[Sonic77]

Do you by chance have any Abyss vs Abyss Phi info?

Sorry no.

 

[rgs9200m]

Do the ripped SACDs sound as good as the discs? Thanks.

 

[jlbrach]

phi sounds fantastic with my dave...

 

[mulder01]

I don't want to lose any bass, I want a bit more mid range, and I want less spiky treble. Those are my only issues with the Abyss

Isn't that the sort of thing you can change with the amp? If the claim that "the new abyss is more true to the source than the old abyss" is true, every element of the sound will simply become more pronounced than before and perhaps you will get both more of what you do like, and more of what you don't...

Maybe the impressions we are hearing are people simply hearing a sound truer to their source equipment, rather than sonic characteristics of the new headphone itself...

Like you say though - it would be much easier to decide if we could just have the two side by side.

 

[mulder01]

guess that confirms what I've suspected for some time - that i'm not a "serious headphone audiophile"

ha yeah me too... even though I own a $5k headphone I am happy to run it from a DAP. I can just sense the heads shaking with disapproval

 

[isquirrel]

Do you by chance have any Abyss vs Abyss Phi info?

I will send you some on a PM

 

[ufospls2]

Well folks, I have started listening to my Abyss again over my Utopia.
I put it away for so long I forgot how different and just plain amazing this headphone is.

I'm considering selling my Utopia to fund the Phi upgrade and maybe a superconductor cable...

Just wish there was a way to try the Phi, or more impressions versus the original.
I don't want to lose any bass, I want a bit more mid range, and I want less spiky treble. Those are my only issues with the Abyss, which might have been part of the reason I was driven towards the Utopia. That and it's lighter, not more comfortable though. I still prefer my Abyss in terms of comfort.

Sounds like you want the Phi mate. Read my impressions from a few pages back, that is pretty much exactly what I heard.


What ended up happening with your driver problem?

 

[Beolab]

So what were the big trade offs? Is the treble softer, but still has the incisive edge, does the soundstage seem the same, are the mids more upfront? Is bass less in mid bass or less in subbass or both?

The sub bass extension got a slight dip with ~3 db @ ~15-30hz vs the old Abyss, so it sounds a slight less impactfull if you dont add a slight EQ boost in that area. Then it sounds even with the old abyss, but with greater control and much more true to the source!

 

[isquirrel]

I keep getting asked this, "Does the Abyss Phi have the same amount of bass as the old Abyss".

The old Abyss had a U shaped sound which put naturally more emphasis on the bass as there was less mid range, now we have a decent mod range of course some people will say its less prominent. Its still there its just better integrated. It like turning the treble all the way down on an EQ and then all you here is bass, if you turn the treble all the way up then you hear less of the bass but its still there!

 

[draytonklammer]

The sub bass extension got a slight dip with ~3 db @ ~15-30hz vs the old Abyss, so it sounds a slight less impactfull if you dont add a slight EQ boost in that area. Then it sounds even with the old abyss, but with greater control and much more true to the source!

I feel like this concerns me in terms of potentially upgrading my Abyss.
I almost wonder if I should keep my current model...

Not a fan of EQ.

 

[jlbrach]

the phi is a big improvement over the original.....better in all aspects IMHO

 

[cradon]

the phi is a big improvement over the original.....better in all aspects IMHO

I agree fully. The only area a find the phi lacking is in the mids where some tiny background sounds aren't as present as on the Susvara or Utopia. The bass is just about perfect to me, not overly done but there when it should be with excellent texture and detail. I also don't find it does depth as convincingly as the Hifiman.

 

[cradon]

I feel like this concerns me in terms of potentially upgrading my Abyss.
I almost wonder if I should keep my current model...

Not a fan of EQ.

Trust me, it has enough sub bass. It really does sound more like speakers with a subwoofer or a really awesome full range one than any other headphone I've heard.

 

[jlbrach]

i have heard everything other than the stax and i must say the Phi is the one HP that sounds like live music to me.....all of the top end HP's are great in their own way and i would not dispute anyone who said they liked a different one best but to me the Phi simply sounds like no other.....as far as the design and comfort,that is another story lol

 

[draytonklammer]

i have heard everything other than the stax and i must say the Phi is the one HP that sounds like live music to me.....all of the top end HP's are great in their own way and i would not dispute anyone who said they liked a different one best but to me the Phi simply sounds like no other.....as far as the design and comfort,that is another story lol

I'm assuming that includes the original abyss?

Have you tried the susvara? (Only flagship available I haven't tried so far but I don't agree with hifiman marketing)

What are your thoughts comparing the Phi to both?

Thank you.