[Torq]

  Abyss is staying, LCD-4 is going.

 
 

  Slowly trying to get the correct fit.

 
 

That is one fast decision

They must have made a real impression to make a decision that quickly and while still playing with the fit!
 
One of the nice things with how adjustable they are is the you can change the way they fit to better suit your preferences for different styles of music.  Something as simple as having an open seal when you want a weightier presentation, a fully closed seal when you want something a little less energetic or a very light/partial seal when you want something in between.  And that's just playing with the seal ... canting the frame lets you change the way the soundstage is presented as well, which is a very nice feature.

 

[Thenewguy007]

T-minus 15 hours until use.

Time for bed to make my five hour car journey home. Spent the 4th on Flathead Lake.

 
You don't feel the mids are a bit recessed?

 

[tassardar]

You don't feel the mids are a bit recessed?

Actually they are a little recessed but it also depends on your fitting I feel. If you get a light but full seal, you will reduce the bass just a little which makes the mids more even

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I appreciate why people feel that the Abyss have recessed mids, but I feel it is a bit like saying the HD800's have muted bass.
 
Yes, they can, and in most cases, they do.  But, in the right setup, they don't.
 
At least, IMHO/experience.

 

[mulder01]

ha that was fast... IMO the difference is immediately obvious though.

 

[draytonklammer]

ha that was fast... IMO the difference is immediately obvious though.

They are for sure different beasts, but the LCD-4 is more like a bear whereas the Abyss is a dragon.
 
My current fit feels pretty good, but I will probably have to continue messing around with it.

 

[tassardar]

  They are for sure different beasts, but the LCD-4 is more like a bear whereas the Abyss is a dragon.
 
My current fit feels pretty good, but I will probably have to continue messing around with it.

I will say is if you have a preference to more exciting sound, with more impact and beat to the music, the abyss does a great job and still sound like a TOTL.
 
Fit is Abyss best and worst thing. Its hard to try on, hard to understand, hard to adjust, uncomfortable at start and compromises sound. Once well done, its comfortable, easy to take on and put down, holds its adjustment, insensitive to positioning, sounds like the best thing ever haha.

 

[Yoga]

   
You don't feel the mids are a bit recessed?

Fit is important. It's a shame so many people tried on the Abyss at shows and whatnot and left feeling underwhelmed. In some of the photos, the Abyss were *clamped* to their heads.
 
The amp makes a difference to the mids. The Moon 600i transforms them. It's really quite magical.

 

[matthewhypolite]

  They are for sure different beasts, but the LCD-4 is more like a bear whereas the Abyss is a dragon.
 

 
Awesome analogy dude, rofl!
 
Glad you like them.
I'll echo everyone's sentiments when i say, Fit is highly important with the abyss, im also surprised you made your decision to ditch the lcd4 that fast. too me a good month of abyss tinkering to get the perfect fit.
That fit came with a small modification for me. See pictures below of the mod. The height of the abyss just wasnt right for my head, and with the lack of vertical adjustment, it was really hard to get right. With this small mod using some wirestraps. I was able to dial in the perfect height, and the headphones just opened up to amazing levels once i discovered this fit. i also have the cans slightly angled towards the front, so a small 25 degree angle or so in the hinge at the top. I've burnt this fit setup into my memory in-case the abyss is ever tinkered with by my friends
 

 

 

 
 
Having said that about my mod, i've heard the new short headband is also a solution for my particular problem, and i should be collecting one today to test. So i'll see how that does.
 
Also, the area where the cable connects to the abyss is what i use to determine the front of the headphone, as it angles the cable slightly towards the front. You don't want the cables angled towards your body. 
 
When comes to audio, ive post many opinions about the Abyss on this thread in the past, but again, there's nothing like an abyss. All the flagship headphones have defining characteristics, but i think you've said it right, the abyss is at the top of the food chain from what i've heard, an unapologetic dragon. But there are times when i prefer something softer (certain genres of music, some games, studying, etc, you cant study whiles wearing an abyss. not gonna happen lol. HP are too engaging.) and that's when i put on the HEK. I'm glad i kept both.
 
Onto my music test recommendations for the abyss: (yes i know this is one long post, i just got caught up on the last 15 pages of this thread )
 
Bass and Range:
http://www.hdtracks.com/bad
All the songs shine with abyss, but in particular, 

Speed Demon and Dirty Diana​

 
Violins:
http://www.hdtracks.com/the-four-seasons-the-vivaldi-album
 
Violins, Range:
https://www.amazon.com/Melodies-Hyrule-Music-Legend-Zelda/dp/B00I9LFZP2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1467813292&sr=8-5&keywords=taylor+davis
 
Bass: (the abyss kicked my butt listening to these 2 below albums. truly amazed at the bass performance every time)
http://www.qobuz.com/ie-en/album/ptx-vol-1-pentatonix/0886444622165
http://www.qobuz.com/ie-en/album/ptx-vol-2-pentatonix/0886444622547
 
 
That's it
Enjoy your abyss, and be warned, there's a scary amount of performance left to extract when you find the perfect fit.

 

[draytonklammer]

  I will say is if you have a preference to more exciting sound, with more impact and beat to the music, the abyss does a great job and still sound like a TOTL.
 
Fit is Abyss best and worst thing. Its hard to try on, hard to understand, hard to adjust, uncomfortable at start and compromises sound. Once well done, its comfortable, easy to take on and put down, holds its adjustment, insensitive to positioning, sounds like the best thing ever haha.

Completely agree. I've tried so many fits and I still think there's room for improvement.

 

[draytonklammer]

  -SNIP-

Do you mind posting closer pictures regarding the vertical mod?
 
The Abyss for me seems like it could use a slight vertical adjustment as there's always a bit of extra pressure above my ear (it also seems to hang very slightly on the top of my ear) and the bottom seems to generally be open unless I move the cushions to a different position.

 

[ufospls2]

After spending a week solely listening to the LCD-4 I had a session with my Abyss and desktop set up last night. It still makes me happy every time I listen to it. If you can get a high quality version of the song below, its sure to give your Abyss a workout
.  

 

[matthewhypolite]

  Do you mind posting closer pictures regarding the vertical mod?
 
The Abyss for me seems like it could use a slight vertical adjustment as there's always a bit of extra pressure above my ear (it also seems to hang very slightly on the top of my ear) and the bottom seems to generally be open unless I move the cushions to a different position.

This is exactly what happened to me. Always rubbed on the top of my ear. For a 30 minute session its ok, once i listen longer than that, it becomes very irritating.
 
I'll take some close up detailed pictures of the mod later tonight and post them. I'll also give some feedback and picture comparison with short headband vs long.

 

[mulder01]

This is the original headband mod posted ages ago which is a bit more professional looking -
 

 
 
So I gave it a try with a quick cable tie job -
 

 
Which I have since replaced with velcro so I can adjust it if someone else wants to have a listen

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I've done something similar by removing the top middle of the three screws on the inside band just above the driver plate.  I cut down some of the plastic 'livestrong' type bracelets to make one loop on each side.