ZMFheadphones Auteur

General Information

IMG_5841.jpg

"For years ZMF Headphones has been known to produce some of the best closed back headphones in the world. Now with the Auteur, we have created an open back flagship headphone, which takes the signature ZMF musicality and combines it with the resolve and spaciousness that comes from an open design."
  • S3 6500 Airtight Case or Presentation Wood Case (only available as an option with LTD Editions)
  • Wood Owners and Warranty Card, numbered and signed by ZMF.
  • Stock Cable (OFC Available for $60 when purchased with headphone)
  • Perforated Auteur or Eikon pads
  • ZMF Biocellulose driver, 98dB/mW
  • Like
Reactions: felix3650

Latest reviews

geoffalter11

Headphoneus Supremus
The Auteur OG Vs. The Auteur Classic - The Beauty of Evolution!
Pros: Classic’s new damping System.
Same tuning with different results.
Midrange
Sub Bass and overall Low End Stability
Tonality/Timbre
Price to Performance
Pad Rolling
Cons: To upgrade or not?
Comfort differences
Amp Synergy
First, I would like to thank ZMF Headphones for giving me this opportunity. This review is going to be focused on a comparison between the Auteur OG Bocote and the Auteur Classic Ambrosia Maple. I have not been compensated for my thoughts, and all thoughts are my own. I have not been persuaded one way or another to write this review. Much has been written about the Auteur OG, but very little has been hyper focused on the differences between the Classic and OG. At least not in an official written review on Head-Fi. So, strap in and I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

Shout out to my daughter, Alexandra who took all of these amazing photos for me. I hope you enjoy!

What will you not find in this review?
FR graphs, Distortion or THD Numbers, or a comparison to the Sennheiser HD650. If you are looking for those things out of this review, please look elsewhere. I don’t tend to ruminate over graphs, listen to sine waves, nor do I care whether or not the Auteur Classic or Auteur OG compares to the HD650. You will also not find music examples listening to Jazz at The Pawnshop, Holly Cole or Norah Jones. All great music, but not my cup of tea. My cup of tea happens to be English Breakfast, if you must know…

What can you find in this review?
My love story with the Auteur OG, and a complete and total appreciation for the evolution of this headphone to its current form. As far as I understand, Zach had no choice but to change the Auteur as the drivers for the Eikon and Auteur had become obsolete. Therefore, he needed to adapt to the ever changing supply chain landscape. Adapt or die is a concept I have become all too familiar with in my profession. This is generally when the greatest level of creativity takes place. Sometimes we are inspired by new ideas, and other times inspiration is born out of necessity. Whichever way it occurs, the most important part is that we continue to move forward. We need progress in our lives.

1665343451904.jpeg


My System for Comparison:
iMac as a music server running Roon Labs
Core Technologies USBe Perfect
Silver Dragon USB Cable
Exogal Comet+ with Linear Power Supply
Icon Audio HP8 MK2 Signature with a slew of NOS tubes.
Cembalo Labs Spring 1
Audio-GD R28

Musical Genres:
Classic Rock
Psychedelic Rock
Bluegrass
Modal Jazz
70’s Jazz/Funk

As David Bowie sang, “Changes Turn to Face the Strange”. We all know the last 3 yrs have led to lots of change. But, what hasn’t changed in the many yrs I have known ZMF is that they go about their business with honesty, integrity, and above all else, MUSICALITY! They have always strived to create products that are eminently listenable. As a chef, my job is to create food that people like eating. There is no higher calling in my profession. It isn’t about me. It is about my customer; it is about creating something they like eating. ZMF has become an expert in creating products that people like listening to. Can we ask anything else of them? That is what we aim to find out in this comparison.

ZMF Auteur OG Bocote LTD
1665343067181.jpeg

The Auteur OG Bocote arrived to my front door at the perfect time in my life. I was sick with Covid (Delta), dealing with depression in my lungs, lack of smell, taste and my head felt like it was in an Anchoic Chamber. But, what I hadn’t lost was my hearing, and I had nothing but time on my hands. In ways, I contribute the Auteur OG with helping me to heal faster.

I chose the Auteur for several reasons:
1. Linearity
2. The slight forward nature of the Midrange
3. An even low end with no perceived mid bass hump. While the mid bass hump has become central to the ZMF house sound creating an extremely musical and romantic sound, it isn’t my ideal preference for bass. I prefer the bass to be faster with more sub bass extension and an extremely clean 150-200 hz response leading seamlessly into the midrange.

So much has been written already about the OG, how do I write something new? Fortunately, that isn’t the point of this review, so I guess I have been saved by the bell. Let’s get into it then.

1665345073145.jpeg


Auteur Classic:
1665347214780.jpeg

The Auteur Classic is gorgeous. The Ambrosia Maple has an extremely subtle finish with unique grain. The tuning of the Classic is the same as the OG, yet it sounds like a completely different headphone. By introducing the Atrium’s patent pending damping system, the revamped Classic has added soundstage depth/width, and increased air, while retaining the dynamics and smooth sound the OG has become famous for. It continues to be extremely linear and is extremely flexible with various amps and source chains.

Fit & Finish:
One of the biggest changes between my Bocote OG and the Classic is comfort. The Classic feels lighter and more balanced on my head. The new strap helps tremendously and the Classic feels like it disappears onto my head. I can wear it for hours without even noticing it is there. My OG is not as comfortable. It is still comfortable, but it feels heavier and has less balance on the top of my head.
Winner: Classic

Pads:

I used the same pads for both. The Auteur Lambskin Perforated. I have the Eikon Suedes and the Be2’s in house and tried them all. However, the Auteur Lambskin’s are my preference. They represent the sonic middle ground for the Auteur and I believe Zach made the right choice in using this pad as the stock choice. The Eikon Suedes do add some mid bass and a bit of warmth to the Auteur. If you like your listening to be more mid bass centric the Eikon Suede’s will provide more mid bass while slightly taming the upper midrange and lower treble. However, the Eikon Suede’s also slow down the pacing a bit and that is a non-starter for me. I do want to address the intelligence that was put into pad rolling by ZMF. The ability to tailor your headphone so acutely is really smart. It enables each of us to determine our own sonic fate, so to speak. We all hear differently, have different physical attributes leading to different ways in which the headphone will seal. Therefore, what I hear with the different pads becomes a singular experience. As for anything so subjective, YMMV. As for the Be2 I didn't find it to be a great pad for the Auteur as it opens up the upper midrange and lower treble even more, which is not something the Auteur needs. Whether it is the OG or Classic.
Winner: Auteur Lambskin Perforated

Cables:

The Classic arrived with a stock braided XLR, and a OFC 1/4”. Both of which are stock with ZMF’s current headphone line-up. You have the ability to purchase an upgraded ZMF cable, or use any cable that also fits on an Audeze, or Meze headphone. This was also a smart decision as cable rolling is extremely easy with ZMF headphones. In addition to the cables Zach sent, I also had on hand the black and white premium LCD-4z copper/silver hybrid cable and an Audio Sensibility Silver Statement XLR cable. I tried all 4 cables on both my OG and the Classic. I found the LCD-4z cable to be my favorite. It is a sensational cable with an extremely clean sound. However, because most will be using either the stock braided or OFC, I stuck to the OFC 1/4” for all listening through my Icon Audio HP8 MK2 since it has only a 1/4” headphone output, and I used the braided XLR when using my Cembalo Spring 1 for consistency. My preference of the two cables is the OFC. ZMF makes really good stock cables. The 2k Copper is an amazing cable, but I don’t think it is needed for either Auteur. The OFC is a wonderful cable and provided me hours of enjoyment. It is quiet, doesn’t tangle and has fantastic connectors. Bravo to ZMF for offering such high quality stock cables. I did however find that my Audio Sensibility Silver Statement was a perfect mate to the ZMF Atrium. But, this isn’t about the Atrium, so back to the Auteur we go…

1665346644017.jpeg


Sound Impressions:
If you don’t want to read my entire review, I will give up the ghost right now. They sound very different. The Classic is a more technically adept headphone. Yet, I wouldn’t say it sounds better. There are definitely advantages to the new damping system that enable the Classic to sound more mature and evolved. However, the OG is still a seminal headphone in the ZMF line-up. Whether or not you upgrade must be made based on what you want out of your listening experience. You will not find a recommendation in this review. It is just too subjective and too personal. But, I will strive to explain what makes them so different.

Soundstage:
This is the biggest difference between the Classic and OG to my ears. The soundstage of the Classic is significantly wider and deeper. The new damping system gave Zach the ability to open up the midrange allowing sounds to come at you more dimensionally. The Auteur OG is not a closed in headphone by any stretch, but the Classic has a far more subtle and roomy stage. Therefore, each part of the sound scape has its own space to more accurately express your music. The stage of the Classic takes on the size of the music or room where it was recorded. If I am listening to a Phish show at MSG the Classic opens up to experience the grand scope of the room. If I am listening to a live Grant Green show from a small venue, the soundstage sounds true to the size of that room.

The OG does not possess this quality to the same extent. The soundstage size is similar regardless of the venue or space the musicians have to work within. But, it is not compressed, it is just smaller. The benefit of this with the OG is that you can really focus on the whole of the musical experience. I am listening to the entire band, versus separating out specific instruments. Whereas, the Classic allows you to focus on each instrument in its own space with plenty of air to allow proper note weight and decay. However, there is a physicality to the OG that I find quite fetching which makes this a tough call. I like them both for very different reasons.

The negative for me with the soundstage size of the Classic is that it isn’t quite resolving enough to completely fill in all of that space. It is very resolving for its price point, but this is the biggest difference for me between the Atrium and Classic. Their soundstage sizing is similar, yet the Atrium’s ability to resolve low level information is significantly greater which completely fills in the soundstage.
Winner: Toss Up! Depends on what you like.

Imaging:

This is where the OG and Classic will show their differences. The Classic is a imaging beast. The new damping system gives the Classic an amazing quality. A quality that makes this headphone an absolute pleasure. ZMF has figured out how to separate near/far sounds within the soundstage. This leads to pinpoint imaging and near perfect pacing. For me PRaT and imaging are the two most important qualities I look for in my gear. A great example of how they separated sounds occurs when you hear how lead and back-up vocals separate. A great example of this is on the Goose song Silver Rising. Lead Vocals maintain their position up front on my forehead, and you can clearly hear the back-up vocals in the back of my head. The same with instruments. I will continue with my examples using Goose. Goose’s positioning is as follows. Lead guitar and vocals center stage, bass stage right, keys stage left, and two drummers sitting behind the lead guitarist and behind the keyboardist stage left. The imaging of the Classic allows you to hear each instrument in their own space on stage without any question as to where they are. Feeling the lead guitarist and vocalist in the front of my head and the lead drummer right behind him and having the ability to clearly delineate their sounds is awe inspiring.

The OG does not do this to the same level. The OG has great imaging, but it does not have the same level of technical prowess. It isn’t even close. Bravo to ZMF for taking your craft further, for evolving and figuring out how to separate near/far sounds while creating an accurate instrumentation and image.
Winner: Classic

Tone/Timbre:

Can we all agree that ZMF has always made headphones with near perfect tonality? There is a tonal density to the way they make music. You can hear the full pluck of a string, there is harder hit saturation and the sounds open and close with more sustain. The only other headphone I have owned that equals ZMF with tonality was the LFF Code X, which was a tonal monster. Music sounds like music, pure and simple. In my profession, I am on a life long quest to make food that tastes exactly like what it is. If I am making a dish with asparagus as the star, it should be unmistakable that it tastes like asparagus. The greater my proficiency in cooking technique becomes, the easier it is for me to ask an ingredient, “How do I need to cook you in order to bring out your greatest attributes“? If I get it right, the dish should be created with as little manipulation and almost feel as if it was created without the use of my hands.

The OG and Classic have a similar feeling, but with sound. I listen to both and know that the tone/timbre is faithful to the instrument and to the recording. I am hearing my music as it was meant to be heard. To me, this is where things start and stop in this hobby. Can a headphone recreate accurate tone? Unequivocally, both Auteur’s possess this quality.
Winner: Tie

This review is starting to get long! Do we need to discuss Bass, Midrange and Treble? I don’t believe we do. They are tuned exactly the same. The differences with these headphones don’t lie in tuning, but in the construction of the headphone and drivers that create a different listening experience. But, for the sake of completion, here are my thoughts on each.

Bass:
The Classic’s bass has more room to breath. I don’t find that it goes any farther into the sub bass, nor do I find that bleeds into the midrange. Yet, I prefer the bass of the OG and immediacy of the sound. I find the bass of the OG to be more impactful due to the smaller soundstage. However, the placement of the bass in the soundstage is more accurate on the Classic.
Winner: Up to each listener and their preferences

Midrange:

This is where the two headphones differ most in the sound spectrum. (I keep avoiding the use of the term Frequency Response). The Classic’s stage has significantly more room. Especially the depth of the soundstage. I have read many who speak to the width of the soundstage on the Classic. They aren’t wrong, the width is greater. However, the magic to me is the difference in depth as this is what enables the separation of near/far sounds.

Both headphones are midrange specialists. They both provide an articulate midband with lifelike guitar, and a tremendous sustain of the notes. The OG’s vocal performance is a bit more intimate and forward. The Classic’s vocal presentation isn’t necessarily changed, it just has more room to breath because the size of the midrange feels grander. The separation of lead and back up vocals is more acute on the Classic and this alone makes for a different midrange presentation.

Treble:
Both Auteur’s have the classic downward sloping treble with a peak around 5k to my ears. Yet, neither are sibilant. However, the Classic’s cymbals hit with power and sustain, horns are lifelike. The treble has a sparkle and shimmer, the perfect amount of air. Hammond organ feels like it is floating. Does the OG do the same thing? Absolutely! The treble of the OG has always been my favorite part. It is absolutely perfect to my ears.
Winner: Tie

Amp Synergy:

Due to the high impedance and damping of both Auteurs, they are naturally drawn to tube amps. OTL and SET. I own an SET tube amp that both are sonically perfect with. My HP8 is an amazing tube amp and the physicality of the sound with both headphones is perfect to my ears. The sound is weighty, subtle, gentle, dynamic and voracious. As John Gradberg aptly stated in his review of the HP8 yrs ago on Innerfidelity, “it flows like a warm summer breeze”. However, the right SS amp can bring out every bit the enjoyment as my HP8. My Cembalo Spring 1 is a powerhouse with an impeccable sense of timing and tone. Both Auteur’s sound every bit as good to my ears on my Spring 1. If you are looking for the perfect pairing, none exists. Only what you like and I believe that you can find sonic bliss with either SS or tubes with both Auteur’s. However, if made to choose I would listen to both on my Icon HP8 first.

A great example of how good the Auteur Classic and OG sound on my HP8 is the Beck album Morning Phase. Especially the song Heart is a Drum. Another example of perfect synergy on the HP8 is the Knopfler/Emmy Lou live recording of Romeo & Juliet. The HP8 and both Auteur’s bring out the grit of Knopfler’s vocals, the beauty of his baritone voice while searing an imprint of his guitar right in the back of my neck.

The only pairing I didn’t love with either Auteur was my Audio-Gd R28, which is more a low impedance high current specialist. Bottom line is that while I prefer all ZMFs on tube amps, the right SS amp will make them sing just as beautifully.

Conclusion:
So, what to make of the comparison? In short, they are both incredibly musical headphones that are best in class at their price point. Will I upgrade my OG? NO! I have had the Atrium, Classic and OG here for the better part of 2 months. The Classic is the sonic middle ground of the 3. For myself, I’d rather own the Atrium and OG. However, if I could not afford the Atrium I would own the Classic because it has similar traits that I wouldn’t want to live without. That being said, the Auteur OG is still a relevant headphone in the market and I believe represents ZMF to my listening preferences so much that I don’t want to live without it.

The Classic is a fantastic headphone. The OG is a fantastic headphone. The fact that two headphones with similar tunings can sound so different speaks to how much ZMF has continued to hone their craft. My recommendation is to enjoy listening to your ZMF and to buy the one that meets your needs and live happily ever after. After all, every ZMF is an heirloom, one of a kind piece of art and that is enough!

1665351490265.jpeg


ZMF reminds me of the great chef Jean-Georges. They make products from simple to spectacular. What else can you ask for?
Last edited:
geoffalter11
geoffalter11
Just connecting your senses to products and a finished dish is enough.
wgkwgk
wgkwgk
Your daughter know something about lighting. Nice snaps.
geoffalter11
geoffalter11
Thanks @wgkwgk . Yes she knows about lighting.

macdonjh

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Very even and musical. Good dynamics and impact. Good articulation and separation of acoustic instruments.
Cons: Could seem lifeless if you're used to V- and U-shaped curves. Some report weight, but that didn't bother me.
1. Disclaimer: I am not an employee of ZMF. I purchased the head phones I listened to on the used market because I was interested in hearing them. Hear them I did.

2. Introduction: I’ve been using a pair of HifiMAN HE-500 head phones for several years. I recently became interested in hearing more bass impact, primarily when I listen to rock. Note that I don’t mean deeper or louder bass, but bass with more slam, more aggression, than what I typically hear with my HE-500s.

3. Design: The Auteur is a “mostly closed back” dynamic head phone. Quite a different design from my HE-500s, which is the point for me. The outer cups of the pair I have are teak and very handsome. The metallic medallion in the center of each ear cup is black. ZMF also offer gold-tone medalions and ear cup posts for their Blackwood editions. I wish gold-tone had been an option for the teak Auteur. I think that would have looked good. The Auteur are shipped with two different ear pads: “Eikon” and “Auteur”. Both have lamb skin covers, both sets of pads that came with my Auteur were perforated. The ear opening in the Auteur pad is 6mm wider than that of the Eikon pad. I know some of you will say the review is incomplete, but I didn’t try the Eikon pads. To me, they’re a pain to switch out, I was generally happy with the sound of the Auteur with the Auteur pads. ZMF also ship two cables: the standard flat cable with a single-ended ¼” TRS plug, and a round cable with a balanced 4-pin XLR. Since my amp is balanced only, I only used the balanced cable. There’s also a small card with the original purchaser’s name on it.

4. Packaging: The head phones are shipped in a plastic suit case, similar to a Pelican case.
Auteur package.JPG

5. What’s in the box? I received a Pelican-esque suit case with a pair of teak Auteur, Eikon and Auteur pads, single-ended and balanced cables, and the previous owner’s card.

6. RTFM: Well, OK, these are head phones. There was no manual.

7. Physicals:

7.1. Connector: The connector on the single ended cable is a ¼” TRS plug. It’s not gold plated. The connector on the balanced cable is a 4-pin XLR (non-locking). The pins in this connector are not gold plated, either.

7.2. Cable: The single ended cable is flat (with the four conductors side-by-side, not braided together or spiraled in the same jacket). It didn’t have any microphonics when I used it. Of course, when I use my home system, I’m pretty sedentary. People on a subway getting jostled might have a different experience. The balanced cable has the conductors in a single round jacket. Again, no microphonics when I used it. The flat cable is more flexible than the round cable, not that the round cable is unuseably stiff.
Auteur bal cable.JPG

7.3. Cable connector: ZMF uses mini-XLRs to connect to their ear cups. I like that. I do wonder why 4-pin connectors are used; perhaps 3-pin connectors aren’t available? The mini-XLRs are not gold plated.
Auteur connectors.JPG

Granted, I'll never make a living as a photographer. Luckily, ZMF hired somebody who does and you can see really good photos of these head phones at the ZMF website.

7.4. Pads: My Auteur arrived with two pair of pads: Eikon and Auteur, both had perforated lamb skin covering. I believe the Eikon pads were installed on my pair when I got them (I think the ear opening was smaller), and I left them in place. ZMF pads are held in place by a “skirt” that fits into a dado around the circumference of the ear cup. It’s pretty elegant once the pad is installed: no fasteners and the pad is secure and rotatable. However, there’s a trick to getting them installed and I’m not good at it yet.

8. Fit, Comfort, Isolation: Fit is pretty customizable: you can bend the head band to suit your own head. ZMF even has a YouTube video about how to do it. The ear cups swivel 360o on their supporting posts. The pads are squishy and form a good seal on my head without transmitting an inordinate amount of clamping force. I didn’t take my Auteur on the road, and my house is pretty quiet, so I didn’t give them a true isolation test. However, my family has a harder time interrupting me when I’m wearing my IEMs that when I’m wearing my Auteur.

9. What I Listened to: My home equipment consists of the Astell&Kern AK70 Mk II and a Schiit Mjolnir I. I did not try the Auteur directly out of my AK 70 or my phone. I bought them to try for home listening. All listening was done with the ZMF balanced cable.

10. Soundstage: I’m not a big soundstage aficionado when it comes to head phones. I hear almost everything within my head, and sometimes inside the ear cups. That said, within my head, the Auteur placed instruments neatly around the soundstage, when there was one (so for acoustic jazz and classical). Separation between performers, especially with small-group jazz, was better with the Auteur than with my HE-500. I noticed this especially with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers “Moanin’”. I have to admit, when I listened to classical music, symphonies, I was listening more for the grand wall of sound than whether I could identify which cellist was hitting the notes correctly.

11. Highs: To my ears, the Auteur and the HE-500 are quite similar in the treble and midrange. I noticed differences of presentation more than differences in tonality, timbre, extension, et cetera. For example, Pat Metheny “It’s For You” (As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls) I noticed the electric guitar in the last third of the song had good pace/ rhythm/ and timing (PRAT) and almost sounded soaring when I had the Auteur on. However, I noticed the acoustic guitar in the first third of the song was well articulated and sharp; and that cymbals were comparatively brighter and had more sparkle when listening to my HE-500. In contrast, when I listened to Charles Mingus’ “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting”, I took hardly any notes, because the presentation was so similar. “Saeta” from Miles Davis’ “Sketches of Spain” highlighted what the HE-500 can do. The fanfare that begins the piece was brighter through my HE-500s, but didn’t have as much glare as through my Auteur. Similarly, the finger cymbals were lighter and more present with my HifiMAN head phones. Finally, Miles’ trumpet was more forward and more present through my reference phones.

12. Mids: I really like the mids with both head phones. The two major differences I heard were my Auteur brought vocals more forward and made them clearer and more intelligible, and my HE-500s got more congested when the music got busy. Two key test tracks for me were “Whiplash” by Hank Levy (US Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors, everyone should have these recordings) and “Moanin’” by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Both of these tracks were clear winners for my pair of Auteur. On “Whiplash”, Auteur did a better job with the initial brass assault that opens the song. There was actual impact from all those horns that was palpable. Auteur also did a better job of separating the rhythm section (guitar, electric bass and drums) from the rest of the mix. That, oddly, also had the effect of making the lead instruments seem a little recessed comparted to my planars. I even cheated and did an A-B-A so I could give my HE-500s another shot at a slightly higher volume to see if it would sort out the various layers better. Some improvement as bass got a bit louder, but not much.

13. Lows: Down low is where I heard the biggest difference between my HE-500 and Auteur. Again, I perceived more a difference in presentation than tonality. My HE-500 were looser and more “rumbly”, while my pair of Auteur were tighter and drier. Neither head phone did a particularly good job with Steve Rodby’s electric bass on “It’s For You”: the notes were almost MIA. A really good example of the difference was Earth Wind & Fire’s “Dirty”. The synthesizer thump was deep, fat and rumbly through my HifiMANs. Conversely, my Auteur presented the same notes in a drier, tighter way that allowed the mids to shine through. The bass in Cowboy Junkies’ “I Don’t Get It” and “Working on a Building” was really smooth and mellow with both head phones, just the way it should be. Granted, on each of these tracks, it was “just bass”, not subterranean bass. That said, the tonality was spot on and enjoyable.

14. Gestalt, Zeitgeist, Fahrvergnugen (and other German words meaning “the whole enchilada”): I had kind of a hard time comparing these two head phones. To me, they are more similar than different. From the bottom up: when pushed a bit, each had enough bass to be satisfying for me (electronica, dance and rap fans may need to look somewhere else, I don’t think the Auteur is for you). Mids and highs were detailed a musical through both pair of phones. I caught myself more than once just listening rather than trying to pick apart the sound so I could describe it here. Something I didn’t address in the high/mid/bass paragraphs above is detail retrieval. There were times when the Auteur beat out HE-500. One example is with “Moanin’”: the short piano solo that opens the track is more strings and less wood through my HE-500. Howerver, my pair of Auteur brought out the fullness of the wood and the room decay the HE-500 missed. Conversely, I noticed harps right away in my recording of DeBussey’s “La Mer” when listening to my HE-500, I missed those instruments when listening to my Auteur. Sure, it was likely a lapse in concentration, but…

15. Conclusion: I’m not a head phone collector. Note that I didn't give the Auteur five stars. Since I haven't even heard statement head phones like the LCD-4, Utopia, SR-009, et cetera, I'll reserve the five star rating. I try to keep one pair that I listen to all the time. For the past several years it’s been my HifiMAN HE-500. It could just as easily be a pair of ZMF Auteur. I found Auteur to be balanced and even, easy to immerse myself in. They would make outstanding “daily drivers” for a head-fi-phile who listens to all but the most bass-heavy of music, or likes really sharp, analytical head phones.
rhenom
rhenom
Not to nitpick here, but in your design section you describe the Auteur as "mostly closed" which really isn't true. The Auteur isn't completely open like something from Focal or Sennheiser, but Zach himself describes them as "80% open".

I think the better description would been "mostly open" not "mostly closed" maybe this is a typo on your part.
macdonjh
macdonjh
You're right. I suppose it was more a "brain fart" than a typo. "Mostly open"/ "Mostly closed", tomato/ to-mah-to. [:)

cskippy

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: An incredible musical take on neutral
Fantastic looks
A dynamic headphone with sub bass!
Cons: Weight
I first got into the headphone hobby for school since I was enrolled in a music recording and production class and needed a pair of headphones to use. My dad had a old pair of Sony MDR V600 and used them for the first week but felt they didn't meet my needs so I went to Guitar Center and bought my first pair of headphones, which I still own, Beyerdynamic DT800 Pro 250Ohm. I found out about Head-Fi and my wallet has never been the same.

Some notes about my listening preferences:

I listen at relatively low volumes, roughly 70dB SPL, keep this in mind as our perception of frequencies is dependent on listening level.

I prefer a sound signature that let's me hear the lowest bass notes, a smooth clear midrange and a non fatiguing treble without coloration.

Comfort is a big priority for me as I usually wear headphones for 4+ hours at a time. Weight isn't usually an issue but clamp and uneven weight distribution are deal breakers for me. Audeze headphones and surprisingly the Utopia are uncomfortable for me to wear.

Gear used for review: Schiit Eitr>Gumby>Freya>Eddie Current Aficionado/Black Widow
(Pangea Audio interconnects)

Auteur

My first impressions of the Auteur went something like this:
  • Wow, there is weight and solidity to the sound, a dynamic headphone with sub bass!
  • Vocals are so clear and placed right in front of me, not slightly above me.
  • I don't hear any obvious faults like boomy bass, sucked out mids, or crazy treble spikes.
  • These are kind of big and a little heavy.
  • The stock cable is just okay.
  • I don't care for the 360° adjustable gimbals as the cups move too freely and can shift when set down.
The Auteur is the closest headphone to meet my preferred sound signature. I find them to be a warm take on neutral with a slight emphasis at 6kHz like the HD800 but at a lower amplitude giving just enough coloration to add a sense of detail or engagement. I can hear an emphasis with snares and cymbals especially in this area so I decided to switch to the perforated Eikon pads. They do a better job of smoothing out the treble but add about 3dB below 800Hz. At first I thought the pads made the Auteur sound too dark and muddy but that slight treble coloration was all but gone. Unless I specifically say, my impressions will be using the perforated Eikon pads.

I'm usually not concerned with sound stage as long as it isn't inside my head or too 3 blob. As a generalization, dynamic headphones tend to place the sound stage further away from you compared to planars although there are always exceptions. The Aeon open had one of the worst sound stages I've heard from a planar being very inside your head like a line through your ears. On the other side of the spectrum are planars like the Code Sex and HE-1000 that have surprisingly vast sound staging. To me, it's a trade off, if you have a really wide sound stage music can sound unrealistic and the stage depth is usually lacking. I like an equally deep sound stage as I'm used to listening to speakers setup in an equilateral triangle to the listener.

The Auteur's sound stage is decently wide, a little wider than HD650, but has better depth. You can place instruments accurately in the mix. Some might find issue with the sound stage but I think it stems from the Auteur being more semi open than truly an open headphone. They don't sound as open as an HD650, or an HE-6 but are more open than a DT880. Placing my hands over the cups has a subtle but noticeable cup effect. There is a loss in clarity, most noticeable with vocal placement as they get blurred a tiny bit.

Here is a quick and dirty comparison of the sound stage between Auteur, HD650, and HE-6 (Code Sex):
9936080_l.png


Auteur does the best job of pushing the sound stage completely in front of you sounding more like speakers than headphones.

Technical Measurements:

Here are frequency response measurements showing left and right channel matching for the Auteur with Auteur and Eikon pads. ** channel matching is very difficult with certain headphones especially if they have thick leather pads as just a nudge and they measure very differently.

Auteur with Auteur pads:
9936081_l.png


Auteur with Eikon pads:
9936084_l.png


The difference in bass response on the Auteur pads seems to be partially caused by the coupler. I have to place the headphones a little differently when measuring right and left. When checking channel matching by ear with sine sweeps I found these to be very sensitive to positioning on my ears. I could hear subtle shifting off center in certain parts of the sweep but it's not a deal breaker by any means.

The impulse response is an interesting area that I think can shed some light on why the Auteur doesn't sound as open as some other headphones. The lack of rear damping and thick leather pads, even perforated, will create reflections that affect the driver and often truncate the initial rebound and add additional movement after the initial response. Shown below is the Auteur with Auteur pads:
9936083_l.png


Here is the Auteur's impulse response with Eikon pads:
9936086_l.png


You can see that the Eikon pads create less extraneous movement overall as the impulse response is tighter and resolves faster after 1ms. The CSDs also confirm that the Eikon pads have have better initial decay patterns compared to the Auteur pads.

Auteur with Auteur pads CSD:
9936082_l.png


Auteur with Eikon pads CSD:
9936085_l.png


The Auteur has a pretty clean CSD. It's not as clean as the HD800 or HD650 but it's better than the Atticus or Eikon. I certainly find no obvious faults with it. The ringing at 6kHz is on par with the HD800 but is less aggravating in listening. The minor ridge at 1.5kHz is most likely cup reverberation. It is there but not enough to be a distraction.

Distortion measurements are great for a dynamic driver. Unfortunately I didn't have a quiet enough ambient noise level to feel comfortable posting my distortion measurements as they could be misinterpreted taken out of context. I can say that with what I could measure, they averaged about 0.2% distortion above 200Hz and only had one small distortion peak at 1.5kHz that was at 0.35%. They have surprisingly low distortion for a dynamic headphone especially in the low end.

Comparisons

Compared to the HD650 which has the closest tonality, the Auteur is more laid back in the upper mids and lower treble but has the 6kHz bump that creates a little more excitement. I find the HD650 to be just a touch too forward in this region so the Auteur does better here. Although my measurements don't show it, there is no contest with bass response. Autuer has better bass definition and much better sub bass on par with most planars. HD650 is more open sounding, has a better attack, and decays faster so it's clearer overall. If you want an HD650 with sub bass the Auteur is an excellent headphone to consider.

9936078_l.png


The HE-6 is a unique headphone. It is one of the most visceral and engaging sounding headphones I've heard. However, to get the most out of it you need to give it a TON of power, use a warm amp/DAC, and listen at louder volumes. HE-6 is more open sounding and has better transients with faster attack and decay but has a more diffuse sound stage. Images are slightly clearer and placed better with the Auteur. The Auteur has more bass quantity and hits harder sounding less compressed. Mid range proper is also more coherent and clear on the Auteur. Treble is more linear and less harsh on the Auteur but some might find it boring in direct comparison. The tizz of the HE-6 is no where to be found with the Auteur. These two headphones require polar opposite amps to perform their best. Auteur loves tubes and doesn't need tons of power to shine. A brighter amp or tube is recommended to make the Auteur sound more alive and engaging.

9936079_l.png


Auteur Blackwood vs Teak

I had the opportunity to hear both versions. My review unit is Wenge wood. It sits roughly in the middle of the other two woods. Blackwood had a darker tilted presentation but had less resonance and sounds were more tangible and emanated from a blacker background. Teak is tilted the other direction. A little less bass and a little more treble. They seemed to have a more immediate and engaging sound, which seemed to be from sympathetic vibrations of the cups that excited and bolstered the sound.

System Synergy

I need to point out that the Auteur will probably be too warm and dark coming form most headphones, even the HD650. I was initially put off by this but instead decided to rework my system to be brighter to suit the Auteur since it did so much right. I changed my interconnects from Blue Jeans Cables to Pangea and the Auteur became much more neutral yet still musical and pleasing plus the sound stage just opened up even more. I plan on getting a silver cable for the Auteur to get the last bit of treble extension and tightness in the bass. If you find yourself wanting a little tighter bass and more treble, give the Pangea or maybe silver interconnects a try with the Auteur.

Summary

The Auteur has the frequency response cohesiveness of an open back headphone but the technical abilities of a semi open headphone. It won't sound as open as an HD800 or HE-6 but it's tone is tough to beat at any price point. Size and weight should be a consideration if you are coming from something like a HD650. Choose Teak if you want the most neutral sounding Auteur. Choose Blackwood if you want a slightly darker and smoother sound.

It might seem like I've been pointing out all of the little faults or quirks of this headphone but it's because I love it so much. My issues with it are so small in comparison to just how damn good it sounds. To put it in perspective, I could easily live with just the Auteur and Andromeda as my only two headphones.
Sajid Amit
Sajid Amit
Nice review

Comments

Back
Top