[rickles]

Makes sense! Thank you! Are there others that this group tends to love with the Abyss Phi?

 

[szymonsays]

If anyone is interested in trading their Abyss Diana Phi for the 1266 Phi (non-ceramic coating) with CC pads, let me know I also posted my ad in the classifieds section.

 

[simorag]

Makes sense! Thank you! Are there others that this group tends to love with the Abyss Phi?

Here is a rough collection of some popular choices based on many posts on this thread, more or less in increasing price order:

- Violectric V281
- iFi iCan Pro
- Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold (discontinued, can be found used)

- Headamp GSX-Mk2​

- XI Audio Formula S (+ Powerman power supply) - I own this combo and I am pretty happy with it
- Eddie Current Studio (tubes)
- Wells Headtrip
- Viva Egoista 845 (tubes)
- Woo Audio WA33 (tubes)

Abyss Phi are great also direct from Chord DAVE.

Some users (at their own risk) go with loudspeaker amps via adapters and possibly resistors.

If you tell the community a bit more about your music and sound signature preferences, and how much you are willing to invest, perhaps you can get some more specific advice

 

[jlbrach]

as one who owns the abyss phi and dave/blu2 combo i have gone back and forth on the amp no amp question....i currently have the Violectric 281, had the Ipro can and wells milo and moon 430.....I have come to the conclusion that the abyss sounds appreciably better direct out of the dave but and there is a but.......some of my music is older jazz that is mastered to very low volume that requires the 281.....in the majority of cases the transparency is just too fantastic to sacrifice with the amp....

 

[rickles]

I'd be curious to hear the Abyss out of the Dave, and the v281. I do have a Hugo2, but I'm imagining that it's probably not gutsy enough to power the Abyss Phi well...

 

[Zhanming057]

I'd be curious to hear the Abyss out of the Dave, and the v281. I do have a Hugo2, but I'm imagining that it's probably not gutsy enough to power the Abyss Phi well...

Well, I think you probably know my take on the issue I am not convinced that the Dave has a good enough headphone output for anything beyond something like a Utopia or Ether Flow. And while Chord is kind of a sacred cow on Head-fi, I don't think that the Dave is a very good DAC for $10k either. It needs the Mscalar to fight the true Summit-fi's (e.g. Nagra, Linn, Berkeley Alpha Ref 2, DCS), and at that point there simply are more polished DAC's for the price. The v281 is one of the very best options for classical music on a HD800/800S, but it's not a particularly good fit for the 1266 phi either.

And if we are talking about $3,000 amps, while the Formula S is an excellent headphone amp, I really, really think that you should go with a speaker amp at this price range. The 1266 phi's benefit significantly from power. When you can get a Esoteric I03, an absolutely fantastic machine with superlative material and build quality, used, for the same price as a brand new Formula S, there isn't a good reason to not go with the speaker amp. Anyways, some of the better combinations that I've heard with the 1266 phi:

• Viva Egoista/Solistino 845 - they are functionally the same amp, the only difference is that the Egoista has a headphone jack. This is IMO the best synergy I have gotten from the 1266 phi's for jazz, rock and vocals, they almost seem to made for strong 845 amps. You're paying for the paint job on both amps but the Solistino occasionally shows up used for less than $4,000.
• Nagra Classic INT - clean, perfectly controlled and in a sweet spot on low gain with the 1266 phi's. This is what I run my 1266 phi's with.
• Airtight 300b with an ATC1 pre - the most well-controlled 300b system, you get the euphoria of the WA5 without giving up as much speed or dynamic range. The Manley 300b is only a tiny bit behind and is a lot easier to find stateside, though.
• Mass Kobo Model 394. An amp that's underpowered on paper but has near-perfect composure through the entire output range. Masuda, the designer of this amp uses it with his non-phi 1266's. Clean and punchy, but has a linear treble range that might not be to everyone's taste.
• Wells Headtrip. Powerful, great midrange and highly dynamic. A significant step up from the Formula S in terms of output.

 

[JLoud]

I believe they used the Woo WA5 in tuning the 1266.

 

[mulder01]

Makes sense! Thank you! Are there others that this group tends to love with the Abyss Phi?

I used mine for years with the v281 and never felt the need to spend more after hearing other amps.

 

[rickles]

as one who owns the abyss phi and dave/blu2 combo i have gone back and forth on the amp no amp question....i currently have the Violectric 281, had the Ipro can and wells milo and moon 430.....I have come to the conclusion that the abyss sounds appreciably better direct out of the dave but and there is a but.......some of my music is older jazz that is mastered to very low volume that requires the 281.....in the majority of cases the transparency is just too fantastic to sacrifice with the amp....

How did you like the iPro? How does it compare to the V281?

 

[GU1DO]

Hi all! Is there a list of recommended amplifiers for the Abyss Phi? This is a big thread!

#newabyssowner

You need power ,, a lot of current , get the most powerful amp you can buy.
AudioGD Master 9 is my recommendation (with a good quality cables),
others would suggest other brands , its your home work to pick the best for your needs.

 

[Joe Skubinski]

Daniel Brezina with Hi-Fi Voice in Czech Republic wrote a wonderful review on the AB-1266 Phi CC...

English translation:
https://translate.google.com/transl...a-recenze/sluchatka/2053-abyss-ab-1266-phi-cc

Original:
https://www.hifi-voice.com/testy-a-...6nUar4g6uN4aKXK6NyBU4kiqZC1Vzu4ynSAeLEtLvwu1w

 

[vortrex]

I've had the V281 and while I sold it right before getting the AB-1266 Phi CC I can confidently say it is not in the same league as the Allnic HPA-3000 GT which I now use with the Abyss. 3w output, Class A power, Allnic permalloy core transformers, NOS tubes, custom silver 41 step attenuator, pre-out. Top notch build quality, weighs over 20lbs. Price is $4k. If you're not familiar with Allnic they're quite famous for their tube gear in the high end speaker based vinyl world.

http://allnicaudio.com/?page_id=928

 

[lambdastorm]

You need power ,, a lot of current , get the most powerful amp you can buy.
AudioGD Master 9 is my recommendation (with a good quality cables),
others would suggest other brands , its your home work to pick the best for your needs.

Master 9 and Headtrip are both excellent. I enjoyed the latter thoroughly while I still had them, pitch black background & near perfect control over any planars I've thrown at em. Pair these with Abyss and there's this eerie sense of realism you can't find on any other headphone, peiod. Too bad they're not made for dynamics, or else I would've kept them. As for the former I've heard them several times at local meetings, serves my HE6 really well.

The only other amp that I'm eyeing right now beside the 845 is the Trafomatic Primavera. Looking forward to hearing them at CanJam next month.

 

[phase0]

This is slightly off topic from Abyss but I feel this reading Head-Fi ...

Akiba's Trip The Animation - Audiophile

 

[Zhanming057]

This is slightly off topic from Abyss but I feel this reading Head-Fi ...

Akiba's Trip The Animation - Audiophile

“The road to hell is paved with audio enthusiasts”. I laughed out loud at that line.

Also, is that an Esoteric CDT and a ATM2? That's actually a pretty good combo.