Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC Review (Headphone)

[Cahudson42]

Let's start a pool - AudioQuest acquiring Abyss....Date?

 

[posvibes]

I started out with an obscenely priced original pair of headphones back in the day that people would tell me I was mad, the Stax Lambda's (which I still own). They were big bucks back then but they were necessary because I was living in flats with thin walls and my speakers were necessarily put away and the Stax's were way out ahead of anything available at the time.

Since then, over decades I accumulated a number of headphones, all low to mid price, that all had faults and shortfalls in performance.
I have listened to them all off and on and slowly banished all but one pair back to their relative boxes at the back of cupboard, including the Stax's.

They have all been replaced by three headphones all recommendations from ASR, the HiFiman 400i, AKG371 and Senneheiser 6XX and all three out of the box sound great but with the goading of @amirm I discovered PEQ and all three of the headphones above I use with EQ and they provide full satisfaction each in their own way, planar, open back and closed back.

I still like the Sony MDR-7506's preferably with Oratory Harman Curve EQ, they have a certain something I very much like and only in comparison to the other three do they fall away but not by much as I would expect and mainly in their presentation, they are a little more enthusiastic, perhaps over enthusiastic.

If I add up all of the false roads, the redundant headphones to the point where I am at now, I still didn't get anywhere, not within cooee of US$8K in outlay to achieve the level of satisfaction I have now and I could still get a slightly/marginal better outcome if I sold off the headphones in my cupboard.

 

[Andysu]

Sheer Daylight Robbery! That cost more than my whole JBL cinema pro and my new Technics SL-1210GR. Sheer Daylight Robbery for some rubbish audiophile headphones. I do hope some have automatic common sense to spend the money on something far cheaper. And these headphones don't even have a range to 90KHz to cater for cat and bat.

 

[mkawa]

all i care about is the kids getting suckered via head-fi and SBAF into spending big bucks that they don't have on these monstrosities.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

When looking to buy headphones a few years ago the Abyss model was the one I didn’t even bother to try, based on looks alone, it looked to me to be an instrument of torture (“,)

Looks like the headpiece to an electric chair. And at this price wouldn't anyone rather have a Utopia?

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Yes, but the big questions is, how does it measure without the $3000 cable???

That's gotta be for their "next from the best" cable. There has to be a "signature" upgrade out there.

 

[FrantzM]

That's gotta be for their "next from the best" cable. There has to be a "signature" upgrade out there.

They’re in the process of being quantum-treated as we speak

 

[all24bits]

all i care about is the kids getting suckered via head-fi and SBAF into spending big bucks that they don't have on these monstrosities.

What "kids" are getting sucked into spending $8k "they don't have" on headphones? Are they blind buying these $8k headphones without listening first? Names and examples, please.

 

[Andysu]

I did a REW frequency sweep on my Sennheiser HD 599, 2019, I may have used a smoothing so, I'm gonna do mine again and find a Sennheiser thread cos for what they cost , let me see, huh seeing £159 I don't recall spending that? I see something same model number only, special edition?

I used some foam that I pressed the mic though and then pressed it firmly against each headphone I need to find the foam or I shall use a bath towel, Yes a towel should give me than enough satisfactory result.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

What "kids" are getting sucked into spending $8k "they don't have" on headphones? Names and examples, please.

Please do that, and hurry!!! We need to get them in a conservatorship ASAP!

 

[ra990]

And at this price wouldn't anyone rather have a Utopia?

As someone who has owned both, no.

 

[tomtrp]

If you can afford them, and don't mind open-back, I would get them. Headphones can be such a compromise compared to speakers. Having these "fun" effects takes enjoyment to another level and is worth it in my book.

Thank you for your reply, Amir!
Just for curiosity, after so many headphone reviews, do you think such spatial effects more frequency response related or group delay or driver/cup design related? HD800s seem to have special cup design but both HE-6 and 1266TC seem to have normal shape like cheap planars out there.
Or any other factors in the measurement that comes to your attention?

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

I own these as well as the Focal Utopia's, and I still prefer them to the Utopia's. ‍ Maybe I'm biased and my brain is trying to justify the $4000 I spent on them, but to my ears the difference is quite apparent. The Focal's may be slightly better in terms of tonality, but in what headphone enthusiasts call "technicality," the Abyss headphones are much better. Despite their weight, they have the ability to completely disappear on your head and make you forget you're wearing headphones.

 

[mkawa]

What "kids" are getting sucked into spending $8k "they don't have" on headphones? Are they blind buying these $8k headphones without listening first? Names and examples, please.

Ok, nailed. i'm going on a couple of inferences here. first, how is a college student going to hear about a 5000$ + 3000$ cable pair of headphones, that they even exist. second, how could they possibly think that this is an "endgame" headphone, better than every other headphone out there in some way. third, how does a college student save up 10 grand to put into headphones? by being productive outside of school (or betting big on GME, but i'll ignore that case. those kids can buy all the 10k headphones they want, who cares). is it a good idea for a college student being that productive outside of school to spend 10k on a pair of middling headphones? my wild guess is that by every objective measure (opportunity cost, in particular), the answer is a solid no.

finally, where is a college student going to go to get an extended audition of a 10k$ pair of ultra-boutique headphones? i had to put 1500$ deposit down to borrow a pair of 8030Cs for two weeks FROM GENELEC.

names is being facetious. i and most others on this forum avoid HF and SBAF like the plague.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

Do you still have these headphones? You should performs measurements with the cups at different locations to see if it changes the frequency response. They also bend a bit at the adjustment screw, which is supposed to change how they sound. I'd like to know if there is any basis to this claim other than the expected bass falloff without a seal.

 

[roskodan]

I find it offensive, seeing the Golfing Panther there, without the Hand-in-my-kid's-piggybank Panther in the middle. Shame! Shame! Shame!

 

[Helicopter]

I find it offensive, seeing the Golfing Panther there, without the Hand-in-my-kid's-piggybank Panther in the middle. Shame! Shame! Shame!

The cable certainly deserves a piggybank panther.

I have espoused the absurdity of the slightly over $1k OEM Focal Utopia cable, but this thing is 3x as expensive and they make false claims about what it can do.

 

[Bullwinkle J Moose]

Thank you for your reply, Amir!
Just for curiosity, after so many headphone reviews, do you think such spatial effects more frequency response related or group delay or driver/cup design related? HD800s seem to have special cup design but both HE-6 and 1266TC seem to have normal shape like cheap planars out there.
Or any other factors in the measurement that comes to your attention?

First, I would sort (not rate) headphones (regardless of cost) based on how close they come to a flat response

Second, I would rate them from a personal perspective on perceived sound quality vs cost

Third, as far as group delay is concerned, I'd like to see a minimum level of phase coherence
between the two drivers, otherwise I couldn't care less (every pair of headphones has coherency issues)

Planar magnetic drivers (in general) retain better left/right coherence and begin producing combing effects at higher frequencies than dynamic drivers
You can hear where the combing effects begin by running a slow monophonic sine sweep into the headphones

Harman curve, Spatial effects and driver/cup design would not even be a serious consideration and left to the forum rants
(These are all deviations into personal preference, but with much less person to person consistency than my secondary sorting choice above)

 

[imagidominc]

Truly an odd headphone when it gets the best AND worst Pink Panther rating.

 

[Roasty]

The Abyss 1266 TC Phi is a really good headphone. I own the susvara, utopia, stellia, verite open, senn hd650, and have owned the empyrean, grado gs3k, HD660s. The abyss is way up there in terms of enjoyment and technical ability.

Sure, it looks terrible, unwieldy and cumbersome. The fit does take some getting used to, but once the frame and pads positions are dialed in to your own preferences, wearing it is second nature and takes close to zero time to put on and no further adjustment. And the sound that comes out of these headphones... Wow. Those of you who haven't given these a try, if you have the chance, please do!

Given its appearances and weight, they're surprisingly comfortable; if set up properly, they barely touch/rest on the sides of your head (the way they're supposed to be worn is as such). Also, the suspension system makes the headphones feel very light on the head. I actually feel that the utopia is heavier on my head than the abyss.

I agree on the price. It is a bit crazily priced. But the same can be said for spending money on expensive speakers or gear. I've seen some folks here with Magico and Dynaudio speakers and some really nice components. As long as there is personal enjoyment derived out of it..