[Nik]

Very good and professional review...

THANK YOU
Nik

 

[Beolab]

Great informative review Paul!!

 

[Toolman]

 
I miss the Abyss to be honest and replacing them isn't 100% out of the question for me one day.  I was happy to see the 4's go, however.

 

I own the Abyss Utopia HD800S and to be honest I'd miss any of them .

Abyss & Utopia will be fighting for my listening time so one (definitely not Utopia

 ) might have to go. I think HE-1000 will offer a different sound signature to pair with my Utopia.

Money will be handy in contributing towards my Dave in the New Year...guys what do you think? worth holding on to both + HEK?  

  #FirstWorldProblems

 

[bigfatpaulie]

   

Abyss & Utopia will be fighting for my listening time so one (definitely not Utopia

 ) might have to go. I think HE-1000 will offer a different sound signature to pair with my Utopia.

Money will be handy in contributing towards my Dave in the New Year...guys what do you think? worth holding on to both + HEK?  

  #FirstWorldProblems

 
Just so I'm clean you have the Abyss, Utopia and HEK and are thinking of selling two of them and you are looking for advice on which, right?

 

[Toolman]

 

   

Abyss & Utopia will be fighting for my listening time so one (definitely not Utopia

 ) might have to go. I think HE-1000 will offer a different sound signature to pair with my Utopia.

Money will be handy in contributing towards my Dave in the New Year...guys what do you think? worth holding on to both + HEK?  

  #FirstWorldProblems

 
Just so I'm clean you have the Abyss, Utopia and HEK and are thinking of selling two of them and you are looking for advice on which, right?

Selling only one...am thinking of dropping just the Abyss and keeping Utopia & HEK 

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Ah.  If it where me, I would drop the Abyss as I think they are very unique.  If anything I would replace the HEK with a HD800 with SDR's in them.  But everyone is different.  

 

[Beolab]

Ah.  If it where me, I would drop the Abyss as I think they are very unique.  If anything I would replace the HEK with a HD800 with SDR's in them.  But everyone is different.  

Are you saying that you wouldn't drop them because they are unique, or i don't understand your statement?

I have the Utopia home for testing over the weekend, and got headache after 15 min listening, cant handle closed back headphones with metall overly pronounced mids, the Abyss, are like listen to visceral velvet in comparison!!

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Where you mean you wouldn't drop them because they are unique or i don't understand your statement?
 

 
Haha - sorry.  I would KEEP the Abyss and sell the HEK's.

 

[Mystel]

Well I personally dont find the abyss and utopia similar at all. I'm a very abyss kinda guy, in fact its my first choice out of the summit fi cans. So if it were me i'll sell the he1000s, keeping both the utopia and abyss. Just my opinion, based on my tastes.

 

[nvfan]

Are you saying that you wouldn't drop them because they are unique, or i don't understand your statement?

I have the Utopia home for testing over the weekend, and got headache after 15 min listening, cant handle closed back headphones with metall overly pronounced mids, the Abyss, are like listen to visceral velvet in comparison!!

 
Well you can EQ the mids down (which I do). You can't do much about the soundstage, true, they sound almost like IEMs or closed backs because of it,  the Utopias have small earcups, small earpads, and the driver (40mm) is on the small side among TOTL headphones which are more typically 50-80mm. You just aren't going to get a big image with those physical characteristics. 

 

[Beolab]

@bigfatpaulie

Didn't know that you have bought a Moon 600i , but then sold it during the same month or??

Have you sold your Abyss also as i can read?

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I never bought the 600i - I had it on home audition for about a month or so from a local dealer.  I also had the Pass Labs INT-30a at home at the time and I preferred the Pass so I...  passed on the Moon.  They were both excellent just different in their presentation.  
 
Yes, I am currently Abyss-less.  It is a headphone I often think about reacquiring, but right now estats have my attention.  I am thinking of making the plunge to really see what all the fuss is like but the cost of entry at a comparable level to my dynamic rig is astronomical.  To really get something that would have a fair fight and I am easily at $10k++ (CAD) is so I keep shying away.

 

[Beolab]

Well you can EQ the mids down (which I do). You can't do much about the soundstage, true, they sound almost like IEMs or closed backs because of it,  the Utopias have small earcups, small earpads, and the driver (40mm) is on the small side among TOTL headphones which are more typically 50-80mm. You just aren't going to get a big image with those physical characteristics. 

I have give them the third chance now, and they are not my cup of tea at all unfortunately. I think they would be great in a studio environment thug, if the technician go on painkillers for the continues headache he will have =)

I am sorry but i cant see what this headphone doing in the same review, it is not even like on the same Total level as the others, it just sounds as a tuned closed back headphone with a metal sound with no depth or space, it is very over rated price vice.. ! Why on earth would you like to feel the sound are playing as an ordinary headphone 1 mm from your ear drum, when you can have a ear speaker that make your brain think that the sound cones from tow big 100k speakers ?

Yes Abyss got 66 mm drivers vs 40 mm

 

[a1uc]

I myself think the Abyss is also more comfortable

 

[Beolab]

I myself think the Abyss is also more comfortable

I don't care about weight or comfort, i just care about the sound.

Then the Focal feels heavier on my head, feels like a wet helmet, it does not feel expensive or look expensive at all when i wear it as we speak.

I will wait and see what 2017-2018 will bring to the table in the Ultra High End division, i know a few rumours about some highly regarded brands and some not so known brands working on interesting things