its timbre, as it takes the ability of the Schiit Yggdrasil Analogue Stage 2 to recreate live acoustic instruments and takes it a step further – especially pianos. Furthermore, it does all of this in a non-fatiguing way as the treble is not harsh nor hiked. In fact, I’d go so far to say that it’s ever so slightly rolled off in the high treble (especially compared to the likes of the RCA 5R4GY) – but it doesn’t bother me due to all the other benefits it brings. Do I recommend it? Yeah, but you’d have to be insane to buy it for its current market price – and I seemingly am.

RCA 5U4GB

These were available to add to your IHA-1 order for an extra $100 – although their market price is lower than that. A considerable jump from the stock JJ 5Y3, the RCA 5U is a warm tube with a bit of bloom for those who desire it. Its bass control is also a substantial upgrade over the stock option. Its strength is a musical sound, but it lacks some detail retrieval and resolve compared to other options – if such attributes are important to you.

Westinghouse 5U4G

My favourite of the warmer, bassier rectifier options, the Westinghouse sounds like an upgraded RCA 5U4GB with more resolve to it. Its bass managed to balance being ample and well controlled to a level that all these other rectifiers simply do not – as they veer towards being lean and controlled or ample and bloomy usually compared. What I like furthermore is a bit more sparkle in the treble that helps this be a great all-rounder tube, more so than the metal base GZ34 even and great value if you can get it for $50 or less.

Brimar 5R4GY

This goes neck-to-neck with the metal base GZ34 in terms of detail retrieval, beats it easily in staging width – but loses out in timbre. The Brimar is lean in the bass and a bit rolled in the treble, but it has stellar detail reproduction. While I do like it overall, the problem lies in its timbre being off for several instruments – making them sound a bit muted and not letting them soar quite as much as they need to. That being said, these probably have the most upper-midrange emphasis out of all the rectifiers detailed in this article. Strings have considerable air to them, but the treble is where drawbacks begin. Also, the lower midrange is a bit scooped – which can slightly hamper male vocals and guitars, areas where the 5U4GBs are better. I have parted with this tube as I wasn’t using it much, but its detail retrieval and instrument separation made it a tough sale for me regardless.

RCA 5R4GY

Cheaper than the Brimar 5R4 variant, the RCA has the most treble sparkle of any tube detailed today. Well-extended highs and more representation in the lower-midrange makes this the clear winner of its counterpart – in my opinion. That being said, it takes a small hit in detail retrieval and track separation – and the staging width is narrower, although still wider than the other rectifiers.

If you had to pick any two rectifiers from this list today to cover your bases, with a max budget of $100 for both, I would say the RCA 5R4GY and the Westinghouse 5U4G would serve you well.


Conclusion

This amplifier is my second-favourite audio purchase of 2017, it’s really about as simple as that. Ten months down the road and my opinion of it hasn’t dampened. Any disappointments I may have had in the early days, such as the hum in the pre-amp section, have faded as I doubled down on its best usage – driving dynamic-driver headphones paired with my Schiit Yggdrasil. I found my favourite tube pairings and have familiarised myself with them over time.

Despite the praise I see online for this amplifier, I still feel that it is slightly underrated in the audio community as a whole. The Head-fi thread pales in size compared to the popular and cheaper Feliks Elise and the far more ubiquitous Schiit offerings. I don’t know if this lack of marketing push is intentional on the part of Drew and Moon Audio, perhaps they don’t want to overload Dennis with orders? I can’t say, but I am absolutely enjoying mine and can confidently say that it took my appreciation of the hobby to the next level ten months ago.

Thanks to Audio Sanctuary in New Malden, London, for once again providing me with their display model of a headphone for in-house review.

Specifications

Type: Open-back dynamic

Driver Diameter: 58 mm

Frequency Response: 5 – 50,000 Hz

Maximum Input Power: 1,000 mw

Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW

Impedance: 420 ohms

Weight: 270 g

Cable: Detachable 3.0 m (9.8') cable with A2DC connectors

Connector: 6.3 mm (1/4") gold-plated stereo plug

Accessories Included: Hard carrying case



Build Quality, Comfort & Features

The build quality of the ADX5000 seems to prioritize its light weight over all else. While not quite utilising flimsy materials, I wouldn’t call it the most robust headphone - it rattles and creaks a little when handled. The headband is an interesting design, although not one that I found entirely suitable for my own use. It kind of sits slightly above your head, no matter how much you adjust it - and it rests awkwardly if you pull it down for a closer fit as it digs into your sides slightly. It’s also covered in fabric that is quite the dust magnet.


According to the Audio-Technica website, the way they were able to achieve such a light weight was because the “58 mm integrated driver units combine a tungsten-coated diaphragm, baffle and Permendur magnetic circuit in a single unit to reduce unwanted vibration and, since no screw clamps are required, decrease the weight.” I can’t highlight this aspect enough, as this is the lightest pair of full-sized headphones that I’ve reviewed to date. Despite that, the awkwardness of the headband on the sides of my head took away from the experience a bit - but it still overall made my Utopia feel like goliath by comparison.




The connectors are A2DC, which stands for Audio Designed Detachable Coaxial. They’re so tiny that they feel more suitable for in-ear monitors, but I understand why they were chosen due to the emphasis on weight reduction. The provided cable itself is 3 metres long and terminated in a ¼ inch plug. I would have liked to have seen a balanced 4-pin XLR cable included as well, as I’m not sure just how easily one can find an aftermarket solution with these connectors.

Sound

The ADX5000 is a very resolving headphone in the upper-midrange and treble. It has fantastic imaging capabilities and decent staging width. This is in full effect in layered productions, for example the Siamese Dream album by the Smashing Pumpkins because this headphone’s ability to separate the tracks in a mix are highly commendable. Detail retrieval and air are the name of the game with this headphone, and I appreciate it for that.

That being said, it was quickly noticeable to me that the bass performance was downright lacking by comparison to the rest of this headphone. While having more weight and body to it than the Sennheiser HD800, it lacks the texture and precision that I thought would be par for the course for a headphone that is attempting to accomplish this level of resolve. Not only that, but it seemed to lag behind a little in transients as well, leading to a plodding sound with several faster rock and metal tracks. I understand that the ADX5000 is tuned with the midrange and treble in mind primarily, but it really was like the bass performance was from another headphone without quite the same capabilities. It also lacks impact and dynamics in this region as well, with the thunderous introduction to Enter Sandman by Metallica feeling a bit thin – in terms of both the drums and the underlying bass guitar feeling muted.

It may sound like I’m quite disappointed here, and initially I may have been, but I reminded myself that not all headphones need to adhere to a certain tuning – nor did they need to give the same priority to a sonic feature. With that in mind, I appreciated the other aspects of this headphone quite quickly. The midrange has a very nice amount of body, an aspect I found sorely lacking on the aforementioned Sennheiser HD800. Listening to the vocal layering in Dreams by Fleetwood Mac was a highly positive experience, for not only did the headphone bring out the nuance of each track – they were presented in a manner I found pleasurably realistic. On the subject of detail retrieval again, it was with this headphone that I heard the second, very subtle, humming (0:11 in) in the introduction for the first time. As the chorus hits and voices pile on with an acoustic guitar, I don’t get the feeling that this headphone is especially lush or even trying to be. It prioritizes a dry, analytical sound – which makes sense to me with just how much it seeks to bring out of a mix.


When it comes to instrument timbre on this headphone, I found that it’s very much tied to a few factors. As we’re on the topic of midrange, let’s highlight guitars as an example. I could throw on some early-2000s Nu-Metal, like In The End by Linkin Park and find myself thoroughly stabbed in the ears by thin and unsatisfying guitar work in the chorus. Poorly recorded/mastered songs don’t have a place on this headphone, to me, and will sound harsh and the opposite of a pleasurable listening experience. However, if you take the ADX5000’s analytical nature to a song like The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, you will enjoy every pluck of Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar playing thoroughly. While still slightly on the leaner side than a live acoustic guitar, the headphone’s sparkle and transients made for a very precise and accurate presentation – especially in that part where it rattles a bit.

Indeed, the ADX5000 is a very open-sounding headphone and possesses more air than my Focal Utopia, which has better all-around balance, dynamics and impact. The upper-midrange emphasis can be heard from the first few seconds of Nefertiti by Miles Davis, with the trumpet having very nice, air-splitting texture – as it should. I don’t find the highs encumbered on this headphone at all, extension is well in place and not rolled. There is a slight dip somewhere that prevents it from being especially sibilant to me, I’m particularly sensitive to 6k for example, and I found it laid back overall without being too hot or forward in this region. Once again, I will recommend using well recorded and mastered music with this, because all my above praises fall short if you throw some brickwalled guilty pleasure music onto this. Cymbal work is especially impressive, darting from side to side as a result of this headphone’s imaging capabilities while maintaining the full amount of emphasis needed to not sound thin or rolled off in any sense. A bell cymbal sounds like a bell cymbal, and a crash sounds as full as it should. Indeed, it seems my complaints about the bass performance not being impactful enough did not quite extend to the treble region.

My one nitpick with the treble, however, is that it seems slightly unclear sometimes. It’s as if there’s a tiny amount of film on the recording, one that disappears if I switch to my Utopia. I’m not sure how this came to be, but all the detail retrieval capabilities that this headphone possesses might not mean much to you if you hear this and are fixated on having the lowest noise floor possible in your listening experience. I did swap out several different tubes, and tried this on my solid state amplifier (a worse experience, I do recommend some nice detail-emphasized tubes for this) but I still felt this sensation.


Overall I do quite like this headphone – but I wouldn’t want it as my daily driver. Like some headphones that I’ve reviewed in the past, I can personally only really see it as a flavour can as my musical taste is so varied that I can’t only pair this with genres that gel well with it – jazz, classic rock, classical, female vocals etc. To date, it’s been the headphone to most take advantage of my reference source chain in terms of detail retrieval. A thought that often crept into my mind while listening, however, was that this headphone reminds me a lot of balanced armature in-ear monitors. My limited experience with them has taught me that they can really bring out the finer details in a mix, but the bass is sometimes a bit disappointing compared to dynamic-driver bass – to me anyway.


Sound Comparison to the Focal Utopia

While the ADX5000’s staging width is clearly superior to the Utopia, I struggled when it came to evaluating imaging prowess and depth between the two. I honestly feel they go neck-and-neck, which is impressive considering the MSRP difference. Where the Utopia is the clear winner, however, is with its near-electrostatic level speed, thunderous impact and all-around dynamic sound. By comparison, the ADX5000 feels thin and slightly subdued, especially with some genres that call for some bombast.

The Utopia also has more focused bass; textured, precise and fast in transient response. The ADX5000, while having the fullness and volume in this region that the Sennheiser HD800 might lack, misses all these marks quite a bit. My initial surprise at its bass performance gave away to being impressed with the rest of it, but I still do find it to be rather unsatisfying in this region.

The Utopia’s midrange has bit more body to it, especially in the lower-midrange, than the ADX5000. This leads to more crunch with distorted electric guitars and slightly more woody bloom with acoustics. That being said, and while the Utopia has fantastic detail-retrieval, I feel that this aspect might slightly mask its ability to pull as much out of a mix as the ADX5000. The Audio-Technica flagship is the first dynamic-driver headphone that I’ve heard that slightly edges the Utopia out in this regard – it’s actually more analytical. What the Utopia does have is more clarity, relating to what I said earlier about the treble on the ADX5000 being slightly grainy. I’ve heard people complain the the beryllium driver of the Utopia might sound too cold and steely before, but I do prefer that to a slight graininess personally. To go along with its wider soundstage, the ADX5000 is also the more “open” sounding of the two headphones. It has airiness, and while neither headphone has a roof of sorts – it just seems to go further with its presentation. It’s also less forgiving than the Utopia, which itself isn’t very forgiving – as the ADX5000 can sound absolutely shrill from poor recordings rather than just harsh like on the Focal.

Amping

At 420 ohms, this required slightly more volume on my Dragon Inspire IHA-1 tube amplifier than other dynamic-driver headphones I’ve tried with it, but it wasn’t at an unheard of setting regardless. I did find that slightly smoother tubes rounded off the highs a bit on the ADX5000 to a level I preferred.

Out of my Audio-GD NFB-28, I found the bass to be fuller but still lacking texture and impact. The detail retrieval aspect of the headphone was still impressive, but muted slightly due to the amp’s dampened-sounding nature.

Conclusion

While my concerns of this headphone make it so I wouldn’t want one personally, I really do see how it can be a great fit for someone who wants a dry, analytical and airy sound in their headphone. The ADX5000’s ability to separate a mix is its main selling point, as the detail retrieval slightly edges out the Focal Utopia. If you prioritise the genres that this headphone works well with, I do believe that you would enjoy it a lot.

Thanks to SCV Distribution for lending me this unit to review

I previously owned the Focal Elear and now have a Utopia as a daily driver and reference headphone. Seeing the Clear’s announcement on Head-fi a few months ago, I was interested in what this very familiar and yet different headphone brought to the table at a price point between the two existing models.











Specifications

Circum-aural open-back headphones

Impedance 55 Ohms

Sensitivity 104dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz

THD 0,25% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL

Frequency response 5Hz-28kHz

Loudspeaker 1.6" (40mm) Aluminum/Magnesium 'M'-shape dome

Weight 0.99lb / 450g

Cables provided

3m balanced cable (XLR 4-pin)

3m unbalanced cable (1/4" TRS jack)

1.2m unbalanced cable (1/8" TRS jack)

1/8" jack to 1/4" stereo jack adapter

Hard-shell carrying case 9.8"x9.4"x4.7" (250x240x120mm)











Build Quality, Comfort & Features

First things first, the Clear’s frame looks exactly like the Focal Elear - except grey instead of black. They even weigh the exact same amount at around 450 grams. The differences are in the internals, as while using the same M-shaped dome aluminium-magnesium drivers of the Elear - Focal has made some changes to the voice coil to control driver breakup. The Clear is also 55 ohms, while the Utopia and Elear are 80 ohms. The pads are a huge difference from the Elear. These are micro-suede, perforated pads and definitely give me a more open feeling than the Elear’s did back in the day.

Furthering the differences in the Clear as a product, it comes with a hard-shell carrying case alongside three cables. Two of these are 3 metres long, with one terminated in a ¼ inch and the other in balanced 4-pin XLR. The final cable is obviously meant for portable devices, 1.2 metres in length and terminated in a 3.5mm jack - with a converter to ¼ inch also included. As a guy who bought both the Utopia and Elear, I can’t help but feel a little jealous of Clear owners for getting all these features - as the prior line only got a single very long and very thick cable. The feeling of the Clear’s cables is also quite different, as even the 3 metre ones feel light and the makeup is flat and covered in a zigzagging zebra pattern.

As with the others in the line, I found the comfort to be quite stellar. What I found interesting is that it felt considerably lighter than the Utopia, despite the weight difference being a little more than 40 grams. Not only that, but the build seems to have been tightened up a bit - this doesn’t creak or squeak at all when you handle it. It also locks on to my ears and I can headbang with them on if necessary - they simply don’t budge. I wouldn’t dare doing that with the Utopia, which can shift in place at times.

I can appreciate the look of the Clear aesthetically, although I’m definitely biased towards the Utopia’s showroom piece design. I do feel that some detractors might single out its identical nature to the Elear as a negative - but I don’t have a problem with that. The micro-suede pads are comfortable on the ears and apparently serve a purpose in shaping what these do versus the Focal’s 2016 line sound-wise.



Sound

For the purpose of being thorough, I ran the Clear at moderate-high volume for over 100 hours to burn them in. These are my impressions after this.

I must give a little context to my sound impressions here. When I first heard the Elear and Utopia at the London Can Jam 2016, I was really taken aback by how dynamic and hard-hitting they were. The attack on both might have singlehandedly reshaped what I wanted in a headphone, taking me from preferring laid back cans to something with a bit more kick. My first impression of the Clear was that it didn’t seem to have that abrupt attack and power to it, which confused me a little at first. This clued me in to the fact that this was no mere Elear side grade with a pad change, but something that stands apart from its brothers.

The Clear is the most laid back of the three and the most even sounding across the frequencies. Focal has done away with the mid-bass heft that was the standard on the Elear, and have replaced it with a smoother transition between the bass and the midrange. The bass itself isn’t especially elevated but maintains a good amount of body to it – but is definitely still a bit lean. Keeping with what I said earlier, it doesn’t hit as hard as the Elear or Utopia, doesn’t extend quite so far and has a slight softness to it that reminds me of the Fazor Audeze LCD-2.

The soundstage width of the Clear is in the same realm as the Elear and Utopia - all three headphones are intimate in staging width. While not quite having the awe inspiring staging depth of the Utopia, I’d say that the Clear’s presentation is really quite good regardless with instrument separation being a highlight. I really found this to be the case when I listened to the layers upon layers of guitar work in Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction album, for example.

The lower midrange isn’t as thick as the Elear, but it retains good body to synergise with male vocals and the lower strings on acoustic guitars. The midrange itself I found to be definitely a bit on the lusher side than the Utopia, which I can definitely see as being more appealing to those who aren’t quite into the idea of an especially dry and analytical headphone. That being said, it isn’t near the Audeze LCD-4 level in this regard and is still in the realm of not being a flavour can. I found listening to rock music especially enticing on the Clear, and I’m not quite sure why. I do find the presentation of distorted electric guitars on it to be a little less realistic than on the Elear and Utopia – but it’s not bothersome. Guitar distortion on the Elear had this rawness that resembled the sound of a live amp, while the Clear instead handles a better blend of all the instruments in an overall mix.









The upper midrange sounds less dipped than the Elear, although it isn’t emphasized like on some other headphones. I have to admit, the Elear felt like it fell off a cliff in this region and this was a deal-breaker to. This means that female vocals are considerably less distant sounding on the Clear than on the Elear. This also gives the overall sound a more even feeling in going into the treble, which is well extended but not as emphasized as the Utopia. The treble of the Clear is probably the most laid back aspect of it, in my opinion. I know at least one person who prefers the headphone to the Utopia for this reason, and his favourite headphone is the Audeze LCD-4 - for reference’s sake. It’s not rolled, far from it - but there is a slight veil to it when compared to the analytical, revealing and unforgiving Focal Utopia. I was hard-pressed to find a moment where the treble would become bothersome to me, when listening to well-recorded music. Cymbals popped out as they should, always a useful instrument to listen to when evaluating this region, and there was a sense of openness to the sound that felt unencumbered by any dips or limits set about by manipulation of the highs. The biggest difference I felt between it and other headphones that might be considered an easy-listening experience with controlled treble is that it didn’t sound like a compromise was being made unless you really compared it side by side to a truly open and far-extending headphone like the Focal Utopia.

Personally, my own preferences line up with the Utopia - but I don’t hold this against the Clear because it’s doing something different here and appealing to a different audience than myself. What is that audience exactly? I’d say people who want to upgrade from the Sennheiser HD650 but found the Elear’s upper midrange dip and overall presentation to be a deal-breaker. The same people might find the Sennheiser HD800 too wide in soundstage and too bright. This is purely speculation on my part, but I do think that the Clear caters to this market quite well. Is it a Utopia killer, like I’ve seen some people mention online? Not at all as the Utopia’s technicalities are superior, but I definitely see the Clear’s tonality appealing to others.


Comparison to Focal Elear

Once my daily driver, the Focal Elear holds a special place in my heart for what it introduced me to back in the fall of 2016. I admit that I reviewed it thinking it would be a widely appreciated headphone, and I really couldn’t see it being anything but. It wasn’t until I joined the online community a few months afterwards that I was exposed to various complaints people had regarding it. That was an eye-opening experience as well, and it taught me to try and visualize a product’s appeal to different preferences of which I am familiar. Also, I kept seeing the Elear being touted upon its unveiling as being a super Sennheiser HD650 - which I can say now is simply not the case. At the risk of sounding like a moron, I’d say the Clear is closer to being that than the Elear by a considerable margin.

So where does that leave the Elear today? Simply put, it’s a very punchy and somewhat mid-bassy headphone with decent technicalities in terms of detail retrieval and whatnot. Where it falls apart for many is with its shoutiness and upper-midrange dip. Female vocals sound somewhat raspy and distant on it – something that has body and presence on the Clear. Less emphasis on the mid-bass opens up the Clear to a bit to be compatible with more genres of music – although it may seem downright lean in this region by comparison. Regardless, I certainly would pick this over the Elear for jazz, classical and classic rock. The pacing of the Clear is also slightly more relaxed, with frantic metal recordings having their edge taken off slightly compared to the Elear. Simply put, the Elear is a thunderous experience while the Clear turns that down a bit to bring forth more synergy in places where that take no prisoners presentation isn’t required. That isn’t to say that the Clear is boring compared to the Elear, but the differences are there and I feel it’s entirely on purpose.


Comparison to the Focal Utopia

The Focal flagship is also thunderous, but has a level of resolution that I haven’t heard in other dynamic driver headphones to date - except maybe the Audio-Technica ATH-ADX5000. The upper midrange of the Utopia is more forward than the Clear as well, making stringed instruments have more body and texture. Texture is the name of the game overall to be honest, with it not losing this aspect across the frequencies - making it the most resolving and high-resolution dynamic-driver headphone I’ve heard to date. It’s also very fast in both attack and decay, and actually has a stronger presentation in the bass region than the Clear as well in control and body.

One advantage that the Clear does have over the Utopia is its ability to not sound shrill at times, as the Utopia is quite unforgiving of subpar production. Take a compressed pop metal song like In the End by Linkin Park - the Nu-Metal guitars and Chester’s vocals in the chorus sound harsh on the Utopia while the Clear keeps them under the wraps a bit.

Any other advantages will depend on the listener to be honest. I know for a fact that the Utopia’s commanding presentation can be fatiguing to some because it constantly demands your attention. The Clear doesn’t do that; it’s very engaging but it doesn’t cross that line. Even the Elear crosses that line, by comparison.

The vast difference of the price makes sense to me as the Clear’s technicalities are closer to the Elear than the Focal flagship. Its imaging, while stellar, doesn’t enter the Utopia’s realm of intense accuracy. Comparing the two, I needed time to adjust because switching the Clear from the Utopia gave me the sense of the music being slightly veiled while switching from the Clear to the Utopia gave me the sense that I needed to get used to the hard hitting crashing down of each snare hit, among other things, that the Utopia presented in its exposing manner.


Amping

The Clear is really easily driven. At 55 ohms, I was able to power this with the Hiby R6 digital audio player easily, along with my phone. It does scale however, and I was able to pick out familiar differences while tube rolling on my Dragon Inspire IHA-1 tube amplifier. That being said, I wouldn’t say it was as revealing as the Utopia at this. I also ran it out of my Audio-GD NFB-28 amp section and that’s just overkill with its high output.

People running OTL tube amplifiers should beware however, such low impedance will be problematic with high output impedance sources.







Conclusion

I do quite like the Focal Clear while realizing that it isn’t a headphone targeting me. As I mentioned before, the speed and accuracy of the Utopia is an experience I find exhilarating and kind of near-necessary now in my daily listening - and the Clear doesn’t quite do that.

What it does do, however, is pulled off really well – once you figure out its purpose and its audience. When put alongside its siblings - its more laid back and even approach is worth commendation for identifying and catering to a new market. I can even see this being more of an all-rounder, to some, than the Utopia - particularly to those who would find the flagship overwhelming and kind of fatiguing after a while.

Once again, a big thank you to Audio Sanctuary (based in New Malden, London) for lending me this demo unit of the HE-1000 V1

Introduction

Hifiman and I have come quite a way. It was their HE400i that was my first ever planar magnetic headphone. I had gotten a great deal, for the time, on it from Taobao and was over the moon to see what the fuss was about regarding planar tech. While I liked it, I found their classic HE-500 more to my liking. Continuing my tradition with reviewing phased out Hifiman products, I’m tackling their former flagship today – the HE1000 version 1.

Specifications

Fit – Over Ear

Jack Plug – 3.5mm

Transducer Type – Planar Magnetic

Frequency Response – 8Hz – 65KHz

Impedance – 35+/-3 Ohms

Sensitivity – 90dB

Maximum Power Handling – 6W

Weight – 16.9 Oz/480g/1.06 lb














Build Quality, Comfort & Features

I’m on the fence about the use of veneer on the cups. On one hand, I am told it is to prevent cracking issues which might come about with using hardwood - but on the other hand it was released as a $3000 headphone. My bias is showing here, but this doesn’t quite lend to a premium look and Hifiman would have probably been better off going for another finish. That being said, I do kind of understand what they were going for with the headphones overall – a kind of classic look with a very modern twist with the earcup shape and drivers.

The build itself felt sturdy enough to me as the frame is made of stainless steel and feels quite durable. The earcup size is absolutely huge, easily the most space I’ve had for my ears in a full-sized headphone to date. It isn’t any sort of width that especially accomplishes this either, but the tallness of it all. This adds to the HE1000 being quite a comfortable headphone, easily wearable for long listening sessions. It weighs 480g but this weight is distributed quite evenly through the floating head strap, avoiding any issues that I found on the stock Audeze LCD-2.

The HE1000 uses 2.5mm connectors, similar to the later production HE400i and HE560 models further down the line. While not my favourite connectors, I greatly prefer them to the older SMC variants that they, thankfully, abandoned with time.


Sound

This is probably the first time I’ve reviewed a planar magnetic headphone where its presentation was a blatant alternative to my dynamic driver offerings. The most apparent difference is the bass on this. It reminds me of my once-owned Hifiman HE500 in a sense that it doesn’t seem hiked in the mid-bass region, but is rather quite linear and well extended. It’s also very clean and full sounding when the music calls for it, but in no way intrudes when it is not wanted. I would imagine that absolute bassheads might find the HE1000’s bass presentation to be a bit light, along with lacking slam and impact – but I find it far more than sufficient for all-rounder listening. While bass impact might be on the softer side, it retains good speed and decay rate.

Similarly, I didn’t find the lower midrange to be either too elevated or recessed. Its transition from the bass is natural without any overpowering or bleed. This area is what can make or break some headphones for me, as messing it up can render the whole experience a bit muddy – no such complaint with the HE1000. Rock, metal and vocal music are some of the genres I really enjoyed listening to on this headphone, lending to its ability to be a stellar all-rounder. I found the midrange itself to be enjoyably smooth and well-layered.

The detail-retrieval prowess of this headphone, while not entirely lacking, is still muted compared to several other headphones that can be obtained for its price – and well below in the case of the Sennheiser HD800/HD800S. While track separation is pretty good, texture and detail is a bit masked – instead offering a smoothed experience. That being said, there is some remarkable body in the midrange that really shows itself with vocals both male and female. Also, this is a very forgiving headphone – perhaps more than any other I’ve reviewed this year. Bad productions, poor masterings and shrill and harsh recordings are all doused in the blanket that is the HE1000’s presentation – which may be very much to your liking or a characteristic you will decry as incompatible with the concept of high fidelity.


On top of that, the staging is decently wide while possessing good depth to it – and a “tall” sound that might be related to the sheer size of the cups and drivers. There’s a slight “larger-than-life” sound compared to other headphones.

Treble performance is a bit of a mixed bag on the HE1000. I don’t really get the string texture and air that I find somewhat necessary when listening to the high string sections in orchestral music, or the bite of a saxophone in jazz music. Both instances and genres feel a bit smoothed and muted in their ability to sound truly lifelike. However, I again must commend this headphone for its pairing with rock and metal music – and cymbals, while slightly muted, still retain their crisp attributes in the percussion section of these genres.

That being said, I couldn’t shake the feeling of the treble being a bit tizzy at some points. What I mean by this is that, while not exceptionally problematic or painful, there sometimes existed too much energy along with the fact that it was thin and artificially hard sounding at some points. I’ll chalk this up to the driver having a slightly dry and brittle presentation in this area, not a deal-breaker for me but a noticeable difference from my dynamic-driver offerings.

Amping

This headphone’s ability to scale was quite a bit less, in the detail retrieval department, than my dynamic driver headphones. Rather than be infused by my most detail-oriented tubes on the Dragon Inspire IHA-1, I found it to have similar performance in this regard on the Audio-GD NFB-28. Most importantly, the latter was able to supply enough juice to flesh out the bass heft and performance – making it both full-sounding and nimble on its feet.

The difference in bass performance alone makes this a headphone that I would rather pair with a decently strong solid-state amplifier. While it wasn’t anywhere near horrible on the tube amplifier, it was a noticeable upgrade in this region without losing too much of the tube benefits. Again, this seems to scale more with current/wattage rather than tubes.

This is not an especially sensitive headphone and definitely needs an amplifier, if the above didn’t make that absolutely clear.


Comparison to the Focal Utopia

Let’s get this out of the way, the HE1000 does not nearly match the Utopia in detail retrieval, dynamics, resolution, soundstage depth, timbre and impactfulness. The Focal flagship is also better paired with tubes for further scaling and is a headphone both revealing of source gear and source material. There, honestly, isn’t a situation that I can think of (for myself) where I would pick the HE1000 over the Utopia if I had to buy only one.

That being said, I do recognise the appeal the HE1000 clearly may have over the Utopia for others who don’t share my tastes. The Utopia can be too harsh for some, its stubbornness in presenting high detail and dynamics may fatigue some and cause them to call it overly dramatic. It also is brighter than the HE1000, and lacks its forgiving nature – skewering eardrums on poorly mastered and recorded music.

The HE1000 is a smoother experience, one lacking in many ways in this head-to-head but still with merit due to its unique sound signature.


Conclusion

It’s hard to hate on the disadvantages of this headphone really. Sure, it falls into a similar trap that many planar offerings do with the slightly artificial sound in the treble – but it really is one of the most non-fatiguing and tonally rich headphones that I’ve heard to date. I even, for now, prefer it to the Hifiman Susvara – which I thought had a distinct peak in the treble that I found hard to fathom.

While it could very well be someone’s all-rounder, I personally could see this as being a nice complement to my Focal Utopia. Its softer characteristic is sometimes needed, and its forgiving nature is sometimes appreciated. It is such a musical headphone honestly and, while noting its flaws, I couldn’t even feel especially critical. It’s a very cohesive listening experience that I’d honestly recommend to anyone to try at least. In a way, it’s more inoffensive than the Utopia, which (despite its great attributes) may seem too dramatic for some in its presentation. The HE1000 prefers to toe the line between laid back and energetic, and is somehow engaging for it.

Special thanks to Audio Sanctuary in New Malden, London, for lending me their display units of the HD660S, HD650 and HD600.

Specifications

Impedance 150 Ω

Connector Stereo jack plug, gold-plated 6.35 mm, unbalanced, 3-pin 4.4 mm, balanced, 5-pin

Frequency response 10 – 41,000 Hz (-10 dB)

Sound pressure level (SPL) 104 dB at 1V 1kHz

Ear coupling Over-ear (circumaural)

THD + N, total harmonic distortion and noise < 0,04% (1 kHz, 100 dB)

Transducer principle (headphones) Dynamic, open

Weight w/o cable Approx. 260 g (without cable)











Build Quality & Features

260 grams feels like nothing to me now after such a long time with the Focal and ZMF headphones. That being said, I find the comfort to be largely affected by the amount of clamp these can have while new - a few hours in and I was feeling the pain. Once on your head, however, they stay put so you can headbang away without fear of them falling off. The cushioning on the headband is adequate, considering its low weight.

As for the build itself, it’s very much in line with the other two 600 series headphones. Made of plastic, the HD660S won’t wow you with its durability – but take reasonable care of it and it doesn’t seem like it will fail you. Aesthetically, it’s my favourite of the three – or four if you count the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD6XX as well. The black is sleeker than the marble finish of the HD600 especially. A change on the cups is the addition of the logo, and another change (one I personally dislike) is the logo on the headband being made smaller and more to the side rather than squarely in the middle.







It comes with…the same exact cable connectors as the other two. In a way, I’m sure this is appealing to longtime fans who have spent on aftermarket cables that they’d like to carry on over – but the connectors on these are some of my least favourite available for any headphone.

Sound

(Schiit Wyrd > USB Version 5 Schiit Yggdrasil > Dragon Inspire IHA-1 > Sylvania Bad Boy 6SN7 + Philips Metal Base GZ34)

The most noticeable aspect of the HD660S, at first, is its capability of delivering an impactful sound. The attack of notes is quite well done, with the announcement of each percussive sound not shirking. The interesting thing about this impact is tied squarely to the bass of the HD660S. There isn’t a lot of bass in amount, but it seems quite focused and punchy. Most importantly, it isn’t sluggish and moves at quite a nimble pace – especially noticeable with bass guitar playing and double-kick drum patterns. I’d also characterize it as being somewhat clean sounding, it attacks fast and decays quickly without any lingering feeling or even bloom. It doesn’t extend very far down, about on level with what I’m used to with the Focal Utopia, but it sounds disciplined enough to render Angel by Massive Attack’s brooding bassline properly with surrounding instrumentation.

The lower-midrange of the HD660S sets it quite a bit apart from the HD650, to my ears – but more on that later. It is decently represented without slipping into the overly warm category. Make no mistake, I’d still classify this as a bit of a warm headphone (all things considered) but it certainly has less emphasis in the region than I expected. I found male vocals to do really quite well, and found the chugging effect of distorted electric guitars to have ample body and weight to them. Now That We’re Dead by Metallica is a good example of both these factors in play, with the bite of the rhythm guitars being in full effect.

The midrange itself isn’t lush. I wasn’t immediately hit by a feeling of sweet smoothness that I remember hearing with the Hifiman HE-500. Instead, I’d characterize the midrange as a bit shouty in nature. I’m reminded of the Focal Elear in a way, but the HD660S is leaner. The feeling of sound pushing itself out at the listener can’t be escaped, and just like with the bass – the headphone sounds impactful and dynamic. The dynamic nature of the HD660S is actually very noticeable, especially compared to its siblings, as being laid back is not in its nature. As stated before, drums hit hard – but when everything else joins in, it can lead to a fist-to-the-gut experience that would probably not appeal to fans of the pre-Fazor Audeze LCD-2. To my ears, this is the most resolving of the three Sennheiser 600 series I’m talking about today, narrowly edging out the HD600 due to its better bass reproduction, speed and dynamics.


The issue that comes to mind, however, is that the shouty nature will definitely not be to everyone’s taste – and comes across as artificial across the board. Yes, this is not a very effortless and natural headphone – but rather a brazen attempt by Sennheiser to inject a livelier sound into their 600 series. There are casualties along the way of this approach, as some more aggressive genres (depending on production and mastering) may sound downright harsh on the HD660S. That same lower-midrange texture that helps chugging rhythm guitars in the lower registers will morph into a shrill upper-register experience for anything that isn’t recorded, mixed and mastered to meet audiophile requirements. This isn’t only on the music itself, however, as even the harsher moments of The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails can sound a step too far at times – and that’s a very meticulously put together album indeed. What’s interesting is that genres like classic rock and jazz definitely benefit from this added aggression, and the separation of instruments doesn’t descend into a hodgepodge very often no matter the source material. The string section of Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd ebbs and flows properly along with the song, something I don’t hear as much of on the HD650 but definitely hear more of on the HD600. The detail retrieval upgrade is in effect too, with the Nashville-tuned acoustic guitar in the background being more noticeable on the HD660S – another indication of it being more resolving than its siblings.

That brings us to the Sennheiser Veil, a concept that I’ve seen either wholly accepted or argued over (usually by owners of the HD600 and HD650) on audio forums. I’d like to state that I do hear it with all the 600 series, and I still hear it with the HD660S – which might be bad news for anyone wondering if this new iteration “cures” that. The interesting part of the treble on the HD660S is that, while it is still slightly veiled, it puts up a hell of a fight – for better or worse. Keeping with the dynamic nature of the bass, the treble causes cymbals to hit hard and have some severe impact – while being more noticeable and less chopped than the HD650. Adding to my belief that it’s the most resolving of the three (overall), the HD660S has good attack in this region and decent decay – not many situations of cymbal bleed, to my ears. This is another reason I enjoy jazz quite a bit on this headphone, and even the jazz-metal fusion that is Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath is well served by the capabilities of the HD660S – with all the cymbal work being brought out quite properly. To me, personally, it’s a fun instrument to listen to and I often look for its presentation in audio gear.

The issues are, firstly, in line with the treble being slightly hard in nature and a bit artificial (this has become a running theme at this point in the review). Most importantly is what sounds like a slightly brittle characteristic that I can’t seem to shake off hearing. The HD660S is far from the worst offender of this in the world of headphones, but it’s noticeable enough to mention. Again, the worst pairings of this seem to be more compressed, loud and slightly abrasive music, and I’m sure someone will argue that this is more the fault of the source material than the headphone – hell, they might even call the headphone extra revealing for this. This is not entirely the case, as the ability of headphones to keep things together at the seams when faced with such a recording is important – to me anyway. Yes, headphones can be unforgiving or reflect the harshness of a recording like Holiday In Cambodia by the Dead Kennedys – but I honestly feel that the HD660S takes it one step too far in the negative zone. The song sounds worse than a demo recorded on a tape recorder in an echo-laden space when listened to on the HD660S. Even with the notoriously picky HD800 back in the day, I didn’t get nearly the same effect – which makes me think the symptoms are a combination of the shouty nature of the headphone coupled with a slight uncleanliness in the treble. This also makes me ponder why it is that a song like that can hurt to listen to, but I can immediately switch to something like Dark Side of the Moon and wish that there wasn’t a slight ceiling on the sound (the veil in effect). This selectiveness adds to my feeling that the treble extension is a bit uneven.

So how does it all come together? If I was to judge the HD660S on its own, and I do apologize for all the comparisons to its siblings above, I’d say it was a capable headphone. Even with the glaring shortcomings, I didn’t detect any massive deal breakers – for me personally. Sennheiser dragged the several aspects of the HD660S, kicking and screaming, and locked them in the chassis and told them to play nice – and for the most part they tend to. It’s a dynamic and impactful experience with a decently resolving nature that is capable of good detail retrieval – but how does it really stack up with the rest of the lineup? Sadly, I’m not fully equipped to answer this question as I really have not participated much in Sennheiser 600 series culture, beyond owning a HD600 for eight months way back before I even started reviewing. When I mention 600 series culture, I am not exaggerating – there is a large amount of people who are committed to having and sometimes modding their HD650 experiences. There is also the belief that the headphone scales with gear several times its MSRP in value, leading to the “infinite scaling” meme that we nerds in the audio community know of. Before I offer any insight that I can gather, I’d like to mention a few things:

1. I’d like to stand by my audio chain, with which I’m very familiar at this point and believe is more than adequate to compare these headphones.

2. These headphones are all stock display units borrowed from my local store. No mods are in place, and I haven’t heard any modded HD600/HD650s either. I aim to only speak to what I hear on this specific setup with these specific stock models.

3. Strong believers of burn-in should know that the HD660S is a very new unit while the HD650 and HD600 are much, much older.

4. I have heard that the age of the pads makes a difference – both the HD650 and HD600 pads are not decrepit and have been changed not too long ago by the looks of them.

Comparisons

(Schiit Wyrd > USB Version 5 Schiit Yggdrasil > Dragon Inspire IHA-1 > Sylvania Bad Boy 6SN7 + Philips Metal Base GZ34)


HD650

This headphone, in the form of the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD6XX, and its ability to be obtained for $200 is a huge selling point in 2017 – but it’s been a staple in the audiophile community for far, far longer.

The first thing I wanted to test was the belief that the HD660S was a “HD650 with sub-bass” that I’d seen floating around the online community. I compared the two with the 3:27 mark of Why So Serious? by Hans Zimmer off of The Dark Knightsoundtrack. This deep and rumbling sub-bass section can sound downright muted on some headphones. While it isn’t so on the HD650, I found the section to have far better body and control on the HD660S. It’s important to note that it isn’t just sub-bass rumbling that’s going on here, but a very low string section accompanying it – building to the near-nauseating suspense in the track. The HD660S was able to represent those aspects along with the bass at a more refined level than the stock HD650 – due to its superior ability to separate the bass with the accompanying frequencies. On the HD650, I felt like I was missing out on both some impact and perhaps some of the notes themselves – as the overall experience was quieter. As you may expect, the softer bass impact of the HD650 extended to everything else that I listened to – and the feeling was a bit odd coming straight from listening to the HD660S for a while.

The softer bass impact and less intricate separation on the HD650 highlights its lesser ability to separate the bass and lower midrange compared to the newer headphone. While there isn’t unfathomable bass bleed, there is a distinct feeling of melding going on that is better handled on the HD660S. This leads of the overall sound of the HD650 being quite warm, certainly compared to its two siblings. I found the midrange to be an easier listen than the HD660S, however, as it has more body to it. While it’s definitely thicker here, it lacks a bit of the texture that the HD660S has that lets distorted guitars sound as raw as they should – there is a feeling of smoothing throughout on the HD650. Also there’s a certain boominess that is present at times, Now That We’re Dead by Metallica has the bass guitar and rhythm guitar crunch meld to be slightly bloated.

I found the HD650 to be a more veiled experience than the HD660S, but it also lacks the very shouty nature of the newer headphone. It also doesn’t possess the treble harshness that the HD660S can have at times, Holiday In Cambodia is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to its reproduction. Instead of harsh like on the HD660S, it’s overly smoothed and distant instead of biting. Also, both headphones have similarly intimate soundstage – but I feel that the HD660S has slightly superior imaging with there being less of a blind spot in the center.

The lessened detail retrieval is also heard on cymbal patterns. Gloria’s Step by the Bill Evans Trio on Sunday At The Village Vanguard sounds more immediate in its percussion on the HD660S. Not only that, but the cymbal impact and decay is both softer and even a bit rolled on the HD650 by comparison. The snare sound on the left channel is slightly intruded upon by the upright bass guitar work as well, reminding me that the HD660S indeed separates better.

Couple all of the above with the fact that the HD650, in stock form, is so veiled and it should be a no-brainer that the HD660S is the better headphone right? Well, it isn’t that simple. Price-to-performance and mods aside, the HD650 might be more to the liking of several folks simply due to its more cohesive overall sound. I’ve quite easily ticked off ways in this review where the HD660S does things at a more competent level than the HD650, but the overall feel of the older headphone seems more even to my ears – and I’m not a fan of the 600 series much at all. Again, this is very subjective – but I think that the various little triumphs that the HD660S has in this comparison don’t entirely add up to a decisive advantage overall. It still is the shoutier of the two, the more treble uneven of the two and the more artificial of the two. The HD650 is more laid back, and dare I say a more comfortable listen? My personal tastes, with the Utopia being my favourite headphone and all, actually fall more into the presentation of the HD660S camp – but my nitpicking nature can’t entirely overlook the treble and tonal issues in this comparison. After all, I don’t only listen to jazz and classic rock.


HD600

What I enjoyed immediately after switching to the HD600 was this sense of depth the sound gained over the HD660S. While the newer headphone is punchier and more impactful, it can sound thin and strident compared to the HD600.

The HD600 is the most midrange-centric of the three headphones, and it has my favourite presentation in this regard. The reason for this is, firstly, the lack of lower-midrange and bass bloat that I hear with the HD650. Secondly, and most importantly, the presentation is a step above the HD660S when it comes to an effortless and natural sound.

The bass of the HD600 is the most muted of the three headphones and it remains largely in its own camp and doesn’t intrude like the HD650 can at times. There is still a heft in the low end of the headphone that doesn’t completely eliminate the sensation of bass, but it’s hardly ideal for genres dependent on slam and rumble – for which the HD660S is a better choice. Overall impact is also less frantic than the HD660S, but seems slightly more pronounced than the HD650. The sub-bass rumble in Why So Serious? is also weaker and less controlled than the HD660S, but the instrumental has a certain sheen around it that is interesting. It’s not smoothed, like the HD650, but it’s definitely a softer and less harsh experience than the HD660S during the crashing moments.

This distinct lack of troublesome glare, compared to the HD660S, is not to be understated. It, coupled with the lack of bass bloat, makes this my favourite of the 600 series. The HD660S has a more open sound, and retains more texture overall – but the musicality of the HD600 is hard to beat for the newer headphone. Not only is the HD600 more cohesive and natural sounding, its detail retrieval is no slouch itself. Also, the treble is more even up to the point where it falls off the veil cliff – the HD660S extends just a bit further before meeting its own similar demise, but the road there is rockier.

Just for clarification, the soundstage of both headphones is similar – but the imaging on the HD660S seems less hard panned to me than the HD600.


Final Thoughts & Conclusion

I feel like this is a good time to briefly explain my mentality going into these reviews. I don’t do these to offer purchase advice for my readers/viewers, but rather to express my thoughts and opinions on audio gear. It’s largely curiousity based on my end and I find it difficult to answer queries asking me to decide on gear for people.

I’m stating this now because I have no idea if the HD660S is a worthy purchase at its MSRP price point, either for fans of the 600 series or for people looking to buy any of the three as an introduction into the Sennheiser line. I can’t contextualize entirely what buying the HD660S means, at its current price of $500, over the $200 HD6XX/HD650. One reason for this is my unfamiliarity with the HD650 scene, and the many mods I see mentioned online. I’ve heard that the HD660S pales in comparison to a “KISS modded” HD650, but I can’t confirm or deny that personally.

I do feel that these headphones are distinct, however, each with their strengths and weaknesses. I have a minor gripe though as I think Sennheiser’s changes might not go far enough. With all the advantages and disadvantages considered, I can’t say it’s a better headphone than the other two – but if you factor in the cost differences vs. your own preferences, you should be able to draw a conclusion as to which suits you the most.

The Sennheiser HD660S is the most impactful and dynamic of the three headphones, it has the strongest ability to expose the details in tracks and it has the most controlled and emphasized bass. However, it has issues with being shouty, it is still veiled (although less so than the HD650), it has less of a natural presentation than the other two and it is a large jump in price. A day will come when all three headphones will be within an arm’s reach of one another in price, and then you can try all three and decide accordingly.

Background

My journey with DAC units has been rather tied to Schiit Audio. I started with the original Modi in 2013, my first DAC ever and one which I used with the Schiit Asgard 2. I used it all the way up to January 2016, when I upgraded to the Modi 2 Uber. A few months later, I grabbed a Delta-Sigma Gungnir – which I then upgraded in January of 2017 to a Gungnir Multibit. I’ve been quite happy with the price-to-performance ratio that I’ve attained at each step – but several demos with the Chord Dave at my local audio store gave me a sense of where there was left to go in terms of upgrades. Indeed, it was also my time listening to the Dave that originally convinced me to upgrade from the DS Gungnir to the Multibit version. It made it very apparent that the stock Gungnir had some treble hardness, a kind of “digital” nature to the presentation that was hard to overlook. The Dave, by comparison, laid out better detail while having a remarkably natural sound.

The Gungnir Multibit, which I’ll just refer to as Gumby from now on, introduced me to the R2R sound – slightly warm and euphonic while retaining great detail. Most importantly was its tonal property, it obliterated the treble hardness/harshness I had become accustomed to and replaced it with a natural and “organic” sound. This was no subtle change, as my previous reference of the Cavalli Liquid Carbon and DS Gungnir was preferable (due to the Carbon’s softening and warming of the sound) to the same amp with the Gumby. Suddenly, the pairing was overkill – the Gumby had a softer sound to it. It possessed more bloom as well, making the Liquid Carbon sound a bit stuffy on some headphones such as the LCD-2 or even the Focal Utopia I bought later. With upgrades to my amp section, specifically the likes of the IHA-1, I felt like I was set. The audio chain sounded incredible, but my earlier demos of the Yggdrasil at the London Headroom show in February 2017 and Can Jam London in July had left me with a sense of what to expect from the Schiit flagship – and it was a sound that I was finding my preferences shift towards as I grew to appreciate genres such as jazz.

Therefore, this review will contain a lot of references to the Gungnir Multibit. I would like to think this write-up is most useful for someone who is trying to choose between Schiit’s two highest-end DAC offerings. I apologize in advance if this format is hard to navigate and glean from for the reader.

Specifications (From the Schiit Website)

Inputs: AES/EBU XLR, RCA SPDIF, BNC SPDIF, Optical SPDIF, USB

Input Capability: up to 24/192 for all inputs

Input Receiver, SPDIF: AKM AK4113

Input Receiver, USB: C-Media CM6631A

Clock Management: Bitperfect clock management at all native sample rates via Adapticlock analysis and VCXO/VCO regeneration, plus asynchronous USB Gen 5 module

Digital Filter: proprietary Schiit bitperfect closed-form digital filter implemented on Analog Devices SHARC DSP processor

D/A Conversion IC: Analog Devices AD5791BRUZ x 4 (2 per channel, hardware balanced configuration)

Analog Stages: Fully discrete JFET buffers for balanced output and discrete JFET summing stages for single-ended output, direct coupled throughout

Output: One pair XLR balanced and two pairs RCA single-ended

Output Impedance: 75 ohms

Frequency Response, Analog Stage: 20Hz-20Khz, +/-0.1dB, 0.5Hz-200KHz, -1dB

Maximum Output: 4.0V RMS (balanced), 2.0V RMS (single-ended)

THD: Less than 0.006%, 20Hz-20KHz, at full output

IMD: <0.007%, CCIF, at full output

SNR: > 117dB, referenced to 2V RMS

Power Supply: two transformers (one for digital supplies, one for analog supplies) plus one input choke for discrete, dual mono, shunt-regulated analog +/-24V supply, plus 12 separate local regulated supplies for DACs and digital sections, including high-precision, low-noise LM723 regulation in critical areas.

Upgradability: Fully modular architecture. Separate digital input board, USB input board, DSP engine board, and DAC/analog output boards.

Power Consumption: 35W

Size: 16 x 12” x 3.875”

Weight: 25 lbs

Build Quality & Features

The size of the Yggdrasil is one reason that I was hesitant to purchase it sooner. My previous belief that the Gungnir chassis was so large for a DAC was rendered silly by the scale of the Yggdrasil – which dwarves it. Indeed, the fellow I purchased the Schiit flagship from took one look at the Gumby and said “oh that’s cute, it’s so small.” Damn. The chassis itself is a big lump of aluminium and a hefty 25 lbs. Schiit do limited runs of a black powder coat finish of their gear too, if that’s more your thing. The front of the unit has several input selectors, but not on/off switch as that is located on the back – as is the case with all Schiit gear it seems. You won’t really be wanting to turn this off often anyway, but more on that below.

The inputs and outputs in the back are near-identical to the Gumby, with a noticeable addition being the AES input. I, sadly, have not been able to test this out as I lack anything that is compatible. Two RCA outputs along with a balanced XLR output round off the options.

One thing to take note of is this DAC’s inability to play DSD files unless they’re converted in the player. Schiit are quite dismissive of DSD in their site’s FAQ section, essentially saying that it isn’t a widespread enough format for them to design around:

Let's say Sony suddenly opens their vaults and offers 30,000 DSD albums with guaranteed direct-from-DSD provenance at $5.99 each, or if Apple and Spotify and Amazon start streaming only MQA for free (yes, we know, stop laughing) then hey, Yggy is fully upgradable.

That does seem to be a major selling point for the Schiit DACs besides the Modi 2 – they have upgrades released every now and then. The most recent of which, for the Gumby and Yggdrasil, was the USB version 5 upgrade. However, even if the audio formats took off further, I really doubt Schiit will release an upgrade. This may be a deal breaker for some, and another one might be when you turn it on for the first time.

Warm-Up Times

Full admission: I had heard of this aspect of the two higher-end Schiit multibit DACs for a while now, and had experienced it (albeit slightly) with the Gumby. If you want to draw the conclusion that this might have somehow biased me into fully believing it to be true, I can’t stop you but I can say that I am very sceptical by nature but like to retain a certain open mindedness – the combination of both of these aspects drives me in this hobby.

The case with the warm-up time is as follows: the Yggdrasil will sound quite horrible out of the box and will need a large amount of time to sound like it was designed to. This is what I’d been told and this is also what I’ve determined to be the case myself. The previous owner, however, didn’t give a thought to this and would turn it off every night. He sold the Yggdrasil to me saying that he found it too bright and harsh, and wanted to get the Metrum Pavane instead. He commented on the YouTube component of this review, saying that he didn’t regret the decision and that the Pavane sounded better to his ears.

I, personally, can’t imagine turning this off every night. My first night listening to it was a mix of me being impressed with me feeling sharp stabs of pain – especially using my Focal Utopia. The treble glare was somewhat intense, and the sound didn’t seem very cohesive overall. It was like the DS Gungnir that I had, except turned up to eleven in both treble harshness and detail retrieval. I was impressed, but ouch.

Dramatic descriptions aside, I can honestly say that you should not turn this off. By day five I was experiencing a more cohesive sound, not necessarily warmer but not so tilted towards grating treble. After a week, all seemed right in the world and I was able to compare it to my (already warmed) Gumby.

Sound

I would characterize the Yggdrasil as being a very revealing and focused DAC that pulls no punches. While not having a pitch black background on the level of the Chord Dave, it sounds a lot cleaner than its younger brother – the Gumby, which has a slight haziness to the sound that is especially noticeable when I compared the two. What this means is that the entrance and exit of sound is very dramatic – imagine something appearing and retreating into an abyss. The attack and decay of the Yggdrasil is the most dynamic I have had yet in my home audio chain. Listening to a mere recording of a drummer playing is enough to detail its advantage in this regard, as kick drums hit with a good amount of punch and do not linger when compared to the Gumby.

That lingering aspect of the Gumby is due to the bass on the Yggdrasil being both harder hitting (I would actually say that there is a little elevation in the bass region, a choice that I know isn’t to everyone’s taste) and fast in decay – especially compared to its younger brother. The Gumby’s bass, while quite full sounding, is softer and bloomier than the Yggdrasil’s powerful precision. Double-bass drum patterns are reproduced effortlessly, with no evident (to my ears) bleed between notes that would lag presentation. And although I do hear a bit of a bass boost in the Yggdrasil, it is nowhere near the level that Audio-GD chose to have in my NFB-28 ESS Sabre DAC. The tightness of the bass reproduction in the Yggdrasil, along with the above stated speed, makes the low end of music sound very precise. Luckily this trait doesn’t stop there.

The strength of the Gumby, compared to the Yggdrasil, is that it’s almost euphonicsounding. I can honestly see some preferring this, it has a softness and bloom that is very easy on the ears. I wonder if I would prefer it too, if I still had a Sennheiser HD800. The Yggdrasil is quite different in that, compared to the Gumby, it can even sound lean at times. I wouldn’t say that the midrange is too recessed, but there is a definite lack of warmth that many might construe to it sounding colder and thinner than the Gumby. In my early days of ownership, I wondered if I wouldn’t end up preferring the Gumby because I still preferred its tonal characteristics to the yet not fully warmed Yggdrasil – even though the detail retrieval of the flagship was addictive.

Once the Yggdrasil came into its own, I learned that what I was hearing wasn’t a sort of strong recession in the midrange, or even a distinct lack of warmth (although it still is leaner than the Gumby), but rather the DAC’s ability to separate tracks in a manner that could be compared to well-oiled machinery – or an impressive display of division-of-labour. Sunday at the Village Vanguard by the Bill Evans Trio is an album I’d like to use to highlight what I mean here.

The live recording utilizes a lot of drum-work, what sounds like upright bass and piano playing. While I did not at all dislike how it sounded on the Gumby, the Yggdrasil was able to handle the separation between the drums and bass in a much cleaner manner – especially when the piano was joining them in the lower frequency of notes. The Gumby had a slight blending of tracks going on while the Yggdrasil was able to separate them quite well, leading to a feeling that each instrument was distinct and on its own island of importance without fear of foreign invasion. This separation prowess is especially needed due to the Yggdrasil having quite a narrow soundstage

The staging of the Yggdrasil is another aspect that I would probably consider to be a deal-breaker for some. It is decisively intimate, especially compared to the Gumby which has the advantage in width. I would say that the Yggdrasil has excellent depth, however, and would consider it the DAC equivalent of the Focal Utopia – a headphone with narrow stage width but stellar depth and separation. Both the Yggdrasil and Utopia make good use of the space afforded to them, and are both very resolving. Due to the separation and depth benefits of the Yggdrasil, I would like to use the analogy of it being a medium-sized painting of intricate brushwork – while the Gumby is a larger painting with less fine details.

The bloom of the Gumby definitely added a bit to it being perceived as a very organic and natural-sounding DAC, but the Yggdrasil manages to take a bit of a different approach to accurately-reproduced audio. Indeed, I found the lack of the Gumby’s slight smear on the Yggdrasil to serve it very well for instrument timbre. The best example I can state of this is a grand piano, which I believe to be quite a difficult instrument to reproduce accurately through audio gear.

My testing was done through the dual-inputs of my Dragon Inspire IHA-1 into my Focal Utopia – using Sylvania Bad Boy 6SN7s and a Philips Metal Base GZ34/5AR4. Switching from the Gumby to the Yggdrasil made piano work seem more alive, with more body without it sounding bloated. Most importantly, the notes were given adequate space to resonate properly – which is an aspect of the instrument that can sometimes be chopped off in gear that doesn’t cater to its needs. A grand piano’s decay should not be snipped, nor should it just linger forever (although I can’t say I’ve heard this happen in gear I’ve tried to date) and the Yggdrasil, somehow, manages to find the sweet spot.

However, I can definitely see the presentation of the Yggdrasil as being too steely or metallic for some. While it is natural, it is less veered towards a sweet vinyl sound and is more towards what I’d call an efficient digital sound. No, this isn’t suffering from the digititis in the treble that the DS Gungnir did, but it isn’t a mellow sound like the Chord Dave - which is sooner to remind you of analogue equipment than the Yggdrasil. Instruments indeed sound natural, but the presentation is so turned up to eleven that I could see a complaint people have being that it is a DAC that is trying too hard. The same people might be of the opinion that the Focal Utopia is simply too dynamic for their tastes, and they would prefer something along the likes of the Audeze LCD-4 instead. The Yggdrasil has very little room for a romantic sound, and is more focused with presenting clarity, detail and accurate timbre. It took me a while to get used to having all the tracks sharing equal priority in the mix due to how the DAC brought them out. Heck, I could see someone viewing how the Yggdrasil reproduces music as an accurately executed formula no matter what they’re listening to.

I am not one of those people. While I can hear and recognize that possible shortcoming, I am also someone who is really into a dynamic sound laden with detail retrieval these days. Simply put, the Yggdrasil is brighter than the Gumby and does away with the smooth organic tone that some might prefer in its younger brother. I don’t find it fatiguing myself but, as stated above, it’s very much to taste. It’s also a bit unforgiving with poor recordings, exposing flaws as trite as the production team not fading out a track properly (the clipping is quite noticeable).

Brief Comparison to the Chord Dave

Chord and Schiit seem to have very different philosophies when it comes to their flagship DACs – also vastly different price points. The Dave seems to be trying to bridge a vinyl sound to a digital presentation - without skimping on detail retrieval or introducing any haziness to the mix. It took me a while to understand this about the Dave, while I understood the strength of the Yggdrasil immediately on first listen.

The Chord Dave has a wide soundstage, on par with the Gumby at least, and a mellower tone than the Yggdrasil. It also has a blacker background, which isn’t a strong suit with either Schiit flagship DAC. While it doesn’t hit as hard as the Yggdrasil, it is less frantic in presentation and this well appeal to those whom I spoke of above who will argue that such traits lead to an ultimate organic and natural sound.

Why I prefer the Yggdrasil, especially for the price, is due to it being so high-energy compared to the Dave. The Dave also has a slight dampening on guitar distortion, leading to there being less bite and more warmth to metal music.

I’d like to add that these impressions of the Dave are not utilizing its own ¼ output, which I find to be quite dull. It’s better used as a pure DAC into a capable amplifier, in my opinion.

Conclusion

I hope that the framing of this review as a comparison to the Schiit Gungnir Multibit/Gumby aids anyone looking to choose between the two. The Gumby is still my favourite DAC that I’ve tried which is under the price of a Yggdrasil – with there being over a thousand dollars difference between the two. I am now not surprised that Jason Stoddard from Schiit Audio prefers using a Gumby to the Yggdrasil – the flagship does not coddle the listener. I, personally, think that I prefer a DAC such as this and then being able to fine-tune sound with a tube amplifier further down the chain.

For anyone looking for a supremely resolving and focused experience, the Schiit Yggdrasil has that in spades.

After several years of only owning solid-state headphone amplifiers, I decided to see what the fuss was about with tube amps earlier this year. On the surface, people seemed to be likening the technology with vinyl – something that sounded more natural to some folk but was antiquated in the modern world. Indeed, tubes have their disadvantages – a limited lifespan being the most immediate of them.

After hearing the Cavalli Liquid Tungsten at Can Jam London 2016, especially with a Sennheiser HD800, I knew there was more to it than just mere colouration of the sound. The headphone came alive with a sound that had more body than I was used to with it. I had to know more, and so earlier this year I started. First up was the iFi Pro iCan, with its solid-state to tube and tube+ mode switching. A hybrid tube amplifier that was not designed to be swappable, I found its sound to not be all that distinct between the modes. Next came the Schiit Valhalla 2, and I got a better sense of what tubes do.

Clashing directly with the stereotype of tube amps being overly warm and coloured, the Valhalla 2 added a bit more nuance to song mixes than I had heard before. Staging seemed wider too. There was something afoot here that I enjoyed, but I missed the more impactful sound of my solid-state options at the time. When I later got a Schiit Lyr 2, along with some spare tube sets to play around with, I came to understand the appeal behind swapping out, otherwise known as rolling, tubes. It was another hybrid tube amp, like the iFi, with a solid-state output stage that had only one gear to it – fast and punchy. Sure, you could put a slight spin on the sound here and there – but you couldn’t stop it from being its fast and punchy self.

When I bought the Feliks Audio Elise, I took note of the fact that it had slots for two power tubes and two driver tubes. Completely reliant on tube pairings, I was curious to see what had made this a much-discussed amplifier for tube rollers on Head-fi. I even knew someone who had one, and had spent €2400 on various tube sets. While not prepared to make that kind of investment, I wanted to understand the appeal on a basic level and felt that this was an inexpensive purchase to do so.


Specifications – From the Website

· Technical Specification - Model 2017

· Input Impedance: 100 kOhm

· Frequency response: 10 Hz - 60 Khz +/- 3 dB (300 ohm)

· Power output: 200mW

· Pre-amp Gain: 20dB

· THD: 0.4 % (300 ohm, 20 mW)

· Supported headphones impedance: 32 - 600 ohm

· Improved noise cancelling construction

· Headphones output: Jack 6.3mm

· AC: 230V/120V (power cord included)

· Dimensions: 310x205x170 [mm]

· 3 years warranty

Specifications – From the Manual

Elise is built with two 6AS7G (also accepts 6080, via the included adaptor) power tubes and two driver 6SN7 tubes. Power supply is based on a custom made stabilized toroidal transformer with electronic ripple suppression. The amplifier is equipped with automatic bias circuit, therefore no re-tuning is required after changing tubes. Please note that the optimal sound quality will be reached after approximately 30 – 50 hours of run-in.

· Impedance: 100 k ohm

· Frequency response: 10 Hz - 60 Khz +/- 3 dB (300 ohm)

· Power output: 200mW

· THD: 0.4 % (300 ohm, 20 mW)

· Optimal headphones impedance: 32 - 600 ohm

· Headphones output: Jack 6.3mm

· AC: 230V / 120V (region dependent, power cord included)

· Weight: 4.5 kg (7.7 lbs)

· Dimensions: 310x205x170 [mm] (12.2x8.1x6.7 [inch])



Build Quality & Features

After seeing the Feliks Euphoria, the flagship headphone amplifier of the company, at the London Can Jam 2017 – I saw that the designers adopted a “if it ain’t broke” mentality. The two amps are near identical in look. Both are OTL and both use the same power and driver/pre-amp tube slots.

It should go without saying that this amplifier can get really, really hot. This isn’t the heat of, say, the Schiit Asgard 2 (a class-A solid-state amp) – but is another level entirely due to the glowing tubes. Take care when handling these, Feliks themselves advise at least five minutes wait time minimum after switching off the amplifier before you swap tubes around. In fact, let me quote the manual:

Please note that tubes can reach operational temperature with excess of 150 Celsius (300 Fahrenheit) therefore tube exchange should be done with the device unplugged from AC power, after allowing the tubes to cool down and letting the capacitors discharge (minimum 5 minutes). Recommended ambient temperature for the amplifier to operate is between 15 and 30 Celsius (60 to 86 Fahrenheit).

The last part disqualifies the use of this amplifier in the summertime back in my home country, unless aided with ample air conditioning.

The actual unit is quite solidly build. I won’t do any drop tests or anything, but it looks like it will last a long time in a caring household. The volume knob is a satisfyingly smooth turn and the small LED in front is blue. There is only a slot for a single ¼ inch headphone plug, and I would recommend plugging in headphones after the amp has warmed up and unplugging before turning it off. The reason for this is that there is a loud and sudden cracking sound in the headphones if you a) turn the amp on while they’re plugged in or b) you turn the amp off while they’re plugged in. I believe Feliks told me that this was something they remedied in the 2017 version of the amp (mine is 2016), but I’d advise it regardless. I don’t even know if it would do damage to your headphone drivers, but I would advise it anyway.

Speaking of the 2017 version, I did ask them the details of how the new model differed from mine. They said that they learned some nifty engineering tricks to implement while developing the Euphoria when it came to sound isolation of the unit and decided to let those upgrades trickle down to the Elise as well. A specific example I was told was that the Elise was now less susceptible to that annoying interference from phone frequencies during an incoming call or text message. I’ve never really heard such interference in my older Elise, but people don’t usually call me anyways so.


On the back of the unit is one set of RCA inputs and one pair of RCA line-outputs – which in the manual are referred to as the “pre-amp mode.” There is a place to plug in your power cable of choice and a bright red on/off switch. I would have preferred the switch to have been in the front, but it isn’t a big deal.

Finally, the kinds of tubes that are officially endorsed by Feliks Audio to be used with this amplifier are printed on the manual:

Power tubes

Standard: 6AS7G (6N13S)

Alternatives: 6080, 5998, 6N5P, 6N5S, ECC230, 7236, CV2523

Driver tubes

Standard: 6SN7

Alternatives: 6N8S, CV181, ECC32, 5692, 6F8G

While still being so new to tubes myself, I can’t advise what else you can try with these. However, I do use a RCA 7n7 driver tube pair on the Elise – I just needed a 7n7-to-6SN7 converter set from Hong Kong.


Sound

In my review of the Schiit Lyr 2, I mentioned how any tube rolling would just modify the flavour of the sound rather than overhaul it in any large way. This is because the amp’s output section was solid state, and not flexible at all. The Elise is able to roll both power tubes as well as driver tubes, and I have found it very sensitive to changes in both. The amp is not highly transparent by any means, but it responds very well to different tube configurations. To my ears, the Elise will always embody the stereotypical outlook of tubes – warm and euphonic. It is not muddy, however, and detail retrieval is quite good. The staging is not large by any sense, but it has a very natural depth to it that does positional audio justice.

When comparing the Elise to the newer flagship offering by Feliks, the Euphoria, I found that it had a warmer tilt to the sound than its elder brother. Indeed, the terms warm and gooey come to mind – but I would argue that this is a far more articulate experience in stock configuration than the solid-state Cavalli Liquid Carbon. There is no bloat with either Elise or Euphoria, but it was apparent to me that (even in the ruckus that is show-floor background noise) the Euphoria was set up to be a leaner, brighter but more detailed sound with wider staging. Indeed, there were some visitors to the Feliks booth at Can Jam London 2017 who preferred the Elise over the flagship, simply due to its warmer and thicker sound character. If that sounds more to your liking, then you might too.

The Elise’ customizability makes it wear different hats with ease. Need a faster sound for metal and rock? Switch to the Mullard 6080. Need a smoother, more relaxing tone? Use the stock Svetlana 6AS7G. A tube amp that changes with tubes, what of it?Well, this is a tube rollers dream in its price range and build due to just how much can be done with it. Forums have threads bursting with impressions from Elise owners for a reason, it’s an affordable OTL with good baseline specifications for dynamic headphones and the ability to explore different tube pairings comes easily to it.

But, on its own, it’s a dependable amp. As mentioned before, the staging is not especially wide (although this varies, again, with different tubes) and the sound has that lusher characteristic that I now find lacking in most solid-state amplifiers. The bass does not extend especially far with the stock tubes, but this also is changed up with rolling. Rather than stretching the sound out to reveal the low-level detail in your recordings, a task that is done to varying degrees by tube amplifiers, the Elise simply seeks to add tone to your music. This is not an amplifier for detail-retrieval fiends. This also is not the amplifier for lovers of planar magnetic headphones due to its low wattage. Indeed, I paired this with a few Audeze planars and found the sound lacking compared to what I know them to do.

The aforementioned tone was eye opening to me, someone who has primarily had experience with solid-state amplifiers in the past. The Schiit Valhalla 2, which I’ve reviewed before, is leaner and brighter than the Elise and then Schiit Lyr 2 (a hybrid tube amp) is more punchy and dynamic but without the natural sound that the Elise musters. By “natural”, I mean that the Elise is not etched or hard in its treble presentation, making it so the twang of acoustic guitars and the playing of grand pianos don’t sound artificially propped for the sake of utmost clarity. The sound isn’t neutral, but I often find things sounding (within reason, depending on genre) liveinstead of a pristine studio recording. I appreciate this, and it definitely and quickly taught me about the benefits of tube amplifiers.


Before I received my Elise in the mail, I was worried about its pairing with the Focal Utopia – an 80 ohm dynamic driver headphone that I use as a reference. It was not until after I had purchased it, and after a little research online, that I found that it had a rather high output impedance compared to the amplifiers that I’d used before. The output impedance is 40 to 50 ohms, depending on where you read. Using the amplifier with the Utopia would be breaking the 1/8ths rule of output impedance; that the headphone’s impedance must be over eight times the output impedance of the amplifier. Once I plugged the Utopia in, however, my fears were put to the side. It’s not just listenable, it’s very enjoyable as a pairing – adding a smoothness to the frantically detailed and hyper nature of the Focal flagship. Was it the most ideal pairing out there? Probably not, especially if you want to take steps to enhance the detail retrieval of the Utopia through an amp pairing. But is it wrong? No. Switching to my Dragon Inspire IHA-1, a transformer-coupled tube amplifier with only 4.4 ohms of output impedance, I found the background quieter and more revealing of detail. But when I switched back to the Elise and allowed a few minutes for my ears to adjust, I found it more than capable as a Utopia pairing.


Tube Rolling

The point of this section isn’t to say that you, the reader, absolutely need to buy a bunch of tubes for the Elise to properly enjoy it – but to detail what aspects can be changed by what. Also, the stock option of the Tung Sol 6SN7s might be discontinued as per a conversation I had with one of the brothers of Feliks Audio. He told me that PSVANE driver tubes might be the way to go for the Elise company-side in the future, as it already is with the Euphoria. Easier to find tubes matches, he said. I haven’t spent a long time with PSVANE, a Chinese company making tubes these days, but they sounded good enough at Can Jam from both Euphoria and Elise.


Power Tubes

Svetlana Winged "C" 6H13C / 6AS7G

This is Feliks’ stock choice for both the Elise and Euphoria. On the Elise, it has a warm and slightly thick tone to it that gives a smoother sound overall. It is not particularly fast or heavy hitting, opting to be more laid back in approach. Vocals have a lot of body to them and bass extension is quite good, it definitely gelled with the ZMF Eikon that I have.

The major disadvantage of this pairing with the Elise is that it seems a bit veiled. Of course, this performance is closely tied to its inexpensive nature overall – but the same power tubes sounded quite different out of the Euphoria which is a testament to amp design over mere tube choices alone. The Euphoria had slightly wider staging and very inviting separation and detail retrieval. It was also leaner, to my ears, and a little more towards the bright side of things – while the Elise’s usage of the same power tubes yields a smoother, warmer and more pleasant tone that ultimately does mask micro-detail a bit.

I could not help but make comparisons to the Cavalli Liquid Carbon that I once had. I have no doubt that the Elise, using these stock power tubes, is still considerably the more articulate experience. Feliks knew what they were doing when they chose these for their two amplifiers. It’s a very good baseline sound with few shortcomings – a jack of all trades when it comes to tube options for the Elise.


General Electric 6AS7G

I’d go so far to call this the most v-shaped power tube of the three I’m talking about today. It injects a hefty amount of bass into the Elise’s sound, but not very bloated or distorted bass. While being clean, it is not all that much faster and punchier than the stock Svetlanas. It does have some weight to it, and kick drums are instantly more noticeable in mixes.

The midrange is a bit recessed, not overwhelmingly so but just slightly. I found guitars to sound a little hollow and male vocals to be emphasized over female by quite a margin. The treble extension is decent but misses out on some cymbal clarity and weight. Overall, I prefer the stock Svetlanas over this but I do appreciate just how much more of a punch these have when paired with electronic genres.


Mullard 6080

These bring the Elise more in line with my preferences these days. The Mullards are less tubey than the stock Svetlanas and are more geared towards a solid-state sound in terms of impact, dynamics and noise floor. I have no way of measuring exactly, but I can hear a quieter background with the Utopia over the stock power tubes.

Impact is an understatement of sorts as these power tubes provide a good punch to the sound of the Elise. With the Utopia, it’s a great pairing due to the headphone’s own fast and dynamic nature. I, quite frankly, hate when an amp holds the Utopia back in this regard – and so far I’ve only heard the Liquid Carbon do that by making the sound slower and a bit sluggish. The Mullard 6080s reduce the slightly thick and overly warm sound of the stock Svetlanas and open up the midrange to better detail retrieval. Micro-detail comes out better, with all the various percussion and instrumentation in Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough not being held back.

Bass is quicker on its feet, tap-dancing through the mix with precision and without any bloat or emphasis. Fans of a bloomier sound will probably not enjoy the Mullards, as it is leaner and more precise. Another noticeable upgrade from the stock tubes resides in the upper midrange and lower treble. The air region is better served by the Mullards, with string sections coming out better and faster. Grand pianos also have a less weighty and cleaner aspect to them.


Disadvantages that I can think of are probably headphone reliant in this case. While I very much enjoy the sound with my Utopia, I feel that it would hurt on the Sennheiser HD800. The treble is also more emphasized compared to the stock tubes, which is another reason why I believe the above. With a bad headphone pairing, and to those who are sensitive to treble, I feel that the Mullard 6080s would quickly become fatiguing. But for warmer headphones, I can’t recommend it enough for its price point.

Driver/Pre-amp Tubes


Tung Sol 6SN7GTB – Made in Russia

These are the, as of September 2017, stock driver tubes provided with the Elise. It should be noted that, for an additional $150, you can upgrade to Chinese-made PSVANE driver tubes and that Feliks will be making the switch to only using those eventually as they have done with the Euphoria.

The Tung Sols have a slightly tall sound. What I mean by this is that it sounds like the notes occupy more space than they do on solid-state or even other tube options. This space is not width-wise, but rather vertical. A snare hit will sound larger than life instead of a more accurate sting in a mix. I won’t lie, this has a very pleasing sound to it as there is no lack of “real estate” to be used up here. I would not call it a reference sound, but it is fun to listen to and the Tung Sols share this aspect with the Ken Rad 6SN7GTBs.

Where it differs from the Ken Rads is in the air and treble presentation. The larger-than-life sound described above is not emphasized in the bass region on the Tung Sols, but rather in the mids and highs. You will hear a guitar solo pierce through the mix with additional emphasis given to it than other tubes and you will hear vocals sound very much like an intimate live setting.

Is it an especially revealing tube? I don’t think so, and I feel that it might have been chosen to (along with the Svetlana power tubes) give the widest experience gap between the Elise and solid-state amplifiers at its price point. Stick a HD800 into the Elise with its stock tubes and you will be treated to a sound that is less reference but more musical and, dare I say, enjoyable. With the ZMF Eikon, I found that the treble peak was smoothed out with the stock tube pairing, while the Mullard 6080s gave slightly more accuracy.


Sylvania 1950s Chrome Top 6SN7GTA

I would go so far to say that this is my reference 6SN7 driver tube these days, with it almost always being used in my Dragon Inspire IHA-1 when I’m critically listening. This is mainly due to its lean sound and detail retrieval, along with some of the best extended and natural treble I have in my possession.

How does it fare on the Elise? I actually don’t prefer it compared to it on my IHA-1. Perhaps this can be chalked up to personal preferences, but I feel that the Sylvanias don’t bring as much to the table on the Elise – while they are a stronger option for the IHA-1. This is because the detail retrieval boost is minimal on the Elise and I’m used to it being far greater.


Ken Rad 6SN7GT – Black

Let me preface this by saying that this tube is overkill with the stock Svetlana power tubes. These very much need the leaner and quicker sound of the Mullard 6080 to shine.

This has the deepest and most powerful bass of all the driver tubes discussed today. Couple that with its level of low-end control and you have a fantastic pairing for electronic genres, pop and rock music. With an overall warm sound in the midrange, and a slight bit of roll-off in the treble, I would not recommend the Ken Rads for a more analytical listening experience – but it is a balls-to-the-wall level of fun in how exhilarating it is for the right genres.

My earlier description of a “tall” sound with the Tung Sol 6SN7GT is taken a step further with the Ken Rad driver tubes. A good example of what I mean is in the song Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. The single note synth-line that plays in the chorus is normally thin and distant in mixes. On the Ken Rads, however, it is very front-and-centre and sounds thicker, meatier and livelier. Those are a lot of words to describe a mere synth accompaniment to a chorus, but imagine that effect applied to all instrumentation and vocals in a track. Huge and not at all reference, the Ken Rads make up for their lack of air by making music sound bombastic with a speaker-like quality.


RCA 7n7 (with a 7n7-to-6SN7 converter)

The opposite case of the Sylvanias, I actually prefer these more on the Elise than I do on the IHA-1. The RCA 7n7 have the capability to present delicate micro-detail and have a leaner sound than the stock option or the Ken Rads. The reason they gel more with a warmer amplifier like the Elise than a leaner and more analytical one like the IHA-1 is due to the treble region becoming harsher on the latter while this aspect is masked a bit on the former. This is just speculation on my end, but it does become a more fatiguing listen on the Dragon amp.

Another strength of the RCA 7n7 is its low price compared to the other detail-head driver tubes that I have, the Sylvania 6SN7 chrome-tops. When listening to jazz, it becomes obvious that these have good tonality for cymbals, snares and acoustic instruments. They do retain some body though, less than the Sylvanias but enough to make it a good pairing for jazz, classical and classic rock.

Amping

I have to reiterate this one aspect of the Feliks Audio Elise – it is not a powerful amplifier. As mentioned before, I really did not enjoy how the Audeze LCD series sounded from this. I wouldn’t recommend using this with any planars at all, actually. I wouldn’t recommend using IEMs with it either, as its high output impedance won’t be ideal. I’m still surprised that it sounds as good as it does with the Utopia – but it’s no coincidence that many prefer this for their 600 Ohm Beyerdynamic T1’s and Sennheiser HD800’s.

Dynamic-driver headphones are the way to go with the Elise, of that I’m certain.

Conclusion

The Elise met and surpassed my expectations from a first actual tube amplifier. It has a natural tone to it and can be altered with various tube pairings. Unlike the Lyr 2, it can be morphed in a more audibly meaningful manner to suit your preferences. Indeed, it might be that it could reach the detail retrieval prowess of its elder brother, the Feliks Euphoria, or even my Dragon Inspire IHA-1 with the right tube pairings – but I did not pursue those and will leave such discoveries to other owners. I do recommend reading the Head-fi threads about this amplifier though, there is a lot of interesting discussion going back several years.

One consistent thing about the Elise, no matter the tube pairing, was its ability to have a very smooth and enjoyable sound. After months with it, I understand fully why some would find it immediately more enjoyable than the Euphoria when they first heard the two at Can Jam. While the Euphoria is not sparse in tone, having its own strength and body, the Elise is more akin to what some people just seem to expectfrom a tube amplifier – with its stock power and driver tube pairing. It’s smooth, laid back and quite musical. It doesn’t try to be a low-level detail-resolving monster like some other tube amplifiers, but aims to be for those who want a more organic experience than their solid-state options with a gentle bloom in the bass and some midrange weight.

Build Quality, Comfort & Features

The barebones version of the Sine that I bought is slightly cheaper than the one that comes with a Lightning cable. Utilising a 3.5mm connector, this is ready to be plugged into pretty much anything. The cables are completely removable, which is a plus, and the look of them is a bit unique in that they are completely flat – like two rubber tapeworms that travel to the drivers.


The earcup shape is also a bit unusual to me. It looks really nice, but from a practical standpoint I’m left scratching my head. This is due to the fact that these might be some of the most uncomfortable headphones that I’ve owned to date. This isn’t because of high clamp, or because of weight (they’re light as expected) – but rather because the earpads themselves do not conform to the shape of human ears at all. I’d have to be a low-polygon elf from The Ocarina of Time to have these fit me right. I can’t have the headphones on for much longer than an hour at a time.

On top of that, the isolation is not all that good either – which is baffling to me if it’s meant for outdoor use. Then again, if better isolation meant more discomfort - then it is fine where it is. I just question its usage scenario.

Looks wise I have nothing but praise. It has soft leatherette, adding texture on the headband and cups themselves – giving a more premium look than the plastic that some competitors use.










The cable connectors are in a rather strange angle, kind of like a seahorse’s downward sloping head. They hold in place just fine though.

You don’t get a carrying case in the handsome packaging, but a bag instead.









Sound (Schiit Gungnir Multibit > Audio-GD NFB-28 Amp Section)

Anyways, the Sine is a headphone I can get behind, sound-wise. It surprises me just how much I prefer it over the more expensive Audeze EL-8 Open (2016). It’s an on-ear with a tuning that is not commonly found in this form factor. Yes, it costs more than other on-ear offerings by the likes of Sennheiser, B&O and so on – but it sounds quite different. It doesn’t try to hammer you over the head with elevated bass, which was honestly the biggest surprise for me on first listen. This is not to say that it sounds anaemic, but you have to admit that the “consumer” tuning of bassy on-ear headphones (increasingly relying on Bluetooth) in this price bracket has become a bit of a stereotype. Some of them, like the Sennheiser Urbanite, sound about as terrible as the Beats Solo 2 to me – but manage to sidestep the Beats hatred meme and look more premium because it’s put out by the makers of the HD600, HD650 and HD800.

The stepped back bass that the Sine has might be isolated to the standard 3.5mm jack version however, I have heard that the Lightning cable version does give it a bit of a bump. The bass of the Sine has a very full sound but it won’t drown out anything else in the mix. It’s also quite quick on its feet, not to the level of a Hifiman HE-500 but certainly more nimble than the EL-8. Groovier basslines never stumble and I would classify the speed as giving it a rather dynamic character in the bass. If it isn’t obvious at this point, you won’t be getting any slam from the bass of the Sine – it very much has Audeze’s smooth and (some would say) organic sound in this region. When listening to No Surprises by Radiohead, the bass notes in the intro retain nice body and let the rest of the delicate instrumentation ring out clearly.

The nitpick I have with the bass isn’t even really the amount or volume of it, but that in the lower registers it kind of stumbles (sounding choppy) and doesn’t form a strong signal until 35-40hz. The bass extension feels a bit cut to me but I think it might be because of the lack of cohesiveness when you really reach low. Even this criticism doesn’t quite bother me because I don’t listen to music that is really reliant something quite so deep. Outkast’s The Way You Move’s three main bass notes have the first two ring out very clearly, but the final (and lowest) one doesn’t sound distorted or anything but smooth – even if it’s a bit muted compared to the other two. One of the few tracks that I can hear some lack of control in the nether-bass region is on Massive Attack’s Angel. Instead of a tightly controlled experience, it sounds a little hashy and powdery - although the transients are decent and not sluggish.

The lower midrange is, thankfully, not muted – which is a pet peeve of mine. It’s not hugely emphasized either, which is another astonishing feature of this headphone in this price range – with the lower-mid and upper-bass emphasis being quite prevalent usually. It’s smooth and sounds quite linear in its ascent to me, making it so male vocals ring out clearly and effortlessly, and that guitars sound largely accurate. Listening to Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun showed how the Sine was able to do justice to the famous chorus-effect laden guitar playing in the verses. It shimmered along as it should, and the distortion in the chorus sounded crunchy enough. The tonality is impressive.

The midrange itself is an extension of what I hear in the lower-mids, it just does not seem uneven. I’m grateful for it to not be recessed and I’m impressed by how (even though the soundstage is far from wide) it images fairly well with instrument tracks not drowning each other out. Vocal harmonies come out nicely, with all three vocal tracks in the chorus of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac being as audible as they should.

I’ve been using words such as “smooth” yet “dynamic” to describe the Sine – positive terms depending on who you ask. However, I would also say that the Sine is a bit “veiled” in presentation, with a pronounced drop in the presence region that is felt with some genres. What is unusual to me is that, right after the dips in the treble, there are two jumps that can give it a rather sharp sound at times. One is between 6k and 7k, and is followed by another dip before a sudden jump at 10k. These do serve to make it so the sound isn’t dull or dead by any means – but the transition in this region is a little wonky in my opinion.

Some recordings do bring out situation where the peaks can be grating to me, and funnily enough I find the Sine a smoother listen out of my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone than my desktop DAC and amps. Someone claimed this might be because of output impedance on the phone, but I’m not sure enough to say.

So how does it come together? Quite well overall. I would say that this is a sound that is impressive out of the form factor, and handily trumps the Oppo PM-3 by sounding more lively and even in its presentation (treble peaks and deep sub-bass aside). It’s cohesive and just downright listenable. If it wasn’t for the comfort issues, this would be a stronger recommendation on my end to people.

Amping

As a planar magnetic headphone, I did notice that the Sine’s bass movement and accuracy benefitted from amplification. My phone did, however, drive it quite well – just had to deal with a slight bit less volume in the region. I did have to crank my phone to get to the level I would like though – 100% volume for genres like classic rock and 80% for louder metal/rock/electronica.

Conclusion

My ears are sore while writing this, and that’s frankly a problem. I have only been able to don these for a bit over an hour at a time before I have to remove them. While it’s a stylish headphone with a unique shape to it, I do not think the earpads are made for humans.

The sound does almost make up for it, but seeing how this doesn’t isolate particularly well or get especially loud out of a phone – I don’t see why you would want one for public use. As a product making sound, it’s great for its price point and portable nature. As a product overall, it occupies a strange place.

Specifications

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 2Hz-500KHz, -3dB

Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 6.0W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 4.0W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 660mW RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 330mW RMS per channel

THD: < 0.01%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 1V RMS, gain = 8 mode (worst case, stock tubes)

IMD: < 0.01%, CCIF at 1V RMS, gain = 8 mode (worst case, stock tubes)

SNR: > 98db, unweighted, referenced to 1V RMS, in gain = 1 mode

Crosstalk: < -65dB, 20 Hz-20KHz

Output Impedance: 0.7 ohms (high gain), 0.3 ohms (low gain)

Gain: 7 (16.9db) or 1 (0 db), via rear switch

Topology: Dynamically Adaptive Class A/AB, noninverting, hybrid tube/MOSFET, single voltage gain stage, DC-coupled input and output

Protection: standard muting relay for delayed turn-on and fast turn-off

Power Supply: Two internal power transformers, five internal regulated rails, with over 30,000uf of filter capacitance

Power Consumption: 30W

Size: 9 x 6 x 2.25”

Weight: 6 lbs

All measurements made on a Stanford Research SR1+ Audio Analyzer








Build Quality & Features

Talking about Schiit’s build quality in 2017 seems a bit redundant. As always, they favour their minimalist aesthetics coupled with a tough metal chassis. The volume pot, which is not utilising a stepped attenuator, feels solid to the touch and…turns well? My unit, which was purchased used from a gentleman here in the UK, has socket savers installed – which is handy due to how much I’ve swapped tubes on this thing.

Yes, it runs quite hot – depending on which tubes you use. Hotter than the Asgard 2, which I once thought was quite toasty. This is part of the tube experience however, so I’m used to it. That being said, the LISST solid-state tubes make the amp run considerably cooler.

The edges on this particular unit are quite sharp, and I’m not sure how that is. The Valhalla 2 had smoother-but-still-defined sides. I feel like this would actually cut if it slips in your hand, and I took extra precaution when filming the video component of this review.

Also standard Schiit fare, the on/off and gain switched are located in the back of the chassis. Also, the LED is white, and its brightness doesn’t bother me so much – although I know some people who have especially bought material to dim it. On the topic of lights, a large amount of the orange glow that you’ll see comes from little lights on the board itself, inside the chassis, and not from the usage of tubes. I would guess that Schiit did this to provide a more picturesque tube glow to their consumers, as the type of tubes used in this amplifier are not known to glow boldly and brightly.


Sound

The sound of the Lyr 2 can be summed up as punchy, dynamic and lean. With the stock tubes, it does not venture into stereotypical warm and “gooey” territory – often expected when discussing tube amplifiers. It shares this characteristic with the only OTL tube amplifier in Schiit’s range, the Valhalla 2. Both amps, with stock tubes, are lean and bright at times.

However, the Valhalla 2 has advantages in its wider staging and more laid back sound – along with its more natural detail presentation. The Lyr 2, however, is substantially more rambunctious in approach. It has narrower staging and a more boxed-in sound overall, with detail retrieval being a bit muted in stock form (again, compared to the Valhalla 2) in order to maintain its own sound signature. That sound signature is one that is very much like a solid-state amplifier – one that is very fast (almost staggeringly so compared to more neutral solid-state amplifiers like the Audio-GD NFB-28) and punchy in approach.

The punchiness in the bass reproduction of the Lyr 2 is possibly one of the first aspects you will notice. No matter what tubes I swapped onto it (more on that later), this characteristic did not dwindle in the slightest – definitely due do the hybrid design and solid-state stage. This can prove to be too frantic for some people, however, as you can’t quite swap out its ability to be this way. For example, my Feliks Audio Elise OTL tube amplifier has two slots for power tubes and two for driver tubes, and both can be rolled with a tube pairing to a configuration that you desire. Need more punchiness and dynamics? Use Mullard 6080 power tubes, and so on.

The Lyr 2 only has the ability to have its driver tubes swapped out, and thus only gives the illusion of being truly roll-able. I’m not discounting the differences, there are several and I’ll go through some below, but whatever changes that are made are tacked onto how the amp sounds on its own – and it will always be fast, punchy and dynamic.

I don’t find the stock 6BZ7 tubes very impressive, they are both thin in sound and rather hazy compared to other offerings. There’s also a certain uncleanliness to the treble and upper midrange that I can’t shake, especially when using the Focal Utopia. There’s also a lack of depth, particularly with percussion instruments like drums – toms sound thin and lack the body of a live sound. The treble is also a bit etched and unnaturally hard, and not quite like someone would expect from tubes – stereotypical or otherwise.

I would recommend the Lyr 2 if you plan on getting started in the tube-rolling side of this hobby, but on a budget and without consideration for full customisability that comes with power tubes/rectifiers along with driver tubes. I do recommend that you swap out the stock tubes however, and fortunately I’ve had the chance to compare a few sets.



Driver Tube Pairings

Schiit LISST Tubes

These are the only alternatives that Schiit themselves sell. The LISST tubes, which can be used on either the Lyr 2 or the Mjolnir 2, are designed to turn the hybrid tube amps into fully solid-state offerings. What the LISST tubes do, however, to the Lyr 2’s sound is solve a problem while introducing others.

First and foremost, this is the full realization of the Lyr 2’s design – fast, punchy and dynamic. While the stock tubes could feel a bit anaemic in bass depth, texture and amount at times - the LISST tubes introduce a hefty thump to the low end of the amp. The problem is that this can overwhelm some headphones that benefit from a more controlled bass experience, something that the Lyr 2 manages to do with any of the actual tube pairings that I have. With the Utopia, it introduces more mid-bass, but with bassier headphones (like the ZMF Eikon and ZMF Atticus) – it becomes a bit ridiculous in how much it drowns out everything else.


The midrange also feels a bit hollow and lifeless, compared to tube offerings on the Lyr 2 (including stock). It almost sounds recessed compared to how the amp usually sounds, leading me to believe that the LISST might as well be called a V-shaped solid-state option for the amp.

The speed of the LISST tubes can’t be denied however, and double kick drum patterns in metal music will especially show how relentless they can be. I’m just left wondering why this would be a strong enough reason to buy the Lyr 2 over another solid-state amplifier. I suppose it runs a bit cooler than using tubes, if that’s a consideration for you.

So far, it will definitely seem that I am pretty down on the Lyr 2. Not so. If anything, I just find the problems with the Schiit-offered tubes to counter the need of having a tube/hybrid amplifier. Thankfully, this can be rectified at some cost.


Tesla 1960s OEM ECC88 6DJ8 Rožnov – Czech

Put on your party hats because this tube set emphasizes bass in a bigger way than the LISST tubes, but does not lose much texture and actually extends further. The 1960s Teslas have a mellow sound overall, but do not sound recessed in the midrange like the LISST. With a slightly warm tilt, the midrange also contrasts to the stock 6BZ7 tubes. The actual cleanliness of the midrange is superior to the stock tubes but there is a definite masking of some details.

The bass, however, is one to be heard. On the ZMF headphones, it simply slams hard and does so in a manner that doesn’t drown out the midrange – again, like the LISST does. Keeping up with the rest of the LISST options, it’s also quite fast but I’ll admit that it decays a tad slower than all my examples today. The bass texture is also quite well done, and not as one-note as the LISST. The treble is quite soft, but present and not too constricted.

As these are quite inexpensive, at $30 a matched pair, I would recommend them to anyone who wants a more bass-focused sound that does not sacrifice midrange at the altar. My criticism of this pairing for the Lyr 2 is that it does mask micro-detail a fair amount, which is especially noticeable on the Focal Utopia. As far as fun options go, I’d take this over the LISST (if that wasn’t already obvious).


Genalex E88CC/6922 Gold Lions

This, in my opinion, is a must have tube set if you own the Lyr 2 – and, until recently, was my favourite pairing for the amp. The Gold Lions have a stronger tilt towards warmth than the 1960s Teslas, but lack any of the audible distortion that was masking detail while using the Czech tubes.

The Gold Lions remind me a bit of the Cavalli Liquid Carbon that I used to have, but benefit from the Lyr’s fast sound quite heavily – meaning that it’s never sluggish with any of my headphones. This honestly makes me wonder how it would be on another amplifier, one that doesn’t share the Lyr’s qualities quite so much – as it honestly sounds like a hybrid itself, of a laid back sound coupled with speed and decent dynamics.

The midrange has a very nice amount of body to it, and is quite layered in its approach to sound. Vocals are especially enjoyable to listen to with the Gold Lions. Bass does not extend as far as with the 1960s Teslas, but has great texture, body and control regardless. The treble is also far cleaner than either stock tubes or the Teslas – and isn’t etched as the LISST either.

These tubes bring the Lyr 2 closest, in my opinion, to the stereotypical “warm and gooey” tube sound that people talk about. What I commend them for is the ability to do this without losing out on detail retrieval, treble clarity or presence. The lack of audible distortion also adds to its flavour as a top pick in Lyr 2 tube-rolling.


Tesla E88CC 1970s Military Cross Swords – Gold Pin Rožnov – 198 - Czech

This tube set’s main focus is in the midrange. However, I would not classify it the cleanest experience out there. It’s less grating than the stock tubes, however, due to its less harsh treble. Bass extension lags behind the 1960s Teslas and midrange body and warmth fall behind the Gold Lions – making this my least used aftermarket tube. For what it’s worth, it does have a slightly wider stage than the other tubes I’ve described thus far.

The sound is also quite “tubey” and does not share any of the hardness of the stock or LISST tubes. Where those are both dry, this is a wetter listening experience that has a certain texture that I could describe as slightly sandpapery in the midrange. There is detail retrieval, but it is rough and uneven and distorted guitars can sound quite unpolished in presentation. I wouldn’t call it a smooth experience, but I found myself quite liking it with classic rock genres – it almost multiplies Led Zeppelin’s sound by itself in some ways.


6N23P-EV / 6H23P-EB NOS/Russia

I’ll just start this assessment off by saying that these are, by a sizable margin, the priciest of the aftermarket tubes on this list. You can pick some up for about the same price as a pair of LISST tubes, and this is definitely more to my liking than the solid-state option. In fact, this is my favourite pairing for the Lyr 2 overall.

This is because of the very impressive amount of detail retrieval, air and overall cleanliness that this tube pairing has. The midrange is not thick or warm, but has a silkiness to it that lets vocal harmonies and instrumentation remain effortless and natural in presentation – all coupled with the Lyr’s inherent speed. The bass does take a slight backseat in volume, but is still controlled and this is a small trade-off for what it provides overall.

One reason, I’ve noticed, that some folk prefer tubes is because the very best options will provide more nuance to a recording. In this digital age, the average consumer is far removed from any imperfections that might have come about in, say, a vinyl album. For the general population, the MP3 format has squashed down music into a space-saving experience that chops off information to do so. Sure, we can use lossless formats and have our chosen DACs decipher the information in a manner we appreciate, but the end result is too clean and by-the-numbers for tube aficionados.

After getting this tube set, I realized that there was truth in what I’ve seen others say – that the best tubes are not necessarily warm or “gooey”, but rather as clean as a solid-state amp with the added delicate timbre and nuance that comes from a tube option. Indeed, that is the case here – with everything from cleanly picked guitars to pianos feeling better exposed and realistic. There is no added bloom, but there is also no etched treble. Any sense of artificial sound is gone, with the only remnants being the solid-state (punchy, dynamic etc. etc.) stage of the Lyr 2 itself – making me wonder how this tube set would sound in other amps.

Highly recommended if you are looking to pick up a Lyr 2.

Amping

This is the most powerful SE-only amplifier that I have reviewed to date in terms of pure wattage. I have no doubts that this will drive planars (I don’t have any on hand currently however) to their potential – save for the Hifiman Susvara or HE-6.


Conclusion

When I reviewed the iFi Pro iCan, I criticized just how little change there was between the solid-state, tube and tube+ modes. When I reviewed the Schiit Valhalla 2, I did not do any tube rolling on it and focused on its stock sound. This is my first experience with rolling, and I honestly believe that it’s a safe and simple one for a newcomer to tubes.

That being said, it’s a bit difficult to recommend the Lyr 2 if you only plan on using the stock 6BZ7 tubes, or even the LISST upgrades. I would encourage you to explore, there are still so many options that I have not heard personally – such as the E88CC SIEMENS Gold-Pins (made in Germany) that I was recommended a few times during my time with this amplifier. I can’t review every pairing out there, but I hope I made it clear that I consider the Russian 6H23P and the Genalex Gold Lions my favourite of the bunch – and the best performers overall.

Unless you insist on the driving power, and only have the budget for the single-ended option and care not for balanced (Schiit Mjolnir 2 exists for that), I think the Lyr 2 is an admirable stepping stone from a background with solid-state amplifiers and into the world of actual tubes – a scary but very interesting place that can hurt your wallet. Alternatively, if you want a solid state amplifier with some wiggle room in sound-sculpting (and want to avoid going off the deep end of tube amplifiers), then this is a nice option for your purposes as well.

My first impressions of MrSpeakers’ headphones were very positive. I was at Canjam London in 2016 and spent a long time at the joint Cavalli + MrSpeakers + Kimber Kable booth, primarily listening to the Ether C Flow with the Cavalli Liquid Tungsten. I really liked what I heard, despite some shortcomings, like the bass extension not being very deep – and I looked forward to reviewing them someday. Although the opportunity has not come by yet, I have listened to them quite a bit in my local store (Audio Sanctuary in New Malden, London).

When they first obtained a demo unit, I was a bit confused – it sounded quite different than what I remembered. It was quite resolving and detail-laden, but lacked accurate tonality to the point where I felt some instruments sounded incredibly artificial. I was disappointed, in myself for my old impressions and in the headphone itself. I do chalk up some of the old magic to the Liquid Tungsten, an incredible amplifier that I hope to try again someday, but from various other setups the Ether C Flow just sounded like it was vehemently trying to be a technically impressive listen rather than one I would call natural.

Enter the AEON, a $800 planar magnetic headphone by MrSpeakers that uses, from what I can gather, trickle down technology from the Ether/Ether C Flow. I first heard one at the Headroom show at Metropolis Studios in London, back in February of 2017, and found it an agreeable listen pretty much immediately. It was plugged into a Schiit Yggdrasil and a Schiit Jotunheim, and it sounded punchy and “fun” without losing some interesting detail retrieval that I heard in its elder brothers. Pre-production version or not, I knew that I needed more time to evaluate it.

After some weeks of contemplation, I got in on the pre-order ($100 off, so $700) and looked forward to the AEON arriving at my doorstep. Sadly, it took much longer than expected due to some unforeseen delays with packaging – but I finally obtained it a few weeks ago.

I primarily wanted to know if this was a MrSpeakers headphone that I could get behind.


Build Quality, Comfort & Features

If nothing else, the MrSpeakers Ether Electrostatic should clue you in to Dan Clark’s philosophy when it comes to build quality and comfort as it is almost feather-light (at least the one at Headroom). While the AEON, which uses magnets, can’t quite be so light – it sets itself firmly apart from my other headphones currently by how weightless it seems – a mere 340g without the cable. This is also because the build quality utilises so much plastic, instead of metal or wood, and carbon fibre. The nitinol headband is both unique (to my knowledge) to MrSpeakers and very springy – and tough as nails to boot. Despite being so light and reliant on its build materials for being so, it does not exude a feeling of being “cheap” or an afterthought. I daresay this looks the part of a premium product that is very deserving of its price tag, if not more so. I don’t foresee any problems with breakage.


Comfort is insanely good. Once again, it seems Dan Clark seems to personally hold a vendetta against both weighty headphones (Audeze I’m looking at you) and headphones with poor weight distribution (Audeze I’m looking at you 2x, unless it’s with the LCD-4 carbon fibre strap). The clamp is comfortable and the earpads are large and ear-shaped, providing ample room for my larger-than-average ears. The leather strap that rests on your head makes it so this is a disappearing act of a headphone, unless you are in a hot and humid climate – the earpads can get a tad warm, but I only sensed this in London’s recent heatwave and not since. The leather earpads are very soft, plush and comfortable and devoid of any stiffness that might have fatigued either the back of your ear or your cheeks. The headband adjustment conforms to your head size rather effortlessly, with no incremental adjustments that you need to keep track of. Just pull it over your ears and find your natural fit.


Aesthetically, the AEON is a subtle midnight blue colour that looks quite handsome. However, in certain brighter or even yellowish lighting (kind of like at certain Canjam events), I’ll admit that it takes on a strange look that intrudes on the sheen of the blue and makes it…muddy? This hasn’t happened to me in a home setting, but you can see it in direct sunlight. A reason for this is definitely the glossy finish. Never mind matte, this thing reflects quite easily from every inch of its earcup design – and you will see the fingerprints in the right light. Yes, this is a fingerprint magnet – and MrSpeakers have acknowledged this by including a microfibre cloth in the packaging. Also in the packaging are two foam pad inserts that you can slip into the earpads to increase the upper-bass a bit – but more on that later.


The MrSpeakers proprietary (to my knowledge anyway, haven’t seen these in use anywhere else) connectors are back and are this time attached to a cable that they call the DUMMER cable – the younger brother of the Ether included DUM cables. The DUMMER cable terminates in a 3.5mm jack, but has a screw-on ¼ adapter attached by default. As far as cables go, it is solid and lacking in anything that would draw complaints. I did go ahead and source a balanced cable however, well in advance of obtaining my AEON, from a third-party in the UK.

Besides the box, the AEON comes with a hardshell carrying case that might just be one of the most welcome changes – to me anyway. Yes, the Ethers came with one too – but this one is black! Why is this most standard of colour choices a welcome change? Well, because the reddish-brown that the Ether carrying cases were just didn’t cut it for me.


Finally, you get a certificate of authenticity from MrSpeakers.

Sound

I’ll admit that I was cautious this time around when it came to evaluating the sound of the Aeon. After seeing just how my final impressions of the Ether C Flow did not line up with my initial ones, I took care to try this with a variety of sources. The sound is pretty consistent, so I’m good to go.

The AEON is a very punchy headphone and has no qualms about transient response. There is no lingering, sluggish or affectionate, in this headphone and it will keep up with whatever genre you throw at it. This is a prime reason that it sounds like a really good all-rounder for its price, and if you consider that along with its comfort and isolation – it might just be the perfect office headphone.

Let’s briefly touch on the foam inserts. Yes, I feel that they are quite needed. Dan Clark openly mocks those who rely heavily on measurements to draw their impressions, and I must admit that I do share this mentality to a level. Before becoming more active in the community late last year, I never looked at frequency response charts at all and would just speak to what I hear – and I still do that mostly.

That being said, when I saw a retail-model AEON being measured with a large dip in the lower-mids/upper-bass, I was worried. It wasn’t enough to make me regret putting down money so I could evaluate the AEON without any time constraints that come with a review unit, but it did make me gulp slightly as someone who knows what sound signature they prefer. Damn it, I was actually rooting for the AEON because I felt that I needed something of its form factor to complement my other headphones – full-sized goliaths that they are.

What I saw, and what was measured, seems to be an AEON without the foam inserts in – and let me just explicitly state that after some time listening to them in this manner that I will not be returning. Without the foam inserts, the low-end of the AEON sounds anaemic and thin – which isn’t a good look in my opinion. Acoustic guitars sound overly sparkly and don’t retain any of the timbre that comes from a good tonewood – and the bass is largely missing. Needless to say, this entire review will continue with impressions that include having them in – and I feel that this is justified as they are both included and not a third-party mod.

The sonic presentation of the AEON is very much that of a closed headphone. The soundstage is quite intimate, but the imaging is stellar and you never get the sense that you’ve “run out” of space for your instrument tracks in songs. The very forward presentation, along with its impressive detail retrieval, means that I ended up noticing stuff in songs that were not as prominent before in other headphones that I’ve heard from the same price range up to where the Ether Flows are. This includes the Sennheiser HD800, which I would argue has superior detail retrieval but it is wrapped in a presentation that is almost too wide for its own good – if you really want your micro-detail within easily noticeable reach.


The bass of the AEON sets it apart from the Ether C Flow, in a good way, for one simple reason to my ears – texture. One of my biggest complaints with the Ether C Flow is that, along with the extension not going so far, there is a “rounded” effect around the bass notes that makes bass guitars sound too soft in attack and presentation. You’ll hear the notes, sure, but they’re just “there” in terms of feeling and lack the actual information/string rattle/texture that I find quite important personally. Not only does the AEON extend further than the Ether C Flow, but it does so in a manner that retains a good amount of texture around the lower frequencies – which coupled with its fast transient response means that this will consume double-kick drum patterns and fast picked/strummed bass licks quite effortlessly. Would I say that it’s ultra-realistic in this regard compared to TOTL cans like the Utopia? No, but for $800 I have not heard better – and that includes the Audeze LCD-2 2016 revision, which is more laid back but tonally superior.

While the bass is fast, it does lack a bit of slam compared to my dynamic-driver headphones – but this is probably more to do with the technology and Dan’s tuning philosophy rather than it being an outright “mistake” or knock against the AEON. Bassheads, look elsewhere.

Even with the foam pads inserted, the lower-midrange is averse to any characterizations of “warmth” that someone might use to describe it. Yes, it does feel more present in this region than the Ether C Flow, but it is still not nearly the level of emphasis that you will hear in headphones by Audeze of ZMF. There is still a small dip that makes male vocals a little distant and electric guitar distortion lack some of the chugging sound that is so prevalent in palm-muting techniques found in metal music. This is, of course, amplified without the pads – but still isn’t quite at the level of something like the SoundMagic HP150, a much cheaper headphone that is absolutely gutted in this frequency. I admit that I could use some more presence here, but I refuse to EQ it in or try to – I’ll leave that to others.

As stated earlier, the intimate soundstage means that I can enjoy the AEON’s capability to resolve detail quite nicely in a more noticeable fashion. The headphone’s midrange has the ability to separate tracks really well, with vocal harmonies ringing out very clearly in a manner not intruded by conventional complaints of narrow headphone soundstage. Not only that, but the texture of the presentation is also impressive. I don’t get the sense that something is being left behind in the mix, nor do I hear any smoothing going on. This means that electric guitar patterns, even if they don’t sound as true to life as standing in front of a cranked amplifier, will not fail you in how clearly they showcase each and every note. Ever heard a metal song with several noodling simultaneous guitar melodies on top of a frantic rhythm track? This headphone laughs at that – the drums, the bass and each guitar track are on equal footing.

The upper-midrange is not dipped, as is the case with the Focal Elear – which I would argue has superior tonality with electric guitars and distortion but lacks the AEON’s ability to present everything as effortlessly. Actually, there is a really good amount of texture and air around stringed instruments here - violins and the like do not sound smoothed out or compromised. Female vocals also sound like they retain a lot of body, more so than male vocals on this headphone. Other instruments in this region that I thought sounded quite stellar included saxophones and trumpets – a great big band/jazz headphone perhaps?

Going past the upper-midrange gave me my second taste of what sounds like it may be a dip to me – in the presence region. Once your ears accustom themselves to the AEON, I don’t feel that this will be too noticeable to anyone but the most discerning of treble purists – and I admit that I only came across it after switching to the Focal Utopia after a few hours of evaluating the AEON. Suddenly, I felt that the music breathed more. I think this is intentional however, and not just a side effect of a closed headphone versus an open one, as the ZMF Eikon has more presence to my ears. That being said, it may be because of this that the AEON is a more forgiving headphone than the Eikon and certainly the Utopia. I can listen to pop trash on this and not feel put off by over-processed vocals or phoned-in mastering techniques. This actually furthers my belief of the AEON being an all-rounder and a good office headphone as you don’t really want to be switching between headphones in a cubicle, dependent on genre – do you?

After this, there is definitely a bit of sharpness to the treble. It is not like the Beyerdynamic T1 or stock Sennheiser HD800 in this regard, but there is a distinct feeling that you may encounter some glare depending on the source material. It is not overpowering however, even to a slightly treble-sensitive person such as myself – and I will happily take it if it means that the rest of the AEON can sound how it does – with cymbals and their patterns sounding both precise and quick. Many a time will I put on a song and immediately think “huh, that cymbal pattern is definitely holding its own relative to everything else” – especially in frantic recordings. Here is a region that headphones like the ZMF Atticus and Audeze LCD-2 do not do quite as well – with cymbals being buried in their presentation compared to the AEON. The snap of snare drums is also quite prominent in the mix, but I would argue that it lacks a bit of the impact that a headphone such as the Focal Elear or Focal Utopia can muster.

If I had to sum the treble up, I would say that it is a somewhat comfortable bookend to how the rest of the headphone sounds. Yes, it’s a bit dipped in lower frequencies/the presence region, but once you have the AEON on for a while – you won’t notice that as much and will definitely enjoy just how delicate the balance is between it and the rest of the headphone.

Amping

Despite being 13 ohms, the AEON has an efficiency of 95dB/mW and definitely needs ample amping. While it may not be as power hungry as, say, an Audeze LCD-4 200 ohm – you do want to properly amp this if you want the full extent of the bass response without any distortion. My portable Venture Electronics RunAbout Plus amplifier, which can power a Utopia with no qualms if need be, can’t manage the AEON quite so well. My Schiit Lyr 2, Venture Electronics RunAbout 2 Balanced and Audio-GD NFB-28 devour it however and give me the sound as intended.

Comparisons

Despite my personal belief that the AEON is a proud performer at its price range, I do feel the need to compare it to other headphones around this region. Ultimately, while I feel that many of these headphones outdo the MrSpeakers’ headphone in one or two regards, they might not be able to retain as much balance as the AEON – making it the all-rounder winner if you like the sound signature. I’ve selected headphones here that I would consider to be other all-rounders, and it should also be noted that the AEON is at least $200 cheaper than these headphones.

I will also only talk about sound and not build quality/comfort concerns.


Audeze LCD-2 (2016 Revision)

I can’t think of two vastly different sound signature gaps in the audio world than MrSpeakers and Audeze. The former tends to rely heavily on technical prowess and detail retrieval at the cost of natural tonality, while the latter emphasizes just that along with a laid back and pleasantly warm sound.

While the LCD-2 may sound far smoother in its midrange, it lacks some texture compared to the AEON. Where the presentation of vocals might sound so gorgeous on the LCD-2 with all the weight and body required, the AEON will counter with the exposing of vocal layering in a more intricate manner.

The AEON is also far faster in transients than the LCD-2, which goes for a more laid back approach. The climb to the treble is also an area where the AEON might dip some but then come back with force, while the LCD-2 seems more even in its ascent before being comfortably rounded off in a very Audeze manner. The soundstage width on both is similar, despite one being closed and the other being open.


ZMF Atticus

The Atticus is a punchy headphone with a lot of weight in its low end. It, like the LCD-2, emphasizes a natural tonality – but might have some difficulty with certain genres of music where the bass might overwhelm the midrange a bit. This is alleviated substantially through the use of a fat-trimming amplifier like the Schiit Lyr 2 – but it is definitely a knock against it compared to the AEON, which can sound like itself from most setups.

The sheer force of the bass slam in the Atticus is breathtaking, and the AEON can’t counter it in that regard at all. It is far faster though, and even though the Atticus is more dynamic and punchy than the LCD-2 – it can’t match the AEON’s planar-driven speed and transients. Kick drums may hit harder on the Atticus, but on the AEON they are surgical strikes and are felt no matter what’s going on in the rest of the track – something a bit more consistent than the Atticus I must admit.

The AEON does, however, lack the lower mid bloom that makes the Atticus such a warm headphone with body. Acoustic guitars sound quite a bit more lifelike on the Atticus than on the AEON, which is sharper but (because of the lower-midrange dip) does not have the weight behind each strum. The midrange, in general, on the Atticus is very liquid and smooth – but it lacks the texture that the AEON or elder brother Eikon provide. The Atticus also has a slightly wider soundstage than the AEON.

The AEON also retains more air and upper treble than the Atticus, which like the LCD-2 is more towards the “comfortably rolled off” side of things.


Focal Elear

If I had to choose either the AEON or the Elear as an all-rounder, it would actually just come down to setting and personal preference. If I needed to be mindful of others around me, I would choose the AEON for it has far superior isolation. It is also easier to wear for extended periods due to its design and it being substantially lighter than the Elear. If isolation wasn’t a concern, and I was chained to my desk with an uncompromised audio chain – then I would take the Elear. What the Elear does can’t be reproduced by the AEON, simply put. This needs a little explaining however.

The AEON is fast, but the Elear is similarly fast. What it comes down to is the surgical presentation of the AEON versus the impactful presentation of the Elear. The AEON might be able to replicate each kick drum and snare hit with precision, but the Elear doesn’t lag too far behind and brings with it a bombastic signature that makes everything sound larger than life. It’s really interesting, and a fulfilling moment in this hobby, where you can hear the clearly audible difference between a snare drum just being hit and it holding on for dear life from the same audio track – just because of two different headphones.

The AEON does seem to be the cleaner sounding headphone overall however, with the Elear having a shouty midrange. The AEON is also more even throughout the frequency chart, while the Elear has a pronounced upper-midrange dip that can render female vocals rather distant. The Elear has more mid-bass and lower midrange presence however, making electric guitar distortion sound incredibly lifelike (also due to the shouty midrange no doubt) and not smoothed over. The separation between tracks is superior on the AEON however.

When it comes to soundstage, the Elear’s somewhat narrow presentation actually edges out the AEON’s in width.

Genre Pairing

As I’ve used the term “all-rounder” so much in this review, I don’t feel like I need to add much here. Yes, this headphone will keep up with pretty much any genre you throw at it. Will it ever be the best at that genre? No, it simply won’t be – but the fact that it can just be so consistently good with so many is a big plus point.

Acoustic guitar music is probably one of the weaker genres, however. While the Ether C Flow, to my ears, relegated acoustic guitars into plastic bodies rather than tonewood – the AEON does manage to fare far better. It is still lacking in the body necessary for accurate presentation, but I don’t think that really matters to Dan to be honest. From what I’ve heard of the MrSpeakers line-up, they really do seem to emphasise technical prowess over musicality. Yes, the AEON is a more fun listen to most than a stock Sennheiser HD800, but it is not eschewing its detail retrieval ability to sound more natural. Unlike on the Ether C Flow, I’m fine with this on the AEON because it does correct the bass texture issue that I had with the elder planar and has a more even frequency throughout.

Conclusion

I’d say the AEON is a triumph for several reasons:

· It is an $800 headphone in a hobby that seems to push upwards in price every year.

· It takes some of the trickle-down technical prowess of the Ether Flows and merges them with a punchier and more consumer-focused tuning successfully.

· It is an all-rounder that won’t win any battles in distinct categories but will soldier on admirably.

· It is remarkably light and comfortable.

· It isolates very well, which along with its comfort makes for a prime office headphone.

· It’s definitely one of the most unique-looking headphones on the market.

That being said, I have glossed over the price a lot in this review – basically saying that they sound really good for the price. I need to ground myself a bit here, because $800 is a lot of money no matter how you look at it and it is totally acceptable for someone to expect a headphone that is stellar in some regard at this price range – rather than a headphone that does many things well instead. If you are able, do sample this and others – but I stand behind my earlier statement that you probably won’t find anything more far-reaching in its genre pairing ability at $800.

To my ears, this is better than the Ether C Flow. I have not heard the original Ether C, so to me this is MrSpeakers’ best closed can of fully proprietary design. Whatever issues that I may have with the lower midrange, the presence dip or the treble glare do not overcome the sheer amount of good that I hear in this headphone.

It is so clean in presentation, it’s very fast and punchy and it reveals detail in a manner that actually outperforms similarly priced headphones. It’s light, it’s comfortable and it has a unique design - and thus I find it having a place amongst my four main headphones quite easily.

Shoutout

Again, a big thanks to Armand for lending me his PM3 for my honest opinions. This is the third headphone of his that I’ve reviewed and I truly appreciate the support for my YouTube channel and written reviews.

Headphone Specifications

Acoustic Principle Closed back

Ear Coupling Circumaural

Nominal Impedance 26 Ohm

Sensitivity 102 dB in 1 mW

Clamping Pressure 5 N

Cables 3 m detachable cable (3.5 mm with 6.35 mm adapter)

1.2 m detachable cable (3.5 mm)

Cable Connectors Output: 3.5 mm stereo jack

Input: 6.35 mm stereo jack, 3.5 mm stereo jack

Weight (without cable) 320 g (Black/White), 310 g (Cherry Red/Steel Blue)

Included Accessories Carrying Case

User Manual

Driver Specifications

Driver Type Planar Magnetic

Driver Size (Round) 55 mm diameter

Magnet System Symmetric push-pull neodymium

Frequency Response In Free-Field 10 - 50,000 Hz

Long-Term Max Input Power 500 mW according to IEC 60268-7

Pulse Max Input Power 2 W



Build Quality, Comfort & Features

Jumping between three far heavier daily drivers, I found the weight of the PM-3 to be near-effortless by comparison. I can wear these for hours on end with no discomfort thanks to the light weight, reasonable clamp and plush earpads.

The construction of the headphone itself is a great selling point. These aren’t the tanks that the V-MODA headphones are, but they aren’t flimsy plastic rubbish like the Beats by Dre are either. They are very capable, and indeed I can tell that Armand has used these quite a bit (he told me that they were a bit older and he has used them as beaters) – but they retain all functionality and, besides a few dings here and there, their looks.




I highly commend both the packaging and the inclusion of a very fetching denim carrying case. There are a number of cables included, so more props for having detachable cables, including a 3m cable that is definitely for home use. I, honestly, have no complaints on the build quality front…however.

Sound

The PM-3 is a little confusing to me in how it goes about presenting itself to the listener. It has superior detail retrieval than I have heard from other headphones of this form factor and price range, but it is only brought out properly through amping. It does not take a lot to amp this however, but don’t be fooled by the included cables for use with phones – it will sound slightly hollow out of your smartphone.

In a price range with a big emphasis on what I like to call “consumer-focused tuning,” with bass taking front seat to anything else – the PM-3 goes in another direction entirely. The bass has some speed to it, but it is muted – lacking in impact/slam. This leads to a really waffling sound in punchier genres of music where instruments like kick drums get lost in the mix. Not only that, but you get a feeble sound out of kick drums as well – leading to a sound that is too tonally off to sound realistic and too weak to sound like a studio construction with drum machines. The sub-bass extension is also chopped at a point, but that does not bother me as much as the above complaints.

The lower midrange is not emphasized either, but it is not drastically dipped as was the case with the Soundmagic HP150. That being said, it reduces the resonant wood of acoustic guitar bodies into plastic constructions – as in there’s no depth to their reproduction. They actually sound very tonally off, which I must admit bothers me as a guitar player myself. It didn’t matter if I was listening to my own acoustic guitar track recorded using a mere MXL 990 microphone or a track being played on the Rumours album by Fleedwood Mac – both were reduced to being hollow sounding.


To the PM-3’s credit, it does manage to have a decently wide soundstage – with instrument separation from left to right channel being a strength. There does not seem to be much going for it in terms of depth and accuracy in imaging. A lot of sounds are hard-panned on either channel or directly in the centre.

The midrange itself also feels quite a bit uneven and, quite often, I’ve find that some instruments sound better to me than others in the same mix. Hard-panned vocals actually sound decent, which makes listening to the Beatles on the PM-3 oddly well-paired due to their (at least in the 2009 stereo remasters) manner of hard panning vocal tracks. I also found Pink Floyd’s The Wall album to be a good listen on the PM-3 due to it not requiring the most dynamic of headphones – just don’t expect any of the tracks’ sound effects (like the cars in One of my Turns) to sounds especially well placed imaging-wise or pan accurately.

The upper-midrange seals the PM-3’s fate to me however. Not only does it lack air, but it leaves the above complaints without redemption and instead renders this headphone as quite “dead” sounding. I’m actually not someone who absolutely insists on having heightened presence in this region, but this headphone is a lesson in just how many layers of dullness can be stacked without a light at the end of the tunnel. The other headphones that lack in this region make up for it in other ways: bass slam, punchiness, midrange character or accurate imaging and detail retrieval.

I honestly wonder how the PM-3 does not achieve any of that to a level where I personally enjoy.

To sum up the frequencies overall, there’s a random jump in the treble somewhere that actually manages to be sibilant at times, which is really out of place with the rest of the headphone. Things falling in this region are heightened, if not hot at times, but the rest of the treble sounds in line with the rest of the headphone – dull.

Conclusion

I find the “darkbright” nature of the PM-3 to be something I can’t quite overlook, which is a shame because these are very, very comfortable and light headphones at a price range where most of the portable competitors are even less refined in their presentation in their drive to showcase a certain type of sound signature that is supposed to appeal to the masses. To go against that grain, I guess I have to commend Oppo to an extent, but the existence of the Meze 99 Classics for around the same price means I would pick the wooden headphone out of the two if I had to choose – at least with the old pads, haven’t quite heard the new ones or the Neo.

The PM-3 is, ultimately, a headphone with a confused identity to me. It is not tuned to emphasize bass or warmth and it isn’t tuned to provide air or fine detail. The midrange is uneven and dull and then a sudden jump in the treble leaves me scratching my head. It comes with cables for smartphone use, but sounds hollow out of one.

At least you can wear it for long periods of time, I guess.

Thanks to Simgot for reaching out to me and providing this review unit for my honest opinions.

Build Quality, Comfort & Features

The EN700 Bass’ look is quite unique to me, at least based on my limited knowledge of the in-ear monitor world. It reminds me of the Hifiman HE-1000 in a way, with a grill design on the shells themselves. Unlike the Hifiman headphone however, the Simgot IEMs are very much closed off and not prone to leaking sound either way as isolation is quite good on these. Do I like how it looks? Certainly, although I did go for the “safe” option of the black version out of their four available offerings. I absolutely must commend the packaging, and the small case it comes with to hold the IEMs.







Interestingly, Simgot provides two sets of eartips (small-medium-large) with the EN700 Bass. Option one gives you more emphasis on midrange clarity, achieved with having bigger holes apparently. Option two gives emphasis to bass.



Comfort gets a solid A rating, and due to the shape of the shell – you can listen to these in bed with no qualms. The non-detachable cable feels near indestructible and is positioned in an around-the-ear curl by default with a wrapping of clear plastic. This pretty much means you can only use this in that manner, which makes sense as the shell isn’t really shaped to be a “stick-it-in” form factor. It does retain some memory though, and is quite annoying to untangle due to how small the knots can get due to the weighty metal, but it isn’t too big a deal.


I know many can comfortably wear expensive IEMs in public, but I don’t think that I would be able to unless it was quite sturdy – and with detachable cables. While the EN700 Bass does not possess the latter, it definitely fits into the former category and is at a price point where I would have no issue taking these outside.

Sound

I’ll admit that when I first stuck these in my ear, I wondered why they had “bass” in their name. Sure there was bass, but it wasn’t so heightened that I felt that it should be emphasized in the marketing like it is. However, a little Googling clued me into the fact that this is just a version of Simgot’s EN700 IEM – except with more bass. So, straight off the bat I was glad that I got the bass version instead of the original. In fact, I’m told that Simgot is a company that highly values community feedback, so the very existence of this IEM is a result of people simply asking for a version with more bass. I also heard rumours that another community-feedback driven change is being made, a version with a detachable cable – but I have no evidence of such so time will tell.

The soundstage of the EN700 Bass is quite good, with an ample “wide” feeling between the drivers. Imaging seems to be on point as well, with no awkward panning when listening to binaural recordings. Maybe this point is my inexperience with IEMs compared to full-sized headphones and earbuds, but there’s a definite “closed-off” feeling with the EN700 Bass that makes me wonder just how the sound would be if the grill aesthetics were actually vents. This isn’t criticism, just a personal observation.

Back to the bass. Yeah, I wouldn’t say (especially with the bass-emphasizing tip option) that the Simgot IEM is especially lacking in bass. However, it’s very rounded and smoothed in presentation, quite a bit more than what I’m used to. What I mean by this is that the bass is not especially textured or focused – it’s just a presence that moves at a decent pace along with genres both fast and slow. Bass guitars, largely, sound as they should – but if a certain effect is used on the instrument (such as distortion) or if the attack is simply too fast, the Simgot IEM smooths out this characteristic a bit to make it fit into its own ability. Sub-bass extension is also not especially far-reaching, which is another trait that made me wonder just how anemic I would have found the original EN700 by comparison. Whatever the answer to that question is, I did find the bass capabilities of the EN700 Bass to be really good for casual listening, on-the-go listening and a good pairing for most genres of music.

The midrange reminded me a bit of the Mee Audio Pinnacle P1 IEM that I’ve reviewed in the past. It’s quite detailed but a little recessed and thin in presentation. Lower midrange is a region that I personally dislike any dips in, and the Simgot EN700 Bass thankfully did not do so. Despite this, the crunch of distorted guitars and the bass notes of acoustic guitars lack a certain quality that makes them highly accurate from a tonality standpoint – but this is a critique that I have to really dive to make because the midrange otherwise is really impressive. Vocal harmonies usually ring out clearly and separation is really good – with both male and female vocals feeling well represented in the tuning. I will admit though that, with certain genres, it may seem like the IEMs are gelling better with the instrumental than the vocals themselves – something that I also noticed with the Pinnacle P1. I just feel that certain hectic recordings bring out the instruments more than the vocals, which take a backseat despite still being quite audible.

The treble of the EN700 Bass is what I would call “comfortably extended,” with no peaks or grating sibilance to it. That being said, I do wonder a bit about this because I know that the high-end IEMs that I have tried before have been tuned to have far more “air” than the EN700 Bass – which I feel dips in this region considerably. I feel the climb between the midrange and the treble is quite linear to a certain point, and then it dips before coming back up. Do I feel that it’s too rolled off and stifling? No, but it is definitely noticeable if you listen to orchestral music or some other genres. The thing about this is that I’m a little sensitive to the climb between the mid-to-upper treble, and this IEM does not set off any alarm bells during my listening at all – and I know that would be too recessed for fans of hyper-detailed and airy IEMs.

Conclusion

Overall, the Simgot EN700 Bass is a very comfortable listen that has impressive traits for its relatively low price point. It has a unique aesthetic that I find personally quite admirable and it has a solid construction despite not possessing a detachable cable. This is very much a jack-of-all trades IEM in the $100-$150 price point that is for the “set-and-forget” times we spend at home - or for use outdoors. Its identity seems to be a friendly sound signature that will not offend the general listener, and I really can’t fault them for that because it does not possess any deal-breaking problems at all.

This is a safe choice for an all-rounder at its price point.

A big thanks to Armand, who has again sought to lend me a headphone for my honest opinion and, thus, supporting my YouTube channel and written review portfolio.

Specifications

Style Open circumaural

Transducer type Planar magnetic

Magnetic structure Fluxor magnets

Magnet type Neodymium

Driver Size 100 mm

Maximum power handling 15W (for 200ms)

Maximum SPL >130dB

Frequency response 10Hz – 50kHz

Total harmonic distortion <0.1% (1kHz, 1mW)

Impedance 30 ohms

Efficiency 102dB / 1mW

Optimal power requirement 200mW – 4W

Weight 460g

Package Includes

2m (6.56 feet) Audeze headphone cable

3.5mm to 1/4in stereo adapter



Build Quality, Comfort & Features

Aesthetically, I have to admit that the EL-8 Open is Audeze’s most stylish headphone to date. While the beefy LCD series can look nice in the right light, they are behemoths designed for sound reproduction first and foremost – with the weight to prove it. The portable SINE is a lot more manageable in terms of build, but its low-key nature makes it look like a generic Bluetooth headphone being used in 2017 rather than something that truly looks like it was made by Audeze themselves – not necessarily a bad thing depending on who you ask. The stylish EL-8 utilizes some wood in its design, but streamlines the rest of the chassis to look more like a consumer-focused and futuristic Audeze headphone.


The earpads are made of a soft leather and is smaller than the regular Audeze options. On first impression, they are comfortable enough – but over time I became painfully aware just how little room there was for my ears. I would quite easily touch the driver if I sneezed or shook my head even slightly – and there was an audible dip in the sound from the side that was touched for a split-second. The clamp is also quite high, but not a dealbreaker to me in London’s current weather – but I could definitely see the snug-is-an-understatement fitting becoming a problem as summer comes around. As this is a loaner, I took no measures to try and loosen the clamp out of respect for the unit and its owner – so your mileage may vary if you do so with yours.


I’m glad to say that the frame’s connection to the earcups is not a creaky affair with a dubious looking joint – as I saw with the LCD-2. The EL-8 is actually quite a sturdy and well-built headphone in terms of strength – and it has the weight to prove it, around 460g.





I can’t say that I’m a fan of the cable, a tapeworm-looking flat cable with connectors that look more suitable for connecting a hard drive to a motherboard than a cable to a headphone. I do see that the standard 4pin XLR Audeze connectors would have been too thick for this more stylish headphone, so they took measures as they saw fit – and I can’t fault them for that. I can’t pick holes in how it works, it doesn’t fall out randomly and stays in place quite well – it just looks weird to me but that is a highly subjective opinion.


In an upgrade over the LCD-2, the top of the EL-8 has a floating pad that helps with the weight distribution of this headphone. The surface area of the pad is quite small however.

Sound

I learned long ago that an open-aire headphone did not necessarily mean a wide and expansive soundstage, examples which include everything from the Hifiman HE-400i to the Focal Utopia – but I was taken aback by just how narrow the EL-8 felt. An intimate soundstage, in an open headphone, does not bother me so much when there is a depth to the imaging, but the EL-8 faltered on this front. The instruments are up close and have a “boxed in” effect to them.

The bass in the EL-8, while present, was quite muted – not at all what I was expecting. I would not call the LCD-2 (2016) an especially bassy headphone, but it had some body to the low end that had some pleasing texture as well. What the EL-8 has instead is a sense of the bass existing, but it is very imprecise in nature – bordering on being overly rounded and smoothed instead of textured. I hear this a lot with bass guitar work, and kick drums lack impact or punch to them.

That is quite indicative of the sound of the EL-8 overall actually, it does not have much punch or slam – any dynamics are muted. While the LCD-2 is a laid back headphone, it does not feel too lacking in resolve or accuracy of impact. Sure, they are softer than they would be on headphones and speaker systems that emphasize this – but the EL-8 hits like a pillow by comparison.


The lower midrange of the EL-8 is actually quite well represented, and the tonality of several instrument tracks (such as acoustic guitar strumming) and male vocals are quite well served. A listen to the original acoustic version of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence confirmed this to me, with both voices gliding melodiously and quite clearly – with the body they required. The lower mid emphasis is also not overwhelming, and I rarely come across a recording which feels bogged down due to any sense of bass-to-lower-midrange bleed.

On the subject of tonality, the EL-8 did quite well with some classic rock genres that can feel problematic on some bloomer headphones – with even the Beatles’ oldest recordings sounding clear and with the correct amount of weight behind the vocals and instruments. The midrange itself, the area where this headphone is focused overall to my ears, is also well done. To the headphone’s credit, instrument separation is decent in its narrow soundstage – with problematic overlap being avoided in most genres. The midrange definitely has the warm tilt of the lower midrange, with the upper midrange feeling quite dipped in comparison – for which female vocals and stringed instruments may suffer.

There is a veil around the sound of this headphone that I am not a fan of. I can’t just blame a rolled off treble and be done with it, as it seems to go beyond that. Even in modern genres of music that are generally more slickly produced, and mixed quite brightly compared to warmer and more analogue recordings of yesteryear – the EL-8 manages to sound like I’m listening to the music behind a thin sheet of glass – and it is something I can’t defend in the slightest. The treble, while being rolled off as it is, still manages to pick certain instruments (usually cymbals) to ring out clearer than others – but as an overall effort, the headphone is veiled and too soft.

The LCD-2 was also a laid back and soft effort by Audeze, but one that had far more of a “hi-fi” sound to it than the EL-8. I dislike using that term in this context, but I can’t think of another way to put it. If you want to spend this kind of money on a headphone, and like the Audeze sound signature, you should be looking at the 2016 LCD-2 over this in every situation other than you needing something that can be driven decently by a smartphone. The LCD-2 provides a warm, laid back sound that is tonally rich in the midrange and isn’t nearly as veiled. The soundstage is wider, the impact is a little more present and the details are a little more resolving. If you can look past the weight, the uncomfortable fit (without the Lohb or Audeze carbon fibre strap) and the difficulty in amping (relegated to a desk setup for most) – the LCD-2 should be what you opt for over the 30% cheaper EL-8. Hell, you could even pick up a b-stock LCD-2 on Black Friday for the same price as an EL-8 – or even cheaper.

Overall, I found the sound of the EL-8 a very mixed bag. On one hand, I am impressed by just how well it can do with male vocals and older recordings – along with a semblance of instrument separation. On the other hand, I dislike how soft its impact is, how veiled the overall sound is and how it’s a big downgrade over the superior LCD-2 which is not usually that much more in price.

Amping

As the marketing states, this headphone is very sensitive and can be driven by a smartphone. On both my Samsung Galaxy S6 and S8, the full volume setting was quite loud – for my preferences. While I did run this from my Audio-GD NFB-28 as well, I did not hear much benefit to the sound overall. Any benefit that I did hear came from the introduction of a superior DAC to the mix, which is the same improvement over the smartphones that I heard by using my Ibasso DX80 or Aune M1s digital-audio players.

Conclusion

I find it very hard to recommend this headphone over Audeze’s own LCD-2 to most people – if they insist on the house sound. While heavier and harder to drive, the LCD line introduction is a far superior headphone to the EL-8 on a purely sound quality basis – which matters to me over anything else in this hobby.

If you are looking for an Audeze offering that is smaller than the LCD series, I would recommend the SINE over this as well.

Build Quality, Comfort & Features

The weight of this Atticus is lighter than the Eikon, but only because of the cherry wood. If you choose a padauk version, it will be of similar weight to my padauk Eikon. Weighing about 542g, it is only a few single-digits under the weight of an Audeze LCD-2, but is far more comfortable due to superior support and weight management. I, and several owners I have spoken to, found this and the Eikon to not feel their weight – which is a good design choice for something that could have gone overboard so easily.

The Atticus ships with the ZMF Ori pads, which are thinner than the old ZMF lambskin, cowhide and protein pads but slightly thicker than the newer Eikon pads. I find them very comfortable and able to seal effortlessly, an issue I had with the Ori and the old pads. The isolation is incredible, possibly the best I have heard yet in a closed can utilizing passive noise-cancelling through means of a good seal. I have to be careful listening during the day, for I will not hear my doorbell ring with these on and music playing. Despite the isolation and seal being quite stellar, the clamp is not immensely tight but just where it should be to prevent the headphones from falling off your head. Only if you lean very far back will this budge, otherwise it will stay in place quite well without applying immense pressure on your cranium.

And despite it being so well isolated, this is not a headphone that I would recommend that you wear in public. Reasons for this go beyond its price or the equipment needed to drive it (a portable amplifier) – but for aesthetic reasons as it is a very wide headphone when worn. While I am saying that they look a little goofy when worn, I would not change a single thing aesthetically because this is the nicest looking wooden headphone that I have ever seen. And, due to the wood and sturdy materials, the Atticus just feels like it is built to last. My only complaint with the build is that the sliders are, while being much more to my liking than the T50RP ones, tough to adjust – but I can see why they need to be in order to prevent moving from where they are set. There are no incremental adjustments either, so you will have to eyeball it or adjust by feel. Just in case it wasn’t obvious, these are not foldable headphones that can collapse to fit a small bag.

300 ohms is a big number, the same as the Sennheiser HD600/650/800 which aren’t easily driven headphones – with the HD800’s bass impedance being especially high and thus needing more juice to bring out. However, the Atticus drives both easily and more evenly – sounding quite good out of my portable amp setup. These don’t require a lot to get loud, but you definitely should not under-power them for obvious reasons. Utilising thermoplastic elastomer drivers, the Atticus is the first headphone I know of to do so.

Finally, the Atticus uses the same connectors as all other ZMF headphones – 4pin mini-XLR that are also used by Audeze.



Sound

In a world where the Eikon did not exist, I would see a slightly retuned version of the Atticus being the next real step in ZMF’s lineup so far. I have gone through the Vibro Mk. I and two different versions of the Ori, unfortunately skipping the Blackwood, and I can confidently say that the Atticus is more of a continuation with what the Vibro did – making it a super Vibro in my eyes.

The reason that I feel this way is because ZMF’s entry-level wooden cup T50RP mod is tuned to be unabashedly fun and mid-bassy, with the bass port system put in place to tune accordingly. The Ori, to my ears, was tuned to be more analytical while still retaining a warm and friendly ZMF house sound. The Eikon, in my opinion, is an extension of the Ori slapped across characteristics from drier and more analytical headphones such as the Sennheiser HD800 – making it a very clean-sounding headphone with only the slightest tinge of warmth from a neutral audio chain.

The key word for the Eikon is drier, however, and it has a peak in the upper-mids that can be a bit sharp with certain recordings that are too brightly or poorly mastered. How the Atticus contrasts is by being a lot more forgiving of such recordings and having a deeper and more resonant sound that, like the Audeze LCD-2, is dependent on a bit of wetness and reverb in the midrange.

The overall tone of the Atticus is very lush, and I have a hard time deciding whether it beats my previous favourite in this matter – the Hifiman HE-500 with its liquid mids. The Atticus makes the Eikon look clinical, prim and proper by comparison – preferring to wear its coloured sound signature on its sleeve and be soulful instead. If this all seems confusing and flowery, please return to this section after reading the breakdown below.

The bass of the Atticus will undoubtedly be the first characteristic that most will register when they first put on the headphone. I love a nice amount of bass, and this headphone does not fall short in that regard – and in many instances can go in the opposite direction depending on source and amp chain. While it does not dive as deep as its elder brother the Eikon, the Atticus has a pronounced mid-bass jump that really is one of the two tuning choices that define it. Tacked on to this is a level of bass slam that can be breathtaking at times, with strong impact and punchiness. The punchy nature of the Atticus is not blisteringly fast, but it definitely holds its own in genres that need the oomph and transients – such as double-bass drum patterns in metal and especially fast electronic music.

The bass is also really clean sounding, to my ears, but to maintain this – and its clean separation from the midrange – you will need to pair it properly (more on that later).

The midrange of the Atticus, as previously stated, is very lush and smooth. I made a point of mentioning in my Eikon review that the flagship opted for more texture in this area, while the Atticus went more for body and a romantic sheen instead. What I have learned since then is that the Atticus’ midrange is indeed quite textured, due to not having heard my preferred source/amp pairings until after my Eikon and even LCD-2 reviews from several weeks ago. The full-bodied and smooth midrange make vocals a sheer treat to listen to, given that they are well-recorded. The lower midrange is well pronounced, male vocals and acoustic guitar strumming are tonally sound and rich in presentation. The upper midrange is a little dipped, but switching between it and the Focal Elear shows just how much the latter has a hole in this region. Female vocals do not sound distant, but are rather quite forward like the rest of the midrange. The Atticus showcases the vocal talent shown in Follow Me by Kimiko Itoh quite excellently. The surrounding instrumentation is also well served, not feeling too bogged down by an intimate soundstage – but it does not handle space as effortlessly as the Eikon. For all the benefits of a good audio chain surrounding the Atticus, the Eikon is simply able to handle micro-detail and texture in a superior manner.

The treble of the Atticus is a strong indication of the benefit of Zach’s choice to move away from the Fostex T50RP driver. My very first review was of a T50RP mod (the ZMF Vibro Mk. I) and as I continued my journey into high-end audio, I came to realize just how “hard” the treble presentation of the driver is. The Atticus’ treble is far more natural, to my ears. A bit withdrawn, it never reaches a point where I feel fatigued due to any sibilance – even when paired with the brightest source. Songs that sound like aural masochism on my HD800 sound pleasantly fine on the Atticus.

Where the Vibro Mk. I fell, the Atticus perseveres and triumphs in most genres. The natural but slightly dampened treble is enough to present cymbal patterns, and a complex jazz recording like Heligt by the Tingvall Trio showcases this. What it also reveals, however, is how the Atticus is not really meant for genres such as this – for despite it sounding tonally rich and “live”, it is not where this headphone truly shines.

One reason for this is the soundstage, which is understandably intimate due to it being a closed headphone in the first place. It is not able to possess the extremely detailed audio resolution in a manner that the stereotypical “hi-fi” term would suggest, but it is no slouch either. Others, like the HD800, have vast staging and precise imaging – but do not have the musicality of the Atticus, nor its fun bass, reminding us of the trade-off in each headphone that this hobby has.





Genre Pairings

As you have probably surmised from earlier, this headphone does especially well with vocals, pop music and electronic genres. Anything that is cleanly recorded and with a drive to it will also bring out the headphones ability to showcase its dynamic nature.

Song impressions on a Schiit Gungnir Multibit > Lyr 2 with Genalex Gold Lion tubes

Dreams – Fleetwood Mac

A test track of mine since the start, Dreams is a well recorded folksy acoustic-rock track with ample vocal layering and a punchy beat – accentuated with modest synth flourishes and impressive guitar work. What I revisit with every headphone is the chorus, with its three-voice harmonization using two female and one male voice. Extremely lush and well represented by the Atticus, Stevie Nicks’ unique voice carries this track and has enough body to feel live. Besides the vocals, what really sticks out to me is the depth behind each of Mick Fleetwood’s snare hits, which can honestly sound a bit thin and un-impactful on the HD800 but have an earthy and realistic sound on the Atticus.

Closer – Nine Inch Nails

Now we’re in far different territory. Trent Reznor’s mid-90s aggreso-industrial metal romp (with its famously profane chorus) is best served by headphones that are able to keep up with its driving heartbeat-like beat. The song is a builder, like an angrier Stairway to Heaven but with a long instrumental outro, and as the layers pile on – the Atticus is able to represent each distorted guitar note and harsh synth-pattern admirably. However, it just does not possess the texture around both that a headphone like the Focal Elear does, as its shouty and aggressive midrange is especially good for metal and distorted guitars. The Elear, however, does not possess the oomph of the Atticus’ bass – preferring to opt for a speedier but less towering amount. As the song reaches its climax, I hear everything that I’m looking for quite well, and the swiftly panning synth in the outro indicates impressively fast transients and imaging in the midrange.

Time – Pink Floyd

Out of every headphone that I have owned, Pink Floyd continues to have the best synergy with the Sennheiser HD800. A revealing headphone works best for the group, as the layered recordings are better exposed cleanly rather than having a fun and bass-driven sound injected onto them. The Eikon is excellent for Pink Floyd in its own way, but the Atticus is not the most ideal pairing. Switching to the Schiit Valhalla 2 does help a bit, but it still feels like a genre mismatch. Pink Floyd lack the dynamic sound needed for the Atticus to shine.

The Raven that Refused to Sing – Steven Wilson

This sombre song is very impressively produced, no doubt thanks to the help of Alan Parsons (who also worked on the Pink Floyd track mentioned above) and aided with modern recording techniques. The Atticus is able to capture the vocal harmonies and synth-driven atmosphere in the background perfectly. The piano sounds impactful, bringing the required dramatic tone the song is striving for – but the tonality is more low-heavy than sharp. I really like how it sounds in this context, but switching to the Elear (which I feel has excellent tonal match with grand pianos) shows the small amount of detail that is masked with the instrument. In the second half of the song, the cymbals ring out clearly and the entire track moves to its climax with no strong sense of detail loss as the instruments pile on. Switching to the Eikon shows a more controlled bass guitar, which is a little too loud in the mix on the Atticus – but beyond that it is a great listen.

Arped - Vaishiyas

This techno track showcases the full ability of the Atticus to have impact and bass punchiness, while maintaining texture and equal impact in synth parts that accompany it. Very well mastered, each track is clear and present behind the sheer head-banging bass drum.

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough – Michael Jackson

I always listen for the quick string part in the intro, some headphones really struggle with producing it with all the other tracks blazing at full speed. The Atticus does not struggle, and the song has all its percussion and instrument tracks well represented. Jackson’s voice itself, in his crooning falsetto that was all the rage in the disco era of the late 1970s, never feels drowned out by the instrumental track – which would have hindered the point of his solo act. The horn sections are slightly smoothed but still maintain a good amount of texture. Overall, a listening experience that will have you nodding along.

Master of Puppets – Metallica

The problem with this track is mainly because of the production, with its mid-scooped distorted guitars and overall mid-bassy sound. On the Atticus, it can sound a bit sluggish, with a lower-mid bleed causing problems with the song’s thrash-metal pacing. I have found that it does better with the Schiit Valhalla 2, or even the Lyr 2’s brighter stock 6BZ7 tubes, but it is still not the most ideal pairing. Metallica’s Black Album, or self-titled 1991 album, is a far better pairing with the Atticus due to its cleaner and grandiose production.


I have done my best to be discerning with the above tracks, but I should mention that even the pairings that I feel are not quite ideal are not close to being so bad that I would want to throw the headphones off of my head. Indeed, if you prefer the overall sound signature of the Atticus, it could even be an all-rounder headphone for you. The best songs to pair with it are not even dependent on genre, but rather song style and production. While the HD800 is revealing of production imperfection in its own way, the Atticus does it as well (although more forgiving than the Eikon) due to its reliance on clean mastering and well separated instrumental and vocal tracks. The worst recordings, in this regard, will sound muddy on the Atticus.

I don’t prefer the Atticus for music that has no dynamics. There has to be something existing already for the headphone to take and run with it. It is not as sensitive in dynamic/impact reproduction as the Utopia or Elear, where a piano chord can feel like a truck hitting you at times, so it needs character in its music. If you want a headphone for drone-metal, look elsewhere. If you want a headphone for psychedelic classic rock, I would steer you toward the Eikon instead. It is also a headphone that is better heard at higher volumes, emphasizing its bombastic nature.

Amp Pairings

After the sound description above, I would go so far as to say that this is the most important consideration one must make if they are interested in the Atticus. Like the Eikon, it is revealing of source gear, but it can be made a bit problematic from the wrong pairing.

All amps using a Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC


Cavalli Liquid Carbon (First Run)

Followers of my work will have noticed that I have not quite recommended this amplifier in recent reviews in terms of most ideal pairings. This is because it has a warm and laid back characteristic to it that can be overkill on some headphones. With the Eikon, this simply made it a more laid back headphone, easing up on the intense dynamic nature of itself and adding a bit more warmth to the midrange. With the LCD-2, it simply became too warm and I felt that some of the details in the treble region were being masked. With the Atticus, it is the same case as the LCD-2, if not slightly more problematic.

The bass simply becomes too much. I enjoy a bassy sound but the Atticus, out of the right pairing, couples that with a smooth midrange and treble. With the Liquid Carbon, it becomes all about the bass and lower mids, leading to a pronounced bleed that holds back any song I throw at it.


Audio-GD NFB-28

This powerful amplifier has a somewhat neutral sound to it, letting the DAC and headphone do most of the talking when it is present in a chain. It has good control of the Atticus’ bass, where the Liquid Carbon felt bloomy, but it is in its upper-region that I found a slight problem. The background does not seem as black as I would like, leading to a haziness in the treble and upper mids that I chalked up to the Atticus initially. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it is actually just the pairing of the Gungnir Multibit and the NFB28 amp section that was causing this, as the Audio-GD’s own built in Sabre DAC enjoyed a lower noise floor in the pairing.

With this in mind, I have to treat this specific amp/source pairing as contained to the Audio-GD NFB-28 alone. With the Eikon, I found the treble too sharp for my taste, emphasizing the 5k treble peak that felt a little fatiguing on it. On the Atticus, it is not as noticeable, but there is a definite benefit to choosing the sabre over the multibit for this specific amp. That being said, it lacks a lot of the natural, if slightly warm, sound that the Gungnir multibit brings. Separation has taken a slight hit and the overall sound is more digital rather than musical.

After spending time with the NFB28 and Atticus, I was convinced to try tubes with the headphones – but I did not want any that were too warm. After some research, I chose the next two amplifiers.




Schiit Valhalla 2

When I first plugged into this amplifier with the Atticus, it was a mini-revelation. Beyond my prior ownership of an Asgard 2 and a Magni 2, I had avoided purchasing Schiit amps because some had told me that they sounded etched – with the tube amps not even sounding like tubes. After my time with the IFI Pro iCan, and its disappointing solid-state to tube/tube+ mode switching (not as much difference as I would have liked to hear for the price), I was even less inclined to seek out the Valhalla 2 – which I had heard did not inject warmth or musicality to music. “What was the point then?”, I asked in my ignorance.

Well, the Valhalla 2 controlled the Atticus in a manner that the NFB28 was not able to, with all its ample wattage and neutral sound signature. It made the overall experience a bit drier, and a bit leaner – not bad additions to the Atticus’ sound in my opinion. Suddenly, there was more detail and the bass was not intruding into the midrange as much as before. More importantly, the staging became slightly wider, and separation became more pronounced. I would go so far to say that this is a grand amp + headphone pairing, with the only detraction being a lack of punchiness.

The Valhalla 2, while still being quite punchy, did not provide enough oomph for the Atticus to be what it is capable of. Was it natural but clean? Yes. Did it make instruments and vocals sit better in a mix with the headphones? Absolutely. But, my time using the NFB28 had shown me just how the Atticus’ bass should work – but the Valhalla 2 had characteristics that I couldn’t enjoy on the Audio-GD.


Schiit Lyr 2

It would be foolish to say this hybrid tube-solid state (if you have the LISST tubes) amp provides the best of both worlds with the Atticus – which I definitely led up to with the transition at the end of the last comparison. However, this is my favourite pairing with the Atticus out of all I have on hand today.

The Lyr 2 is absurdly punchy and dynamic, even blazing well past the Audio-GD NFB28 in this regard. Its treble is a tad harder and less natural-sounding than the Valhalla 2, and it is brighter out of its stock 6BZ7 tubes. The bass is very controlled, a boon for the Atticus, and the midrange is heavily dependent on the tubes used. I prefer Genalex Gold Lions overall, despite it being slightly warmer than the others I have – it does not intrude on the Atticus’ ability at all, and in fact heightens its smooth and inviting midrange characteristics. Snare hits feel like they have more depth, a slight reverb to them that gives a live sound.

Compared to the Valhalla 2, the soundstage is narrower on the Lyr 2. I also regret that I am not able to obtain LISST tubes to test further – I’m curious as to how it sounds from its solid-state mode. Even so, out of all the tubes the punchiness is preserved and the highs feel more natural than with the NFB28 – cementing this as my go-to amplifier for the Atticus currently.


Once again, the Atticus is quite revealing of amp pairings – unlike the Elear which just sounds like itself out of them all, except for the Valhalla 2 where it had a bit of haziness – probably due to its sensitivity and low impedance - and the amp being an OTL. I am glad that I was able to compare several amplifiers with the headphones, and I really could not imagine just hearing it from a single offering and judging it completely based on that…or even two amps.


Headphone Comparisons


Sennheiser HD800

I feel like I have to repeat myself in every review, when it comes to the HD800, regarding its vast soundstage. It beats them all in terms of width, even the HE-1 didn’t match it in that regard. So, the HD800 vs. a closed headphone like the Atticus – you can do the math.

The well-known analytical nature of HD800 makes it a good headphone to complement the Atticus, if you want two headphones that cover both ends of the spectrum. It provides intense detail and air at the cost of being a bit anaemic in its midrange and muted in its bass performance. Unlike the Eikon, which takes some strengths of the HD800 and wraps it in Zach’s tuning which emphasizes natural tonality and a live sound, the Atticus prefers very much to be easier on the ears and not peaky in its treble. Its warmth is its selling point, so I feel a bit awkward saying obvious facts like the HD800 is more detailed overall – which it simply just is. What I prefer of the two depends on the genre I’m listening to and my mood.

The Atticus is definitely a headphone that is instantly impressive to those who are not in the hobby and are not striving for that micro-detailed sound (“plankton” I’ve heard it called) and just want a clear sound with great bass. I’m not saying that the Atticus is a super Beats Solo 2, but it has a far different sound signature than the HD800. I’m able to listen to more genres on the Atticus than the HD800 however, and female vocals have a lot more body on the ZMF than in the HD800 where they fall into its dip.

Weight and comfort wise, I have to give it to the HD800 – despite the weight distribution of both ZMF dynamics being quite excellent. The HD800 is substantially lighter, about 180g lighter in fact. The Atticus is 542g while the HD800 is 362g – both without cable. If you require isolation though, the Atticus is what you should choose of the two.


Audeze LCD-2 (2016 Revision)

A few weeks ago, I completed and uploaded my Audeze LCD-2 review – a headphone I quite like and felt had an edge in detail retrieval to the Atticus despite being considerably more laid back and less punchy in its sound signature. Since then, I discovered the most important final pieces of the puzzle that is evaluating the Atticus – the two Schiit amps that I prefer as a pairing.

Does it change everything about my impressions? Not exactly. The LCD-2 is still a headphone that is smooth, laid back and comprised of some shimmering detail in its treble. However, although I liked the Atticus more in my weeks-old comparison overall – it has widened its lead now. I am going to self-plagiarize now and copy some of my prior impressions:

Switching from the LCD-2 to the Atticus is revealing of just how much (the 2016 model anyway) emphasizes the availability of the shimmering detail hidden in the Audeze’s treble. Phrasing it like this would have you believe that the Atticus is completely lacking in such aspects, which is untrue, but it definitely is not as even in revealing its capabilities – requiring the right genre pairing to do so. What the Atticus has is bass, in abundance, and bass slam. It does not shy away from the electronic genres that the Audeze might be a tad laid back for, and it certainly does not mind introducing hefty low end into just about any recording.

However, this isn’t without its detriments. Master of Puppets is one album that the Atticus suffers on, due to the reliance of a midbassy sound in the mixing falling square in the region that the ZMF headphone emphasizes heavily – making the entire album from start to finish sound a bit bloated. The Atticus hits back, and hard, in electronic pop music – with its bass slam and smooth midrange going hand-in-hand to showcase the headphone’s energetic nature. The Atticus is a more “awake” experience than the LCD-2, which sounds veiled by comparison – but the LCD-2 is able to work with more genres due to its less bassy nature.

One area in particular that the LCD-2 is able to succeed, compared to the Atticus, is in older and warmer recordings – such as those by Led Zeppelin. It does quite well with guitars both electric and acoustic, while the Atticus relies on the mix and can sound a little overwhelmed with such pairings – as Led Zeppelin are from an era without snazzy modern production.



Focal Elear

The Focal headphones are better all-rounders than the Atticus, if you like their specific sound signature and presentation enough. They also mask their source quite well, and sound like themselves out of most amplifiers I have paired them with. They are also quite a bit faster than the Atticus, and are so dynamic sounding that even at low-to-moderate listening volume you will get the full effect of sudden events in your audio.

Where the Atticus hits back, and hard, is in the midrange. The Elear, while possessing a midrange that is excellent for pianos and electric guitars, is not so suitable for vocals – especially female vocals that fall right into the area where it is heavily dipped. Also, the Elear has an aggressive midrange that is not especially lush or smooth – both characteristics of the Atticus. I would even use the term shouty for the Focal midrange, and have heard others call it grainy. However, it is definitely a headphone that handles rock and metal far better out of all that I have currently.

Both have excellent weight distribution, but the Focal is approximately 100g lighter. Both are quite intimate in soundstage.



ZMF Eikon

The elder brother of the Atticus is near identical in looks and comfort, depending on wood choice. Utilizing a bio-cellulose driver, the Eikon is tuned to be more of a reference headphone than the warmer Atticus. I have heard the Eikon described as warm, and out of certain sources (the Liquid Carbon for example) it definitely is – but it is far more neutral and straightforward in presentation compared to the Atticus.

Do I think the Eikon is the better headphone? I do. The reason for this is that it merges a fun sound signature that Zach really likes with a more analytical and detailed touch to make it quite revealing of both source gear and music production/mastering. Its sub-bass extends lower than the Atticus, which is more focused on mid-bass punch, and its midrange possesses a lot more texture. The soundstage is also a bit wider, to my ears, than the Atticus. The treble extension is more pronounced, horns and stringed instruments possess quite a bit more air than on the Atticus. The Eikon, I feel, is also tuned to be more tonally accurate than the Atticus, which injects warmth and a little bloom into everything it touches.

But what do I reach for if I want to listen to just some electro-pop? The Atticus. What do I reach for when I want to listen to some smooth jazz? The Eikon. These two headphones are so distinct that I feel that they cater to two kinds of listeners in this hobby quite well. Indeed, you could own both and find yourself listening to them equally as much if you have a vast array of taste in musical genres.

The Eikon is smooth, but the Atticus is smoother and I am yet to hear a track that felt like the treble was too piercing on it. The Eikon actually can sound a little harsh up top with some poorly mastered tracks. I am told that there are slight audible differences in wood choice, but I can’t confirm this myself – but I could see it being possible due to hearing the small differences between my previously-owned cherry and cocobolo ZMF Ori.


Conclusion

In the month since my Eikon review, I have found myself listening to the Atticus more and more. It has matched my genre preferences these days quite well and I’m a little addicted to the smooth midrange and punchy bass. I’m absolutely sure I’ve used the words “smooth” and “punchy” several times in this review, but those really are the two front-and-foremost aspects of this headphone.

Returning to my earlier statement about the Atticus being the true continuation of the ZMF house sound of the past, I do indeed believe that this is a super-ZMF Vibro. However, I am glad that Zach took the initiative to explore another tuning for the Eikon – one that is done incredibly well and will move the brand’s known sound forward. Does this mean that the Atticus is a glimpse into the past? Not at all as there will always be those who either prefer this sound signature or want a headphone for the times when they want to be jamming out and not listening to every detail across the map of a song recording.

With these two options now available, it’s better to review the release of both as a two-some rather than individual headphones. Aspects one could argue are missing in the Atticus are present on the Eikon, and vice versa. Buying both is an expense, but with so many top-of-the-line headphones costing more than both combined (and possessing just a single sound signature), I would not be surprised if someone tried these headphones at an event and opted for both.

These are incredibly well-built headphones that tap into the areas of a listening experience that are instantly pleasing – bass and midrange. They effectively remove any possibility of sibilance, but not so much that the listener feels choked by the lack treble. They are responsive to amp pairings, and I would personally recommend a lean, dry and analytical amp with them to bring out more of the midrange and control the bass further.

Kudos to Zach for his first two in-house creations being distinct and quite excellent in their own usage.

 
I would like to thank the guys over at Audio Sanctuary in New Malden, London, for lending me their display unit of the Audeze LCD-2 (2016 Edition) for a review. Check them out at https://www.audiosanctuary.co.uk/ and do visit their brick-and-mortar outlet if you are in the area for a terrific selection of high-end headphones and speakers.
 
Style:  Circumaural - open
 
Transducer type:  Planar magnetic
 
Magnetic structure:  Proprietary self-closing design, acoustically transparent
 
Magnet type:  High-grade Neodymium 
 
Diaphragm excursion:  2.5 mm peak to peak
 
Transducer active diaphragm area:  6.17 sq in
 
Sound pressure level (SPL):  130 db (maximum)
 
Housing:  Renewable Shedua composite or Caribbean Rosewood
 
Ear pads:  Specially designed acoustically shaped foam inserts with premium lambskin or super suede cover
 
Frequency response:  5 Hz - 20 KHz, usable high-frequency extension of 50 KHz
 
Total harmonic distortion (THD):  Less than 1% throughout entire frequency range
 
Impedance:  60 Ohms, purely resistive
 
Efficiency:  90 dB/1 mW
 
Maximum power handling:  15 W (for 200 ms)
 
Optimal power requirement:  1-4 W
 
ADZ6SE Cable (single-ended):  ¼” TRS to 2x4-pin mini XLR
 
Cable length:  2.5 m or 8.2 ft
 
Weight:  490 g (without cable - Bamboo Composite)
 
Weight:  522 g (without cable - Rosewood)
 
 
Despite what it says in the official specifications above, this particular LCD-2 weighs 548g. I must admit that I have not felt this level of discomfort from the stock configuration of a headphone since the days when I owned a Hifiman HE-500. The weight itself is not a bother, my ZMF Eikon is over 600g by comparison, but I find the distribution to be poorly handled. I am told that some purchase a Lohb strap to assist this matter, while others stretch out their headbands to reduce the clamp (also an issue, the lower back of my ears would get considerably strained after prolonged listening) – but I was not going to attempt these methods on a review loaner.
 
The LCD-2 is also the first full-sized headphone that I have encountered in which I have to completely maximize the headband adjuster to be as loose as possible. I have a large head, but not quite that large (if other headphones are anything to go by) so this was surprising to me.
 
As for the build quality itself, it seems quite sturdy in the hands – with the wooden cups standing out in a fetching manner. However, I do feel that the joints that connect the frame to the cups is a weak point – with it creaking and snapping whenever I stretched it open to don it.
 
The headphones use the same 4-pin mini-XLR connectors that all the LCD series do, as well as some other headphone manufacturers like ZMF. I find these connecters to be preferable to many, as they lock in place and are sturdier than simple plug-and-play push-in variants. I’m not sure if I agree with Audeze’s choice to have the connection on the earcups jutting forward as they do, but it does add to their unique design.
 
The headband has very little padding and, in my opinion, could greatly benefit from the use of a strap to even out the weight. Adding a Lohb strap would do the trick, but I specifically would need to buy the extended yoke rods that Audeze sell for $30 – a worthy investment in comfort, but one I have not tried personally.
 
Those looking to spend a little more can opt for the LCD carbon fibre headband, the one used by the flagship LCD-4 and the recently unveiled LCD Pro – retailing for $200 in the official store. This floating system utilizes a leather strap in its design.
 

The LCD-2 is quite the friendly headphone, injecting a warm hug of musicality in each piece of music listened to on it. Laid back and chilled, the headphone does not attempt speed, aggression or forwardness in either bass or treble. Soundstage is quite intimate but does not feel stifling and the imaging is adequate – making do with the space available in impressive fashion.
 
To further the topic of warmth, this headphone is not at all harsh to my ears in any region. It is neither supremely airy like the Sennheiser HD800 nor a bass cannon like the Fostex TH-X00. In truth, I hear a sense of comfortable clarity throughout the headphone – but some might get the sense that the headphones are veiled due to this. I find such a characteristic quite in line with the Audeze LCD series, with the LCD-3 having the most sparkle and crash from all of the open variants that I have tried (including the LCD-4). I would actually say that the LCD-3 had the most dynamic and impactful sound, but at the cost of the friendly nature that exists in the LCD-2 and, to a more refined degree, the LCD-4 200 ohm edition.
 
I’m told that the bass of the LCD-2 is one of the areas that has morphed considerably since the pre-fazor days of years past. Essentially, the clarity and dynamics of the headphone were increased at the cost of some sub-bass extension and overall bloom in the low end. Indeed, I have not heard a pre-fazor LCD-2, but I do find the bass to be more than adequate on the 2016 version. It extends decently low but does not have an immensely controlled nature – nor is it particularly fast. I find the speed decent enough to keep up with the transients of double-bass drums, but not if the tempo reaches Slayer levels. Despite being laid back, it is no slouch though – handling all genres that I throw at it with some ease – and only really being out of its element in the earlier mentioned example or in the electronic sub-bass usage in James Blake’s Limit to your Love. Overall, I find the low-end to have the sub-bass and mid-bass amount to make this an effective all-rounder for listeners – within reason. What’s left as a deciding factor now are the other frequencies.
 
The midrange of the LCD-2 is smooth. Not entirely liquid in nature like the Hifiman HE-500, but possessing a level of soft clarity that makes vocals have body and presence. It should also be noted that, although the midrange performance of the LCD-2 as a whole is smooth, it does not lack in detail – nor is it completely rolled in air. I can confirm that, to my ears, the transition between the bass to midrange is quite transparent and clean. The bloom on the lower midrange is minimal but what exists serves to accentuate the character of warmth that these headphones possess. Male vocals are quite well served, even gritty and guttural vocal tones ringing out clearly with the body and edge needed. The upper midrange is a bit dipped, but not drastically like the Focal Elear – meaning that while female vocals feel a little further away than male, they don’t sound thin or tonally off.
 
I must commend this headphone for being as forgiving as it is with some genres and recordings. A reference point that I have is an album that I think is mixed quite horribly – Master of Puppets by Metallica. Insisting on speed despite having a scooped guitar tone, while generally being mid-bassy all around, the album makes many high-end headphones fall flat on their face as they don’t quite know how to reproduce it effectively. The Focal Elear is by far the best headphone in my possession for this endeavour, but the LCD-2 comes in second place – possibly tied with the Sennheiser HD800 (which is lacking in guitar crunch). For the purpose of review context, I’ll detail what I mean with pairing this album in the comparisons below.
 
The treble of the LCD-2 has a nice amount of air around it, making cymbals pop a fair amount and injecting a slight sense of slight snappiness to the overall sound reproduction. High strings, like violins, and wind instruments like the tenor saxophone sound quite well represented – not overly airy or shrill and maintaining a good sense of tonal balance and depth. Even with songs that absolutely murder me with the HD800 (even SD-modded), I don’t get the same sense with the LCD-2.
 
Again, I am told that the treble characteristics of the LCD-2 2016 iteration is because of the fazor driver innovation plus a reduction of a more bloated low end – making the headphone possess more micro-detail than before. Even without a pre-fazor unit to compare, I like this change because while I do appreciate a sweet, dynamic but warm sound – I would not have wanted the LCD-2 to sound like laggy. Being laid back and chilled out is a characteristic, being laggy is a flaw – and this headphone is not the latter.
 
Overall, besides being warm, the LCD-2 feels like a very wet headphone – in stark contrast to the dry and analytical likes of the HD800 or even the less-dry but still starker ZMF Eikon. I find the headphone very enjoyable to listen to with a multitude of genres, but never really edging out any of my other headphones in anything particular. It has shimmering detail where the ZMF Atticus is a little glossed over, but has less aggression and shout than the Focal Elear. It sounds like it uses a wall of reverb to its advantage, making all music listened to take on the Audeze sound that I have heard in their other headphones – but for a price that could be considered entry-level to their lineup.
 
Based on how this sounded from my warm and syrupy Cavalli Liquid Carbon, I would not recommend it or a similar amplifier for it – unless you really want to pursue such a sound signature on purpose. To me it felt a little sluggish, and was better served by the powerful but neutral balanced output of the Audio-GD NFB28. Bass was more controlled too and the shimmering detail was very pronounced, to what I suspect is the best level the headphone has to offer, using the Schiit Gungnir Multibit as a DAC. I have not tried this from a tube amplifier, as I do not have one on hand, so I cannot say regarding that pairing.
 
Also, as it is a planar magnetic headphone, it does require a decent amount of power to drive – something that should be considered when selecting an amp for it.
 
 
As an all-rounder, the LCD-2 is firmly in that jack-of-all-trades area for its pricerange. Ironically, it is able to handle more genres of music than my other headphones (barring the Focal Elear, which does this better if you are a fan of its shouty and aggressive sound signature). From jazz to classical, from metal to pop – the LCD-2 envelopes music with its own characteristics and presents a pleasant listening experience that has a lot of body due to the low end.
 
Electronic music may lack bass slam compared to the likes of the Fostex TH-X00 or ZMF Atticus – but it is still not thin-sounding like the HD800. Bass guitars fall right into the range that is well-represented by the low end of the LCD-2, but do not have the sharp and precise nature of the HD800. I could continue down this path, but it is needless – this is just a nice-sounding headphone and definitely one you can expect consistent performance with if you like how it sounds - with any genre of music.
 
 
 
 
 
Sennheiser HD800
 
The former Sennheiser flagship is placed firmly in the drier and analytical side of things when it comes to headphones in this pricerange. It pairs extremely well, to my ears, with the Cavalli Liquid Carbon, which I don’t find the LCD-2 to do quite as much – but it is quite a picky headphone to pair with amps due to its somewhat harsh 6k treble spike. Bright and even some neutral amplifiers exacerbate this and sound piercing and shrill to me with most genres of music. The HD800 also has the widest soundstage and most precise imaging of all headphones mentioned in this comparison section.
 
Switching from the LCD-2 to the HD800, you feel like the floor has fallen in a bit – that is how noticeable the absence of the Audeze’s low-end is. You also miss a warmth in the midrange, removing a lot of body from vocals and guitars alike. I would not call the HD800 a V-shaped headphone for this reason, but it definitely sounds a little recessed in this region compared to the Audeze.
 
What it outright wins at is reproduction of detail. A solid choice for a reference headphone, the HD800 is quite brutally honest and exposes poorly mastered recordings to the listener – whether in highlighting recording faults or becoming shrill in the face of mastering hack jobs. The LCD-2 is more welcoming of all recordings, particularly the above-mentioned Master of Puppets album – which sounds like the guitars are distant on the HD800, while the drums and cymbals are thin and piercing.
 
The HD800 is considerably lighter than the LCD-2 as well, coming in around 371g to the Audeze’s 548g.
 

 
ZMF Atticus
Switching from the LCD-2 to the Atticus is revealing of just how much (the 2016 model anyway) emphasizes the availability of the shimmering detail hidden in the Audeze’s treble. Phrasing it like this would have you believe that the Atticus is completely lacking in such aspects, which is untrue, but it definitely is not as even in revealing its capabilities – requiring the right genre pairing to do so. What the Atticus has is bass, in abundance, and bass slam. It does not shy away from the electronic genres that the Audeze might be a tad laid back for, and it certainly does not mind introducing hefty low end into just about any recording.
 
However, this isn’t without its detriments. Master of Puppets is one album that the Atticus suffers on, due to the reliance of a midbassy sound in the mixing falling square in the region that the ZMF headphone emphasizes heavily – making the entire album from start to finish sound a bit bloated. The Atticus hits back, and hard, in electronic pop music – with its bass slam and smooth midrange going hand-in-hand to showcase the headphone’s energetic nature. The Atticus is a more “awake” experience than the LCD-2, which sounds veiled by comparison – but the LCD-2 is able to work with more genres due to its less bassy nature.
 
One area in particular that the LCD-2 is able to succeed, compared to the Atticus, is in older and warmer recordings – such as those by Led Zeppelin. It does quite well with guitars both electric and acoustic, while the Atticus relies on the mix and can sound a little overwhelmed with such pairings – as Led Zeppelin are from an era without snazzy modern production.
 
The cherry Atticus and this particular LCD-2 are almost alike in weight, 546g and 548g respectively.
 

 
Focal Elear
The Elear’s take-no-prisoners sound, consisting of fantastic dynamics and speed among other aspects, puts it directly across the aisle from the laid back and smooth LCD-2. Both are what I would consider all-rounders, handling most genres with ease if you are a fan of their sound signature. With the Elear, I prefer hard rock, metal and electronic genres while smooth jazz, classical and live recordings sound better to me on the LCD-2. The midrange of the Elear is also aggressive and a bit shouty, while the LCD-2 simply is not.
 
The Elear also has a snappier sound, to my ears, possibly due to a sudden upturn around 9k-10k after a considerable dip in the upper-midrange – making cymbals and snare drums hit hard. Grand pianos are also tonally superior and more realistic on the Elear. Vocal reproduction, both male and female, are handled better by the LCD-2.
 
Ultimately, it comes down to preferences. I would not recommend the Elear if you want something for easy listening and are looking to relax – whereas the Audeze fits perfectly into that scenario.
My Elear weighs 448g while the LCD-2 weights 548g. The weight distribution, I must admit, is handled far better on the Elear too – a very comfortable headphone with its headband padding and soft earpads.
 
Comfort issues aside, the LCD-2 does so much right in its pricerange that it is hard not to recommend to those seeking a relaxed and warm tone in their audio. Once again, I have not heard the previous iterations so I can’t comment on the differences – but I really do feel that it strikes the right balance between warmth and sparkle while maintaining a rich midrange.
 
It is a distinguished sound, not offering heaps of technical brilliance nor magnified microdetail – but rather an effective zone-out tool that just allows you to listen – and that should always be appreciated in this hobby, where sometimes gear is listened to rather than the music. 

 
It’s been a year since I started writing/filming reviews, and it all began with the ZMF Vibro Mk. I in cornflower blue. I found the sound very fun, found the bass ports interesting and thought they looked splendid and unique for headphones – my first wooden ones. However, I did take issue with the sound a bit, finding the treble too rolled off for my taste and pairing with my Schiit Asgard 2 too stuffy, necessitating that I buy the less warm Magni 2.
 
However, unbeknownst to me and most others, ZMF CEO Zach Mehrbach was already working on fully in-house headphone designs that would not rely on the Fostex T50RP drivers – and the faults that come with them. Announced in the fall of 2016, the ZMF Atticus and Eikon immediately caught my attention as I was curious where Zach was taking the house sound that I’d liked in the past – free from having to modify others’ constructions.
 
February 2017, I receive a ZMF Eikon in Padauk wood – the current top-of-the-line/flagship model that ZMF has to offer. Armed with knowledge of previously having the Vibro Mk. I, a ZMF Ori in cherry and another in cocobolo – I unboxed the headphone with anticipation of where it goes from there.
 
 
At this point, I don’t see a wooden-cup ZMF headphone ever being an effortlessly feather-light affair – my cocobolo Ori was especially quite heavy. That being said, the weight of the Eikon was a surprise to me as it only felt slightly heavier than my Focal Elear. I have worn it for long, long listening sessions and have not felt fatigued by the weight at all – and I am someone who felt encumbered by the likes of the Hifiman HE-500. Weight distribution is also quite excellent, and I have come to realize that the buffalo strap on the Eikon performs better than having a ZMF Pilot Pad would have on this specific headband.
 
The new Eikon pads adorn this headphone, which are quite a bit leaner than the old ZMF lambskin, cowhide and protein pads that I had on my Ori. Not only that, but these provide an excellent seal – which was one of my complaints about the Ori and the old pads. Because of the seal, there is no leakage and isolation is actually quite excellent. It is almost too good, for I have not heard the doorbell ring with this headphone on before – leading me to not adorn it until I get the day’s expected mail at least. Despite the isolation and seal being quite stellar, the clamp is not immense but just where it should be to prevent the headphones from falling off your head. Only if you lean very far back will this budge, otherwise it will stay in place quite well without applying immense pressure on your cranium.
 

 
And despite it being so well isolated, this is not a headphone that I would recommend that you wear in public. Reasons for this go beyond its price or the equipment needed to drive it (a portable amplifier) – but for aesthetic reasons as it is a very wide headphone when worn. While I am saying that they look a little goofy when worn, I would not change a single thing aesthetically because this is the nicest looking wooden headphone that I have ever seen. Opting for the Padauk version, its pores and reddish colour come alive in good lighting to make the Eikon seem like it has two large strawberries attached to each side. I am not a wood enthusiast, which Zach just might be (read the blog on the ZMF site about wood), but I would not have it any other way. A plastic or aluminium Eikon? No thank you. If I had to wager a guess, I would say that other wood Eikons will be made in the future – other than the cherry ($1300) and the padauk ($1400) available now, but we will have to wait and see.
 
And, due to the wood and sturdy materials, the Eikon just feels like it is built to last. My only complaint with the build is that the sliders are, while being much more to my liking than the T50RP ones, tough to adjust – but I can see why they need to be in order to prevent moving from where they are set. There are no incremental adjustments either, so you will have to eyeball it or adjust by feel. Just in case it wasn’t obvious, these are not foldable headphones that can collapse to fit a small bag.
 
300 ohms is a big number, the same as the Sennheiser HD600/650/800 which aren’t easily driven headphones – with the HD800’s bass impedance being especially high and thus needing more juice to bring out. However, the Eikon drives both easily and more evenly – sounding quite good out of my portable amp setup. These don’t require a lot to get loud, but you definitely should not under-power them for obvious reasons. Utilising bio-cellulose drivers, the Eikon is the first headphone I know of, that is high-impedance, that do so.
 
This Eikon’s gimbals and frame are gunmetal, while the Atticus’ are black. At two points, underneath and on one of the sides, on the headband is the ZMF logo embossed. The other side of the headband features the letters E and A embossed for the Eikon and Atticus respectively.
 
Finally, the Eikon uses the same connectors as all other ZMF headphones – 4pin mini-XLR that are also used by Audeze.
 

 
I would not classify the Fostex T50RP drivers that Zach built his company on, and continues to do so as they are still modified and sold, as massively flawed or redundant compared to his in-house dynamic-driver productions. But, as Dan Clark from MrSpeakers (who also started by modifying T50RPs for sale before venturing off into his own from-scratch designs) told me at the 2016 London Can Jam – there’s only so much you can expand onto someone else’s architecture. From the first few songs that I listened to with the Eikon, it was abundantly clear that at least one flaw with the T50RP based Vibro and Ori had been addressed – if not several.
 
First of all, some context must be given so that it can be understood why the Eikon is such a departure from ZMF’s previous offerings. The ZMF Vibro is a warm and mid-bassy headphone, even with all bass-reducing ports inserted, and the Ori was quite warm despite being a much more nuanced experience than the Vibro. However, it lacked micro-detail and treble extension – which wasn’t choked or especially lacking to me but still sounded hard and rough. What I really liked was the luscious midrange and its sub-bass extension – injecting music with a fun sound full of character. When I compared a cherry Ori and one having cocobolo cups, I found that the former had more “magic” in its lower mids - making acoustic guitars sound especially rich and lifelike. It also had a wider soundstage and a more resonant sound than the cocobolo – which basically dove deeper in sub-bass and had a more linear sound throughout. However, it had lost that supreme pairing with acoustic guitars – something I didn’t quite understand could be possible based merely on wood type. Looking back, I realized that because I purchased both used and as Zach did custom tuning for some customers – I may have ended up with a cherry Ori with more lower mid presence but lighter in the bass performance, tuned to the needs of the original buyer.
 
I am very, very glad that Zach does not do that anymore. The ZMF dynamic flagships are both standardized drivers and the only changes you will hear will be because of the wooden earcup type – which should be quite minor all things considered. Anyways, the reason I am glad such customization is no longer offered is because it gives ZMF the ability to produce all units with as closely-matched sound quality and performance as possible. I feel that Zach foresaw the need to offer two options in doing this, hence the Eikon and Atticus being quite distinct, as each headphone will appeal more to certain listeners than the other.
 
The soundstage of the Eikon does not feel lacking to me, despite being the closed headphone that it is. It is slightly wider sounding, to my ears, than the Sennheiser HD650 and Focal Elear – and especially wider than the Focal Utopia. Vocal harmonies and percussion especially fill out a listening experience well, with separation being quite stellar with both clarity and the ability to produce nuanced instrumentals.
 
The bass of the Eikon is strong in the sub-bass region, and most importantly – it is clean and textured too. While the low frequencies of the Fostex TH-X00 impressed me, the headphone felt bloated at times (understandably, as it is a bass-head can) while the Eikon is simply disciplined – but able to be pushed with the right song/genre pairing to be an awesome experience for those who enjoy their bass.
 
The textured and clean sub-bass makes way to a similar mid-bass region, but one that is almost muted compared to other ZMF headphones that I have heard before. This is definitely intentional, as the Atticus is quite the opposite (more on that later), and it reminds me a bit of the Hifiman HE-500’s transition from the bass to the midrange – being well extended down low but transitioning cleanly without any sense of bloat.
 
The lower-midrange has strong presence and body, excellent for acoustic guitars (Zach’s favourite instrument evident from how he tunes his headphones) and male vocals. Like the mid-bass, the lower-midrange is just so remarkably clean and pronounced. However, I would not call the experience especially “lush” (that’s more akin to the Atticus’ tuning), as it maintains a level of restraint and emphasis on texture instead of being overly warm or liquid.
 
The midrange itself is joyous. Once again, it is not attempting an especially warm and forwarded sound, but it is a rich and enjoyable experience for a different reason than the previous ZMF headphones (and the Atticus) are. This has to do with the texture and detail in the mids, very apparent with all manners of instruments that utilize that frequency region. Listening to The Battle of Evermore by Led Zeppelin especially highlights the abundance of detail and accurate tonality in the midrange. Jimmy Page’s mandolin sounds incredibly live, as does the acoustic guitar on the other track. The listening experience is not overwhelmed by any perceived lack of space in the mix or presentation, with instruments and vocals sitting where they should in harmonious but well-separated manner.
 
The upper-midrange of the Eikon distinguishes it from other headphones that I have in my collection currently (Sennheiser HD800, Focal Elear and ZMF Atticus). Female vocals soar on this headphone, with strength and body that show the emphasis in tuning. If I had to choose a frequency where the Eikon was slightly tilted, in the midrange as a whole, I would actually say it is the upper realm on this headphone. Both acoustic guitar twangs and shrieking guitar solos sound lifelike and impactful, cutting through the mix as a whole to announce the Eikon’s ability to dig out the detail in a region that sometimes is buried underneath others in hectic songs and mixes. There is no sense of congestion, once again, and both vocals and instruments in this region are especially able to breathe.
Treble is a frequency that I had an on/off relationship with in ZMF headphones of the past. The Vibro Mk. I felt too rolled off to my ears, and the Ori extended further but still felt kneecapped by certain warmly mixed genres that needed more air. Without the snap of a strong treble presence, snare drums and cymbals alike did not feel as impactful as they should have. Not only that, but the T50RP drivers have a scratchy treble profile with all the mods that I have heard based on it – a slightly unnaturally hard sense.
 
Going in-house, ZMF were able to add both resolving treble extension and impact – as well as giving the headphone a speedy and dynamic character. Far from being laid back, the Eikon’s treble is actually a bit peaked in the 5k region and will probably feel bright to some paired with certain gear – with certain genres. In the quest to make the EIkon a musical-reference hybrid, Zach gave the headphone the ability to reproduce treble in a manner simply not heard before in ZMF headphones (the Atticus shares some characteristics, but is far more relaxed) – it sounds natural and not artificial. The ability of cymbals to ring out so clearly in mixes that have so much going on attests to this, but also the feeling that there is just so much more impact in each instrument’s recorded second. It honestly rivals the Focal Utopia in how “awake” it sounds, with dynamics galore.
 
However, there is a downside to this for some. If you are attracted to the laid back nature of the Audeze LCD-2 or the smooth buttery sound of the Hifiman HE-1000, the ZMF Eikon will sound far too active for your tastes. Foreseeing this, Zach gave the fans of such headphones the ZMF Atticus instead – for the Eikon was going to be a statement and a stark departure from his earlier work. Keeping with the goal of being more of a reference headphone than others in the line-up, the overall sound of the Eikon is not especially lush, but rather drier than the aforementioned headphones (except the HD800). It is quick, very much so in the transients, and there is no romantic lingering or decay that gives some headphones a sense of soft reverb that blankets the audio. Rather, the Eikon is energetic and punchy reference done right – but its sound is more modifiable than you’d think.
 
The ZMF Eikon is quite revealing of both source gear and mixing quality. I am fortunate that I was able to pair it with several DACs and amplifiers to get a sense of what it was able to do. It was quite apparent that the ZMF flagship was not as forgiving as the Focal Elear and Utopia – headphones that blanket source gear quite well.
 
This is not to say that it is a picky headphone necessarily. It does not mimic the Sennheiser HD800’s ability to just sound plain awful, to my ears, from some amplifiers. However, these are the pairings that I have been able to listen to at length:
 
Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC (connected via SPDIF) > Audio-GD NFB-28
 
Out of the gear that I own currently, this is probably my favourite pairing. The effortlessly organic/natural manner of the Gungnir Multibit/Gumby’s of pushing detail is a fine pairing for the Eikon as it adds such strengths to its own. The choosing of the Audio-GD NFB-28 amp section is because I feel that, while it is not incredibly impressive or jaw-dropping in its own right – it is remarkably neutral and a good canvas for the DAC and headphone to paint a sonic impression on. It also has tight control of the punchy Eikon bass.
 

 
Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC (connected via SPDIF) > Cavalli Liquid Carbon (First Run)
 
This felt a little tricky to me at first, with the Liquid Carbon’s warmth and syrupy nature (my favourite pairing for the HD800 among my gear) feeling like it was holding back the capabilities of the Eikon. That was an exaggerated first impression, however, and the pairing actually adds its own flavour for what the Eikon is capable of. The Liquid Carbon brings the sound characteristics more in line with ZMF headphones of the past, except retaining quite a bit of the Eikon’s own flair.
 
It is a wetter and warmer experience, but a nice pairing for many genres of music that would benefit from such – the sort that may sound too bright or shrill as they are mixed in an unbalanced fashion. However, I can’t say that I prefer it over the NFB-28’s more transparent amp – but I definitely turn to it if I want to soften the edge for a while.
 
 Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC (connected via SPDIF) > iFi Pro iCan
 
While I did not own the Pro iCan, I had it in my possession for almost a month as a review unit. I spent ample time using the Eikon with it, and found that solid state mode was comparable to the NFB-28’s own powerful amplifier. The tube mode, while not starkly different, gave a slightly wetter sound to the Eikon without adding any discernible warmth – so I preferred that. Also, the XBASS hardware bass boost function was able to be cranked on the Eikon, making the powerful sub-bass reproduction remain clean while making the headphone rumble on my head. Really interesting pairing.
 

 
Audio-GD NFB-28 DAC/Amp Combo
 
While I do like this all-in-one as a pairing for the ZMF Atticus, with the Eikon it felt too dry to me – with too much emphasis in the upper range for my liking. I enjoy the dynamics and impact of the Eikon, and how much it “breathes” as a headphone without reaching excessive sibilance – but I did not much like how the SABRE DAC implementation of the NFB-28 pushes it too far in this regard.
This is, however, a matter of personal taste. If you want to experience the full dynamic and snappy nature of the Eikon – the Audio-GD DAC/amplifier combination will give you that…but to me it is too much of a good thing and treads over the delicate balance that I prefer personally.
 
By comparison, the Gumby is able to present a superb amount of detail without trying to push the Eikon too far into brighter territory.
 
Thoughts on Pairing Overall
 
The Eikon is a great headphone to take to meets and events where there are lots of audio chains to sample as it will undoubtedly be changed in some manner from any strong options present. It is also the first headphone that has made me desire an OTL tube amplifier, something that even the HD800 did not make me want as I was satisfied with how the Liquid Carbon brought its sound to where I wanted it. Zach, when he is at meets, brings along a selection of OTL amps for others to sample the ZMF headphones.
 
The slightly dry nature of the Eikon makes me want to seek out something with a more romantic sound presentation, without losing any of the headphones detail and resolve.
 
In my review of the ZMF Vibro Mk. I, I found that it didn’t play nice with my Schiit Asgard 2 (itself a bit of a warm and hazy amplifier) and even when I found a more neutral solution – it didn’t gel with certain genres of music. These genres were generally too warmly mixed, old Led Zeppelin records come to mind, so dynamics became especially muted and the presentation became a bit muddy. Over time, as I tried two ZMF Oris, I found myself reaching for the HD800 whenever I wanted to listen to classic rock – not because they were as treble-rolled as the Vibro Mk. I (they weren’t) but rather because they were still not the most ideal pairings compared to Sennheiser’s brighter and more resolving headphone.
 
Now that I have the Eikon, I still have to give the edge in such genres to the HD800 but the gap has become quite slim indeed. In fact, if the guitars used in the classic rock tracks are acoustic, then the Eikon firmly wins the trade as its tonality with such instruments is simply incredible. I only prefer the HD800 for the genre now if the entire experience is driven by classic-electric instruments, as the Sennheiser is able to present those quite excellently. Strings benefit immensely from the Eikon’s presentation of air, which despite not being immense in amount is still quite textured.
 
Pop genres, specifically upbeat electro-pop music, have the tendency to be mixed a little bright – with vocals being filtered so that they sit cleanly above the beat. The NFB-28 and Eikon especially did not appeal to me with this genre, which I would much rather listen to with the Gumby + Liquid Carbon – owing to the headphone’s ability to morph with gear into a smoother experience.
 
The Atticus, HE-500 and other headphones with a smooth and liquid midrange may inject so much body into the vocals in songs – which the Eikon holds off slightly on doing to maintain a level of overall balance. However, the Eikon excels at vocal texture, making this a premier choice for those who enjoy unorthodox voices and singing styles. Every rasp, yelp, hiccup, growl and scream has lifelike grit and impact well represented – while on these other headphones they would lose some of their edge.
 
 
Sennheiser HD800
 
Sennheiser’s former flagship is a listening experience that boasts extremely wide soundstage, precise imaging and the abundance of air. However, it is hard (to my ears) to pair with several pieces of gear due to its treble spike, which even when tamed by a Superdupont Resonator mod can be too harsh with some pairings. This is why the Gumby + Liquid Carbon combination has been my go-to for this headphone.
 
As mentioned before, I do believe that the HD800 edges out the Eikon in some aspects. It is slightly more resolving, for one, and has better synergy with orchestral music – as well as warmer classic rock. It also, because of its soundstage and imaging, wins in binaural recordings.
 
What the Eikon, however, bests the HD800 at is pretty much anything else – to my ears. The tonality of the ZMF headphone oozes with texture and has a live sound, particularly in the midrange – where the HD800 is a bit more recessed. I much prefer listening to vocals on the Eikon, as they have more presence than on the Sennheiser while maintaining texture and body. The Eikon is also more adept at reproducing female vocals than the HD800 too, which is slightly dipped in the upper-midrange and can sound thin or distant at times.
 

 
Most headphones I try have at least one instrument that they excel at, and keeping with the ZMF tradition – the Eikon excels with acoustic guitars. However, instead of just being good with strummed guitar tracks – it presents the glisteningly sharp nature of a plucked acoustic guitar string in far more realistic fashion than the HD800. Because of this excellent pairing, even a binaural recording like Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra’s acoustic guitar-driven Up Close album fares far better on the Eikon than on the HD800.
 
The Eikon also has the sub-bass reach that, while the HD800 is technically no slouch in this regard, can be audibly heard due to Zach’s tuning – while the Sennheiser is a bit muted by comparison. This makes the ZMF can excellent, along with its other strengths, for hip-hop music – a genre that the HD800 can barely touch in my opinion. You have the deep sub-bass rumble, the clear and present midrange for the rapping itself and the treble extension for any synths and cymbal patterns in the beat – making this the best headphone I have owned yet for the genre. Even the Fostex TH-X00, which I enjoyed previously with hip-hop, can’t match the discipline of the Eikon’s reproduction – with its bass feeling bloated and sluggish by comparison.
 

 
Focal Elear
 
Right off the bat, the Elear loses in soundstage width to the Eikon – albeit slightly. The Eikon is also able to retain its clarity at high volumes, unlike the Elear which is more suitable for moderate to moderately-loud listening and falls apart a bit when cranked.
 
However, the Elear is able to retain especially great synergy with two instruments: pianos and distorted guitars. Due to its shouty midrange, the Focal headphone presents guitar distortion very realistically – not at all smoothed and rather as jagged and aggressive as it should be. Pianos, also, sound like they have more realistic depth to them than any other headphone I have heard – besides the Utopia which do both these instruments even better.
 
While the Elear certainly has some good bass extension, it is more mid-bass focused while the Eikon is quite restricted in that specific area – letting its rumble transition cleanly to the lower-midrange. Needless to say, the Eikon is supreme in the isolation department, as the Elear is very much an open headphone. The Eikon also has the upper-midrange presence that the Elear is quite dipped in, making female vocals perform better on it. However, due to the aggressive midrange and 10k treble leap of the Elear – it simply chugs and crashes well in hard rock and metal music and is my go-to headphone for such genres. Both headphones are very dynamic sounding, but the presentation of the Eikon is far more refined while the Elear manages to do so by being a bit bombastic – which I can see as a disadvantage for some enthusiasts.
 
The Elear is easier to drive than the Eikon, but the sensitive nature of the ZMFs do not make this a huge victory for the Focal Headphone. Overall, the Elear was my favourite headphone that I bought in 2016 and the Eikon is looking to be my favourite in 2017 – and yes it has unseated the Elear in my personal ranking.
 

 
ZMF Atticus
 
The Atticus is the Eikon’s brother who likes to party. Switching between the two takes a small adjustment time for my ears due to how different they are, and both absolutely nail what I imagine Zach was going for. Where the Eikon is a refined experience that blends dynamics, fun and a reference sound – the Atticus is unabashedly warm, bassy and smooth in the midrange.
 
The bass thump and slam on the Atticus is far more audible than the Eikon, and while the mid-bass is tuned to be louder – the sub-bass extension is not as far-reaching as the latter’s. The midrange of the Atticus has some romantic bloom, resonance and that slight reverb that I enjoyed with my Cherry Ori back in the day – making its midrange a smooth and absorbing experience for listening to vocals. However, the transition between the lower to mid frequencies on the Atticus is not spaced out quite as cleanly as the Eikon’s – making the Atticus a headphone that can sound too warm out of my Cavalli Liquid Carbon. It benefits more from neutral or bright source/amps, but I have heard from Zach that he really likes OTL tube amplifiers paired with it too – something I have yet to try.
 
The Atticus reminds me actually of the ZMF Vibro, but a far stronger and more refined version that separates itself from issues with the Fostex T50RP driver’s treble issues. It is indeed more laid back than the Eikon, and never sibilant while being slightly rolled off – but it still has plenty of snap for a warmly tuned headphone. While I really like both headphones, I have to give the edge to the Eikon for being a more technically proficient and impressive headphone and a departure from what ZMF have done before. Despite that, the Atticus is a worthy continuation and tightening of their prior sound – and one that I really prefer for electropop as it is quite forgiving of brighter genres of music.
 

 
Focal Utopia
 
I’ll just announce this first, the Utopia is a headphone that still sits atop the throne of dynamic driver headphones as a whole – but at $4000 it shows how the $1300-1400 Eikon is such an overachiever for its price range.
 
Both headphones have a dynamic sound, but the Utopia edges out the Eikon a bit in this regard – but not by an amount that you can really be all that picky about. It, like the Elear, is also able to reproduce the sound of pianos and distorted guitars in a more realistic fashion than the Eikon – but both lack the sub-bass extension of the ZMF headphone. The Focals are also not as revealing of source as the Eikon, meaning that you will only go so far with different pairings whereas the price of the Utopia will get you the Eikon + an impressive audio chain that gels with it.
 
Every sentence that is written in this section speaks for the fact that I am comparing vastly different price-ranges – and that is astounding to me at least. Yes, the Utopia is an incredible piece of technology that has been a game changer for all summit-fi headphones – but the Eikon is a game changer for closed-back headphones. Both, in my opinion, are trailblazers at vastly different price points – and I could easily see both being in the same collection (if one has the means) as they complement each other quite well.  
 
 
While I absolutely enjoy writing reviews, I especially appreciate when I come across something that isn’t just merely good but inspiring as well. The ZMF Eikon is, to use a tired term, a summit-fi headphone that rivals others several times its own price – while besting many. It has sound technicalities, oodles detail, maintains the ZMF punchy and fun characteristic while introducing something so new and fresh to the line-up.
 
On a personal level, it is astounding to me that I was comparing the cherry and cocobolo Ori last summer while Zach was working behind-the-scenes on this headphone – being announced in the fall with pre-orders starting in late 2016. The pre-order was a successful event, and at the time of writing he and his crew are still filling the many orders that were received. I know people who are excited to receive their Eikon, and they damn well should be because this headphone is a game changer for the high-end closed headphone market.
 
Ultimately, my favourite thing about the Eikon is that it scales so well with your audio chain – taking on characteristics while retaining what makes itself great. I can be in the mood for a dynamic experience and utilise the Audio-GD NFB-28 amplifier, or I can be in the mood for a slightly more laid-back approach and plug it into my Cavalli Liquid Carbon – and both experiences sound exceptional.
 
For this to be the first in-house flagship for ZMF Headphones is a strong statement about the direction and striving for quality under its roof. If you get the opportunity to sample this at a local meet, if not a Can Jam event, I implore that you do so. It might just be the experience you need to change your opinion of closed headphones, if you are someone who swears by open-aire options.
 
The Eikon offers a resolving sound that cannot be denied, dynamics that feel alert and alive and plenty of detail presented in a natural manner. If ZMF had any doubters before, this will be the headphone to convert them and introduce new fans to the company’s products.

 
iFi's response to my criticism as a disclaimer for this review: 
 
'The unit may have needed to be run in longer in each mode. It requires 24/7 burn in for each mode (3 weeks total) so this maybe why he says the sound wasn't a big jump between the settings'.
 
I had the Pro iCan in my possession for almost a month and ran it near non-stop, mostly in tube mode.
 
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Having previously found the IFI Micro iCAN SE impressive with its small factor yet high power, along with the synergy between its XBASS hardware bass boost and the Sennheiser HD800, I was greatly looking forward to tackling the company’s flagship amplifier. The elder brother of the Micro iCAN is called the Pro iCAN and it retails for $1700.
 
I’d like to thank IFI for sending me this unit of the Pro iCan for my honest impressions and a review.
 
Specifications
 
Gain: 0dB, 9dB and 18dB user-selectable
 
Frequency Response: 0.5Hz to 500kHz(-3dB)
 
Total Harmonic Distortion:    
    
Solid-State: ≤0.0015% (Balanced) ≤0.005% (SE)
 
Tube: ≤0.002% (Balanced) ≤0.005% (SE)
 
Tube+: ≤0.012% (Balanced) ≤0.2% (SE)
 
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR, Balanced/Single-Ended): >147dB(A) / > 137dB(A)
 
Output Power (16Ω, Balanced/Single-Ended): >14,000mW / >4,800mW
 
Output Voltage (600Ω, Balanced/Single-Ended): >23V / >11.5V
 
Input Voltage (Pro iCAN): DC 9V/6.7A – 18V/3.35A
 
Input Voltage (iPower Plus): AC 85 – 265V, 50/60Hz
 
Power Consumption: ≤ 22W idle, 50W max.
 
Dimensions: 213(l) x 192.5(w) x 63.3(h) mm
 
Weight: 1.93kg (4.3lbs）
 
Test conditions:
 
Gain = 0dB, 0.775V(0dBu) with 300 Ohm load unless stated otherwise
 
SNR Balanced: re 23V
 
SNR SE re.: 11.5V             
 

 
Build Quality & External Features:
 
I do not know why I expected the actual unit size to be substantially bigger, as it really is not large at all – especially compared to the size of the Audio-GD NFB-28 that I bought recently. I really do not care much for the looks of the Micro-series by IFI, but I had to admit that they were built like little tanks. The Pro iCan takes that robustness and gives it a chassis that one can proudly display as a member of their audio chain with its textured metallic look.
 
 
The front panel has two dials and seven outputs. The large dial on the far left is to select the input feed, as the Pro iCan has the capability of three pairs of RCA in and one balanced XLR input. Also implemented is one pair of RCA and XLR outputs each, all on the back of the chassis. The next dial on the front, a smaller one, selects the four settings for IFI’s hardware bass boost – known as XBASS. The settings are off, 10 Hz, 20 Hz and 40 Hz.
 
Neatly placed at the front are no fewer than three balanced output options – dual XLR, 4-pin XLR and a 3.5mm. There are also slots for two 6.35mm plugs contained in the centre of dual of the dual XLR, as well as two pairs of 3.5mm jacks – one balanced and one unbalanced.
 
At two points on the front panel are small switches, each with three settings. The switch on the left selects between solid-state mode, tube mode and a mode that IFI calls “tube plus.” The next switch, on the right, toggles between 0, +9 dB and +18 dB gain. The smaller knob on the right toggles between 30/+, 60/30+ and 90/60+.
 
I found that the unit ran quite cool in solid-state mode, but heated up a bit when the tubes were activated – showing a picturesque orange glow emanating from the stylized vents of the chassis. This heat is expected from a tube amp, and as there is no exposed tube – there is no chance of burning yourself by accidentally (or deliberately, if you’re into that) touching it.
 
Finally, a remote is also included which can control the volume.
 
 
Sound
 
Just like I found to be the case with the Micro iCan SE, the solid-state mode of the Pro iCan provides a very clean and powerful amping experience. There is no colouration to the sound of any sort, to my ears, and it is designed to take the sound signature of your headphones and simply make it louder. However, I honestly could not hear much of a difference in the presentation of the solid state mode between the Micro iCan and its elder brother. Keep in mind that the Micro iCan SE’s wattage was strong enough to power most headphones on its own, so Pro iCan only feels like an upgrade in this mode if you have severely hard-to-power headphones. I wish I had a Hifiman HE-6 on hand to test this, but alas I do not.
 
The tube mode is where matters get a bit more interesting. The stereotype of tube amps is that they colour the sound, adding a little distortion and warmth to make the overall experience more “musical.” Other characteristics of tubes is that bass thump is slightly reduced, with the trade-off being increased soundstage and a wetter sound. Allow me to go through this one-by-one:

1. Distortion is only really audible on really revealing headphones, like my Sennheiser HD800. Even then, it is very low and barely noticeable unless you are actively looking for it.
2. There is not much more warmth compared to the solid-state mode. On headphones like the ZMF Atticus, itself a very mid-bassy and warm can, a change can be heard but it is not very distinct.
3. Bass thump is indeed reduced slightly, but a low setting of XBASS can be added to counter this.
4. With more analytical headphones, such as the Sennheiser HD800 and the ZMF Eikon, a wetter sound is definitely heard over the dry presentation of the solid-state mode. What this means is that music becomes more laid back, with frequencies gelling slightly to achieve a less stark and analytical and more thick and rich tone. However, the change is very subtle once again.

 
The tube+ mode is meant to bridge the gap between the dry and analytical solid-state mode and the wet and musical tube mode – with less-reduced bass thump while maintaining some characteristics of the tubes. The most noticeable change between it and the tube mode is that the low distortion is further reduced, providing a blacker background to the audio. However, it does lose some soundstage and the feeling of there being more space in the mix – but adjusting the crosstalk/3D holographic sound setting can adjust this to what you enjoy.
 
Ultimately, it took a lot of careful listening to distinguish the three modes with all four of my main headphones as nothing overt comes about from switching between them. I can, however, attest that the biggest difference is between the solid-state and tube mode, but it is still so slight that the tube+ mode being a middle ground is a little baffling. If I could make any changes, I would have picked a tube that is more distinct from the solid-state mode. The current tube mode might have been more suitable for the tube+ mode, a subtle change that bridges the gap between solid-state cleanliness and a very coloured sound.
 
That being said, I do have favourite modes for each of my main headphones.
 
Pairings
 
DAC used: Schiit Gungnir Multibit with XBASS and 3D Holographic Sound Turned Off. All testing done on 4-pin XLR balanced output.
 
Sennheiser HD800
 
Sennheiser’s former flagship is a very clinical listening experience with vast soundstage and imaging capabilities. I find it difficult to pair with many headphone amplifiers, as the treble glare can get too painful to me with bad pairings. One such painful pairing was when I tried it with the Rupert Neve amp at the London Can Jam 2016 – and that is with the superdupont-resonator mod added to it too.
 
In my delta-sigma Schiit Gungnir days, I would find the treble presentation of the DAC to be a bit harsh when paired with the HD800. However, since upgrading to the more natural sounding Multibit version, I have found it to be an easier pairing with some amplifiers due to its less reliance on pushing air out to the listener.
 
The solid-state mode did not bring me any sort of glare or pain, but was still a bit treble-peaky at times depending on the source material. I did find the sound to be too dry for my taste, especially since I am used to the more coloured and warm Cavalli Liquid Carbon being paired with the headphones.
 
Tube mode brought about subtle changes that I preferred in this pairing. The sound became more laid back, and while not nearly as warm as I am used to – it was not as stark or alert in its attempt to dispense audio. Details, particularly in heavily layered rock and classic rock recordings, seemed to be brought out better in the mix and any distortion was barely noticeable after listening to music rather than deciphering the capabilities of the amp itself. I would actually classify this mode as being more detailed than the richer and more syrupy Liquid Carbon – but with reduced low end.
Tube+ mode was quite similar to the solid-state mode, too much on this headphone for my tastes. Thus, the winner of the three modes with the HD800 was tube mode.
 
ZMF Eikon (Padauk)
 
ZMF’s new flagship is a slight departure from their headphones in the past, opting for a more resolving and detailed sound while maintaining a punchy and fun sound signature with well extended and audible sub-bass. Since I’ve had this headphone, I’ve found myself drawn to the possibilities of tube amplifiers for their sound-shaping features.
 
While the tube mode of the Pro iCan is not quite a stark departure from the sound I can obtain on the Eikon using the Audio GD NFB-28 solid state amplifier – it provides a more laid sound to the very dynamic headphone. The tube mode rounds off some of the edges in airy instruments such as strings and horn sections, and provides slightly more soundstage to boot. I much prefer this combination with smooth jazz recordings and classic rock, but not so much with electronic genres due to slightly reduced sub-bass performance. Vocals, particularly female vocals, have slightly reduced airiness than the solid state mode but more body to the lower tones.
 
Tube+ mode, in this instance, can be used to offer a slightly wetter sound while maintaining the bass impact needed to enjoy genres more reliant on it. However, because it would seem that I indeed prefer the pairing of the Eikon with tubes (no matter how subtle the effects may be) I would say that the tube mode is my preference with the ZMF Eikon.
 
Focal Elear
 
To my ears, the Elear was not designed to be used for laid back and easy listening. My go-to can for metal music, the dynamic and aggressive nature of the Elear makes it stand apart from the other headphones I am using today. However, due to these characteristics, I would not choose to try and modify the Elear’s sound to be anything other than what it is normally. Tube mode with the Elear does not do this much, but it is still at a level where I feel that it would be better served with the cleaner amping experience of the solid-state mode.
 
ZMF Atticus (Cherry)
 
ZMF’s new Atticus headphone is a mid-bassy experience with a lush and smooth midrange. It is quite picky with amp pairings, absolutely refusing to play nice with my Cavalli Liquid Carbon for instance, as a warm amplifier causes it to become overly muddy in presentation – with the mid-bass becoming overpowering and causing bleed that detracts from any details and accuracy.
 
None of the modes of the Pro iCan are a bad pairing with the Atticus, but I opt for the cleanest experience in this regard. The airiness of the solid-state mode, coupled with the lower distortion than the tube modes (once again, no matter how subtle they may be) make it the best pairing with the Atticus. However, I must admit that the amp of the Audio-GD NFB-28 (solid-state) controls the bass of the Atticus far better, bending it to its will. Comparisons, once again, made with the Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC being fed into both amps.
 
XBASS & 3D Holographic Sound
 
While also being present on the Micro-iCan SE that I reviewed previously, both these modes have been upgraded substantially for the Pro-iCan’s usage. In my honest opinion, these two settings are the main selling point of this amp – and its true character, geared towards those wanting customization in their sound.
 
XBASS is a hardware bass boost that pairs very well with the Sennheiser HD800, something that I noticed while reviewing the Micro-iCan a few months ago. On the Pro iCan, however, it is a far more customizable experience with more texture and reach. Offering 10 Hz, 20 Hz and 40 Hz settings, it ranges from giving a slight kick to the low-end of your listening experience to making it a basshead’s dream. As it is a hardware boost, any trade-off to its usage is heavily reliant on the headphones being used and their ability to separate the frequencies well.
 
XBASS on the HD800 alerted me to just how well the sub-bass on the Sennheiser extended, just not very audibly due to the low volume of its low end. A HD800 with XBASS turned on full transforms the headphones into a punchy and bassy experience while retaining its crispness in the mids and highs – and most importantly the fantastic soundstage and imaging. It is a result that would make purists balk, however, as you are essentially making the headphone “lie” to you in a manner that goes far beyond mere tube colouration. Despite that, it is my favourite pairing of this amplifier – just an expensive one.
 
3D Holographic Sound is meant to add more panning distance and area into the soundstage of headphones. Using what I assume to be crosstalk, it widens the soundstage to varying effects depending on the headphones. I found the same function on the Micro-iCan to be a bit eerie, ethereal and whispery in nature – removing any impact or depth from the sound. On the Pro-iCan, however, the experience has been made more robust so that this is avoided.
 
Looking to try it, on full setting, with the HD800? Don’t bother, it does not benefit much at all. Closed headphones, like the ZMF Eikon and Atticus, do experience some widening of soundstage – and it is definitely interesting but something that is heavily dependent on the listener’s preferences.
Some combination of the two settings could fine-tune the Pro-iCan into sounding how you want, making the amplifier a consideration for those who are into such levels of customization.
 
Conclusion
 
Observant readers might notice that I did not touch very much on how the Pro-iCan simply “drives” headphones in this review. That is because it simply does so, driving most headphones is no problem for it with its ample wattage. Once again, I do not have a Hifiman HE-6 on hand to test how it does with that notoriously low-sensitivity headphone, but it handled my three 300 ohm and one 80 ohm headphones with ease. Through the 3.5mm output, it drove the 320 ohm VE Zen 2.0 easily too. I never had to make use of the gain switches.
 
I also have to praise the small form factor of the Pro-iCan, which is especially small compared to my gigantic Audio-GD NFB-28. It is quite transportable, and if it had a DAC component then it would have been all you need for a transportable setup.
 
However, ultimately, I find that the Pro iCan (when used in its pure solid-state, tube and tube+ modes) lacks a distinctive flavour that sets it apart from other amps that I have tried. While the XBASS and 3D Holographic Sound settings exist to customize your experience, I feel that IFI played it a bit too safe with the difference between the three modes – with tube+ mode feeling redundant with some headphones and it was too indistinct from solid-state mode.
 
That being said, there is nothing wrong with this amplifier.  Anyone seeking a cleanly amped experience that comes with the bells and whistles of customizable hardware bass boosts and crosstalk settings will find it here – if they are willing to spend the aforementioned $1700 for it.
 
I would imagine that even the subtle differences would suffice for some, but I would personally want a tube amplifier for this price in which it was possible to roll several different tubes for customization in a different way – so the switching mode isn’t a selling point for me.
 
So, in summation, the Pro-iCan is a solid product that will drive any of your headphones and give you the ability to customize your experience with features that are, frankly, not present on most amplifiers.
 
 
 

 
The dust has settled, in my opinion, a bit since the summer of 2016 – when the two new dynamic-driver headphones by Focal exploded onto the market. The Focal Elear and Utopia were the biggest draw of the show floor at Can Jam London 2016, and the latter was named the best headphone in the world by Tyll over at InnerFidelity.
 
Such a statement had been met with a small amount of backlash, with some in the headphones community calling the Utopia overpriced at $4000 and overhyped. More than this, to my eyes, the Utopia is being seen as the next step in dynamic-driver headphones, bringing renewed interest to the category after years of high-end offerings being dominated by planar magnetic headphones, mostly, and electrostatics. I was very impressed when I heard it myself at the London Can Jam 2016, but I wished for an opportunity to hear it in a quieter environment – the show room is no place to properly evaluate an open headphone.
 
Fast forward to February 2017, a hi-fi store in my area that I frequent (and bought my Elear from back in September) finally has a display unit of the Utopia. This was my chance to get a good sense of what made these such a hot topic.
 
I would like to extend my thanks to Audio Sanctuary/Unilet in London for letting me listen to these for long periods of time to gather impressions – and even letting me film the video component of the review in-store. They can be found at https://www.audiosanctuary.co.uk/.
 
Specifications
 
Type Circum-aural open back headphones
 
Impedance 80 Ohms
 
Sensitivity 104dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz
 
THD <0,2% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL
 
Frequency response 5Hz - 50kHz
 
Loudspeaker 137⁄64“ (40mm) pure Beryllium “M” shape dome
 
Weight 1.08lb (490g)
 
Cable length 13.1ft (4m) [reduced since]
 
Connectors 1 x Jack 01/4“ (6.35mm) stereo / 2 x 03⁄8“ (9.5mm) Lemo®
 
Carrying case 1253⁄64“x1015⁄64“x629⁄64“ (326x260x164mm)
 

 
Build Quality, Comfort and Features
 
I’m glad to say that the excessive creakiness that was present in the review unit given to InnerFidelity is entirely missing from the one in-store. Made using a good amount of carbon fibre, I found the build quality to be quite sturdy. It isn’t built like a tank, like some headphones that I’ve come across in all price ranges - but it isn’t a flimsy affair either. There is quite some heft to these headphones too, as without the cable they weigh 490g, compared to the 450g of the Elear. Holding it up next to the likes of the LCD-3, LCD-X, LCD-XC (especially) and LCD-4 made it feel light by comparison – but this is no featherweight headphone.
 
However, the weight distribution is done very well – with the leather headband resting comfortably on the listener’s head with ample cushioning. The earpads are made of lambskin leather and differ quite a bit from the earpads of the Elear. They are softer and yet provide more cushioning to deal with long listening sessions. They are removed just as easily as the Elear’s as well, pulling off and snapping back into place in a simple manner. I found the clamp of the headphones to be very similar to my Elear, to which I’m quite used to after several months of near-daily usage. However, as with the Elear, this is not a headphone to use lying down as it puts a lot of pressure on the lower-back area of the ear - which can be fatiguing over time. Sitting upright, or at a slight lean or recline, the Utopia maintains its comfort quite well – given suitable neck strength.
 

 
The included features of both the Utopia and Elear are quite bare. They come in a very nice looking black box with the cable…and that is it folks. The cable is a very thick and solidly built affair, and I was pleasantly surprised that Focal shaved down the length from the one I received with the Elear – which was so long and cumbersome that I sought out an aftermarket cable for it. However, for the price that the Utopia retails at, I would greatly prefer if Focal included another cable as well – a balanced one terminated in a 4-pin XLR plug. It should be mentioned that the cable, despite its reduced length, is still a long and slightly heavy affair – but it is well built if nothing else. Unlike the Elear’s 2.5mm connectors, the Utopia uses LEMO connectors – which I found very sturdy and easily locked into place without the necessity of turning it to a side.
 
Aesthetically, I really like how the Utopia looks – although I will admit that I prefer the Elear’s more subdued design on the cups more. It is because of the Utopia’s beryllium drivers that the cups look in the way that they do, and I have indeed heard many complaints from people who think it is an eyesore – but I disagree. The whole headphone has a look of class about it, all while being firmly entrenched in an industrial design – and it is only the Focal x Tournaire $100,000 gold and diamond version that is really trying to appeal to the hyper-upscale crowd by doing away with this.
 

 
Sound
 
The Utopia is an experience that can best be simplified as “anti-aliasing for your ears.” Tuned quite a bit brighter than the warm Elear, the headphone succeeds in making some of its competition seem veiled by comparison. Impact and dynamics are the strongest that I have heard yet from a headphone of any form factor, driver technology or use – besides electrostatics.
 
Despite having a soundstage range, based on feeling of distance of instruments and vocals, that is more intimate than many open-aire headphones that I have heard in the past – the Utopia manages to do more with its “space” than other offerings in its price range. Simple, almost amateurish, thoughts popped up while I was listening to this headphone – and this case the question was “how is it that there are more instruments clearly audible on the Utopia than on the Sennheiser HD800/800S. The one cymbal you never noticed before in a song that you’ve been listening to for years upon years is suddenly allowed its own place in the mix that didn’t seem possible before, and it doesn’t sound forced or unnaturally emphasized, which can be the case with the Sennheiser flagships – especially if we are talking about cymbal emphasis in a mix, if it lands right on the infamous 6k treble peak.
 
This feeling of the natural emphasis of instrument tracks was very apparent in the kick drum recorded by Lars Ulrich in Metallica’s Ride the Lightning album. Buried under layers of heavily distorted and reverb-soaked guitars, I had often heard the presence of the bass drum track – but never actually experienced it in a manner that felt live or even realistic. It might as well have been a drum machine on many setups. The Utopia managed to dig deep and find a way to present it so that it sounded more like it should.
 
The Utopia’s manner of doing this actually reminds me, in some way, of the Sennheiser HE-1 Orpheus. While the Utopia does not quite have the immediacy of the Sennheiser electrostat, both manage to add some “context” to what is being heard. By context, I mean the audible knowledge that there is a clear beginning and an end to any piece of recorded music. A kick drum strike has a hit and a decay, and too often in audio will it sound like you are just hearing the loudest milliseconds – the basic requirement of rendering it audible on any piece of audio gear. What the Utopia does is bring forth the moment of impact and the decay after in clarity, giving a strike that merely “clicked” before suddenly have the whole “thud” sound. Perhaps it is a bit excessive to dedicate a paragraph to this explanation, but I felt that it was needed.
 
Listening to Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra’s binaural acoustic album Up Close on the Utopia, I did immediately feel a lack of distance between the instruments that I am used to with my HD800 at home. The separation of the instruments was stellar, however, and the imaging was quite good – but I really might have to give the edge in this regard to the HD800. I feel that there were a few pans that did not move as precisely as I am used to with this album. Adding to the earlier discussion about kick drums, a track on the album has a section that introduces hand clapping – and these sound far more realistic on the Utopia than on my Elear or HD800 due to a lingering sensation that follows each one and the dynamic impact of each.
 

 
 
The bass of the Utopia is punchy and quite fast, extending decently low. It possesses a “full” sound that I feel is lacking with the Sennheiser HD800/HD800S, to my ears, that lets it keep up with any genre of music that I throw at it – whether it be orchestral or EDM. That being said, the bass is not bloated nor loud in volume, and this headphone will definitely not satisfy the staunchest basshead – who might look to the Elear instead for that fix if they insist on buying from Focal. As with the HD800, the precise nature of bass guitars on the Utopia is stellar, except it is even more audible than on the Sennheiser by a significant amount. Once again, I turned to Metallica’s 1980s albums (which have the reputation of burying the bass in the mix) and found it more noticeable than I have ever heard before – without devolving into mid-bass and midrange bleed like on the Fostex TH-X00. For more electronic genres, the Utopia keeps up with tracks such as The Weeknd’s Starboy and Daft Punk’s creative output pre-2013. The sub-bass extension was not immense, but the impact of each hit was undoubtedly present and accounted for.
 
It was a Daft Punk song that showed me the strength of the lower midrange as well – which is not overbearing but very precise once again. The song in question is Da Funk and it consists of a driving beat that continues throughout most of the song with added instrumentation piling on top of it – very much in the vein of the 1990s French House era that it came from. How the instruments pile on top of one another is an important way for me to decipher the capability of a headphone’s reproduction of audio and detail. Some headphones do well with the bass and drum aspect of the track, such as the Fostex x Massdrop TH-X00, but fail to bring out the detail in the rest of it. Some do an incredible job with the fine detail, such as the HD800, but struggle to provide a full enough bass thump to give the song its fullest drive and groove. I find that most headphones are somewhere in between these two examples, but none has balanced the two quite as well as the Utopia.
 
I am, thanks to owning a HD800, used to hearing the “air” around stringed instruments and horns in music – upper range frequencies. However, I am not quite used to hearing the air around very synthetic bass-synths. When those entered in Da Funk, I must admit that I was quite astonished. Every note had such bombast, and would announce its arrival and departure without making the overall transition of the beat muddy or overdone. I can’t imagine just how much of a balancing act tuning something to sound like this must be, it’s honestly quite astonishing.
 
The midrange itself is quite a departure from a limitation that the Elear has, a dip in the upper mids that can make female vocals sound distant. I found that female vocals had a lot more body than I am used to than with my HD800 and Elear. The separation of vocal harmonies and layering was also very well done, with each new entry into the mix being effortlessly audible. Guitars, both electric and acoustic, sounded as they should in a live setting. Due to the dynamics of the Utopia, softly played guitars sounded as laid back as they should while more aggressively strummed power chords sounded as impactful as they should. I would not characterise the midrange as being especially “liquid,” a word I have used to describe the presentation of Hifiman’s now-discontinued HE-500. The experience of the Utopia is what you make of it with the music playing, because it is not especially smooth or relaxing – it can hit hard so come prepared.
 
The treble is probably my favourite of the three in this situation, which is the opposite of what I usually come to enjoy in headphones. Yes, I would very much prefer that there wasn’t a stiflingly rolled-off treble in all that I demo, but I often pay more attention to a fun and “bassy” experience along with a rich midrange. This is why I enjoy the Meze 99 Classic as my portable setup headphones if I ever want more than IEMs or earbuds outdoors. A detailed treble extension can do wonders for more intricately recorded music, as my time with the HD800 has taught me, but the Utopia does more without any painful peaks – to my ears. It is still a rather bright headphone, but not one that is gutted in the low end at all. I can safely say that the detail that is shown with instruments such as strings, horns, cymbals, snare drums and others shows that the Utopia is fearless in how it approaches anything that has the tendency to be buried in the mix on lesser headphones – given that the source is high enough bitrate (CD quality ideally). As mentioned before, it brings out immense detail in just about any recording and has a sound that can best be described as “awake.” Outside of electrostatic headphones, I have not heard music being presented in such a dynamic fashion before – and it does it in a better way than what I previously had this sense from, the Focal Elear.
 
Comparisons
 
Focal Elear:
A/b-ing between the two, I can hear the difference in technology and implementation quite well. My daily driver since September, the Elear has a very dynamic sound – even more so than my HD800 and other headphones that I have owned/reviewed before. This is best shown in songs with a piano track, there is just so much depth to each note and the attack is sudden and impactful.
 
However, the Utopia does what the Elear does in a far better manner – reminding a listener of the price difference. It is frankly incredible how listening to the same song on either can render the Elear as dull and the Utopia as the clear victor in dynamics and impact. A snare hit in a song might sound complete and fulfilling on the Elear, but compared to the immense crash that the Utopia drags out of the same recording – it thuds in comparison. The dynamics of the Elear, and the potential to surprise you in songs, pales in comparison to the Utopia – which has “no chill” when it comes to the reproduction of audio. This headphone will not back down from a recording, and always sounds like it is giving it its absolute all.
 
The Elear is a bassier headphone however, with a lot more bass thump to its sound along with a heightened mid-bass presence that extends a bit into the lower mids – making it clearly warmer than the Utopia. When I listened to an acoustic guitar track that I recorded myself, I found that the Elear made it sound more earthy and bloomy – but the Utopia made it sound precise and brought out any flaws in my playing, exposing all. Another notable difference is the Utopia’s ability to present clean and undistorted audio at even really high volume, whereas the Elear is better suited for moderate to moderately-high listening volume – becoming a bit too shouty and harsh in its upper region if pushed.
 
I am told that some prefer the Utopia with the Elear’s pads. I have yet to try this myself, and I will do so in a future visit to Audio Sanctuary to hear for myself. Basically, the argument is that the Elear’s pads inject more bass thump into the Utopia without taking away much or any detail and dynamics.
 

 
Sennheiser HD800/HD800S
 
I would make the argument that these were the most technically proficient dynamic-driver headphones on the market before the Utopia showed up. I, personally, prefer a Superdupont-modded HD800 to the HD800S. The reason for this is that I believe that the bass is more precise on the original, with it being a bit more wooly in the HD800S – possibly to make the overall headphone warmer and more palatable to a more mainstream audience. It should be noted the large price difference between the Sennheisers and the Utopia, making the former a lot more affordable to the masses – as much as you can expect in this hobby.
 
Switching between the two, the HD800/S is the clear winner in soundstage range and imaging – continuing its reign in this regard (from what I have personally tried), as it even beat the Sennheiser HE-1. The two are the most holophonic headphones that I have heard yet, making binaural audio sound lifelike and precise. The Utopia, on the range front, is far more intimate between the two options – but it manages to utilise the space really well. At no point, even in the most “hectic” of songs, did I find that there was overlap of instruments and vocals in a manner that sounded congested. The Sennheisers have a wide canvas on which to paint, but the Utopia’s brushwork is more finely detailed.
 
The Utopia is also not all that picky about source, and is easily amped. I plugged it into my Samsung Galaxy S6 and it still, shockingly, sounded pretty damn good. Out of my portable setup, an Aune M1s plugged into a VE RunAbout Plus, it was driven entirely with only 9-10 ‘o clock on the volume dial. It both scales enormously well, but can sound like itself from a basic setup. Compare this to the notoriously picky HD800, which can sound way too harsh and treble-glaring on some amplifiers and sources – leading many to seek out warmer solid state or tube amplifiers to tame its natural state.
 
It would not be a surprise to me if the Utopia’s unveiling last year galvanized Sennheiser’s research and development department to get started on a true successor to the HD800 – which the 800S absolutely was not. I believe that increased competition in the high-end audio market will drive innovation and technology, even if it does not drive down prices necessarily. I will be keeping my eye on Sennheiser, who are still the biggest and most respected name in dynamic-driver headphones – but the Utopia takes the overall gold medal at this point in time.
 

 
Audeze LCD-4
 
Audeze’s flagship is a curious headphone for me, as based on the description of its sound signature it should be ideal for my preferences. It focuses on bass and midrange, but sports a large soundstage and detail in its upper-range.
 
However, the Utopia may not have the same focus but is far more of a hi-fi experience to my ears. The LCD-4 feels bogged down by comparison, a lot more hazy in presentation and lacking the micro-details that the Utopia sports effortlessly. A/b-ing between the two left no doubt in my mind which headphone was the victor, because both are priced the same and I expect a lot more “wow factor” at $4000 – not just an extension of the LCD-3.
 

 
Hifiman HE-1000
 
Hifiman’s soon-to-be-former consumer flagship (now that the Edition 6 has been announced) is a very nice mixture of deep bass extension, soft and pleasing midrange and comfortably extended treble. Retailing for $3000, the HE-1000 is called by some as the headphone they could listen to during a migraine – and I see why. It is far more relaxed and pillowy compared to the Utopia’s trailblazing “take no prisoners” nature. I would liken the sound to an evening on the couch listening to your favourite live jazz recordings with a glass of wine – near a fireplace for good measure.
 
However, as with the LCD-4, preferring the HE-1000 to the Utopia is purely a matter of personal preference – because it pales in comparison on a technical and detail reproduction manner. It does put up more of a fight than the Audeze flagship however, utilising its larger soundstage and punchy character. When I first saw the HE-1000 and its price, I did not think a day would come where it would be the clear underdog to another headphone that wasn’t an electrostatic, or the Sennheiser Orpheus. It just sounds veiled and too soft (in terms of dynamics) compared to the Utopia – better than the LCD-4 however.
 

 
Source & Amping
 
As mentioned above, the Utopia is not very picky with its sources. The best way to sum up what you choose to plug the headphones into is “just make sure it doesn’t suck.” Any halfway decent option should be enough to make the Utopia sound like the headphone it was designed to be.
 
I spent a large amount of time at Audio Sanctuary pairing the Utopia with the Chord Dave. This absolutely bonkers top-of-the-line system provided an immensely detailed, nuanced and pleasing sound – but you really are throwing price-to-performance out of the window to be hit by ongoing traffic and trampled into the asphalt. Make no mistake, I am not downplaying the magic of the pairing – I am just pointing out that it is not needed to make the Utopia sound like itself. I also acknowledge the irony of bringing price-to-performance ratios in a review of a headphone that costs $4000 by itself, but I believe that the headphones make the biggest overall impact in a listening experience. The Chord Dave + Focal Utopia will sound like the Utopia, but the Chord Dave + The HD800S won’t sound like the Utopia – if that makes sense.
 
To further prove this point, to myself before anyone else, I spent an even longer amount of time with the Utopia plugged into an Aune M1s digital-audio-player which was connected via line-out mode into the Venture Electronics RunAbout Plus portable headphone amplifier – a combo that is around $350 in total.
 
Not only was the Utopia fully driven, with only 9-10 o’ clock on the dial being nearly too loud for me, but it brought out all the characteristics that being amped should. This, just like the Focal Elear, is a very easily driven headphone.
 
Pricing
 
It is my firm belief that, in this hobby specifically, once you cross the $1000 threshold – the law of diminishing returns goes into overdrive, with the amount spent above this yielding reduced impact than it did before.
 
I fully realize that these are $4000, the price of four brand-new Sennheiser HD800s, or the price of a Sennheiser HD800 + Hifiman HE1000 and so on – but while I will not be able to afford the Utopia myself, I can absolutely see what justifies its price. I am not great with science, and many technical conversations of high-fidelity audio can go over my head – but I do know what I hear.
What I hear is an experience that is head and shoulders above its competition in the open-aire headphone market. I will remove myself from the “is it worth it?” question by reminding you that, to the overwhelming majority of people out there, spending anything over whatever Beats by Dre cost on headphones is mind-boggling and without merit.
 
That being said, if the Utopia sounded anything lesser than it did then I would have been quite harsh on them in this review (kind of like how I see the LCD-4) – but there are clear differences between it and the competition. Whether or not it’s because of beryllium drivers or whatnot, I cannot say for sure – but it’s there and it has moved possibilities forward for the market as a whole.
 
If you feel that you could build a setup with several headphones, each competing with the Utopia on some level (if not superseding it in the case of bass thump and soundstage) for the same price while being able to pay for an amplifier and DAC – I could definitely see that. But, I don’t see an allrounder in the high-end open-aire market that competes on all fronts quite as much.
 
Conclusion
 
Audio Sanctuary finally had a model available for display all the way in February, after these had started being sold in September. According to them, whenever stock arrived – it was picked up or mailed out the same day due to the demand being so high and the waitlist being so populated. Handmade by Focal in France, the stock didn’t seem to be able to keep up with demand quite as much until 2017.
 
This is a headphone that is a worthy recipient of its acclaim. If you have the cash handy, it will provide you with an experience that is synonymous with the appeal of high-fidelity audio in headphones – before making the leap to speakers if you haven’t already. On the topic of speakers, it still surprises me that Focal is known primarily as a speaker manufacturer. They went from being just that to throwing down the gauntlet at Sennheiser and others – and the audio world became a lot more interesting.

 
Costing me only £16, these are one of those bang-for-your-buck kind of items in the audio world.
 
Build Quality, Fit & Comfort
 
The packaging reflects the budget-fi nature by looking like something hanging on a checkout aisle at a Walmart somewhere. The build itself is expectedly not stellar, the cups are made of hollow plastic with holes. The foam is not particularly soft but not particularly rough either. The cable is another issue, being really flimsy and rigid. I would not recommend being too rough with the cable or headphones, as it does feel like it’s prone to fraying – and generally being one caught door handle away from being pulled out of the socket.
 
Because of such build materials, these are extremely light and do not weigh down your ears. They stay in place quite well too thanks to the clips, but don’t expect the wearing experience to be one where the headphones disappear on your head – I’m always aware that they’re on me due to how they sit, balanced on nothing but your ears.
 
Sound
 
The main draw of these headphones is the price-to-performance ratio. The sound is very, very impressive for its price range and form factor. The bass is punchy and has impressive extension for being such a seal-less and light fit. While I can’t say that I preferred EDM with the bass performance, it was certainly stellar for rock and metal music – with kick and double kick drums ringing out clearly in the mix along with the bass guitar, when it came to the low end. I would not characterize the bass as bloomy either, it does not overstay its welcome in more delicate genres of music. However, because the bass is of this nature, and also because there’s no real seal, wearing these in public makes the bass quite anemic – with it becoming a substantially brighter headphone.
 
The midrange is very, very clear and impressive. Listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence, the original acoustic version, shows off just how clean vocals can sound on the KSC75. Quite the contrary to the more forwarded mids on some headphones, the midrange of these are actually a little recessed – leading to a remarkably effortless transition from the bass to the midrange, something that I found lacking in both the Sennheiser Urbanite and Beats Solo 2 – which are both headphones that are several times more expensive. However, despite the impressive nature of the Koss in this regard, do not expect a very “natural” or full-bodied sound from the midrange – it actually has an artificial nature to it and a bit of grain. But, for its price, it is the best I have heard yet in open-back on-ear headphones.
 
The treble is probably the most impressive frequency of these headphones to me. I usually prefer a bassier and more mid-forward sound, but I could not deny just how much these headphones breathe. Stringed instruments such as acoustic guitars and violins have so much air around them – with the treble being very well extended without reaching immensely problematic peaks. Due to this extension and the slightly subdued nature of the mids, I would actually say that this headphone is bright overall – despite the punchy bass. However, as with the midrange, the treble is more metallic sounding than natural – but again very satisfying and impressive for its price. I will admit that I do prefer using the Ibasso DX80 digital-audio player, with its slightly warmer and treble-rolled sound signature, with the KSC75 rather than my SABRE DAC based AUNE M1s, which is a bit brighter. I also tried it with my VE RunAbout Plus portable headphone amplifier, but headphones do not really need to be driven as they can sound great out of a smartphone.
 
Another quirk of these headphones is that the soundstage is not very large by any means – which surprised me a bit due to how little they isolate and how punctured and open the cups are. The imaging is largely a miss, with the emphasis of sound reproduction being squarely from the left and right channel instead of projecting in a larger space. Due to this, songs with a lot more layers, tracks and tones can find themselves without enough room to truly shine on the KSC75 – but most songs are not of the nature where it would truly bother a listener using these for what they are intended, which is casual listening.
 
Conclusion
 
Probably the biggest compliment I can give these headphones is that I am critiquing them as if they cost above £100. They go neck to neck with many headphones several times the price on a purely sound quality basis – and even leave some more premium offerings in the dust in the same regard. I personally love when I encounter anything with this price-to-performance ratio in any hobby that I have – not just audio. With that in mind, I can strongly recommend these to anyone reading this review.
 
One final thing though, I did notice that it said on the bottom of the packet that some chemicals used in the construction of these headphones can cause severe health problems, such as cancer, according to the state of California’s regulations. However, I am told that Californian requirements are very strict, and the state has a long list of chemicals that receive this classification – deservedly or not, so make of that as you will.
 
 
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Background:
 
My very first review, in March of 2016, was of a Fostex T50RP mod – specifically the ZMF Vibro Mk. I. Any in-depth impressions I have of the prolifically modified T50RP were of ZMF Zach’s tuning of the Mark II driver. This was used in the ZMF Vibro and both ZMF Ori/Omnis that I have owned and reviewed in the past – but the Mark III Fostex driver was what Zach has switched to for the Vibro Mk. II. Confusing right?
 
In any case, it has been months since I sold my last planar magnetic headphone and chose to focus on the two dynamic options that I currently own. Approached by a fan nearby for my impressions of the Cascadia Audio Talos, I jumped at the chance. I knew of them, as I frequently peruse Reddit’s r/headphones subreddit where an announcement was made last year. The creator of the Talos is a fellow who goes by the moniker MadEconomist. I read some impressions back then about how it was slightly V-shaped, not a sound signature I prefer personally, and left it at that.
 
So, thanks to Armand for lending me his pair to find out more firsthand.
 
Specifications, Build Quality and Comfort
 
Impedance: 50Ω.
Maximum input power: 3000mW
Weight: 385g (without cable).
 
As with all T50RPs, the impedance is 50 ohms. Make no mistake however, they all require a good amount of power to come into their own – with the FAQ section on the site painting an ideal scenario of having an amplifier that can inject “3Vrms or more into 50 ohms.”
 
The headphones come in the original box for the Fostex T50RP, along with the original cable – a single-ended affair that plugs into the left cup. Given its $250 price, it makes absolute sense for MadEconomist to not push the envelope of remodeling the cups and wiring properties (as done by ZMF and previously MrSpeakers by changing the cable plugs).
 
What you’ll get is something that looks absolutely like the original Fostex headphone, with stickers on it. The stock cable is also provided, and it is not impressive at all. Armand provided his own V-Moda cable as an alternative he chooses, which I used instead and found preferable to the overly springy stock option. Both are terminated into 3.5mm jacks, so a converter was necessary to use it with my amplifier.
 
You have to understand just how naked the Talos feels in my hand compared to what I have experienced before – T50RPs tricked out with wooden cups with thick audio jacks that had room for mini-XLR terminated cables. However, it is because of the minimalist nature of the Talos’ modification that it is quite a bit lighter than both the Vibro and the Ori. Nevertheless, it is a solidly built headphone even in its stock form – with the plastic design not feeling overly flimsy and quite rugged. The metal sliders are intact and as I remember them, with no incremental adjustments but staying in place well.
 
Because of the relatively light weight, comfort is not an issue with the Talos. The choice of using HM5 Hybrid earpads is commendable, as they are not overly thick and make an effortless seal on my ears – while being very, very comfortable and plush. Extended listening sessions did not reveal any ear fatigue, but I could see them getting a tad hot in the summer – but that’s a concern that is unimaginably far right now as it’s a cold February in the UK.
 

Sound
 
I was pleasantly surprised that the Talos is not as deep of a V-shaped sound signature as I had anticipated. The overall presentation has somewhat of a clean characteristic to it while being elevated at the edges – bass and treble taking centre-stage. Jumping through my library, I immediately preferred the Talos with warmer rock music productions than I did the Vibro Mk. I for its ability to not feel too stuffy or congested.
 
The bass of the Talos is north of neutral, but not overly far reaching in the sub-bass region. However, it is punchy and not sluggish like the Fostex x Massdrop TH-X00 or even the earthier sounding Meze 99 Classic. It is not deeply textured, but it occupies a place that lends a “full” sound to the music – injecting a lot of body into each and every recording. I find this a tricky endeavour to implement because of the risk of midrange bleed (which did happen on the Vibro Mk. I), but the mids of the Talos bypass this issue – giving the lower midrange and bass space to come into their own quite well. Every bassline is heightened in presence in a pleasing manner, but do not expect the intense accuracy of the Sennheiser HD800 in this regard (and you really should not, apples and oranges).
 
Despite having its V-shaped characteristic, it was actually the midrange of the Talos that made it for me. I could not help but directly compare it to the TH-X00, which has sucked out mids and sharp treble – in my opinion. The Talos, however, has a manner of making the instrumentals of songs work well around its dip. While the soundstage is not, understandably, wide – the instrumentals of most genres fit as they should. The jangling guitar work of Spanish Bombs by The Clash sounds as it should, and well separated to boot. However, it is the vocals that take a backseat in the overall presentation of the midrange – with an upper mid dip especially hitting the female vocal range and making it sound distant. Male vocals are not hit nearly as hard, but it is still obvious that the instrumental will always be emphasized when using the Talos. It should be noted that you will not experience an especially detailed midrange from the Talos, as it is a bit hazy because of the dips.
 
That being said, the good aspects of the midrange far outweigh the negative. A quick listen to Dreams by Fleetwood Mac confirms this. The vocal layering is not absolutely drowned out by the instrumental, but the harmonies come through quite well in a manner that can be complimented. I prefer its presentation over the Vibro Mk. I for sure.
The treble is very comfortably extended, but not overly far reaching. It does not feel too stuffy, but it is certainly not very airy. I greatly appreciate the lack of peaks that I endured when I had a TH-X00 – as the Talos has a more linear approach to the treble. I also appreciate that it extends further than the Vibro Mk. I, which would get too stuffy (especially on older tracks like Led Zeppelin) – although this could be a characteristic of the T50RP Mk. III, something the Vibro Mk. II is built upon and supposedly has more treble extension than the Mk. I. (another confusing statement, I know) This means that the snare drums have a more impactful sound and cymbals are not completely drowned out in the mix.
 
One significant weakness that both headphones share is the slightly “scratchy” and unnatural nature of the T50RP treble in general. I had gotten used to it back in the day, but spending so much time with dynamic headphones has made it stick out just that much more.
 
I went hunting for sibilance in songs that make me grind my teeth on the HD800 (despite it being SuperDupont modded). One example is David Lee Roth’s vocal on Van Halen’s Hot for Teacher, which can give me a headache on some headphones. While it did run hot at certain vowels and on a ride cymbal, the Talos did a great job at giving the song a thick low-end with decently opened-up highs in a manner that didn’t irk me. This is a non-fatiguing headphone, plain and simple.
 
Conclusion
 
As an overall listen, I greatly prefer the Talos with energetic songs coupled with slick production. Its strengths are not very compatible with low-fi recordings, despite it being quite a forgiving listening experience.
 
It is not a true-to-life and “natural” sounding headphone that will give you an especially live sound, but it is a very pleasing “fun” tuned headphone that works well as an all-rounder among planar magnetics in its price range – and is an impressive first release by Cascadia Audio.
 

 
Comparisons:
 
Bass Quantity: TH-X00 > Classic 99 > Talos > ZMF Omni = Elear > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > HE400i > DT990 > K7XX > HE-500 > HD600 > HD800
 
Mid Presence: HE-500 > HD800 > HD600 > ZMF Omni = Elear > Classic 99 > HE400i > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > K7XX > Talos > TH-X00 > DT990
 
Treble Quantity: DT990 > HD800 > HE400i > TH-X00 > Elear > K7XX > Talos > Classic 99 > HE-500 > HD600 > ZMF Omni > ZMF Vibro Mk. I
 
Soundstage: HD800 > K7XX > DT990 > HE-500 > ZMF Omni = Elear = HD600 > HE400i > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > Talos > Classic 99 > TH-X00
 
Comfort: DT990 > HD800 > K7XX > TH-X00 > Elear > HE400i > HD600 > Talos > ZMF Omni > Classic 99 > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > HE-500
 
Aesthetics: Elear > HD800 > Classic 99 > TH-X00 > ZMF Omni > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > HE400i > DT990 > K7XX > HE-500 > Talos > HD600
 
Lightness: HD800 > Classic 99 > K7XX > DT990 > TH-X00 > HD600 > HE400i > Talos > Elear > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > ZMF Omni > HE-500