[mysticstryk]

Any pics of the Teak Eikons so we can get an idea of what the Auteur's will look like?

He answered your question in the post you quoted

Edit: Ahh, you said Eikon. Sorry about that!

 

[endgame]

I decided on Teak based on a couple sets of Eikon's I made using the wood. We get Teak in this week for the Auteur and will have pics on the site shortly and clear differentiation etc. Sorry for the confusion.

For the LTD Blackwood you'll be able to choose Brass or Black Aluminum for the grille and rods. For teak it will be Black aluminum.

It’s $60 for an OFC upgrade cable. What is the stock cable made from? And how long? And terminated with 3.5 or 6.3?

 

[Netherwind]

Is there likely to be much weight difference between the Blackwood and the Teak? I mean I'm not expecting anything exactly featherweight but I'd prefer to lean towards slightly lighter if that's an option.

On his website he's got the different weights.

But Teak will be much lighter. Blackwood is a very very heavy wood.

He says Teak should be around 475g~.

I don't have Blackwood weight but I'd expect it to be 550+

 

[Pharmaboy]

Zach has mentioned in his low-key way that teak impressed him, once he used it for a couple test models of the Auteur (sorry if I got that wrong, Zach). I'd love to hear more from him as to exactly what appeals to him about the sound of teak...

My one experience with teak has been most instructive: I got a Fostex TX-00 mahogany from Massdrop, but wasn't impressed (particularly by the rough/elevated treble) and sold it. A couple months ago I got the E-Mu Teaks--which are physically identical to the Fostex TX00s (same frame/same drivers) except for their somewhat deeper, differently configured earcups made of teak. The differences between the E-Mu Teak vs TX-00 were audible & noteworthy the teak earcups brought in an organic, lush, musical quality that IMO was wholly lacking in the TX-00s. And the bass is off-the-hook, even better than the TX-00 (a bit less sub-bass, but better quality/quantity throughout the rest of the bass range)

It's not yet clear how much influence choice of wood will have on the Auteur. Unlike the Omni/Ori, where choice of wood was said to have relatively audible effects, the Eikon is described as less susceptible to wood-induced variations in sound...less susceptible, but not immune.

All to say--I'll bet teak really "locks in" with the Eikon/Auteur design, sonically. And I already know that teak is pretty as can be...

 

[cskippy]

I really liked what I heard form the Auteur at RMAF. They seemed to be most similar to the EIkon but with an effortless quality to the sound, most likely thanks to their open back nature. I really like the ZMF house sound. I had the Eikon on loaner for a week and man, it was hard sending it off to the next person. It's such an easy listen! I can just sit back and enjoy music with no fatigue even after hours of listening. Technicalities are also top notch, only behind the detail freaks like HD800 and Utopia. I really need to get some more head time with the Auteur.

 

[Bern2]

I can just sit back and enjoy music with no fatigue even after hours of listening.

The true test of a headphone....getting lost in the songs as they are playing.


Bern

 

[givemetacos]

that I_Want_All_The_Tacos is hyping ZMF headphones all over r/headphones, anyone else got impressions?

Haha sorry, that's me. Just trying to give Zach a larger audience since his headphones are pretty much universally praised by those who have heard them but they have such a low presence in the community. I really hope more people find a way to audition them.

Anyways, I have had a loaner Auteur for a couple days now so if anyone has any specific questions feel free to ask. It is still early, but I have about 5+ hours of listening time on them. As of now I can confirm all my initial impressions. They have a similar tonality to Eikon, but are more open and airy. The sub-bass is probably the most impressive to me. It keeps up well with my M1060 and 2016 LCD-2. But it has some more punch compared to those. Mid-bass is slightly warm, but definitely not as bloomy as HD650, Atticus, TH-X00, or EMU Teak. The mid range is fantastic. I find the vocal timbre to be excellent and pretty much the best I have heard. Mids are smooth and natural, on par with HD600/650 level. For female vocals I find the timbre to be more natural and correct compared to the slightly off tone I hear in LCD-2. The treble is airy and clean, but not fatiguing at all. It is definitely not as bright as HD800, but still full with no traces of veil or roll off.

I think what all the various impressions have been saying are pretty consistent and accurate. It doesn't have the wide soundstage like HD800 and it lacks some of the analytical technicalities as well, but in exchange the tonal balance is more correct to my ears. I always feel stock HD800 is a tad bass polite and the vocal presence region a little pushed back and the treble a bit too bright in the 6k and 10k peaks. Those are the parts that I EQ with my HD800, but I find the tonality of Auteur to naturally hit my target sound signature. With the 2nd set of Eikon pads provided, the sound signature just tilts a bit towards warm. Not huge, but along the lines of HD600 to HD650. And just like my Atticus, the Auteur's build quality is the best I have had in any headphone I have ever used. The wood is robust and beautifully crafted, the hardware is all metal and feels sturdy. The headband is leather wrapped and flexible to adjust to your head. The weight is lighter than my Atticus and the ear cups aren't as bulky so it feels even more comfortable on the head. But both Atticus and Auteur feel more comfortable than M1060 and LCD-2 (with Lohb strap).

Most my listening has been from an Audio-gd R2R 11 dac/amp or with that dac paired with Valhalla 2.

 

[AppleheadMay]

@givemetacos

Is that blackwood? Looks so reddish in the picture.

And slightly off topic. I hear my HD800S and HD800 before that largely like you describe it.
Now I’m not a soundstage whore at all, I actually prefer more intimate sounding headphones and don’t like crossfeed or software that tries to make my phones sound like speakers.
I do have a Realiser A16 incoming for surround purposes, hence my question:
For the moment I think The HD800(S) will be the phones that suit that task (Realiser Surround) best. The only thing that I think will be lacking for a cinematic experience is the bass.
Any ideas on what phones would still be better for that? Like a HD800S with ample bass?

 

[Daemon Ursus]

@givemetacos

Is that blackwood? Looks so reddish in the picture.

And slightly off topic. I hear my HD800S and HD800 before that largely like you describe it.
Now I’m not a soundstage whore at all, I actually prefer more intimate sounding headphones and don’t like crossfeed or software that tries to make my phones sound like speakers.
I do have a Realiser A16 incoming for surround purposes, hence my question:
For the moment I think The HD800(S) will be the phones that suit that task (Realiser Surround) best. The only thing that I think will be lacking for a cinematic experience is the bass.
Any ideas on what phones would still be better for that? Like a HD800S with ample bass?

Looks like unfinished padauk to me.

 

[DancingShade]

@givemetacos Thanks for your impressions. How much do the cups let your ears breathe? Just wondering if you get a heat buildup over time or if they're open enough to prevent that being an issue for long listening sessions.

 

[ctaxxxx]

Looks like unfinished padauk to me.

Looks like PurpleHeart imo. I do remember seeing a PH Eikon somewhere on this site. This could be a prototype for the wood?

The weight is lighter than my Atticus and the ear cups aren't as bulky so it feels even more comfortable on the head. But both Atticus and Auteur feel more comfortable than M1060 and LCD-2 (with Lohb strap).

What wood is your Atticus in? I have mine in Camphor and those are surprisingly light. If these are lighter than that (or the same), I'll really be tempted. The Eikon in Padauk felt a bit heavy to me.

 

[zach915m]

Those cups are actually oxidized padauk, the oxidation we did kind of turned the padauk a deep purple/red/burgundy, so it looks almost like purple heart in some ways. A weird effect that I'm not a huge fan of for padauk.

 

[PacoTaco]

Looks like PurpleHeart imo. I do remember seeing a PH Eikon somewhere on this site. This could be a prototype for the wood?

Once upon a time, there was a PH Eikon. But, it was a one-of-a-kind thing because it was a block of aged PH that Zach hadn't used yet and it was the last one he had. So it isn't really a prototype as much as a cool thing he did that won't be done again. That said, I had it turned into an Atticus and then sold it after a couple of months because the super-thick sound ended up....getting a bit too much for me. I regret that now, as it was mostly an issue with the Lyr 2 than it was the Atticus. The guy who has it now is probably going to keep it unless I can persuade him otherwise to sell it to me.

 

[givemetacos]

@givemetacos

Is that blackwood? Looks so reddish in the picture.

And slightly off topic. I hear my HD800S and HD800 before that largely like you describe it.
Now I’m not a soundstage whore at all, I actually prefer more intimate sounding headphones and don’t like crossfeed or software that tries to make my phones sound like speakers.
I do have a Realiser A16 incoming for surround purposes, hence my question:
For the moment I think The HD800(S) will be the phones that suit that task (Realiser Surround) best. The only thing that I think will be lacking for a cinematic experience is the bass.
Any ideas on what phones would still be better for that? Like a HD800S with ample bass?

As Zach clarified already, this is indeed oxidized Padauk. In pictures it looks more purple, but in person it looks more maroon/burgundy . It is a very deep and dark finish in person. I think it looks beautiful and the black grill really complements that wood color, but I know Zach and others are not a fan of the look. I wouldn't hold your breath on this variation going into production.

@givemetacos Thanks for your impressions. How much do the cups let your ears breathe? Just wondering if you get a heat buildup over time or if they're open enough to prevent that being an issue for long listening sessions.

Hmm, since the summer has just passed us I haven't had these (or the Atticus really) in really hot conditions (I live in Michigan). But they do breathe pretty well. The Auteur particularly has perforated leather pads, both Auteur and Eikon versions. Also, I find that because the ZMF pads are very deep, you ear never touches the back or the sides really, so you don't get the typical sweat build-up when a pad is compressed right against the ear. It isn't as open feeling and large as the HD800 earcup, but otherwise it i s probably more open and spacious feeling than any of my other cans, definitely more than LCD-2 or my M1060 with vegan pads.

Looks like PurpleHeart imo. I do remember seeing a PH Eikon somewhere on this site. This could be a prototype for the wood?

What wood is your Atticus in? I have mine in Camphor and those are surprisingly light. If these are lighter than that (or the same), I'll really be tempted. The Eikon in Padauk felt a bit heavy to me.

My Atticus is in Cherry. Unfortunately, I don't have a scale on hand so I can't get exact weights. But perhaps Zach could give you better numbers. I do think the Auteur in general should be lighter than the EIkon/Atticus because the cups aren't as big and more sleek. In hand, I can definitely feel the Auteur as lighter than Atticus. On the head, the general feel is about the same, though the clamp force is lighter due to the pads not being as thick, but the weight distribution is similar. I would say this Auteur feels about 10-15% lighter than my Atticus.

 

[Gym_Turtle]

How would someone go about making their own wooden cups for ZMF headphones, mainly worried about the Auteur due to the grill. Just asking because I like the look of Ziricote.