New Abyss AB-1266 v2 incoming....

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

  1. BenjaminBore

    BenjaminBore Friend

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    Primary comparison is to OG 1266, slapping the Utopia pads on was a brief experiment to see what potential there was.

    Different indeed, what is your chain? My listening was from Eitr -> Gungnir Multibit -> Mjolnir 2 w/WE396a, with a go on the Saga -> Vidar before boxing them up.
     
  2. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    I owned the OG 1266, and the Phi. Never heard them with the CC pads though.

    My chain has been multiple things. iFi Micro iDSD BL on its own. PS Audio PWD mk2 -> Wells Headtrip -> AGD Master 9.

    Have been using the Diana Phi lately, which has the exact same tonality, with the iFi Pro iCAN and iFi Micro iDSD BL as DAC.
     
  3. BenjaminBore

    BenjaminBore Friend

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    I’m unfamiliar with your gear, so I cannot determine whether it would compensate for the 1266 timbre, or hold back Utopia.

    In your previous post you stated the resolution, and treble, are better on Abyss. Can you describe what you mean exactly. The Abyss are certainly much clearer than the Utopia, and raw, but the way I define resolution and treble they aren’t close.
     
  4. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    Resolution for me is how much the headphones "suck out" the track. The amount of detail the headphone can extract from the file, or record. Treble, I can understand your complaint, I have noticed a bit sibilance on the Abyss, but on the Diana Phi there is no sibilance, so I think there *might* have been a bit tuning done to alleviate it. I need to hear the TC's to confirm this. I've heard the Utopia on enough gear to know I wasn't holding it back. Its a good headphone, I just way prefer the Abyss. Thats all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
     
  5. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    My main issue with the 1266 phi is the graininess of the midrange but TBH, I haven't noticed the treble to be an issue at all. I also personally prefer the 1266 phi over the Utopia - mostly because of the Uto's small staging, but also because I felt that it didn't scale as well as I hoped it would.

    A small bit of sibilance isn't necessarily a bad thing, although the 1266 phi does have a bit of it. I have not noticed much difference in the treble response between the Diana Phi and the 1266 Phi. The CC pads do improve the treble texture by quite a bit, though.
     
  6. Aeron

    Aeron Facebook Friend

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    I agree with @ufospls2 and @Zhanming057 , the Abyss isn’t the last word in excellent intonation, but it is superior to the Utopia, HD800 (to bright/hollow), or HD650 (dark, rolled off), at least in my system (Vinshine Reference R2R DAC, Hugo2; LP, WA5). Though, I did find I prefer the ZMF Vérité and Autuer to all of the above, so this is quite subjective.
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I had the AB1266 (not Phi). Bass was first rate: slam, articulation, texture, thunder. Nothing comes close. Stage and layering were very good, not just for an ortho, but any headphone. In fact, I can't think of anything better other than HD800. SR009 might be close or meet AB1266.

    In stock configuration, I did not like the highs and the mids were meh. Only the WA5/WA234 was an acceptable amp for the stock AB1266. However, the WA5 didn't take full advantage of it. It was like canceling out one negative (sharpness and stridency) with another negative (warm-poo and rolled off).

    Ultimately, I ended up modding it. First, I got rid of the cables and used good ol' copper Mogami. Then I lined foam / felt on the grills and inside the cup area. This pretty much made it right on the amps that I preferred.

    As far as plankton, it's not that great. Transient response are excellent, but fine decay goes missing. I didn't want to believe it until Voldermort forced me to do a direct comparison with the HD800 using the string intro with that Hotel California track.

    He was right. The decays between the fast string work were chopped. Heck, from suitable good source and amp, even the HD600 was able to extract more low level information. FWIW, the Phi I've heard is more resolving and corrects some of the tonality issues. The most resolving ortho I've heard is the LCD-4, assuming a good sample. Hey, at least Joe listens to his stuff and confirms that it's good!

    It is what it is. I have no stake in this. Headphones are so secondary to me that I will just grab a MA900 or whatever is closest to me.
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2019
  8. gurubhai

    gurubhai Friend

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    Totally agree with that . I felt the same way when I tried the Abyss 12366 at a friend's place with Chord Dave and Cavalli Liquid Gold. I heard the Utopia on the same setup and it was better than abyss in those aspects.
     
  9. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    Hey Guys,

    I purchased a pair of Abyss Phi TC’s recently after saving for ages and they arrived today. This is my fourth pair of Abyss headphones. The original AB-1266, the AB-1266 Phi, The Diana Phi, and now the AB-1266 Phi TC’s. I really do love the Abyss “house sound.” I’m still fiddling with the fit, which is a bit different the I am used to due to the new ear pads. They fit a bit tighter than with the old ear pads as they are wider. Sonically so far? I am very impressed. I’ll get some hours in and report back with a full review in a few weeks!

    [​IMG]
     
  10. ekfc63

    ekfc63 New

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    I've had my 1266 TCs for a few weeks now and I have to say that I'm loving them. Previous headphones were Utopias with ALO Studio Six (which is looking for a new home) which is a fabulous pairing. I wouldn't describe myself as a basshead, but the TC's bass is hard to resist. When I was trying them at the dealer I was seduced by the bass, but still had a good listen to the mid and upper frequencies which I found to be just fine in comparison to the Utopias. I'm running them through Chord M Scaler/TT2 which is a fine pairing.
     
  11. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    What's street price on the 1266 TC lite these days? I'm hearing $4500, anyone have other thoughts?
     
  12. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    That's what I've been seeing on HF for the past couple of sales over the last six months.
     
  13. Rob the Comic

    Rob the Comic banned from ASR

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    I’d try them, but the price is just insane IMHO and I never encourage bad behaviour. Especially in Aust. Dollars, completely prohibitive.
     
  14. Redwingnine

    Redwingnine New

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    Just picked up a pair of 1266 phi with CC pads. Swapped a pair of Focal Stellias as part of the deal. So far, really like what I'm hearing. To me, a definite step up from the Stellia. In fact, I prefer this to the Stax 007s.

    Question: Anyone use parametic EQ for the 1266? They need power as it is, and the EQ requires even more power to employ. The EQ does make the 1266 sound more open, like listening to speakers.

    If anyone does EQ with the 1266, please share your experiences.
     

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