[Deleeh]

Hello,
It was almost a year ago that Zach announced that the Og would no longer exist in this form.
And I was one of the lucky ones who was able to get one.
The order was placed about a year ago and I received it at the beginning of May.
It has been in my possession for 10 months.

In the beginning I had to get used to it and do the burn in.
My old Dac still slowed it down, which I changed in January with the Gustard R26.
Paired with the Feliks Euforia, which I've had for a while.

And every time I put on this Ambrosia Maple it's a real pleasure to listen to it.
And it always grounds me anew.

Even after the night shift the other day, I was still hyper, so I treated myself to a little whisky with the Auteur Og and after an hour I calmed down and was able to sleep.

And even if you haven't heard it for 2-3 weeks or the tubes are rolling, everything is fine.
It always takes a while to get used to it, then it works wonderfully.

I still use the Auteur Lambskin pad.

I hope to expand my Zmf headphones soon with the beautiful Atrium Bocote as a counterpart.

I still enjoy the Auteur and never get bored with it, which is not how I know it.
Especially from the headphones that are on the market.Was the joy and boredom after 6 months through and looked around,but not with Zmf.
I just love these headphones and hope they will accompany me forever and always be faithful.

Have fun to all who have an Auteur whether OG or Classic or other Zmf headphones.

 

[Reputator]

And even if you haven't heard it for 2-3 weeks or the tubes are rolling, everything is fine.
It always takes a while to get used to it, then it works wonderfully.

I find this to be very true. If I've been listening to the Aryas for a while, the Auteur sounds dark and flat-staging. But if I get myself over that I mentally adjust to them, and then the Aryas sound too bright and etched, haha.

I can't rapidly switch back and forth. I have to go week-by-week.

 

[jinxy245]

I'm a little late to this party so I'll try for a shorter review. There are many here that were able to go into more detail than I'm able to but I did want to jump in, especially since I feel this is such a capable headphone. I'll also include some comparisons to my Atrium. Many thanks go to a "Super Best Friend" of mine. I don't think it can be said often enough nor emphatic enough what a boon the privilege of home demo is.


Fit & comfort are standard for ZMF, and for me that's quite good. Construction is solid and I can wear them for hours. As far as weight, they felt like they were in the same ballpark as my Cherry Atrium, though I didn't weigh them. I'm not sure of the wood but I'm guessing It's the stock Ambrosia Maple, which would make sense since they're both in the 490 gram range.


Keep in mind the usual preamble:
My chain for playback is various WAV, FLAC, & MP3 files from my refurbed HP Elite Desk via USB to a Bifrost 2 to either my ifi Pro iCan (1st version) or ZMF Pendant (also 1st version). The Auteur Classic also sounded fantastic from both amps, but I still felt the best sound was from the Pendant & the majority of my listening was done with that. The fully closed Titan Mesh was used with the Atrium and stock pads were used with both headphones (Auteur pads for the Auteur Classic & Universe Pads for the Atrium.)


The Auteur Classic is a wonderfully engaging headphone for my tastes. If The Atrium is considered "ZMF neutral" The Auteur might be "ZMF incisive" since it pulls back the midbass a bit while still maintaining the ZMF warmth I enjoy. Atrium slams harder, but Auteur Classic is no slouch. It sounds to me that there's more of a sub bass focus with the Auteur Classic,though Atrium has good reach,and there was more mid bass with the Atrium though the Classic is quite far from being bass shy.


The mids sound slightly more emphasized on the Atrium than the Auteur Classic, though it's not a huge difference. Vocals and strings et al were never edgy or brittle with either headphone, constantly drawing me in with "one more song...".


I never gave the OG Auteur a fair enough shake as I found a bit too much energy in the treble. This was before Zach had committed as deeply to creating as many pads as he has to help tailor the sound. Interestingly even with the solid mesh on the Atrium, I felt the treble to be similar, with a touch more energy coming from the Auteur Classic. I imagine that would change with one of the more open mesh options available for the Atrium. Either way the Auteur Classic might have my favorite treble presentation I've heard from ZMF yet.


Not surprisingly, I found the Atrium to have a wider taller headstage, but again the Auteur Classic isn't closed in or small. It's just that the Atrium is bigger all around. Still the Classic has a coherent stage and great imaging.
As you would expect, the Atrium does resolve details better as well, but the Auteur Classic never left me wanting. I'm at a point where I'm not chasing the finest nuances anyway. Neither headphone is really lacking unless you directly compare it to the uber resolving headphone elite. When I sit down & just plain listen, I am thoroughly drawn in.


The Atrium & the Auteur Classic share quite a bit of sonic DNA, but they are voiced differently to be sure. With the Classic I'm hearing more Sub Bass, more even (still ample) mid bass and a bit more treble sparkle. With the Atrium, the bass hits harder, mids sound a bit more forward with a more relaxed treble presentation. Both are incredible sounding headphones IMO and personal preferences will play a part, but I have a hard time saying which one is "better". For my preferences the Atrium ticks the most boxes, but as they say 'I wouldn't kick the Auteur Classic out of bed for eating crackers' either. Zach did a fine job with the Auteur Classic, it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the $1500 headphone market.

 

[haasaaroni]

I'm a little late to this party so I'll try for a shorter review. There are many here that were able to go into more detail than I'm able to but I did want to jump in, especially since I feel this is such a capable headphone. I'll also include some comparisons to my Atrium. Many thanks go to a "Super Best Friend" of mine. I don't think it can be said often enough nor emphatic enough what a boon the privilege of home demo is.


Fit & comfort are standard for ZMF, and for me that's quite good. Construction is solid and I can wear them for hours. As far as weight, they felt like they were in the same ballpark as my Cherry Atrium, though I didn't weigh them. I'm not sure of the wood but I'm guessing It's the stock Ambrosia Maple, which would make sense since they're both in the 490 gram range.


Keep in mind the usual preamble:
My chain for playback is various WAV, FLAC, & MP3 files from my refurbed HP Elite Desk via USB to a Bifrost 2 to either my ifi Pro iCan (1st version) or ZMF Pendant (also 1st version). The Auteur Classic also sounded fantastic from both amps, but I still felt the best sound was from the Pendant & the majority of my listening was done with that. The fully closed Titan Mesh was used with the Atrium and stock pads were used with both headphones (Auteur pads for the Auteur Classic & Universe Pads for the Atrium.)


The Auteur Classic is a wonderfully engaging headphone for my tastes. If The Atrium is considered "ZMF neutral" The Auteur might be "ZMF incisive" since it pulls back the midbass a bit while still maintaining the ZMF warmth I enjoy. Atrium slams harder, but Auteur Classic is no slouch. It sounds to me that there's more of a sub bass focus with the Auteur Classic,though Atrium has good reach,and there was more mid bass with the Atrium though the Classic is quite far from being bass shy.


The mids sound slightly more emphasized on the Atrium than the Auteur Classic, though it's not a huge difference. Vocals and strings et al were never edgy or brittle with either headphone, constantly drawing me in with "one more song...".


I never gave the OG Auteur a fair enough shake as I found a bit too much energy in the treble. This was before Zach had committed as deeply to creating as many pads as he has to help tailor the sound. Interestingly even with the solid mesh on the Atrium, I felt the treble to be similar, with a touch more energy coming from the Auteur Classic. I imagine that would change with one of the more open mesh options available for the Atrium. Either way the Auteur Classic might have my favorite treble presentation I've heard from ZMF yet.


Not surprisingly, I found the Atrium to have a wider taller headstage, but again the Auteur Classic isn't closed in or small. It's just that the Atrium is bigger all around. Still the Classic has a coherent stage and great imaging.
As you would expect, the Atrium does resolve details better as well, but the Auteur Classic never left me wanting. I'm at a point where I'm not chasing the finest nuances anyway. Neither headphone is really lacking unless you directly compare it to the uber resolving headphone elite. When I sit down & just plain listen, I am thoroughly drawn in.


The Atrium & the Auteur Classic share quite a bit of sonic DNA, but they are voiced differently to be sure. With the Classic I'm hearing more Sub Bass, more even (still ample) mid bass and a bit more treble sparkle. With the Atrium, the bass hits harder, mids sound a bit more forward with a more relaxed treble presentation. Both are incredible sounding headphones IMO and personal preferences will play a part, but I have a hard time saying which one is "better". For my preferences the Atrium ticks the most boxes, but as they say 'I wouldn't kick the Auteur Classic out of bed for eating crackers' either. Zach did a fine job with the Auteur Classic, it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the $1500 headphone market.

Great review! You know though...this really makes me more curious to hear an Atrium with the fully closed mesh. I like the mids on the Auteur Classic where they are, while the Atrium (when I demoed it for a few days with perforated mesh) brought out too much of the upper midrange for me. I also heard more sub bass on the Auteur Classic in comparison. Maybe because it's not as open a cup design?

 

[jinxy245]

Great review! You know though...this really makes me more curious to hear an Atrium with the fully closed mesh. I like the mids on the Auteur Classic where they are, while the Atrium (when I demoed it for a few days with perforated mesh) brought out too much of the upper midrange for me. I also heard more sub bass on the Auteur Classic in comparison. Maybe because it's not as open a cup design?

Thanks!!

My guess is it's just Zach's tuning, he never wants his headphones competing with each other, though the openness factor could definitely be at play here...

 

[breckstar]

I'm a little late to this party so I'll try for a shorter review. There are many here that were able to go into more detail than I'm able to but I did want to jump in, especially since I feel this is such a capable headphone. I'll also include some comparisons to my Atrium. Many thanks go to a "Super Best Friend" of mine. I don't think it can be said often enough nor emphatic enough what a boon the privilege of home demo is.


Fit & comfort are standard for ZMF, and for me that's quite good. Construction is solid and I can wear them for hours. As far as weight, they felt like they were in the same ballpark as my Cherry Atrium, though I didn't weigh them. I'm not sure of the wood but I'm guessing It's the stock Ambrosia Maple, which would make sense since they're both in the 490 gram range.


Keep in mind the usual preamble:
My chain for playback is various WAV, FLAC, & MP3 files from my refurbed HP Elite Desk via USB to a Bifrost 2 to either my ifi Pro iCan (1st version) or ZMF Pendant (also 1st version). The Auteur Classic also sounded fantastic from both amps, but I still felt the best sound was from the Pendant & the majority of my listening was done with that. The fully closed Titan Mesh was used with the Atrium and stock pads were used with both headphones (Auteur pads for the Auteur Classic & Universe Pads for the Atrium.)


The Auteur Classic is a wonderfully engaging headphone for my tastes. If The Atrium is considered "ZMF neutral" The Auteur might be "ZMF incisive" since it pulls back the midbass a bit while still maintaining the ZMF warmth I enjoy. Atrium slams harder, but Auteur Classic is no slouch. It sounds to me that there's more of a sub bass focus with the Auteur Classic,though Atrium has good reach,and there was more mid bass with the Atrium though the Classic is quite far from being bass shy.


The mids sound slightly more emphasized on the Atrium than the Auteur Classic, though it's not a huge difference. Vocals and strings et al were never edgy or brittle with either headphone, constantly drawing me in with "one more song...".


I never gave the OG Auteur a fair enough shake as I found a bit too much energy in the treble. This was before Zach had committed as deeply to creating as many pads as he has to help tailor the sound. Interestingly even with the solid mesh on the Atrium, I felt the treble to be similar, with a touch more energy coming from the Auteur Classic. I imagine that would change with one of the more open mesh options available for the Atrium. Either way the Auteur Classic might have my favorite treble presentation I've heard from ZMF yet.


Not surprisingly, I found the Atrium to have a wider taller headstage, but again the Auteur Classic isn't closed in or small. It's just that the Atrium is bigger all around. Still the Classic has a coherent stage and great imaging.
As you would expect, the Atrium does resolve details better as well, but the Auteur Classic never left me wanting. I'm at a point where I'm not chasing the finest nuances anyway. Neither headphone is really lacking unless you directly compare it to the uber resolving headphone elite. When I sit down & just plain listen, I am thoroughly drawn in.


The Atrium & the Auteur Classic share quite a bit of sonic DNA, but they are voiced differently to be sure. With the Classic I'm hearing more Sub Bass, more even (still ample) mid bass and a bit more treble sparkle. With the Atrium, the bass hits harder, mids sound a bit more forward with a more relaxed treble presentation. Both are incredible sounding headphones IMO and personal preferences will play a part, but I have a hard time saying which one is "better". For my preferences the Atrium ticks the most boxes, but as they say 'I wouldn't kick the Auteur Classic out of bed for eating crackers' either. Zach did a fine job with the Auteur Classic, it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the $1500 headphone market.

Reviews like this and many others makes me want to get the AC and Atrium in house to compare to my A_og and VC. Hopefully can make a canjam this year to at least get some time on them.

 

[G8torbyte]

The Atrium & the Auteur Classic share quite a bit of sonic DNA, but they are voiced differently to be sure. With the Classic I'm hearing more Sub Bass, more even (still ample) mid bass and a bit more treble sparkle. With the Atrium, the bass hits harder, mids sound a bit more forward with a more relaxed treble presentation. Both are incredible sounding headphones IMO and personal preferences will play a part, but I have a hard time saying which one is "better". For my preferences the Atrium ticks the most boxes, but as they say 'I wouldn't kick the Auteur Classic out of bed for eating crackers' either. Zach did a fine job with the Auteur Classic, it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the $1500 headphone market.

Nice comparison, I hear similar differences as I have recently been using the Auteur Classic more since I stripped the connecting pin on my AO. My fault, too much head-bopping and I forgot to use Loctite at the bracket. The treble is brighter which is not a bad thing but does get a bit too much for me on one of my tube amps. The Auteur is pairing nicely on the Violectric V222 and smooths out the treble. The Atrium Damping System was a game changer for me since last April'22 and the AO remains my favorite dynamic HP. I have not heard an original Auteur but the I think the ADS damping upgrade works very well on it. The Auteur lambskin perforated pads are my favorite and I use them on the AO as well. Until I can get a replacement pin for my AO the Auteur Classic will be my back-up until I hand it over to my son when he is older. I picked this one at the last ZMF November '22:

 

[JerseyD]

I'm a little late to this party so I'll try for a shorter review. There are many here that were able to go into more detail than I'm able to but I did want to jump in, especially since I feel this is such a capable headphone. I'll also include some comparisons to my Atrium. Many thanks go to a "Super Best Friend" of mine. I don't think it can be said often enough nor emphatic enough what a boon the privilege of home demo is.


Fit & comfort are standard for ZMF, and for me that's quite good. Construction is solid and I can wear them for hours. As far as weight, they felt like they were in the same ballpark as my Cherry Atrium, though I didn't weigh them. I'm not sure of the wood but I'm guessing It's the stock Ambrosia Maple, which would make sense since they're both in the 490 gram range.


Keep in mind the usual preamble:
My chain for playback is various WAV, FLAC, & MP3 files from my refurbed HP Elite Desk via USB to a Bifrost 2 to either my ifi Pro iCan (1st version) or ZMF Pendant (also 1st version). The Auteur Classic also sounded fantastic from both amps, but I still felt the best sound was from the Pendant & the majority of my listening was done with that. The fully closed Titan Mesh was used with the Atrium and stock pads were used with both headphones (Auteur pads for the Auteur Classic & Universe Pads for the Atrium.)


The Auteur Classic is a wonderfully engaging headphone for my tastes. If The Atrium is considered "ZMF neutral" The Auteur might be "ZMF incisive" since it pulls back the midbass a bit while still maintaining the ZMF warmth I enjoy. Atrium slams harder, but Auteur Classic is no slouch. It sounds to me that there's more of a sub bass focus with the Auteur Classic,though Atrium has good reach,and there was more mid bass with the Atrium though the Classic is quite far from being bass shy.


The mids sound slightly more emphasized on the Atrium than the Auteur Classic, though it's not a huge difference. Vocals and strings et al were never edgy or brittle with either headphone, constantly drawing me in with "one more song...".


I never gave the OG Auteur a fair enough shake as I found a bit too much energy in the treble. This was before Zach had committed as deeply to creating as many pads as he has to help tailor the sound. Interestingly even with the solid mesh on the Atrium, I felt the treble to be similar, with a touch more energy coming from the Auteur Classic. I imagine that would change with one of the more open mesh options available for the Atrium. Either way the Auteur Classic might have my favorite treble presentation I've heard from ZMF yet.


Not surprisingly, I found the Atrium to have a wider taller headstage, but again the Auteur Classic isn't closed in or small. It's just that the Atrium is bigger all around. Still the Classic has a coherent stage and great imaging.
As you would expect, the Atrium does resolve details better as well, but the Auteur Classic never left me wanting. I'm at a point where I'm not chasing the finest nuances anyway. Neither headphone is really lacking unless you directly compare it to the uber resolving headphone elite. When I sit down & just plain listen, I am thoroughly drawn in.


The Atrium & the Auteur Classic share quite a bit of sonic DNA, but they are voiced differently to be sure. With the Classic I'm hearing more Sub Bass, more even (still ample) mid bass and a bit more treble sparkle. With the Atrium, the bass hits harder, mids sound a bit more forward with a more relaxed treble presentation. Both are incredible sounding headphones IMO and personal preferences will play a part, but I have a hard time saying which one is "better". For my preferences the Atrium ticks the most boxes, but as they say 'I wouldn't kick the Auteur Classic out of bed for eating crackers' either. Zach did a fine job with the Auteur Classic, it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the $1500 headphone market.

Jinxy, a lot of what you are hearing between the Atrium and the Auteur Classic hold true for me when comparing the Classic to the Verite (open).

The Verite have a warmer tonal balance with more pronounced mid-bass, and I feel like instruments have more meat on the bone. The Classic for me has more sparkle in the treble and I was shocked to find that I actually missed some of that in the Verite. I did swap out the Verite from Uni perf lamb pads to Uni suedes in an effort to find some of that sparkle. It has been suggested that I get some Be2 pads to take them even further in that direction. A silver or hybrid cable may help there, too. Using Zach’s Letric 4-strand copper cable for the moment on both.

Conversely, with the Classic, I was feeling the treble might be a little too much for me on tracks with excess treble energy (with too bright a mix I find them a bit unforgiving) so swapped out the Auteur perf lamb for the Eikon perf lamb. That made a subtle difference and I’m not sure which I prefer, but leaning toward Eikon pads. On well recorded and mixed tracks, the Classic is fantastic.

Now I still need to hear an Atrium to round out my -cough- “research.” Here I’ll reiterate my fear that I’ll want to keep all three, but we’ll see. I’m still in my Goldilocks phase, searching for my ideal.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Nice comparison, I hear similar differences as I have recently been using the Auteur Classic more since I stripped the connecting pin on my AO. My fault, too much head-bopping and I forgot to use Loctite at the bracket. The treble is brighter which is not a bad thing but does get a bit too much for me on one of my tube amps. The Auteur is pairing nicely on the Violectric V222 and smooths out the treble. The Atrium Damping System was a game changer for me since last April'22 and the AO remains my favorite dynamic HP. I have not heard an original Auteur but the I think the ADS damping upgrade works very well on it. The Auteur lambskin perforated pads are my favorite and I use them on the AO as well. Until I can get a replacement pin for my AO the Auteur Classic will be my back-up until I hand it over to my son when he is older. I picked this one at the last ZMF November '22:

omigod that's beautiful!!

 

[G8torbyte]

omigod that's beautiful!!

Thanks, ZMF balanced it well on it so the stabilized resin did not over-saturate the wood grain too much.

 

[jinxy245]

Jinxy, a lot of what you are hearing between the Atrium and the Auteur Classic hold true for me when comparing the Classic to the Verite (open).

The Verite have a warmer tonal balance with more pronounced mid-bass, and I feel like instruments have more meat on the bone. The Classic for me has more sparkle in the treble and I was shocked to find that I actually missed some of that in the Verite. I did swap out the Verite from Uni perf lamb pads to Uni suedes in an effort to find some of that sparkle. It has been suggested that I get some Be2 pads to take them even further in that direction. A silver or hybrid cable may help there, too. Using Zach’s Letric 4-strand copper cable for the moment on both.

Conversely, with the Classic, I was feeling the treble might be a little too much for me on tracks with excess treble energy (with too bright a mix I find them a bit unforgiving) so swapped out the Auteur perf lamb for the Eikon perf lamb. That made a subtle difference and I’m not sure which I prefer, but leaning toward Eikon pads. On well recorded and mixed tracks, the Classic is fantastic.

Now I still need to hear an Atrium to round out my -cough- “research.” Here I’ll reiterate my fear that I’ll want to keep all three, but we’ll see. I’m still in my Goldilocks phase, searching for my ideal.

Nice...those two definitely compliment each other well IMO. It's been a while since I heard the Verite, but that speed is what stands out there for me.

Good luck with that "research" (nice euphemism) I'll echo your fear there...I wish I had an excuse to keep them all.

 

[jinxy245]

Nice comparison, I hear similar differences as I have recently been using the Auteur Classic more since I stripped the connecting pin on my AO. My fault, too much head-bopping and I forgot to use Loctite at the bracket. The treble is brighter which is not a bad thing but does get a bit too much for me on one of my tube amps. The Auteur is pairing nicely on the Violectric V222 and smooths out the treble. The Atrium Damping System was a game changer for me since last April'22 and the AO remains my favorite dynamic HP. I have not heard an original Auteur but the I think the ADS damping upgrade works very well on it. The Auteur lambskin perforated pads are my favorite and I use them on the AO as well. Until I can get a replacement pin for my AO the Auteur Classic will be my back-up until I hand it over to my son when he is older. I picked this one at the last ZMF November '22:

That is indeed a gorgeous set! You're an awesome dad (want to adopt me?)

 

[jonathan c]

That is indeed a gorgeous set! You're an awesome dad (want to adopt me?)

… it is too bad that Son’s Day has passed (04/MAR) … …

 

[LCMusicLover]

I don’t understand why, but no matter which chain drives it, or which tubes are in my amp, my Blackwood Auteur (upgraded to Classic w/ radial vented mesh) continues to be the greatest Deadphone. I really love my Atrium, and prefer it for a lot of my favorite music, but every time the Dead come around on my playlist I reach for Auteur.

Seems like it’s a combo of tonality and headstage. Jerry’s guitar cries and sings — we are the sultans … Phil bombs detonate, Bob’s voice grits when called for (Estimated) and there’s just something magical going on — it’s like I’m at the show.

 

[gonintendo]

Did some DIY mesh rolling on my Auteur Classic

They have become my very quickly become favorite pair of headphones, but of course no headphone is ever perfect. I love how they sound with the solid mesh but I was craving just a bit more attack on guitars and sparkle up top (my chain is a bit warm so I could probably remedy this with a tube roll but mesh is cheaper lol). The most miniscule amount. I tried the radial mesh, and it did give me more of all of the above, but more than I wanted. Much more. I had a few extra solid meshes to play around with, so I decided to to some DIYing and punched a few small holes into them with a leather hole punch (not the ideal tool for the job, I had to clean things up with an exacto knife and also had to fold them to let the hole punch reach the middle, but it works). I have to give this new mech some ear time but so far I think I'm getting what I want! (I know that the Atrium mesh is somewhere between the radial and solid mesh as well but honestly feel like even that might be too much as well. Might consider asking Zach for some of those at some point though if I'm not satisfied)