[eric65]

Me ?

You surprise me for the question.

I'm using the Viva Egoista 2A3 tube amp (Lamborghini orange color), since I already have it, as you can see in the photo below.

Fairly universal headphone amp, capable of driving the VENUS very correctly just like an HD-800. (nb: this is a minimum required for the price of this SE amp, very expensive, that I got second-hand).

If I had not given my musician friend the AUDIOMAT Recital mk4 speaker amplifier (2 x 8O W in class A on 8 Ohm) with my ex PEL Maestral speakers, perhaps I would have tried the VENUS on the terminal block HP 8 Ohm of the tube amplifier, but with 3 risks, one of which is major and the other prohibitive.
1- risk of destroying my VENUS by a wrong operation with a speaker amplifier capable of delivering so much power and current.
2- high risk of parasitic noise from the tubes (rumble) because it is not a very quiet amp with with high sensitivity speakers (and even more so with headphones).
3- the 2 x 4 KT 88 JJ power tubes of the Recital mk4 will not provide the same sumptuous timbres as the 2 x 1 2A3 tubes of my Viva headphone amp.

 

[acclimatise]

Me ?

You surprise me for the question.

I'm using the Viva Egoista 2A3 tube amp (Lamborghini orange color), since I already have it, as you can see in the photo below.

Fairly universal headphone amp, capable of driving the VENUS very correctly just like an HD-800. (nb: this is a minimum required for the price of this SE amp, very expensive, that I got second-hand).

If I had not given my musician friend the AUDIOMAT Recital mk4 speaker amplifier (2 x 8O W in class A on 8 Ohm) with my ex PEL Maestral speakers, perhaps I would have tried the VENUS on the terminal block HP 8 Ohm of the tube amplifier, but with 3 risks, one of which is major and the other prohibitive.
1- risk of destroying my VENUS by a wrong operation with a speaker amplifier capable of delivering so much power and current.
2- high risk of parasitic noise from the tubes (rumble) because it is not a very quiet amp with with high sensitivity speakers (and even more so with headphones).
3- the 2 x 4 KT 88 JJ power tubes of the Recital mk4 will not provide the same sumptuous timbres as the 2 x 1 2A3 tubes of my Viva headphone amp.

I forgot it, great amplifier.
I am still immersed in a very unpleasant emotion now. I tried my best to brag about VENUS to friends, I lent it to him and he told me just so so. His headphone amplifier is NIIMBUS, and I'm puzzled why it's such a terrible sound.

 

[eric65]

Hello everyone.

If you like theoretical articles about the Moondrop VENUS, and in particular the theoretical amplification requirements (in power, voltage and current) to obtain 102 dB SPL , depending on the sensitivity chosen for the Moondrop VENUS (of 18 Ohm impedance):
- "Standard" sensitivity (at 1 KHz) given by the manufacturer of 100 dB / 1 V rms.
- "Average sensitivity" of the headphones VENUS (measured between 100 Hz and 10 KHz) given by the RAA measurement site, which is significantly higher: 106.2 dB / 1 V rms .

If you'd also like to discuss the theoretical interest of so-called "nanometer-thick" membranes for planar headphones, often overlooked for is the component of conductive metal traces largely covering the planar driver contributing its own mass, far from negligible, as you will see later, to the total mass of the moving crew of a planar headphone.

Welle, you can follow these theoretical articles, at this link below, on the French discussion forum.
(NB: use Google translate for non-French speakers, I don't have the courage this time to do it here).

https://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post181296557.html#p181296557

 

[wmedrz]

I'm currently loving this late night combo on my nightstand while lounging in bed: Burson Conductor Ref 3 via Bluetooth from Sony a306 driving none other than Venus. Pure joy and comfort. The only thing that would make it better is more sleepytime chamomile tea

 

[eric65]

I'm currently loving this late night combo on my nightstand while lounging in bed: Burson Conductor Ref 3 via Bluetooth from Sony a306 driving none other than Venus. Pure joy and comfort. The only thing that would make it better is more sleepytime chamomile tea

Very nice !

Your headphone amplifier for the VENUS looks like a nice clock radio on its bedside table.

No doubt it will wake up your VENUS with its 2 x 7500 mW rms on 16 Ohm.

And put you to sleep, with plenty of (good) music in your head at bedtime.

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-...2m-bluetooth-32bit-768khz-dsd512-p-15326.html

EDIT: if one day I need to modernize my main (old) Hi-fi system and/or replace my AUDIOMAT high-end dac + drive system and my VIVA 2A3 tube amplifier (in case of a major breakdown), well, you've given me the idea of replacing the whole lot with this very nice BURSON AUDIO CONDUCTOR 3 REFERENCE dac amp that you've just introduced me to: the price isn't cheap, but it really does seem to perform very well with the VENUS, and what's more, it's a pleasure to look at.
In that eventuality I'll connect it to my high-end PANASONIC blu-ray player DP UB-9000 (which will also serve as a CD player for my many CDs) via an optical connection (Toslink).

and a review of the Burson amp in question by soundnews.

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/burson-conductor-3-reference-review-calm-like-a-bomb/

 

[wmedrz]

Very nice !

Your headphone amplifier for the VENUS looks like a nice clock radio on its bedside table.

No doubt it will wake up your VENUS with its 2 x 7500 mW rms on 16 Ohm.

And put you to sleep, with plenty of (good) music in your head at bedtime.

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-...2m-bluetooth-32bit-768khz-dsd512-p-15326.html

EDIT: if one day I need to modernize my main (old) Hi-fi system and/or replace my AUDIOMAT high-end dac + drive system and my VIVA 2A3 tube amplifier (in case of a major breakdown), well, you've given me the idea of replacing the whole lot with this very nice BURSON AUDIO CONDUCTOR 3 REFERENCE dac amp that you've just introduced me to: the price isn't cheap, but it really does seem to perform very well with the VENUS, and what's more, it's a pleasure to look at.
In that eventuality I'll connect it to my high-end PANASONIC blu-ray player DP UB-9000 (which will also serve as a CD player for my many CDs) via an optical connection (Toslink).

and a review of the Burson amp in question by soundnews.

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/burson-conductor-3-reference-review-calm-like-a-bomb/

The conductor 3 reference is definitely nice and can be found well under 1k on the second hand market these days. I bought it more for convenience sake to use via Bluetooth functionality when I traveled and needed to drive low sensitivity planars. It was paired with the the original Diana's. Unfortunately, I only used the pairing for about a year before Covid happened and they shut our business trips down. It was a convenient pairing before I replaced the Diana's, particularly at impressing non audiophile co-workers in hotel rooms. Now I use it here and there, sometimes as a pre sometimes in bed with Venus (that sounded sexual).

For reference, there are 100 volume steps on this amp and when using with the Venus, I'm between 6-10 on high gain, and 20-30 on low. It is indeed very powerful. It sounds nice but starting with the 9018, I've never been a big fan of these ESS chips. They sound very "digital" and make me want to throw a tube into the mix

Honestly I think the conductor would be a step down for those 2A3 tubes on your Egoista. I must admit when I joined the thread and saw your amp I was quite jealous! I think it would make a perfect pairing with my newly acquired Audio Technica ADX5000, and I'm sure it sounds spectacular with the Venus. I'm currently playing with tubes and using a iCan pro sig in class A tube mode with a 10Hz bass extension as a pre to a vintage Parasound HCA 2200ii driving the rather glary JBL L100 speakers. The tubes and warmth of the HCA2200ii tame the L100 treble while retaining the amazing details.

Hoping to get back more into tubes. It must have been 15 years since I had a proper tube amplifier.

 

[eric65]

The conductor 3 reference is definitely nice and can be found well under 1k on the second hand market these days. I bought it more for convenience sake to use via Bluetooth functionality when I traveled and needed to drive low sensitivity planars. It was paired with the the original Diana's. Unfortunately, I only used the pairing for about a year or two before Covid happened and they shut our business trips down. It was a convenient pairing before I replaced the Diana's, particularly at impressing non audiophile co-workers in hotel rooms. Now I use it here and there, sometimes as a pre sometimes in bed with Venus (that sounded sexual).

For reference, there are 100 volume steps on this amp and when using with the Venus, I'm between 6-10 on high gain, and 20-30 on low. It is indeed very powerful. It sounds nice but starting with the 9018, I've never been a big fan of these ESS chips. They sound very "digital" and make me want to throw a tube into the mix

Honestly I think the conductor would be a step down for those 2A3 tubes on your Egoista. I must admit when I joined the thread and saw your amp I was quite jealous! I think it would make a perfect pairing with my newly acquired Audio Technica ADX5000, and I'm sure it sounds spectacular with the Venus. I'm currently playing with tubes and using a iCan pro sig in class A tube mode with a 10Hz bass extension as a pre to a vintage Parasound HCA 2200ii driving the rather glary JBL L100 speakers. The tubes and warmth of the HCA2200ii tame the L100 treble while retaining the amazing details.

Hoping to get back more into tubes. It must have been 15 years since I had a proper tube amplifier.

Thank you for your frankness.

I would perhaps one day buy your BURSON Audio Conductor 3 Reference dac-amp, not for the amplification part (even more powerful than that of my Viva 2A3 amp on a load of 16 or 18 Ohm), but for its functionality as a dac with Bluetooth, because you will be surprised, my high-end AUDIOMAT Maestro Reference dac that I currently have, quite monstrous in terms of its price and its gigantic external power supply, is an old dac lacking modern capacity for steaming listening to a streaming platform for PC or Smartphone. No USB connector and even less audiophile Bluetooth function.
I only listen to audio CDs (with my Audiomat CD drive D1 Drive) and Blu-ray videos with my audio system (via my Panasonic Blu-ray player DP UB9000 connected to my AUDIOMAT Dac (sound format PCM) in optics (Toslink).

I would like to take in 2024 advantage of other sources of music by subscribing to a streaming channel, otherwise, you will tell me that I am not very modern!

The functionalities of your BURSON Conductor 3 Reference dac-amp, in addition to the mobility it provides (when traveling for hollidays or to change listening rooms), for listening through headphones with the VENUS, would also allow me to modernize my Hi-Fi system in passing to streaming.

But you are right, for the amplification part, it will be difficult to surpass my Viva 2A3 amplifier for amplification for the beauty of the timbres that it brings to the VENUS.
To be clear, this Viva Egoista 2A3 amp is overpriced, but I bought it a while ago, second hand, for "only" 4000 Euros.
I invite you to read this head-fi review of the Viva 2A3 amp compared with its big brother, the Viva Egoista 845 (even more expensive and significantly more powerful than the Viva 2A3, with its 2 x 15 Watt on 50 Ohm), and the conclusion given (quote below).

"The Egoista 845 lists for nearly $12,000 while the more affordable Egoista 2A3 lists for $7,500. But realistically, even those who are fortunate enough to be able to consider owning an Egoista will have to choose just one. If you insist to know that in the forest, there are tall sequoias, fragrant cedars, colorful maples and flowering dogwoods, then you should choose the 845 because it is a detail monster. If you instead prefer simply to enjoy the beauty of the forest, I suspect you will enjoy the 2A3 more"
Source: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/viva-egoista-amplifier.20334/

The author of this review found excellent synergy between the Viva 2A3 amp and the Hifiman HE-1000 headphone (*) with sumptuous mids (just as I also found with the VENUS).
(*) HE-1000 (V1) sensitivity : 87 dB / mW (101,5 dB / V rms) - 35 Ohm (source: https://overearmania.com/2019/06/12/hifiman-he-1000-v1/ ).
(For comparison, official sensitivity (at 1 KHz) of the Moondrop VENUS headphones: 83 dB / mW (100 dB / V rms) - 18 Ohm ; effective sensitivity measured between 100 Hz and 10 KHz of the Moondrop VENUS by the RAA measurement site: 88,7 dB / mW (106,2 dB / V rms) - 17,7 Ohm).

For streaming listening with the Burson Conductor 3 Reference Bluetooth dac-amp, well, I could use it (if I buy it for the reasons mentioned above) by connecting it via the DAC RCA output to my Viva 2A3 tube amp, to enjoy the best of three worlds: new musical horizons (via streaming), the sumptuous timbres of the Viva 2A3, powerful enough to drive the VENUS, and of course the VENUS which pairs so well with this Viva 2A3 tube amp , whose main fault (if purchased new) is its price which has become prohibitive. I will never buy this tube amp at the current new price.

I hope I was clear enough in my remarks.

 

[eric65]

Hello everyone.

A small demonstration to show you the limits of the FR measurements of a given headphones (here the VENUS) when they are established on two different measurement benches (for example two different artificial heads with different artificial ears), and this using the same headphones (the VENUS) with the same “neutral” target curve, for example that of Crinacle.

Well, you will see two things: one positive and the other less positive.

The positive thing is that the pairing of the two VENUS drivers (left and right channel) is excellent: FR divergence of approximately 1 dB between the two drivers (right and left) and this for two different VENUS headphones (measured each on its own measuring bench).

The less positive thing is that the FR of the VENUS in the treble and extreme treble, respectively above 5 KHz and above 10 KHz, is very different (despite the use of the same target curve of neutrality), from one measuring bench to another and from one artificial ear (or artificial measuring head) to another.

Which of these two VENUS FRs is correct for the treble (between 5 and 10 KHz) and the extreme treble (above 10 KHz)?

I do not know the answer.

On the other hand, the whole point of these FRs (and FR measuring benches carried out on these artificial heads) is the relative comparison of the FRs between two headphones measured on the same measuring bench, making it possible to analyze the differences in tone, to given frequencies or given registers (bass, low mid, medium, high mid, treble, extreme treble).

For example the relative FRs of the Moondrop VENUS compared to a leader (in price or quality, depending on your preference), the Hifiman Shangri-La Sr.

There are differences in tone between these two headphones measured on the same measuring bench.
(Note: I was also able to listen to these two headphones in good conditions, but not at the same time).

In short, the comments to make for the tonal differences between these two headphones are as follows:

- The Shangri-La Sr is brighter in the treble than the VENUS; it will be audible and you will like it or not.

- In addition, the Shangri-La Sr includes a serious frequency dip in the high-midrange at 2 KHz, of around - 7 dB, followed by a small level bump of around +3 dB in the low-treble (between 3 and 5 KHz), which must be heard well (for this rather brutal high-midrange - low-treble transition of around 10 dB) for listening to female voices and their higher harmonics, which we will say “typed”.
This transition from high-mid to low treble (+10 dB with the Shangri-La Sr) is much less marked with the VENUS (a few dB more, at most) ; you will hear it, and you will like it or not.

Have a good end of the day and soon a very happy New Year's Eve to everyone.

 

[psy472]

So I tried the Moondrop Para yesterday with some Amazon brand audio cable extenders and noticed there was some noise that wasn’t there before. I tried the same extension with my Grado rS2e and noticed the same noise. Does this mean cable materials make a big difference for these headphones? I just ordered the Tungsten DS along with the Mjolnir 3 Amp because the Para felt a bit lacking in stage and clarity.

Would the Para have sounded better with the ZMF grand palladium cables? Then I realized how ludicrous it was to get cables that cost more than the headphones, but I ended up ordering them anyway.

 

[wmedrz]

So I tried the Moondrop Para yesterday with some Amazon brand audio cable extenders and noticed there was some noise that wasn’t there before. I tried the same extension with my Grado rS2e and noticed the same noise. Does this mean cable materials make a big difference for these headphones? I just ordered the Tungsten DS along with the Mjolnir 3 Amp because the Para felt a bit lacking in stage and clarity.

Would the Para have sounded better with the ZMF grand palladium cables? Then I realized how ludicrous it was to get cables that cost more than the headphones, but I ended up ordering them anyway.

What are "cable extenders" and what do you mean by "noise"?

You heard an audible noise with the extender? or do you mean "noise" as in something sounded off? If the first, I think whatever you got off Amazon may have either been faulty or something to do with the impedance of the extender.

 

[psy472]

What are "cable extenders" and what do you mean by "noise"?

You heard an audible noise with the extender? or do you mean "noise" as in something sounded off? If the first, I think whatever you got off Amazon may have either been faulty or something to do with the impedance of the extender.

The extenders were causing noise and reduced clarity. It could have been faulty as you have said.

I also noticed some noise distortion if the para cables were close with other electrical wires but not on my Grado thick wires.

Once I figured the cables may have been the cause the thought stuck to my head. I ordered higher end cables from ZMF. I will be using it mainly on the Tungsten I just ordered but I can switch out the Para cables as well.

 

[eric65]

Hello everyone.

I don't know if René K (*) still listens to his Moondrop VENUS planar headphones, if he's put them away in a cupboard, or if he's sold them for half the price; but as far as I'm concerned, I'm keeping the VENUS planar headphones.

(*) https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/audi...ne-o100mm-100db-18-ohm-6hz-80khz-p-17088.html

If I ever sell it second-hand, I'll sell it (the VENUS) for half the price of a JPS Abyss 1266 Phi TC headphone, full version at 9,955 Euros TTC (in France), with the Superconductor cable supposed to improve/correct the tonality of the basic Abyss (giving it, according to the advert, "a better 'embodiment' of voices, a better-cut and cleaner bass, and a unique refinement + smoothness in the upper midrange / treble registers").
And yet, I'll lose out in the "bargain"; in the end, I'd rather keep it, for want of anything better.

Why compare the Moondrop VENUS (a 600-euro planar headphone) with the JPS Abyss 1266 Phi TC "full version" planar headphone, with its Superconductor cable, weighing down the price of the Abyss headphone to almost 10,000 euros (9,995 euros), i.e. 16.6 times the price of the VENUS!

So, is this comparison of these two planar headphones as silly as you might think, or does it have some relevance?

Well, you're about to find out.

First, the facts (and physical and electro-acoustic parameters).
First, the prices of the "full" versions of the two headphones (Abyss 1266 Phi TC + Superconductor cable vs. Moondrop VENUS) (9,995 Euros vs. 599 Euros incl. VAT).

Then the weights of the two headphones (without cables): 640 g (Abyss 1266 Phi) https://eu.abyss-headphones.com/pages/abyss-ab-1266-phi-reference-headphone
versus 564 g (my copy of the VENUS, with its improved suspension band, wedged to my large head, with reinforced attachment (doubled by a nylon strap), for the suspension band attachment point).

The effective sensitivity (and efficiency) of the two planar headphones, as measured by the RAA website, not at a single frequency (even if the reference frequency is the "standard" 1 KHz), but over a wide frequency range (from 100 Hz to 10 KHz), which is much more representative of the overall acoustic power delivered by the headphones to our ears (which, fortunately, listen to more than just 1 KHz):
Abyss 1266 Phi TC: effective sensitivity (100 Hz-10 KHz): 95.8 dB/V rms SPL; 83.1 dB/mW SPL; average impedance 53.9 Ohm.
(Source: https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/abyss-ab1266-phi-tc.php#gsc.tab=0)
Moondrop VENUS: effective sensitivity (100 Hz-10 KHz): 106.2 dB/V rms SPL; 88.7 dB/mW SPL; average impedance 17.7 Ohm.
(Source: https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/moondrop-venus.php#gsc.tab=0)

You'll notice that, in practice, the VENUS is far more sensitive than the Abyss 1266 Phi TC, both in terms of sensitivity expressed in dB/V rms (Nb: 10 dB better for the VENUS vs. the Abyss: you'll need to push the volume control knob much less far than with the Abyss, to obtain the same SPL level), and in terms of efficiency (in dB/mW SPL), nearly 6 dB better for the VENUS vs. the Abyss.
In practice, the VENUS will require almost 4 times less power than the Abyss, and will be able to make do with an amplifier 4 times less powerful than the Abyss, on the respective load of each headphone (54 Ohm and 18 Ohm).

The size of the planar drivers: 66 mm in diameter for the Abyss driver (as indicated by the name Abyss 1266) versus 100 mm in diameter for the Moondrop VENUS driver, more than doubling (x 2.30) the diaphragm area of the VENUS versus Abyss 1266, which is no mean feat, especially for good bass reproduction, and you'll soon see why.

The thickness of the Moondrop VENUS's planar diaphragm is known (2 um), as is the thickness of the VENUS's pure silver conductive traces (1 um), which cover almost 80% of the VENUS's driver surface and account for 75% of the mass of the moving assembly (mass of the metallic traces + mass of the diaphragm).
The thickness of the planar membrane of the JPS Abyss Phi TC is unknown, as are the thickness and nature of the metal traces covering the diaphragm.

The resolution of the JPS Abyss 1266 Phi TC planar headphone is regarded as one of the very best (for a planar technology headphone); Abyss 1266 headphone sometimes described, by JPS advertising, as one of the best headphones in the world (the best?).
And just as well, the resolution of the Moondrop VENUS planar headphones is also considered top-notch, as one of the very best by our friend René K. (for a planar technology headphone).
René K. doesn't hesitate to compare the resolution of the VENUS to that of excellent electrostatic headphones (such as the Stax SR-007 and 009, whose diaphragm thickness is of the same order as that of the VENUS (around 2 um)).

Let's start by comparing the FR of these two planar headphones (Abyss 1266 vs. VENUS), on the same measurement platform, to begin with RAA, with the pads of both headphones completely sealed, which is important for the reproduction of the SPL level of the bass at the lowest frequencies.

The FR (and sensitivity) curve, in addition to being higher (in sensitivity level), is also more regular, less uneven for the Moondrop VENUS, than that of the Abyss 1266 Phi TC, pads sealed.

What brings the VENUS and the Abyss 1266 Phi TC so close together is not their respective FRs, with sealed pads, but the bass response of these two planar headphones (66 mm and 100 mm in diameter respectively for the size of the drivers), with pads slightly unsealed (seal deliberately broken).
This is an intrinsic characteristic and quality shared by these two planar headphones (Abyss 1266 and VENUS), and is one of their strengths (compared to many other planar, electrodynamic or electrostatic technology headphones).

This particular feature (voluntary unsealing of the pads), exploited to the full by the JPS Abyss 1266, but which can also be used with the Moondrop VENUS, with a pad layout that you'll soon see in the photo (and in the RF curve, below) gives the following advantages:
- Increase in bass SPL (around 50 Hz) by around +4 dB, thereby boosting bass levels compared with sealed pads, and this without any noticeable change in midrange and treble FR, which is essential to avoid altering the timbres of these two planar headphones by unsealing the pads.
- Increased bass dynamics, as if "liberated" (unbridled), with a more impactful (percussive) bass character.
- A wider soundstage, with no change in tonality (timbre) in the midrange and treble, which is important to note. The sound is not in the head, but further forward and to the sides.

How do these two headphones, Abyss 1266 Phi TC and Moondrop VENUS, fit on your head, and how can you ensure (voluntary) breaking of the seal on the pads of these two headphones?

Nothing is better than these two photos (below).

To unseal the pads on the Abyss 1266, rotate them slightly back and forth to create a slight opening (slit) in the front of the pads. To do this, use the rotation axis (pivot) located on the top of the headset's rigid hoop to create the desired opening (and the breaking of the pads' seal on their front, to a greater or lesser extent).

And for the Moondrop VENUS: first of all, sorry I couldn't find as nice a model as I did for the Abyss!

You can see (or rather guess) the rather subtle, but real adjustment I made to my VENUS headphone.
Not the particularity of the headband adapted (modified) to my big head: improved suspension headband, wedged to my big head for the headband elastic (locked to my head position), with also a reinforced fastening (doubled by a nylon strap) for the (potentially fragile) attachment point of the suspension headband on the headphone frame.
Instead, look at the yellow arrows and the position of the pad sewing line (rotational), as well as the axes of the anterior-posterior pivot of two pads. The pads are slightly open at the front, leaving a 3 or 4 mm gap at the front of the pads (breaking the seal) at the level of the two spectacle temples.
This deliberate breaking of the seal on the front of the VENUS pads is essential to achieve the "Abyss like" effect desired with the VENUS, with the pads unsealed.

So, what does this deliberate (and intended) breaking of the seal on the pads of the Abyss 1266 and Moondrop VENUS, as shown in the photo above, actually achieve in practice?

The FR curves of these two headphones (Abyss 1266 Phi TC and Moondrop VENUSà, pads slightly unsealed, speak for themselves.

And what do we see for these curves?

As already mentioned, an increase in bass level at 50 Hz, for both headphones (Abyss and VENUS), of around +4 dB SPL, for slightly unsealed (versus sealed) pads, which will also translate into an increase in bass dynamics with greater impact force.
You'll notice (as already mentioned) that there's no change in the midrange and treble FR of either headphone, unsealed versus sealed pads, which is fundamental to the respect of the timbres of both headphones.
But the VENUS stands out from the Abyss 1266 Phi TC, probably because of its 2. 3 times larger diaphragm area, with better respect for bass depth and slightly unsealed pads: 30 Hz and 20 Hz with the VENUS are reproduced at 0 dB relative and -7 dB relative respectively (while 50 Hz is reproduced at +4 dB relative); with the Abyss 1266 Phi TC, 30 Hz is at -2 dB relative and 20 Hz at -10 dB relative, while 50 Hz is, like the VENUS, at +4 dB relative.
Here, the VENUS has a slight advantage in terms of bass depth, which is even more "abyssal" than that of the Abyss, with pads slightly unsealed!

In short, I'm still looking for reasons to prefer the JPS Abyss 1266 Phi TC planar headphone over the Moondrop VENUS: what does it really offer that the Moondrop Venus doesn't? Apart from that, let me recap:
- A price 16.6 x higher than the VENUS (taking the "full" versions of both headphones, with the Abyss 1266 including the Superconductor cable supposed to improve the Abyss' timbre and precision) (price incl. VAT of 9,950 euros vs. 599 euros).
- 80 g heavier (excluding cable) for Abyss 1266 vs. VENUS (640 g vs. 560 g).
- 2.3 x smaller driver diaphragm surface area on the Abyss vs. VENUS, which is important for bass depth, slightly less abyssal on the Abyss 1266 vs. VENUS, pads slightly unsealed.
- Effective sensitivity (measured between 100 Hz and 10 KHz), 10 dB SPL lower (in dB / V rms) and 6 dB SPL lower (in dB / mW) for the Abyss 1266 Phi TC vs. VENUS, which means, at the very least, that the VENUS (quite demanding in terms of current for amplification) will require amplification four times less powerful than the Abyss, on the respective load of each headphone (54 Ohm and 18 Ohm respectively).
- a less accurate timbre respect for the Abyss 1266 Phi TC versus the Moondrop VENUS, more just, true and natural for tone (voice and musical instruments).
The Abyss "full version" Superconductor cable, which is supposed to improve the timbre of the Abyss 1266, will not be enough on its own to compensate for the rather large difference between the midrange and treble FRs of the Abyss 1266 and the VENUS (nb: the FR differences are far too large to compensate for, despite all JPS's expertise in audio cable production).

What do these two headphones (JPS Abyss 1266 Phi TC and Moondrop VENUS) have in common?

High-quality construction (all CNC-machined metal and leather), with the result that both headphones are quite heavy.
An originality of design and operation (unsealing of pads) that's well worth the detour.

That's about it.

Thanks for reading.

PS: the audio CD that made me discover the real dynamics of the VENUS planar headphones on the Viva 2A3 amp (with the pads slightly unsealed, as exactly shown in the photo of my VENUS (on my head) above).

Dynamics of this MERCURY LIVING PRESENCE recording of Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (the finale), limited to 55 dB real (*) (Actual dynamics measured at this link (below), limited due to analog tape blast of this mythical recording).

Listening level of VENUS headphones with high dynamic range (realy 55 dB).
Note: dynamic range from a minimum SPL of approx. 45 dB (that of the analog tape background noise) to a maximum SPL (peak) of approx. 100 dB SPL (that of the fortissimo percussion of the timpani for the finale) using the VENUS headphones on the VIVA 2A3 amp.

(*) (explanatory source, in french: https://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post177805582.html#p177805582)
Original post: https://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post181301810.html#p181301810

 

[eric65]

Hello everyone.

Warning: don't listen to your favorite headphones at too high a level and/or with too powerful an amplifier: for example with your Moondrop VENUS or JPS Abyss 1266 headphones: it's dangerous both for your ears (SPL > 100 dB) and for your headphones (you could destroy them).

Take full advantage of the true dynamic range of your recording (55-60 dB?) by listening at a average SPL level that's not too loud (e.g. 72.5 dB SPL), in a quiet environment (35 to 45 dB) with maximum SPL (at peak) not exceeding 100-105 dB SPL.

Listening at a higher SPL level will do you no good; you won't get any more dynamic range, which is usually limited by the recording; it will be dangerous for your hearing; and in the event of an incorrect operation of the volume knob on your amplifier (e.g. a loudspeaker amplifier used with headphones) you'll destroy the headphones.

On the same subject, you can read, for French speakers (or via Google translate) this following post: https://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post181302426.html#p181302426

 

[eric65]

Hello everyone.

I've just discovered that the VENUS is the king (queen) of small bells, a real fairy magician!

I'm still completely amazed by the beauty of the small bells in the Avatar soundtrack, where the VENUS excels.

 

[farits]

I've just discovered that the VENUS is the king (queen) of small bells,

Indeed, in the third minute, this magic scared me, it sounds natural.
Here are some more beautiful magic bells. Vangelis Alpha. I have sensitive ears to high frequencies (bells), but here the recordings sound pleasant, strange magic perhaps.