[MacedonianHero]

^ Can we please stick on topic here????

 

[Joe Skubinski]

Fidelio at Musicalhead.de Germany proclaimed the AB-1266 Phi TC the best sounding headphone in the world!
AB-1266 Phi TC by Musicalhead.de (English version)
AB-1266 Phi TC by Musicalhead.de (German)

 

[simorag]

I am very much in agreement to what Fidelio has written, when it comes to how the TC improves over the previous generation Phi CC.

Yesterday I indulged myself with a very long listening session, where basically all I was playing from my library was rendered beautifully among a very diverse range of genres. The TC is a great all rounder!

^ This almost brought tears to my eyes. Starker's take on the Bach suites is legendary and this 1965 recording is a gem.
The TC brings out every nuance, resonance and bow tricks details from Janos in an obvious, while naturalistic, way. The presence effect is spooky, where the cello is palpable and this phenomenal cellist seems to be sitting in your room playing for you.

Emotional stuff

 

[Pastwa]

Fidelio at Musicalhead.de Germany proclaimed the AB-1266 Phi TC the best sounding headphone in the world!

According to the review, 'there is no clear winner' when comparing the new Abyss to HFM Susvara, and both headphones seem to be on par. The reviewer's wife, however, still prefers Susvara ;'))

 

[JLoud]

Any updates on upgrades to TC? I know it was stated no upgrades were possible, but I thought I saw somewhere on this thread that the Phi CC may be able to be upgraded. Something to do with chassis difference. I have a Phi CC that is about 2 months old.

 

[Joe Skubinski]

Only the CC can be upgraded to TC.
Send us an email with your serial number and we'll get you on the list, info@abyss-headphones.com

 

[Joe Skubinski]

https://musicalhead.de/bestenliste-kopfhoerer/

According to the review, 'there is no clear winner' when comparing the new Abyss to HFM Susvara, and both headphones seem to be on par. The reviewer's wife, however, still prefers Susvara ;'))

 

[jlbrach]

I wish I could help you. But I’ve never heard any headphones by Abyss. I feel like all of their headphones are way overpriced and have serious comfort issues. The Diana was just a failure with those small earpads and awkward headband.

Fidelio at Musicalhead.de Germany proclaimed the AB-1266 Phi TC the best sounding headphone in the world!
AB-1266 Phi TC by Musicalhead.de (English version)
AB-1266 Phi TC by Musicalhead.de (German)

As one who is stingy with praise I have to agree with the reviewer....the Phi TC and the susvara are 1a and 1b......the TC to me is the only HP I have ever heard that doesnt have me wanting to hear the same music on a loudspeaker system....the soundstage is huge without sacrificing detail and placement....the bass so meaty without overwhelming the music....makes me look forward to sitting down alone with a glass of bourbon and listening to music i never realized was as good or as bad!

 

[ufospls2]

As one who is stingy with praise I have to agree with the reviewer....the Phi TC and the susvara are 1a and 1b......the TC to me is the only HP I have ever heard that doesnt have me wanting to hear the same music on a loudspeaker system....the soundstage is huge without sacrificing detail and placement....the bass so meaty without overwhelming the music....makes me look forward to sitting down alone with a glass of bourbon and listening to music i never realized was as good or as bad!

@Hifiearspeakers Sorry mate but that quote jlbrach included is bordering on being rubbish.

You say you haven't heard any headphones by Abyss, but then you say they have serious comfort issues? Did you try a pair of Diana on and not listen at all? Thats a bit strange?

Diana has her uses, and the small package is part of her appeal. Here is my original thoughts on Diana, from the first time I tried her out.

https://headphonesnstuff.blog/2019/03/02/abyss-headphones-diana-the-original-the-short-ones/

The small ear pads worked for my ears, but I can see someone with larger ears having a bit trouble, you are right about that. The fit will be very personal, but I own the Diana Phi (which as you know does have larger earpads) and she is very comfortable indeed. I look forward to listening to her every day

There is no disrespect intended with this post by the way, I enjoy reading your posts, I just feel this particular one is a bit unfair

 

[jlbrach]

what exactly did i say that borders on rubbish?????

 

[ufospls2]

what exactly did i say that borders on rubbish?????

Nothing. I was replying to the quote from @Hifiearspeakers that you included in your post.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

@Hifiearspeakers Sorry mate but that quote jlbrach included is bordering on being rubbish.

You say you haven't heard any headphones by Abyss, but then you say they have serious comfort issues? Did you try a pair of Diana on and not listen at all? Thats a bit strange?

Diana has her uses, and the small package is part of her appeal. Here is my original thoughts on Diana, from the first time I tried her out.

https://headphonesnstuff.blog/2019/03/02/abyss-headphones-diana-the-original-the-short-ones/

The small ear pads worked for my ears, but I can see someone with larger ears having a bit trouble, you are right about that. The fit will be very personal, but I own the Diana Phi (which as you know does have larger earpads) and she is very comfortable indeed. I look forward to listening to her every day

There is no disrespect intended with this post by the way, I enjoy reading your posts, I just feel this particular one is a bit unfair

I’ve read a lot of posts on here where many people complain about the Diana being uncomfortable and not fitting their heads very well. I’m just going by what others have said, and the comfort issues come up a lot.

I feel like the Diana should have been the Diana Phi from the start. The larger earpads will accommodate a lot more people with varying head sizes and ear sizes.

I feel the same way about the Ether 2 (as a former owner). Dan should have made larger earpads from the start. Clearly there’s a comfort problem since he’s now offering other earpad options. I just feel like when you start getting into the $2000 price range and above, comfort shouldn’t be an after thought.

 

[Joe Skubinski]

And that's the crux of the issue. It's regurgitating old outdated info, we call it tribal.

Since there is no other headphone like this in the world there was no template to follow. Diana began with prototypes that we let people try at shows to help us learn about fit with all nationalities. The goal was to get as close as possible to the ideal design whereby she would fit a majority of people comfortably. Unfortunately even though we religiously told people these were prototypes there were some in the press who would for whatever reason ignore this and report as if it were a finished design. Bottom line, they wanted to badmouth ABYSS.

The Diana and Diana Phi of today are a dramatically different fit than early impressions would give. The headband and ear pad designs have evolved through multiple generations. Next month Diana Phi ear pads will become the norm for all Diana models, and we're showing these at AXPONA and this weeks High End show in Munich, Germany.

Bottom line, if you have not recently gave this or any other headphone a try, there's no way you can be accurate in your comments.

 

[Zhanming057]

I’ve read a lot of posts on here where many people complain about the Diana being uncomfortable and not fitting their heads very well. I’m just going by what others have said, and the comfort issues come up a lot.

I feel like the Diana should have been the Diana Phi from the start. The larger earpads will accommodate a lot more people with varying head sizes and ear sizes.

I feel the same way about the Ether 2 (as a former owner). Dan should have made larger earpads from the start. Clearly there’s a comfort problem since he’s now offering other earpad options. I just feel like when you start getting into the $2000 price range and above, comfort shouldn’t be an after thought.

I tried two early-production version of the Diana (headphone annex, the other pair was in Beijing) and both were fairly tight on my head. The Diana Phi is wider with much better support. I'm glad to hear that the Diana's will now come with the bigger earpads, and presumably new production models of the Diana will also come with wider headbands.

The problem is that people's heads vary a lot in size and shape. Just to give an extreme example, a friend of mine feels that the Abyss Phi's are cramped, even if the frame is at max width. He prefers the HD800s because of the more elastic frame. On the other hand, the HD800S's earcups are too big for my head, and I found the seal very difficult to achieve.

Anything that's supposed to form-fit is difficult to design. The Diana Phi is seriously light and that's definitely a plus. I won't say it's the most comfortable TOTL can I've ever worn, but it's in the top 3-4 best ones.

 

[protoss]

The original diana or we want to call them prototypes? Was not comfortable at all. Its was pretty bad. The new Diana earpads are better but nowhere close to top 3-4 best of all time. Maybe top 10 to 20 area.

Fidelio at Musicalhead.de Germany proclaimed the AB-1266 Phi TC the best sounding headphone in the world

Yikes another company quoting others as saying their headphone is the greatest of all time.
First raal quoted "better than HE-1" and now abyss "best in the world"

Soon hifiman will quote "we are gods".