[DJJEZ]

I put a lot of energy into trying to compare the sound out of the TT2 directly with the sound while the XI AUDIO Formula S is in between, and in the end I didn’t find out much about the difference. Still, it’s all good news in the end.



It was immediately clear that the Formula S sounded differently but it was very hard for me to understand what exactly the differences were. These ridiculous scenarios repeated a few times:

• In a specific track I find the music/bass/voice/soundstage/whatever through the Formula S amazing. So I switch (15+ seconds), and listen to the same part again directly from the TT2. And the damn thing sounds at least as amazing! In other words: the quality I found remarkable is independent from the amplification used.
• I find something ugly using one device. I switch, and the issue is there on the other device too. So it’s an issue either with the recording or the rest of the system (and not the amplification parts).

In other words: I had a hard time understanding what differences I should focus on when using the TT2 directly versus using the additional amp. Either the differences are too subtle to notice after the 15+ second breaks, or my listening is too untrained, or my hearing is crap.

I asked my family to help. Unfortunately each of them only tested a single Billie Eilish song, but here it is:

• My wife liked the sound via the Formula S better, even though she didn’t want me to buy yet another black box for a lot of money (and I didn’t even mention the Powerman). However, I have to take into account that I forgot to make sure that the volumes match for her listening.
• After careful listening our 14 year old could not decide: “Both of them are pretty good”, was the judgement. Fair enough.
• Our 17 year old found both great but slightly preferred the sound directly from the front SE of the TT2 as it had slightly “more clarity”. I was really happy to hear that as this statement fully aligned with my perception.

So I spent additional hours, tried really hard and went through a lot of music. To some tracks listened over ten times to be sure (e.g., Lumerian by Soen). And still I could not understand what exactly the differences were. The sound of Formula S (connected via inakustik premium audio RCA interconnect cables) sounded slightly differently but could not say how exactly due to my untrained ears and the 15+ second long switches. And the TT2 had a little bit more “clarity” or “transparency” which was expected. It wasn’t a critical difference though that would drastically change the enjoyment of the music for me. In other words: both are great.

The bass situation was really puzzling to me as I saw some people complaining about the lack of bass on Abyss directly from the TT2. I worked very hard to reproduce this issue. Listened to a lot of bass-heavy music, including a lot of metal but in the end I failed: to my hearing the front SE jack from the TT2 was producing just as much wonderful bass as the Formula S. This is completely against my expectations and I cannot explain it. I don’t think my hearing would be so bad that I couldn’t judge this but I cannot exclude this possibility. Or is there a significant difference in my setup? I wish I could invite those who missed the bass on Abyss from the TT2 to a joint audition and find out together what’s going on.


In the end it’s a win-win situation:

• I’m positive that the Hugo TT2 is powerful enough to drive the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC headphones, even from the front SE jack. This result is against my expectations, and based on other’s reports I have worked really hard against it, but I have no other choice than trusting my experience. This is good news for me: I don’t have to add another component to my audio chain.
• On the other hand, the Formula S sounds like an excellent amp for the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC headphones, even without the Powerman. It would be a strong purchase candidate for me if I had a DAVE which reportedly doesn’t have the power to drive the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TCs directly.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Stick with the TT2 then. If you ever want to upgrade above a TT2 (as a dac) though you will have go the separate amp route

 

[MacedonianHero]

I'm also looking at the holo may KTE. Heard amazing things. Wondering how it compares to a DAVE

As much as I love the NOS appeal of the KTE DAC (and I owned it), they don't compare...the DAVE is a considerable step up, but then again, there's the price thing.

 

[jlbrach]

ah, there is always the price thing lol

 

[DJJEZ]

Thanks for the reply. Its not about money, I just want the better one lol It's really hard finding people who have heard or owned both PM

 

[littlej0e]

Thanks for the reply. Its not about money, I just want the better one lol It's really hard finding people who have heard or owned both PM

GoldenSound reviewed it and compared it directly with the Chord Dave + Mscaler right here on head-fi:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/an-...e-mscaler-qutest-and-holo-may-hqplayer.952934

It might not be quite as cut and dried as price.

 

[DJJEZ]

GoldenSound reviewed it and compared it with the Chord Dave + Mscaler right here on head-fi:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/an-...e-mscaler-qutest-and-holo-may-hqplayer.952934

It might not be quite as cut and dried as price.

I've seen the review. I'm just looking for others opinions as we all hear things differently. An example is Joshua valour on youtube wasnt impressed by the susvara yet others say its the finest headphone money can buy. Thanks for replying though. I'm just gonna have to hear both for myself lol

 

[JLoud]

I think Joshua Valour does a nice job on the quality of his reviews. Having said that, our tastes are not the same. I have found myself disagreeing with him on more than one occasion. But like all these reviews you have to see how their tastes align with yours.

 

[Orlok]

I think Joshua Valour does a nice job on the quality of his reviews. Having said that, our tastes are not the same. I have found myself disagreeing with him on more than one occasion. But like all these reviews you have to see how their tastes align with yours.

Yeah, his review productions have become quite slick. I don't think it's possible for one reviewer's tastes to be even 90% aligned with anyone else's. Everyone has their own tastes and preferences and hears things in a certain way. I'd say I can agree with Joshua's assessments around 70% of the time with headphones that I have tried so his words do have some weight to me but certainly not all. And then there are some reviewers whose tastes don't seem to align with mine at all so I just don't bother with their reviews. I will add that I agree with Joshua on the TC and LCD-4!

 

[simorag]

Thanks for the valuable insights that you've gathered during this two-year path of finding your ideal amp partner for the TC. Being that I'm at a little over two weeks, I know I have a long way to go although I'm quite happy with what I have now as I start on my own path. It's also encouraging to know that you are also dealing with financial constraints. All this time, I thought you were one of those guys with a virtually unlimited budget! Haha.

Based on your reviews and comments, it seems you lean a bit towards the warm and lush side of the tonal spectrum while maintaining the the highest resolution possible. I think I lean a little more towards the analytical, bright and cool side and I've always been like that with guitar tones as well - more emphasis in the high-mids and treble but still smooth, silky and sweet in the very high registers. It's why I much preferred the HD800S over the LCD-3 that I've owned in the past and part of it is that I listen to a lot of classical orchestral music and I'm very critical about how an orchestra's string section sounds - ditto for chamber music. I guess I'm going more for a cool lushness over warm lushness. It's why I also absolutely love the SR1a for classical and acoustic music listening.

I like the idea of trying and using different speaker amps with the TC in the future. The same goes for the SR1a and, someday, the Susvara. For now and the foreseeable future, I'm totally focused on optimizing what I have - within budget, of course - to get the most out of the TC. From your experience, which speaker amps had more of an analytical and cool tonal signature without being sterile, thin, harsh, etc. that can typically mar amps of that nature? Of course, I want body in the mids and firm and defined lows as well but my general preference is for something on the bright/cool side over dark/warm.

I listen to mostly acoustic music (mainly classical with some jazz, in both cases with and without vocals involved), so I tend to prefer gear that brings me as close as possible to what my ears and mind recognize as the 'real' or 'natural' experience.
The AB-1266 TC - within the limitations of headphones - are extremely good at rendering that 'live' effect especially when it comes to spatial cues and physical feedback. However, as long as tonality is concerned, they are not the last word IMO, as they lack that last hint of organic feeling on the midrange that I get from my embedded memory of the real fleshy or wooden thing.

As the DAVE itself shares some of the characteristics above, that's why my amp quest brought me towards lusher / richer sounding equipment.

The AIC-10 was, in my system, restoring my perceived feeling of neutrality - where neutrality is put in the best possible sense, i.e. what I feel is closest to natural.
I managed to get a very good tonality match with other very technical headphones like the Susvara, the SR1a, the Utopia, the Mysphere, the HD800S out of the Riviera, typically by switching to a tailored ECC82 tube.

This versatility has its limitations though, as I did not get a convincing outcome with the LCD-4, or with the Empyrean which I am trying out these days.

This is just to restate the obvious, i.e. that synergy is the most important thing as 'perfect' or 'universal' pieces of gear are yet to be built.

Among those I have extensively tested with the Abyss, the best amps for an analytical, clean, open, detailed yet still smooth and ballsy / well rooted sound are the NAGRA Classic AMP and the Viva Solista (which is very far from the tube amp stereotype, by the way). The NAGRA was also a good match for the SR1a.

To more accessible budget, the Moon 600i is another very good option, and V1 items can be found in the 3kUSD ballpark which makes it a price vs. performance killer of most solid state headphone amps to pair with a low efficiency planar, and - again - another fair companion for the SR1a as well.

 

[mammal]

So just spoke to my local dealer and apparently Abyss guys are so busy that the next shipment to my dealer will be mid-May can someone quickly confirm that all of this wait will be worth it in the long run? I am desperate!

 

[SuperBurrito]

So just spoke to my local dealer and apparently Abyss guys are so busy that the next shipment to my dealer will be mid-May can someone quickly confirm that all of this wait will be worth it in the long run? I am desperate!

Mine took 11 weeks...it was worth it for sure!

 

[Gadget67]

So just spoke to my local dealer and apparently Abyss guys are so busy that the next shipment to my dealer will be mid-May can someone quickly confirm that all of this wait will be worth it in the long run? I am desperate!

I am almost six weeks in from my order and my dealer says they are still filling some orders from January! He was told it will be three-four more weeks for mine.

 

[DJJEZ]

So just spoke to my local dealer and apparently Abyss guys are so busy that the next shipment to my dealer will be mid-May can someone quickly confirm that all of this wait will be worth it in the long run? I am desperate!

I was told the same in the UK and I'm nearly 5 weeks in

 

[paradoxper]

So just spoke to my local dealer and apparently Abyss guys are so busy that the next shipment to my dealer will be mid-May can someone quickly confirm that all of this wait will be worth it in the long run? I am desperate!

Can't be any worse than the silicone shortage world-wide.

 

[mammal]

Can't be any worse than the silicone shortage world-wide.

Yeah, my wife was upset she couldn't get those implants.