[BotDamian]

Hello, dear Headphone enthusiasts,
this is my first post and I've signed up to ask this question.
I'm still using my first ever GOOD headphones AKG K701 for over 8 years. I've modified them but it lacks depth and I wish the sound to be more refined and clear.
My current setup is AKG K701 and Fiio K3, I had different headphones before but always choose my K701.
I had also the DT990 600Ohm they didn't sound bad but the stage was too narrow and it didn't sound natural to me, more like a vibrating sheet of metal.

So my dream would be to buy the Abyss AB-1266. I sadly don't know which amplifier I would need for it, but my guess would be the Elf Audio XIAUDIO Formula S or Kinki Studio Vision THR-1.

I also know someone who works at Sennheiser and I would get a -50% off the price. So brand new Sennheiser HD800S would actually cost me 650-750 Euros.
I was also thinking about the HD800S combined with the RME ADI-2 DAC. This setup would cost about 1750 Euros.

My question would also be, is there a huge difference between the 10k Abyss AB-1266 setup and the HD800S setup? I'm paying almost 6x the price and I wonder if I'm at least getting 2x the sound quality. 10k is a lot of money for me, it's 4month of saving.

But dreams are to be achieved right?
I'm a hobby web developer and I listen to music all day, each day for hours. I numbers, about 60-80h a day, yes on my AKG K701.

I would be very thankful for any help.

 

[Deolum]

Headphones are extremely subjective. Especially if it comes to the complete system. Most probably you buy a 10k system and you will be disappointed.

Nobody can say how big the difference is. I had 2k systems i preferred over 10k systems and 300€ headphones i prefered over 1000€ ones.

K701 is a very good headphone but it can have a bit harsh treble sometimes. I think something like the Abyss is really a love or hate thing.

The 800S for example is a headphone that really needs a good synergy. I think the RME Adi and the 800S could sound a little dry.

I would stay with a 2k system and see what you like first.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

As they say theory is different in practice.

Have you heard it (Abyss) and liked it? Tried other headphones?.

My advice for building a HP/stereo system is:
1. Try as many headphones you could try first. Find the headphone you like based on your preference.
2. Build the system around that headphone by finding the amplifier first that sound best. The dac is last (product updated always).

If you are decided with the 1266, Abyss had a segment in YT where they ranked the amplifiers for their headphones:



Steve Gutenberg praised the Pathos Inpol Ear for the 1266 in this review:

 

[Telin]

I'm paying almost 6x the price and I wonder if I'm at least getting 2x the sound quality.

Not by a long shot.
Law of diminishing returns..

 

[BotDamian]

I guess I will go with the Sennheiser setup first. Paying the half-price for brand new is also an argument.
People prise that the HD800S are amazing and I need to see this for myself. Would it make sense to buy the Sennheiser amplifier for the HD800S?
I mean there must be a reason for the amp, I think they created the headphones and the amplifier to make it sound more natural.
I don't look for "Perfection" because it doesn't exist, I'm looking to enjoy my songs with much more transparency, detail, and bumping the bass up, because the K701 lacks a little bass.

 

[surfgeorge]

I guess I will go with the Sennheiser setup first. Paying the half-price for brand new is also an argument.
People prise that the HD800S are amazing and I need to see this for myself. Would it make sense to buy the Sennheiser amplifier for the HD800S?
I mean there must be a reason for the amp, I think they created the headphones and the amplifier to make it sound more natural.
I don't look for "Perfection" because it doesn't exist, I'm looking to enjoy my songs with much more transparency, detail, and bumping the bass up, because the K701 lacks a little bass.

The HD-800S are amazing in their ability to project a realistic, wide and deep soundstage (if the DAC/Amp is up to the job)
Detail and definition is also excelent, they are however a little bass light. So if you are looking for a more pronounced bass I'd look elsewhere.

One thing that easily gets dismissed is the quality of your upstream chain. The digital source, DAC and Amp all have a significant influence and if you mess up any one of them the end result will suffer greatly.
I recently tested the influence of the digital source on my CHORD Hugo 2 DAC/Amp and found that feeding it from my work laptop really destroyed the SQ, while I got the best result via optical input from a battery powered MacBook Pro.
There are many here on head-fi promoting the idea that the DAC has little influence, but if you are able and willing to spend €10k, half of that should go to your source IMO.

I'd look at the CHORD Hugo TT2, that would give you. the possibility of further upgrades in the future with an M-Scaler if you wish.
Alternatively the Hugo 2 is excellent value and incredibly flexible (can also be upgraded with the M-Scaler) working as a portable unit, a desktop DAC/Amp or Stereo DAC in your speaker system.
There are also digital sources for both the Hugo TT2 and the Hugo 2 which would give you a complete solution.

Headphone wise I'd also try to get a listen to the Focal Utopia - amazing sounding headphone!

Cheers!