[jonathan c]

Better image of the limited almond Auteurs from ZMF November

Really gorgeous. They look happy sans box cutter...

 

[DeweyCH]

Really gorgeous. They look happy sans box cutter...

Meh, they were using it to threaten my floor speakers.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Better image of the limited almond Auteurs from ZMF November

Damn, that wood is pretty!

 

[AudioPowerHead]

Better image of the limited almond Auteurs from ZMF November

Feel like taking a bite at those almond cups. LOL. Just kidding... they are damn nice looking headphones ! Congrats !!

 

[DeweyCH]

It is simply stunning how much of a difference pad rolling makes. Just swapped out my perf. suede Auteur pads for perf. suede Universals, and there's a lot less bass, but a bit more detail it seems. At some point I'll have to throw on the lambskin Eikon pads my E-Mus are rocking just to see what it sounds like.

 

[kid vic]

It is simply stunning how much of a difference pad rolling makes. Just swapped out my perf. suede Auteur pads for perf. suede Universals, and there's a lot less bass, but a bit more detail it seems. At some point I'll have to throw on the lambskin Eikon pads my E-Mus are rocking just to see what it sounds like.

I think the not so hidden joy of ZMF head[hones is the pad rolling reactivity; I didn't like the Eikons with the stock Eikon pads and put on the Auteur suede perfs I had to a preferable result, however, I always wondered about Zach's warning against perfs on closed backs. When I got the Auteur lambskins both perf and solid I was floored by how drastically different they sounded despite the relatively small size of the perforations. It's definitely worth trying 2 or more pads on your ZMF's just to know.

 

[ColdsnapBry]

If I'm looking for a neutral/warm with good dynamics sound profile, which pads should I be looking for with the Auteur?

Also if anyone has an Auteur for sale, PM me. Thanks!

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

If I'm looking for a neutral/warm with good dynamics sound profile, which pads should I be looking for with the Auteur?

Also if anyone has an Auteur for sale, PM me. Thanks!

Eikon perforated leather pads should do the trick. Auteur perforated leather pads give more upper mids and larger stage, but will sound more etched than the Eikon pads.

 

[Propagandist]

If I'm looking for a neutral/warm with good dynamics sound profile, which pads should I be looking for with the Auteur?

Also if anyone has an Auteur for sale, PM me. Thanks!

My favorite for warm, but not too warm, are the Universe Lambskins. Auteur Lambskins are very similar, but with a little bit more emphasis on stage. Eikon Lambskins are a guilty pleasure of mine as well as it turns the Auteur into a bass cannon.

Edit: Obviously the best solution is get a bunch of pads, then keep them in plastic baggies, then have too many and decide you need a little box, then get too many and decide you need several boxes, then finally give in and just have a "pad drawer". Really - I never, ever expected pads to have such a strong influence on ZMF headphones. Pad rolling is fun and makes the headphones extremely versatile.

 

[Benno1988]

Wouldn't say the Eikon pads turn it into a bass cannon haha. Don't give people the wrong idea of slapping Eikon pads on and bam, massive change, massive bass.

The change of pads is real but also over emphasized a bit on forums I feel.

I have some Universe Perf Leather coming, keen to test those. They have been my pick on other ZMF cans such as Verite and Aeolus.

 

[DeweyCH]

I definitely prefer the Auteur Perf Suede to the Universal Perf Suede thus far. If I wanted to test out the next logical step in the same direction, would a perf sued or perf lambskin Eikon be the right choice?

 

[LCMusicLover]

I definitely prefer the Auteur Perf Suede to the Universal Perf Suede thus far. If I wanted to test out the next logical step in the same direction, would a perf sued or perf lambskin Eikon be the right choice?

I've been playing the same pad-rolling game lately with my Blackwood Auteur. I didn't see what wood your Auteur are, so, if not Blackwood then it's hard to be sure how well my impressions will apply to your cans.

Between the stock perf lambskin pads which came with the cans, Eikon & Auteur, I preferred the Auteur. I liked the effect on the headstage, and didn't feel like the small increase in bass energy from the Eikons was worth the 'cost'.

Recently, I've tried Universe perf suede, Auteur perf suede & Eikon perf suede. I didn't care for the Universe pads as I didn't hear anything as 'improved' and I felt like they actually 'dulled' the cans down a bit.

Next came the Auteur perf suede, which I like very much. I feel like they retain almost all of the energy in the highs, don't significantly diminish the headstage, and boost the 'fullness' of the bass. Finally, Eikon perf suede were pretty close to the Auteur. Just a bit more reduction of the highs, a bit more bass boost and a bit 'closer' headstage. But note that the perf suede Auteur ==> Eikon differences were quite small, to the point where I struggled to keep them 'in mind' during pad swaps (which was definitely not the case for the Auteur/Eikon lambskin swap).

tl;dr: Auteur perf suede ==> Eikon perf suede will be a (very) small change while Auteur perf suede ==> Eikon perf Lambskin will change the sound more. To me, for tonality and staging, it's:

Auteur perf lamb | Auteur perf suede | Eikon perf suede | Eikon perf lambskin

from 'coolest/most open stage' to 'warmest/most closed stage'

 

[Vercingetirex]

Considering getting these again, but was wondering about amps and dacs that may pair well. I want to stick with solid states or just no tubes in general. Was wondering on recommendations on such taht can be balanced or not, while not being too expensive. I currently own an atom amp with d50s, but want something a bit more capable of pushing future headphones as well as provide connectivity options like balanced or single ended.

For amps i was considering the Topping A90, Schiit Jotenheim 2, or the schiit Magnius. Just wanted input from people who own these headphones and run them through non-tube amps and potentially these specific amps.

 

[Tsuki]

Is the stock cable balanced or does that depend on the termination? I haven't looked into balanced vs single-ended yet, so maybe that question doesn't make sense. I have a Magni 2U right now which has the 1/4" output and will most likely upgrade that to something else fairly soon, but I want to try it out first. Just wondering if I would need to buy a different cable if I opt for something balanced in the future. Otherwise I could make the stock cable terminate in XLR and also pickup an XLR to 1/4" adapter from the ZMF store. That would allow me to use the Magni in the short term.

 

[Barnstormer13]

Is the stock cable balanced or does that depend on the termination? I haven't looked into balanced vs single-ended yet, so maybe that question doesn't make sense. I have a Magni 2U right now which has the 1/4" output and will most likely upgrade that to something else fairly soon, but I want to try it out first. Just wondering if I would need to buy a different cable if I opt for something balanced in the future. Otherwise I could make the stock cable terminate in XLR and also pickup an XLR to 1/4" adapter from the ZMF store. That would allow me to use the Magni in the short term.

when you order these From ZMF, they come terminated any of five ways and you choose at check-out. If you’re buying them secondhand you’ll have to ask. When you buy them from ZMF,You can also order a second cable terminated differently. Or, you can always buy a cable from a third-party