I signed up for the news letter a long time ago, knew nothing about "The Bev’, if its what I think it is, it will be perfect for the wife to use.
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I think we can all use it. That’s if you’re interested in taking your smartphone sound to the next level while getting a touch of that ZMF timbre.
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Getting mine in ziricote. Going to be sweet.
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Pad rolling is gonna cost a fortune! 
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I can now attest to pad rolling with ZMFs being a thing, and part of its appeal. Size of ear hole/cavity, distance from ear, impact of material on frequency response, comfort of various materials. I just placed an order for Universe Hybrid to have a more complete flight of pads for the Eikon. For a closed back, I believe non-perforated are recommended, and I’m partial to the feel/comfort of suede/hybrid (combined these narrow my pad universe for the Eikon). Switching to the Auteur pad, I liked the increased soundstage and space, but don’t care for the increased reflections (so far).
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Perforated will reduce the reflections, and bass. I’ve found the Auteur to be the best pad for my modded TH-610’s.
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Interesting, thanks for that input. Maybe I should update my order.
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I’m going to wait for the LTD Cocobolo run.
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Going from the HD650 to ZMF Eikon reminds me of going from a 5.25 inch bookshelf speaker to a larger floor standing speaker. Bigger sound, more substance. That makes sense and should result given the Eikon’s much heavier +2x weight and larger cup size.
I also observed that the Eikon is more sensitive, where it requires setting a lower volume level. Initially, this surprised me. But then I remembered the “pick 2 of 3” speaker building law.
The relative bass extension, sensitivity, and ear cup size of the HD650 and Eikon (as well as that of certain planars) seems to be more or less consistent with the law.
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The Iron Laws apply in many areas. As I used to explain to clients.
- Quality
- Price
- Fast Turnaround (Schedule)
Pick any two.
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Very true - you know. I refer to this also when explaining to clients and setting fees.
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Is this the HP community product of choice as recommended by Zach or are there others to consider?
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That’s what i’ve been using on my headphones and Salire. Great product. It doesn’t add an unnatural gloss to the wood, just cleans them and adds a nice natural polish. I tried some minwax wax product that added a very high gloss layer that I hated. i tossed it, cleaned off the wax, and went back to Mohawk.
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Good to hear and thanks for your input, adding to cart.
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I’m already considering what closed back to go for in the future. Considering between the Verite Closed and Eikon. Definitely don’t have high values for things like resolution and layering, so the VC is not an obvious choice. A boosted sub bass with somewhat of a forward mid range is what I’m looking for. Source chain for the future is likely going to be a Feliks Audio Elise + Bifrost 2. Been really enjoying the Focal Elex through the Echo. I’d greatly appreciate it if anyone has comparisons between these to share. 
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i own the eikon, atticus, vc, and most recently added the elegia. i’m stuck in meetings all day but will come back and do some impressions when i can. i think you’re more like me in that you dont obsess over the technical aspects too much, and seem to value musicality and engagement factor. that’s my MO. a quick answer now would be eikon for the reasons you stated, elevated subbass with full, forward mids. it’s a highly engaging and fun headphone, and for me, moreso than the vc. if you’ve heard the elegia, think that, with less aggressive detail retrieval, more bass, and a warmer, more full overall tonal balance. need to prep for the meetings, i’ll go into more depth later.
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Thanks for those quick impressions. When you have a moment and go more in depth, it would be great if you could mention which pads you use.
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Expanding on my earlier post. Chain is Tidal hifi to Ayre Codex dac and Phonitor E amp. Run everything balanced, with simple cables (Worlds Best and Blue Jeans Cables being my most expensive). Will keep this a comparative assessment, so the worst here is the worst of the group, but still a world class headphone overall, so please don’t think i’m bashing any of them or think poorly of them. I have kept them all for much longer than I normally do if i’m not in love with them. I tend to flip equipment often unless it really resonates. These all resonate. All have been owned minimum of a year or so (VC the newest, got an Ironwood very soon after it launched). Added an Elegia a week ago, and am quite enamored with it, but only time will tell how it fares with time. I will say my instincts are telling me it will stay in my lineup.
Headphones: VC Ironwood with Universe lambskin pads. Eikon Camphor Burl with Eikon lambskins pads, Atticus Barnyard Cherry with Ori lambskin pads. I will play with the pads when I get bored, but these above are what I always end up coming back to, and what i’ll base my impressions on. Elegia is the stock headphone with stock pads. Did swap the stock cable for a Meze 99 SE cable $20 on Amazon.
This is all based on my own preferences, and completely subjective. I gravitate towards warm tonal balance and musicality vs resolution/technical merits.
My ranking:
1 Atticus
2 Eikon (if only using the Codex/Phonitor setup, would make this #1, but on other equipment it’s 2)
3 VC
4 Elegia
Notice how the most technically endowed set finished low in the rankings? Yes, i really do value musicality above technical merits! So why my ranking?
The Atticus is just plain fun. it’s the wild child, fun, engaging, and with unbridled passion. i find myself moved emotionally by this headphone more than any other. it just resonates with me best. i love the midbass punch this thing has. if i am getting bored, and want more air, i will flip the lambskin pads for suede, and i have air, with all the midbass intact. you lose a touch of pressure, but nothing significant.
But the Eikon does air better, if that’s your thing. the Eikon with Eikon lambskin pads is brighter, with a more even frequency response. it’s not as thick in the middle, and has more mass down low. the subbass on it is addicting. pull up some subbass centric tracks and watch your eyes melt. the subbass is epic. midbass, though less impactful than the Atticus, is still potent. it punches hard, and has a nice weight on male vocals and bass guitars. the Atticus is thicker, with even more weight.
Female vocals on the Eikon tend to zing my ears a bit unless of very high production quality. same with and brass instruments. i find myself turning the volume down a touch when i listen to that with the Eikon. With the Atticus, i can power on at high volume without pause.
Detail levels are on par with each other, they mostly differ in tonal balance. same with soundstage. both are excellent, on par with the HD600/HD650.
So what about the VC? First, i find it the most challenging headphone to amp. i have tried it on many many systems, and hated it on a few, thought it totally blah on most, and exceptional on a small few. what i’m trying to say is this is a tougher headphone to own than the Atticus/Eikon. it’s superior resolution demands quality behind it, as it reveals everything unpleasant in your chain. But when you get it right, it’s quite spectacular. it also seems to hit another gear with tubes, whereas the Atticus/Eikon might sound different, but not necessarily “better”.
with the VC and Pendant amp, it just sounded better all around than any amp i’ve used it on to date, including the Phonitor. I loved the VC/Pendant combo so much that I sold the Pendant and will be moving up the Ampsandsound line soon (still deciding which one).
with tubes, the VC takes on this ethereal quality the others can’t match. it’s so holographic and open sounding you really do forget you’re listening to headphones. ok maybe not quite that good, but really really good! yeah full speakers still sound better, but i need to make a point.
the issue that keeps the VC #3 on my list is this, what i love to listen to most is of poor production quality. we’re talking metal and rock that sounds like it’s been recorded in a phone booth. if i only listened to jazz and folk, and more audiophile friendly genres, the VC with a good tube amp go straight to #1. do not pass go, do not collect $200. but nothing in my life is simple, and given what i listen to most, the Atticus and Eikon just do those genres better, as they’re more forgiving and fun sounding.
The Elegia is so new i hate including it in the mix, but i’ll try with a giant word of warning that it’s totally new toy syndrome, and i don’t know this headphone yet at all.
The Elegia is a lot of fun, and seems to have what i’ve mentally been referring to as a “vivid” setting that can’t be turned off. Resolve’s video review explains it well, the Elegia just seems to push details forward in an aggressive way. it sounds like trickery, but i really enjoy it. the details are so vivid and easily identifiable, it’s quite remarkable. that being said, when i go back to my ZMFs i realize all that detail is also there, just presented in a more natural manner, not as vividly. The Elegia is the most neutral of the bunch, and is pretty bright at times, but somehow doesn’t fatigue me too bad. I really enjoy it, but it’s slightly unnatural presentation, along with it’s brighter tonal balance, put it last in my ranking.
one final word on the VC, i don’t think it’s boring at all. with the right system and music, it’s exhilarating to listen to, easily matching the Atticus/Eikon for fun. but getting it there is harder, as it’s one of the most unforgiving headphones i’ve used. feed it the wrong chain or music, and it lets you know how bad it is. it reminds me of when i owned the HD800 and HD800S. Those i also found incredibly unforgiving. when you got everything right, it would reward you, but getting it was challenging. the VC is very very similar. if you’re not going to take the time to really tailor your system to it, you’re better off with the much more forgiving Attics/Eikon/Auteur/Aeolus models. just my 2c
hope that helps. i’m bad at impressions, i ramble, but hopefully there’s some useful info in there.
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Very helpful and informative impressions and comparison. TOTL doesn’t necessarily mean favorite/preferred. I’ll be coming back to re-read this post.
I have the Eikon and enjoy it. I am considering the VC/VO for a future purchase, but also note the more resolving/less forgiving dynamic.
Do you have a view on whether the differences are driven primarily by the driver material, damping, tuning, etc.? Thanks.
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That was mighty helpful. Thanks so much for the detailed response going over your preferences. The Atticus is my favorite headphone by far, and I did want to go the safer route so I chose the Aeolus as the next ZMF to get after seeing how it’s almost universally accepted. I think I’m going to get an Eikon because it seems reviews give off the impression it has a wonderful tonal richness in the mids coming straight at you which is what I’m after. Listening to the very forward, slightly bright mid range on the Elex turn into a well seated experience full of euphony through the Echo made me want a higher tier version of something similar here only with more bass extension and impact. Appreciate your follow up a lot. And I’m mad jealous of a camphor burl Eikon.
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