[CreditingKarma]

I hang out on Aliexpress .. wait for their sales .. Do put what I am watching jn tge shopping basket and wait.
I got 2 units of Krell KSA5 for 320 USD shipped to my doorstep. Class A 8 watts at8 ohms
When i dont want to tun my power hungry 300b monoblocs I use these!
Anyway 10 ohm resistor across the terminaks get the KSA 5 seeing an 8 ohm load for my Abyss ab1266 phi, He560 and HD800
Twin volume controls .. exact balance adjustment if needed. No need amp, Hp, Source always exact sound balance

What you have going on there is a bit scary to say the least.

 

[CreditingKarma]

Joe liking the emoji

 

[tholt]

Wow. That is a lot going on. What's with the tin foil, duct tape and plastic wrap on your power cables?

 

[kelvinwsy]

Dont worry all cords are double insulated on the outer jackets to repel EMF /RFI and have ground leads to the ground of my Furutech power bar!
Double foil with circular grounding link.Insulation cover ontop again. Go to Audiophilestyle.com. This is my version of what is called JSSG ( G us fir Grounding)
Total silence and black background .. U can hear all kinds of audience noises and instrument bowing sounds on Live albums ..

 

[kelvinwsy]

Silver 14ga in teflon jacket fir the 4pin XLR wire braid from speaker taps straight to the HP .. cheaper than 100usd
3usd per meter for the pure silver wire 4 USD for tbe 4 pin Neutrik XLR connector and a bit of DIY elbow grease. Works and Sounds fantastic!

 

[Joe Skubinski]

Using a speaker amp for headphones is really no different than using a big headphone amp, however you really need to understand the limitations of the headphone, and the amp. Most speaker amps are not designed with considerations for connecting and disconnecting headphones in a hot swap fashion. Some amps will go crazy when the load changes abruptly. When things go wrong with a big amp they tend to go wrong very quickly, and without warning. Amps are not perfect, each has it's own set of limitations and quirks, the variables are too great to list, which is why we do not suggest to go the speaker amp route unless you know what you are doing and are willing to accept the risk.

Bottom line, the larger the amp the higher the probability that at some point you have an ohh.crap moment.

So long as you're cool with that chance, no big deal, enjoy to the max, just keep in mind that 1266 drivers aint cheap. Like a decent sports car, burning through a set of tires will run you over 2 grand mounted and balanced... just another day at the track.
.

 

[Zhanming057]

Using a speaker amp for headphones is really no different than using a big headphone amp, however you really need to understand the limitations of the headphone, and the amp. Most speaker amps are not designed with considerations for connecting and disconnecting headphones in a hot swap fashion. Some amps will go crazy when the load changes abruptly. When things go wrong with a big amp they tend to go wrong very quickly, and without warning. Amps are not perfect, each has it's own set of limitations and quirks, the variables are too great to list, which is why we do not suggest to go the speaker amp route unless you know what you are doing and are willing to accept the risk.

Bottom line, the larger the amp the higher the probability that at some point you have an ohh.**** moment.

So long as you're cool with that chance, no big deal, enjoy to the max, just keep in mind that 1266 drivers aint cheap. Like a decent sports car, burning through a set of tires will run you over 2 grand mounted and balanced... just another day at the track.
.

Powerful speaker amps usually have very good protection circuitry. My Nagra INT goes into protection all the time, it's designed that way and will show you a code on the next startup about what went wrong the previous time. If you do something as simple as turn up the volume really fast it'll detect a surge and cut off the taps, and they make the threshold conservative because rebooting the amp is a lot less hassle than fixing a speaker cone.

I'm not aware of any headphone amp builder that puts nearly as much thought into protecting the output end. Woo is very explicit about not turning amps on and off without presenting a load. And these aren't low power devices either, some of them do 10w into 100 ohms or 20w into 32.

All said, I'd trust my 175wpc dma150s2 - which is pushing on two decades, no less - more than a headtrip. If you run high end headphones off cheap amps, the risk is pretty substantial regardless.

 

[mulder01]

You can make emf shielding hats out of that stuff too...

 

[kelvinwsy]

Hi Joe I slot the 14 ga silver wire thru the hole in the speaker tap! Of course i can get 2 male 4pin mini xlr and do a direct hookup to the 1266! But i doubt this can beat the Danacable Ref I just got

 

[kelvinwsy]

At least the Aliens cannot zap my brains while I hv my 1266 on my head
Seriously the tweaks on PC audio on audiophilestyle.com seems outrageous until u try and hear the SQ dividends

 

[kelvinwsy]

Abyss users shuld really hear the Stereo SQ jump when u use Monobloc amps . Even the cheapo bin Krell KSA5 using 1 channel per amp (quasi monobloc) sounds Sao much better than two channels same amp driving the 4 pin XLR

 

[kelvinwsy]

Oh I see your point BUT the main circuit is the one with the 10ohm resistor (looking fwd at the back of the amps will be the right hand speaker taps. The left hand side is my earlier wire braid to connect to the aiqin resistor boxes ! just hooked it up as dummy load. Same with the RCA's one channel is connected to my DAC . The other is connected up for proper grounding

 

[Beolab]

You use an adapter like the one below. The standard 4 pin XLR pinout corresponds to the two channels on the amp.

Here is an High End example on how it can be dun by Double Helix Cables :

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dhc-flagella-reference-occ-litz.861962/

 

[Drewligarchy]

I was loaned an XI Formula S, Powerman and Utopia from the Cable Company which I received on Thursday.

Wow - Dave > Formula S > Abyss TC is an amazing combo. It sounds much more transparent than my v281.

I have listened for the past three nights and don't have deep detailed notes or impressions, but the head stage expands, the mids are more fluid, the bass is more powerful - and the treble is slightly sweeter. Effectively the biggest change is that I can listen to a much wider range of music and have it sound fantastic - and it's not a question of gain. The Dave does have enough power to drive the abyss loudly enough for the music I listen to. What I'm finding is with Flim Scores, Electronic Orchestral, Classical, - even those that don't have an incredibly high dynamic range - they just sound better - and it's not a small change. As this is a lot of what I listen to, it's very important! Something is going on in the mids that I can't put my finger on. Previously, this type of music didn't sound quite right to me on the Dave direct. Now they sound the best I've ever heard them. I think this makes the Abyss TC supplant the Stax 009 as my favorite headphone. Will have to wait until I overcome new toy syndrome to be sure!

For some rock, especially with distorted guitars, I still prefer the Dave direct a little. For some reason, the slight reduction in transparency seems to be more noticeable there. It seems counter intuitive to me as I would think this would be more apparent on other types of music. I'll have to listen to a bit more to try and get a handle on where the Dave direct shines, but in the vast majority of cases the Formula S provides a significant improvement. I am wowed.

Comparing to the Formula S to the v281 it is a dramatic improvement IMHO. My major problem is that the Abyss sounds too dark on the v281. I felt like it diminished some of the treble magic the Abyss TC has. It's there on the Dave direct.

I got the Utopia again, even though I've demoed them before, because I didn't have a Dave then. Running through a Yggy or Auralic Vega and my v281 rolled off the sound a bit, previously as well. Dave direct they sound much, much better. I am quite enjoying them. That said - because I don't have endless pockets - I'll purchase the Forumla S and Powerman for now - as it's quite a chunk of change. As I have the Abyss TC, I feel like I don't really have a need for them - outside of the desire to have a flagship headphone that I run directly through the Dave.

This may be an over simplification - but the overall sound signature / tonal balance of the Utopia direct through the Dave, and the Abyss TC with Formula S sound quite similar. The Abyss however has this massive soundstage and (imaging seems better as a result, because the Utopia feels somewhat congested in comparison). The Bass on the Abyss, especially with the Formula S, is tight, deep, and incredibly tactile - better than I've ever heard on any headphone.

Interestingly, so far I still prefer my LCD 4 on the Violectric V281. While I think the Abyss (and 009 for that matter) are superior, the LCD 4, IMO, has the best mids I've ever heard on a headphone. This is more pronounced on the V281, and the upper treble is ever so slightly rolled off. Because of the lift in the upper treble with the LCD 4, I get fatigued listening to it Dave direct, or via the Formula S - so it almost needs it. In addition, it has more bass quantity on the V281 - which may just be due to the slightly decreased treble and its effect on tonal balance. The LCD4 and V281 just have this synergy I've always liked, which I can't seem to replicate with other amps. While I was hoping to sell the v281 if I bought the Formula S, I think I may keep both. The LCD 4/v281 just does something that none of my other headphones do - and provides another flavor.

This is my headphone listening station I've set up in my loft. A respite from the wife and kids. The best deal there is probably the $600 Raymour and Flanigan motorized recliner. It reclines completely flat, and has separate adjustments for your head, so you can recline pretty far, while still keeping your head upright with the Abyss, which is incredibly comfortable! May get another rack to replace the bar/headphone stand - but it works for now:

Anyway, for now back to listening! I have some great headphones - and as a result I haven't been wowed in a long time. I'm wowed again.

 

[FLTWS]

Nice setup. A question. It appears your AC umbilical reaches okay with that side to side placement of Formula S and Powerman? Mine is too short to do that.