Man they are beautiful! Iām looking to pick up my first pair of ZMFās. I canāt try them out anywhere, so am trying to figure out which is the best entry point. Would Auteur be a good choice?
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Welcome to the home of the Insane !!! actually welcome to HFGā¦As to your question about the Auteur that would depend on what sound you are after, The Auteur is the most neutral of them all (ZMF) I believe.
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Welcome! Do you have any headphones currently? If so, what are they and what do you like about them?
The Auteur is my first ZMF and I really like it on tube amps.
Thanks for the welcome!! i listen to pretty much everything: rock/classic rock, edm, jazz, pop, blues. For headphones, I currently have: focal elex, hd6xx, dt1990, and anandas.
Iām looking for something more laid back and have heard great things about ZMF. I am trying to decide between the auteurs and the verite open back. What do you guys think would be best?
I have the Elex, as well as the Zmf cans Eikon, Atticus, and Aeolusā¦ You cannot go wrong with either of the two you are thinking about. They may be on my radar next but will wait a while
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TylersEclectic Just did an Impressions stream today where he compared the ateur to the verite open
Should give a decent idea but its always worth doing extensive research when spending this much.
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Thatās awesome, thank you! Iāll watch that and see what he says.
Yeah I feel like Iām over-researching this, but itās an expensive decision. The ironwood verite ltdās look incredibleā¦so that isnāt helping either haha. Little worried about the weight though
Hello and welcome!
I would recommend for you to scan through the thread to get a better idea on othersā feedback on the Auteur. I would be careful on putting a lot of weight on a reviewerās impression on something. For example, I know the linked reviewer above is certainly not shy about his affinity for ZMF.
If it helps, I used to own an Auteur and eventually sold it due to its weight (and I had the Mg chassis upgrade). I know you mentioned you were worried about weight. I would also not characterize this headphone has laid back. It is neutral forward and engaging, although of course, thatās not a bad thing. I just wouldnāt call it a chill headphone.
As Eric mentioned earlier, it sounds superb on decent tube amp.
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Thatās helpful, thanks! Iāve read a lot a posts about them pairing well with tube amps which I donāt currently have, so it sounds like I may need to look into that too.
What would you lean towards for a more laidback/chill headphone (open back) in this range? Doesnāt have to be ZMFā¦just trying to get some ideas. Thanks again!
ZMF Aeolus is much more laid back then the Auteur. You also have the Kennerton Vali, Audeze LCD-2, or even in a less expensive price range the Audioquest Nighthawks.
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If you truly prioritize chill/laid-back with comfort, you cannot go wrong with Audioquest Nighthawks (if you can still find them). Very comfortable, really good bass slam. They are fun, but polite. You can wear them all day.
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Yeah like others have said, I would not call the Auteur laid back and the verite c is definitely not either. I have not heard it myself but the Aeolus is suppsoed to be the most chill and laid back in the ZMF line and Iāve heard it works really well with both SS and tube amps.
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Wondering if some Auteur owners can shed some light on a few questions, Iām kinda feeling around in the dark here, forgive me if this is a bit vagueā¦
Iāve had a love/hate relationship with some recently picked up Elexās and i think iāve given on the idea of keeping them. I LOVE the way they sound (more on this in a sec), but theyāre just to uncomfortable, the hotspot is killinā me which makes the whole thing tough to enjoy.
For context, my baseline here is a pair of DT1990s, and a pair of LCD 2Cs.
I love the energy of the Elex, it just feels like a āsit upā headphone. Especially coming from the 2C, thereās just so much verve and excitement in the sound; I love it. Itās got some punch in the bass dynamics, but without clouding up the lower mids, or getting too wooly down there. Iām also a big fan of the slightly more forward vocals, female vocals especially seem to pop on these, which just adds so much life to a lot of music; especially garage and indie punk stuff (Snail mail, Brooke Bentham, Wavves, that whole vibe). The highs are fine, nothing to write home about, not in the way, but not recessed. I definitely appreciate some of the āairā in the 1990, but I donāt miss the ~8k spike they have.
I reached out to Zach and he said this sounded more like a job for the Auteur than the Aeolus. But before i went and pulled the trigger I wanted to see if anyone had a similar move from a mid-fi dynamic (or even specifically an Elex/Clear) to the Auteur, or how they contrast to an Arya.
Iāll be driving these off a Matrix Mini Pro i 3, and a Drop CTH w/ gold lion tube.
While iām totally happy to pay what it costs to have these kind of higher end cans, especially when youāre talking about something as bespoke and handcrafted as a ZMFā¦This will be nearly double the most Iāve spent on a single set of headphones before, so Iām trying to do a bit more background here before going for it.
First question is or may be. Open or closed back preference ? Secondly I have the Elex and also have my Auteur but only for 24hrs so I am still learning it. I also have the Aeolus as well. All the Zmf cans are super comfortable and if by chance you might get said hotspot then they do have the pilot pad for purchase. I also have the Eikon and Atticus for the closed back side of things. All are different in their own way but all at least for me are supremely comfyā¦ What amp are you pushing things with ?
Nice, glad to hear theyāre comfy! Matrix Mini Pro i 3, and a Drop CTH for amps.
I prefer open, I have a pair of Sony Z7s that kind of cover me on the closed side, and itās not like Iām going to take ZMFs out and about 
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Yeah understoodā¦ Well ? I wish I had more time with the Auteur to better help and I am sure someone with more experience will pop up, Even with my short time I can confidently say I prefer the Auteur to the Elex. Does not mess with the sound, Very revealing and sweet sounding is what I would call it.
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Think the Elex has a more in your face sound, more punchy and dynamic. To me the Auteur sounds more natural and warm and spacious, particularly with live music. So depends on the genre u like, I think comfort wise zmf > focals but focals i find very comfotable anyway
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I couldnāt ever imagine taking my Zmfās outside either I couldnāt imagine them being accidentally dropped or something like that
Yeah i donāt think i could do it but part of me loves the idea of getting some monster DAP and just walking around town with Susvaras or LCD3s or something.
āOh these? These are just my Abyss 1266s, gotta get off though, this is my stopā
with enough determination anything is portable
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The abyss 1266 rip when it has no clamp and they go flying through the bus drivers windshield under heavy braking.
Good news is the build is indestructible and would be fine
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