[tholt]

Here you go: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PFV1NQX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Litlgi74]

Here you go: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PFV1NQX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ordered... Thanks.

 

[BPED]

Indeed. I am setting up a high end headphone showroom in Spain right now. I am building up a new website for it and sales channels, inc demo days. My first product range is the JPS Labs with the Abyss TC.

Hello, I have been following silently this thread for quite some time as I am considering buying a pair of TC and suitable amp. My current set-up is Utopia + Hugo2. I am based in Spain so I would very much welcome a place where TOTL can be compared! Would it be possible to share more info about your plans (maybe you already did on local forums)? Or do you have a webpage in Spanish which can be consulted? If this is against the rules of this platform, we can follow up bilaterally. thanks in advance..

 

[jlbrach]

you will need a different set up with the TC because the hugo 2 will not drive it properly

 

[BPED]

Hello, yes I know I should also invest in my amp. I read here different views on how to best drive the TC, including several people using speakers amps. I of course trust their judgment but I note that looking at impedance (relatively low) and sensitivity the TC do not seem that hard to drive. But I guess that numbers do not tell the whole story...

I am currently using my Hugo2 with Utopia and also as a DAC for my active speakers ATC SCM19A, my thinking was to go for a TT2, possibly with Mscaler. That way I would: 1) drive properly both Abyss and Focal, 2) improve my DAC for cans and speakers, 3) possibly get rid of my ATC pre if I like the TT2 pre better.

Now TT2 + mscaler is a lot of money and there are certainly alternatives in the same price bracket... any suggestions? In particular I'd like to have a proper amplification for the TC (maybe not the best theoretically achievable but a very good one) and be able to use it with the Utopia as well. I may end up selling the U but I have no way of knowing that in advance.

thanks to those who want to chip in!

 

[Roasty]

I did a thing today...

I'm sure you guys have seen this many times.. I always enjoy the unboxing. Can't wait to have a listen to them tonight, after putting the kids to zzz.

I have the HPA4 and Woo Audio 22. I hope these will be good enough for these headphones.

I got the Lite version. The stock cable should be decent enough? Apologies if this question has been beaten to death, but saving me from going through 600 pages; what headphone cable do most here recommend?

I'm using the danacable lazuli reference with my Utopia and Lavricable Grand Line / Norne Audio Silvergarde S3 for the Empyrean.

 

[Ciggavelli]

I did a thing today...









I'm sure you guys have seen this many times.. I always enjoy the unboxing. Can't wait to have a listen to them tonight, after putting the kids to zzz.

I have the HPA4 and Woo Audio 22. I hope these will be good enough for these headphones.

I got the Lite version. The stock cable should be decent enough? Apologies if this question has been beaten to death, but saving me from going through 600 pages; what headphone cable do most here recommend?

I'm using the danacable lazuli reference with my Utopia and Lavricable Grand Line / Norne Audio Silvergarde S3 for the Empyrean.

I also have Utopias with the Lazuli Reference cable, and I bought the Lite TC version too. I really do think the stock cables on the AB-1266 TC are pretty good. There have been a few comparisons here and there (somewhere in this thread and then Audiobacon.net). From what I've gathered, the stock is good for hip-hop and rock/metal, the upgraded JPS super Conductor cable adds warmth and is good for classical, jazz etc., and the Lazuli Nirvana is very, very good (Jay at Audiobacon said it's his favorite cables for the Phi).

Me personally, I'm going to probably upgrade my TC cable for a Lazuli Reference (I can't justify spending $3500 for the nirvana). While the TC stock cable is good, it's not very ergonomic. I hate the way it feels, I hate how it always gets tangled, I hate how it's plastic and doesn't bend well, etc. Part of me thinks Abyss makes the stock cable intentionally unwieldy, so that people buy the SC upgrade...hahaha.

 

[GuyForkes]

I did a thing today...









I'm sure you guys have seen this many times.. I always enjoy the unboxing. Can't wait to have a listen to them tonight, after putting the kids to zzz.

I have the HPA4 and Woo Audio 22. I hope these will be good enough for these headphones.

I got the Lite version. The stock cable should be decent enough? Apologies if this question has been beaten to death, but saving me from going through 600 pages; what headphone cable do most here recommend?

I'm using the danacable lazuli reference with my Utopia and Lavricable Grand Line / Norne Audio Silvergarde S3 for the Empyrean.

That's a terrible thing you did. That's why I don't visit AVone, their sales people are too effective. Seriously though, congrats on the purchase!

 

[llamaluv]

I'm using the danacable lazuli reference with my Utopia and Lavricable Grand Line / Norne Audio Silvergarde S3 for the Empyrean.

When I had the Phi last year, I compared the Lazuli Reference (direct to the Phi (no adapter), fully "burned-in") to the stock cable and was surprised to find I preferred stock. The stock cable was decidedly more lively and dynamic. The LR was perhaps "smoother" and more subdued in the mids/upper-mids in comparison. It had slightly deeper bass extension when I focused specifically on that aspect, but I didn't find that to be an important difference when it came to listening to real music of any genre. I think these characteristics of the LR are why so many people like it with the Utopia. But with the Phi, the end result for me was that I felt it was "subtracting" from the overall sound presentation. Anyway, that was my experience. This was with the WA33 and Metrum Pavane.

I have the HPA4 and Woo Audio 22. I hope these will be good enough for these headphones.

Would love to hear more about how the TC responds to the HPA4, as I have an AHB2 and the TC is on my "shopping list"...

 

[lambdastorm]

Dang, everyone’s getting the TC! They had a sale last year which dropped the lite version down $500. If they do the same this year I might grab one.

 

[Roasty]

That's a terrible thing you did. That's why I don't visit AVone, their sales people are too effective. Seriously though, congrats on the purchase!

Thanks! And you are absolutely right! Haha oh man I really have to stop going to that mall for haircuts.. somehow I always end up in the AVone and quite often the wallet takes a hit.

 

[Roasty]

When I had the Phi last year, I compared the Lazuli Reference (direct to the Phi (no adapter), fully "burned-in") to the stock cable and was surprised to find I preferred stock. The stock cable was decidedly more lively and dynamic. The LR was perhaps "smoother" and more subdued in the mids/upper-mids in comparison. It had slightly deeper bass extension when I focused specifically on that aspect, but I didn't find that to be an important difference when it came to listening to real music of any genre. I think these characteristics of the LR are why so many people like it with the Utopia. But with the Phi, the end result for me was that I felt it was "subtracting" from the overall sound presentation. Anyway, that was my experience. This was with the WA33 and Metrum Pavane.

Would love to hear more about how the TC responds to the HPA4, as I have an AHB2 and the TC is on my "shopping list"...

Thanks for chiming in a out the lazuli reference! I was quite close to pulling the trigger last night, but your post did echo my concerns. Perhaps the ultra/nirvana is a better pair with the added silver component. I may end up holding off a cable purchase for the meantime and listen with stock cable for a good few weeks.

Will let u know how it goes with the HPA4. Coincidentally, I have an AHB2 in the mail, but the plan was to use it with my bookshelves... Hmmm..

 

[Roasty]

Dang, everyone’s getting the TC! They had a sale last year which dropped the lite version down $500. If they do the same this year I might grab one.

Whaaaaat I had no idea they had that sale before! Oh man.. 500 is a decent amount. I would have waited if I knew.. But I had been thinking about the TC ever since I auditioned it with the WA33 over 4 months ago and it has been gnawing in the back of my mind ever since.

 

[Roasty]

I also have Utopias with the Lazuli Reference cable, and I bought the Lite TC version too. I really do think the stock cables on the AB-1266 TC are pretty good. There have been a few comparisons here and there (somewhere in this thread and then Audiobacon.net). From what I've gathered, the stock is good for hip-hop and rock/metal, the upgraded JPS super Conductor cable adds warmth and is good for classical, jazz etc., and the Lazuli Nirvana is very, very good (Jay at Audiobacon said it's his favorite cables for the Phi).

Me personally, I'm going to probably upgrade my TC cable for a Lazuli Reference (I can't justify spending $3500 for the nirvana). While the TC stock cable is good, it's not very ergonomic. I hate the way it feels, I hate how it always gets tangled, I hate how it's plastic and doesn't bend well, etc. Part of me thinks Abyss makes the stock cable intentionally unwieldy, so that people buy the SC upgrade...hahaha.

You are right about the stock cable lol it is quite a mess to use and so stiff!

I really enjoy the LR with my Utopia. I prefer the LR over the stock cable and Lavricable Grand Line. Other than the LR, were you considering anything else?

 

[llamaluv]

Perhaps the ultra/nirvana is a better pair with the added silver component. I may end up holding off a cable purchase for the meantime and listen with stock cable for a good few weeks.

I'm using the Lazuli Ultra with my Susvaras and yea, I find it to bend the stick in the other direction -- potentially too much so. With the the Pass Labs X150.8 (speaker amp), which has a warm/meaty/punchy signature, the Ultra resulted in too much upper mids in a way that I would almost describe as a glare. Yet with the AHB2, which is of course very neutral and hyper-detailed, I think I like it, and the raised upper-mids are much less noticeable and somehow works out better. Which is interesting because I would have predicted in advance that this cable would complement the warmer amp better, but it didn't. Again though this is with the Susvara, but my takeaway from such experiments as always is there's no accounting for synergy . Last thing on the Ultra is that it exposes more graduated, nuanced layering and air to the music, which is for sure a good thing. This is in comparison to what's been my normal Susvara cable, which is a Lavricables Grand 20 silver.

Will let u know how it goes with the HPA4. Coincidentally, I have an AHB2 in the mail, but the plan was to use it with my bookshelves... Hmmm..

Nice!

Even if you don't plan intend on using the AHB2 with the Abyss generally, it would be well worth the effort comparing the two, if only to eliminate the possibility that the speaker amp version doesn't sound noticeably different, and possibly in a good way. I'm sure many people would predict in-advance that there "should" be no important differences in the resulting sound signature between the two, but I would remain unconvinced until I was able to try it out directly, through experience!