ZMF Auteur Headphone Review

Thanks to Head-Fi user @SA11297 for the loan of Auteur!
Buy Auteur: shop.zmfheadph...
My Eikon written review:
- Head-Fi: www.head-fi.or...
- HiFiGuides Forum: forum.hifiguid...
Channel Intro: • Channel Introduction
My Hearing Quirks: • WaveTheory's Hearing Q...

[@RICHARDPOOLE17]

Very informative reviews, and the price point of the models you've used as comparisons and the gear you've tested them on, is , imo, a really good price bracket for those wanting to improve their systems but not being in the market for the really 'top' stuff. I own Focal Clears, run them with a Chord Qutest and a £1500 tube amp, so this video was absolutely spot on for me.

[@peeper6785]

Loved the review. I liked it partly because you do not sound like a salesman - you sound more like an opinionated and well informed fan.. I am looking forward to enjoying your other reviews. Thank you

[@hazi5961]

Auteur on my Bifrost 2 to Quicksilver tube amp is ridiculously good. Also pretty great on the Soekris dac2541 to Violectric V281. Also, the Aeolus is even more like the HD650 than the Auteur IMO. The bass doesnt start to roll off on the Auteur until 30 Hz, which is pretty damn good IMO. But, I use the lambskin pads and not the hybrid, so that may be a factor.

[@zodd3262]

Hey man, how do you like the BF2 with your Quicksilver? Currently looking at DACs myself

[@hazi5961]

@@zodd3262 That is what I'm currently using as a dac for the Quicksilver. Great synergy.

[@Axiosz]

This are the OG or the classic?

[@ignicioperez4647]

Hello, thanks a lot for this great video, very useful and full of information! I’m thinking of replacing my Hifiman Ananda with the Aeolus. Main use would be with a Naim Atom Uniti Headphone amp. Would you recommend this pairing? Would the Aeolus be a noticeable improvement over the Ananda? Grateful for your feedback. Regards, Ignacio

[@mhuddo7106]

Great review! Been looking at headphones in that price bracket. Definitely helped me narrow things down

[@LakerTriangle]

Ugg...I know I want a pair of ZMF's but not sure which since I've never heard any. The plan is to pair them with something from Amps & Sound.

[@AF-rd2vf]

ZMFs really opens up with tube amps. Amps & Sound are exceptional.

[@JTB--]

You should try and re-Review these now that the drivers have been modified and they are now called the Auteur Classic

[@wavetheorysound]

I'd love to. Got one to send? ;p

[@JTB--]

@@wavetheorysound I bet Zach would send/lend you one if you asked

[@kato2395]

Talking about bass cannons hopefully you're planning to review the Sony MDR-Z1R in the future. I heard the bass reproduction is excellent in that headphone. I also heard that it is a very laid back, relaxing headphone to listen to. Perhaps even more relaxing than Auteur. I've demoed Auteur but haven't had the chance to demo Sony MDR-Z1R.

[@RenRenification]

Could you in percentage say how much better the Auteur is than the HD600 both off a nice $1500 chain?

[@wavetheorysound]

TBH, no. I appreciate you're trying to break it down into a simple metric, but I don't think it works that way. Compared to my 6xx, the Aut has a similar FR presentation and is similarly relaxed/smooth. The Aut has a bit better extension, particularly on solid state amps, and a much larger stage.

[@RenRenification]

@@wavetheorysound thank you for your honesty! I currently have a few higher end planars around the same price as the Auteur for extension. Do you think the HD600 would be a good complement to them, or should I save up for the Auteur even though it can’t compete extension wise?

[@albertguev]

Finally! I've been looking for a comparison of Fostex biodyna vs ZMF biodyna for months! But specifically I'd really want to know the difference between the Auteur and the TH909. Thanks for your review! PS I thought I'm the only one who still has not heard the 800S lol

[@kato2395]

What a coincidence, I am looking at the Cayin H-1A MK2 tube amplifier because I thought it look pretty nice and pretty affordable to me, also I am planning to get the ZMF Auteur in the future. But then I found out that there is a lot of complaints for the quality control of the Cayin H-1A MK2 tube amplifier. So I was planning to stick to my old plan and get the Woo Audio WA7 fireflies 3rd Gen instead. My problem is it is 2x the price of the H-1A MK2 and in my country it is hard to get American made stuff not to mention the customs fee that I have to pay to get it into my country. Have you ever tried the woo audio tube amps? Would love to see the sound comparison between the Cayin H-1A MK2 and the Woo Audio tube amplifier and see if its worth it to get the Woo Audio stuff into my country.

[@wavetheorysound]

I have had no QC issues with my unit, and I bought it used. There is some microphonics, but I think that's more of the tubes then the amp. I have not heard as many QC concerns about the Mk2. I know the Mk1 had some issues, and IIRC the Mk2 specifically addresses those. I have not heard any Woo amps yet, unfortunately. I need to try to woo Woo for some review units.

[@RyanDeLaTorre]

Maybe I missed this during the review, but did you get to run the Auteur (or the Eikon, for that matter) off of anything with a high-impedance output during your testing? I only own the Eikon, but I find that running it from a higher-impedance source gives it just a smidge more of that low-end impact and helps it be more of an all-rounder for me. (I also use Auteur pads (lambskin) most of the time, though part of the ZMF thing is getting to have fun with pad-swapping.)

[@wavetheorysound]

The Cayin HA-1AMK2 has variable output impedance. I didn't notice much of a change from setting to setting with the Aut. But, the Aut in general sounded VERY good from that amp. The same cannot be said for all ~$1200-1800 cans.

[@TimpTim]

Thumbs up. I like the comparisons.

[@delta9k]

Thank you for Zee Mighty Fine Auteur review !

[@AssafMuller]

Glad to see my Auteurs arrived safely ;-) Hah, you kept the little stickers I put on the pads to mark them.

[@wavetheorysound]

The stickers were smart! I appreciated them because it made it easy to tell which pads were which. I decided to leave them on for the next owner who might appreciate the same help.

[@AssafMuller]

@@wavetheorysound Yeah, I hope that ZMF starts labeling their ear pads in some way in the future. For now, I use a giant $10 roll of those small round stickers. 3 drawers of ear pads needs some system...

[@aceofspades6667]

Nice looking cans 👍

[@iComment87]

Comprehensive!

[@dleblanc343]

ZMF does not manufacture their own drivers, it's off the shelf stuff, but they implement them very well!

[@wavetheorysound]

Interesting. Do you know where they source them?

[@dnalekaw4699]

@@wavetheorysound They're not 'off the shelf', they are manafactured to a custom specification from ZMF by a company in Hong Kong.

[@matticeverhoeven6539]

Nich? Niche? 😂