New Abyss AB-1266 v2 incoming....

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Thenewerguy009, Mar 28, 2017.

  1. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    The difference between the phi cc and the original is definitely getting blown out of proportion here.
    I added a fuzzor and rolled the cc pads in and out on an OG and the OG and phi cc are still very similar. Of course slightly less suck out, less timbre issues in highs and more detail on phi cc than on OG.

    Then again I felt phi cc bass didn't slam as aggressively as OG. Detail is still fairly mediocre on both of them.

    I got tired of the ergonomics of Abyss and realised I only wore it on rare occasions and I felt I got more out of my music with hd800sdr anyway. I miss the insane bass and the great layering but there were too many other compromises.

    Also I got sick of Joe's bullshit pricing: charging 150usd for a leather head band that would break every 6 months, ridiculous pricing for pads. I've also been on the phi cc wait list for a year, I've since sold and changed my occasional special listening time to speakers which I'm finding is better in every way.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2019
  2. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    Actually I think some may over exaggerate how good the original abyss sounds and never admitting its shortcomings. The phi is the headphone they all described when reviewing the original. In my case the difference may be down to the better CC pads. I haven't heard non CC phi abyss or CC pads with OG abyss.
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2019
  3. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    So there is a new, new abyss.

    "We just cant stop trying to get closer to the music. Introducing the new AB-1266 Phi TC (Total Consciousness). Newly designed 66 mm planar magnetic speaker drivers deliver the absolute highest resolution of any headphone ever made. Combined with the venerable AB-1266 headphone design, newly minted all aluminum frame and posh ear pads means you’ll never have to buy another concert ticket."

    AB-1266, AB-1266 Phi, AB-1266 Phi CC, AB-1266 Phi TC. oof.
     
  4. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    April is still a long way.
     
  5. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    A new driver? They basically charged nearly $800 over the regular Phi for essentially a new paint coating & new earpads, wonder how much they'll try to wrangle out of people now.
     
  6. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    Appears to be the same price as the Phi CC. $5000USD for the lite package.

    The question is can one upgrade to the new TC drivers?
     
  7. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    Probably not. Joe has to keep people buying his stuff somehow.

    I've actually never seen a manufacturer milk one product for this long. It's impressive.
     
  8. bengo

    bengo Friend

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  9. Bill13

    Bill13 New

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    The new Abyss 1266 Phi TC was demo'ed at the 16 & 17 Feb NYC Canjam show. I got to hear it.

    The reps at the Abyss booth told me that this new Abyss headphone was announced/shown for the very first time at the Saturday,16 Feb Canjam.

    New TC has a major upgrade to the diaphragm, but otherwise, the headphone is the same as the 'CC' - to me the TC looked identical to the older CC.

    I was very surprised when an Abyss engineer & designer (son of Joe Skubinski) told me that the this new TC model is as big an improvement in sound quality over the CC, as the CC was over the original 1266 (non-phi)!!!

    BTW, Joe's son told me that Abyss decided to offer a 10% discount Canjam show special ( for only the last day, Sunday). When I previously inquired on Saturday, the Abyss booth reps said that there's no discount -- but they would ask Joe Skubinski if he would offer a discount.
    Prior to attending Canjam, I understood that Abyss never discounts their products.

    A couple of weeks ago an Abyss CC owner mentioned that he talked to Joe Skubinski -- reportedly, Joe said the CC is the final "end of the line" version of the Abyss flagship, and no improvements to the Abyss 1266 Phi CC were planned or in the pipeline.
     
  10. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    I don't think that's the first time i read someone saying the same thing. I may be wrong but i could swear i heard before that they said the Phi was "ultimate" and "unbetterable" (not even a word). Well either way, if they managed to get the difference that from the OG to the CC in this phone i have to wonder how many "improvements" they still hide under their hats.
     
  11. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    Joe confirmed that. No way to upgrade a regular, Phi or CC to the new TC version.

    You have to buy it new. Incoming flood of 1266 to be had in the classifieds soon.
     
  12. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    Typical Joe. Surprisingly though, since the TC announcement I had a flood of interest (in the last two days) in my OG 1266 which I sold a few months ago for 3k aud.
     
  13. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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  14. Zhanming057

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    The improvements aren't quite as large. My biggest feeling from the extensive TC demo is that planar tech is quickly plateauing and it's getting harder to make substantive gains. I can hear the improvements from the Phi - I had a friend who brought his pair in to Canjam and did a side-to-side comparison with the TC.

    And yes, the Phi TC did not sound nearly as resolving as the Raal SR1A which uses aluminum ribbon drivers - might have been show floor conditions, but I've put the SR1A's on much worse amps than a Formula S and they still impress.

    I can't defend Joe's business practices, but he's at least been upfront about what he offers. I did tell him in person that he's burning through audiophile goodwill on the frequent Abyss updates.
     
  15. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    How did he react to it?
     
  16. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    Not too terribly. He noted that the Phi driver is more than two years old at this point. The CC was only intended to be a cosmetic/accessory upgrade, and you can purchase the earpads for $400. They will continue to provide Phi driver upgrades, although the process is slow because they've had trouble keeping the Phi drivers in stock. We left it at that.
     
  17. BenjaminBore

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    @m17xr2b @Thenewerguy009 Before I offloaded the 1266 I managed to hook them up to my Saga/Vidar, and fudge the fenestrated Utopia pads on to them to mimic the CC ones.

    Amping did not alleviate any of my issues with them regarding technical performance and timbre, and the rawer nature of the Saga/Vidar only excasberated the latter. They certainly were more dynamic though.

    The pads on the other hand did make a surprising improvement to general technical performance, such as micro-dynamics, at the expense of dynamics and punch.

    In any combination they are piss poor, overall. That is to say nothing of it’s egregious tonal response. Though perhaps soft mods and tubes could bring them more to heel there are better options for far less money than it’s RRP. Including the Verum 1 at a very tiny fraction, bottom end punch aside.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2019
  18. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    I think you guys are being overly harsh on the Abyss. Now, I know I personally like the Abyss, so I'm predisposed to defending them. Maybe they don't do somethings as well as others in line with your preferences, but "piss poor overall"? No. They are good, if not great sounding headphones, and thats not me being biased because I enjoy them personally.
     
  19. BenjaminBore

    BenjaminBore Friend

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    I’m not writing in regard to my personal preference, and my reasons are specific and comparitive. I have affection for the TH900, and I think the Utopia is in the top two or three headphones I’ve ever heard. But I will criticise the hell out of them, call the former a bad headphone, and the latter bad with the potential for greatness if it’s timbre can be compensated for satisfactorily and acclimated to.

    The 1266 has the worst timbre by some margin of any headphone I have ever heard, absolutely grating. On top of which the upper frequency response is really unpleasant (measurments bare this out). Everyone has different tolerences for these things, but my view remains the same.

    Under direct comparison with the LCD-2C and Utopia the 1266 is underpar in various areas of performance. Micro-dynamics are worse than either. Dynamics, resolution, mids, treble, and slam are notably worse than Utopia.

    So for 5k you get something that underperforms and is unbearable to listen to.

    Please share a few concise points as to how you feel they are competitive, it would be helpful to understand where you are coming from. I’d especially be interested to know how you percieve their timbre vs something like the HD650.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2019
  20. ufospls2

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    I love their timbre. It's a bit cold cold and clinical, but not too bad. Slapping the Utopia pads on and using/calling them "CC" pads is FAR from fair as well.

    Compared to a pair of HD650? They smoke them IMO. I haven't had the HD650 for ages, but they sound warm, rolled off, and massively boring in comparison.

    Micro Dynamics lacking? Ok maybe a little bit. I used to own the Utopia, there is no comparison. The Abyss holds its own in terms of Dynamics, beats it in terms of resolution, mids are a bit pulled back compared to the Utopia, Treble is better, and slam is better than the Utopia.

    My impressions couldn't be further away from yours.

    "So for 5k you get something that underperforms and is unbearable to listen to."

    I'm sorry but thats horseshit. The Abyss, even if you don't like it, is not unbearable to listen to. Its a good pair of headphones. With the market the way it is today, it doesn't underperform at 5K.
     

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