[Tsuki]

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

Thanks for the response. So just to clarify, the factor that determines whether the stock Auteur cable is balanced or single ended is solely how it is terminated? I wasn't sure if there was some other characteristic of the cable further up that determined that. This question is probably as dumb as it sounds, but I don't know the answer yet.

One more followup question: Say I get the stock Auteur cable terminated in XLR. If I also bought one of the ZMF cable adapters that went from 1/4" (amp side) to XLR (stock cable side), would this have the same sound quality as if I terminated the stock cable in 1/4"? Basically, I'm wondering if the adapter would degrade the audio quality in any way vs a native 1/4" stock cable.

My goal is to use the stock cable and purchase 1 adapter, then use some combination of those in my Magni, but also have the option of getting a balanced output in the future from something else. If the adapter will introduce some quality degradation, I'll probably upgrade to a balanced amp first.

 

[Barnstormer13]

Thanks for the response. So just to clarify, the factor that determines whether the stock Auteur cable is balanced or single ended is solely how it is terminated? I wasn't sure if there was some other characteristic of the cable further up that determined that. This question is probably as dumb as it sounds, but I don't know the answer yet.

One more followup question: Say I get the stock Auteur cable terminated in XLR. If I also bought one of the ZMF cable adapters that went from 1/4" (amp side) to XLR (stock cable side), would this have the same sound quality as if I terminated the stock cable in 1/4"? Basically, I'm wondering if the adapter would degrade the audio quality in any way vs a native 1/4" stock cable.

My goal is to use the stock cable and purchase 1 adapter, then use some combination of those in my Magni, but also have the option of getting a balanced output in the future from something else. If the adapter will introduce some quality degradation, I'll probably upgrade to a balanced amp first.

To answer your questions, the only thing that changes is the termination. Some people may feel an adapter makes a difference, but I can’t hear any.

 

[Benno1988]

Thanks for the response. So just to clarify, the factor that determines whether the stock Auteur cable is balanced or single ended is solely how it is terminated? I wasn't sure if there was some other characteristic of the cable further up that determined that. This question is probably as dumb as it sounds, but I don't know the answer yet.

One more followup question: Say I get the stock Auteur cable terminated in XLR. If I also bought one of the ZMF cable adapters that went from 1/4" (amp side) to XLR (stock cable side), would this have the same sound quality as if I terminated the stock cable in 1/4"? Basically, I'm wondering if the adapter would degrade the audio quality in any way vs a native 1/4" stock cable.

My goal is to use the stock cable and purchase 1 adapter, then use some combination of those in my Magni, but also have the option of getting a balanced output in the future from something else. If the adapter will introduce some quality degradation, I'll probably upgrade to a balanced amp first.

You can adapter a balanced terminated cable to a single ended one. You can't go the other way.

So order say a 4.4 ended one, and get an adapter to make it a 3.5 or 6.5 for now, and 4pin XLR for later if you want. For example. If you order a XLR you can do the same, but its always bulky. 4.4 isn't.

The cable itself is inherently balanced, unless for some reason Zach has decided to go to the extra effort of combing the negative wires at the splitter

 

[afilen]

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.

I'm running them through a Burson Soloist 3XP and they sound wonderful. Im in the process of building my Bottlehead Crack and will report how they sound with tubes!

 

[Vercingetirex]

I'm running them through a Burson Soloist 3XP and they sound wonderful. Im in the process of building my Bottlehead Crack and will report how they sound with tubes!

My question was how they sound on NON-TUBE amps. So solid states and such.

 

[afilen]

My question was how they sound on NON-TUBE amps. So solid states and such.

Sorry about that! I initially had a Drop THX 789 amp which gave the headphones almost no character at all, and everything felt dull. The Burson really did its magic and provided some much needed Class A power!

 

[Barnstormer13]

My question was how they sound on NON-TUBE amps. So solid states and such.

I’ve tried mine with a Lyr3 which has a SS output stage. Not exactly what you’re asking, but I can tell you there is a significant difference. The low output impedance of SS amps seems to create a higher damping factor which reduces the amount of perceived “air” and 3D imaging. It also made the bass tighter with less bloom. It’s a personal preference which is better.

 

[DeweyCH]

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.

I've been listening to mine mostly on tubes (a heavily-modified Darkvoice and a Monoprice Liquid Platinum), but listening balanced on a SMSL SH-8, it sounds really excellent. Not as good as on tubes, but still really, really nice (but I'm partial to the whole tube-rolling thing). I would say that you probably want to make sure your amp is balanced, given the impedance of the Auteurs, but they ain't exactly HE6es.

I think either the Jotenheim or the Magnius would do very well with these, but the SMSL is the only solid-state amp I have in my setup so I can't speak explicitly to them.

 

[Vercingetirex]

but the SMSL is the only solid-state amp I have in my setup so I can't speak explicitly to them.

Interesting, the Topping A90 is very similar in performance numbers to SMSL amps, so perhaps that will be the best way to go if I choose to. Still looking into it as i also want my planars to sound good as well.

 

[kid vic]

My question was how they sound on NON-TUBE amps. So solid states and such.

Depends on the amp; companies like violectric are known for having a warmer more euphonic sound whereas Chord is known for a faster "cleaner" sound.
The Auteur is reasonably transparent (i.e. will sound different in respect to its amp) but is not super amp picky. I would suggest an SS amp that leans warm over a straight neutral affair, that way you will get a good amount of the ZMF soulful sound without the addition of tubes. I ran a pair of Auteurs off of my vintage Kenwood amp and really liked the midrange body and weightier bass the combo had.
Consider the Pro-ject DS2 headbox B or the Music Fidelity MX HPA; if I remember correctly both of those companies have good European distribution and are generally on the warmer side. Personally, I haven't heard either of those amps, but the companies are well respected and the price is good.

 

[Benno1988]

I run them balanced off a CMA Twelve

 

[LCMusicLover]

My question was how they sound on NON-TUBE amps. So solid states and such.

I liked my Auteur out of my Violectric V280, also from Bryston BHA-1. Still prefer from my Liquid Platinum, but not by a huge amount. And it's more 'preference' than 'better/worse'.

Of course I really like them from DSHA-3F, but that's pretty expensive and nearly Unobtanium.

 

[DenverW]

I know that it’s a well regarded amp, but I didn’t like any of my headphones out of the thx 789. I agree with the previous opinion that it made the auteur sound much more lifeless than my otl amps.

 

[Benno1988]

The THX amps and the Topping/SMSL opamp based units I've heard all suck the life out of the headphones, for me.

I very much prefer an Amp with a lot of weight to it.

 

[Vercingetirex]

That is why I also asked about Class A or A/B amps as well. Was considering the Jot 2 and the much pricier Burson Soloist among others.