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tyll hertsens said:

 
 
 
 
Still...fun as hell to listen to.

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Thus my final comment of really wanting to hear them soon. 

from a theorical point of view, they eliminate the problem with the magnetic grid blocking the diaphragm from the ears like the olders orthodynamics, so it's interesting, I just Wonder why it's so expensive... Oh wait no, the magnet is located on the ear side!

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macedonianhero said:

They certainly don't measure like $1000 headphones should...oh wait, how much do they cost? 

 Seriously, the rolled off sub-bass, the less than stellar 30Hz square wave response, the poor 300Hz square wave response, the higher bass distortion (and generally higher distortion without much of a separation between 90dB and 100dB) and an impulse response that goes on and on....I really expect a whole lot more for any headphone over $1000, let alone one that costs $5500!  
 
And they still win for fugliest headphones I've ever seen. That said, I still really wanna hear them.

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Bingo exactly what I said in the first posts that I ranted about at the start of this thread. Yeh these will be good but not (cite MF "not $5.5k good"). The neutrality of the mk1 and 009 are hard to beat and with the price these are at, it's going head to head on with the 009. At the asking price it should best the 009 in measurements but oh wait......
 
But aside from that, these look to be very good for those that like the LCD3's sound but with some characteristics of the HD800's. Something I would actually like, but the price these are at means I must donate sperm for the next decade, win the lotto, sell all my organs or become a testing subject for NASA to send to outter space to fight against the martians. 
 
That said, big kudos to Tyll and his effort I was following the thread on HC on these, so no big surprise here that the measurements do more explaining than the subjective impressions in the other Abyss thread reviewed by folks "down under".
 
I'm still interested in those pads. Tyll it would be great if you could measure the thickness and diameter of the pads.

My guess is that they actually sound better than they measure. Impression from MuppetFace, Purrin, and now even Tyll tell me these at least sound pretty nice in the right set up. Not perfect, but impressive in many ways. I think if we took away the ugly design, the crazy price and the arrogant attitude of the company reps we might have a winner on our hands. I think all of this can be ameliorated with the Abyss 2 (but the name won't be this stupid).
 
I think if I had $5000+ to spend on a headphone I would get the SR-009 for now, but maybe keep an eye on JPS labs to see what their next headphone will be.

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m-13 said:

My guess is that they actually sound better than they measure. Impression from MuppetFace, Purrin, and now even Tyll tell me these at least sound pretty nice in the right set up. Not perfect, but impressive in many ways. I think if we took away the ugly design, the crazy price and the arrogant attitude of the company reps we might have a winner on our hands. I think all of this can be ameliorated with the Abyss 2 (but the name won't be this stupid).
 
I think if I had $5000+ to spend on a headphone I would get the SR-009 for now, but maybe keep an eye on JPS labs to see what their next headphone will be.

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The consensus seems to be that the Abyss is (near) unmatched in transients speed, bass quality, and imaging precisionspaciousness. It's main weakness seems to be its treble peak / ringing that's giving a rough treble spot, and perhaps the upper midrange dip is a bit excessive. I think if JPS could resolve those in their next headphone venture, it'd be a champion.

Didn't Tyll say it loses to the HD800 in imaging?

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defqon said:

Didn't Tyll say it loses to the HD800 in imaging?

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You're right. He said its imaging is nearly as good as HD800, and even has a bigger sense of spaciousness, but is less precise due to the "treble grunge". So it excels at spaciousness, not precision; somehow my memory flipped the two.

It's ok, but I think that pad and driver distance to the ear's has a lot of play in how the listener hear's things a bit further (spacious). Pads make a huge difference.

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m-13 said:

My guess is that they actually sound better than they measure. Impression from MuppetFace, Purrin, and now even Tyll tell me these at least sound pretty nice in the right set up. Not perfect, but impressive in many ways. I think if we took away the ugly design, the crazy price and the arrogant attitude of the company reps we might have a winner on our hands. I think all of this can be ameliorated with the Abyss 2 (but the name won't be this stupid).
 
I think if I had $5000+ to spend on a headphone I would get the SR-009 for now, but maybe keep an eye on JPS labs to see what their next headphone will be.

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I recently bought these headphones. All I can say is that overall, they sound better than my HD800s and HE6. I cannot quantify if they are worth $5500. To me, the HD800s and HE6 are at least moderate bargains compared to headphones such as ultrasone Ed10s, LCD3s, Stax sr-007/009, and these headphones. Anything past the HD800s cost is on the bad end of diminished returns.
 
The bass on these headphones are amazing. The position of the pads can have an effect on the bass. When you get it right, the bass is unbelievable in terms of impact and quality. It felt like gluing speaker systems to my head when I listen to these headphones.
 
The treble is interesting. At times I hear what Tyll hears, but I also dont many times (and maybe most of the time). If anything, IMO it is a minor flaw possibly accentuated by the choice of record/music/dac/amp combo.
 
The mids are very nice. Very good quality stuff here.
 
The soundstage is amazing. I also concur with Tyll's comments hear about the precision, but I found that the position of the pads may effect this. I would probably put them on par with the HD800s (on average).
 
The only other gripes I have thus far is that these headphones are not the very very best for older recordings of classic music (I still prefer the HD800) and that the pad position is hard to get right.
 
I truly think they got most of the good points from a HD800 and LCD3 and joined them together. As for the measurements, are you really suggesting that better measurements always equate to better headphones? If so, this headphone is an anomaly.
 
Tyll's review stated that these have a very slight U-Shaped signature. I am wondering if the ultra powerful bass and the slight treble issue may have accentuated this impression.
 
In summary, shortcomings are:
 
1) Very minor flaw with the treble (only noticed with a very small number recordings). However, the HD800s and HE6 have their own issues with treble. I find the treble in the Abyss to be at least as good as the HD800s and HE6s.
2) The fit of the ear pads effecting both bass and even a little with sound stage precision.
3) Price. Should be $4000 max. However, I think the Stax sr-009 should also be $4000 max. Diminished returns galore with these headphones.
4) tiny tiny bit heavy for long sessions.
 
The positives are:
 
1) Almost the perfect blend of the LCD3 and HD800s!
2) Build quality (Nice solid materials here). The pads are fully lambs leather (not pleather like Stax sr-009).
3) Wonderfully sounding, specially with music with drums/bass. They trully sound like high quality speakers!!!
4) If required, can be used as a weapon against intruders (by either given them a listening demo or by whacking them on the head with them).
5) 3 years warranty if you register. You may void your warranty if you use them as suggested in point 4.
6) Sexy cables.
 
 
In all seriousness, if you want good value for money, forget STAX, ABYSS, forget even LCD3, go with HD800s with a nicely paired amp.
The HE6 and T1's are another option.

Price on them should be $2500 max or stretching to 3000. The SR-009 can be purchased brand new for less than $4000 easily sometimes from Japan, lowest price I've seen due to currency exchange is $3400, about the same I spent on my SR-Omega's I sold off. Not to mention the cable itself is $1.2k as said at the start of this thread.
 
Then there is another thing you have to take mind of, do you like a bit colouration to your music or do you want good neutralism? The Stax and the HD800 represent this very well, the LCD3's, HE-6 and these not so much. But I will agree that a HD800 + good amp is very very good for it's money and sound, heck even a cleanly powered HE-6 will get you 2/3's of the 009 sound.
 
Btw, can you measure the pads for me? Thickness and diameter, George won't let me do it.

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defqon said:

It's ok, but I think that pad and driver distance to the ear's has a lot of play in how the listener hear's things a bit further (spacious). Pads make a huge difference.

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Oh I know. Hah.

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Good write up man. Good organization. I like it. Do you find the resolution of the Abyss to be superior to the HE-6/HD800?
What's the rest of your chain?

NFB-27 lol

Good writeup citadel, I agree with some of it based on what I heard at the LA meet and can see where you're coming from.  009 earpads are leather

No problem. The pads are slightly angled.. will measure it tonight.