[Joeybgood]

  ZMF Atticus versus Eikon
 
Since there seems to be quite a bit of interest in ZMF's two new offerings I thought I'd expand a little on my initial impressions.  I need to stress that these are only initial impressions and based upon the music/gear at Zach's table as well as a semi-noisy environment.  I did use two separate tracks, one focused on the entire spectrum and another focused more on the lower mids and bass.
 
To me, the Atticus and Eikon were much more similar than they were different, both being a tad bit towards the dark-side, with a smoothness and natural presentation that was as inviting as it was engaging.  The Atticus seemed to have a small dip somewhere in the high end, which brought the mids up and center a bit more than the Eikon.  I believe this is what gave me the impression that the mids were a bit better and fuller on the Atticus than the Eikon.  The Atticus also seemed to have a hump in the lower mid-range or upper bass, which gave it the impression of having a more powerful low end, while the Eikon appeared to be more balanced down low.  However, at times the Atticus' bass was a bit uncontrolled compared to the Eikon, causing some resonance to occur that interfered with the mids; not necessarily boomy nor muddy, but enough to cause some vibrations in the cups that at times distupted the rest of the low end.  To me, this isn't always a negative as I quite enjoy genres were the more bass resounance, the better, for example ambient dub.  The sound-stage on the Atticus also seemed a bit recessed compared to the Eikon, but it was subtle.  So, to sum up my impressions of the Eikon, to me it was a bit cleaner, but also a bit thinner overall, with more control over the bass at times, if not quite as powerful down low than the Atticus, and with more of a sparkle up top, or at least not as rolled off or dipped.  The sound-stage was also a bit deeper and to me more pleasant overall than the Atticus, however this can easliy be changed with the right equipement/tubes.
 
Again, they are quite similar, so it really comes down to both taste and what styles of music you enjoy the most.  Both were excellent in the end and it would be hard for me to choose one over the other.  Since I already own a pair of HD650s, I guess I may opt for the Eikon in the end if money wasn't an issue.
 
Below are also a few additional pictures of both:
 

My guess is someone touched on this already, but what are these cans priced at? tks

 

[onlychild]

Are the Abyss Diana at the show? Any impressions? Thanks

 

[LoryWiv]

  ZMF Atticus versus Eikon
 
Since there seems to be quite a bit of interest in ZMF's two new offerings I thought I'd expand a little on my initial impressions.  I need to stress that these are only initial impressions and based upon the music/gear at Zach's table as well as a semi-noisy environment.  I did use two separate tracks, one focused on the entire spectrum and another focused more on the lower mids and bass.
 
To me, the Atticus and Eikon were much more similar than they were different, both being a tad bit towards the dark-side, with a smoothness and natural presentation that was as inviting as it was engaging.  The Atticus seemed to have a small dip somewhere in the high end, which brought the mids up and center a bit more than the Eikon.  I believe this is what gave me the impression that the mids were a bit better and fuller on the Atticus than the Eikon.  The Atticus also seemed to have a hump in the lower mid-range or upper bass, which gave it the impression of having a more powerful low end, while the Eikon appeared to be more balanced down low.  However, at times the Atticus' bass was a bit uncontrolled compared to the Eikon, causing some resonance to occur that interfered with the mids; not necessarily boomy nor muddy, but enough to cause some vibrations in the cups that at times distupted the rest of the low end.  To me, this isn't always a negative as I quite enjoy genres were the more bass resounance, the better, for example ambient dub.  The sound-stage on the Atticus also seemed a bit recessed compared to the Eikon, but it was subtle.  So, to sum up my impressions of the Eikon, to me it was a bit cleaner, but also a bit thinner overall, with more control over the bass at times, if not quite as powerful down low than the Atticus, and with more of a sparkle up top, or at least not as rolled off or dipped.  The sound-stage was also a bit deeper and to me more pleasant overall than the Atticus, however this can easliy be changed with the right equipement/tubes.
 
Again, they are quite similar, so it really comes down to both taste and what styles of music you enjoy the most.  Both were excellent in the end and it would be hard for me to choose one over the other.  Since I already own a pair of HD650s, I guess I may opt for the Eikon in the end if money wasn't an issue.
 

Can you comment on how Zach's new models differ from the previous TOTL Omni in sound quality / signature and wearing comfort?

 

[Hansotek]

What is the name of the new $6000 Ultrasone ?

Was It only on static display or could people listen to it ?

It's called the Jubilee 25. There are only 250 available, and I think at least 246 have been sold. I gave it a listen. Personally, I didn't like it at all. Very sharp treble. Good bass though.

 

[Hansotek]

My guess is someone touched on this already, but what are these cans priced at? tks

Atticus is $999 and Eikon is $1,299. Both of them are superb. Gorgeous mids and super impactful bass. Big thumbs up!

 

[Hansotek]

Are the Abyss Diana at the show? Any impressions? Thanks

They said they made some recent discoveries that improved the sound significantly... However, that meant the new revision wasn't going to be ready for the show. They said it was more important to get it right for the debut than to get it out for the show.

 

[Effusion]

Below are few more brief impressions and photos of some of the gear I had the pleasure of experiencing at this year's show:
 
iFi Audio
 
I took some time and stopped by iFi's booth this year to check out their excellent RETRO - Stereo 50.  I've had the pleasure of listening to this particular unit during past shows and once again it did not disappoint.  Through my custom Beyer DT770 Pros it sounded really good, with a warmth, smoothness, and natural tone that I did quite enjoy.  I played around with the various nobs and dials on the unit, however their impact was somewhat subtle.  With the ability to do just about it all, I have to say that this is a good all-in-one unit, however the speakers were not with the unit this year, so I cannot comment on them.  At 25 watts per channel, relatively efficient speakers of your choice may be used.  I was also informed by the folks at iFi that the units contain all of iFi's technology into one package that they believe is future-proof.
 



 
Audio Precision
 
The wonderful folks over at Audio Precision were kind enough to let me test one of my custom headphones on their state-of-the-art measuring tools and it was really cool to learn all about the process and what goes into getting an accurate measurement.  I ran three different tests on my custom Beyer DT770 Pros, with the bass tuning ports open, sealed, and semi-open (with foam inserts) and the results of the test were outputted to PDF and stored on a free USB card that I was given at the end.  I can't express the level of my gratitude to the folks at Audio Precision for allowing enthusiasts without the means to test their headphones to do so; especially since my headphones sound nothing like the originals.  I haven't had the time to look through the measurements as of yet, but I'm excited to do so and very glad I went to visit their room.
 



 
Sonoma Acoustics
 
I spent some time checking out Sonoma Acoustics' table this year and liked their Model One Headphone System, the M1, which consists of an electrostatic headphone, using a High-Precision Electrostatic Laminate Transducer and an accompanying DAC/amplifier.  While I'm not an expert on electrostatics nor do I have a ton of experience, I found myself quite enjoying this setup.  I believe that the total package was around $5,000 with everything included, so it's not cheap, but what electrostatic systems are.  The system was quite nice overall and although I've generally not been a huge fan of electrostatics that I've tried in the past, these did quite a bit right and without the wispy high end nor the thinner mid-range that I've experienced with others.  The sound-stage was okay, not terrible or anything and a bit better than other electrostatics, but a little closer and more shallow than I prefer.  All in all, it was a smooth, pleasant, and very detailed listening experience.
 



 
E-MU Woodies
 
I thought I'd share a few more pictures of the wonderful custom wooden ear cups for the E-MU headphones, highlighting the excellent workmanship and quality that goes into them.  I want to buy a pair just for the woodies!  Seriously though, they really sounded great at the show and the different types of wood created big differences in the sound signatures.
 




 
SOtM
 
I decided to stop by the SOtM room and see some of the really cool computer audiophile components that they offer.  Even though I went with another company's USB PCIE card, the PPA from Paul Pang, I've always been interested in their solutions to make the audio from a computer both quieter and more accurate.  They offer several components to help improve the power, through the use of non-switching linear power units, by removing electrical fan noise and to help block hard drive noise (through the use of in-line filters) as well as to provide better USB audio in and out of the computer.  All of this can equate to a better signal source to your DAC of choice.  I recently dove into the world of so called de-crapifiers and have to say that separating my USB signal from the main bus as well as removing my CPU's clock from the process as well as running it all off of a Linear PSU, in addition to the SSD that holds all my tunes, has been one of the best upgrades/tweaks I've done to my system.  Everything was improved across the entire audio spectrum, giving me a cleaner sound that was more detailed than before and with a blacker background.  Since my USB and music hard drive are run from an entirely different power source than the rest of my computer, I'm not currently in need of the various filters they provide, but I still find it all very intriguing and thought I'd share a few pics with you all.
 





 
Technics
 
While I had a little extra time, I quickly ran up to Technics' room to check out their new turntable, the SL-1200GAE.  I originally bought my two SL-1200s back in the mid to late nineties and have been a huge fan of the company since.  I have to tell you that I was really disappointed when I first learned that the famous wheel of steel, the 1200, was to be phased out of production.  At the time there was a huge backlash through the DJ/Radio community and prices on existing units went through the roof overnight.  However, I'm happy to report that they made the right decision to not only bring it back, but to do so with some pretty major improvements that they believe now brings the famous 1200 into the realm of high-end audio.  According to the Technics' salesman, almost everything has been revamped with the new version and only the general look/design as well as the plastic cover top remains the same.  Very cool and I'm glad to see.  Their reel system on display was also really cool!
 


 
Once again, a great show this year!

 

[Effusion]

It's called the Jubilee 25. There are only 250 available, and I think at least 246 have been sold. I gave it a listen. Personally, I didn't like it at all. Very sharp treble. Good bass though.

Thanks for clarifying and for the name.  I was wondering why they said there were only around 10 and that a retailer had 5 of them... I mean, why only make that few, just a waste of time and energy to do so in my opinion.  It makes sense that the others just sold and that's what they have left.  I'm actually surprised that they sold that many though; I guess there's a market for anything these days.  If I was in the market for an Ultrasone I would have probably went with something from their Performance or Audiophile line as they had the best cost/benefit ratio to my ears.  I also agree with others, all the ones I tried were quite extended, which is not my favorite flavor, but to my ears, the 25 were the smoothest and best sounding of the lot that I did try.  In my opinion the most uncomfortable and piercing treble at the show was unfortunately the new Fostex TR-series though.  Not my cup of tea for sure and I really wanted to like them prior to hearing them. 

 

 

[Effusion]

  Can you comment on how Zach's new models differ from the previous TOTL Omni in sound quality / signature and wearing comfort?

Unfortunately I can't, as I haven't spent much time at all with the Omni's.  They both were comfortable though; fairly light, at least not heavy at all, and the pads were also nice, so I don't think comfort will be a problem.  I'm sure someone with an Omni will take the plunge soon though and give some detailed impressions between the two, or three.  Possibly someone else with more experience with the line than me and who went to the show will also chime in as well.

 

[brent75]

   
Somebody needs to photoshop The Admiral with some TOTL cans on. 

 
Funny thing is -- when I spotted him, he was spending his time at the Koss booth. I advised him to go around the corner and try out the Focal Elears. 

 

[brent75]

  Hoping someone can tell us their listening assessment for -
 
oBravo HRIB-1 and HAMT-1
 
Audioquest new model(s) and description
 
Ether Flow and Ether-C Flow
 
Sennheiser HD-800"S"

 
The Ether C Flow was my second favorite headphone at CanJam. (#1 for me was Focal Elear)
 
But the Ether C Flow was so smooth...it sounded very open for a closed can (without sacrificing bass)...and it was incredibly comfortable. Added bonus was being able to talk to Dan quite a bit, who was very cool and helpful in talking about it to me.

 

[pbui44]

So I noticed from pictures that Hifiman is using an amplifier with the Shangri-La that is different from the one used during CanJam@SoCal last March. Did someone hear both amps from each CanJam and can they note any physical or sound differences between both amps?

 

[trappedintime]

Anyone listen to the Oppo Sonica DAC? I haven't seen any impressions posted anywhere.

 

[brent75]

I know the bulk of this board/discussion is all about headphones/IEMs/DACs/AMPs/etc...but obviously an enormous part of RMAF is the non-CanJam stuff. So after I spent my time in the tent, I made sure to traverse the floors of the Marriott and pop into as many room demos as possible. I saw and heard some truly insane, insane stuff --- things that I had no idea even existed. Obviously the sound and performance is otherworldly, but what blew me away was how gorgeous the craftsmanship is. That being said, two of my absolute favorite rooms happened to be two that focused on price/affordability. One was getting to spend time with Dr. Hsu in his room, as he demoed his amazing subs but also some new bookshelf speakers he has coming out. It sounded phenomenal, and was made all the better because he's such a nice/humble/appreciative guy.
 
The second was my favorite room/person/demo overall, and that was ELAC led by the legendary Andrew Jones. He's a super funny guy and very enjoyable to be around. But man oh man, his $1,000 Uni-Fi towers sound AMAZING...and I would have put them up against any other speakers I sat in front of that day. It was unreal...like sitting in a concert, or jazz club, or whatever genre he happened to be demoing at the time. It was cool to hear about their news regarding Audio Alchemy, and then have Andrew share some of the other upcoming developments they have planned.
 
Here are some of the pics I grabbed of just a few of the rooms I made it in. Just thought I'd add, since this is a recap thread...
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wuwhere]

^^^ That room is too small for those tower speakers. Are those a pair of 4-12" woofers at the back? That must sound amazing.