[Xecuter]

Yeh. I'm comparing the original to the phi on my eddie current studio. I will also use my Ragnarok.

I'll type a full review for you guys over the week.
So far I would say my issues with the original abyss (upper mid harshness, lower mid suck out, poor lower mid detail, mid bass bleed) have been addressed by the update.
There is less bass presence and transient response seems altered but I will comment in further detail when I've collected my thoughts.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Yeh. I'm comparing the original to the phi on my eddie current studio. I will also use my Ragnarok.

I'll type a full review for you guys over the week.
So far I would say my issues with the original abyss (upper mid harshness, lower mid suck out, poor lower mid detail, mid bass bleed) have been addressed by the update.
There is less bass presence and transient response seems altered but I will comment in further detail when I've collected my thoughts.

I agree with your findings for the most part. I actually enjoy the bass on the new Phi as it seems to be now in perfect proportion to the mids/treble. Listening to some Debussy with them now and while these headphones "rock" they are very articulate, expansive and extremely clear with classical music too!

 

[Xecuter]

I agree with your findings for the most part. I actually enjoy the bass on the new Phi as it seems to be now in perfect proportion to the mids/treble. Listening to some Debussy with them now and while these headphones "rock" they are very articulate, expansive and extremely clear with classical music too!

Yes with classical, especially cello! goose bumps.
I heard the Dcs vivaldi stack yesterday as well!

 

[Stereolab42]

I agree with your findings for the most part. I actually enjoy the bass on the new Phi as it seems to be now in perfect proportion to the mids/treble. Listening to some Debussy with them now and while these headphones "rock" they are very articulate, expansive and extremely clear with classical music too!

Ehh.... could care less about classical myself. I listen exclusively to rock and metal, with maybe 20% other stuff. Wondering if I really want to roll the dice for $1500 when my name comes up in the upgrade list.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Ehh.... could care less about classical myself. I listen exclusively to rock and metal, with maybe 20% other stuff. Wondering if I really want to roll the dice for $1500 when my name comes up in the upgrade list.

I listen to mostly rock too...and these headphones can't be beat! Definitely worth the upgrade to my ears.

 

[Beolab]

Yes with classical, especially cello! goose bumps.
I heard the Dcs vivaldi stack yesterday as well!

Maxxed out Abyss setup

How did you like the sound?

 

[Xecuter]

@Beolab
The Dcs vivaldi is an interesting dac.
I heard it with his Viva 845 and my EC studio.
To my ears the Dcs is tuned to be a bit thicker in the mids, rich and lush sounding with an expansive stage. Very enjoyable but not really my preference.
usb implementation was outstanding, however I preferred the CD-T with dual AES.
There is definitely some digital processing that goes on in the up-sampling which adds in information from what I can understand.

I would need a few months to really develop a total understanding of my thoughts. However my brief thoughts from a few hours audition, were this is a very pleasant sounding DAC that does not suffer from any of the usual digital issues, incredibly smooth with an inviting and slightly boosted timbre. Mid bass was maybe slightly boosted as I noticed my studio sounded thicker from mids to bottom. I felt that the Dcs is not ultra resolving, However I don't think this is a bad thing. I just mean that some Dacs are able to dig up more information but with some genres this tends to make them harder brighter or even fatiguing. The MSB select II with full upgrades is still therefore in my opinion the King of the Dacs as it has the same inviting quality of the Dcs but does not compromise on microdetail.

Honestly the Dcs was an outstanding pairing with my studio which could do with some more mid bass and weight in the mids. However, I am definitely someone who prefers things to be closer to neutral with slightly more detail.

With the Viva 845 the first thing you notice is the stage is blown wide open, it was really weird, instruments seemed to surround you despite still imaging correctly. The viva is tilted warmer but not hugely so, it is not that incisive or fast in it's transient response and I didn't think it was digging that deep on detail. I think this is largely due to the shughang tube, my friend will try roll in some better quality NOS tubes however I think this might be a slight improvement but will ultimately be the weak point of this 845 amp. The 845 amp is leaps and bounds better than the viva 2a3, and with most genres the viva is a gorgeous sounding amp. However with complex and fast music i feel it was lagging behind the studio.

Interestingly my friend found my studio to be rather boring sounding, he also disliked that it didn't have that massive enveloping sound that the 845 had. He also said the bass on the studio was his favourite aspect of the studio and he agreed that transients for rock and faster music were indeed better on the studio. He definitely preferred the 845 though.
We are not immune to buyers justification and bias, however i think we both prioritise different things in our systems and I think what he has built is remarkable, beautiful sounding and totally end game.

It really is a matter of tonal preference in these situations. I could happily live with any of this stuff.
I really enjoyed the Dcs stack and think it is a wonderful Dac. Will I buy one? Maybe. I'd like to spend more time with it in NOS mode and also to play around with the filters to see if that last bit of detail is there. I don't like the idea of up sampling everything to DSD, it makes no sense to me.

 

[Beolab]

@Beolab
The Dcs vivaldi is an interesting dac.
I heard it with his Viva 845 and my EC studio.
To my ears the Dcs is tuned to be a bit thicker in the mids, rich and lush sounding with an expansive stage. Very enjoyable but not really my preference.
usb implementation was outstanding, however I preferred the CD-T with dual AES.
There is definitely some digital processing that goes on in the up-sampling which adds in information from what I can understand.

I would need a few months to really develop a total understanding of my thoughts. However my brief thoughts from a few hours audition, were this is a very pleasant sounding DAC that does not suffer from any of the usual digital issues, incredibly smooth with an inviting and slightly boosted timbre. Mid bass was maybe slightly boosted as I noticed my studio sounded thicker from mids to bottom. I felt that the Dcs is not ultra resolving, However I don't think this is a bad thing. I just mean that some Dacs are able to dig up more information but with some genres this tends to make them harder brighter or even fatiguing. The MSB select II with full upgrades is still therefore in my opinion the King of the Dacs as it has the same inviting quality of the Dcs but does not compromise on microdetail.

Honestly the Dcs was an outstanding pairing with my studio which could do with some more mid bass and weight in the mids. However, I am definitely someone who prefers things to be closer to neutral with slightly more detail.

With the Viva 845 the first thing you notice is the stage is blown wide open, it was really weird, instruments seemed to surround you despite still imaging correctly. The viva is tilted warmer but not hugely so, it is not that incisive or fast in it's transient response and I didn't think it was digging that deep on detail. I think this is largely due to the shughang tube, my friend will try roll in some better quality NOS tubes however I think this might be a slight improvement but will ultimately be the weak point of this 845 amp. The 845 amp is leaps and bounds better than the viva 2a3, and with most genres the viva is a gorgeous sounding amp. However with complex and fast music i feel it was lagging behind the studio.

Interestingly my friend found my studio to be rather boring sounding, he also disliked that it didn't have that massive enveloping sound that the 845 had. He also said the bass on the studio was his favourite aspect of the studio and he agreed that transients for rock and faster music were indeed better on the studio. He definitely preferred the 845 though.
We are not immune to buyers justification and bias, however i think we both prioritise different things in our systems and I think what he has built is remarkable, beautiful sounding and totally end game.

It really is a matter of tonal preference in these situations. I could happily live with any of this stuff.
I really enjoyed the Dcs stack and think it is a wonderful Dac. Will I buy one? Maybe. I'd like to spend more time with it in NOS mode and also to play around with the filters to see if that last bit of detail is there. I don't like the idea of up sampling everything to DSD, it makes no sense to me.

OT:
Thanks for the great sharing of your impression of this ” End-Game - Headphone/Speaker Setup ”

I also share your impressions of the dCS sound even though i think the Viva and the Studio covering some micro details because of the SNR is not in line with the Vivaldi output spec. Then there are tons of diffrent settings in diffrent combinations, that can be slight frustrating to find the perfect one that suits you the best.

I have landed on the PCM Asymmetrical filter with short pre and after ringing, because i feel the DSD upsampling doesn't sound analog / musical enough , it sounds more cosmetic and unreal / dead to me, but do have more precision and faster start and stop to it.
I have set dither II to On ( Dithering makes the clock to auto correct the clock synchronisation signal every second because of a implemented out of band high frequency dither noise) and 6 volts output for the highest SNR / Dynamic Range value according to the manual, and you do hear a big diffrence with the 6 volts through single or balanced output vs 2 volts actually when it is volume matched.

The midrange on my Rossini incl master Clock and Puccini inkl master clock with dCS Network Bridge does not sound thick in the mids to me, its more towards the thin side i have to say. And yes the dCS ring dac products does not got any artefacts or anything wrong, it is just fluidly perfect with remarkable precision, and more naturally detailed in the resolution vs MSB in my opinion.
But yes if you are a micro detail freak, then the MSB is the way to go i would say, but dCS got more weight and slight better depht and precision to my ears.

Great discussion, hope you find a dCS that suits you.. the clock and the Network Bridge does a huge lift on my Phi’s and on my new TAD speakers.

 

[biscottino]

I own the Viva Egoista and I had the Abyss and I recognize that it was certainly one of the bests ever heard.
On the Viva Egoista, to increase performance, I would dedicate time and money to the rectifier tube, 5u4gb, you can use a 5u4g also, a pair of Nos valves, can really bring about a quantum leap.
The 6sn7 definitely worth taking a Tung Sol nos GT version with a black base, rich in harmonics and detail.
Last thing, i change 845 with a Western Electric Replica, you have to play them at least 200 or even 300 hours, to make them fine, but in the end, you will touch paradise.

 

[matthewhypolite]

Just unboxed my Phi.

I'm not at home, currently on vacation in Orlando, so i dont have my main rig with me to give it a fair run.
But thought i'd throw something together to test out this new beast.

I know folks say give it about 300hrs to burn in before testing.
So these are my quick impressions from a few minutes of first listen:

Right away i could tell these are a different animal than the original, the transient response, detail retrieval, micro detail extraction is amazing, there just seems to be more space and air, imaging is amazing, instrument placement seems improved. I'm blown away at how much extra in familiar tracks is "there". The cans just seem more resolving, but not analytical, still retains the abyss signature. Vocals sound improved as well.

The bass does seem to lack the insane bottom end compared to a broken in Abyss, but it is still very much there. Very tight and controlled. Will have to allow them time to break in, then run my proper suite of tests and see what comes out on the other end. Final verdict reserved until then, but based on what i'm hearing so far, i think we have a winner.

Thanks Joe.

 

[Joe Skubinski]

You're Welcome

 

[matthewhypolite]

Some more quick notes:

Phi General Notes:

First Hour:

Improved efficiency, volume nob reduced about 10%. Gain changed from high to low. Low gain now sounds better.
Detail retrieval substantially improved. Micro detail is amazing, notes heard that were not previously heard on Original Abyss.

Note decay stretches on for miles, the very last whispers and breaths on notes can now be heard bringing a level of immersion and realism that was not previously present.

More space and greater soundstage. Instrument placement improved.

Bottomless bass a bit recessed compared to original but should open up over time. Bass tight and precise and very much still powerful.

Treble seems to be reined in and put under control. The original could sometimes seem fatiguing and a bit sharp on the treble in certain tracks, the phi brings the treble under control and smooths out the bite. This makes for a much more enjoyable listen.

I am thoroughly impressed by what these cans are doing straight out of the box, I shudder to think what this monster is going to turn into post 300hrs.


Time to pack up my rig and ship the pieces off to their new respective owners.
Full review will come in the new year when i get home.

 

[jscmd2000]

Is that liquid gold? Wow, hmmm... nice!

 

[matthewhypolite]

Is that liquid gold? Wow, hmmm... nice!

Yea, actually up for sale now, going out the door probably tomorrow.
Transitioning to tubes, WA33 EE or 234 Mono. Still haven't decided which.

 

[Xecuter]

Yea, actually up for sale now, going out the door probably tomorrow.
Transitioning to tubes, WA33 EE or 234 Mono. Still haven't decided which.

I think the wa33 is a fair bit better than wa234. Also consider EC studio, DN stellaris or a custom amp from Glenn if you want the best tube amps available.