[eric65]

Electrodynamic and electrostatic headphones now obsolete ?
 
When we read the passionate thread of the revolutionary and allrounder JPS Lab Abyss headphone on French forum HCFR, it would seem that this new planar magnetic headphones Abyss , revolutionary in its design, has become , for all its extraordinary qualities, the best headphone ever produced in the world (at least in France

) , ridiculing all tenors headphone until each category : electrodynamic headphones (Sennheiser HD -800 head) ; headphones Planar Magnetic legacy ( Audeez LCD3 ), and even the electrostatic headphones (Stax SR- 009 head).
 
The Abyss headphone seem revolutionary by its original construction ( a single row of magnets ( asymmetric ) instead of two) and gain on almost all audio criteria studied (transparency , speed, sound stage, euphony , quality and impact of low, the natural reproduction, etc.). Just could you blame him a slight lack of presence in the top medium and Its price is elitist ; but we are promised for 2014 versions more affordable of this headphone.
 
Finally, to believe that a significant page in the history of headphone has been turned and that we can now considerer old technologies headphones  (as Eletrodynamique and electrostatic) as now obsolete, at least for the high-end headphones ; it is the question I ask myself now.
 
Eric
 
Links (in french)
 
http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/casques-haute-fidelite/arrivee-du-casque-jps-lab-abyss-en-france-t30042232.html
​
http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post177900249.html#p177900249 (great trilogy report of abyss by dub) (in french)
 
 
EDIT : 
 
Assessments of Pierre Paya and Superfred 21, also (in french)
http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post177878059.html#p177878059
http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post177886629.html#p177886629
http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post177891911.html#p177891911

And some pictures to decorate the post 

 

 

 

 
​

 

[Audio Jester]

Electric cars were considered obsolete in the 1920's, vinyl records were considered obsolete following the rise of the CD. There are still giants like the Orpheus, R10, 009, and 007mk1 that would challenge the Abyss. These are technologies that are measured by subjective observations and as such there is unlikely to be one perfect solution for everyone. The HE90 came about through a company challenging itself to make the best headphone /system possible at that time. Some would argue that there are currently better amplifiers to pair with the Orpheus than the HEV90, others would say that Stax has taken things up a notch. Does this mean that dynamic drivers are obsolete? Hardly, I know there are people in this forum that would say in absolute honesty that they prefer their HD800.

Maybe when we can input music directly into our brain without the use of our cochlear I might consider our current technologies as obsolete.

 

[wink]

The opinion that the Abyss is the "BEST" headphone ever is just that, an opinion held by some.
 
The call made by individuals as to what is the best headphone will always be different for different people.
 
Even if 99.99% held to the opinion that the Abyss IS the best headphone does not make it a fact for the 0.01% who would beg to differ.

 

[erikfreedom]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13
 
in the top 10 headphones of the battle of the flagships 5 are electrostatic and the 2 top spots are stats. and that does not includes the airbow sr sc21 and sr sc11 that probably would end up near or at the top of that list.
 
so much for electrostatic obsolescence.

 

[eric65]

  http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13
 
in the top 10 headphones of the battle of the flagships 5 are electrostatic and the 2 top spots are stats. and that does not includes the airbow sr sc21 and sr sc11 that probably would end up near or at the top of that list.
 
so much for electrostatic obsolescence.

 
Maybe this classification of this very famous (and serious) review of headphones will be revised soon?
 
So, the JPS Abyss headphone : perhaps number one or possibly number two (after Orpheus system) in this global ranking ? 
 
Eric

 

[livewire]

   
Maybe this classification of this very famous (and serious) review of headphones will be revised soon?
 
So, the JPS Abyss headphone : perhaps number one or possibly number two (after Orpheus system) in this global ranking ?
 
Eric

 
I SERIOUSLY DOUBT THAT IT WILL BE REVISED SOON.
 
The abyss is overpriced for what you get. It definitely has it's major flaws.
 
I totally disagree with your "perhaps number one or number two ranking". Ludacrous!

 

[eric65]

I would be interested to know what people, as Purrin and Tyll Hertsens, think on the issue ; indeed, they seem to know the potential of the Abyss and perhaps they can say if it is a true "revolution" with this original inovation of new planar magnetic design (ie : it would seem that JPS has managed this coup (genius?), manufacture of one of the best headphone never produced in the world, see the best (?), with this new and revolutionary technology).
 
Eric

 

[Radio_head]

Once, there existed an ice cream flavour.  It didn't need a name, since there was only flavour of ice cream at the time, but it was dubbed Vanilla, perhaps after the famous songsmith.  People were happy with vanilla, and the realm saw much prosperousnous.  One day, a mad scientist discovered a flavour called "chocolate" accidentally while trying to discover silly putty.  This flavour promptly stormed the Bastille and many wondered why they had ever liked Vanilla in the first place.  People insisted chocolate was the flavour to have, and no other flavour would ever supplant it.  Two was enough!  Imagine their shock and awe when strawberry came along.  There were riots in the streets.  People bought dove dung for five silver shekels and ate their own babies, mistaking the situation for famine.  Vanilla and chocolate were shunted to the side like lepers while parades were held for strawberry.  Then some dreamer, a true crazy tinkerer with death rays and everything, had a harebrained notion - what if the three existing flavours could be combined into one super-flavour?  Thus was the Neapolitan flavour birthed.  Suddenly, people were rediscovering their enjoyment of vanilla and chocolate (in conjunction with strawberry.)  It was at this point that people realized there was room for many flavours, and a good new one didn't diminish the older different ones in the slightest. There was much rejoicing, and people ate their babies just because.

 

[Hun7er]

I don't think there are obsolete technology, there is still progress to do with them. 
It's like the computer one year ATI has the most powerful graphic card one year NVIDIA has the most powerful graphic card.
 
The next flagship headpone by sennheiser or stax will fool the JPS Abyss.
We must accept that there's always better and that exciting.

 

[chetlanin]

Abyss? Abyss is nothing! I have constructed some very high voltage plasma prototype headphones. They are build into a chair and the head needs to be secured very precisely between the plasma “cages”. The surviviors from the first test sessions claim they have not heard anything like this before, and that conventional headphone technology now is obsolete. The price will be approximately 2 mill, or 2.5 mill with Italian designed chair in turtle leather with feet and hand rests in extinct hikushima mountain birch, hand polished by 90 years old monks from the famous Shunkion Temple and covered by 13 layers of piano lacquer (before my company name “Chetlanex” is printed on these wooden parts with big letters in white paint).

 

[purrin]

  I would be interested to know what people, as Purrin and Tyll Hertsens, think on the issue ; indeed, they seem to know the potential of the Abyss and perhaps they can say if it is a true "revolution" with this original inovation of new planar magnetic design (ie : it would seem that JPS has managed this coup (genius?), manufacture of one of the best headphone never produced in the world, see the best (?), with this new and revolutionary technology).
 
Eric

 
I don't think it's a true revolution. But I do think it's really neat the guys at JPS were able to achieve a near critically damped (mostly air damped) planar. The "holy grail" of orthos. The Abyss has excellent characteristics in low/mid bass distortion; amazing bass extension, slam, and articulation; really good layering and staging; and an overall clean fast sound. Of course every other person thinks I got a cherry picked one. The Abyss is not perfect and the stats do certain things better than the Abyss, notably treble smoothness and air. The SR009 has a better "get of of the way" quality with consistent low distortion, especially in the treble. But as you and many others know, I am not a fan of how its voiced tonally. I much prefer the SR007mk1 with a T2DIY over the SR009, since the T2DIY brings the 007 that much closer to the performance of the 009.
 
That being said, I had all sold all my headphone gear, planning on going 100% speakers, being not sufficiently satisfied with any headphone, until the Abyss came along. I was one of the first to crap on it (I was not kind and quite mean to JPS Labs) because of its ridiculous price and because JPS Labs lacked credentials, but once I had a chance to hear one, I was convinced. This was the headphone which brought me back to Head-Fi. It suited what I wanted.
 
But honestly, I think don't stats are going the way of the dodo. Comparing the Abyss to the top stats is like comparing apples to oranges. If I were rich enough to own both, I would. If I had to pick, well the answer is obvious. There are many others who feel the opposite way and I totally understand why. And as I've said, the Abyss not perfect, and I've actually implemented some tweaks to improve treble performance, but that's just me.
 
Orpheus is still #1 in my book.

 

[Donald North]

Blubliss' R10s are still #1 in my book

 

[eric65]

What would you do if JPS Lab produced in 2014, a "Baby" Abyss, much less expensive, say $ 1000 ? for example, with 90 or 95% of the potential of the Abyss, using the same technology, but without the accessories or cables overpriced .

Would you buy always an high-end electrostatic or electrodynamic headphones (a priori not more efficient, if not less), but this time 2-5 times more expensive than the hypothetical "Baby" Abyss?

 

[Audio Jester]

What would you do if JPS Lab produced in 2014, a "Baby" Abyss, much less expensive, say $ 1000 ? for example, with 90 or 95% of the potential of the Abyss, using the same technology, but without the accessories or cables overpriced .


Would you buy always an high-end electrostatic or electrodynamic headphones (a priori not more efficient, if not less), but this time 2-5 times more expensive than the hypothetical "Baby" Abyss?

SRS!? So you are asking if people prefer a hypothetical headphone over their current favourite headphones? Since nobody has heard this "baby" Abyss (especially myself) my answer is obvious. The problem is that Stax might release that 009LE which has a shorter cable and slightly less padding for $200 in 2014. It is better than the baby Abyss. You can take that to the bank, the Troll bank.

 

[eric65]

No, this is a serious post.

JPS Lab due out in spring 2014 more affordable versions of the Abyss.
The Abyss is currently the flagship JPS Lab, its price is elitist, but he wants to be the best headphones world products. All this corresponds to a specific trade policy.

If Abyss deserves its place among the best headphones in the world, other brands of headphones that do not have this innovative (and efficient)  technology have a priori reason to worry. This is my point of view.
 
Eric