[Bern2]

I'll get this back on track.

Here's an in-depth video review:


I'll do a write-up in the gear section this week. I'm also poking around forums and canuckaudiomart for some kind of decent OTL or SET amp to run with the Auteur but so far no luck. I think I get what's missing from the SS options now, which is tone density and thickness (crunch?) that the Auteur might benefit from. If anyone has ideas let me know.

Really nice review. 40 minutes flew by. Can they handle a bit of EQ to bring out a bit more sub-bass? These are on the radar....just have to wait as I've blown my yearly allotment already.

Thx...Bern

 

[Spandy87]

Really nice review. 40 minutes flew by. Can they handle a bit of EQ to bring out a bit more sub-bass? These are on the radar....just have to wait as I've blown my yearly allotment already.

Thx...Bern

Absolutely they can handle EQ! I should have included that. I actually bumped up 20-40hz by 2db (not that it really needs it) because I do enjoy a bit extra emphasis there. But I usually do that with 'neutral' cans anyway.

 

[Speednut]

Just received my blackwood Auteur from Fedex today.

First impression is build quality is outstanding, as expected since i own a pair of Atticus already. The weight is not as bad, as i expected with the heavy blackwood and brass option. Took a pic, but it really does not do it justice, as the lighting is pretty bad this time a day.

Put some Tool on and now i got a lot of listening to do...

 

[felix3650]

Glad to re-join the ranks of happy Auteur owners.
This is what came in today:


Oh and let's not forget this


Next thing on the list is that tube amp!

 

[Maalis]

Is Auteur considered to be a particularly bright headphone? I've been testing it with my WA6-SE and the sound is honestly almost unbearable, symbal crashes and splashes are nearly painful and the overall sound feels somehow aggressive and even harsh. This same setup is orgasmic with my He-560 but doesn't seem to be working with Auteur. I also tested it with my Vali2/Mimby stack that I normally use with DT-1990 and I notice the same thing more or less. I'm getting a WA2 soon, maybe that will synergize better with Auteur.

 

[55Powers]

Is Auteur considered to be a particularly bright headphone? I've been testing it with my WA6-SE and the sound is honestly almost unbearable, symbal crashes and splashes are nearly painful and the overall sound feels somehow aggressive and even harsh. This same setup is orgasmic with my He-560 but doesn't seem to be working with Auteur. I also tested it with my Vali2/Mimby stack that I normally use with DT-1990 and I notice the same thing more or less. I'm getting a WA2 soon, maybe that will synergize better with Auteur.

Sounds very far from what i am hearing.

Don't have a HE-560, but even my HE-500 pierces and splashes more than the Auteur by quite a substantial margin.
...and it applies to all my source gear in that order as well.

Got BW-edition of the Auteur, tbh they are one of the smoothest and least aggressive headphones i have treble wise.

 

[Spandy87]

Is Auteur considered to be a particularly bright headphone? I've been testing it with my WA6-SE and the sound is honestly almost unbearable, symbal crashes and splashes are nearly painful and the overall sound feels somehow aggressive and even harsh. This same setup is orgasmic with my He-560 but doesn't seem to be working with Auteur. I also tested it with my Vali2/Mimby stack that I normally use with DT-1990 and I notice the same thing more or less. I'm getting a WA2 soon, maybe that will synergize better with Auteur.

My understanding is actually that the Woo stuff isn't as much of a good fit with the Auteur, however to your question about it being overly bright, I'm running it off a fairly bright SS amp and it sounds spot on for me, even maybe a touch on the warm side. But I'm also using a burr brown DAC, which might make it a bit smoother. So much of it depends on the recording quality. Bad or sibilant recordings will be more noticeable due to the high resolution, and you typically notice that stuff on the highs. But good recordings really shine. My recommendation would be to try the Eikon pads, since they reduce the highs by a few db without losing overall resolution.

 

[Gambitek]

My initial impressions is that Grizzlybeast is right: This headphone is very cohesive. It doesn't claim superiority in any one thing (I prefer the HP-3 soundstage and much better sub bass, and I prefer the Atticus' ridiculously rich mids), but it all fits together very well. It literally can handle any genre you throw at it and it's probably an all around better listening experience than the previous two headphone I just mentioned.

I found bass to be anemic, but luckily both pad sets respond VERY well to EQ. I cranked up the bass on the stock auteur pads and it pretty much gives me what I need as a basshead. I tried the solid suede Eikon pads out of boredom and it makes the bass AWESOME, but it really does something bad with the mids and treble, so that was a no go. The perforated Eikon pads have better bass and mids, but it sacrifices airiness and detail...which I didn't really like.

Also, I did find the default settings a bit too bright; so it may not just be you Maalis.

 

[ZenErik]

Is Auteur considered to be a particularly bright headphone? I've been testing it with my WA6-SE and the sound is honestly almost unbearable, symbal crashes and splashes are nearly painful and the overall sound feels somehow aggressive and even harsh. This same setup is orgasmic with my He-560 but doesn't seem to be working with Auteur. I also tested it with my Vali2/Mimby stack that I normally use with DT-1990 and I notice the same thing more or less. I'm getting a WA2 soon, maybe that will synergize better with Auteur.

Have you tried it with the Eikon pads? They come with the Auteur as well as the Auteur pads. I wouldn't say the Auteur is particularly bright, but if it's a little too bright for your tastes then the Eikon pads may solve that issue for you.

 

[Maalis]

My understanding is actually that the Woo stuff isn't as much of a good fit with the Auteur, however to your question about it being overly bright, I'm running it off a fairly bright SS amp and it sounds spot on for me, even maybe a touch on the warm side. But I'm also using a burr brown DAC, which might make it a bit smoother. So much of it depends on the recording quality. Bad or sibilant recordings will be more noticeable due to the high resolution, and you typically notice that stuff on the highs. But good recordings really shine. My recommendation would be to try the Eikon pads, since they reduce the highs by a few db without losing overall resolution.

I don't think the recording quality is an issue, the "test albums" that I use are recorded very well and I've never heard them sounding like this. My setup is an Onkyo C-7030 CD-player into Schiit Gumby into WA6-SE. I'll probably try the other pads and maybe further burn-in also helps.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Is Auteur considered to be a particularly bright headphone? I've been testing it with my WA6-SE and the sound is honestly almost unbearable, symbal crashes and splashes are nearly painful and the overall sound feels somehow aggressive and even harsh. This same setup is orgasmic with my He-560 but doesn't seem to be working with Auteur. I also tested it with my Vali2/Mimby stack that I normally use with DT-1990 and I notice the same thing more or less. I'm getting a WA2 soon, maybe that will synergize better with Auteur.

I wouldn't call my Auteur particularly bright, although I certainly wouldn't call them warm either. Pretty neutral to my ears. Like @55Powers said below, I also have Blackwood. Do you have the Teak?

I've never listened to the 1990, but I did have theT1g2s though. I found them to be painfully bright/piercing.

I actually have been using a couple of SPC cables with my Auteur to pick up the treble/detail a bit. Silver Dragon balanced 4-pin XLR with my desktop system, and Lavricables 2.5mm TRRS with my DAPs. And I also prefer my Auteur from my Opus #2 (Sabre DAC) over my Plenue 2 (AKM 4497 DAC), although this is a small difference. The opposite is true for my Utopia, which I listen to via OCC copper, and prefer from my Plenue 2 for portable listening. Also, I'm happy to listen to the Auteur from both my Denafrips Pontus R2R DAC and from my Oppo Sonica Sabre 9038-based DAC, but I much prefer my Utopia out of the Pontus.

I do own HE-560s. I wouldn't say that my Auteur are significantly brighter than the 560s from any of my rigs.

I've not listened to either of the Woo amps you mention. Based on reviews I've read, it sounds like the WA-2 might improve matters some, depending on tubes.

Sounds very far from what i am hearing.

Don't have a HE-560, but even my HE-500 pierces and splashes more than the Auteur by quite a substantial margin...and it applies to all my source gear in that order as well.

Got BW-edition of the Auteur, tbh they are one of the smoothest and least aggressive headphones i have treble wise.

Have you had them long? Burn-in? I actually allowed mine to burn-in mostly un-attended for at east 50 hours before I did any critical listening, so I can't say if what you are hearing is normal for brand-new Auteur, although I know Zach burns them in some before shipping.

I actually wonder if you have some problem with your Auteur. Damaged during shipping?

In any case, sorry that you're not enjoying your Auteur

 

[Maalis]

I wouldn't call my Auteur particularly bright, although I certainly wouldn't call them warm either. Pretty neutral to my ears. Like @55Powers said below, I also have Blackwood. Do you have the Teak?

I've never listened to the 1990, but I did have theT1g2s though. I found them to be painfully bright/piercing.

I actually have been using a couple of SPC cables with my Auteur to pick up the treble/detail a bit. Silver Dragon balanced 4-pin XLR with my desktop system, and Lavricables 2.5mm TRRS with my DAPs. And I also prefer my Auteur from my Opus #2 (Sabre DAC) over my Plenue 2 (AKM 4497 DAC), although this is a small difference. The opposite is true for my Utopia, which I listen to via OCC copper, and prefer from my Plenue 2 for portable listening. Also, I'm happy to listen to the Auteur from both my Denafrips Pontus R2R DAC and from my Oppo Sonica Sabre 9038-based DAC, but I much prefer my Utopia out of the Pontus.

I do own HE-560s. I wouldn't say that my Auteur are significantly brighter than the 560s from any of my rigs.

I've not listened to either of the Woo amps you mention. Based on reviews I've read, it sounds like the WA-2 might improve matters some, depending on tubes.


Have you had them long? Burn-in? I actually allowed mine to burn-in mostly un-attended for at east 50 hours before I did any critical listening, so I can't say if what you are hearing is normal for brand-new Auteur, although I know Zach burns them in some before shipping.

I actually wonder if you have some problem with your Auteur. Damaged during shipping?

In any case, sorry that you're not enjoying your Auteur

I got them yesterday but all my previous cans have sounded good out of the box. In this case the box did go through almost all the continents due to a mistake by Fedex so damage might be a possibility too. I'm currently doing some tube rolling to see if there is a significant change. I really want to enjoy these gorgeous headphones.

 

[Bern2]

I got them yesterday but all my previous cans have sounded good out of the box. In this case the box did go through almost all the continents due to a mistake by Fedex so damage might be a possibility too. I'm currently doing some tube rolling to see if there is a significant change. I really want to enjoy these gorgeous headphones.

Pretty hard to damage both drivers....hopefully things will settle in.

Are they teak or blackwood?

Bern

 

[Maalis]

Pretty hard to damage both drivers....hopefully things will settle in.

Are they teak or blackwood?

Bern

Teak.

 

[ZenErik]

Teak.

I have a Teak Auteur as well but unfortunately haven't tried the HiFiMAN headphones you're comparing to. I did find the Auteur a little sharp with the Auteur pads but nothing I haven't heard before with something like the HD800S. Nowhere near T1 gen 1 level or even stock HD800 level. Curious what you think of the Eikon pads. Let us know when you try them out!