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.
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
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.
Auteur Classic:
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…
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!
ZMF reminds me of the great chef Jean-Georges. They make products from simple to spectacular. What else can you ask for?