I agree, I think the Wenge Auteur is the best Auteur. Wish I got one when they were up for sale.
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Aged copper adds 50 grams weight.
Given ZMFās dark library, old money, leather, and Victorian design aesthetic - yes! I couldnāt imagine buying any ZMF wood-centric product without brass, copper, or chrome grills. It looks right, and itās part of the experience.
However, Iād be the first in line for a simple and plain studio edition. Black plastic and black metalā¦honestlyā¦at a discountā¦
Itās part of the experience. An art connoisseur must suffer to prove their devotion.
[I own 0 ZMF products, and want to demo before buying.]
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Another data point for reference:
My Wenge Auteur with brass grille and rods and Mg chassis weighs 560 grams.
I ordered the aged copper
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Good choice.
20 chars msg
Chrome? Victorian aesthetic?
Chrome, silver, steel, or whatever this is:
Victorian = technology from the reign of UK Queen Victoria (1838 to 1901):
Sample Victorian technology:
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Got it! I donāt think they had chrome, though.
@mfadio - did you end up selling your wenge Auteurs? I bought a third-hand pair recently with a wood grain thatās practically identical to your photos.
I did sell mine. Regretfully.
@Resolve are you still using those pads and EQ profiles in this thread or have you changed your preferences or EQ profile?
Iām joining the Auteur club! After a year of enjoying my Verite Closed, I made an impulse buy when a striking Manchurian Ash set popped up for sale. To be honest, most of my listening requires a closed-back, but Iāve always wanted to try the Auteur, so Iām going to try and escape from my noisy kids from time to time to give these a listen.
I think my Quicksilver Headphone Amp will be a good match for the Auteur. I know it sounds great with my VC, so I have high expectations for the Auteur pairing.
The set I bought doesnāt come with the stock Auteur perforated lambskin pads, so Iāll have to pony up for those at some point. Iāll have the Eikon lambskin and Eikon suede to start with, both perforated. I think Iāll try the suedes first. From the impressions Iāve read, those will sound closer to the Auteur pads than the Eikon lambskins.
Donāt these look nice?!
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They do indeed look nice. Iād go further and say theyāre gorgeous - some of the best and most striking ZMFs Iāve seen. Congratulations!
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Beautiful set! I joined the Auteur club in September. I also have the VC. When I need isolation I grab the VC. When I donāt, I tend to go for the Auteur. The Auteurs are Bocote, a harder wood and the VC are Camphor Burl a medium hard wood. The VC are slightly more detailed and have more low end in my opinion. Both are awesome. I have not regretted my Auteur purchase at all. I love them. The Aeolus I picked upā¦ā¦ā¦ I find that I never reach for those. Just not in the same league as the VC and Auteur. I think youāre going to be very happy! I have not tried the universe pads on the Auteur yet. Iāve only used the stock Auteur pads.
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Good to hear from someone else with the same headphones! My first ZMF was the Aeolus, but I sold it to help fund the VC. Sadly, I never got to listen to it on my tube amps. What amp are you using with your ZMFās?
I have a Pendant SE. iāve tried the universe and universe hybrid on the Aeolus. It sounds good, just not as detailed as the Auteur and VC. Kind of flat in the top end compared to the other two as well.
My Auteur arrived today, and they look even better than the pictures were able to capture. The ZMF 2K Copper cable that came with them is also very nice in person. It feels expensive and looks very fancy. Itās definitely the most expensive cable Iāve ever used. It also has zero microphonics, which is a welcome surprise.
I need more time with them to give any detailed impressions of the sounds. The sound smooth and natural with my BF2 and Quicksilver. Iām looking forward to comparing them with my current favorite, Verite Closed.
Snapped some pictures when they arrived:
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Iām curious if thatās the standard chassis, not the magnesium. Iām starting to think the standard has the round topās of the adjustment bars and magnesium is flat
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To be honest, Iām not sure what chassis I have. This set is from 2018. Did the LTD releases all come with magnesium or was that an option? I know the Verites come with magnesium by default, but Iām not sure about LTD releases of the other models.
Update: I checked my VC, and it has the flat top and I know those are magnesium. From the pictures on the ZMF website it appears to still be the distinguishing thing between the standard aluminum rods (rounded top) and magnesium rods (flatter top). So unless Zach was using the same rod shape for both metals options back in 2018, it would appear I have an aluminum chassis.