I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to compare two Auteur's, one in Blackwood and one in Silk. Right off the bat, the blackwood is noticeably heavier in the hand. On the head I don't notice it too much unless I move/turn my head quickly.
Listening impressions... they are very, very similar. The only thing I can immediately pick up on that differs between the two is the perception of a slightly larger stage on the BW, which I think can likely be attributed to the snappier notes with quick transients and faster decay the denser wood provides. I think I am hearing bass notes especially last a touch longer on the Silk. This maybe gives the sense of a slightly more intimate sound with less space and air between instruments since the notes seem to have a quicker, shorter decay on the BW. After a bit more listening, I would say the BW Auteur has a bit more bass impact, with quicker hitting notes. Bass drum hits seem to appear out of nowhere and disappear just as fast. The notes are there, then they are not. In contrast, on the Silk Auteur bass notes seem to be a tad slower with more decay, giving the perception that they last a touch longer and this results in a perceived overall slightly bassier, warmer tonality. I detect no notable difference in treble presentation between the two.
Now, I talk about these things like they are obvious and easy to discern, but in reality, the tonality of these two woods is extremely similar. This is still an Auteur regardless of wood. Expectation bias may be at play as well since it was very difficult to even detect the perceived sonic differences noted above. They are that subtle to my ears. Another thing to keep in mind is I am comparing the lightest/softest wood ZMF offers to the densest/hardest wood on the Janka scale, so you might expect the tonality differences between these two woods on the opposite ends of the spectrum to be night and day. For better or worse, that is simply not the case to my ears.
So, after this little experiment, I have learned I may be in rare company as I think I slightly prefer the slower decay of the Silk to the quicker transients of the Blackwood for my listening preferences. Not to mention the fact that for comfort, the Silk absolutely slays the BW as the BW is noticeably heavier on the head. This isn't so bad when your head is stationary, but as soon as I move or turn my head, I can definitely feel the extra weight.
Just thought I'd share my thoughts as I am sure many of you may be wondering how the tonality imparted by different wood compares. I am only one data point, but I'd say sticking to Zach's recommendation to choose wood based primarily on aesthetics rather than perceived differences in tonality is a wise choice. I'm not stating differences don't exist, they just aren't as night and day as going from a lighter wood to a darker wood aesthetically.
