The JPS Labs: Abyss AB-1266 Impressions Thread
Dec 4, 2018 at 2:43 AM Post #7,291 of 22,297
For the amplifier, I just tried the pair of 1266 phi cc + XiAudio’s Formula S for a straight week. Before that, I heard the combination of 1266 phi + Wa5. I have to say I love the XiAudio combination. It’s clear and precise. Superb bass. Great soundstage and chords are always very balanced. It’s a China brand though, but I understand that Abyss is using it as some kind of official set for their exhibits. Not sure the accessibility of Formula S outside of China, it’s extraordinary.

Very happy with the Abyss Phi / XI Audio combo (Formula S amp + Powerman PSU) here as well. JPS Labs / Abyss dealers worldwide are selling the Eleven Audio gear, I believe, so accessibility should be relatively easy.

I don't use an amp with my M-DAVE. I felt the same way you did BTW. In particular, I found the midrange to be too distant and clinical. It simply didn't engage me. Instead of selling or getting an external amp, I decided to try a different HP cable. I bought a Lazuli Reference and that improved things but not enough.

I then bought the JPS Superconductor HP cable and it literally transformed the Abyss. Just an incredible cable! It's bloody expensive but it negated the need to buy an amp and importantly, avoid messing with DAVE's transparency by putting an amp into the chain.

Maybe an external amp would help beyond the midrange problem I solved, I am not sure, but I can say that the Superconductor / Abyss combo is magical, particularly for vocals...

DAVE drives well the Abyss Phi in my opinion, but when I added the amp I found large scale orchestral pieces, organ, big bands etc. were just more satisfying, with plenty of air / lack of compression. Layering and readability of the music was kept very well even on fortissimos and very crowded musical passages. Also, extreme dynamics piano pieces are effortlessly reproduced.
I was struggling to get a realistic SPL with very low level classical recordings with DAVE alone (and M Scaler / Blu Mk2 makes this slightly worse due to "stealing" 3dB of additional headroom), where with the Formula S in high gain position I have abundant power reserves.

For some music types and or tracks, I still like the M Scaler / DAVE direct more, where the detail retrieval, transparency, 3D sound staging of the Chord source is delivered at the extreme, but most of the time I use the Formula S.

As for vocals, I was thinking that the same as @spotforscott when I was using DAVE alone, but the addition of the M Scaler ha provided a significant improvement to vocals naturalness, warmth.

That said, I am looking for a JPS Superconductor (see my classified here) to complement my DHC Prion4. The Prion4 is very detailed, liquid, transparent, fast and open sounding, and I like it very much with classical (I preferred it to the Lazuli Ref. just because of its extreme transparency), whereas based on the reports the Superconductor provides a richer, darker midrange that I would like to try for intimate recordings such as vocals, jazz etc.
 
Dec 4, 2018 at 6:29 AM Post #7,292 of 22,297
For the amplifier, I just tried the pair of 1266 phi cc + XiAudio’s Formula S for a straight week. Before that, I heard the combination of 1266 phi + Wa5. I have to say I love the XiAudio combination. It’s clear and precise. Superb bass. Great soundstage and chords are always very balanced. It’s a China brand though, but I understand that Abyss is using it as some kind of official set for their exhibits. Not sure the accessibility of Formula S outside of China, it’s extraordinary.

I just took delivery of a Formula S/Powerman combo (and an SC for Phi) last week.
 
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Dec 4, 2018 at 8:07 AM Post #7,294 of 22,297
Need some break-in time but I will comment at a later date.
 
Dec 4, 2018 at 11:56 AM Post #7,296 of 22,297
I think Jay at Audiobcon sums up the answer to your question very well and I agree with him:

"The Superconductor cable nearly transforms the Abyss into a different headphone. The midrange and vocals on the Superconductor cable is without a doubt sweeter and more forward than the stock. A very detailed, deliciously textured, and definitely warmer cable. I love how it adds that warm-bodied sound to vocals which gives it that human characteristic. This reason alone makes the cables a worthy upgrade. The Superconductor adds volume and weight to pianos and guitar plucks and just has more warm, cozy, yummy, low-end textures. You hear more of the music naturally diffusing into the space. There’s just more meat to the bones. Compared to the Superconductor cable, the stock cables don’t have that extra body required to be convincing and natural. Instruments seem to have more presence and the soundstage is expanded in all directions. The JPS Superconductor HP cable just chocolate coats the entire range with this addictive harmonic richness"

Full review here
I was a cable cable skeptic, but tested the JPS Superconductor HP vs stock to humour my dealer. I was surprised to hear the difference - immediately obvious, not at all subtle. Indeed a more natural, fuller sound. I ended up getting them.
 
Dec 4, 2018 at 1:25 PM Post #7,297 of 22,297
In my experience some cables (HP and IC - I've never tried to do a serious comparison of digital or AC cables...yet) do have an affect on the sound and some don't. I don't always hear a difference "that matters" or hear one that is truly un-listenable to my ears, but sometimes I do. I can't be certain until I hear it, or not, for myself.
If I don't hear a difference that's fine with me. If I do hear a difference that's fine as well.
For me Its just a matter of deciding if I prefer one over the other or if they are just different with different plus's and minus's and like them both for those differences.
I have 3 different cables for my Phi; the stock, a DanaCable Ultra, and now the SC. The SC is still cooking in but I got a feeling I'm going to end up liking it. Its done some pretty startling spacial effects sound stage wise with a few of my recordings but with only about 50 hours on it things may, or may not, change over the upcoming weeks.
Plus I can't be sure at this point how much of that sound is the SC and how much the Formula S & Powerman, but that's part of the fun for me.
The SC certainly doesn't sound like the other two HP cables to me but the other two have their strong sonic points as well.
Time may tell and may present me with clear overall winner, but it's not a life or death decision.
It's about the enjoyment I get and I don't suffer any angst over feeling I have to declare winners or losers, I can like more than one. And that extends to all parts of my signal chain.
Variety, as they say...
 
Dec 4, 2018 at 2:27 PM Post #7,298 of 22,297
Just noticed we didn't have a picture of the 1/4" 6.3 mm...

JPS_Super_HP_63s.jpg
 
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Dec 4, 2018 at 3:50 PM Post #7,300 of 22,297
Just noticed we didn't have a picture of the 1/4" 6.3 mm...


I have the stock and Superconductor cables for the Abyss 1266 Phi and agree the SC's are in a completely different ballpark. The stock cable is no slouch, but the SC transforms the experience. Its almost like they pull apart the aspects of a recording and reassemble them in individual head-spaces, enabling a vast 3D soundstage. The sense of air and definition is greatly improved along with the level of detail and overall imaging. I only have one quibble with them, which is that I can't get them to work with the corresponding 1/4" or 4-pin balanced adapters from JPS. Unlike the cable in the above picture, I have individual SC cables plugged into the left and right sides of the Abyss directly connected to the balanced outs of an iCan Pro amp via M/F gender-switch adaptors. So they are connected just like right and left speaker cables to the back of the amp instead of via a 1/4" or balanced adapter to the front-facing outputs. I'm not sure why but when I pair them with the JPS adapter there is zero sound. I've tried this many ways with different equipment. Oh well. They sound great in the current configuration nonetheless.
 
Dec 4, 2018 at 4:03 PM Post #7,301 of 22,297
I have the stock and Superconductor cables for the Abyss 1266 Phi and agree the SC's are in a completely different ballpark. The stock cable is no slouch, but the SC transforms the experience. Its almost like they pull apart the aspects of a recording and reassemble them in individual head-spaces, enabling a vast 3D soundstage. The sense of air and definition is greatly improved along with the level of detail and overall imaging. I only have one quibble with them, which is that I can't get them to work with the corresponding 1/4" or 4-pin balanced adapters from JPS. Unlike the cable in the above picture, I have individual SC cables plugged into the left and right sides of the Abyss directly connected to the balanced outs of an iCan Pro amp via M/F gender-switch adaptors. So they are connected just like right and left speaker cables to the back of the amp instead of via a 1/4" or balanced adapter to the front-facing outputs. I'm not sure why but when I pair them with the JPS adapter there is zero sound. I've tried this many ways with different equipment. Oh well. They sound great in the current configuration nonetheless.

I'm a bit confused. The iFi Pro iCAN has dual 3pin XLR inputs on the front, so why would you use gender-switch adapters and plug them into the pre amp outputs on the rear of the amp?
 
Dec 4, 2018 at 4:08 PM Post #7,302 of 22,297
I'm a bit confused. The iFi Pro iCAN has dual 3pin XLR inputs on the front, so why would you use gender-switch adapters and plug them into the pre amp outputs on the rear of the amp?
Must be user error on my part because that didn't take for some reason. The 1/4" adapter didn't work with the iCan or other amps, and then when I tried to go straight out via the iCan's front ports that didn't work either, but everything works fine connected via the rear ports. I'll try again...
 
Dec 4, 2018 at 4:58 PM Post #7,303 of 22,297
That's curious, over the past few months I've used both the dual 3 Pin to 4 Pin and the 4 Pin to 1/4" JPS adapters without issue. My current SC has a 4 Pin connector and 4 Pin to 1/4" JPS adapter. I plan to borrow a dual 3 Pin to compare it against as I have two amps with all 3 options. But if I had a dual 3 Pin pair I'd definitely go straight in to the dual 3 Pin outputs if available.
 
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Dec 4, 2018 at 8:02 PM Post #7,304 of 22,297
Can people who drove the Abyss in under-powered amps or low end amps (less than 1 watt into 32ohms), describe the sound?

Did you guy dislike it, or still thought it sounded o.k.?
They're still fine. I have mainly used them with my Hugo 2 and occasionally even with my Woo WA8 and also with my LG v30/v40. As long as I listen at a medium volume level, they sound fine. The Hugo 2 can even get them too loud before any distortion.

With more power on tap, the low end becomes very palpable and visceral. That's obviously the most noticeable change, but really they improve in most aspects. I'm currently listening on one of those new THX AAA amps and I have a smile from ear to ear because it's been a while since I drove them with something more powerful.
 
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Dec 5, 2018 at 1:53 AM Post #7,305 of 22,297
Can people who drove the Abyss in under-powered amps or low end amps (less than 1 watt into 32ohms), describe the sound?

Did you guy dislike it, or still thought it sounded o.k.?

I used to use them straight out of the headphone jack of a Lotoo PAW Gold and they sounded good at moderate listening levels. Turn it up and it distorts, but was less of an issue with the phi because of the higher efficiency. Of all the amps I tried, I found headroom not to be super important - it more came down to personal preference of the sound signature than anything.
 

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