[heliosphann]

Ah okay, Well, I'm using those for now..but noticed the inconsistencies with the other two when attempting to audition the other pads. The tiny holes that allow air to pass through the pads look pretty different. You can see more of a tan outline on the two Auteur pads and one of the Eikon. But the one Eikon pad the tiny holes seem even smaller than all of the others and I don't see as much of the lighter tan color.

Does that make sense?

Yea, it looks like they're slightly different perforation holes in that second picture. Maybe somehow you got 2 Eikon pads from different manufactured batches? Maybe @zach915m can shed some light.

 

[vc1187]

When I got my Auteur I was confused about which pads were which as well.
I looked on the ZMF website and found the dimensions.

Eikon pads: 2.83 x 2.007 in
Auteur pads: 2.83 x 2.28 in

So, the length (up to down) is the same for both pads, but the width (left to right) is different with the Auteur pads having a wider opening. That said, I don't doubt that there are some inconsistencies with the perforations and/or shapes

 

[LoryWiv]

Here’s an idea - since you have both, why not just try it yourself and let us know your findings? I read the same thing from ifi, while on the other hand Kingwa at Audio-Gd recommends you run his amps in high gain. I’ve always found high gain on the R2R-11 to have more weight and punch when volume matched with low gain. Not sure why, but it just does. I now leave it on high gain, even though the volume pot rarely turns past 9 o’clock as a result.

Yes, of course I've experimented a bit, but don't consider myself ready to declare a firm conclusion. I initially set Pro iCan to mid-gain and like yourself, volume pot was rarely past 9 o'clock but I felt the sound had a bit more heft, fullness and note weight. The trade-off was a bit less coherence, separation and clarity in complex music.

Also on the "a little knowledge is dangerous" front, other factoids out there are that digital volume pots essentially attenuate ("lose bits") as you reduce volume, and channel imbalance can be worse at low volume positions. So I'm going to stay with low-gain at 10 - 11 o'clock volume position for now and see if my ears and brain can agree on these settings as the overall preference.

 

[B1ll]

Just here to reiterate how ****ing crazy good these cans are, that is all.

 

[LoryWiv]

Ah okay, You can see more of a tan outline on the two Auteur pads and one of the Eikon. But the one Eikon pad the tiny holes seem even smaller than all of the others and I don't see as much of the lighter tan color.
?

Is the tan outline around perforations a reliable way to distinguish Auteur from Eikon pads or does it vary batch to batch? Below are mine and I had thought the installed pad was Auteur as the ear opening appears slightly larger. Am I mistaken?

 

[zach915m]

Is the tan outline around perforations a reliable way to distinguish Auteur from Eikon pads or does it vary batch to batch? Below are mine and I had thought the installed pad was Auteur as the ear opening appears slightly larger. Am I mistaken?

The perforations on our pads are laser cut and we've gotten the latest pads with a cleaner cut, the appearance of the perforations has nothing to do with pad type though!



Here's a pic to tell which pad is which.

The pads coming from us are brand new, but we test based on sonic match before appearance. Every set of pads that comes with your headphone is measurement matched, so regardless of appearance or wear from the last owner, those pads should stick together for the best sonic matching/experience.

Trying to get my pads straight here. Is it just me or do I have one outlier? The 2nd one down is the same shape as the one above it, but the holes seem to be different.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The top two are Eikon the bottom two are auteur.

 

[asia]

When I got my Auteur I was confused about which pads were which as well.
I looked on the ZMF website and found the dimensions.

Eikon pads: 2.83 x 2.007 in
Auteur pads: 2.83 x 2.28 in

So, the length (up to down) is the same for both pads, but the width (left to right) is different with the Auteur pads having a wider opening. That said, I don't doubt that there are some inconsistencies with the perforations and/or shapes

This seems like a good way to differentiate them. Mine measure 1.9" and 2.2". So if the opening width measures noticeably over 2" then it is an Auteur pad.

 

[petervenkman]

The perforations on our pads are laser cut and we've gotten the latest pads with a cleaner cut, the appearance of the perforations has nothing to do with pad type though!



Here's a pic to tell which pad is which.

The pads coming from us are brand new, but we test based on sonic match before appearance. Every set of pads that comes with your headphone is measurement matched, so regardless of appearance or wear from the last owner, those pads should stick together for the best sonic matching/experience.



The top two are Eikon the bottom two are auteur.

Got it, thanks Zach.

 

[gLer]

Yes, of course I've experimented a bit, but don't consider myself ready to declare a firm conclusion. I initially set Pro iCan to mid-gain and like yourself, volume pot was rarely past 9 o'clock but I felt the sound had a bit more heft, fullness and note weight. The trade-off was a bit less coherence, separation and clarity in complex music.

Also on the "a little knowledge is dangerous" front, other factoids out there are that digital volume pots essentially attenuate ("lose bits") as you reduce volume, and channel imbalance can be worse at low volume positions. So I'm going to stay with low-gain at 10 - 11 o'clock volume position for now and see if my ears and brain can agree on these settings as the overall preference.

Channel imbalance was definitely an issue with the ifi Micro iDSD (yours, which I only recently sold once I upgraded to the R2R-11) .

Is that still the case with the Pro iCan? By the way (OT I know, sorry guys) are you planning on pairing your iCan with the new Pro iDSD? Myself, I’m going up a few tiers with Audio-Gd. Fell in love with the Audio-Gd ladder dac sound...

 

[LoryWiv]

Channel imbalance was definitely an issue with the ifi Micro iDSD (yours, which I only recently sold once I upgraded to the R2R-11) .

Is that still the case with the Pro iCan? By the way (OT I know, sorry guys) are you planning on pairing your iCan with the new Pro iDSD? Myself, I’m going up a few tiers with Audio-Gd. Fell in love with the Audio-Gd ladder dac sound...

No, I'm happy with my setup per signature below, and the Auteur is fitting in just beautifully.

 

[chris.d.m.]

What do you guys think of the Auteur for in a studio? At the moment I tend to use a Focal Clear for some finer details when mixing that my relatively high-end monitors sometimes miss.
My ash Auteur is very close to being shipped this week but I can't help but wonder.

I think it does well, there aren’t any big recessions or colorations there to mess you up. Imaging, separation and detail are more than enough. I think it ultimately comes down to how well you know the headphone. You can mix with any relatively uncolored headphone as long as you know what things are supposed to sound like through it.

Studio folks, How are the Auteurs going for y'all?

I use monitors for mixing most of the time but, still on a HP mix tool quest.



I heard the Clears recently and liked them quite a bit though I'd prefer a touch more in the low end region.
I loved the LCD X in the bottom & mids but struggled with their inherent upper mid recession.
Beyer 1990's had a bit of a 5-6k spikyness I found a bit of an issue.

Anyone have experience pairing the Auteur with the Gilmore Lite mk2?

Also curious about this. I like the Gilmore lite mk2 quite a bit with some, like the PM3, but curious about Auteur synergy amps.

 

[cskippy]

Studio folks, How are the Auteurs going for y'all?

I use monitors for mixing most of the time but, still on a HP mix tool quest.



I heard the Clears recently and liked them quite a bit though I'd prefer a touch more in the low end region.
I loved the LCD X in the bottom & mids but struggled with their inherent upper mid recession.
Beyer 1990's had a bit of a 5-6k spikyness I found a bit of an issue.

Auteur will be more neutral than 1990 and have more bass weight than Clear. It's a great option for mixing, although I might take Clear for the better dynamics and openess. Really, with any headphone used in a mixing situation, you should use EQ to correct minor frequency deviations.

 

[Hansotek]

Studio folks, How are the Auteurs going for y'all?

I use monitors for mixing most of the time but, still on a HP mix tool quest.

I heard the Clears recently and liked them quite a bit though I'd prefer a touch more in the low end region.
I loved the LCD X in the bottom & mids but struggled with their inherent upper mid recession.
Beyer 1990's had a bit of a 5-6k spikyness I found a bit of an issue.

Also curious about this. I like the Gilmore lite mk2 quite a bit with some, like the PM3, but curious about Auteur synergy amps.

Yeah, they work well for mixing, IMO. More bass weight and better treble smoothness vs. HD800. Treble spikes can definitely be an issue with beyers. I also find the overly dry timbre on beyers problematic - they just don't sound right to me, and in turn, they ended up wasting a bunch of my time mixing a couple of videos. I sold them off. IMO, Auteur has a very natural sounding timbre and, as I said previously, is relatively flat in terms of frequency response. I feel like they offer a fairly predictable result and don't end up wasting your time with a bunch of little sonic "issues".

I can't say enough good things about the Gilmore Lite MKII as a reference tool. IMO, it is very true to the source. I love the dual inputs with instant switchability and I love the preamp out function. It's a really solid and transparent piece, provided you like the source that's feeding it - it won't butter up a bad source with friendly coloration - for some, it may be transparent to a fault. For others, it's one of the biggest steals in high-end audio because it can do justice to a Yggy/Hugo 2/HoloDAC-level source for $499. IMHO, YMMV, etc.

 

[chris.d.m.]

Yeah, they work well for mixing, IMO. More bass weight and better treble smoothness vs. HD800. Treble spikes can definitely be an issue with beyers. I also find the overly dry timbre on beyers problematic - they just don't sound right to me, and in turn, they ended up wasting a bunch of my time mixing a couple of videos. I sold them off. IMO, Auteur has a very natural sounding timbre and, as I said previously, is relatively flat in terms of frequency response. I feel like they offer a fairly predictable result and don't end up wasting your time with a bunch of little sonic "issues".

I can't say enough good things about the Gilmore Lite MKII as a reference tool. IMO, it is very true to the source. I love the dual inputs with instant switchability and I love the preamp out function. It's a really solid and transparent piece, provided you like the source that's feeding it - it won't butter up a bad source with friendly coloration - for some, it may be transparent to a fault. For others, it's one of the biggest steals in high-end audio because it can do justice to a Yggy/Hugo 2/HoloDAC-level source for $499. IMHO, YMMV, etc.

That'a all very good to hear. I'm hoping to check the Auteur's out soon. It's also a comfort to know that Zack is a pleasure to deal with.

The Gilmore is pretty darn amazing with the PM3's. It's a real + that it (seemingly to me) adds a little in the bottom end and, up top as the PM3's mids are what I like about them most for closed.

Great to hear it's a solid choice for the Auteur as well.

 

[sandy1010]

Hey folks, what’d you say is the closest headphone to the Auteur?

No chance to demo one here in Sydney, so just trying to get a feel for the sound signature.