ZMFheadphones Auteur Classic

NONSENSE, ETC.

I was disappointed when I initially received the Auteur Classic, however it didn’t really have anything to do with the actual Classic itself. For the last 6 years, Zach Mehrbach has arguably been creating better and better headphones with each new release. I fear I had become unknowingly conditioned by those unique circumstances. Coming hot off the heels of the highly praised (deservingly so) Atrium, mentally I was expecting the latest and greatest creation from ZMF. The Auteur Classic may not be that headphone (enter Caldera?), they nevertheless deliver where it counts; to your ears and to your pocketbook.


RETURN OF A CLASSIC

Less than five years after its original release, the Auteur, now renamed the Auteur Classic, has been given a significant upgrade. Sporting a newly retooled 300 ohm bio-cellulose dynamic driver, Zach has integrated his impressive Atrium Dampening System into the Auteur Classic. Externally the Auteur Classic looks just as alluring as the original. The same gorgeous grilles are present, as well as the trademark beautiful ZMF wooden cups. The stock wood is very attractive Ambrosia Maple, with limited edition woods and stabilized sets sold intermittently throughout the year. Each unit comes with the comfortable crescent headband, stock Auteur perforated lambskin pads (alternative choices available), a stock cable (terminated to your choice) and a seahorse rugged case.


HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER?

As far as differences from the original Auteur, I unfortunately don’t have one at my disposal while writing this review. I did own several over the years, including a lovely Blackwood I reluctantly had to depart with earlier this year. Going by memory I can make a rough comparison between the two, but please take these remarks with a grain of salt.

Most notably the Auteur Classic significantly has increased staging over the Original Auteur. Where the OG Auteur had a more horizontal L/R staging, the Classic has much more vertical expansion. This is a direct result of the Atrium Dampening System integration. The treble seems to be slightly smoother than the OG Auteur. The midrange is very similar from what I can recall. Bass response also seems to have been tightened up on the Classic. As far as volume or impact, that’s too hard to say without having them side-by-side. I was always enamored with the bass quality on my former Blackwood OG Auteurs, but the Classic bass certainly doesn’t disappoint.

If you’d like a more accurate comparison, there are quite a few comparisons in the Auteur thread and in other members' reviews.


BUILD AND COMFORT

When purchasing a ZMF headphone, you’re getting a hand crafted piece that’s primarily produced and assembled in the USA. The drivers have a lifetime warranty for the original owner and customer service is amongst the best in the industry. Zach and his team will gladly answer your questions on potential purchases and help pick out which headphone and/or accessories are best for you. There is also quite a lot of helpful information available on the ZMF website and YouTube channel.

My Ambrosia Maple Auteur Classic (with aluminum chassis) has a very manageable weight of 515 grams. This can be further reduced (by 34g) by upgrading to a magnesium chassis. I’ve worn the Classic on very long sessions with no fatigue whatsoever. From my experience, even heavier ZMF headphones are very wearable due to their excellent weight distribution, comfortable pads and headband design. Over the years I’ve heard very few people complain about the fit of ZMF headphones, except possibly the weight which is very dependent on the individual. Clamp force can also be easily adjusted by properly bending the headband. Here is a instructional video that will help get the best fit out a ZMF headphone: ZMF headphones: Out of the box adjustments; getting a good fit!


My primary chain used for this review is as follows:

Tidal and FLAC>Singxer SU-1>Schiit Yggdrasil A1/Mytek Brooklyn>DNA Stratus/Glenn OTL/OG Cavalli Liquid Gold/Cavalli Liquid Carbon>Auteur Classic

*Unless noted, all opinions in this review will be using the stock Auteur Perforated Lambskin pads and a ZMF OFC cable*


SOUND

Just like the original Auteur, the Classic stands out as the most neutral-ish headphone in the ZMF lineup. For that reason alone, it might be a good option for those who are looking for a less colored sound, but still want to own a ZMF. While I personally enjoy the warmer ZMF house sound, I also welcome headphones that lean more towards neutral.

One of the first things that came to my head when listening to the Classic was that it sounds like an “Atrium Lite”. That’s certainly not a bad thing, and it also doesn’t mean the Classic is just a scaled down version of the Atrium. While the two aren’t wildly different, I easily see the case for owning both headphones. In fact I’ve heard from several people who actually prefer the Classic to the Atrium.


Staging and Imaging

As mentioned earlier, the improved staging on the Classic from the original Auteur is quite noticeable and very impressive. I found the Classic continually seems to find itself in the proverbial “sweet spot”. While the staging of the Classic is not quite on the level of the Atrium, it's also not very limited like a HD650. Overall it feels natural, plenty expansive and never cramped. Vocals don’t seem too distant, but they’re also not pushed in your face.

The Classic’s imaging is also quite good, providing great instrument placement and separation. Very busy music passages never feel sloppy or mashed together, and nothing is presented in an exaggerated way. While it might not be the final word in this category, or competing with a top tier planar, at its price point the Classic hits above its weight class.


Timbre and Dynamics

Biocellulose drivers are known for their signature timbre and dynamics, and the Auteur Classic certainly doesn't disappoint in this area. The Fostex TH900, which famously uses a biocellulose driver, is one of my oldest headphones in my collection. While it’s not without flaws, what it does get right is noteworthy. Returning once again to a biocell driver, Zach also clearly feels there’s something special about these drivers. He’s right of course, they are special. The more I listened to the Auteur Classic, the more I appreciated its tonality and timbre. It reminds me of some of the classic Sennheiser headphones, but coated in a tasty ZMF signature sauce.

You can really tell that Zach spent a good amount of time voicing the Classic. It never feels strident, edgy or veiled. I seem to always come back to this, but the Classic manages to settle into that elusive “sweet spot”. In this case it never strays too far into colored or clinical territory. I will go further into detail later, but this tuning puts the Classic in a great position to pair with a large range of gear. I also think this aspect is what makes some listeners actually favor the Auteur (and now Classic) over the entire ZMF lineup. There really is something to be said about having such great versatility.


Bass

The Auteur Classic has a very satisfying, yet controlled low end response. While it is slightly boosted somewhat, the bass is accurate and never is exceedingly exaggerated. The upper and mid bass feel tight and responsive, yet never come across as being muddy or bloated. The added Atrium Dampening System no doubt plays a big role in this performance. Similar to what I noticed when using the Atrium, on heavy bass sections the Classic never seems to get overwhelmed or bleed into the other frequencies. This helps with that great overall cohesion that I keep bringing up.

When called upon, the Classic will provide satisfying sub bass without getting flabby or distorted. While I rarely use EQ, the Classic did respond exceptionally well when I rolled bass-heavy tubes into my OTL amp. So if you’re looking to get more OOMPH out of the Classic, EQing or tube rolling might be a good way to go. Pad rolling is another good option to help tweak the bass response.


Midrange

ZMF’s in general are known for having quality midrange tuning, so it’s no surprise that the Auteur Classic has excellent voiced mids. Out of all the ZMF’s to date, the Auteur Classic feels like it has the cleanest, less intrusive sounding midrange. They more or less just flow seamlessly into the treble and bass with little or no fuss. Holding true to its overall neutral-warm tuning, the Classic’s mids never sound too thick, congested or shouty. While they are mid-forward, they aren’t overly so.

One aspect of the Classic’s midrange that I really enjoy is the lower-mids. Instruments are realistic, feel substantial and have great tonality. Bass guitars and brass instruments in particular sound fantastic and I often find myself drawn to them on certain songs.

The upper mids are also exceptional on the Classic. Vocals sound well defined and natural. Guitars and percussion instruments have enough bite, but never sound too hot or grating. This area can often cause fatigue in listeners, and I’ve certainly fallen victim to troublesome upper mids on various headphones. With the Classic I had no issues whatsoever when listening, during longer sessions (2+ hours).


Treble

Very similar to the original Auteur, the Classic has fairly extended treble that’s smooth and grain free. You won’t encounter any sibilance or 5K peaks, but I’d hardly call the Classic as having dark treble. In fact if anything, the Classic’s treble is elevated more than any other ZMF headphone currently. I think that’s possibly one reason why some enthusiasts prefer the Auteur (and now the Classic) over the rest of the ZMF lineup.

Like a lot of people, I do have some treble sensitivity. While it isn’t bad enough that I avoid brighter headphones (I’ve owned SDR HD800’s for a long time), the Classic gave me no issues. This holds true even on songs which have sibilant passages. I also tend to listen at fairly loud levels, so I wouldn’t be concerned if you do have treble sensitivity. If needed, pad swapping can be a great option to help tweak the treble to your liking.

The Classic also has a superbly tuned presence region, which provides a good sense of clarity and detail. For me personally, this is one of the aspects I enjoy most about the Classic. This area can also be further enhanced by using suede or hybrid pads.


GEAR PAIRINGS:

Despite their 300ohm bio-cell drivers, the Auteur Classic is somewhat easy to drive. I tried them on a range of high end gear to mid range DAPs. The Classic sounded great on pretty much everything I threw at it.

The tuning of the Classic really lends itself to being a chameleon of sorts. When I was using a solid state amp and a delta-sigma DAC, the Classic’s sound was pushed further towards neutral. Likewise if you want to embrace a warmer, fuller sound, using a tube amp can help yield those results. Paired with my Glenn OTL (and a choice tube roll), I brought the Classic’s closer to the Atrium’s lush, bombastic sound. That versatility is a big plus, especially at the Classic’s price point.

I was very happy (and surprised) to find that the Classic paired extremely well with my venerable iBasso DX200 DAP. Directly out of its Amp4s balanced module, the Classic’s sounded dynamic and controlled. While they did lose a little body, they still were quite enjoyable to listen to. I found myself liking the fact that I could listen to the Classic while not being tethered to my main rig.


PAD OPTIONS:

Just like the rest of the ZMF lineup, there are numerous ZMF pads available to swap onto the Auteur Classic. I’m working on a full comparison of pads for the Auteur Classic, which I hope to have completed by the end of the year. (https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/zmfheadphones-auteur-pads.26672/review/31764/)

In the meantime, here’s a small preview of a few pads (besides the stock Auteur Lambskin pads) that I enjoyed on the Classic:

AUTEUR HYBRID
These pads keep a lot of the attributes from the stock Auteur lambskin pads. You lose a slight amount of dynamics, but the treble is slightly smoothed out. What stands out the most about these pads is the added air and openness. The Hybrids are also slightly more comfortable to wear than their full lambskin brothers.

EIKON SUEDE
In general the Eikon pads reduce the soundstage compared to the Auteur pads, but being fully suede helps counterbalance that to a degree. I always like saying that suede pads feel more relaxed and blissed out, and that’s certainly the case with these pads. Suede pads are also more comfortable for the majority of listeners.


UPGRADE PROGRAM

ZMF offers a paid upgrade from the original Auteur to the Auteur Classic. The cost is $400 + shipping, which is a very reasonable cost. Turn around time is a month or less. From everyone I’ve heard who sent their Auteur back, they were very happy to have upgraded to the Classic. More info can be found here: https://shop.zmfheadphones.com/products/auteur-classic-upgrade


FINAL THOUGHTS:

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when receiving the Auteur Classic, but I had a feeling Zach wouldn’t revisit a headphone unless it was a worthy upgrade. The Classic, especially at its price point ($1499), is an extraordinary headphone and one worth taking a serious look at. If you consider their ZMF heritage (hand made, lifetime warrantied drivers, A+ customer service) and overall sound quality, you’re getting a lot for your money. I genuinely think that the Auteur Classic is one of the best bang-for-your-buck deals currently in high end headphones.

The Auteur Classic lives up to its name and then some.