[PointyFox]

Thanks for replying
Nice to know others feel the same. That is not to say that I dislike the LCD-4 (just listen to some metallica tracks and really liked how much texture the bass notes get and the amount of slam from "below") but I feel that it may not be worth hanging onto such an explosive can if it does not please me.

I remember being much more wow-ed by the hd820 when having that home for a weekend, but then the internet convinced me that it measured wrong and was not worth my time haha. Maybe I should look into the hd800s and perhaps some dekoni pads that are a bit plusher, remover having a hard time of getting a proper seal on the hd820.

I tried the Utopia for a day as well and really liked that, but would really like a wider stage, so don't think I will go down that route.

I had a HD800S and HD820 at the same time. They're very similar. The HD820 doesn't sound how the measurements look. The only obvious difference in tone besides having more bass was that the lower midrange was quieter on the HD820. Besides that, the soundstage was slightly smaller but they were more comfortable and slightly more isolating.
The sound quality is slightly better on the HD800S but I prefer the HD820 overall.

 

[paradoxper]

I read up on the verite and rad-0 and those seem like possibly great matches. Problem is I didn’t find any dealers or upcoming meets in which I can demo them... And if I know I like the Abyss and can get them discounted, it’s hard not to jump on that.

Are those two in a similar league and really worth a shot? Or does the 1266 edge them out overall?

And I actually started my journey with revealing gear (etymotics, dt48,k701) and this time I think I can get both revealing accuracy AND big boy dynamics without sweetening the sound...Not sure if the other two can do that...

Also researching the Meze’s etc...

I believe those two are mostly direct so no dealer margins per se.

Those two have a differently familiar (LCD) sound characteristic. I do, however, feel they present a rather balanced sound that provides a more than competent enough of skill set in the technicalities to be appreciated to many TOTL.

They are below the 1%. No order: Abyss, 009, Susvara, SR1a. But with the 009 I'd tell you you need the DIY T2 otherwise you're gimping penultimate potential however enjoyable and great performing it is. The planars require speaker amplifiers to fully exploit. The SR1a is the most mind-melding headphone sound you've ever heard with one very big secret of underwhelming bass response that is likely to be a dealer-breaker.


The Empyrean is a pile of dog. I know this isn't fair. It just is not a very good headphone in context of TOTL character.
If you might like the Verite-sound-ish but don't mind a few clicks below in performance with an obnoxious mid-bass bloat, then sure.
It does wear extremely, extremely comfortably.

 

[PointyFox]

The Empyrean is a fun headphone similar to the MDR-Z1R, but it's not one of the best. When I first put them on I was like "wow, they sound pretty good for a closed-back". The thing is they're open-back. They just don't have the transparency other TOTL headphones have.

 

[ABlide]

Was eying the Meze as well, but I am about to sell my Z1R due to finding it a bit to confined (positioning and overall sound i nice thought). Will try and demo the Meze, but if it anything alike I guess that won't be the right thing for me.

The SR1a is interesting, but I guess somewhat unattainable especially if one would like to buy used.

Any suggestions on something similar to HD800s/820 that has more textured bass response but keep the open soundstage?

 

[smodtactical]

The amount of empyrean hate is really sad. I wish it was better because it is so beautiful, comfortable and priced under the TOTLs.

Is it possible that empyrean is not getting the right amp synergy ?

 

[ABlide]

Remove.

 

[SECRET M]

I'll pulled the trigger on the Abyss AB 1266 Phi TCs! First headphone!

 

[ThanatosVI]

I'll pulled the trigger on the Abyss AB 1266 Phi TCs! First headphone!

Which amp did you order to go with them?

 

[SECRET M]

Which amp did you order to go with them?

I went with the ones that the ones that they recommended. hope that was a good call?

xiaudio formula s
xiaudio sagra dac

And then some crazy expensive cables, including a standard AC cable that's priced like it was made from some martian metals and crushed moon rock dust.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I went with the ones that the ones that they recommended. hope that was a good call?

xiaudio formula s
xiaudio sagra dac

And then some crazy expensive cables, including a standard AC cable that's priced like it was made from some martian metals and crushed moon rock dust.

Excellent System, seems like you're in for one hell of a treat!

Enjoy!!
Did you add the powerman to the amp, if not thst is something yoz can still do later on

 

[M3NTAL]

Utopia has been at the meets you've been at. How do you feel about those?

 

[Deolum]

I fell into some good funds and can finally afford a flagship.

I want a flagship that connects to human soul and emotion. The kind that make you enjoy your music so much they make you cry or have goosebumps.

I like to be surprised by dynamics in the midrange and highs, like Wilson audio speakers. Or Mercedes burmester car audio. I like that expensive sounding sound. I want a Stradivarius to sound full bodied with proper timbre. Organic

.. And I want to hear the forest instead of the trees. Sometimes headphones can be very detailed and correct yet somehow cluttered and challenging to listen to unless you focus.. I want mine to be psychoacoustically correct and easy to comprehend. Refined... cohesive, polished.

Measurements should be an afterthought. I prefer bioscience and unicorn piss. But tonal balance is still important (no range or feature should be noticeably highlighted)... And Imaging cues of distance and positioning accuracy are much more important to me than soundstage room size or seating position...

My Opinions of flagship headphones I’ve tried at meets over the years:

HD800: great micro detail. Impressive but artificial imaging/soundstage width. Too thin and no emotion. Cant get into the music

hd600: good overall balance (not thin, pleasing bass quantity) but cloudy, hazy overall. Smoothed out with every track. Socially acceptable high end reference sound of yesteryear. More refined than HD800 IMO (and I’ve heard the S). Fairly emotional

Random Planar headphones: weird wall type soundstages, “hard” brash sound, a little too in your face. Maybe good for metal. Great bass extension. High end ones gave same impressions but more natural soundstage and cleared up veil...

Denon AD-H7200: great musicality and fun, engaging imaging cues. But too much bass bloat and limited micro detail. Bloomy.

Focal Stelia closed: refined luxurious polished sound but noticeably closed/boxy effect. Sort of boring overall like all Focal I’ve heard

My current rig is AKG K371 which I came to love after finding an amp that controlled the bass and made the mids “pop” (liquid spark).. I enjoy the setup a lot but it’s treble extension and detail is low, and overall sound veiled. Reminds me of HD600/650 or QC35.

Now, I have also heard the 1266 and HE-1, and found them to be next level. The HE1, like Wilson audio speakers, could be so delicate sound then next moment smack you over the head with power...

The $5k Abyss is financially attainable but I’m not sure I wanna spend that much when these $200 AKG headphones can still impress me.

Was considering blind buying the T1 v3
(or boring old hd800s, just to own a modern “reference” and learn to appreciate it). Maybe it takes a quiet room? The meets always made this stuff hard

I have an Aquila II coming for Christmas, and my source is raspberry pi with volumio, and coaxial pcm streaming flac into an smsl su-8...

Any suggestions for pairing some nice cans to the new amp/Dac?

What did you chose? I can relate to your impressions of those headphones very much.

 

[SECRET M]

Excellent System, seems like you're in for one hell of a treat!

Enjoy!!
Did you add the powerman to the amp, if not thst is something yoz can still do later on

That I did! I decided to get the full ensemble as it was envisioned by the kind and [now wealthier] folks at @Abyss Headphones to experience one of life's greatest treasures, the gift of listening to music.

While you can't necessarily be together with the greatest musical artists in the world, if you've ever listening to a great musician or singer perform live, you've understood that musical talent is truly a gift to be experienced. From what I've read, this seems like one of the options of getting pretty close to the next best thing to sitting there in front of those artists.