[mulder01]

Hmm so looks like HiFi Man is releasing a new flagship single sided planar - the HE1000... I wonder if it will compare...

 

[bmichels]

  Hmm so looks like HiFi Man is releasing a new flagship single sided planar - the HE1000... I wonder if it will compare...

 
Ah finally a strong alternative...

 

[up late]

Hmm so looks like HiFi Man is releasing a new flagship single sided planar - the HE1000... I wonder if it will compare...

i'm betting it'll be cheaper

 

[plakat]

Not so sure about that... the rest of the Hifiman lineup is, well, cheap is not the correct word... lets say not outrageously expensive so they might want to step up their game... Still I've yet to hear a Hifiman that really impresses me.

 

[up late]

cheaper doesn't mean cheap - just less expensive. i'd be very surprised if the new hifiman flagship costs as much as the abyss but we'll know soon enough.

 

[plakat]

My wild guess would be ~3000,-
 
Still I'm not overly excited about the Hifiman... I may look into the MOON amp @Nomax mentioned and maybe some mobile headphones... but I think I'm done for open fullsize. The Abyss grew on me the last 2 weeks, really impressive.

 

[mulder01]

I don't think it will make Abyss owners want to sell up and rush out and buy one, but if they can roughly match the sound quality and the aesthetics are better, they will probably be able to steal the customers that are on the fence about the Abyss due to it's looks or price.  
 
Like plakat, I'm happy with my full size headphones and will probably be looking for some IEMs or something I can take out in public next.

 

[Elrondo]

Had a chance to audition the Abyss at the Can Jam in Denver. To me, the Audeze LCD 3 fazor sounds just as detailed and I prefer the warmer sound of the Audeze. I just liked the sound of the Audeze headphones more  in general than the Abyss, with the Audeze LCD 3's having a lusher sound which really pleases me for long term listening sessions, and not all that out of line with how live music sounds in a really nice hall. So I purchased a pair of the LCD 3's which I'm totally pleased with. To me, the Abyss sounded pretty much just like the HiFiMan HE-6's tonally, spatially, and with regard to overall detail levels. 

 

[cerol]

  Had a chance to audition the Abyss at the Can Jam in Denver. To me, the Audeze LCD 3 fazor sounds just as detailed and I prefer the warmer sound of the Audeze. I just liked the sound of the Audeze headphones more  in general than the Abyss, with the Audeze LCD 3's having a lusher sound which really pleases me for long term listening sessions, and not all that out of line with how live music sounds in a really nice hall. So I purchased a pair of the LCD 3's which I'm totally pleased with. To me, the Abyss sounded pretty much just like the HiFiMan HE-6's tonally, spatially, and with regard to overall detail levels. 

Nice to read this, as I just bought Audeze LCD-3 F and now can reject the temptation of the ridiculously priced Abyss. But in my Collection (HD800, Koss ESP950)  I still find STAX the best (SR 007.II + SRM 727). Sometimes I Think of upgrading to STAX 009 - but then I have to persuade myself that most important of all is the SOURCE (i.e. the recording) and not the reproduction.  

 

[ShanghaiT]

I also had a chance to recently listen to the Abyss finally at a dealer in Hong Kong while on vacation and came away underwhelmed. 
Coincidentally after reading a few glowing reviews and before having had a chance to listen to them, I had my mind made up to buy the Cavalli Liquid Gold and Abyss set up. I purchased the Cavalli amp just last week but I think Im going to hold off on ordering the Abyss to see what other offerings crop up for CES.
 
Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I much prefer the sound of Stax 009 overall. The Abyss were good, but just not as great as I had hoped.

 

[Elrondo]

Yes, I also feel the SR 009 by Stax is an awesome headphone. I went ahead and purchased an SR 009 with a Blue Hawaii amp as I prefer the sound of the Stax for most acoustic music and I prefer the LCD 3's for most  rock, jazz,  older recordings, and electronic music. That being said, the Stax sound just great with rock and electronica, and the LCD 3's sound wonderful with classical and acoustic music. 
Actually, my comment that the Abyss sounds very similar to the HiFiMan HE-6 is in no way a criticism. The HE-6 is a wonderful headphone as well, and this should be seen as a compliment to the Abyss. In my opinion, however, many reviewers tend to be impressed with the cost of a particular product, and may tend to hear a better sound when a given component is more expensive. Psychoacoustics are therefore a great factor in any review, as all reviews, including this one, are subjective. 
Given all this, to my ears, the SR-009's still seem to be the ones to beat. Quite an exceptional transducer. 

 

[plakat]

I think all of them are up there in the realm of "decision by taste"... To me neither the Stax nor the Audeze offerings could win me over, while I like the Abyss quite a bit. But my taste in music is obviously quite different from yours, so thats no surprise I guess.
 
Expecting an overwhelming experience on an audition is almost a recipe for disappointment I think: No headphone at this level should work with effects that quickly catch your ear but become tiresome in the long run. So each one my need some time to appreciate its respective qualities. And especially the Abyss takes some work to get the correct fit, involving bending the headband which may not be what a dealer is willing to let one do.
 
I guess the price may have two different effects: either one bows down "its expensive, it must be *the best ever*" or one expects too much "it just in't *that* good". Both variants are not the best condition for judging its qualities... but of course hard to overcome. It always boils down to the simple question: is it worth its asking price to me? Obviously my answer was "yes", but I since started pondering another question: what small setup could I live with? I.e. what combination DAC/Amp/headphone is a minimal setup that gives me satisfaction, covers most of my use cases and is robust enough to give many years of joy? I think the T1 is still more of that for me...

 

[isquirrel]

  Had a chance to audition the Abyss at the Can Jam in Denver. To me, the Audeze LCD 3 fazor sounds just as detailed and I prefer the warmer sound of the Audeze. I just liked the sound of the Audeze headphones more  in general than the Abyss, with the Audeze LCD 3's having a lusher sound which really pleases me for long term listening sessions, and not all that out of line with how live music sounds in a really nice hall. So I purchased a pair of the LCD 3's which I'm totally pleased with. To me, the Abyss sounded pretty much just like the HiFiMan HE-6's tonally, spatially, and with regard to overall detail levels. 

I am about to spend a couple of days with a friends Abyss, so will really be able to spend some time with it in my system until then I reserve my final assesment. I have however heard it on several occasions and for my tastes I prefer the LCD-3F, I would also add that people with that kind of budget typically have high end DAC's and amps and may not have had a chance to have spent a while with the LCD-3F. Much prefer it over the LCD-X which I also have.
 
It all comes down to your sonic tastes.

 

[mulder01]

 
I am about to spend a couple of days with a friends Abyss, so will really be able to spend some time with it in my system until then I reserve my final assesment. I have however heard it on several occasions and for my tastes I prefer the LCD-3F, I would also add that people with that kind of budget typically have high end DAC's and amps and may not have had a chance to have spent a while with the LCD-3F. Much prefer it over the LCD-X which I also have.
 
It all comes down to your sonic tastes.

 
It surely does come down to personal taste.  I would rank the headphones you mentioned Abyss > LCD-X >LCD-3
 
Elrondo and ShanghaiT, what amp did you do your audition on?

 

[up late]

more interested in how the new hifiman flagship will compare to the abyss