Great review - couldn't agree more. I worry that maybe you won't be as into the Verite as I was due to the midrange emphasis - but it's funny I still find I prefer it over just about anything that makes it through my office. Must be all the "serious audiophile music" I'm into haha.
I swear I'm gonna start using that term to describe literally everything that I'm not listening to regularly lmao. Yeah but it'll get really high marks if its resolution and stage keep up with the price just like this thing did so that should definitely be the case
Great review, honest and informative. I’ve owned my Cocobolo Auteurs since they were offered, $1,800. ! Worth every dollar! They have improved immensely over time. Enjoying the music. ✌️
I loved my zmf auteur. mine were blackwood though and i dont think they make them anymore. perfect smooth neutrality with a warm tilt that did everything well. from my understanding the blackwood had a slightly better bass response but even with that i found myself eqing some bass to them. also although i loved their laid back sound, i started preferring more forward intimate vocals
The R10 and TH900mk2 come to mind but I guess those technically aren't full open backs. Maybe you remember some more open back biocel stuff that I can't think of right now... I guess the HP3 and TH909 exist but I know for a fact the former is pretty terrible by comparison
Only Sony’s MDR-CD2000, which came out around 2001 and was both full-sized AND on-ear, yet supremely comfortable. But no way that headphone stacks up against the Auteur, so I think you’re right!
The Verite comes with a wood case option actually, and there's a couple different wood stands you can buy as well called the ZMF Salire. Maybe we should tell Zach to offer a glass case next
@@metal571 Do you know whether this specific headphone is for sale, even though its demo? Are you sending it back to Zach or is it going to go around the RUclips reviewer circuit.
@@bconngem6005 I'm sending it back to Zach so it's not currently on tour from one reviewer to the next directly, at least. It is a minor B stock that was repaired and is now brand new at the time I received it with new drivers, so it's possible this exact unit may be available for sale in the future, but I don't know for sure
I really think that is one of the best headphone reviews, I have seen so far. Metal, you have really done a good job. I own the Aeolus, and freakin love it paired with my Gungnir Multibit and Bottleheadcrack Speedball. I have really been interested in the Auteur, and almost went with it instead of the Aeolus. Your review really helped me get a good idea, of what the Auteur sounds like, as I have not had any opportunities to demo them. Thanks and I look forward to watching you’re Verite review. Happy Listening
Definitely not my cup of tea anymore but the 250 ohm version in particular remains amazingly capable in detail and soundstage for being a closed back. Glad you found something you like, that's the point of this channel
So Zach did a revision to the Auteur driver adjusting the angle a bit I think and also added the Atrium dampening system. It's now called the Auteur Classic and many are saying it's better in every way to the OG Auteur. You now really have to consider coming back to your channel and doing a new "update" video on the changes made for the Auteur Classic 😁
Thanks for the measurements, looks like laid back mids esp. when compared to the verite. But I like the Koss electrostats for everything, including metal. Almost ruler flat from 50hz-2Khz and it does it all easily without offending anybody
Mids are definitely more aggressive here at the usual 3-4k spot than the Koss but the Koss has that odd 1.5k stat peak that Stax do as well, just not as forward
Sounds like you're a dynamic guy. Some people don't like the smoothness that other types of drivers create. I actually don't like dynamic driver stuff that much generally. The depth thing on the LCD2 is probably due to less distortion in the drivers but I'm guessing those two represent detail differently (i.e. planar vs dynamic). I find that dynamic driver stuff kinda forces detail out more but it also reveals more of its own grain.
I think that it a dynamic version of the LCD4 existed then that might be what I'd choose as the daily. Some planars have slightly off sounding timbre regardless of the detail and stats like the L700 have this overly weightless sound that's a different flavor. I'm mainly pointing out the differences in timbre here though, considering the LCD2F is my daily at home I'm not as concerned about fine grained decay and exacting timbre as some listeners I talk to
What's funny is that, the people who continuously criticize planars and especially Stax in timbre (like some people on sbaf) don't seem to realize that the most detailed and capable dynamics like hd800 and utopia for eg also have pretty off timbre and not necessarily more natural than super clean estats like l700,007 and 009.
Yeah I definitely wouldn't group Utopia and HD 800 into the "great timbre" group. There's clearly exceptions among each technology, ZMF is one of the best along with the 6x0s in capturing great dynamic timbre, LCD4 is ultra clean sounding but still has great bass slam, the 007 was a big departure from what the L700 is today, etc.
@@metal571 Most people I trust describe Sennheiser he60 as having similar tonality and timbre to hd600 and similar technicalities to 007/009, that's kind of mind boggling tbh. I don't know why Sennheiser just doesn't release a he60 successor or even re-release the same 20yr old headphone. Even, Stax is planning to re-release their most acclaimed headphone, the original SR omega.
@@akshat3516 HE-1 is a bit ridiculous and seems over engineered. Perhaps that is part of the reason for its price. I'd like to hear the SR-007 and LCD 4 but only the latter can be auditioned here, and the store is hundreds of kms away. The 007 with an energizer is about the same price as the LCD 4 or less here.
I did some extensive googling before pronouncing ambrosia, Auteur, and Aeolus so hopefully what I found in multiple examples online were right after all lol
Hey Metal, great review! As an Auteur owner I agree with your findings - as a Metal/Electronic listener however I am gassing for Planar impact and my Isine10's and Argon's, while nice, are not LCD-2/X etc. What do you see as a good compliment to the Auteur, the LCD-2F or X? Any other planar?
hey metal, I watched your ZMF Atticus review and you mentioned that it is possible to drive that headphone with portable sources (ie DAPs and phones). Since the Auteur and the Atticus have similar specs, is it the same case with driving the Auteur from portable sources?
Hey Metal, love your reviews. I've been looking for an upgrade to my Fostex TH600 for listening to metal music. I bought the Focal Elegia, but I'm selling them due to them being fatiguing. Any suggestions for a headphone for metal music? I've been looking into ZMFs, but not entirely convinced due to mixed opinions.
I'm always using the (now discontinued) Sennheiser HD 380 Pro as a live monitoring headphone so I can listen to the Rode NT1 I'm also using as I record
Very good review as always! It could be a great upgrade for me from my beloved M50x/HD600 duo, as I have many times noticed, that I prefer more upper mids and a more upfront sound than you. But here lies the hypothetical question: This or the Focal Clear?
Yeah that's the tough one I thought about after this. Haven't heard the Clear at home yet but it is supposed to be like the Elex which would make it more tilted towards having that metallic mid treble flavor where the Auteur is a lot closer to the direct 600 upgrade
I know this is way too late but I just tested the Clears and Radiance yesterday. Build quality was not as good as I expected. And I surprisingly walked away concluding that I unexpectedly preferred the sound of the Radiance. The Clears began clipping easily at slightly louder volumes for tracks with prominent lower frequencies. I know ZMF build quality will be superior plus a much longer warranty vs Focal's 2 years. However, I will be going again this week to test them out further and try the Stellia and Utopia as well. For context, I am coming from a HD660s and an Ananda and running everything off an iFi micro idsd Signature. So that would be point of reference as I just got into this hobby. What did you end up getting?
@@metal571 Nice! Those are literally the only ones on my list that I have yet to try, although amazon had the lcd1's available for 1-day shipping a few weeks ago. I had decided to try them but the left driver was dead on arrival. My question to you is which of the two do you prefer between Aeolus and Eikon in terms of the balance between smooth (not harsh or bright mids and highs, also no sibilance - as these were the issues I had with the HD660s and Ananda's) and bass response?
I found the Auteur to be too laid back. Even though the mids were relatively forward the 650s upper mids were still more forward than that. My Elegias sounds like they have more of a forward midrange as well. Maybe they’re too neutral but they’re basically like the warm version of the Clear. Sad too because they did a lot right.
Hey Metal, how is the resolution on the Auteur, how does it stand up against similarly priced headphones? I know Josh mentioned the Auteur didn't have good resolution for a $1,500 headphone. I have both the Verite and the Empyrean and the Empyrean definitely has more resolution than the Verite. Now the Verite has a better 3D soundstage presentation and may be a little more musical. The Empy's are more analytical sounding though.
I'm looking at making a video attempting to describe how I use audiophile terms but since I haven't done that yet, soundstage is the size of the space the instruments play within, it can be wide or very small like a small room. Imaging is where the instruments appear to be coming from within the room and how well they can be pinpointed
Only briefly at CanJam. As far as I can tell they give the Stellia a serious run for the money. It's very hard to get ZMFs in for review or impressions. That company has really exploded I think in the last few years
@@Jordonater yeah I hope I said in this review that this is closer to sounding like an HD 600 because it has more upfront mids and treble than Aeolus, which is more akin to a dynamic LCD2 with better tuning but worse resolution and stage. And 598 is more aggressive in the mids than even HD 600 so definitely Auteur for you
@@metal571 I also noticed you said you listen to some electronic music and thats like 90% of my collection so would you maybe say i might still prefer aeolus?
This is a random question, I've been saving up money to get new headphones and I'm struggling on which ones to buy. The Sennheiser HD599 and the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohms. I want good bass, good low range, good soundstage, and no harsh trebles. Any help which ones I should get?
@@joefilter2923 Hd6xx can work with smartphone or pc, obviously you won't get the best of it but even without an amp it's still superior compared to hd58x imho.
Lol yeah it's not really related to that signature, take a look at my empyrean measurements. A lot less upper mids on the empy and the low mids bleed a lot more in from the upper bass on it
@@metal571 Right. From the measurements they actually look more peaky in the treble than these, yet everyone says they are "ultra-smooth". Damn, and I thought we'd finally get a tamer high-end headphone
@@thanossapiens the EARS is only so accurate especially from the upper mids and above. Treble is pretty relaxed on the Empyrean, I'd say the Auteur is a touch more aggressive. Aeolus is the warmer thicker more LCD2-like sound of the ZMFs
Empyrean is similar to night hawk and beats in tonal balance imho. In terms of sound I would put autuer above it, empyrean is pretty compressed in dynamics and the timbre is very off. They are close in detail retrieval.
It's still not great in dynamics and you have to be into this sort of genre but one of the first things I try on most headphones is Dying Fetus - Subjected to a Beating. Very liquidy and well recorded sounding metal guitar tone there and excellent drum detail going on. Also perhaps even more importantly I've heard this damn thing on like 50 different headphones so I'm familiar with it
Almost forgot they were back on Spotify, true. I think Slipknot's very first full self titled album (not MFKR) also suffers significantly less from the loudness war than their later stuff (my god vol 3 was some seriously bad production)
@@metal571 It is interesting that by sheer DR numbers the 10000 Days should suffer heavily from compression, but boy does it sound punchy! This is what I call great mastering.
@@metal571 Everyone hyped it. All the more reason to "crash the party" (which you wont because they are amazing when you get rid of the super magnetic covers).
@@En_Joshi-Godrez do you got them I have checked their FR and they are not that good the bass roll off after 100 hz that's way earlier for a huge planar and it shows it's a lil bit bright which it's absolutely not my style
after listening to the Auteur Its like Winnie the pooh had a pair of 6xx, decided to dip the 6xx in his honey and the result was the auteur. There are a few things i dont like about them tho.
@@metal571 usually it is understood that the mids stops at 2khz,it's treble after that,but I can admit 2-4khz as high mids. But like you say,it depends and varies so..
@@vainxler yeah upper mids, exactly. I mainly call it that because the ear's main resonance is centered right around that area and that guitars are a midrange instrument and live there as well, that's all
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Great review - couldn't agree more. I worry that maybe you won't be as into the Verite as I was due to the midrange emphasis - but it's funny I still find I prefer it over just about anything that makes it through my office. Must be all the "serious audiophile music" I'm into haha.
I swear I'm gonna start using that term to describe literally everything that I'm not listening to regularly lmao. Yeah but it'll get really high marks if its resolution and stage keep up with the price just like this thing did so that should definitely be the case
I'm definitely not experienced in judging headphones but I loved the Verite. It was my favorite headphone at RMAF.
metal571 did you ever get a chance to review/listen to the verite?
@@rhodey2952 Still haven't
metal571 yeah, I ended up picking it up. No regrets haha.
Best headphone reviewer on RUclips.
Totally agree.
Great review, honest and informative. I’ve owned my Cocobolo Auteurs since they were offered, $1,800. ! Worth every dollar! They have improved immensely over time. Enjoying the music. ✌️
Finally metal571's review unit wearing time is back. And yeah, take 2 video of atticus with shining purple is always welcome.
I loved my zmf auteur. mine were blackwood though and i dont think they make them anymore. perfect smooth neutrality with a warm tilt that did everything well. from my understanding the blackwood had a slightly better bass response but even with that i found myself eqing some bass to them. also although i loved their laid back sound, i started preferring more forward intimate vocals
I want more intimate vocals too but have been having a hard time finding a flagship that does it for $2k. Did you end up finding something you liked?
good for metal?:)
Great review, outstanding. Best open-back biocellulose, cool!
The R10 and TH900mk2 come to mind but I guess those technically aren't full open backs. Maybe you remember some more open back biocel stuff that I can't think of right now... I guess the HP3 and TH909 exist but I know for a fact the former is pretty terrible by comparison
Only Sony’s MDR-CD2000, which came out around 2001 and was both full-sized AND on-ear, yet supremely comfortable. But no way that headphone stacks up against the Auteur, so I think you’re right!
I think it is up there with TH-900. I have both and I am happy!
Those look beautiful. Like they should be in a glass case.
The Verite comes with a wood case option actually, and there's a couple different wood stands you can buy as well called the ZMF Salire. Maybe we should tell Zach to offer a glass case next
@@metal571 Do you know whether this specific headphone is for sale, even though its demo? Are you sending it back to Zach or is it going to go around the RUclips reviewer circuit.
@@bconngem6005 I'm sending it back to Zach so it's not currently on tour from one reviewer to the next directly, at least. It is a minor B stock that was repaired and is now brand new at the time I received it with new drivers, so it's possible this exact unit may be available for sale in the future, but I don't know for sure
If this guy reviewed speakers, I could die a happy man.
My room is so bad for that sort of thing unfortunately, need a properly treated studio
I really think that is one of the best headphone reviews, I have seen so far. Metal, you have really done a good job. I own the Aeolus, and freakin love it paired with my Gungnir Multibit and Bottleheadcrack Speedball. I have really been interested in the Auteur, and almost went with it instead of the Aeolus. Your review really helped me get a good idea, of what the Auteur sounds like, as I have not had any opportunities to demo them. Thanks and I look forward to watching you’re Verite review.
Happy Listening
Bigup metal571. I got some 770s cos of your review and i love them
Definitely not my cup of tea anymore but the 250 ohm version in particular remains amazingly capable in detail and soundstage for being a closed back. Glad you found something you like, that's the point of this channel
@@metal571 yeah. I got the 80ohm edition and the subs are perfect
Will these give bass on Metallica's And Justice for All? 😆 😆
Anything times zero is still zero :P
@@DonnyZofChaos but when u divide anyhting by 0 equals infinite
So Zach did a revision to the Auteur driver adjusting the angle a bit I think and also added the Atrium dampening system. It's now called the Auteur Classic and many are saying it's better in every way to the OG Auteur. You now really have to consider coming back to your channel and doing a new "update" video on the changes made for the Auteur Classic 😁
I won't consider returning, but if I get a chance to hear one somehow I'll probably end up on Andrew's Q/A again
Thanks for the measurements, looks like laid back mids esp. when compared to the verite. But I like the Koss electrostats for everything, including metal. Almost ruler flat from 50hz-2Khz and it does it all easily without offending anybody
Mids are definitely more aggressive here at the usual 3-4k spot than the Koss but the Koss has that odd 1.5k stat peak that Stax do as well, just not as forward
Nice review Jason
Any chance you can review the Focal Elegia? I would love to hear your opinion on it
Yeah there's a chance, a local audio store carries one
Sounds like you're a dynamic guy. Some people don't like the smoothness that other types of drivers create. I actually don't like dynamic driver stuff that much generally. The depth thing on the LCD2 is probably due to less distortion in the drivers but I'm guessing those two represent detail differently (i.e. planar vs dynamic). I find that dynamic driver stuff kinda forces detail out more but it also reveals more of its own grain.
I think that it a dynamic version of the LCD4 existed then that might be what I'd choose as the daily. Some planars have slightly off sounding timbre regardless of the detail and stats like the L700 have this overly weightless sound that's a different flavor. I'm mainly pointing out the differences in timbre here though, considering the LCD2F is my daily at home I'm not as concerned about fine grained decay and exacting timbre as some listeners I talk to
What's funny is that, the people who continuously criticize planars and especially Stax in timbre (like some people on sbaf) don't seem to realize that the most detailed and capable dynamics like hd800 and utopia for eg also have pretty off timbre and not necessarily more natural than super clean estats like l700,007 and 009.
Yeah I definitely wouldn't group Utopia and HD 800 into the "great timbre" group. There's clearly exceptions among each technology, ZMF is one of the best along with the 6x0s in capturing great dynamic timbre, LCD4 is ultra clean sounding but still has great bass slam, the 007 was a big departure from what the L700 is today, etc.
@@metal571 Most people I trust describe Sennheiser he60 as having similar tonality and timbre to hd600 and similar technicalities to 007/009, that's kind of mind boggling tbh. I don't know why Sennheiser just doesn't release a he60 successor or even re-release the same 20yr old headphone. Even, Stax is planning to re-release their most acclaimed headphone, the original SR omega.
@@akshat3516 HE-1 is a bit ridiculous and seems over engineered. Perhaps that is part of the reason for its price.
I'd like to hear the SR-007 and LCD 4 but only the latter can be auditioned here, and the store is hundreds of kms away. The 007 with an energizer is about the same price as the LCD 4 or less here.
I really like your reviews. Are you gonna review the ollo S4R? Thanks in advance.
Nice review, and thanks for pronouncing Auteur better than most, i.e. not Oh-two-er and not as indicated on the ZMF web site!
I did some extensive googling before pronouncing ambrosia, Auteur, and Aeolus so hopefully what I found in multiple examples online were right after all lol
Hey Metal, great review!
As an Auteur owner I agree with your findings - as a Metal/Electronic listener however I am gassing for Planar impact and my Isine10's and Argon's, while nice, are not LCD-2/X etc. What do you see as a good compliment to the Auteur, the LCD-2F or X? Any other planar?
Yep those two are great choices but the 2F has the larger stage for even more fun with electronic stuff.
That introduction caught me off guard lmao
What about the Eikon suede perforated? Anyone like those over the perforated lambskin?
I heard the auteur has excellent natural timbre I am interested in this headphone because of that
It does
Another great review! Thanks! Have you reviewed the hifiman arya yet? Would love to hear your thoughts on that one too!
Not yet but it's on the list
metal571 awesome, can’t wait!!!
Seems like a direct HD600 upgrade.
Crap I might have forgotten to mention that, yeah this is a little more direct of a 6x0 upgrade than the Aeolus
hey metal, I watched your ZMF Atticus review and you mentioned that it is possible to drive that headphone with portable sources (ie DAPs and phones). Since the Auteur and the Atticus have similar specs, is it the same case with driving the Auteur from portable sources?
Give us the Atticus review, but don't take too long ;)
Metal any views auteur v Meze Empyrean?
Hey Metal, love your reviews. I've been looking for an upgrade to my Fostex TH600 for listening to metal music. I bought the Focal Elegia, but I'm selling them due to them being fatiguing. Any suggestions for a headphone for metal music? I've been looking into ZMFs, but not entirely convinced due to mixed opinions.
Atticus or the Aeolus for sure. Those two don't have overly forward mids so the electric guitars won't obliterate your ears
Love the video, quick question, what was the pair on your head for the video?
I'm always using the (now discontinued) Sennheiser HD 380 Pro as a live monitoring headphone so I can listen to the Rode NT1 I'm also using as I record
metal571 thank you :)
Very good review as always!
It could be a great upgrade for me from my beloved M50x/HD600 duo, as I have many times noticed, that I prefer more upper mids and a more upfront sound than you.
But here lies the hypothetical question: This or the Focal Clear?
Yeah that's the tough one I thought about after this. Haven't heard the Clear at home yet but it is supposed to be like the Elex which would make it more tilted towards having that metallic mid treble flavor where the Auteur is a lot closer to the direct 600 upgrade
I know this is way too late but I just tested the Clears and Radiance yesterday. Build quality was not as good as I expected. And I surprisingly walked away concluding that I unexpectedly preferred the sound of the Radiance. The Clears began clipping easily at slightly louder volumes for tracks with prominent lower frequencies. I know ZMF build quality will be superior plus a much longer warranty vs Focal's 2 years. However, I will be going again this week to test them out further and try the Stellia and Utopia as well. For context, I am coming from a HD660s and an Ananda and running everything off an iFi micro idsd Signature. So that would be point of reference as I just got into this hobby. What did you end up getting?
I ended up with an equalized lcd2 actually
@@metal571 Nice! Those are literally the only ones on my list that I have yet to try, although amazon had the lcd1's available for 1-day shipping a few weeks ago. I had decided to try them but the left driver was dead on arrival.
My question to you is which of the two do you prefer between Aeolus and Eikon in terms of the balance between smooth (not harsh or bright mids and highs, also no sibilance - as these were the issues I had with the HD660s and Ananda's) and bass response?
Definitely Aeolus for less fatigue
I found the Auteur to be too laid back. Even though the mids were relatively forward the 650s upper mids were still more forward than that. My Elegias sounds like they have more of a forward midrange as well. Maybe they’re too neutral but they’re basically like the warm version of the Clear. Sad too because they did a lot right.
should edit in clips of you wearing the headphones you're reviewing
Yeah a lot of people have been asking for this so I'm going to start doing that in the middle of these
Wow I didn't know this guy was from Illinois, I'm in Chicago, I wonder if he has a listening shop lol.
Yeah you can usually schedule a listening session at their HQ I believe, just contact Zach through his website
Hey Metal, how is the resolution on the Auteur, how does it stand up against similarly priced headphones? I know Josh mentioned the Auteur didn't have good resolution for a $1,500 headphone. I have both the Verite and the Empyrean and the Empyrean definitely has more resolution than the Verite. Now the Verite has a better 3D soundstage presentation and may be a little more musical. The Empy's are more analytical sounding though.
Which one do you prefer? I'm thinking about buying Empyrean, but I can't demo them sadly.
How would you describe imaging and soundstage for a noob like me?
I'm looking at making a video attempting to describe how I use audiophile terms but since I haven't done that yet, soundstage is the size of the space the instruments play within, it can be wide or very small like a small room. Imaging is where the instruments appear to be coming from within the room and how well they can be pinpointed
DMS has a video explaining it: ruclips.net/video/auw1t_d0PnM/видео.html
Hey metal have you heard the Zmf Verite closed backs yet?
Only briefly at CanJam. As far as I can tell they give the Stellia a serious run for the money. It's very hard to get ZMFs in for review or impressions. That company has really exploded I think in the last few years
If i like the sound of a Senheiser HD598 would i be more likely to prefer these or the Aeolus?
Auteur
@@metal571 oh that surprises me but thank you for still replying even though this video is old.
@@Jordonater yeah I hope I said in this review that this is closer to sounding like an HD 600 because it has more upfront mids and treble than Aeolus, which is more akin to a dynamic LCD2 with better tuning but worse resolution and stage. And 598 is more aggressive in the mids than even HD 600 so definitely Auteur for you
@@metal571 I also noticed you said you listen to some electronic music and thats like 90% of my collection so would you maybe say i might still prefer aeolus?
EDM is why I prefer the LCD2 I own. But you have to EQ it
They look like a bowl my hippie aunty has
How these compare to Aoelus if you listen rock, heavy, metal?
I reviewed Aeolus as well which should help
This is a random question, I've been saving up money to get new headphones and I'm struggling on which ones to buy.
The Sennheiser HD599
and the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohms.
I want good bass, good low range, good soundstage, and no harsh trebles. Any help which ones I should get?
I would take the 58x over those but that headphone doesn't do soundstage well
Do creative aurvana live or akg k553, or go straight to hd6xx, hd58X is in a weird place regarding price.
Sennheiser hd599 doesn't have have impactful or clean bass and beyer dt770 has killer treble peak and also unclear treble, both are bad options.
Geralt Of Rivia if you add in $100 for amp needed to drive 6xx then 58x might look better!
@@joefilter2923 Hd6xx can work with smartphone or pc, obviously you won't get the best of it but even without an amp it's still superior compared to hd58x imho.
I heard the Empyrean has a similar sonic signature to these. Are these far behind the Mezes?
Lol yeah it's not really related to that signature, take a look at my empyrean measurements. A lot less upper mids on the empy and the low mids bleed a lot more in from the upper bass on it
@@metal571 Right. From the measurements they actually look more peaky in the treble than these, yet everyone says they are "ultra-smooth". Damn, and I thought we'd finally get a tamer high-end headphone
@@thanossapiens the EARS is only so accurate especially from the upper mids and above. Treble is pretty relaxed on the Empyrean, I'd say the Auteur is a touch more aggressive. Aeolus is the warmer thicker more LCD2-like sound of the ZMFs
@@metal571 which would you say are the most treble relaxed cans in the $1500-3000 price range?
Empyrean is similar to night hawk and beats in tonal balance imho. In terms of sound I would put autuer above it, empyrean is pretty compressed in dynamics and the timbre is very off. They are close in detail retrieval.
Any chance you're gonna be expanding to iems?
Not any time soon, my ears are not calibrated for IEM value at certain price points like they are for full size stuff
Mind recommending some well mastered metal albums?
It's still not great in dynamics and you have to be into this sort of genre but one of the first things I try on most headphones is Dying Fetus - Subjected to a Beating. Very liquidy and well recorded sounding metal guitar tone there and excellent drum detail going on. Also perhaps even more importantly I've heard this damn thing on like 50 different headphones so I'm familiar with it
The albums of Tool are pretty well engineered.
Almost forgot they were back on Spotify, true. I think Slipknot's very first full self titled album (not MFKR) also suffers significantly less from the loudness war than their later stuff (my god vol 3 was some seriously bad production)
@@metal571 It is interesting that by sheer DR numbers the 10000 Days should suffer heavily from compression, but boy does it sound punchy!
This is what I call great mastering.
I hope you can review the Thieaudio Phantom soon
Why because Z hyped it lol, I'd put more trust in a Verum One than that thing if I had to guess
@@metal571 Everyone hyped it. All the more reason to "crash the party" (which you wont because they are amazing when you get rid of the super magnetic covers).
@@thelastrhino2581 The only trash here are people that say thing bad without even trying it .
@@metal571 that's why I asked you because I trust your reviews
@@En_Joshi-Godrez do you got them I have checked their FR and they are not that good the bass roll off after 100 hz that's way earlier for a huge planar and it shows it's a lil bit bright which it's absolutely not my style
Does it sound better than nighthawks?
You should probably see my Nighthawk review lol
Hi metal571, will you review the thieaudio phantom planars?
This or Elex regardless of the price?
Auteur easily, but not a fair comparison as it's twice the price
Truth have you listened to both? In what areas is the Auteur better? Resolution, sound stage?
after listening to the Auteur Its like Winnie the pooh had a pair of 6xx, decided to dip the 6xx in his honey and the result was the auteur. There are a few things i dont like about them tho.
Pretty damn true lol
What don't you like?
4khz is not anymore mid fréquencies
It is for me, mids end at about 5k just depends on how you define it
@@metal571 usually it is understood that the mids stops at 2khz,it's treble after that,but I can admit 2-4khz as high mids.
But like you say,it depends and varies so..
@@vainxler yeah upper mids, exactly. I mainly call it that because the ear's main resonance is centered right around that area and that guitars are a midrange instrument and live there as well, that's all
Please keep this channel a Serious-Audiophile-Music-Free zone 🔇
please fix your vol. too soft. ty