[Jozurr]

  Yes direct out of the DAVE.I used to use the abyss with a ragnarok and WA5
But due to recent space constrains , i had to sell both of those lmao. 
Even though it doesnt quite have the amazing visceral and engaging presentation that will come with a more powerful amp, Id say direct out of the DAVE is a pairing i can live with. I find the DAVEs internal amp to be liquidy sweet and organic and from memory, i dont think ive ever heard the abyss sounding this clean and transparent. Was using the stock cables all the while which i found to be relatively more punchy and grainy. With the prion, music just flows effortlessly. 
Im not very good at describing sound signatures but I tried
Will venture back into big amps in the future, but right now i need a compact setup.

 
How did you like the sound out of the Ragnarok and how did it compare to the WA5?

 

[Nik]

Yes= the the Headtrips own signature shines through here, i know because i have previously owned the same setup ( not the Vitus CD-player but MSB Analog / DAVE / Aurender as a source) and i find the Prion 4 to be very smooth sounding with a nice shimmering resolution without any harshness at all and you will notice that if you try it on a diffrent setup vs Stock cable or other after market ditos.

Yeah... May be I misunderstanding the word smooth... With the Prion4 the Headtrip take all the transparency I have with the Dave direct... Unfortunately the Dave do not has the two xlr headphones output... I have the DHC Prion4 jack stereo adapter, but not the same as two xlr (even if the Headtrip not fully balanced amp...).

 

[Beolab]

Yes yo'll get more of the less analytical grainy sound with Prion 4 if combined with DAVE for example.

 

[Mystel]

   
How did you like the sound out of the Ragnarok and how did it compare to the WA5?

I mainly used both with a yggy connected direct from my imac with usb
Raggy was nice , clean fast and transparent. I quite liked the pairing a bit. But i did find it to be fatiguing in a sense that it sounded kinda dry after longer listening periods. Wasnt something that stood out initially, but it does become noticable after some headtime on them. Nevertheless, pretty nice pairing, bass was tight and fast, mids were clean and detailed while treble was nicely rolled off 
I only acquired the wa5 last month, and sadly i only had a month with them due to space contrains. Mine was the non le version, with the royal princess 300b tubes and c3g tubes that my friend recommended to me. This time, the bass had more body to it. It had this really engaing and intimate tone. Mids were really really rich and thick, something that really surprised me. Treble was well, not very extended but its still there. I found this much more suited for long listening sessions, and personally i liked it more than the rag
Both are really good pairings with the abyss, though im pretty sure they arent the best.
Im sorry i cant give really detailed impressions, but i tried

 

[Beolab]

Sitting in my listeningroom playing MQA tracks from Tidal (Enya) ( not that big diffrence with MQA when you already owns one of the worlds best DACś =) , connected to my favourite amp Moon 600i and playing through probably the best headphones ever built i have to say, after testing every single high end headphone on the market incl the new Orpheus.
I got 80.000$ speakers at my work and they got breathtaking dynamics and sound, but the the Abyss have equal or even better qualities than most High End speakers even.

That is remarkable and they are truly special and uniqe in every area!

Just wanted to chare this with every one, because we most of the time just discussing technicalities , amps , cables , dac's , tweaks etc, but we forget to write a little on how we in fact like our headphones

 

[Jozurr]

I hope I can share the same kind of enthusiasm for them as I do for my HE-6
 
Maybe these are the funktion one system Im looking for in headphones.

 

[lojay]

Sitting in my listeningroom playing MQA tracks from Tidal (Enya) ( not that big diffrence with MQA when you already owns one of the worlds best DACś =) , connected to my favourite amp Moon 600i and playing through probably the best headphones ever built i have to say, after testing every single high end headphone on the market incl the new Orpheus.
I got 80.000$ speakers at my work and they got breathtaking dynamics and sound, but the the Abyss have equal or even better qualities than most High End speakers even.

That is remarkable and they are truly special and uniqe in every area!

Just wanted to chare this with every one, because we most of the time just discussing technicalities , amps , cables , dac's , tweaks etc, but we forget to write a little on how we in fact like our headphones

Are you running this through the DAVE? Do you prefer going through the Moon amp or directly out of the DAVE?

 

[Yoga]

Abyss + 600i is a match made in headphone heaven!

Finding myself tempted to try the DAVE (again).

 

[ufospls2]

  I hope I can share the same kind of enthusiasm for them as I do for my HE-6
 
Maybe these are the funktion one system Im looking for in headphones.

The Abyss are the closest I have found to a Berghain session headphones wise

 

[astrostar59]

Sitting in my listeningroom playing MQA tracks from Tidal (Enya) ( not that big diffrence with MQA when you already owns one of the worlds best DACś =) , connected to my favourite amp Moon 600i and playing through probably the best headphones ever built i have to say, after testing every single high end headphone on the market incl the new Orpheus.
I got 80.000$ speakers at my work and they got breathtaking dynamics and sound, but the the Abyss have equal or even better qualities than most High End speakers even.

That is remarkable and they are truly special and uniqe in every area!

Just wanted to chare this with every one, because we most of the time just discussing technicalities , amps , cables , dac's , tweaks etc, but we forget to write a little on how we in fact like our headphones

Nice post. I posts lots of emotional stuff on the Stax threads. I totally agree with you in this. Once you get it right, DAC - Amp - HPs working together (synergy) it is magical. TBH I believe the need to get that synergy correct may be even more important with HPs than speaker systems. The reason I think that is they are, after all stuck right up to your ear and you hear EVERYTHING. No place to hide.

 

[Jozurr]

The Abyss are the closest I have found to a Berghain session headphones wise

Surprised you mention that

Best system Ive ever heard anywhere and Ive been to a good number of clubs worldwide. It was just crazy how good a system can sound. Really curious to try the abyss. If they get me any closer to that sound, I'd be very happy.

What is your chain for the Abyss?

 

[astrostar59]

 

  I hope I can share the same kind of enthusiasm for them as I do for my HE-6
 
Maybe these are the funktion one system Im looking for in headphones.

The Abyss are the closest I have found to a Berghain session headphones wise

 

 
German club, interesting.

I used to DJ in the UK in the 90's (hire, not resident). I was great fun and the music energy is something else in a good club system. More physical than a home setup obviously. Never the less the bass energy in the top HPs goes half way to create the drama of modern dance music IMO. The lower octaves are where that happens.

 

[Jozurr]

 
 

 
German club, interesting.

I used to DJ in the UK in the 90's (hire, not resident). I was great fun and the music energy is something else in a good club system. More physical than a home setup obviously. Never the less the bass energy in the top HPs goes half way to create the drama of modern dance music IMO. The lower octaves are where that happens.

 
For a moment I thought I was in a thread I started some time ago, with the same photo 

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/812976/electronic-music-fans-headphones-discussion-thread

 

[Hardertaskthinking]

Dear all,
 
Does any of you store your Abyss in an after-market headphone case?  If so, will you be kind enough to point me to it?
 
The cases I use for other big headphones are still not big enough for the Abyss.
 
Thank you

 

[astrostar59]

  Dear all,
 
Does any of you store your Abyss in an after-market headphone case?  If so, will you be kind enough to point me to it?
 
The cases I use for other big headphones are still not big enough for the Abyss.
 
Thank you

Take care with a custom case. I used one for my Stax HPs and the leather cups grew some mold. The key thing is it needs to breath. So a wooden case is probably best. The aluminium flight cases with foam inserts tend to be too sealed in. But the next best bet is some high impact plastic cases for my other hifi gear. Like the ones you see for a camera outfit. They come with foam which you cut to size, and they do have a breather hole in the top edge.
 
Something like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Max-MAX235H105S-Waterproof-Watertight-Photography/dp/B00PUL6AVM/ref=pd_cp_421_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6M3PTK44N75BYMWPMA9C