Do the Auteurs hold their value? How's the resale market on these?
ZMF Auteur Thread
- Thread starter PacoTaco
- Start date
I've sold mine for more than I paid or at most $50 less even after shipping cost, which is true of most of the ZMFs I've sold. All the ZMFs hold their values extremely well.
Nice, I'm getting pretty deep into this hobby where I can no longer justify headphones that don't hold their value. I'm gonna take the plunge I think.
LCMusicLover
Headphoneus Supremus
Quite well, compared to other high-end cans due to relatively limited supply.
Used prices tend to hold steady around 20 - 25% below retail price.
What is the current wait time for the Auteur? My last ZMF purchase, the VC, I waited 10 weeks. I ended up selling the VC and Aeolus, I prefer my VO. Anyone have a VO and Auteur? Is there a reason to own both? I've only heard the Auteur once and for a very short time at Axpona several years ago. My listen was to short to make an impression about its sound.
dematted
100+ Head-Fier
Yes, there is certainly a reason to own both of these headphones. As it is, they have fairly different overall sonic presentations. I personally prefer the Auteur to the Verite, though here are some of the most salient differences I noticed, having owned both...
The Auteur has...
-Slower, more extended and romantic decay
-A more balanced, even overall tonality
-Notably more Upper-mids, which results in many instruments having more "bite" and "presence"
-A special type of biocellulose Bass Texture
- More overall cohesiveness throughout the entire frequency range.
The Verite has...
-Better Instrument separation
-Better Micro and Macro dynamics
-Notably better overall resolution and detail
-Quicker decay and much better overall transient speed
-More of a "Fun", as opposed to neutral tonality
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Reason? For me this has all gone well beyond reason, lol. I agree with Dematted's reply and would just add that vocals/mids are more forward on the Auteur and it's more forgiving on bad recordings. Acoustic guitar & ukulele are also my favorite on the Auteur & Eikon. The Auteur is also IMHO the most different ZMF vs. the Verite, or really any of them aside from the Eikon.
Hifiearspeakers
Headphoneus Supremus
I agree on all of this except the Auteur being more forgiving on bad recordings. To my ears, the Verite is the more forgiving and smoother listen.
Pharmaboy
Headphoneus Supremus
What I find most remarkable about the VO is that despite all that speed & detail (it's a very high resolution headphone), there's basically zero listener fatigue: no accentuation of the edges of notes, vocal sibilants, sound of massed violins--none of it. Even on bad recordings, the VO never worsens the already bad sound.
I find the VO to be a forgiving, smooth listen. It's a musical, ear-friendly headphone.
PS: I've heard the Auteur a number of times at shows, and briefly in my system--but never had the chance to compare it to the VO. That would be a fascinating comparison IMO...
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Hifiearspeakers
Headphoneus Supremus
The biggest difference between them is the upper mids/lower treble region. For whatever reason, that’s where I’m most sensitive to too much energy, so I prefer a dip there. That’s exactly what the Verite does, but the Auteur has a noticeably greater presence there. Some people will love that, but it came across as a little harsh and shouty on a lot of my music tracks.
Hmm… I don’t know how but I’ve been using my Auteur with one Eikon and Auteur pad, and I. Don’t know how I didn’t notice until now, but I thought something sounded off. Well at least I know that Pad swapping does make a noticeable sound impact.
erics75
Headphoneus Supremus
I did the same thing with my VC, had one Auteur pad and one Universe pad on, and kept thinking my amp had a channel imbalance hahaha.
Hphones887
BannedAKA GNR4EVER
if anyone decides to sell their Auteur, let me know
NGL I was thinking about selling mine to get a Utopia but the more I think about it and actually look at them, I don’t think I feel like I could ever part with them.
Varmint Cong
New Head-Fier
I purchased an LCD-2 back in October and was immediately disappointed upon hearing it. The dark sound signature does not work for me. For example, banjos sound so recessed with the LCD-2 that it ruins bluegrass for me. It's maddening. When I first heard my HD6XX, I also felt underwhelmed, but that faded as my ears adjusted. I thought the same thing would happen with the LCD-2, so I kept listening and essentially forced myself to be okay with it. I picked up the Sundara on a whim last month and liked it immediately. I haven’t listened to the LCD-2 since. So, I had come to terms with the fact that I just cannot stand a dark sound signature. With EQ, the LCD-2 is fantastic, but that only helps me with digital music. Half of my listening is vinyl and the LCD-2 just doesn’t get used for that. I’ve decided to part with my LCD-2 and have ALMOST settled on an Auteur. I listen to a wide variety of genres, so I need headphones that can keep up with most of them. Additionally, I picked up a Darkvoice, which has me really digging the HD6XX again. The Auteur is also appealing because it sounds like it loves tubes. I'm already planning for an upgrade OTL amp purchase. With that, I have a few questions. The auteur skews warm, but it’s not dark, correct? How does the Auteur handle extremely busy songs? Some of the comments on this thread refer to it as relaxed, which slightly concerns me. Lastly, it sounds as if the sub-bass is strong on the Auteur, but mid-bass is fantastic on the Aeolus. Is the mid-bass still decently authoritative on the Auteur? I listen to a good amount of metal and a punchy bass drum sound is important to me. I don’t think I’ll like the Aeolus though…it sounds as if it may be too warm and lush for my tastes. This would be a big purchase for me, so I need to be sure that I'm making the right decision.
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