[mulder01]

I see hifiman are having another swing at a flagship planar.  
 
Probably still not gonna beat the Abyss...
 
Just saw the thread yesterday.  People seem generally pretty pissed off...

 

[deuter]

  I see hifiman are having another swing at a flagship planar.  
 
Probably still not gonna beat the Abyss...
 
Just saw the thread yesterday.  People seem generally pretty pissed off...

What is it ?

 

[astrostar59]

  I see hifiman are having another swing at a flagship planar.  
 
Probably still not gonna beat the Abyss...
 
Just saw the thread yesterday.  People seem generally pretty pissed off...

Oh my goodness, this is just too much excitement in a such a short space of time, the best electrostatic, and then a planar follows. Is this really happening?
 
I will order both types, 100K chump change....

 

[Thenewguy007]

What is it ?

Hifiman HE 6 thousand dollar.

 

[Toolman]

  Oh my goodness, this is just too much excitement in a such a short space of time, the best electrostatic, and then a planar follows. Is this really happening?
 

 
...oh don't forget the best sounding single DD iem for a mere $2,000. Can't contained my excitement what a snip...or should I wait a further 6 months for the improved and even more expensive Edition 8 for $8,000? I am still left with another kidney tho

 

[odanovich]

It would be nice if people were a little more open minded to more budget friendly options for the Abyss.  Anyone who had been following this thread for a while will know that I've long maintained that you do NOT need to spend 5 grand on an amp for these, but it seems that I am in the minority.  I think that even after potential future Abyss owners have accepted the $4.5k price tag, they are often put off by assuming they'll need another $10k in the bank for the rest of the system otherwise it won't be worthwhile.  Perhaps if there was a bit more of an objective approach toward what you actually need for a respectable abyss system, more people would probably go for it.  I know when I auditioned my pair, the cheapest amp available for audition was about $2k.  I listened to it and thought "this really is just as good as the $5k amps - I'll get away with this" so I bought it.  I've since realised after listening to the Abyss on amps that are cheaper still, I probably didn't even need to spend as much as I did.  If a system like this was more widely accepted as a perfectly respectable partner to the Abyss, I think more people would be willing to pull the trigger buying an Abyss to start with...

Hey mulder (and the rest of head-fi),

So I finally did it. I bit the bullet and purchased the Abyss Deluxe Package. I'm very egar to have them arrive. Ive been reading through this thread non-stop dreaming of the day I first rest these bad boys ontop my head.


That being said, my next purchase is definitely a DAC & AMP combination. I came across the post I quoted and I wanted to ask the community how much merit it holds. Do I really owe it to the Abyss to drop $3k-$5k on a bonafide DAC/AMP combo? Or can I achieve a reasonable equivalent for a much lower cost?

I'm curious to hear from people who have tried their Abyss across multiple Setups, because the opinion of someone who has only listened to the Abyss on one setup cant really assist the answering of my question.

Curious to hear the community's thoughts!! And super excited to becoming the owner of the ugliest high-end headphone on the market!!!! Lolol. But seriously. This thing is ugly. I cant wait to hear my friends response when they look at it compared to my LCD-3.


cheers!

 

[Yoga]

Hey mulder (and the rest of head-fi),

So I finally did it. I bit the bullet and purchased the Abyss Deluxe Package. I'm very egar to have them arrive. Ive been reading through this thread non-stop dreaming of the day I first rest these bad boys ontop my head.


That being said, my next purchase is definitely a DAC & AMP combination. I came across the post I quoted and I wanted to ask the community how much merit it holds. Do I really owe it to the Abyss to drop $3k-$5k on a bonafide DAC/AMP combo? Or can I achieve a reasonable equivalent for a much lower cost?

I'm curious to hear from people who have tried their Abyss across multiple Setups, because the opinion of someone who has only listened to the Abyss on one setup cant really assist the answering of my question.

Curious to hear the community's thoughts!! And super excited to becoming the owner of the ugliest high-end headphone on the market!!!! Lolol. But seriously. This thing is ugly. I cant wait to hear my friends response when they look at it compared to my LCD-3.


cheers!

Welcome to the Abyss! :¬)

I've heard them on the Ragnarok, Moon 430 HAD, Moon 600i (speaker amp), Phonitor 2, Phonitor X and Violectric V281.

The 600i is the best. It's a ridiculously good combo. @Beolab agree's and he has access to pretty much all TOTL gear. I managed to find mine second hand for just €2500 (!). Makes the mids pop. I'm still on the stock cable by the way.

Having said that, the V281 gets close, and it's also more user friendly due to the multiple ports and whatnot. Very powerful (and will drive your LCD's VERY well indeed) and musical (for a SS amp). Not dry/lifeless at all (like the Ragnarok). There's a V281 user who has a tube (Woo) amp that he doesn't use as he feels the V281 doesn't lack any mojo. Saying that it's still very accurate, transparent and dynamic. By no means 'tube' or 'warm'. Mojo. Hard to explain :¬)

DAC wise that's up to your preferences again. Perhaps something like the Mytek Brooklyn, Benchmark DAC3 or RME ADI-2 Pro would fit the bill without much expenditure. Just sent the latter back (as I don;t need it in my studio) but it's insane VFM. Especially if you use the Slow filter (smoother top end).

 

[lojay]

Welcome to the Abyss! :¬)


I've heard them on the Ragnarok, Moon 430 HAD, Moon 600i (speaker amp), Phonitor 2, Phonitor X and Violectric V281.


The 600i is the best. It's a ridiculously good combo. @Beolab
 agree's and he has access to pretty much all TOTL gear. I managed to find mine second hand for just €2500 (!). Makes the mids pop. I'm still on the stock cable by the way.


Having said that, the V281 gets close, and it's also more user friendly due to the multiple ports and whatnot. Very powerful (and will drive your LCD's VERY well indeed) and musical (for a SS amp). Not dry/lifeless at all (like the Ragnarok). There's V281 user who has a tube (Woo) amp that he doesn't use as he feels the V281 don't lack any mojo. Saying that it's still very accurate, transparent and dynamic. by no means 'tube' or 'warm'. Mojo. Hard to explain :¬)


DAC wise that's up to your preferences again. Perhaps something like the Mytek Brooklyn, Benchmark DAC3 or RME ADI-2 Pro would fit the bill without much expenditure. Just sent the latter back (as I don;t need it in my studio) but it's insane VFM. Especially if you use the Slow filter (smoother top end).

Thanks! Do you need a special cable to connect the Abyss to the speaker binding posts of the Moon 600i or does it have XLR outputs?

 

[Yoga]

Thanks! Do you need a special cable to connect the Abyss to the speaker binding posts of the Moon 600i or does it have XLR outputs?

 
No XLR outs (that would have been handy). I have a custom Toxic Cables Silver Widow MiniXLR to speaker taps (banana) cable.

I have the HiFiMan Speaker to XLR (4 Pin) converter but never used it. Prefer less in the chain.

 

[mulder01]

I've had that same amp (V281) since I bought my Abyss and don't crave another - I think pairing an amp with your headphones is a lot more about synergy and getting a sound that you like than it is about cost.  IMO
 
If you can, just listen, listen, listen.  Try and ignore what you've read or what you're expecting to hear.  Ignore what the salesman tells you is better.  Ignore the price tags.  Close your eyes and just think of what you'd be most happy to listen to every day at home and what you enjoy the most.  If you hear 5 amps and rank them in order from your most favorite to least favorite, I highly doubt that it will be in the same order as the price tags.

 

[ufospls2]

 
Currently enjoying the Abyss with the Headtrip. Powerful stuff, best I have ever heard them. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
 
Currently enjoying the Abyss with the Headtrip. Powerful stuff, best I have ever heard them. 

 
This was the quintessential amplifier I've experienced with the Abyss. Just a brilliant pairing!

 

[Hansotek]

Currently enjoying the Abyss with the Headtrip. Powerful stuff, best I have ever heard them. 

Yup. All three of the Wells Audio amps are insane with the Abyss. I've been listening through the Wells Milo, and I am completely and totally satisfied. For 1/4 the price it is about 95% of the Headtrip, the only difference is that it doesn't have the insane level of transparency as the Headtrip. If you want to make it sound like you're not listening to a headphone at all, the Headtrip does a fantastic job of putting you right there with the artist.

 

[deuter]

The head trip seems like the best solidstate amp there is for any planar headphone.

I wouldn't pair the Abyss with anything else.

 

[mulder01]

The head trip seems like the best solidstate amp there is for any planar headphone.

I wouldn't pair the Abyss with anything else.

 
You have one?