[shafat777]

I love the 2k copper. It was my first upgrade cable so I haven't compared with others like the Silvergarde but I'm really happy with it. Sounded fantastic with the Auteur I had a little while back.

Wholeheartedly agree.

I love and prefer mids/vocal over everything in a HP and the ZMF auteur, IMO is the king of mids and vocals. With the S4 cable, i was getting excellent treble extension, lots of air in the mids and vocals were in line the rest of the frequencies. However, with the 2k copper, the mids are pushed a little forward, while maintaining the same crispness of the S4. As a result, the vocals sound kinda 3d/holographic which is something that i crave above anything. Couldnt be happier with this combo. I guess Zachs headphones work best with Bevin's cable......who knew !!! LOL

 

[shafat777]

Well stated and I agree, couldn't use Eikon pads due to too much soundstage constriction and xs warmth. Please let us know how the Eikonn perf. suede fare!

My eikon perf suede pads are supposed to be delivered on tuesday. might call in sick that day.

 

[oak3x]

Hello All

Quick question: What Amp / Dac are you using with your Autuers?

I am looking to purchase a Amp / Dac desktop and want to find one which synergies well with the Auteur. Budgeting around $500 to $1000. Have looked at the JDS Labs Element 2, Burson Conductor 3P or 3XP, Topping DX7 Pro, Cambridge Dac Magic, iFi Signature Micro and many others. I will be running it off an Apple Mac Mini, and primarily listen to Qobuz (streaming and downloaded).

Knowing what the community is using with the ZMF Auteur would be helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Happy Holidays!

 

[4LoveOfSound]

For SS amp use, I use a Schiit Magnius. This amp hasn’t been getting much love overall, but I think it drives my VC’s excellent. I replaced my THX789 with the Magnius and haven’t looked back. The magnius puts out a lot of current which translates into excellent driver control on the VC. There is excellent bass response, full midrange, crisp but not harsh treble and superb clarity. I have not heard the matching Modius DAC, but that has been getting a lot of love. At $199 each, the pair would be below your $500 budget.

 

[jarredp1993]

Hello All

Quick question: What Amp / Dac are you using with your Autuers?

I am looking to purchase a Amp / Dac desktop and want to find one which synergies well with the Auteur. Budgeting around $500 to $1000. Have looked at the JDS Labs Element 2, Burson Conductor 3P or 3XP, Topping DX7 Pro, Cambridge Dac Magic, iFi Signature Micro and many others. I will be running it off an Apple Mac Mini, and primarily listen to Qobuz (streaming and downloaded).

Knowing what the community is using with the ZMF Auteur would be helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Happy Holidays!

Just over your budget (but maybe not on the secondary market) I’m running mine off of a Schiit Bifrost 2 and Schiit Valhalla 2. Loving the combo, buts it’s also all I know so I don’t really have any comparison points.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I think the pad choices for these headphones make dramatic changes to the sound. Of course we all have our own opinions, but I feel like the stock pads sell these short. I’ve been listening to these with the Verite perforated leather pads and the Universe perforated leather pads and they make these sound amazing.

The Verite pads make them sound very clean and neutral and takes away some of the sharp peaks of the upper mids and lower treble. They make them sound like a great pair of headphones with an excellent tuning.

The Universe pads make them also sound very clean and neutral as well, but they also add some weird soundstage magic. I don’t know how else to describe it other than they make them sound like near field speakers instead of headphones. It’s awesome and trippy. I want to go back and forth but I can’t take them off when I have the Universe pads on. The vocals sound so damn clear and present without sounding harsh. And then everything else just decorates those amazing mids.

Anyone else tried the Universe perforated leather pads on these? Now I’m just curious about how the BE perforated leather would sound...

 

[shafat777]

I agree with you on pad rolling. I used to use a universe perf leather pads with my auteur and i didnt like the sound signature. However, back in those days, i was using a THX 887 amp which is nowhere near the same quality as my Feliks Elise or GSX-mini. Might give those a try as i have a pair laying around.

Been waiting a while for my Eikon Perf suede pads to arrive. For some reason, ZMF shipped my items using USPS instead of usual FEDEX (much better delivery time) and now my items are stuck in KC (2 hours from where i live) and been delayed for 4 days.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I agree with you on pad rolling. I used to use a universe perf leather pads with my auteur and i didnt like the sound signature. However, back in those days, i was using a THX 887 amp which is nowhere near the same quality as my Feliks Elise or GSX-mini. Might give those a try as i have a pair laying around.

Been waiting a while for my Eikon Perf suede pads to arrive. For some reason, ZMF shipped my items using USPS instead of usual FEDEX (much better delivery time) and now my items are stuck in KC (2 hours from where i live) and been delayed for 4 days.

The beauty is that we have so many choices with ZMF.

I’m starting to think I’m bat crap crazy anyway. I like my Auteur with the stock Verite pads, and I like my Verite with the stock Auteur pads. Somewhere Zach is shaking his head at me.

 

[shafat777]

The beauty is that we have so many choices with ZMF.

I’m starting to think I’m bat crap crazy anyway. I like my Auteur with the stock Verite pads, and I like my Verite with the stock Auteur pads. Somewhere Zach is shaking his head at me.

See thats the beauty of ZMF cans, youre saying that you are content with running your Auteur with the Verite pads whereas i swear by the Eikon pads and ocassionally the Auteur pads and we both are right. We both own the same headphone and yet we use two different pads and most likely listen to two different sound signatures with many more combinations still to be dicovered. Damn you ZACH M !!!!

 

[LCMusicLover]

@shafat777 @Hifiearspeakers

Finally got to the Post Office while they were open and picked up my Auteur and Universe perforated suede pads (thanks @shafat777).

I had been using Auteur perf lambskin exclusively, as I didn’t like the way the Eikon pads shift tonality. But I have been reading about the effect of various alternatives and wanted to give other pads a try. Universe pads didn’t wow me — felt like they constricted the headstage and took some of the highs and detail away without giving much in return.

But the Auteur perforated suede pads are a whole ‘nother story. Differences are relatively subtle, but still ‘there’. To my ears, they add some depth to the headstage, and elevate the sub-bass a bit. But the best news is that they seem to accomplish this without stealing from other aspects of the sound signature. My ears are especially pleased that the sub-bass increase doesn’t bring any ‘bloatiness’ with it.

I did my comparisons with this chain:

Hugo2go ==> silver cable (from HeadphoneLounge.com) ==> Blackwood Auteur.

<edit> edited to indicate that both suede pads are perforated </edit>

 

[robo24]

But the Auteur suede are a whole ‘nother story. Differences are relatively subtle, but still ‘there’. To my ears, they add some depth to the headstage, and elevate the sub-bass a bit. But the best news is that they seem to accomplish this without stealing from other aspects of the sound signature. My ears are especially pleased that the sub-bass increase doesn’t bring any ‘bloatiness’ with it.

Compared to lambskin Auteurs I assume. Thanks for that. I know Zach has commented that they don't generally recommend suede for the Auteur but that's all I have, and have wondered how different they sound. So nice to read you think the differences between mine and stock are subtle. I wondered if I was getting a lesser Auteur experience with only suede (though hard to imagine since they're so great). Also looking forward to your take on the Eikon suede, as they're my favorite and I've not heard them with lambskin ones.

 

[DenverW]

Hello All

Quick question: What Amp / Dac are you using with your Autuers?

I am looking to purchase a Amp / Dac desktop and want to find one which synergies well with the Auteur. Budgeting around $500 to $1000. Have looked at the JDS Labs Element 2, Burson Conductor 3P or 3XP, Topping DX7 Pro, Cambridge Dac Magic, iFi Signature Micro and many others. I will be running it off an Apple Mac Mini, and primarily listen to Qobuz (streaming and downloaded).

Knowing what the community is using with the ZMF Auteur would be helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Happy Holidays!

Bifrost 2 and a bottlehead crack amp. If you want to save a significant amount of money you can swap the bifrost 2 out for an sdac or perhaps a jds atom. You'll want to keep the tube amp, though. Auteur loves OTL .

 

[LCMusicLover]

@shafat777 @Hifiearspeakers

Finally got to the Post Office while they were open and picked up my Auteur suede and Universe suede pads (thanks @shafat777).

I had been using Auteur perf lambskin exclusively, as I didn’t like the way the Eikon shifts tonality. But I have been reading about the effect of various alternatives and wanted to give other pads a try. Universe pads didn’t wow me — felt like they constricted the headstage and took some of the highs and detail away without giving much in return.

But the Auteur suede are a whole ‘nother story. Differences are relatively subtle, but still ‘there’. To my ears, they add some depth to the headstage, and elevate the sub-bass a bit. But the best news is that they seem to accomplish this without stealing from other aspects of the sound signature. My ears are especially pleased that the sub-bass increase doesn’t bring any ‘bloatiness’ with it.

I did my comparisons with this chain:

Hugo2go ==> silver cable (from HeadphoneLounge.com) ==> Blackwood Auteur.

Kinda funny — I’ve had my BW Auteur since March 2018, and have loved them all that time. And yet, I’m still ‘improving’ them. Added silver cables a while ago. Then, added a Pilot pad a few months ago which (to me) significantly improved the fit and comfort. And now, while I’m not sure how much the suede pads improve the sound, I can definitely say that they do create a new, appealing listening experience.

Especially amusing since most of my other headphone tweaks have been about ‘fixing’ something. But w/ Auteur (except for the Pilot Pad) it’s been about finding beautiful audio alternatives.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Compared to lambskin Auteurs I assume...

Yes, stock perforated lambskin.

... I know Zach has commented that they don't generally recommend suede for the Auteur ...

Oh? I hadn’t seen that. I have seen discussion/comments about perforated vs non-perf. If true, then I guess I’m just a rebel

... Also looking forward to your take on the Eikon suede, as they're my favorite and I've not heard them with lambskin ones.

Sorry, don’t have those.

 

[DeweyCH]

Yes, stock perforated lambskin.

Oh? I hadn’t seen that. I have seen discussion/comments about perforated vs non-perf. If true, then I guess I’m just a rebel

Sorry, don’t have those.

Mine's coming with perf suede Auteur and perf suede Universe pads, so I'm happy to hear you like suede on yours.