The JPS Labs: Abyss AB-1266 Impressions Thread
Nov 30, 2019 at 1:17 AM Post #9,317 of 22,297
So I've been jotting down some notes on how I think the Abyss Phi TC and Susvara compare, and because I don't think there's been much of anything posted by way of comparisons between these two natural enemies (kidding!), I'm going to volunteer to stick my neck out and post what I've written down, using a highly schematic and artless bullet-point-like format, complete with highly reductive and cliched ten-point ratings.

A little background info, though: I've had the TC for only like three weeks and have I've been listening to it with just one amp, a Pass Labs X150.8 speaker amp, and it's possible that my assessments might change slightly with exposure to a broader array of gear, though my educated guess is that it won't really. If they do I'll be sure to update this post or something like that. In contrast, I've had the Susvara for about a year and a half and have listened to it at length on at least 8-9 very good amps (at least I think so), including half a dozen speaker amps. I also had the Abyss Phi with CC pads about a year ago for a period of about three months. And my listening diet is like 50% jazz, 20% electronic, 20% rock/metal. And 10% anime soundtracks (yea, what?).

Soundstage: TC 11, Susvara 8

Yes, that's an 11 on a ten-point scale. Along with its bass, to me this is the TC's biggest strength over every other dynamic headphone.​

Bass: TC 11, Susvara 8.5

Again, no need to gush and wax poetic at length here, as we all know the TC's bass is G.O.A.T., full stop.​

Mids: Susvara 9, TC 8

My least favorite "attribute" of the Abyss, to be honest, though still alright. Part of the tepidness I'm expressing is in large part due to how much I like the mids on the Susvara, which are so smooth, lifelike, and even. I do think the mids on the TC offer an important improvement over the CC though (less thin), and that it does avoid any weird unevenness that I think we can all agree are the kiss of death for a headphone. I do wish the TC gave more prominence to the lower-to-middle mids. Could also be my amp, though.​

Treble: Susvara 10, TC 8

I'm very partial to the Susvara's treble. Like, tied with the SR1a. Cymbals are unfailingly sweet, smooth, well imaged, and detailed. Treble on the TC is good in the sense of being controlled, pretty detailed, and not overly sibilant but otherwise can't compete. IMO ofc. YMMV (though I doubt it :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:).​

Imaging: Susvara 9.5, TC 8

I actually think the TC's imaging is only just alright. Instruments like vocals, saxophone, cymbals and snare drum hits present more defined images on the Susvara. I feel this pretty strongly, which is saying something, since I usually find differences in quality of imaging to be pretty subtle. To be fair though, imaging tends to get softer as soundstage size increases. Percussion sounds that are centered around the lower mids and bass (tom toms, for example) do image great on the TC, though.
Depth: Same as above

To my mind, depth correlates strongly with imaging and is arguably part of the same phenomenon. When I'm listening closely with the TC, I miss the depth of the Susvara.​

Resolution: Susvara 9, TC 8

Resolution can be a really difficult thing to assess and is a complex topic in its own right, but when I'm setting down to "see into the music", I see more of it with the Susvara. Part of the reason (though not all of it) is that the Susvara is more forward than the TC, which enhances one's perception of detail, as does a smaller soundstage.

Edit: I should also mention that I'm still using the stock cable on the TC, but am using a Lazuli Ultra cable with the Susvara, which is the best among a number that I've tried at length at teasing out microdetail.​

Speed: TC 8.5, Susvara 8

The TC is IMO best-in-class in terms of speed -- for a planar. Relatedly, TC wins on macrodynamics (even when the Susvara is on a speaker amp).​

Genre - rock: TC, easily

Kind of a no-brainer. The TC and the Utopia are the only two high-end headphones I'm familiar with that I care to listen to electric guitar-based music with.​

Genre - electronic: TC

Same.​

Genre - jazz: Susvara (mostly but not necessarily always)

Listening at loud volumes: TC, easily

If I have any misgivings with the Phi TC, they all kind-of magically go away when I turn it up (especially if there are guitars involved, and bass drums). Double-edged sword, that. Imaging improves a lot, too.​

Tonal balance: Susvara

This is highly, highly subjective, but my vote goes with the Susvara, whose frequency response is to me so even and "right". The TC is arguably more neutral, if that's what you're into, but even if it is, only after having mastered the byzantine and largely thankless art of Abyss frame and pad positioning.​

Physical merits

The TC is built like a tank, but continues to be profoundly compromised in terms of ergonomics. The Susvara build quality is famously abyssmal (I'm on my third pair of pads in 18 months, like, What?), but is super-comfortable. So... a draw. Yay?​

Lack of fatigue: Susvara

Susvara wins over anything I've owned for any length of time. I think this is due to both its relatively soft style of presentation (which can both a good and bad thing) and its laudably even tonality in the upper half of the frequency spectrum. However, the TC doesn't give me any undue problems either, despite its big dynamics and huge capacity for bass. Fatigue has ended up is a frequent deal-breaker for me, so I'm quite thankful that this appears to be the case.​

Synergy with speaker amps: ?

I'm very partial to speaker amps for headphones in general, so will be very interested to find out for myself if there's a legitimate generalization to be made regarding the TC's behavior on (good) speaker amps compared to relatively high-powered solid state headphone amps, or not really. I've only heard the TC on one speaker amp so far and think it sounds great, but need more experiences with others.

Meanwhile, the Susvara has never met a decent speaker amp that it doesn't like.​

Summary - Enjoyment:

Yes.

:)
 
Last edited:
Nov 30, 2019 at 1:58 AM Post #9,318 of 22,297
So I've been jotting down some notes on how I think the Abyss Phi TC and Susvara compare, and because I don't think there's been much of anything posted by way of comparisons between these two natural enemies (kidding!), I'm going to volunteer to stick my neck out and post what I've written down, using a highly schematic and artless bullet-point-like format, complete with highly reductive and cliched ten-point ratings.

A little background info, though: I've had the TC for only like three weeks and have I've been listening to it with just one amp, a Pass Labs X150.8 speaker amp, and it's possible that my assessments might change slightly with exposure to a broader array of gear, though my educated guess is that it won't really. If they do I'll be sure to update this post or something like that. In contrast, I've had the Susvara for about a year and a half and have listened to it at length on at least 8-9 very good amps (at least I think so), including half a dozen speaker amps. I also had the Abyss Phi with CC pads about a year ago for a period of about three months. And my listening diet is like 50% jazz, 20% electronic, 20% rock/metal. And 10% anime soundtracks (yea, what?).

Soundstage: TC 11, Susvara 8

Yes, that's an 11 on a ten-point scale. Along with its bass, to me this is the TC's biggest strength over every other dynamic headphone.​

Bass: TC 11, Susvara 8.5

Again, no need to gush and wax poetic at length here, as we all know the TC's bass is G.O.A.T., full stop.​

Mids: Susvara 9, TC 8

My least favorite "attribute" of the Abyss, to be honest, though still alright. Part of the tepidness I'm expressing is in large part due to how much I like the mids on the Susvara, which are so smooth, lifelike, and even. I do think the mids on the TC offer an important improvement over the CC though (less thin), and that it does avoid any weird unevenness that I think we can all agree are the kiss of death for a headphone. I do wish the TC gave more prominence to the lower-to-middle mids. Could also be my amp, though.​

Treble: Susvara 10, TC 8

I'm very partial to the Susvara's treble. Like, tied with the SR1a. Cymbals are unfailingly sweet, smooth, well imaged, and detailed. Treble on the TC is good in the sense of being controlled, pretty detailed, and not overly sibilant but otherwise can't compete. IMO ofc. YMMV (though I doubt it :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:).​

Imaging: Susvara 9.5, TC 8

I actually think the TC's imaging is only just alright. Instruments like vocals, saxophone, cymbals and snare drum hits present more defined images on the Susvara. I feel this pretty strongly, which is saying something, since I usually find differences in quality of imaging to be pretty subtle. To be fair though, imaging tends to get softer as soundstage size increases. Percussion sounds that are centered around the lower mids and bass (tom toms, for example) do image great on the TC, though.​

Depth: Same as above

To my mind, depth correlates strongly with imaging and is arguably part of the same phenomenon. When I'm listening closely with the TC, I miss the depth of the Susvara.​

Resolution: Susvara 9, TC 8

Resolution can be a really difficult thing to assess and is a complex topic in its own right, but when I'm setting down to "see into the music", I see more of it with the Susvara. Part of the reason (though not all of it) is that the Susvara is more forward than the TC, which enhances one's perception of detail, as does a smaller soundstage.​

Speed: TC 8.5, Susvara 8

The TC is IMO best-in-class in terms of speed -- for a planar. Relatedly, TC wins on macrodynamics (even when the Susvara is on a speaker amp).​

Genre - rock: TC, easily

Kind of a no-brainer. The TC and the Utopia are the only two high-end headphones I'm familiar with that I care to listen to electric guitar-based music with.​

Genre - electronic: TC

Same.​

Genre - jazz: Susvara (mostly but not necessarily always)

Listening at loud volumes: TC, easily

If I have any misgivings with the Phi TC, they all kind-of magically go away when I turn it up (especially if there are guitars involved, and bass drums). Double-edged sword, that. Imaging improves a lot, too.​

Tonal balance: Susvara

This is highly, highly subjective, but my vote goes with the Susvara, whose frequency response is to me so even and "right". The TC is arguably more neutral, if that's what you're into, but even if it is, only after having mastered the byzantine and largely thankless art of Abyss frame and pad positioning.​

Physical merits

The TC is built like a tank, but continues to be profoundly compromised in terms of ergonomics. The Susvara build quality is famously abyssmal (I'm on my third pair of pads in 18 months, like, What?), but is super-comfortable. So... a draw. Yay?​

Lack of fatigue: Susvara

Susvara wins over anything I've owned for any length of time. I think this is due to both its relatively soft style of presentation (which can both a good and bad thing) and its laudably even tonality in the upper half of the frequency spectrum. However, the TC doesn't give me any undue problems either, despite its big dynamics and huge capacity for bass. Fatigue has ended up is a frequent deal-breaker for me, so I'm quite thankful that this appears to be the case.​

Synergy with speaker amps: ?

I'm very partial to speaker amps for headphones in general, so will be very interested to find out for myself if there's a legitimate generalization to be made regarding the TC's behavior on (good) speaker amps compared to relatively high-powered solid state headphone amps, or not really. I've only heard the TC on one speaker amp so far and think it sounds great, but need more experiences with others.

Meanwhile, the Susvara has never met a decent speaker amp that it doesn't like.​

Summary - Enjoyment:

Yes.

:)
Nice review. I have the TCs and Susvaras too. I think I’ll do a little write up as well soon. Though, spoiler alert: I agree with most of what you have written, aside from resolution (I think the TCs are better), loud volumes (I feel loud volumes sound better with the Susvaras) imaging (I think the opposite) and rock (depends on the type of rock. Stoner, garage and acoustic rock sound better on the Susvaras, while death, black and doom sound better on the TCs).
 
Nov 30, 2019 at 2:00 AM Post #9,319 of 22,297
... And 10% anime soundtracks...
What anime tracks do you recommend? My last one was Bubblegum Crisis (I'm dating myself...).

:L3000::L3000::L3000:
 
Nov 30, 2019 at 2:13 AM Post #9,320 of 22,297
Nice review. I have the TCs and Susvaras too. I think I’ll do a little write up as well soon. Though, spoiler alert: I agree with most of what you have written, aside from resolution (I think the TCs are better), loud volumes (I feel loud volumes sound better with the Susvaras) imaging (I think the opposite) and rock (depends on the type of rock. Stoner, garage and acoustic rock sound better on the Susvaras, while death, black and doom sound better on the TCs).
Wow, those are some noteworthy differences. Fascinating. Looking forward to it.
 
Nov 30, 2019 at 2:21 AM Post #9,321 of 22,297
What anime tracks do you recommend? My last one was Bubblegum Crisis (I'm dating myself...).

:L3000::L3000::L3000:
I like soundtrack albums to various recent anime TV series and movies. There can be a great deal of variety in styles, but much of it tends to be orchestral with lots of layered, atmospheric electronics.

Yuki Kajiura is probably my favorite composer:

 
Nov 30, 2019 at 3:27 AM Post #9,323 of 22,297
Can Chord hugo TT2 Drive the 1266 Phi TC ( Single Ended ) ? Is the sound is ok or Good ?
I started out with that. I thought everything sounded fine. But then I got my WA33 and I realized that the TT2 with a single ended connection was under powering the TCs. The bass was not where it should be was with the TT2. The weight wasn’t there.

The TCs sound noticeably better on the WA33s than the TT2s.

Somebody told me the TT2s can drive the TCs better with the 3pin XLRs in the back, but I can’t personally verify that (I only have a 4-pin and SE connection).

Now, if I never heard the TCs on the WA33s I would have still said the TCs sound amazing. But, I didn’t know what I was missing. The TCs are a new pair of headphones on the WA33. There’s a reason why people run the TCs off speaker amps
 
Nov 30, 2019 at 3:41 AM Post #9,324 of 22,297
So I've been jotting down some notes on how I think the Abyss Phi TC and Susvara compare, and because I don't think there's been much of anything posted by way of comparisons between these two natural enemies (kidding!), I'm going to volunteer to stick my neck out and post what I've written down, using a highly schematic and artless bullet-point-like format, complete with highly reductive and cliched ten-point ratings.

A little background info, though: I've had the TC for only like three weeks and have I've been listening to it with just one amp, a Pass Labs X150.8 speaker amp, and it's possible that my assessments might change slightly with exposure to a broader array of gear, though my educated guess is that it won't really. If they do I'll be sure to update this post or something like that. In contrast, I've had the Susvara for about a year and a half and have listened to it at length on at least 8-9 very good amps (at least I think so), including half a dozen speaker amps. I also had the Abyss Phi with CC pads about a year ago for a period of about three months. And my listening diet is like 50% jazz, 20% electronic, 20% rock/metal. And 10% anime soundtracks (yea, what?).

Soundstage: TC 11, Susvara 8

Yes, that's an 11 on a ten-point scale. Along with its bass, to me this is the TC's biggest strength over every other dynamic headphone.​

Bass: TC 11, Susvara 8.5

Again, no need to gush and wax poetic at length here, as we all know the TC's bass is G.O.A.T., full stop.​

Mids: Susvara 9, TC 8

My least favorite "attribute" of the Abyss, to be honest, though still alright. Part of the tepidness I'm expressing is in large part due to how much I like the mids on the Susvara, which are so smooth, lifelike, and even. I do think the mids on the TC offer an important improvement over the CC though (less thin), and that it does avoid any weird unevenness that I think we can all agree are the kiss of death for a headphone. I do wish the TC gave more prominence to the lower-to-middle mids. Could also be my amp, though.​

Treble: Susvara 10, TC 8

I'm very partial to the Susvara's treble. Like, tied with the SR1a. Cymbals are unfailingly sweet, smooth, well imaged, and detailed. Treble on the TC is good in the sense of being controlled, pretty detailed, and not overly sibilant but otherwise can't compete. IMO ofc. YMMV (though I doubt it :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:).​

Imaging: Susvara 9.5, TC 8

I actually think the TC's imaging is only just alright. Instruments like vocals, saxophone, cymbals and snare drum hits present more defined images on the Susvara. I feel this pretty strongly, which is saying something, since I usually find differences in quality of imaging to be pretty subtle. To be fair though, imaging tends to get softer as soundstage size increases. Percussion sounds that are centered around the lower mids and bass (tom toms, for example) do image great on the TC, though.​

Depth: Same as above

To my mind, depth correlates strongly with imaging and is arguably part of the same phenomenon. When I'm listening closely with the TC, I miss the depth of the Susvara.​

Resolution: Susvara 9, TC 8

Resolution can be a really difficult thing to assess and is a complex topic in its own right, but when I'm setting down to "see into the music", I see more of it with the Susvara. Part of the reason (though not all of it) is that the Susvara is more forward than the TC, which enhances one's perception of detail, as does a smaller soundstage.​

Speed: TC 8.5, Susvara 8

The TC is IMO best-in-class in terms of speed -- for a planar. Relatedly, TC wins on macrodynamics (even when the Susvara is on a speaker amp).​

Genre - rock: TC, easily

Kind of a no-brainer. The TC and the Utopia are the only two high-end headphones I'm familiar with that I care to listen to electric guitar-based music with.​

Genre - electronic: TC

Same.​

Genre - jazz: Susvara (mostly but not necessarily always)

Listening at loud volumes: TC, easily

If I have any misgivings with the Phi TC, they all kind-of magically go away when I turn it up (especially if there are guitars involved, and bass drums). Double-edged sword, that. Imaging improves a lot, too.​

Tonal balance: Susvara

This is highly, highly subjective, but my vote goes with the Susvara, whose frequency response is to me so even and "right". The TC is arguably more neutral, if that's what you're into, but even if it is, only after having mastered the byzantine and largely thankless art of Abyss frame and pad positioning.​

Physical merits

The TC is built like a tank, but continues to be profoundly compromised in terms of ergonomics. The Susvara build quality is famously abyssmal (I'm on my third pair of pads in 18 months, like, What?), but is super-comfortable. So... a draw. Yay?​

Lack of fatigue: Susvara

Susvara wins over anything I've owned for any length of time. I think this is due to both its relatively soft style of presentation (which can both a good and bad thing) and its laudably even tonality in the upper half of the frequency spectrum. However, the TC doesn't give me any undue problems either, despite its big dynamics and huge capacity for bass. Fatigue has ended up is a frequent deal-breaker for me, so I'm quite thankful that this appears to be the case.​

Synergy with speaker amps: ?

I'm very partial to speaker amps for headphones in general, so will be very interested to find out for myself if there's a legitimate generalization to be made regarding the TC's behavior on (good) speaker amps compared to relatively high-powered solid state headphone amps, or not really. I've only heard the TC on one speaker amp so far and think it sounds great, but need more experiences with others.

Meanwhile, the Susvara has never met a decent speaker amp that it doesn't like.​

Summary - Enjoyment:

Yes.

:)

Nice, check out my comparison in my sig of those 2 as well. I also have which I prefer for which genre compete with scores and the like.
 
Nov 30, 2019 at 9:45 AM Post #9,325 of 22,297
Nice, check out my comparison in my sig of those 2 as well. I also have which I prefer for which genre compete with scores and the like.
Oh that's right, yes thanks. I'm reviewing your added details on TC in your (wiki) post now.

It's interesting to me that you also like the TC's detail retrieval abilities the most.
 
Nov 30, 2019 at 1:23 PM Post #9,326 of 22,297
So I've been jotting down some notes on how I think the Abyss Phi TC and Susvara compare, and because I don't think there's been much of anything posted by way of comparisons between these two natural enemies (kidding!), I'm going to volunteer to stick my neck out and post what I've written down, using a highly schematic and artless bullet-point-like format, complete with highly reductive and cliched ten-point ratings.

A little background info, though: I've had the TC for only like three weeks and have I've been listening to it with just one amp, a Pass Labs X150.8 speaker amp, and it's possible that my assessments might change slightly with exposure to a broader array of gear, though my educated guess is that it won't really. If they do I'll be sure to update this post or something like that. In contrast, I've had the Susvara for about a year and a half and have listened to it at length on at least 8-9 very good amps (at least I think so), including half a dozen speaker amps. I also had the Abyss Phi with CC pads about a year ago for a period of about three months. And my listening diet is like 50% jazz, 20% electronic, 20% rock/metal. And 10% anime soundtracks (yea, what?).

Soundstage: TC 11, Susvara 8

Yes, that's an 11 on a ten-point scale. Along with its bass, to me this is the TC's biggest strength over every other dynamic headphone.​

Bass: TC 11, Susvara 8.5

Again, no need to gush and wax poetic at length here, as we all know the TC's bass is G.O.A.T., full stop.​

Mids: Susvara 9, TC 8

My least favorite "attribute" of the Abyss, to be honest, though still alright. Part of the tepidness I'm expressing is in large part due to how much I like the mids on the Susvara, which are so smooth, lifelike, and even. I do think the mids on the TC offer an important improvement over the CC though (less thin), and that it does avoid any weird unevenness that I think we can all agree are the kiss of death for a headphone. I do wish the TC gave more prominence to the lower-to-middle mids. Could also be my amp, though.​

Treble: Susvara 10, TC 8

I'm very partial to the Susvara's treble. Like, tied with the SR1a. Cymbals are unfailingly sweet, smooth, well imaged, and detailed. Treble on the TC is good in the sense of being controlled, pretty detailed, and not overly sibilant but otherwise can't compete. IMO ofc. YMMV (though I doubt it :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:).​

Imaging: Susvara 9.5, TC 8

I actually think the TC's imaging is only just alright. Instruments like vocals, saxophone, cymbals and snare drum hits present more defined images on the Susvara. I feel this pretty strongly, which is saying something, since I usually find differences in quality of imaging to be pretty subtle. To be fair though, imaging tends to get softer as soundstage size increases. Percussion sounds that are centered around the lower mids and bass (tom toms, for example) do image great on the TC, though.
Depth: Same as above

To my mind, depth correlates strongly with imaging and is arguably part of the same phenomenon. When I'm listening closely with the TC, I miss the depth of the Susvara.​

Resolution: Susvara 9, TC 8

Resolution can be a really difficult thing to assess and is a complex topic in its own right, but when I'm setting down to "see into the music", I see more of it with the Susvara. Part of the reason (though not all of it) is that the Susvara is more forward than the TC, which enhances one's perception of detail, as does a smaller soundstage.

Edit: I should also mention that I'm still using the stock cable on the TC, but am using a Lazuli Ultra cable with the Susvara, which is the best among a number that I've tried at length at teasing out microdetail.​

Speed: TC 8.5, Susvara 8

The TC is IMO best-in-class in terms of speed -- for a planar. Relatedly, TC wins on macrodynamics (even when the Susvara is on a speaker amp).​

Genre - rock: TC, easily

Kind of a no-brainer. The TC and the Utopia are the only two high-end headphones I'm familiar with that I care to listen to electric guitar-based music with.​

Genre - electronic: TC

Same.​

Genre - jazz: Susvara (mostly but not necessarily always)

Listening at loud volumes: TC, easily

If I have any misgivings with the Phi TC, they all kind-of magically go away when I turn it up (especially if there are guitars involved, and bass drums). Double-edged sword, that. Imaging improves a lot, too.​

Tonal balance: Susvara

This is highly, highly subjective, but my vote goes with the Susvara, whose frequency response is to me so even and "right". The TC is arguably more neutral, if that's what you're into, but even if it is, only after having mastered the byzantine and largely thankless art of Abyss frame and pad positioning.​

Physical merits

The TC is built like a tank, but continues to be profoundly compromised in terms of ergonomics. The Susvara build quality is famously abyssmal (I'm on my third pair of pads in 18 months, like, What?), but is super-comfortable. So... a draw. Yay?​

Lack of fatigue: Susvara

Susvara wins over anything I've owned for any length of time. I think this is due to both its relatively soft style of presentation (which can both a good and bad thing) and its laudably even tonality in the upper half of the frequency spectrum. However, the TC doesn't give me any undue problems either, despite its big dynamics and huge capacity for bass. Fatigue has ended up is a frequent deal-breaker for me, so I'm quite thankful that this appears to be the case.​

Synergy with speaker amps: ?

I'm very partial to speaker amps for headphones in general, so will be very interested to find out for myself if there's a legitimate generalization to be made regarding the TC's behavior on (good) speaker amps compared to relatively high-powered solid state headphone amps, or not really. I've only heard the TC on one speaker amp so far and think it sounds great, but need more experiences with others.

Meanwhile, the Susvara has never met a decent speaker amp that it doesn't like.​

Summary - Enjoyment:

Yes.

:)

Nice comparison between Susvara and 1266 TC.

Both Abyss 1266 TC and Raal Sr1a are on Black Friday sale now. I am in a conundrum to choose one between those two excellent headphones.


grinning.png


When I had listened to SR1a and 1266 Phi CC at Torq’s home, I liked both.



Ultimately I will have both.

But I wish to try one of them this time.

I wish to keep one nice dynamic HP(hd800s), electrostatic(Stax009S), ribbon (Sr1a) and planar magnetic(Abyss 1266 TC) in the future.

It will be like tasting wines with different flavors.

Although I am more attracted to Sr1a than 1266 TC, I am afraid of possibility that Raal make SR2a (improved version) next year while 1266 TC has not much more room to improve.
 
Nov 30, 2019 at 1:29 PM Post #9,327 of 22,297
Nice comparison between Susvara and 1266 TC.

Both Abyss 1266 TC and Raal Sr1a are on Black Friday sale now. I am in a conundrum to choose one between those two excellent headphones.


grinning.png


When I had listened to SR1a and 1266 Phi CC at Torq’s home, I liked both.



Ultimately I will have both.

But I wish to try one of them this time.

I wish to keep one nice dynamic HP(hd800s), electrostatic(Stax009S), ribbon (Sr1a) and planar magnetic(Abyss 1266 TC) in the future.

It will be like tasting wines with different flavors.

Although I am more attracted to Sr1a than 1266 TC, I am afraid of possibility that Raal make SR2a (improved version) next year while 1266 TC has not much more room to improve.
o really now, the raal is on my short list of cans to buy, but because it requires a new amp I was holding off. Iet me check out this sale
 
Nov 30, 2019 at 1:44 PM Post #9,328 of 22,297
Both Abyss 1266 TC and Raal Sr1a are on Black Friday sale now. I am in a conundrum to choose one between those two excellent headphones.

IMO one of the deciding factors should be whether you're prepared to invest the effort (and other stuff like money lol) in making the SR1a work well in your system. Not only because of the speaker amp requirement, but also because it's just... really bright. FWIW, I did not like the SR1a's synergy with the DAVE very much, and preferred it a good deal more with a warmer, fuller-sounding R2R DAC (the Pavane in my case). Nevertheless, I agree that there are very good reasons to be curious about the SR1a.
 
Nov 30, 2019 at 1:55 PM Post #9,329 of 22,297
IMO one of the deciding factors should be whether you're prepared to invest the effort (and other stuff like money lol) in making the SR1a work well in your system. Not only because of the speaker amp requirement, but also because it's just... really bright. FWIW, I did not like the SR1a's synergy with the DAVE very much, and preferred it a good deal more with a warmer, fuller-sounding R2R DAC (the Pavane in my case). Nevertheless, I agree that there are very good reasons to be curious about the SR1a.
If I get Sr1a, I have two options.

One is to use Rogue Cronus Magnum II tube amplifier to feed it, but I also have Lyngdorf 2170 in the digital chain which have lot of useful eq presets.

I can boost bass with two eq presets (gentle bass1, more hard bass2)

The other choice will be to wait for Jotuheim R which is a dedicated amp for Sr1a.

If I get 1266 TC, I consider using Hifiman adapter to connect it to Rogue Cronus Magnum II with Lyngdorf 2170 in the digital chain which have lot of useful eq presets..

The Black Friday Sale ends tomorrow, thus I have to make decision on choosing one between Abyss 1266 TC and Raal Sr1a by then.
 
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Nov 30, 2019 at 2:04 PM Post #9,330 of 22,297
IMO one of the deciding factors should be whether you're prepared to invest the effort (and other stuff like money lol) in making the SR1a work well in your system. Not only because of the speaker amp requirement, but also because it's just... really bright. FWIW, I did not like the SR1a's synergy with the DAVE very much, and preferred it a good deal more with a warmer, fuller-sounding R2R DAC (the Pavane in my case). Nevertheless, I agree that there are very good reasons to be curious about the SR1a.
I had auditioned several R2R Dac including MSB Select II, but I do not find the sound out of Dave and HMS too hard.

Dave and HMS is very sensitive to digital cables.

I currently use Sablon Audio Panatella BNC cables after trying 4 different ones.

This one gives good balance between details and analog ease.

https://audiobacon.net/2019/01/04/sablon-audio-panatela-reserva-digital-elegance/
 
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