[mulder01]

Sounds just as good but costs a lot less?  Sounds too good to be true.  I hope it is though.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Sounds just as good but costs a lot less?  Sounds too good to be true.  I hope it is though.

 
No, just similar sound signature. I may have seen an official statement somewhere about the current model being the flagship, with anything that comes after it being of less quality, but still quite good. That's a given though, taking into account the circumstances. If they can improve upon the AB-1266, it will be a nice bonus.
 
I am more interested in seeing impressions of the Stefan AudioArt Endorphin cable for the Abyss. I know of a few members here who own it and others, but they haven't posted much (or at all) on the subject. Guess I'll get in touch.

 

[mulder01]

Is that not cheaper than the stock cable?

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Is that not cheaper than the stock cable?

 
The stock cable is included at no extra charge. (Its stated value is rendered moot since it was specially designed for the AB-1266, cannot be purchased alone, and is thus part of the package.)
 
This cable is $599-1,399. If what I've heard from James Serdechny is true, it's a worthy improvement. It helps that he is a former Sennheiser engineer.
 
I believe that comparing cables based solely on price is useless, at any rate. Sound is the only factor when you're not willing to compromise. If a $10 cable sounds better than a $50,000 cable, great! But it's highly improbable.
 
None of this addresses what goes into the design of the cables either. One could cost more in resources and labor to assemble, but end up not sounding as good. Others could be produced cheaply and unfairly marked up. There are too many variables at play to make assumptions, and "better sound" is subjective enough as it is.
 
Without going into specifics, here is a collection of reassuring (if not a little redundant) quotes sourced from the website and private emails regarding the sound quality of the cable in question:
 
"will transmit the audio signal from the source to the headphone with impact, definition and realism and remain unmatched by any other headphone cable manufacturer in the world"
 
"very noticeable rich and pure musicality that can’t be described"
 
"purer more natural presentation"
 
"pure, open, full body signature"
 
"far beyond what the stock cable or any other aftermarket headphone cable will provide"
 
"perform at the highest level possible"
 
"increases the richness, clarity and definition across the audio spectrum"
 
"the soundstage presentation opens-up to expose the listener to music which becomes truly engaging and captivating"
 
"will deliver the music in a more natural/organic fashion, display greater transparency and reveal subtle inner detail"
 
"very noticeable increase in purity, transparency and definition in the bass, mid-range and treble"
 
"The Hardwired version of our Endorphin Headphone Cable will do all of the above but on a higher level and all the extra "artifacts" you did not know you were hearing in the music are gone (due to the elimination of all four headphone connectors). In the reproduction process this is huge as the music is now just more like live music."
 
Now that would be hardcore. Hardwiring a cable to the Abyss! (That option is currently unavailable, but I am getting some custom connectors and adapters made sooner or later.)

 

[mulder01]

You'd think a company that primarily manufactures high end cables would be able to provide a pretty effing excellent cable.  When I auditioned them, I'm pretty sure I was told that the replacement cost of the stock cable was $1300 (AU)

 

[Music Alchemist]

  You'd think a company that primarily manufactures high end cables would be able to provide a pretty effing excellent cable.  When I auditioned them, I'm pretty sure I was told that the replacement cost of the stock cable was $1300 (AU)

 
I'm sure it's a good cable. (All the glowing reviews I've seen for the Abyss involved the stock cable, as far as I know.) I will reserve further commentary until I've heard both.
 
Did you share your impressions anywhere, by the way? It's interesting how many conflicting opinions there are, aside from those who consider them the best ever.

 

[seeteeyou]

.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I'm also curious to learn more about differences among flagship cables:

Double Helix Cables Silver Spore
Entreq Atlantis
Ranko RHA-2000
Siltech Duchess Crown
Stefan AudioArt Endorphin
Toxic Cables 16-wire Venom
Tralucent Audio UBER
Wireworld Platinum Eclipse 7

 
Check out the wish list thread in my sig. There are a ton of those, although most aren't headphone cables. I am nowhere near finished adding everything. (I still need to research some of the ones you listed.)
 
Once I get any of them, I will share all my thoughts, especially regarding comparisons!

 

[Music Alchemist]

I just created this image to use as a wallpaper for inspiration.
 

 
It's the Woo Audio WA234 MONO - the amplifier I want to hear with the Abyss more than any other!
 
No one (not even Jack Wu) seems to have any photos of these two together with the platinum finish of the amp (only black).
 
And another:
 

 

[mulder01]

I didn't post my impressions because at the time, I wasn't really taking the experience too seriously...
At the moment I have a pair of Ultrasone Edition 8's running on a portable setup and went in and listened to the Audeze lineup.  I live a 3 hour flight away from Australia's 'main' headphone store (A2A) and I just so happened to be in Melbourne so I went in and had a listen to the LCDs to see what all the fuss was about and was it worth upgrading from a $1500 pair of headphones to a $2300 pair.  The guy asked me if I'd heard the Abyss and I was like no, I heard about the price of them and assumed that you would need to pair them with some ****-hot desktop gear otherwise you were wasting your time (because I heard this was the case with the SR-009).  I thought well since I'm here I may as well have a quick listen.  They had them running off a cavalli audio liquid gold and some DAC that was about $8k or something - so like a $20k+ setup which I could never imagine ever actually spending that much on a headphone setup regardless of how good they were... So I had a bit of a listen to some songs I wasn't overly familiar with off their laptop and it sounded amazing, as I expected, but I was there to look at spending up to maybe $3k in total, one day, and this was so far out of my budget it was ridiculous.  I had a bit of a listen for maybe up to half an hour because they told me to take my time but meanwhile I had already made up my mind about them because of the price tag.  
As I was about to leave I was having a chat to one of the guys, asking about the cost of what I just listened to, then he mentioned that they also sound pretty damn nice off some schiit audio gear that was about $2k for the dac and amp, which seemed a bit closer to the realm of possibility.  Then I got on here and started asking about portable setups for the abyss (expecting everyone to tell me I was wasting my time).  Then rudi told me his fav. portable setup was running off an original algorhythm solo and an alo audio mk3+b.  I already have an original algorhythm solo, and was actually listening to, and loving the sound of the LCDs off the alo audio mk3+b (major coincidence - seems almost meant-to-be).  Then I thought, well, if I only need to buy an $800 amp in addition to what I already have, and could get a decent amount off the retail price of the Abyss, I could be looking at $6k total for a relatively respectable abyss setup.  That's still double what I thought I'd be spending, but then I think if I get the LCD's, will I just be wishing I'd waited and saved more to get the abyss... That's the reason I'm on this thread now and actually considering it,  I guess also later on down the track I could look at upgrading the amp and source if I got upgraditis in a couple of years.
What I did notice though, was they sound like they're way more 'outside of your head' than anything else I've heard and the detail is unreal.  I didn't believe the guy when he told me that the music I was listening to was just ripped off normal cds.  I also feel like if I play around with this hobby long enough, I'll end up buying a couple of other cheaper flagship cans and have spent the $6k anyway.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I didn't post my impressions because at the time, I wasn't really taking the experience too seriously...
At the moment I have a pair of Ultrasone Edition 8's running on a portable setup and went in and listened to the Audeze lineup.  I live a 3 hour flight away from Australia's 'main' headphone store (A2A) and I just so happened to be in Melbourne so I went in and had a listen to the LCDs to see what all the fuss was about and was it worth upgrading from a $1500 pair of headphones to a $2300 pair.  The guy asked me if I'd heard the Abyss and I was like no, I heard about the price of them and assumed that you would need to pair them with some ****-hot desktop gear otherwise you were wasting your time (because I heard this was the case with the SR-009).  I thought well since I'm here I may as well have a quick listen.  They had them running off a cavalli audio liquid gold and some DAC that was about $8k or something - so like a $20k+ setup which I could never imagine ever actually spending that much on a headphone setup regardless of how good they were... So I had a bit of a listen to some songs I wasn't overly familiar with off their laptop and it sounded amazing, as I expected, but I was there to look at spending up to maybe $3k in total, one day, and this was so far out of my budget it was ridiculous.  I had a bit of a listen for maybe up to half an hour because they told me to take my time but meanwhile I had already made up my mind about them because of the price tag.  
As I was about to leave I was having a chat to one of the guys, asking about the cost of what I just listened to, then he mentioned that they also sound pretty damn nice off some schiit audio gear that was about $2k for the dac and amp, which seemed a bit closer to the realm of possibility.  Then I got on here and started asking about portable setups for the abyss (expecting everyone to tell me I was wasting my time).  Then rudi told me his fav. portable setup was running off an original algorhythm solo and an alo audio mk3+b.  I already have an original algorhythm solo, and was actually listening to, and loving the sound of the LCDs off the alo audio mk3+b (major coincidence - seems almost meant-to-be).  Then I thought, well, if I only need to buy an $800 amp in addition to what I already have, and could get a decent amount off the retail price of the Abyss, I could be looking at $6k total for a relatively respectable abyss setup.  That's still double what I thought I'd be spending, but then I think if I get the LCD's, will I just be wishing I'd waited and saved more to get the abyss... That's the reason I'm on this thread now and actually considering it,  I guess also later on down the track I could look at upgrading the amp and source if I got upgraditis in a couple of years.
What I did notice though, was they sound like they're way more 'outside of your head' than anything else I've heard and the detail is unreal.  I didn't believe the guy when he told me that the music I was listening to was just ripped off normal cds.  I also feel like if I play around with this hobby long enough, I'll end up buying a couple of other cheaper flagship cans and have spent the $6k anyway.

 
Thanks for your impressions. You didn't really compare with others you've heard, though.
 
The Edition 8 seems to be one of the better Ultrasones. I wish there were more reviews published for the Edition 5.
 
Have you heard the Sennheiser HD 800? It also has an "out of your head" soundstage.
 
Rudi has probably experimented with portable Abyss setups more than anyone else...but Joe also mentioned on the phone that without a very powerful full-size amp, you won't begin to tap into its real capabilities. I often hear how the HiFiMAN HE-6 is at its best with a speaker amp, but I haven't seen much talk at all about pairing the Abyss with one.
 
Look at the pics I just posted. If you don't already know what that amp costs, then you don't want to know! (I know you know, lol)
 
I feel the same way about buying multiple headphones. Here's a thought: once you can easily afford the Abyss, then you can afford all other production flagships too.

 

[mulder01]

Yeah I'm really relatively new to the headphone world and don't really have much of an idea what a lot of people are talking about in their reviews anyway - when it comes down to really detailed descriptions of certain parts of the frequency range it doesn't mean much to me.  Understanding that sort of stuff needs a lot of experience with a lot of different equipment.  I mean, I also don't rely too much on other's descriptions because it's such a personal thing too.  I kind of imagine it's like if you were buying visual art - like paintings - but you couldn't see the paintings for yourself, but rather had to rely on other people's descriptions of the feelings they invoke and the mood and mindset of the artist and make a purchase based on that.  If I like the bass on something, I can't tell you how much slam or weight or whatever, I just know I like it or I don't... Sorry.  All I can say about the abyss is they're really really good.  

 
I wouldn't say I could 'easily afford' the abyss.  It's just if I want it badly enough, I will save money aside for them slowly over the period of a year or two and eventually get them.  In regard to getting other flagships,  I can't see myself caring too much about a new pair of $2000 headphones if I have the abyss...  that's just me though - I have a $1500 pair of headphones and don't really do much research into whats kicking goals in the $500 range because I don't see the point spending money on a lesser phone when I could put it toward better gear.  If you have a bucketload of money then great, build yourself a collection if that's what you want to do, but I'd be happy with just one great pair.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Yeah I'm really relatively new to the headphone world and don't really have much of an idea what a lot of people are talking about in their reviews anyway - when it comes down to really detailed descriptions of certain parts of the frequency range it doesn't mean much to me.  Understanding that sort of stuff needs a lot of experience with a lot of different equipment.  I mean, I also don't rely too much on other's descriptions because it's such a personal thing too.  I kind of imagine it's like if you were buying visual art - like paintings - but you couldn't see the paintings for yourself, but rather had to rely on other people's descriptions of the feelings they invoke and the mood and mindset of the artist and make a purchase based on that.  If I like the bass on something, I can't tell you how much slam or weight or whatever, I just know I like it or I don't... Sorry.  All I can say about the abyss is they're really really good.  

 
I wouldn't say I could 'easily afford' the abyss.  It's just if I want it badly enough, I will save money aside for them slowly over the period of a year or two and eventually get them.  In regard to getting other flagships,  I can't see myself caring too much about a new pair of $2000 headphones if I have the abyss...  that's just me though - I have a $1500 pair of headphones and don't really do much research into whats kicking goals in the $500 range because I don't see the point spending money on a lesser phone when I could put it toward better gear.  If you have a bucketload of money then great, build yourself a collection if that's what you want to do, but I'd be happy with just one great pair.

 
Well spoken. Allow me to simplify: do you like the Abyss more (in every way) than the Ultrasone and Audeze models you've heard?

 

[mulder01]

Yeah absolutely - I liked the Audeze LCD-X a fair bit better than my Edition 8's, and the Abyss a fair bit better than the LCD-X.  It's really hard for me to quantify the amount of difference between the LCD-X and Abyss because I managed to do a side by side comparison simultaneously with the Ed 8's and LCD-X on the same gear, with the same music, but when I heard the Abyss, it was a bit later on in the day, with way more expensive gear and listening to music I wasn't intimately familiar with.  Ideally I'd like to compare the LCD-X and Abyss (and probably the Hi Fi Man's and TH900's too) with the same tracks and the same amps to really be able to identify the differences between JUST the cans.  For all I know, all the magic I was hearing could have been because of the Liquid Gold.  At the end of the day I'm comparing a $4k setup to a $20k setup, so of course the Abyss was magic.  Maybe I would prefer the LCD-X on the Liquid Gold rather than the Abyss on the ALO Mk3+b (similarly priced setups - but cheap amp and expensive phone vs expensive amp and cheap phone - obviously expensive amp AND phone would be nice but I'm kidding myself if I wait to be able to afford that).  I guess I'd have to have a serious audition before I can really give a reliable and accurate impression on them.  If the Abyss only shines on expensive amps then it may not be for me, but my theory was if the sound pretty awesome on a top of the range schiit audio amp at about $1000, then I figure if you take off the cost of the power supply section of the amp, are you left with an amplifier section worth roughly $800?  and the ALO portable amp I heard was about $800 and runs off a battery - thus eliminating the need power supply section, so a bit of basic maths tells me that it's possible, but again, you have to hear it in the flesh to really know.  At the moment I'm going to hold onto the hope (a lot of this hope comes from rudi's experiences) that the Abyss can be 90+% of their full potential on a cheap amp, while I save until I get the itch to fly down and have a proper critical listen...

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Yeah absolutely - I liked the Audeze LCD-X a fair bit better than my Edition 8's, and the Abyss a fair bit better than the LCD-X.  It's really hard for me to quantify the amount of difference between the LCD-X and Abyss because I managed to do a side by side comparison simultaneously with the Ed 8's and LCD-X on the same gear, with the same music, but when I heard the Abyss, it was a bit later on in the day, with way more expensive gear and listening to music I wasn't intimately familiar with.  Ideally I'd like to compare the LCD-X and Abyss (and probably the Hi Fi Man's and TH900's too) with the same tracks and the same amps to really be able to identify the differences between JUST the cans.  For all I know, all the magic I was hearing could have been because of the Liquid Gold.  Maybe I would prefer the LCD-X on the Liquid Gold rather than the Abyss on the ALO Mk3+b (similarly priced setups - but cheap amp and expensive phone vs expensive amp and cheap phone - obviously expensive amp AND phone would be nice but I'm kidding myself if I wait to be able to afford that).  I guess I'd have to have a serious audition before I can really give a reliable and accurate impression on them.  If the Abyss only shines on expensive amps then it may not be for me, but my theory was if the sound pretty awesome on a top of the range schiit audio amp at about $1000, then I figure if you take off the cost of the power supply section of the amp, are you left with an amplifier section worth roughly $800?  and the ALO portable amp I heard was about $800 and runs off a battery - thus eliminating the need power supply section, so a bit of basic maths tells me that it's possible, but again, you have to hear it in the flesh to really know.  At the moment I'm going to hold onto the hope (a lot of this hope comes from rudi's experiences) that the Abyss can be 90+% of their full potential on a cheap amp, while I save until I get the itch to fly down and have a proper critical listen...

 
Another factor to bear in mind (which you alluded to) is the fact that each headphone may excel with different setups. So a setup that one sounds great on might make another sound not so good, whereas if you tried another combination, you may like the other better.
 
There are plenty of portable setups that sound great with the Abyss. Even if they squeeze out less than 50% of their potential, it's a nice perk - but I would never take such expensive headphones out in public!