[LoryWiv]

For those Auteur owners who also own the Atticus, do you find that they compliment each other well? I am considering a closed-back ZMF down the road. Eikon I assume is too similar to the Auteur, whereas the Atticus offers a warmer, mid-bass centric slammy flavor, which is appealing. Whatcha think? Little to no chance I could audition them, unfortunately.

To add another option, I have a ZMF Ori for those moments when it's stellar planar bass and more forgiving, relaxed sound signature is right for the moment. Had a long day yesterday and Ori hit the spot before bed. Today I'm enjoying the detail retrieval, resolution and technicalities of my Auteur while still appreciating just how very musical this headphone is. Different flavors, both great....YMMV.

 

[givemetacos]

For those Auteur owners who also own the Atticus, do you find that they compliment each other well? I am considering a closed-back ZMF down the road. Eikon I assume is too similar to the Auteur, whereas the Atticus offers a warmer, mid-bass centric slammy flavor, which is appealing. Whatcha think? Little to no chance I could audition them, unfortunately.

If you are in Cleveland and want to make the road trip out to Ann Arbor, MI you are welcome to audition my Atticus as well as any of my other gear.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

To add another option, I have a ZMF Ori for those moments when it's stellar planar bass and more forgiving, relaxed sound signature is right for the moment. Had a long day yesterday and Ori hit the spot before bed. Today I'm enjoying the detail retrieval, resolution and technicalities of my Auteur while still appreciating just how very musical this headphone is. Different flavors, both great....YMMV.

I've heard quite a few people compliment the Ori's, some say they prefer them over the Atticus. I owned a pair of MrSpeakers Alpha Primes at one point which I enjoyed, would you say they are similar (if you've heard the Primes)?

If you are in Cleveland and want to make the road trip out to Ann Arbor, MI you are welcome to audition my Atticus as well as any of my other gear.

Thanks that's really nice of you to offer! Unfortunately, I'm very strapped for time these days, if I were to find a good time to drive up there, I'll shoot you a PM and see if it works for you

 

[Hansotek]

I've heard quite a few people compliment the Ori's, some say they prefer them over the Atticus. I owned a pair of MrSpeakers Alpha Primes at one point which I enjoyed, would you say they are similar (if you've heard the Primes)?

The Ori is a bit warmer and more lush vs. the Alpha Prime, which is a little more neutral.

I’d say the better pick depends a bit on your musical tastes. The Ori has awesome subbass, especially if you have a powerful solid state to pair it with (they LOVE big time current: speaker amps, Wells Audio, etc.). Great for electronic music.

The Atticus is the better rock and vocal headphone. Very “wet” sound. Great timbre. If you feed it with a low impedance solid state, it tends to run pretty warm with lots of midbass impact. Unique damping properties. Some tube amps (especially high impedance OTLs) will pump up the midrange presence significantly and expand out the soundstage, making it sound like a $3K+ headphone. Highly recommended with Ampsandsound Mogwai SE, DecWare CSP3 or Glenn OTL for top flight performance.

 

[Rhamnetin]

Ori has more bass slam than any headphone I have ever owned, and it is the rare excellent slam hefty with sub bass, not just boosted mid bass. And it doesn't drown out the mids, so it's just a lot of fun.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

The Ori is a bit warmer and more lush vs. the Alpha Prime, which is a little more neutral.

I’d say the better pick depends a bit on your musical tastes. The Ori has awesome subbass, especially if you have a powerful solid state to pair it with (they LOVE big time current: speaker amps, Wells Audio, etc.). Great for electronic music.

The Atticus is the better rock and vocal headphone. Very “wet” sound. Great timbre. If you feed it with a low impedance solid state, it tends to run pretty warm with lots of midbass impact. Unique damping properties. Some tube amps (especially high impedance OTLs) will pump up the midrange presence significantly and expand out the soundstage, making it sound like a $3K+ headphone. Highly recommended with Ampsandsound Mogwai SE, DecWare CSP3 or Glenn OTL for top flight performance.

Thanks for the synopsis. I am most definitely a tube-oriented listener. Based on your comparison, the Atticus sounds like the better pairing for me. Ori would be run out of my Violectric V100, so plenty of power there, whereas the Atticus would be powered by my custom Bottlehead Crackatwoa, same as my Auteur. Then again, who is to say I shouldn't get both?

The Auteurs love my Crackatwoa, superb midrange euphony and excellent air/soundstage. I know this amp doesn't have a ton of reviews out there, but it truly is a massive step above the Crack + SB, as it should be. Also has premium film caps, stepped attenuator, etc. Was rolling input and output tubes my first week with the Auteur, one of my favorite pastimes, blown away every step of the way. My daily driver setup is either with a Western Electric or Tung Sol 421A ouput tube and a Sylvania 6SN7W short bottle driver. Really want to go to a meet in the near future to see how it compares to the TOTL tube brands (Ampsandsound, DecWare, Glenn, etc.).

 

[Phantaminum]

Thanks for the synopsis. I am most definitely a tube-oriented listener. Based on your comparison, the Atticus sounds like the better pairing for me. Ori would be run out of my Violectric V100, so plenty of power there, whereas the Atticus would be powered by my custom Bottlehead Crackatwoa, same as my Auteur. Then again, who is to say I shouldn't get both?

The Auteurs love my Crackatwoa, superb midrange euphony and excellent air/soundstage. I know this amp doesn't have a ton of reviews out there, but it truly is a massive step above the Crack + SB, as it should be. Also has premium film caps, stepped attenuator, etc. Was rolling input and output tubes my first week with the Auteur, one of my favorite pastimes, blown away every step of the way. My daily driver setup is either with a Western Electric or Tung Sol 421A ouput tube and a Sylvania 6SN7W short bottle driver. Really want to go to a meet in the near future to see how it compares to the TOTL tube brands (Ampsandsound, DecWare, Glenn, etc.).

Got to say that I'm a bit green with envy looking those Ash Auteurs, with a beautiful amp, a Sylvania 6SN7W, and a TS 5998. I bet it sounds sublime with looks to match.

 

[jgwtriode]

So much I could say about how much better the Blackwoods are now! But simply I have never ever had this much fun listening to my favourite Def Leperd album. Hysteria! Especially now that it's been remastered!

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Got to say that I'm a bit green with envy looking those Ash Auteurs, with a beautiful amp, a Sylvania 6SN7W, and a TS 5998. I bet it sounds sublime with looks to match.

Thanks, the sound certainly does match, but no need to be envious! Looks like you have a Glenn OTL on the way right? You will be on cloud 9 soon enough if you aren't already

 

[Flater]

V281 with 0db pre-gain for now, really good combo so far, tiny bit too lively sometimes but I think the suede pads will fix that and otherwise I can make a little EQ curve with the ADI-2 Pro.

How does the Auteur sound straight out of the Adi 2 amp? Much difference with V281 in your opinion?

 

[jgwtriode]

Well it's late/early depending on your point of view Something about everything settling that just/dust improves everything. And as I have been accused of previously I have been sprinkling the fairy/pixie dust. I like to think of the dust we wake up with in our eyes, is the residue of their magic as we dream. I'm a romantic! But the audio version is quite real and quite audible. As I always say go ahead skoff and snicker. My latest dustings are bubble leveling the maple blocks by adjusting the air bladders under them. I had just guestimated previously! The second was adding some Vee to my Auteurs headband. More to increase clamping force then to relieve pressure. I also added some inward bending at the 1/4 and 3/4 points to further increase the clamp. I find everything is just a bit better this way. I like feeling the phones secure on my head!

Anyway it just gets better.

You may not believe in fairies etc. But Magic is real! And Zach is the Magister supreme! These are Audio Prestidigitation at it's finest!

Now back to Antje Duvekot!

Happy magical listening!

Especially after midnight when the fairie play!

 

[Sniperpr5]

I plan on the Auteurs being my next headphone. One question for those of you who have heard them on silver vs copper cables. Which sounds better to you?

I know personal preference to sound signature makes a difference here but...
Which conductor type do you feel has better synergy with these headphones?

 

[B1ll]

I plan on the Auteurs being my next headphone. One question for those of you who have heard them on silver vs copper cables. Which sounds better to you?

I know personal preference to sound signature makes a difference here but...
Which conductor type do you feel has better synergy with these headphones?

I think the copper is superior in both detail and smoothness, the silver was etchy and harsh by comparison.

 

[LCMusicLover]

I plan on the Auteurs being my next headphone. One question for those of you who have heard them on silver vs copper cables. Which sounds better to you?

I know personal preference to sound signature makes a difference here but...
Which conductor type do you feel has better synergy with these headphones?

Tough call for me -- I really like them either way.

I think the copper is superior in both detail and smoothness, the silver was etchy and harsh by comparison.

Your ears, my ears...which are 62yo

I do hear a difference between the ZMF OCC cable and my Lavricables Silver. But it's a pretty minor change to my ears. Silver might be a bit brighter, a bit more detailed -- can seem a bit analytical on some tracks (Antoine DuFour solo acoustic guitar). Female vocals can get just slightly ... piercing seems like a harsh word, and stronger than what I'm trying to convey, but leans in the right direction. OCC a bit warmer/more musical. Both of those cables are 2.5mm TRRS terminated for use with my DAPs.

4-pin XLR cables for my desktop rig are Silver Dragon and Black Dragon. The SD stays plugged in maybe 3/4 of the time, mostly this chain:

NUC ==> Singxer SU-1 ==> Pontus ==> XSP-1 ==> V280 ==> Auteur

I prefer the BD when listening to my OPPO Sonica DAC.

I guess it's a bit like when you first start driving and don't look way down the road, necessitating small corrections. A nudge toward musical/warm from the DAC, a little push toward bright/analytical from the cable.

I've stated numerous times that this is my Goldilocks headphone, so I don't want musicality at the cost of detail, or vice-versa.

But again, small differences, and my preferences are driven by source, as much as the sig of the cables themselves. For example, I don't care for the Lavricables Silver out of my Opus#2, but it's nice out of my Plenue 2. Of course, your (presumably younger -- aren't everyone's?) ears might hear a bigger difference.

Just to add a bit of my ears info:

My Utopia is always fed via copper. Cardas Clear with desktop rig, LQi Cables UP-OCC copper for portable rig. I tried the Silver Dragon (with an adapter) and didn't like it. To my ears, the Utopia is a wonderful headphone, but it can be a bit demanding, and the amount of detail in the treble region can actually over-emphasize some instruments, particularly high frequency percussion. Silver accentuates this, while copper tames it a bit.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Tough call for me -- I really like them either way.

Your ears, my ears...which are 62yo

I do hear a difference between the ZMF OCC cable and my Lavricables Silver. But it's a pretty minor change to my ears. Silver might be a bit brighter, a bit more detailed -- can seem a bit analytical on some tracks (Antoine DuFour solo acoustic guitar). Female vocals can get just slightly ... piercing seems like a harsh word, and stronger than what I'm trying to convey, but leans in the right direction. OCC a bit warmer/more musical. Both of those cables are 2.5mm TRRS terminated for use with my DAPs.

4-pin XLR cables for my desktop rig are Silver Dragon and Black Dragon. The SD stays plugged in maybe 3/4 of the time, mostly this chain:

NUC ==> Singxer SU-1 ==> Pontus ==> XSP-1 ==> V280 ==> Auteur

I prefer the BD when listening to my OPPO Sonica DAC.

I guess it's a bit like when you first start driving and don't look way down the road, necessitating small corrections. A nudge toward musical/warm from the DAC, a little push toward bright/analytical from the cable.

I've stated numerous times that this is my Goldilocks headphone, so I don't want musicality at the cost of detail, or vice-versa.

But again, small differences, and my preferences are driven by source, as much as the sig of the cables themselves. For example, I don't care for the Lavricables Silver out of my Opus#2, but it's nice out of my Plenue 2. Of course, your (presumably younger -- aren't everyone's?) ears might hear a bigger difference.

Just to add a bit of my ears info:

My Utopia is always fed via copper. Cardas Clear with desktop rig, LQi Cables UP-OCC copper for portable rig. I tried the Silver Dragon (with an adapter) and didn't like it. To my ears, the Utopia is a wonderful headphone, but it can be a bit demanding, and the amount of detail in the treble region can actually over-emphasize some instruments, particularly high frequency percussion. Silver accentuates this, while copper tames it a bit.

A little addendum — ZMF copper seems to expand the soundstage a bit vs silver out of Plenue 2. Especially noticeable on well-recorded live Dead tracks, e.g., Franklin’s Tower on 6-9-77 Winterland SACD. Again, small differences.

<edit>Also notable on Van Morrison Into the Mystic</edit>