Rarely Mentioned: The ZMF Auteur

[jtori]

I just acquired a lightly used pair of ZMF Auteurs (Teak).  Though they are rarely discussed in conjunction with the Crack, I must say they are a magical pairing.  Impedance and sensitivity are roughly the same as the Sennheiser HD600s (300 ohms, 98dB/mW).  Something to consider. 

Best,

Joe.

 

[Crackawaka]

I personally dislike it when headphone companies try to sell/market these things as luxury accessories, with exotic woods and use words that sound as if they’re selling me an expensive bottle of wine.

Close to $2,000 and one of your top reviews is from a Reddit user? LOL, I’ll pass. One of the beautiful things about the Crack and Bottlehead in general to me is that they aren’t what I described above. At all.

 

[Doc B]

Thanks for the kind words about our products. I don't disagree that marketing in audio is often rather off-putting. However what I would like to express is that we endeavor to keep it friendly here and let everyone express their enthusiasm for something without putting a damper on it. If Joe likes that headphone - based upon his actual listening experience - I think his post here is quite useful to the community.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

I personally dislike it when headphone companies try to sell/market these things as luxury accessories, with exotic woods and use words that sound as if they’re selling me an expensive bottle of wine.

Close to $2,000 and one of your top reviews is from a Reddit user? LOL, I’ll pass. One of the beautiful things about the Crack and Bottlehead in general to me is that they aren’t what I described above. At all.

The great thing about Bottlehead products is their flexibility.  You can be minimalist and build them bare bones or add every optional bell, whistle, and boutique part and make your self a "luxury" product.  The choice is yours.

As for the Auteur, it is a fantastic headphone and has been universally lauded, not just by Reddit users, a quick Google search will show you that.  I pair it with my Crackatwoa.  Yes it is $1600 (not $2000), but they are hand made, sound amazing, and you get a lifetime warranty for driver failure.  Zach at ZMF is a super cool guy, offers top-of-the-line customer service and a very personalized buying experience.

Don't be so quick to write them off as another audiophile snake oil company.  Yeah there are tons of them out there, but ZMF is one of the high-end headphone companies that really gives you what you pay for.  And they pair excellently with BH's awesome headphone amps

 

[ALL212]

I just acquired a lightly used pair of ZMF Auteurs (Teak).  Though they are rarely discussed in conjunction with the Crack, I must say they are a magical pairing.  Impedance and sensitivity are roughly the same as the Sennheiser HD600s (300 ohms, 98dB/mW).  Something to consider. 

Best,

Joe.

Joe - how do you like these?  I'm in Illinois and like to use local folk if possible and ZMF will be at the AXPONA in April so I can get some hands on with them.

Thanks!
Aaron

 

[jtori]

Joe - how do you like these?  I'm in Illinois and like to use local folk if possible and ZMF will be at the AXPONA in April so I can get some hands on with them.

Thanks!
Aaron

Hi Aaron,

I think they are an extraordinary pairing with the Crack/Speedball and Mainline.  While they are not inexpensive, they are very nicely made and well accessorized (including hard case).  It's clear Zach and co. have taken great care in the design and build of the headphones. 

The Auteurs popped up on my radar as I was contemplating the purchase of either the Sennheiser HD800 or 800S.  I was looking for a top-notch pair of phones to use with my Mainline.  I wanted something that would deliver the sort of synergy the HD600s do with the Crack.  I couldn't decide between the two Sennheisers, each of which has its own pluses and minuses.  So -- being analytical by nature -- I investigated what else was available.  At first I was skeptical, since I didn't know much about ZMF and generally stick to companies that have been around awhile and have a solid reputation for quality and service.  What I learned was that, though they haven't been around all that long, Zach and ZMF have built a solid reputation.

From an audio-quality perspective, I would would describe the Auteurs as being detailed (not hypertransparent), nuanced and realistic in their rendering of mids and highs; they are by no means etched sounding.  The mid-bass and bass are well articulated and punchy; when low frequencies are present, they are reproduced in a way that sounds natural to me.  A plucked or bowed double bass, for example, is sonorous and has extraordinary pitch definition.  What they are not is a pair of Audeze LCDs, which have what I would describe as slam on the low end.  Imaging and sense of space are exceptional.

If I had to describe them, I would say they sound like a vintage pair of Klipschorns driven by a vintage Mac tube amp. 

What I didn't expect is how much better they sound with the Crack than the HD600s.  I own a pair and will not be getting rid of them anytime soon.  But, the 600s have pretty much sat in the drawer since I acquired the Auteurs. 

Once I decided to buy the Auteurs, I kept my eyes open for a used pair.  I saved a few buck and couldn't be happier with the them.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Joe.

 

[tvr2500m]

I've seen quite a bit of chat about the ZMF headphones, and the Auteurs by all counts are reported to be excellent. They've been on my radar/short list as a headphone to try.

 

[ALL212]

Just back from AXPONA.  Talked to Zach yesterday briefly and today for a bit longer.  Came home with a pair of Auteurs.  Got a great deal on these as he tried to show me some blemish on them that I can't find but I certainly wasn't going to argue with him!  Also provided the upgraded RCA cable (just the OFC - 1 step up from basic) and he threw in the XLR basic cable.  Quite the deal!

Got them on the Mainline and have been listening for a couple of hours.  Very nice.

 

[jtori]

Just back from AXPONA.  Talked to Zach yesterday briefly and today for a bit longer.  Came home with a pair of Auteurs.  Got a great deal on these as he tried to show me some blemish on them that I can't find but I certainly wasn't going to argue with him!  Also provided the upgraded RCA cable (just the OFC - 1 step up from basic) and he threw in the XLR basic cable.  Quite the deal!

Got them on the Mainline and have been listening for a couple of hours.  Very nice.

Nice!  Please keep us posted on your impressions.  I'm listening to mine now on the Mainline and couldn't be happier.  What wood are yours?

Best,

Joe.

 

[ALL212]

ummm...don't laugh....whitish pale wood...

I told him I really liked some of the woods but understood some were premium and when they're on my head I really can't see them so the wood wasn't important to me, I was looking for bang for buck at this point. 

 

[Natural Sound]

They sure look nice. I wish there was a dealer near me that could audition. I notice they have a close backed model as well. I've been searching for a good closed back headphone for work.

 

[ALL212]

Call Zach and see if he’ll send out a demo pair.  I didn’t listen to the closed back models.

Won’t hurt to ask.

 

[ALL212]

I believe these are the Ambrosia Maple wood.

I've had these on for hours now.  I switched in the Senn HD800s' for a bit for comparison.  The HD's are more "analytical".  I don't know how else to describe them.  The ZMF's are "warmer" but by no means lesser.

A couple of times I've caught myself looking towards sounds outside the normal headphone listening plain only to find that it's the headphones.  I'll say I never experienced that with the Senn's.  These have a holography that the Senn's do not have.

I'm hoping to hear back from Zach about where to source the ends so I can build a longer cable.  I sit about 10' from the amp and this 5' cable isn't doing it for me.

These are a very enjoyable and well built headphone.  I'd highly recommend them.

 

[elnrik]

I believe these are the Ambrosia Maple wood.

I've had these on for hours now.  I switched in the Senn HD800s' for a bit for comparison.  The HD's are more "analytical".  I don't know how else to describe them.  The ZMF's are "warmer" but by no means lesser.

A couple of times I've caught myself looking towards sounds outside the normal headphone listening plain only to find that it's the headphones.  I'll say I never experienced that with the Senn's.  These have a holography that the Senn's do not have.

I'm hoping to hear back from Zach about where to source the ends so I can build a longer cable.  I sit about 10' from the amp and this 5' cable isn't doing it for me.

These are a very enjoyable and well built headphone.  I'd highly recommend them.

Any 4 pin miniXLR plug will work, but I've found the best to be from ViaBlue.  Search the Audeze website for which pins to wire to +/-.  Zach uses the same wiring.

 

[ALL212]

Just by accident I found that they are, indeed, mini-XLR's!  Was looking over 1/4 plugs and noticed one.

I bought Furutech and I'm looking for ViaBlue.  I've used ViaBlue in speaker cable builds.  I also googled up the pinout and found what looks to be reasonable.  I'll grab my meter and verify before I start the build.

 

[attmci]

Just back from AXPONA.  Talked to Zach yesterday briefly and today for a bit longer.  Came home with a pair of Auteurs.  Got a great deal on these as he tried to show me some blemish on them that I can't find but I certainly wasn't going to argue with him!  Also provided the upgraded RCA cable (just the OFC - 1 step up from basic) and he threw in the XLR basic cable.  Quite the deal!

Got them on the Mainline and have been listening for a couple of hours.  Very nice.

Did you try the Verite? That's another interesting headphone introduced at end of last year.

 

[Deke609]

How much power can the Auteur's handle? I can't find any specs on that.  These headphones are getting some pretty good reviews, with a number of reviewers stating that the Auteurs compare favorably with Audeze LCD-2 and LCD-3 - both of which like a fair amount of wattage.  They're not planars, so I expect they don't need as much juice as the LCD series, but I wonder if they'd open up even more through a S.E.X. or even a Stereomour? (I listen to my LCD-4s through a Stereomour ).  I seem to recall that one reviewer paired his Auteurs with a HeadAmp GS-X - a solid state amp that can put out up to about 6W (3 Wpc).  Any Auteur owners out there with a S.E.X. or Stereomour willing to give this a try and post impressions?

 

[ALL212]

I find Zach's naming conventions a bit confusing so I really don't know if I did audition the Verite.  I was looking for a price point/deal and came away very happy.

I believe the Auteur is 300 ohm.  I've run it on the Mainline and had it about the same volume settings as the Senn HD800s with plenty of volume and more "clicks" to go if needed.  Given some time I'll try them on the S.E.X. but I really don't think you'd need the Stereomour to run them effectively.  I do have the speaker terminal to headphone jack adapter so it could be that I'll try them on that eventually.

I'm down a DAC right now (Yggy is heading to Washington for the analog board upgrade) so my S.E.X. system is crippled as I've stolen the Bifrost from it to run the main rig.

 

[elnrik]

How much power can the Auteur's handle? I can't find any specs on that.  These headphones are getting some pretty good reviews, with a number of reviewers stating that the Auteurs compare favorably with Audeze LCD-2 and LCD-3 - both of which like a fair amount of wattage.  They're not planars, so I expect they don't need as much juice as the LCD series, but I wonder if they'd open up even more through a S.E.X. or even a Stereomour? (I listen to my LCD-4s through a Stereomour ).  I seem to recall that one reviewer paired his Auteurs with a HeadAmp GS-X - a solid state amp that can put out up to about 6W (3 Wpc).  Any Auteur owners out there with a S.E.X. or Stereomour willing to give this a try and post impressions?

.

They are 300 ohm cans, but they are all north of 96dB SPL/mW efficient.  I've driven my Eikon, Auteur, and Verite from the Crack, and they all love it.  Plenty of volume left, and they have no issue with slam or driver control.  I've also run the Eikon from a dragonfly black on a laptop, and it's passable, but could be much better.  It starts to muffle bass at any volume above 80dB-ish, which is louder than I usually listen to them.

The Auteur is not hard to drive, but it scales well with better amps and loves clean sounding tubes.

 

[Deke609]

Thanks Aaron and elnrik - It sounds like the Auteurs and the Crack are a very nice match. In which case, the next step up in amplification might be the Crack-a-two-a with its shunt voltage regulation. With my Stereomour, going from stock to stock+shunt reg was a night and day improvement (and I was pretty happy with the stock sound).

... but I'm still curious to know whether the Auteurs play well with a S.E.X.