[mulder01]

An iphone add-on for abyss?
Have you tried the ifi idsd micro?  Do you have a favourite portable option?

 

[musicbuff]

  Fair call - probably should use the term 'partner' rather than 'wife' - looks like you are in the same position though with your partner!  
 
Mine knows what I spent on all my stuff - we have our finances together, but have our own separate spending money to buy whatever we want with - most of our regular pay is spoken for, but we get a little bit each for spending and any overtime/ bonuses/ anything you get on top of your regular pay is your own too.  So she can't complain when I spend all of mine on headphones and I can't complain when she spends all of hers on clothes.  Works well for us - there is no lies and no arguing about who is "wasting" money... 

I don't disagree that honesty is the best policy and we do work together to pay the bills (always have).  But the kids are grown now and a bit of indulgence has been earned (on both sides).  His hobby is tinkering with cars, mine is music.  I'd say it's about even.  He's happy and I'm happy.   

 

[MaggotBrain]

I have been with Mrs. Maggotbrain (though, in the spirit of the macabre name it should the Bride of MaggotBrain like a horror movie title) for twenty three years. What I always do is budget twice the amount of whatever toy I want (and wait till my birthday or Christmas), and treat her with the other half. what is funny is that the time I budgeted for the Stax setup last year, I treated our family on a trip to Tokyo. Mrs, Maggot loves loves loves Disneyland- it is her favorite place to go (and of course, for those of us who delight in relaxing, soothing a sounds Disneyland has to be the first thing to come to mind) I have been on some Disney trip for the better part of twenty years, and sold her on Tokyo Disneyland. Tokyo Disneyland turns out to be her favorite Disneyland, because unlike other Disneylands everybody is polite and it it isn't as noisy and the food is actually good. Now comes the part where I am rubbing my hands together in glee, because anyone who has every been to Tokyo knows that has Disneyland but also the Disneyland of all things electronics - the Akihabara district. it was my mission to somehow, someway get to the e-earphone store. I get there and am hopelessly lost, as there are no addresses anywhere and I think the store is on the fourth of fifth floor of some office building. I had only a limited amount of time because my wife's high school buddy lived in Tokyo and we had reservations to see her and her family, so I was feverishly asking anybody in any shop I could find how there. I talk to a manga artist, then a to a electronic train salesman, then finally a guy selling swords directed me to store. I honestly thought I would find a better headphone I had at the time, Tried the Sennheiser 800 (like the White Stripes - no bass!), fostex th900 (whose garish laquer cups make our Abyss look fashionable by comparison), and the sounding pretty good (equivalent the ultrasound 8 at over twice the weight) but large-cranium-crushing Audeze headphones. Crestfallen, I check out the portable amps, which led to the Oppo Ha-2 (then Chord Hugo and then in a roundabout way to Abyss in the months to come). Anyway, this little policy led to one our favorite trips ever. I leaned in my chemistry classes that every reaction must have an equal and opposite reaction. So I figure if I balance treats for me with treats for her then all is good. Of course, I still get "how many headphones do you need, you only have one head" - which is tough to argue with, anatomically speaking. Which is why I eventually ended up with the Abyss, because like Mrs. MaggotBrain, you don't need anything better than perfect.

 

[musicbuff]

I leaned in my chemistry classes that every reaction must have an equal and opposite reaction. So I figure if I balance treats for me with treats for her then all is good. Of course, I still get "how many headphones do you need, you only have one head" - which is tough to argue with, anatomically speaking. Which is why I eventually ended up with the Abyss, because like Mrs. MaggotBrain, you don't need anything better than perfect.

I've heard that "one head" question, too  

.  Very good chemistry class philosophy!  Happy listening!

 

[aphex27]

 Of course, I still get "how many headphones do you need, you only have one head" - which is tough to argue with, anatomically speaking. 

There is an answer to the above that will work with every woman
"How many pairs of shoes do you need, you only have one pair of legs" 

 
 
Btw, love your stories MaggotBrain 

 

[musicbuff]

  There is an answer to the above that will work with every woman
"How many pairs of shoes do you need, you only have one pair of legs" 

 
 
 

What should be a music-loving woman's response when her man is asking the "one head" question?  

 

[MaggotBrain]

I would liken the listening experience to food. It's similar that it's a function wrapped up in good sensation if done right. A convenience store hot dog and 3 star Michelin meal will treat your body the same in terms of functional needs (provided the first stays down), but the latter is more enjoyable for most. You could theoretically get all your nutritional needs met with a soymilk formula, but what's the fun in that? It'll keep you alive, but it's not living. Sometimes you want something classic and refined like a French cuisine (think Stax SR009). Maybe sometimes you feel for something bolder and more flavorful like a hearty Italian meal (think Abyss). And maybe you're young, don't know any better and just want a baloney sandwich (think Beats).

 

[aphex27]

I don't agree with this analogy. The looks/perception/construction of the Abyss are not as refined as the SR-009s but the sound certainly is. Even more so. Somehow the Abyss makers took all the good parts of statics (refinement, quickness) and all the good parts of planars (deep textured bass, lusciousness) and combined them into one headphone. This sounds like a free lunch to me. A free lunch at elBulli.

 

[ufospls2]

Well, this is a stupid question, and I am the first to admit I know next to nothing regarding power, voltage, current, ohms etc...
 
When I receive my Abyss (powering it with the Auralic Taurus mk2) should I run it in standard mode? Or balanced, as the power output varies. 
 
Output Power (continuous in RMS)

​	STD Mode​	BAL Mode​
32ohm​	4500mW​	1200mW​
120ohm​	1200mW​	4500mW​
300ohm​	500mW​	2000mW​
600ohm​	250mW​	1000mW​

 
 
 
Thanks for the help and apologies for my ignorance. 

 

[mulder01]

You can use either - that's the maximum output power - the actual power going to the headphones depends on where you have the volume knob - more volume = more power.  
 
The Abyss should come with an adapter so you can use it in balanced or single ended mode.  Just try both and see if you think you can hear any difference.  Possibly not (theoretically there should be no difference), but you generally pay a premium for a headphone amp with balanced output, so if you have it, you may as well use it IMO.
 
In short, either is fine - have a play around.

 

[ufospls2]

  You can use either - that's the maximum output power - the actual power going to the headphones depends on where you have the volume knob - more volume = more power.  
 
The Abyss should come with an adapter so you can use it in balanced or single ended mode.  Just try both and see if you think you can hear any difference.  Possibly not (theoretically there should be no difference), but you generally pay a premium for a headphone amp with balanced output, so if you have it, you may as well use it IMO.
 
In short, either is fine - have a play around.

Thats what I figured. When in doubt, play around, haha. I can't wait for my payment to clear and the headphones to ship/arrive. If only my DAC would stop acting up I hope it doesn't die, I can't afford to replace it right now after the Abyss purchase. There is always something, isn't there!

 

[Beolab]

.

 

[ufospls2]

Use the XLR 4 pin Balanced output, because you getting half the power otherwise!

No question what will have the best power.

You got almost 8,5 watt @ 46 Ohms in Balanced mode vs 3,3 watt in SE non-Balanced mode.

Pretty huge difference!

How does it work out at almost 8.5 watts @46ohms in balanced mode? I thought the max it could do was 4.5 watts. Goes to show how little I understand this power stuff, haha. 

 

[Beolab]

How does it work out at almost 8.5 watts @46ohms in balanced mode? I thought the max it could do was 4.5 watts. Goes to show how little I understand this power stuff, haha. 

Im sorry , forget what i just wrote!

I read the table totally wrong, im tired, the clock is 02.44 in the night here.

But for som reason it deliver more power in single mode than i balanced mode, thats odd, but it could be that the amp is not balanced in the design, because the normal thing is double power in Balanced mode if the amp is a balanced build amp.

So i would try it out in balanced mode for starters and compare it to the SE, you will easy hear if its equal or if the Balanced are better.

Start working at 10.00 , have to jump in bed.

 

[mulder01]

The power rating you've quoted doesn't really seem to make much sense to me but obviously there is more to it than just ohm's law.

Doesn't really matter though if one output has the potential for double the power or whatever because you're probably not likely to listen to them any louder than about 1 watt anyway. I have a little portable amp that will put about .63w into them in balanced mode and about half that in single ended so I obviously use the balanced output on that because the single ended is just not loud enough. In your case you'll have enough power from either output. I can use either on my desktop amp too but use the balanced because I paid extra to have it