LOL.

Form vs Function
 
what is a headphone supposed to look like?
 
 classic beyer style 
 
 

or real hand built excellence

 

 
for that matter what is a car supposed to look like 
 
 

 
or a watch 
 

 
or ..... xx  - the list is never ending
 
We each have our own preferences when it comes to what we like or dislike. I've noticed a repeating theme that the abyss headphones are described as ugly. Geometric or industrial are adjectives that come to mind but I don't think of the abyss as ugly. I haven't physically seen the final production version but the preproduction model had a real solid feel to them. In some way they reminded me of another favourite, the K1000.
 

 
 I had asked Joe about the choice of design at RMAF and the form of the abyss was deliberate. The angular frame is said to reduce resonance , as with the aluminium cups. I think this is one of the reasons the YH1000 sounds as good as it does, solid milled cups. 
 
I am looking forward to hearing these again 

Quote:

dbel84 said:

Form vs Function
 
what is a headphone supposed to look like?
 
 classic beyer style 
 
 

or real hand built excellence
 
 

 
for that matter what is a car supposed to look like 
 
 

 
or a watch 
 

 
or ..... xx  - the list is never ending
 
We each have our own preferences when it comes to what we like or dislike. I've noticed a repeating theme that the abyss headphones are described as ugly. Geometric or industrial are adjectives that come to mind but I don't think of the abyss as ugly. I haven't physically seen the final production version but the preproduction model had a real solid feel to them. In some way they reminded me of another favourite, the K1000.
 

 
 I had asked Joe about the choice of design at RMAF and the form of the abyss was deliberate. The angular frame is said to reduce resonance , as with the aluminium cups. I think this is one of the reasons the YH1000 sounds as good as it does, solid milled cups. 
 
I am looking forward to hearing these again 

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The K1000's or the abyss.
 
You may notice that the Float is not exactly burning up the sales charts there
 
Any to each their own. The Abyss are, butt Hermann Munster ugly, in my opinion.

I keep coming to this thread hoping for an objective post, and yet, nothing, so here's my attempt at one, so far i've read many comments regarding the Abyss's look, wich to me is the least important criteria when it comes to headphones, or any other component of a sound system. As far as i'm concerned, sound quality, comfort, and price all come before looks.
 
Regarding the Abyss's sound quality, from what i can see, very few people seem to have heard them, some have even comented on their sound, without even having heard them, to me, ''empty'' comments like these, are absolutely worthless, I for one, am very curious to hear them.
 
As far as comfort goes, well, again, very few people can make informed comments, weight of course can be a factor, but juging from the Audeze's popularity, it doesn't seem to be affecting their sales too badly, even my Grado PS1000, wich at .500 grams are far from being lightweights, are tought of by many as pretty comfortable..
 
And finally, their cost, i think that this is where the theory of relativity really comes into play, some might say that i'm crazy for having spent $1700 for a pair of headphones, and when you consider that i could've bought 22 pairs or so, of Grado's own  well regarded SR60i, i can understand why they would think that way. Now, are the Abyss expensive, yes, are they too expensive,well, i guess that dépends on who you ask.
 
As i have said before, if i've seen them, i'll comment on how they look, if i've can touched them, i'll comment on how they're built, and if i've heard them, i'll comment on how they sound, in the mean time, i'll plead the fifth.

Quote:

hutnicks said:

The K1000's or the abyss.

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I think the K1k looks pretty sexy. 

joe skubinski said:

That's funny man. Do you really think $50k in the year 2013 would cover tooling for a finished product?

We spent nearly that on a fiber laser just to permanently engrave model/serial numbers on aluminum and do intricate cutting of fine metals. That doesn't include the month or so of set-up, tooling, and training just to be able to properly use the tool, then the learning curve that follows to implement it to the work. You should also consider that people get paid to do this, it's not a DIY function where there's no accounting for your time.

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Standing in here and trading barbs is probably a very bad idea. Just being helpful.

while I am not too keen on the looks, I am beginning to think that we are giving these cans a lot of bad press based on looks and price mostly. While as a working man, I would prefer HP prices to remain where they are (as these seem to raise the bar on nonelectrostatics) I also see that not many of us have actually heard them and thus really have no idea whether they are worth the price or not. I would like to acknowledge few members here who have raised concerns about the sound of these cans but they are in the minority from what I can tell and one man's garbage is another man's treasure (as I have experienced in the LCD 3 vs HD800 debate or any other can really).  And so it seems like these cans are getting a bad rap mostly because of what they look like. when I step back and think about it, I think about  Beats headphones on the flip side. I see more and more people with these on in public, flashing their bling, sometimes even looking around to see if people notice them for their cool gear. As we all know, Beats dont sell because they sound good. Rather, they sell because of effective marketing and because their designers follow fashion trends. So when I sit in front of my computer and judge headphones based on looks alone (which trust, me I DO) I start to feel a bit hypocritical. Do we wonna promote good sounding stuff or nice looking stuff? I know it is not all or none question, but perhaps the form is contingent on function. I don't know much about HP deign but maybe there is a reason to the top hat design. While I dont care if we keep on trashing the Abyss, I just wanted to put a speed bump on the looks discussion, even though I agree that they are not the best looking -- far from it. I think we are in this hobby for the sound. that is how i judge the gear I buy. God knows I dont got out walking in public with my HD800 or HE6 or HD600 or K702. Frankly, if the ugliest cans sounded amazing I would not hesitate to buy them -- but maybe thats just me....

Quote:

cante ista said:

while I am not too keen on the looks, I am beginning to think that we are giving these cans a lot of bad press based on looks and price mostly.

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I think the point of these type of cans is to wear with as little outside noise as possible. That said looks shouldn't matter. And since hardly anybody will fork out the cash to listen to them, we will continue to hear funky reviews of people who heard these in a loud convention center. The sellers should take note and change their marketing strategy. We need to hear them, for sure. But we are the consumer and we wouldn't spend 5k without hearing them or trusting the company name.

Quote:

defqon said:

I think the K1k looks pretty sexy. 

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I'm a sucker for wire mesh myself. And given I can pry a pair of the AKG's loose for under a grand, a 5 grand competitor does not have much chance of getting out of the gate.

Wow!, a few objective posts in a row, they're might still be hope for this thread after all.

Quote:

hutnicks said:

Originally Posted by alota /img/forum/go_quote.gif

$4499.99..................Let the price wars begin! 

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fantastic price, thanks!.
oh yes, plus the customs fee but i don´t care

Quote:

hutnicks said:

The K1000's or the abyss.
 
You may notice that the Float is not exactly burning up the sales charts there

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The K1000 is a fun headphone, but its tonal balance isn't exactly stellar in my opinion. Especially the later serial number versions I've heard which are too bright and shrill-sounding for my liking. From what I've heard about the Abyss' signature, I suspect it would be much more to my liking assuming I could get it to fit properly.
 
As for the new Floats, hopefully more head-fiers will give them a chance rather than dismissing them because they sound exceptional in my opinion.

I think the Floats are sexy. 

defqon said:

I think the Floats are sexy. 

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Even ugly girls find a date if they can sing well .

I would love to hear them though, kidding aside.

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happy camper said:

Even ugly girls find a date if they can sing well

.
 

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LOL