[haasaaroni]

I also have the HD600 as well as ZMF Aeolus. But I really want an Auteur. Especially one of these limited versions. But at over $2,300 Canadian I find it difficult to justify the price. My amps are a Singxer SA1 and Feliks Audio Echo MK2 with Bifrost 2 DAC.

It is a lot of money, but for that price you’re getting a pretty major upgrade. If it were just for the extra sense of space and higher resolution I’d think it’s worth it, but that extra bass punch really seals the deal. And while it doesn’t quite match the timbre of the 600, it comes just about as close as any non 600-series headphone has at that price. Higher end ZMF’s do it better, but for an extra $1000 USD.

 

[MacMan31]

It is a lot of money, but for that price you’re getting a pretty major upgrade. If it were just for the extra sense of space and higher resolution I’d think it’s worth it, but that extra bass punch really seals the deal. And while it doesn’t quite match the timbre of the 600, it comes just about as close as any non 600-series headphone has at that price. Higher end ZMF’s do it better, but for an extra $1000 USD.

What about compared with the Aeolus?

 

[MacMan31]

I have the Auteur with Echo 2 and Bifrost 2. It’s a wonderful combination.

I also found the Auteur to be a massive upgrade over HD600. Can’t speak to Aeolus.

To clarify are you referring to the original or classic Auteur? What tubes do you have in your Echo 2.

 

[haasaaroni]

What about compared with the Aeolus?

I own and love both. The Auteur Classic has less midbass emphasis, but the bass is tighter, hits harder, and extends deeper. There’s no recession in the midrange like there is on the Aeolus, and the treble is both more linear/extended and less peaky. It’s also more spacious, and has a slightly distant sound, whereas the Aeolus feels close in and immediate. It’s a more “normal” sounding headphone overall. Resolution is a little higher, I mostly hear it vocal and instrumental textures, reverb tails and the space between instruments.

 

[kRed]

In response to @kRed from the Aeolus forum, on comparing the Auteur Classic with the HD 600…

I find the Auteur Classic to do almost everything better. Wider, deeper, more 3-densinonal soundstage, much better impact, clearly superior detail retrieval with both greater texture and sense of reverb and space around each instrument/voice, and of course a much better-extended bass. The whole frequency response is also more balanced to my ears, not as mid-forward, and everything has a more realistic sense of warmth and “bloom” (I don’t know what other word to use there).

Where I find the HD 600 pulls ahead is in two areas: timbre and vocal intimacy. Voices and instruments aren’t as detailed, but they do seem to more realistically portray timbre. There’s some unevenness in the treble of the Auteur Classic I hear in comparison that pulls details out better, but adds some artificiality. It’s very minor though, and I only notice it as a classical guitarist with guitarists’ recordings that I know very well. And then because of the mid-forwardness of the 600, voices are even further upfront and intimate. That coupled with their excellent timbre really makes voices a fantastic experience.

I hope that helps! I’m curious if other people have similar impressions.

Side note: I like the Auteur Classic better from the 8 ohm tap of my Pendant SE, while the HD 600 is better from the 100 ohm tap. FWIW.

Thanks @haasaaroni , always a pleasure reading your writings!

If I'am being totally honest, as an acustic guitar player for more than 25 years I don't find the Aeolus and the Verite Closed (the VC especially) all that good, timbre-wise. I agree the hd600 is great in that sense, it is very good and it is very similar to the HE1000 Stealth, which is excellent in my opinion.

The problem with the HD600, for me, is that its lack of soundstage and 3Dness makes my brain remember I'm listening to a recording 100% of the time. Both the Aeolus and the VC, when they work with the recording, makes me feel like i'm listening to the music rather than the recording (if that makes sense). I'm a sucker for spacial qualities, layering and delicacy of details.

I'm very curious about the Auteur Classic: on the paper it could be the perfect headphone for me. We'll see when it comes in!

 

[haasaaroni]

Thanks @haasaaroni , always a pleasure reading your writings!

If I'am being totally honest, as an acustic guitar player for more than 25 years I don't find the Aeolus and the Verite Closed (the VC especially) all that good, timbre-wise. I agree the hd600 is great in that sense, it is very good and it is very similar to the HE1000 Stealth, which is excellent in my opinion.

The problem with the HD600, for me, is that its lack of soundstage and 3Dness makes my brain remember I'm listening to a recording 100% of the time. Both the Aeolus and the VC, when they work with the recording, makes me feel like i'm listening to the music rather than the recording (if that makes sense). I'm a sucker for spacial qualities, layering and delicacy of details.

I'm very curious about the Auteur Classic: on the paper it could be the perfect headphone for me. We'll see when it comes in!

Oh awesome! I didn’t know you played guitar. I used to own the non-stealth HE1000 V2 and also found it to have surprisingly good timbre for a planar. It surpassed the 600 and OG Auteur for me actually. I’m considering picking one up again, but am not sure it’ll run well on my Pendant. The stealth version might, but not the non-Stealth V2.

I think you’ll find what you want from the Auteur Classic if spatial qualities are important to you. And if you want better timbre out of the Aeolus (I also found it lacking), try reverting back to the original mesh (bopp mesh) and Aeolus lambskin perf pads if you haven’t already. The tonality is a good bit warmer than neutral, but the timbre surprised me by being spot friggin on.

 

[oldmankensey]

To clarify are you referring to the original or classic Auteur? What tubes do you have in your Echo 2.

Original. I have Bel NOS ECC88 for driver tubes and stock power tubes. I had ordered some upgraded Fotons for the power tubes but USPS lost the package.

 

[kRed]

Oh awesome! I didn’t know you played guitar. I used to own the non-stealth HE1000 V2 and also found it to have surprisingly good timbre for a planar. It surpassed the 600 and OG Auteur for me actually. I’m considering picking one up again, but am not sure it’ll run well on my Pendant. The stealth version might, but not the non-Stealth V2.

I think you’ll find what you want from the Auteur Classic if spatial qualities are important to you. And if you want better timbre out of the Aeolus (I also found it lacking), try reverting back to the original mesh (bopp mesh) and Aeolus lambskin perf pads if you haven’t already. The tonality is a good bit warmer than neutral, but the timbre surprised me by being spot friggin on.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a try if I can!
I'm getting some perf pads in for the Aeolus video review (from the good Mikael @ ArkAudio; tell him I [Andrea] sent you if you contact him guys ) and I will experiment a bit for sure.

You know, being around musicians all the time, recording room, live events, it really makes liking timbre on headphones hard. It's likely I can't enjoy an headphone if its timbre is off, if I know the recording well.

 

[haasaaroni]

You know, being around musicians all the time, recording room, live events, it really makes liking timbre on headphones hard. It's likely I can't enjoy an headphone if its timbre is off, if I know the recording well.

Yeah I’m the same way. It’s a little unfortunate, because there are so many headphones I just can’t even consider because of their timbre characteristics.

Btw I checked out your YouTube channel. Well done! I love the direct, concise style of your videos. And I’m in total agreement about the Hifiman egg-shaped headphones like the HE1000 V2 Stealth not being for voices but more for instrumental tracks (and now I really want a pair lol), and voices are where I’d say the Auteur’s strong suit is. If you have a chance, check out the Atrium too. It does both vocal and instrumental timbre better than the Auteur Classic imo. I just prefer the Auteur C’s tuning.

 

[kRed]

Yeah I’m the same way. It’s a little unfortunate, because there are so many headphones I just can’t even consider because of their timbre characteristics.

Btw I checked out your YouTube channel. Well done! I love the direct, concise style of your videos. And I’m in total agreement about the Hifiman egg-shaped headphones like the HE1000 V2 Stealth not being for voices but more for instrumental tracks (and now I really want a pair lol), and voices are where I’d say the Auteur’s strong suit is. If you have a chance, check out the Atrium too. It does both vocal and instrumental timbre better than the Auteur Classic imo. I just prefer the Auteur C’s tuning.

Thanks man, it means a lot!

I would love to hear the Atrium, we'll see how it goes.

To stay on topic: anyone who heard both the Aeolus and the Auteur Classic care to comment how they may intersect pad-wise? Like how about the Auteur with the Auteur vs the Aeolus with the universe or BE2? Do they come close, signature wise?

 

[LXMc]

So I purchased a set of Auteur Hybrid pads a little while after getting my Classic, primarily because I was happy with the stock sound (and also the leather just looks nicer..) but I wanted the suede for comfort. When they showed up and I tested them out I felt like the bass had gotten a bit of a boost and they seemed a touch warmer than the stock pads which I didn't expect - I figured if anything they might be a hair brighter but mostly similar to stock.

It wasn't until very recently when I was looking through my pads again and I looked at the Hybrids and the Lambskins side-by-side and noticed that the perforations are actually slightly more densely spaced on my lambskins. So it kinda makes more sense now when I think about the sound change for me as the hybrids actually take one small step closer to the solid pads without treading anywhere near that massively bloated bottom end you'll experience if you stick solid pads on the Classic. I hadn't seen this mentioned when I'd been digging around for pad impressions so thought it might be worth a mention.

I also noted that my Eikon Perforated Suedes appear to have the same spacing as the Hybrids, so my guess would be the material warrants the different treatment and the lambskins sides of the hybrids are kept consistent with the suede fronts.

 

[Sword of Damocles]

Auteur hybrids are indeed a little warmer, which I could measure as well. I perceive Eikon suedes even more warm and bassy, but they also have more upper mids to counter that. Treble is most even with Auteur pads.

 

[heliosphann]

Auteur hybrids are indeed a little warmer, which I could measure as well. I perceive Eikon suedes even more warm and bassy, but they also have more upper mids to counter that.

Eikon pads are also more closed sounding vs Auteur pads due to the ear cavity diameter.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I just have to say "Sword of Damocles" is one of the better screen names ever.

(right up there with "Schelling's dilemma" and "Hobson's choice")

 

[Corti]

I just have to say "Sword of Damocles" is one of the better screen names ever.

(right up there with "Schelling's dilemma" and "Hobson's choice")

What about "Occam's Razor"?