[TheMiddleSky]

OK so I've been running the 1266s off my SU-9 -> A90 combo and I'm not getting any weird midrange wackiness i was getting with the TToby. Just nice and smooth. Was getting pretty nervous there for a bit. Going to get a FS+PM and work from there.

The Topping A90 is ridiculous for the price. I mean sure I'm almost certainly not getting everything out of the 1266 with it, but I'm getting a LOT out of it.

Personally, for XIAudio stacks, Sagra is the one that "shape" the organic midrange on AB1266. Formula S + Powerman is kind of neutral and transparent set of signal amplifier.

Your choice of path may produce nice result, but at the other perspective, could be Sagra + TToby are what you need.

Agree that A90 hold freaking high value.

 

[lamsta]

Not to answer for @DJJEZ , but here are my thoughts:

I have the dual 3 pin XLR and had the Formula S and now Wa33, but listened to the 4 pin xlr and if there is a difference - I can’t here it. Also, if you want to connect to an amp without dual 3 pin - you have to use an adapter which (sort of ) defeats the purpose of having the best connection possible. Last, I imagine the 4 pin has higher resale value.

I think the dual 3 pin is a marginally nicer cable because you get two of those beautiful furutech XLRs instead of one - eliminate the possibility of cable crosstalk - but practically, I think the 4 pin cable makes a lot more sense - and you're not giving up anything from a sound quality perspective.

Thanks Drewligarchy, really appreciate your reply.

Most of the pictures I see of the Abyss and Formula S amp, I see them being paired using the dual 3 pin XLR. Which leads me to believe that the dual 3 pin is the better of the two options.

But, what makes it somewhat more confusing is that the Abyss video states that the XIAudio (Eleven Audio) is single ended internally. So do you think there is a benefit to using the dual 3 pin XLR over the single 4pin on the Abyss?

FYI - I own the XIAudio stack along with the Abyss 1266 Phi TC

Thanks in advance.

 

[Drewligarchy]

Thanks Drewligarchy, really appreciate your reply.

Most of the pictures I see of the Abyss and Formula S amp, I see them being paired using the dual 3 pin XLR. Which leads me to believe that the dual 3 pin is the better of the two options.

But, what makes it somewhat more confusing is that the Abyss video states that the XIAudio (Eleven Audio) is single ended internally. So do you think there is a benefit to using the dual 3 pin XLR over the single 4pin on the Abyss?

FYI - I own the XIAudio stack along with the Abyss 1266 Phi TC

Thanks in advance.

Formula S is a single ended amp - so the balanced outputs, both the 4 pin XLR and dual 3 pin are there strictly for convenience. That said, theoretically, there is some benefit to separating left and right channels with the dual 3 pin, not because they are balanced (they're not), but you are eliminating any possibility of crosstalk. And, it looks cooler. That said, I can't hear a difference - and I doubt most could.

 

[WafflesID]

Formula S is a single ended amp - so the balanced outputs, both the 4 pin XLR and dual 3 pin are there strictly for convenience. That said, theoretically, there is some benefit to separating left and right channels with the dual 3 pin, not because they are balanced (they're not), but you are eliminating any possibility of crosstalk. And, it looks cooler. That said, I can't hear a difference - and I doubt most could.

Someone else briefly mentioned this, but does this fully single ended design make a fully discrete DAC like the Holo audio may less useful? Will there still be a benefit of the may over the spring 3 on the fs+pm?

 

[WafflesID]

Personally, for XIAudio stacks, Sagra is the one that "shape" the organic midrange on AB1266. Formula S + Powerman is kind of neutral and transparent set of signal amplifier.

Your choice of path may produce nice result, but at the other perspective, could be Sagra + TToby are what you need.

Agree that A90 hold freaking high value.

Having a hard time considering the Sagra over a Spring 3 or even the May for a little bit more.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Someone else briefly mentioned this, but does this fully single ended design make a fully discrete DAC like the Holo audio may less useful? Will there still be a benefit of the may over the spring 3 on the fs+pm?

The answer is supposed to be YES.

My last "experiment" was test Topping D30Pro (Balance DAC) into A30Pro (Single ended Amp) using XLR and RCA, to see if the difference is there.

People may argue about sound quality, but none of them can argue about the real voltage advantage from XLR. The differences in loudness is significant (XLR out from balance DAC push twice more voltage). If XLR does send more voltage, it's suppose to deliver better crosstalk as well (affect soundstage and separation).

Edit: I assume your question is regarding balance dac feed the single ended amp

Having a hard time considering the Sagra over a Spring 3 or even the May for a little bit more.

Nah, I never heard them, but I bet they also great products.

 

[ken6217]

The SC cable made the biggest difference of any cable I have ever tried, whether headphone, interconnect, or otherwise. It is expensive. But, it does make a significant improvement. Do I wish it was less expensive? Yes - it definitely is a lot for a cable. But if you have an Abyss centric system, I think you are going to eventually get it, because of how good it is. Others may disagree - but I had it on trial twice with the Cable Company before I got it. I will say the strength of it's effects are amp dependent. It had more of an impact on my Formula S than on my Wa33. But that is either because the Formula S is single ended, or they built it to somehow be more affected by the SC cable. I like it better on my Wa33 - because on the Formula S it was almost like too much of a good thing in my setup (though I still prefer it to the stock cable on the formula s). But this is strictly IMO, and DACs and other components are going to predicate how well it synergizes with your system.

I bought my TC with the super conductor cable, I had never heard any other headphone cable with it. This week I was able to listen to the stock cable as well as the Norne Silvergarde cable, and the super conductor cable is vastly better sounding.

 

[DJJEZ]

Hi there,

Was there a specific reason why you didn’t opt for the dual 3pin XLR and chose the 4pin XLR instead?

Thanks in advance.

so i could use the cable with mulitple amps otherwise i would be limited to dual 3 pin XLR amps.

 

[Drewligarchy]

Someone else briefly mentioned this, but does this fully single ended design make a fully discrete DAC like the Holo audio may less useful? Will there still be a benefit of the may over the spring 3 on the fs+pm?

It’s not because the DAC is discrete, but a balanced dac works better with a balanced amp, and a single ended dac works better with a single ended amp. At least theoretically and for different reasons. I haven’t experienced dramatic differences - but as in most cases it depends on the gear.

For a single ended example - take the Chord Dave. Better to connect via RCA to single ended amp, because the signal has to go through an additional gain stage in the dac to convert it to balanced. That said, I happily use it via XLR to my Woo Wa33, because the amp is fully balanced, push-pull, and it sounds great.

Balanced may yield better results regarding SNR, but with most digital gear it’s so low - it shouldn’t be audible. Balanced connections prevent noise from long cable runs. However the voltage a signal ended dac puts out should be plenty to maintain an excellent SNR.

 

[WafflesID]

WELL, so I guess burn-in (mental and otherwise) is absolutely confirmed.
The TC on the TToby was damn near unlistenable, but today I hooked it back up and everything sounds absolutely amazing. I do have the ttoby plugged directly into the wall now, instead of a powerstrip with everything else. I may try some comparisons later, but right now I just wanna enjoy

 

[ken6217]

WELL, so I guess burn-in (mental and otherwise) is absolutely confirmed.
The TC on the TToby was damn near unlistenable, but today I hooked it back up and everything sounds absolutely amazing. I do have the ttoby plugged directly into the wall now, instead of a powerstrip with everything else. I may try some comparisons later, but right now I just wanna enjoy

As they say in the movie, the number one rule of Break-In Club, is we don’t talk about Break-In.

 

[WafflesID]

Gonna have to give this a try on my Fiio M15 again, take this show on the road

 

[cangle]

Hi there,

Was there a specific reason why you didn’t opt for the dual 3pin XLR and chose the 4pin XLR instead?

Thanks in advance.

I asked Abyss about the dual 3pin vs 4pin for the SC cable and they said: "The Superconductor cable could care less about dual 3 pin or 4 pin XLR when it comes to sound quality. Most opt for the 4 pin since it’s so universal, negates the need for a Y adaptor."

I have a Norne Drausk currently but will likely pick up the SC cable once the funds are available.

 

[Bonddam]

I just want to put it out there I solved the bass from moving to different sides by making the correct fitment. The problem was too much vibration from the bass. The headphone now sits with the pads having equal gap even though technically the leather touches my skin it's basically a weak seal so if it was a water pipe it would be spraying out. I placed the seam on the front of the pad at first screw on the outside of the cups. also slight bend out nothing huge. So if I look down they will fall off if my ears where not there. Best part it sounds like what has been described.

 

[Bonddam]

I asked Abyss about the dual 3pin vs 4pin for the SC cable and they said: "The Superconductor cable could care less about dual 3 pin or 4 pin XLR when it comes to sound quality. Most opt for the 4 pin since it’s so universal, negates the need for a Y adaptor."

I have a Norne Drausk currently but will likely pick up the SC cable once the funds are available.

basically the importance comes down to the fact the Super Conductor is 16 gauge wire. Might be overkill but is true when amount of wattage needed to power the headphone. I remember I tested a 4 gauge power cable from my car battery and saw my system was suffocating and when I switch back to 0 gauge the system was in perfect health. Now if you don't like the sound of copper with aluminum then silver, copper or mix is the next choice. For me I don't pick up difference in cables but having SC is more statement rather then quality. My mind tells me it's better being made for the 1266. I did hear the power difference with the SC cable which improved the sound as a whole. I know it's not logical to by on that merit but more is better. This is true when I tell my customers they don't need a gig of speed because they will never use it but you are told from a kid more money is better more of everything was engraved into our minds. Scientist will say that is bad way of looking at life but you can't teach an old dog new tricks as they say.