ZMF Auteur Thread
Mar 28, 2018 at 9:41 PM Post #1,036 of 8,254
Was checking the progress on the orders on the spreadsheet and I noticed something... I saw notes that someone had a '2k cable'. What cable is that?
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 1:54 AM Post #1,037 of 8,254
It's the TOTL litz cable that's not "out" yet.
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 3:26 PM Post #1,039 of 8,254
It's the TOTL litz cable that's not "out" yet.
I texted Zach about Silver Gold OCC! Very curious to see what he thinks.

I had Dave at Zenwave build me a 21awg 4 strand with Furutech mini xlr's. Will be hardwiring to the upgraded
output stage of my Oppo Sonica! I have the cable currently burning in on my modded Sennie HD 650"s

Yeah it cost plenty but it made the Sennies sound like an almost new headphone. Better in every away you
can imagine and even mellowed out the remaining slight mid bass bloat, characteristic of them!

I got rid of about 50 to 60% with mods. The Silver Gold halves that again, which really amazes me

It is almost like a better amplifier it terms of just taking control of them. It is quite remarkable and the overall improvement
is easily worth the cost, especially with phones as good as the Auteur!

I expect this cable will seriously improve the Blackwood Auteurs!

Happy Listening,
 
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Mar 29, 2018 at 3:55 PM Post #1,040 of 8,254
I texted Zach about Silver Gold OCC! Very curious to see what he thinks.

I had Dave at Zenwave build me a 21awg 4 strand with Furutech mini xlr's. Will be hardwiring to the upgraded
output stage of my Oppo Sonica! I have the cable currently burning in on my modded Sennie HD 650"s

Yeah it cost plenty but it made the Sennies sound like an almost new headphone. Better in every away you
can imagine and even mellowed out the remaining slight mid bass bloat, characteristic of them!

I got rid of about 50 to 60% with mods. The Silver Gold halves that again, which really amazes me

It is almost like a better amplifier it terms of just taking control of them. It is quite remarkable and the overall improvement
is easily worth the cost, especially with phones as good as the Auteur!

I expect this cable will seriously improve the Blackwood Auteurs!

Happy Listening,
Wait which amp ?
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 4:00 PM Post #1,041 of 8,254
I can totally understand what you are saying with regards on the Phi. I'm currently driving both headphones with the audio-gd NFB-1AMP while waiting for my Glenn EL3N to be built. The Auteur can be driven directly by the Hugo2, but it really responds well to having more power thrown at it as bass & body seems to be improved. However, I felt that there is a small lost in transparency by driving the Auteur through the audio-gd amp.

The pads which I am using now are the stock pads which came on the Auteurs and they should be the warm pads. But I'm not too sure about that.

Now that I have about 10 hours on the Auteur, I feel that that the sound is getting better. Compared to the Phi, the Auteur sounds more "organic" and the perception of depth is more obvious. Notes seems to have a longer decay and I think it sounds amazing with jazz vocals and rock music. I believe the Auteur will get better as I continue to run them in.

Happy days ahead! :L3000:

One thing I'm most excited to hear at AXPONA is the air in the treble with these. A few reviews I've read say that reverb lingers for a while which is perfect for the style of r&b I listen to.

Yep, that little bit of wood reverb keeps that decay just enough to feel so sweet and smooth in the vocals. I definitely love vocals on Auteur as it is much more mid forward than say my HD800, LCD2C, and Elear. It really has that same type of mid magic as the HD6x0s.

I'll add a vanity pic:

GL3rcItl.jpg
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 4:09 PM Post #1,042 of 8,254
Yep, that little bit of wood reverb keeps that decay just enough to feel so sweet and smooth in the vocals. I definitely love vocals on Auteur as it is much more mid forward than say my HD800, LCD2C, and Elear. It really has that same type of mid magic as the HD6x0s.

I think I've said it to you before, but I'll say it again:
Drop dead gorgeous headphones you got there.

That vocal comment though, getting me so hyped while I wait...
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 4:35 PM Post #1,043 of 8,254
Yep, that little bit of wood reverb keeps that decay just enough to feel so sweet and smooth in the vocals. I definitely love vocals on Auteur as it is much more mid forward than say my HD800, LCD2C, and Elear. It really has that same type of mid magic as the HD6x0s.

I'll add a vanity pic:

GL3rcItl.jpg

That is Padauk! Very nice contrast with the black parts. How does it compare vs other variants you have heard?
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 4:46 PM Post #1,044 of 8,254
I had Dave at Zenwave build me a 21awg 4 strand with Furutech mini xlr's.

Yeah it cost plenty

For reference sake,if you dont mind,how much are we talking? Im a believer in cables making a difference,but I have a tough time buying cables that cost more than the headphones theyre attached to.
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 4:48 PM Post #1,045 of 8,254
That is Padauk! Very nice contrast with the black parts. How does it compare vs other variants you have heard?

So I've only heard 2 Auteurs now and both have been Padauk haha. I know on Zach's wood chart Padauk and Blackwood are right next to each other so I'm assuming they are pretty close to Blackwood, or at least closer to Blackwood than to Teak.
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 5:40 PM Post #1,047 of 8,254
Wait which amp ?
Neco Sound Labs V5! Pretty Stunning sounding Current Feedback Portable Amp!

Neco Beymen builds them over in England! Reasonably priced but certainly one of the best sounding
Headphone Amps under $1000. 350 to 400 depending! I had him Ido a couple of custom touches on mine.

Not real well known but those who have heard them can attest to how surprisingly good it is.

Will soon be running A highly modified Sonica Dac with an entirely new high biased Class A output stage
that will directly drive my Auteurs. Will be directly hardwiring my new cable to it.

Around $500 for Silver Gold Cable depending on connectors you choose.and exactly what gauge you want. Dave does headphone cables on a custom basis. I prefer Furutechs best stuff

Happy Listening
 
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Mar 29, 2018 at 5:47 PM Post #1,048 of 8,254
Yep, that little bit of wood reverb keeps that decay just enough to feel so sweet and smooth in the vocals. I definitely love vocals on Auteur as it is much more mid forward than say my HD800, LCD2C, and Elear. It really has that same type of mid magic as the HD6x0s.

I'll add a vanity pic:

GL3rcItl.jpg
It'll be interesting comparing these to the Focal Elex, ie the "Super HD650" when I finally get them too. I think that's just marketing fluff, but I'd hold off if it were true for the sake of not overlapping cans.
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 6:04 PM Post #1,049 of 8,254
It'll be interesting comparing these to the Focal Elex, ie the "Super HD650" when I finally get them too. I think that's just marketing fluff, but I'd hold off if it were true for the sake of not overlapping cans.

I really don't see the similarities in any of the Focal stuff and HD650 personally. That "super HD650" title is strange to me. Granted I haven't heard the Elex, but I do own Elear and have auditioned Elear, Clear, and Utopia side-by-side. I have also EQ'd the Elear to fix the wonky tonal balance, which I think should sound similar to Elex. While I like Clear a lot and plan on buying that in the future, Focal to me is all about the punchy dynamics and more in your face aggressive nature. It has fast attack and feels energetic. But it isn't smooth and cohesive in transitions like HD650 and it doesn't have that Senn naturalness in timbre to it. I prefer Focals with pop/electronic types of music rather than natural instruments genres like jazz, acoustic, rock, vocals, etc. Auteur to me just caters to that better and follows much closer to the HD600/650 line as it has that slower, smoother, and more cohesive signature. It is really quite resolving, but does it in an understated way like the Senns rather than pushing detail in your face like Focals. It is just preference really, and I enjoy both, but they are quite different and complement each other.
 
Mar 29, 2018 at 6:25 PM Post #1,050 of 8,254
Yep, that little bit of wood reverb keeps that decay just enough to feel so sweet and smooth in the vocals. I definitely love vocals on Auteur as it is much more mid forward than say my HD800, LCD2C, and Elear. It really has that same type of mid magic as the HD6x0s.

I'll add a vanity pic:

GL3rcItl.jpg

Where'd you get Paduak?! I asked Zach about a week ago and he said he didn't have anymore. I was under the impression these were preproduction models only!

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Just got my Teaks in today. I must say, they look rather handsome and different than the orange look as portrayed in a lot of people's pictures. It's actually a smoky oak barrel look.

I just got in some Paduak wood blanks that I'm hoping to build into a headphone stand for these but right now they're looking great on my Walnut Omega stand.

First impressions - the Auteur sounds effortless. The highs are sparkly and actually very forgiving even with the stock Auteur pads. I actually prefer them but will keep doing more testing. The mids are neutral warm. They nail it on not ever sounding shouty but sounding very full. They massage your ears as an artist pans from left to right. ASMR therapy on these is a treat, they literally tickle the hairs all around your ears. The subbass is very linear but present especially when called for. It gives a very nice heft to guitars especially acoustic (steel string in particular).

Microdetail is there but not in your face. It's definitely a few notches short of the HD800 but it does sound like a smooth 'essence'. if you will, floating all around you, subdued, waiting for you to pick up on.

Overall, I'd say the Auteurs are effortless, elegant, relaxed headphones without sounding veiled, screechy, or boring. This is an incredibly difficult task to accomplish considering Zach was aiming at making super neutral cans. I think he achieved his goal and then some while still keeping his house flair which have made his cans very special to me. Planar mids without any harshness with plenty of clarity, great subbass and sparkly highs. These are very reminicent of the LCD 3's imo.

As for the weight, definently lighter than even the Camphor Atticus at only 25 grams less. It's incredible what only a little bit of weight reduction does to the overall feel of the cans. I can finally say I have easily found a surpasser to the HD650 and all of its mods and my endgame. Will continue to tube roll to spicen them up a bit on the detail front but very happy overall.
 
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