[fire2368]

Dang, right when I was sold on the idea of the mha being an all purpose, all endgame amp.... I was going to use it for my hek, hd800, and for my speakers too. What do you guys think is a better all around amp for my phones?

 
Schiit Ragnarok is my all around box. All my other phones and speaker are wired up to it at the moment. My abyss is wired to the INT-30a.

 

[SpherE22]

Schiit Ragnarok is my all around box. All my other phones and speaker are wired up to it at the moment. My abyss is wired to the INT-30a.

Been searching for the rag for months now. Its extremely hard to get one considering the waiting list and where i live. Is it THAT good as everyone says? My only concern now is that some reviews pointed out that the rag&yggy combo sucks with my HEK. Planning to buy an abyss someday, won't it overwhelm the overall bass presentation? And also, does it pair well with speaker amps like the he-6?

 

[fire2368]

Been searching for the rag for months now. Its extremely hard to get one considering the waiting list and where i live. Is it THAT good as everyone says? My only concern now is that some reviews pointed out that the rag&yggy combo sucks with my HEK. Planning to buy an abyss someday, won't it overwhelm the overall bass presentation? And also, does it pair well with speaker amps like the he-6?

I can't say about the yggy, but the Rag is a really good amp and even better considering its price/performance ratio. I think the bass of the rag is bold and big and it doesn't overpower the abyss at all. If it does, its the abyss just move your cups and tighten the headband; problem solved.

 

[yates7592]

 
I can't say about the yggy, but the Rag is a really good amp and even better considering its price/performance ratio. I think the bass of the rag is bold and big and it doesn't overpower the abyss at all. If it does, its the abyss just move your cups and tighten the headband; problem solved.

 
Yep, I did that exact same thing last night. I leave the cups bent down and in to give a full seal on my ears (don't like to bend that frame too often) and just tighten/loosen the headband in or out according to the music. These cans are so versatile, you can change the sound in any number of ways. Looking down from the top, bending the headband back about the axis of the screw/pivot increases the soundstage width, I also found out by trial last night.

 

[SpherE22]

Thanks for the response guys, i really appreciate it. What i meant about my last question was if i can use something like this http://www.hifiman.com/Products/?pid=104 with an abyss, or any balanced phones for that matter, maybe that will change the situation with the MHA-100?

 

[negura]

Thanks for the response guys, i really appreciate it. What i meant about my last question was if i can use something like this http://www.hifiman.com/Products/?pid=104 with an abyss, or any balanced phones for that matter, maybe that will change the situation with the MHA-100?

 
Yes, it should work.
 
That said you might be better off connecting directly to speaker taps. But you'll need a female XLR adapter with loose wires at the other end to connect to the speaker taps. The HFM box is yet another thing in the path, which usually isn't a good for SQ, unless it's absolutely needed.

 

[preproman]

Thanks for the response guys, i really appreciate it. What i meant about my last question was if i can use something like this http://www.hifiman.com/Products/?pid=104 with an abyss, or any balanced phones for that matter, maybe that will change the situation with the MHA-100?

 
You can use a cable like this, with (4) spades or bananas on one end and a 4 pin female XLR on the other end.
 

 

[yates7592]

@ isquirrel:

I read on the HE1K thread you had received your Silver Spore cables. Did you get chance to try them on Abyss yet and any impressions?

 

[SpherE22]

Going a bit off topic but, which is better? Bananas or raw wire?

 

[fire2368]

Bare wire technically is better as its the path of less resistance, but bananas is just more convenient, plug and play and ready to go. I doubt you'll hear a difference. YMMV.

 

[Yoga]

A couple of updates...
 
1) HEK are being returned. While their treble is better than the Abyss, they lack the dynamic power, punch and soundscape of the Abyss. Although to be fair, *any* other headphone sounds lacking to me now. The speaker-esque presentation is perfect for my tastes.
 
2) May be ordering the new Eddie Current Studio amp. Craig used the Abyss to develop the amp, and apparently it's stellar. 2A3 based but with top spec premium parts throughout, hence more transparent and dynamic. (Edit: actually, this depends on import duty, could end up paying way over value.)
 
@SpherE22 : I've auditioned the Ragnarok (with Hugo) and preferred the Moon 430 by a considerable margin. It's an incredible machine, and with the onboard dac, it's amazing for both day to day desktop use and extended listening sessions. Musical/coherent while retaining dynamic range and resolution. Quite a few people on this forum own one and have tested many other top SS amps. Powers the Abyss comfortably.

 

[matthewhypolite]

  A couple of updates...
 
1) HEK are being returned. While their treble is better than the Abyss, they lack the dynamic power, punch and soundscape of the Abyss. Although to be fair, *any* other headphones sounds lacking to me now. The speaker-esque presentation is perfect for my tastes.
 
2) Will be ordering the new Eddie Current Studio amp. Craig used the Abyss to develop the amp, and apparently it's stellar. 2A3 based but with top spec premium parts throughout, hence more transparent and dynamic.
 
@SpherE22 : I've auditioned the Ragnarok (with Hugo) and preferred the Moon 430 by a considerable margin. It's an incredible machine, and with the onboard dac, it's amazing for both day to day desktop use and serious extended listening sessions. Musical/coherent while retaining dynamic range and resolution. Quite a few people on this forum own one and have tested many other top SS amps. Powers the Abyss comfortably.

Hey, have you ever tried the LAu with the Abyss, i'm seeing a lot of people recommending the Moon for planers, specifically the Abyss. Also read the LAu is a great combo also.​

 

[Yoga]

 
Hey, have you ever tried the LAu with the Abyss, i'm seeing a lot of people recommending the Moon for planers, specifically the Abyss. Also read the LAu is a great combo also.​

Unfortunately not, the LAu was previously at the top of my list. Until I auditioned the 430, of course. Other ears I trust have mentioned that the Moon is more analogue sounding, the LAu more transparent, so it depends on your tastes.
 
The Abyss is a very transparent headphone, give it a clinical source and it'll sound clinical. Feed it something 'musical' (analogue/coherent) and it will portray that. I prefer the latter :¬)

 

[fire2368]

Hey, have you ever tried the LAu with the Abyss, i'm seeing a lot of people recommending the Moon for planers, specifically the Abyss. Also read the LAu is a great combo also.​

For the amount of money the Lau is being sold for, I personally think there are better options out there... my 0.02

 

[matthewhypolite]

Cool,
 
Well the LAu used to be $6500, now its $4000, I paid $3500 for my dark start, so 4k for the LAu wasn't that bad.
Preordered my LAu since Feb though, only started hearing rumblings about the moon later on.