Abyss JOAL Headphone- Jack of all Listening

[RenoGu]

As someone who actually has a Diana and loves the house sound, I am excited about this new release. My Diana cable, when bought new, arrived not working. However, after a couple of emails, I had a replacement in the mail immediately.

That said, I believe accessories, in my humble opinion, are priced excessively. $300 for a set of pads, to be honest, seems quite steep. I have never changed my stock pads because, to me, even though I would really like to have a set of ported suede and leather pads to fine-tune the sound, it's a no-go for me to pay that much. I think a more appropriate price would be something like ZMF's. Anyway, it is what it is.

 

[FullBright1]

Im glad that Abyss Headphones exist, as it gives us one more flavor to taste, and to enjoy.... regarding the : Sonic Palette.

Its obvious to me that this company works very hard to create a continuing upgraded evolution of their headphones.
One of the "Son's of Abyss" stated in the UTBE video.... that the JOEL is a different sound........ as compared to the other Diana's... so, that sounds good to me.
Actually all of the Diana's sound unique unto themselves.......but i think this Son of Abyss, is pre-clarifying that the JOEL is MORE of a sonic departure regarding any of the others regarding the previous : Diana series.
I recall the first Diana .......and when compared to the recent Diana MR & DZ.. we find a significant positive change in sound and comfort.

I'll take a guess and state that the JOEL is going to be a "sonic riff"......= a fantastic sounding FR variation of the : Diana MR.
Perhaps a specifically engineered variation update of the Diana MR with a lot more soundstage, and more detail retrieval, while keeping the MR's somewhat warm and deliciously smooth overall tonality.
Time and Ears will tell....

 

[dbull12]

I almost always stay out of "dramatic" areas of the forum but since this is something I can personally speak to because I think there are some unspoken and implicit assumption about Abyss is said here just because Abyss headphones are usually known to be "expensive". I am not a rich man but for a graduate student I think I have spent way too much money in the hobby, and have got to know many wonderful people in this industry (and the hobby). What I am saying is this idea of "they think they're better than their customer base" - is simply unfair and wrong. Of the collection of headphones I have - the majority are ZMFs and Abyss right now and the reason has little to do with sound but how they have conducted to the fellow hobbyists. On this front, Abyss is usually unfairly treated imo. Here are a few relevant recounts:

1. I once bought a "used" 1266 used many years ago and it had issues. I called (now tell me how many companies can you actually call?). Joe picked up and spoke to me (someone who didn't even know and made no money from me). I was just someone who was in a tough spot stuck with a headphone with problems bought on the secondary market. He treated me with respect, was immensely considerate AND he took the set in and fixed it for me.
2. Granted the accessories cost more than some others like Hifiman but this is a very small operation doing very high end audio. So, economies of scale by textbook would justify a price like that - take it or leave it - true for everything else.
3. Someone raised a point that on SBAF, Abyss did not send some people loaner units because they felt they did not have gear to properly evaluate some headphone. I do not know anything about that but I can tell you a different story. This was in 2014/2015 I think and I was at the time well, younger, had no high end gear, and had just a Modi Magni stack. HD800 was all the rage then but I had no money to buy that (yes folks, once $1500 was seen as summit-fi in the hobby). The MrSpeakers Ether came out almost at the same time. I thought, well, maybe I just might ask if I could listen - so I emailed Dan. And Dan was the most honorable person ever and I learned a TON of things from him through that correspondence. But if I had not appreciated every bit of that, I could spin that narrative only to say that I was told that I would need at least a Mjolnir amp to properly drive an Ether and once I had such an amp, I ask and he'd send me one. See, I did not get that set to try then, but I appreciated every word from him and my respect for him only increased. So, I think it's a matter of perspective.

TL;DR: When "attitude" of a company is being called to question, it's good to have direct discourse with the people and you might be pleasantly surprised how nice and approachable people are and not hold some preconceived idea.

On topic: I really dig how the JOAL looks. I find it more interesting and robust looking than some of Abyss' higher end offerings. Would love to listen some day. Was almost inching to order one yesterday ... maybe soon.

Thanks for this and I'm happy to stand corrected. It's great to hear that Abyss was willing to repair a pair bought second-hand, that's a sign of excellent customer service.

I was also the one who raised the point about the SBAF loaner. I understand your thoughts regarding perspective with things like this. Screenshots of the email exchanges were posted on that site and IMO they didn't look great on Abyss's part, but people can find those posts and decide for themselves of course. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm participating in some smear campaign as that wasn't my intent, I've just seen some things about the brand that have seemed concerning. Hard to know what's misinformation though so I should've just stayed out of it.

Side note, I'm also a grad student spending maybe more than what's reasonable on this hobby so I can relate there And agreed about JOAL's aesthetics. Hope I can listen at a future CanJam!

 

[Abyss Headphones]

How does the Joal compare to the rest of the lineup tonally? I’ve heard many of your models but found them leaning a bit too much towards neutral for my preferences. Any chance the Joal is warmer sounding?

Stock configuration with the Ultrasuede pads is slightly warm of neutral. Like Diana MR and DZ, JOAL was designed to take advantage of ear pad rolling giving you the ability to fine tune to your preferences and current system.

 

[CenzoTheEnzo]

Thank you Abyss family for always being transparent! No matter what you all do, people are going to still hate. You guys are a great company and make outstanding products while providing your experience along the way. While I may have not owned your older products, I can say that both the Diana DZ and Diana MR are top tier headphones. I'm sure this headphone is going to be the same experience just at a cheaper cost.

Since there is plenty of haters at the moment, you can look at my signature and see all of the headphones / iems I've owned. I am very confident in my ears and knowing if a product is good or not.

Any who, have a great day Abyss Family. Sorry about all the negativity people are spreading about a product they don't own and most likely won't own.

 

[MSA1133]

I'm already on team Abyss with the 1266 TC, MR and V2, will wait for the reviews for this one. Could vouch for their excellent support and craftsmanship.

The only thing I wish they had is a membership club or something similar just like Dan Clarke Audio where if you have purchased from them before, you could get the newest headphones at a cheaper rate.

I live halfway across the world and the majority of my headphone purchases are done blind only after seeing graphs and watching/reading feedbacks and reviews, so ordering at a discounted price would very appreciated as a long time customer.

Still waiting for the closed back Abyss and wish them all the best!

 

[Abyss Headphones]

Thank you for the kind words guys!

 

[Philimon]

Warranty:

• Industry leading 10 Year Private Warranty

Arent KOSS and ZMF lifetime warranty? What is the distinction?

I see pages of negativity for a product that nobody has even heard yet. Super sad state if this is what HeadFi has boiled down to.

Its not all sad. Some companies develop a bad rap while other companies draw enormous praise. Like that time Abyss reviewed a $50 Creative Aurvana Live (?) and said they could dress it up and sell for $400 (paraphrasing).

Short story Is $10 stock power cord dressed up and sold at $300

I did a quick googley and found this.

in order to keep costs low we didn't have the wire itself made for us. We rocked through dozens of different wires from various Asian wire manufacturers (different colors and dielectrics, different conductor counts, different conductor materials) and ultimately found one that [almost] perfectly fit our criteria, then contracted out the assembly

Its difficult to understand how Schiit can sell a majority local parts sourced and assembled amp for $100. Grado too.

That said, I believe accessories, in my humble opinion, are priced excessively. $300 for a set of pads, to be honest, seems quite steep.

That’s a bargain compared to $400 pads.

Good on Abyss for improving their product while reducing cost to the customer despite inflation. Hopefully there arent any hidden drawbacks to justify prices lower than their more expensive models or artificially induced drawbacks (e.g. unnecessarily weaker magnets like Hifiman attaches to their cheaper models) so as to not cannibalize sales of their more expensive models.

 

[dbull12]

Arent KOSS and ZMF lifetime warranty? What is the distinction?

I think ZMF lifetime warranty covers the drivers but not other parts. Maybe 10 years is industry leading for warranties on the entire headphone? Not sure

 

[Kevintj604]

Its not all sad. Some companies develop a bad rap while other companies draw enormous praise. Like that time Abyss reviewed a $50 Creative Aurvana Live (?) and said they could dress it up and sell for $400 (paraphrasing).

There's criticizing a product and then there's public hating of a manufacturer for previous indiscretions. I'm all for critical feedback that helps a company do better but unfortunately this thread is mostly filled with negative comments from people who clearly just want to bash and have zero intent of trying the product.

Even your comment to me has zero to do with "Joel" and offers no positivity. Just more rumors and conjecture.

I stand firmly by my comment. It's a super sad state if this is what HeadFi offers. If toxicity is the only purpose why bother?

 

[Ciggavelli]

There's criticizing a product and then there's public hating of a manufacturer for previous indiscretions. I'm all for critical feedback that helps a company do better but unfortunately this thread is mostly filled with negative comments from people who clearly just want to bash and have zero intent of trying the product.

Even your comment to me has zero to do with "Joel" and offers no positivity. Just more rumors and conjecture.

I stand firmly by my comment. It's a super sad state if this is what HeadFi offers. If toxicity is the only purpose why bother?

Nah, Abyss deserves some of the hate. There's a reason there was so much hate so early on in this thread. It didn't come from nowhere. Abyss can do better. I love the 1266 TCs, but still Abyss can do better. They are known for disrespecting the community. They are known for being holier than thou. We need to hold these companies accountable.

Yes, they make great products. I don't like the Diana line at all, but many do. I love the 1266 line, but Abyss has shown a lack of respect for their customers. We shall see if this new Diana is good, but I'm guessing it's not. It is what it is...

Send me this new JOAL and I'll write a simple, effective review. I have good equipment...

 

[Adnan Firoze]

Yes, they make great products. I don't like the Diana line at all, but many do. I love the 1266 line, but Abyss has shown a lack of respect for their customers. We shall see if this new Diana is good, but I'm guessing it's not. It is what it is...

Send me this new JOAL and I'll write a simple, effective review. I have good equipment...

You're "guessing"???? The "new Diana"? You're in the wrong thread, pal.

 

[Ciggavelli]

You're "guessing"???? The "new Diana"? You're in the wrong thread, pal.

Am I? This is clearly a Diana variant. Look at it

Edit, cuz I can't double post:

This shilling for headphone companies makes no sense to me. These people charge well over what they are worth. You gotta go to a dealer to get the real deal. The headphone community has been taken advantage by these manufacturers. They make something for $500 and charge $3k. They are, for lack of a better term, taking advantage of us. This release should be questioned. They are trying to maximize profits. They are not doing it to make "better sound" or to better the community. They look at some numbers and decide what to do. This isn't even an exclusive Abyss issue. They are not the only ones doing this. $8k for a SusUV, when it probably cost them $500 to make. Disgusting. We are the problem though. We keep paying these high prices for these "luxury" goods (and I've owned a SusUV in the past). Raal is bad too. They don't even allow you to buy it from you dealer. You gotta go through them. These people are taking advantage of us.

 

[Kevintj604]

Am I? This is clearly a Diana variant. Look at it

Edit, cuz I can't double post:

This shilling for headphone companies makes no sense to me. These people charge well over what they are worth. You gotta go to a dealer to get the real deal. The headphone community has been taken advantage by these manufacturers. They make something for $500 and charge $3k. They are, for lack of a better term, taking advantage of us. This release should be questioned. They are trying to maximize profits. They are not doing it to make "better sound" or to better the community. They look at some numbers and decide what to do. This isn't even an exclusive Abyss issue. They are not the only ones doing this. $8k for a SusUV, when it probably cost them $500 to make. Disgusting. We are the problem though. We keep paying these high prices for these "luxury" goods (and I've owned a SusUV in the past). Raal is bad too. They don't even allow you to buy it from you dealer. You gotta go through them. These people are taking advantage of us.

You're the second or third person that's mentioned "shilling". I don't think that speaking optimistic or positive over a release that nobody has even heard yet can be remotely compared to as shilling for a company or it's product.

I'm not sitting here convincing anyone to buy the Joel. I'm simply stating that six pages of negativity isn't a helpful solution to inform a potential buyer to purchase a product.

It's not necessary.

I don't disagree with you that this is an expensive hobby but like you stated every manufacturer follows the same practise. Some worse than others.

 

[up late]

You're the second or third person that's mentioned "shilling". I don't think that speaking optimistic or positive over a release that nobody has even heard yet can be remotely compared to as shilling for a company or it's product.

I'm not sitting here convincing anyone to buy the Joel. I'm simply stating that six pages of negativity isn't a helpful solution to inform a potential buyer to purchase a product.

It's not necessary.

I don't disagree with you that this is an expensive hobby but like you stated every manufacturer follows the same practise. Some worse than others.

and neither is making your point repeatedly. this thread should settle down once folks start receiving their joals and posting their impressions.