[mulder01]

I'll never understand why people think that coming in and flying off the handle is the best way to settle a problem. I know plenty of other users who have had their issues sorted in a couple of civilised PMs...

But to answer your legitimate question, you have to bend the headband with quite a bit of force - you are re-shaping an aluminum bar a few mm thick. Also remember that the earpads are only meant to gently touch your ears without pressure - they don't clamp onto your head like a normal headphone - if you put it on and the earpad is gently touching most of the way around, that's it. If you make it too tight you'll lose your bass and soundstage (at least you did on the original version anyway). If you shake your head from side to side a bit, they will move around. That's the way they are

 

[rumina]

the impedance of loudspeakers are not linear, often more then 40 ohm around 40-100hz. so most good engineered loudspeakers amp have no problem with loads high as the abyss or susvara.

cheap loudspeaker amps can have here problems (also with loudspeakers) and/or if the headphones are much higher then 100ohm.

low efficency and high ohm headphones then need a dynahi that can handle this high loads perfect.

ps not true for tube amps, then you need the right output transformer

 

[506638]

To answer your legitimate question, you have to bend the headband with quite a bit of force - you are re-shaping an aluminum bar a few mm thick. Also remember that the earpads are only meant to gently touch your ears without pressure - they don't clamp onto your head like a normal headphone - if you put it on and the earpad is gently touching most of the way around, that's it. If you make it too tight you'll lose your bass and soundstage (at least you did on the original version anyway). If you shake your head from side to side a bit, they will move around. That's the way they are

Now, if I re-shape the aluminum, what about the next owner (if I find one) ? He'll have to re-shape it and the headband will break.

 

[FLTWS]

I'll never understand why people think that coming in and flying off the handle is the best way to settle a problem. I know plenty of other users who have had their issues sorted in a couple of civilised PMs...

But to answer your legitimate question, you have to bend the headband with quite a bit of force - you are re-shaping an aluminum bar a few mm thick. Also remember that the earpads are only meant to gently touch your ears without pressure - they don't clamp onto your head like a normal headphone - if you put it on and the earpad is gently touching most of the way around, that's it. If you make it too tight you'll lose your bass and soundstage (at least you did on the original version anyway). If you shake your head from side to side a bit, they will move around. That's the way they are

That's been my experience as well with regard to the fit and the sound.

 

[moderators]

We've cleaned up a number of posts in this thread. Let's get back on track and discuss your AB-1266 impressions.

Thank you in advance.

 

[506638]

But to answer your legitimate question, you have to bend the headband with quite a bit of force - you are re-shaping an aluminum bar a few mm thick. Also remember that the earpads are only meant to gently touch your ears without pressure - they don't clamp onto your head like a normal headphone - if you put it on and the earpad is gently touching most of the way around, that's it. If you make it too tight you'll lose your bass and soundstage (at least you did on the original version anyway). If you shake your head from side to side a bit, they will move around. That's the way they are

Thanx but it is a no way for me : I have an arm disabled. May be the client service could help me in France. What would be @Joe Skubinski suggestion ? There, I hear more the step of my neighbor above than the sound of the the Abyss.

But to answer your legitimate question, you have to bend the headband with quite a bit of force - you are re-shaping an aluminum bar a few mm thick. Also remember that the earpads are only meant to gently touch your ears without pressure - they don't clamp onto your head like a normal headphone - if you put it on and the earpad is gently touching most of the way around, that's it. If you make it too tight you'll lose your bass and soundstage (at least you did on the original version anyway). If you shake your head from side to side a bit, they will move around. That's the way they are

It'sa no way for me. As @Joe Skubinski knows it, I have a disable arm. So I'm waiting for his suggestion about what the client service can do

 

[tholt]

For something like the Abyss you don't need an attenuator - a simple XLR to spade/banana adapter will work. The headphones can take 15w+ without damage and it's only when you get to the seriously big amps that you run even a small risk of blowing the drivers.

Sounds easy enough. What should I be looking for spec-wise in a suitable stereo amp to ensure compatibility and simpatico with the 1266?

 

[tholt]

Looks like another alternative would be using a conversion/adapter like the Hifiman HE-Adapter? This would probably ensure peace of mind but hopefully not adversely affect SQ.

 

[mulder01]

@tholt have you seen this thread?
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/speaker-amps-for-headphones.649107/page-215

 

[tholt]

@tholt have you seen this thread?
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/speaker-amps-for-headphones.649107/page-215

Haven't, thank you for the link. I'll dig through it. Still interested in specific thoughts with respect to amp + Abyss though, since it was recently brought up and this headphone loves power. Might be a viable solution for me.

 

[Zhanming057]

@tholt No need for the Hifiman adapter unless you have a really cheap amp with poor protector. Anything that'll blow out the Abyss will also blow out efficient speakers. My impression is that the adapter does degrade audio quality, but it's not a huge deal and it's up to you whether you want the peace of mind. Personally, I don't bother with it.

As for compatibility, not much in particular. If you're interested in a particularly exotic amp design it might be a good idea to ask around. Generally, keep in mind that a WA5 or WA33 is no different from a 300b/2a3 speaker amp (the taps are on the same wire as the XLR), and solid state amps are very compatible with cans in general.

 

[tholt]

I think a few companies make 4x banana plugs to 4 pin xlr adapters. I think you just have to not disconnect them with the power on?
Surprised JPS don't make them actually.
Probably would if you asked though?...

Digging more and the answer to this question is likely this response from Joe:

It's not like a speaker amp will sound better than a headphone amp, they will have differing sonic traits just as headphone amps do. The quality of the speaker amp is just as important as the quality of the headphone amp, and since speaker amps require much larger power supplies they will typically be more expensive for an equivalent level of refinement.

preproman is using a low power Pass Labs amplifier, one of the clearest amplifiers money can buy, and not exactly inexpensive, so no doubt it will perform admirably with the AB-1266. You have very poor odds of really enjoying any random amp with these headphones.

Also need to be careful as a speaker amp may not play nice without a proper load and can cause damage to the amp and headphone. Best bet if you're going to use a speaker amp is to check with the manufacturer as to whether it will be stable with a higher impedance headphone load above 16 ohms.

 

[lamaslamas]

Did anybody have a chance to test the Abyss with Feliks Amps like Euforia or Elise?

 

[Articnoise]

@tholt No need for the Hifiman adapter unless you have a really cheap amp with poor protector. Anything that'll blow out the Abyss will also blow out efficient speakers. My impression is that the adapter does degrade audio quality, but it's not a huge deal and it's up to you whether you want the peace of mind. Personally, I don't bother with it.

As for compatibility, not much in particular. If you're interested in a particularly exotic amp design it might be a good idea to ask around. Generally, keep in mind that a WA5 or WA33 is no different from a 300b/2a3 speaker amp (the taps are on the same wire as the XLR), and solid state amps are very compatible with cans in general.

…or a tube amp.

 

[mulder01]

Digging more and the answer to this question is likely this response from Joe:

Yeah makes a lot of sense. The ability to use a speaker amp could be a big advantage if you were going to add headphones to a speaker system you already owned and liked, and you already owned an amp that cost you a pretty penny, you could take advantage of that and not need to buy a separate dedicated headphone amp. Or if you could pick up something second hand - maybe something vintage, but still nice sounding for a bargain basement price then that'd be good to. If you're buying new, and specifically and exclusively for headphones, probably not as worth it... ? Everyone has different reasons though I guess. TBH, I have not had much of a read through that thread I linked you...