ZMF Auteur Or HD800S

[atul.mehta6]

Hi All,

I am going to upgrade my rig and I am debating on whether to get the ZMF Auteur or the HD800S. Any thoughts on which is the better headphone for listening to mostly jazz and a bit of hip-hop? My C2A will be driving these. Both are high impedance, so they should pair well.

 

[ALL212]

I have both:

ZMF will be heavier on your head.

Otherwise I think the 800s’ a bit better at resolution.  Both are very good!

I listen to very little Jazz and virtually no hip-hop so in that regard I’m pretty much worthless! 

 

[atul.mehta6]

Thanks Aaron.. I just pulled the plug on the Auteur Almost all the reviews I read on it were +ive..

 

[Clover]

How are you liking the Auteur?  I'm considering my first pair of ZMF and am not sure which way I want to go. 

 

[atul.mehta6]

I am yet to get delivery of those.. Ordered them I think 3 weeks ago, and it is still in the first stage of production
My C2A is gathering dust and racking me with guilt. Should not have returned the 8xx so early

 

[atul.mehta6]

How are you liking the Auteur?  I'm considering my first pair of ZMF and am not sure which way I want to go.

So I lost the battle against temptation yet again (surprise, surprise!)  I have got both the HD800S and ZMF Auteur Ltd for the past month or two. I have been listening to both of them with my C2A. For my choice of music (mostly jazz and some hip-hop), I think the 800S has an edge over the Auteur. Both are quite good.. and my suspicion is that the Mainline would do better justice to both the cans than the C2A. So I ordered a Mainline recently.  Now waiting for my next adventure to begin  ;D

For your situation, I would recommend that you audition the Auteur first before you buy it. But if you're not able to do it, then perhaps 800S is a safe (and very pleasurable) choice. But again both are good cans. It might finally boil down to your listening tastes, rig, and bank balance..

 

[Clover]

Thanks, I ended up treating myself to a set of ZMF Atrium's for the Hollidays.  Part of the appeal is the craftsmanship in them for me.  The pads they came with were fine.  To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the sound at first.  No problems and great with acoustic and strings in my opinion, but just fine outside of that.  However, I just swapped pads and was getting really into rock music with them today.  I have a few more sets of pads to try, but that was also part of the appeal of me.  Maybe there was some burn in, I'm not sure but they were sounding better today then I have gotten them to in the past.  We're going to have a local headphone meetup and one of us is bringing a pair of HD800S to compare with the Atrium's on the S.E.X 3.0 I built. 

 

[Sp33ls]

Digging up an cold thread here, but I was curious if you've gotten around to building the mainline and comparing it with your C2A?

I have the C2A and use it with my ZMF Atrium, Verite Closed, and HD800S. I personally find the C2A to sound way better than it has any right to, but maybe there's some slight differences in tube selection, caps, and preferences?

I will say, I can see how one may want more less coloration and higher damping with the Atrium and HD800S. In that regard, I could assume the Mainline would be aligned with that preference.

While I enjoy all three on the C2A, the best synergy I've ever heard with it is the Verite Closed. It's just magic.

Would be interested in hearing more impressions.

 

[atul.mehta6]

Digging up an cold thread here, but I was curious if you've gotten around to building the mainline and comparing it with your C2A?
Would be interested in hearing more impressions.

Sadly I have not gotten around to building the Mainline yet. That amp and 3 other projects are still lying in their boxes quietly mocking me 

I personally find the C2A to sound way better than it has any right to, but maybe there's some slight differences in tube selection, caps, and preferences?

I agree with you 100%. for my listening tastes (jazz/hiphop) the C2A is absolutely stellar. tbh it is hard right now for me to imagine any other amp generating superior sound. My C2A is heavily upgraded mind you.. Premium tubes, Audyn Q4 caps and the stepped attenuator upgrade. That being said, I think the HD800S has better synergy with the C2A than the ZMF Auteur. I use the 800S for jazz mostly and the Auteur for pretty much everything else. They both are very different headphones but both are good..

While I enjoy all three on the C2A, the best synergy I've ever heard with it is the Verite Closed. It's just magic.
Would be interested in hearing more impressions.

ZMF Verite Closed aint cheap.. I just looked at the price Hopefully the Lottery Gods will smile at me soon.  ;D
I know some other folk in the forum who transitioned to the Mainline from the C2A and they do not have any complaints. I think the ZMF cans will bring more to the party after the transition. I will definitely drop my listening impressions once I get the Mainline up and running. Hopefully another month..

 

[atul.mehta6]

While I enjoy all three on the C2A, the best synergy I've ever heard with it is the Verite Closed. It's just magic.

Would be interested in hearing more impressions.

I finally got the Mainline setup. The caps are yet to break in.. But I would say the Auteur pairs up very well with Mainline compared to C2A.. this is strictly IMO

Between the  800S and Auteur, if you have the C2A then i would go with the former. With the mainline, I think it is really too close to call. You cant go wrong either ways..

Btw the headband on the 800S really sucks.. the Auteur is much more snug. Good for long listening sessions..