[FLTWS]

Funny story happened with me today , thankfully with happy ending
this morning i was noticing that the imaging of the sound on my abyss was shifting to the left , bass was more on the left side , i concluded that the right driver was partially damaged , i changed the amp and same results , imaging is not correct and bass is more to the left , it is wasn't clear but very noticeable change , so i contacted the store for checkup and to compare it to the demo unit they have , i got appointment for tomorrow morning , went for lunch , came back for more fiddling and i was surprised that everything was perfect , imaging is dead center , bass is equal , it was just perfect , didn't cross my mind to tight the headband , the placement of ear-cups what fcked up the sound , i was going circles around my self , that was so stupid and never happend to me with any other headphone , placement of the abyss on the head is really crucial.

Yes it is.

 

[rickles]

The CC pads have vent holes around the perimeter, the originals did not.

Thank you, totally get that, but there are many Abyss PHI non-CC floating around where the pads have beeb bought after the fact. What I am curious about is how the CC finish differs from the standard finish. So, obvious differences in the finish for a person that hasn't really seen both.

 

[FLTWS]

Take off the pad, look at the transducer housing, you will see a

symbol near the serial number.

 

[Zhanming057]

Just a note. I received my Abyss Phi CC today. Two things; I am not 100% sure how to tell if these are CC or not? Is there something obvious versus regular Phi? Secondly, while waiting for a new amplifier, I have powered these out of both a beta22 (via high end analog rig!), and out of a hugo2. Both sound pretty fantastic. Really enjoying them!

The headphones have a slightly different "sheen" although it's not easy to tell unless you put them side by side.

The earpads are more conical, much thicker, with vent holes around the edge. That's pretty much it. Do they say "CC" on the receipt or something?

 

[Zhanming057]

Take off the pad, look at the transducer housing, you will see a symbol near the serial number.

that's for both the Phi and the Phi CC - yeah it's really hard to tell between the two.

 

[lambdastorm]

Thank you, totally get that, but there are many Abyss PHI non-CC floating around where the pads have beeb bought after the fact. What I am curious about is how the CC finish differs from the standard finish. So, obvious differences in the finish for a person that hasn't really seen both.

Abyss has actually underwent 3 finishes so far. The first, aka 'classical' finish was introduced when they first came out. It was shiny and very smooth to the touch. 2 years later they switched to a more toned-down matte finish and that was right before Phi came out if memory serves me right. CC is the 3rd finish, which supposedly lowers resonance. I don't buy it but it does look cool.

 

[mt-hifidelity]

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

#newabyssowner

Congrats on getting your new Abyss! I feel it is one of a very very small number of true 'end game' headphones. It's certainly my favorite TOTL model compared to the Focal, HifiMan, Audeze, Sennheiser, etc etc.
My understanding is that the CC is the power-coat finish, and is therefore it's not as shiny/glossy as the previous Abyss 1266. When I asked the folks at JPS Labs about it they said that the new driver and earcups make the real audible difference (implying the coating is not really impactful). Of course, since I own a non-CC Abyss Phi, that is what I wanted to hear.

I agree with some of the other comments about amping. The Hugo2 can drive the Abyss but it doesn't fully do it justice. I experience a vastly more visceral and 3D sound when I pair it with a good amp. I have the iCan Pro which I like at the sub-$2K pricepoint. Its solid-state output is great but I don't love its tube section. Just my taste. I pair the iCan with the iFi iDSD Pro (DAC), which is marketed as a solid headphone amp itself, but I found it just does not compare with the iCan. It's almost like the amp pulls apart the recording and separates all of the instruments/voices so they are positioned in 3D space. I've never heard any DAC come close to that effect, although I can't say I've tried the DAVE with the Abyss yet. My experience is that almost all amps will slightly soften the edges of the DAC output so you end up losing a bit of the extreme resolution, but the right amp will provide other benefits that outweigh that tiny bit of loss. Without enough power its harder to get that sense of space and realism.

 

[Beolab]

” The Best Sounding Headphone period ! ”

 

[FLTWS]

I like the matte finish on my Phi, unless I grab them with peanut butter all over my hands they show no finger prints at all.

 

[rickles]

I must say, the combination of Abyss Phi, and Audio Technica ATH-W2002 is pretty sublime. Totally different sounds, open vs. closed, heavy vs. light, metal vs. wood, big amp vs little amp. I'd forgotten how damned good the W2002 sound, and I'm loving the Phi.

 

[phase0]

Comments on that YT vid are hilarious... "Area 51 called and they want their headphones back."

TBH how they looked was a reason I hesitated. Then again that also allowed time for the Phi to come out...

 

[lambdastorm]

Comments on that YT vid are hilarious... "Area 51 called and they want their headphones back."

TBH how they looked was a reason I hesitated. Then again that also allowed time for the Phi to come out...

One man's trash is another man's treasure I guess. Before I bought them I couldn't stop visualizing how cool they'd look on my head. After I got them I spent the entire first week ogling them from top to bottom. They really are the most badass looking gadget I've ever owned (besides porta pros that is).

 

[phase0]

IDK if the Abyss are the absolute best given how subjective things are. I just say they are among the best. I like that I hear things and I have to look around like "hey is something going on over there?" like the realism can trip me out at times. Value being subjective I feel lucky I can even find a way to own the Abyss. It's up there among my most badass gadgets. Lots of enjoyment from them. Given the cost I did have to listen to them a few years in a row for me to warm up enough to them to be willing to spend this much. Then again I had it backwards when I jumped into this about bought a badass tube amp that cost 3x the cost of my headphones at the time.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Settling in with these spectacular headphones; it's been a while since I've had them on to my head due to kids, being sick, work, son's hockey, etc...(life in genera), but man these headphones have me smiling ear to ear! I've said this before, but the most "speaker-like" presentation I've heard from any pair of headphones!

 

[jlbrach]

and i remember when you were a skeptic!