To be honest, i dont really listen to Z. His reviews are all over the place.Thanks for the sharing. This can be helpful.
I got Auteur Solid / Auteur Hybrid / Verite BE2 Lamb Solid / Universe Solid, and now have Auteur Solid on the headphones. After reading your impression, will try out the Hybrid!
How about Eikon Suede (non-perf)? Haven't seen any recommendation on this pad, but based on ZReview's video, he strongly recommended it. He even said the VC doesn't sound so good with the stock pads.
From my personal extensive experience with zmf pads, Eikon pads are bass heavy. I have tried it with my VC, and Auteur. They up the mid bass a lot, making it punchy and slammy. The VC, being a closed back HP will be bass heavy to begin with. What i wanted to do with my VC is to control the bass a little. Make it punchy and not too boomy. One way to do that is to have the biggest opening in the pads. The Auteur does that. However, lambkin pads tend to up the bass a little because of their reflective nature. Thats why the Stock Auteur lambskin pads didnt cut it for me. When I tried the Auteur hybrids, I immediately felt the bass tightened up a little. Also, due to the suede, the mids and treble became smoother and less sharp, which resulted in an overall natural sounding tone.
I personally have not tried the suede eikons but i can see how that can sound relaxing. In the future, i might buy a pair just to check it out but for now, I am perfectly happy with the Auteurs (hybrid and lambskin) based on the type of tubes i roll with my Elise OTL.