[hainss]

Did a Bryston BHA-1 amp can drive well the new Abyss phi?

 

[Hifi59]

I owned a Milo and a Milo Reference (prior to owning the Phi). I definitely agree the Milo is warm, but impressions on the headtrip are all over the board. If I could find a used one at a fair price I'd go that route to hear for myself.

Having searched for the most musical amp since the 70’s, I have ended that quest having discovered the Headtrip. It doesn’t necessarily slap you in the face with its greatness but if you listen to it long enough, you’ll get it and you can’t get enough of it’s musicality. I do not find it to be overly warm. My Pathos Aurium hybrid (my additional amp) is warmer regardless of the tubes used. As good as it sounds, it’s no match for the HT. I would say the HT leans a bit on the warm side, but it’s right where I like it. Perfect. Listening fatigue is non existent on the HT. It’s worth it’s asking price and sometimes can be found used at a great price. It is end game, no doubt.

 

[Hifi59]

I hope your main system is speakers because having so much invested in upstream and sticking with a 281 is really odd.
The Wells audio amps I heard were dreadful, even the wire with GRAIN was better.

Something MUST have been wrong with it. I’ve owned the HT for over a year now and it’s the best I’ve heard. It is free of grain. The only amp that can hold a candle to it ime is the Eddie Current Studio. Head to head, I slightly preferred the HT for its midrange believe it or not. The EC had original and expensive aftermarket tubes. A great amp though. Give the HT another shot if you get a chance.

 

[Xecuter]

I didn't mean to say the Wells HT had grain, just that the grainy sounding gsx-mkii was better than the units I heard.
Maybe it was broken. I've heard two different units and disregarded Wells after my audition.

 

[lambdastorm]

Sorry for going off-topic, but I think Abyss might have another competitor in sheer bass performance.

RAAL debuted their ribbon headphone SRH 1A a while ago and I heard them at AES NY this Thursday and Friday. Many users thought they were the biggest surprise of the show on Canjam RMAF and I have to agree. These headphones look much the same as K1000, no earcups, no enclosure but the biggest surprise is the bass. It's not big, it's freaking tremendous. It defiles any preconception you might have about ribbon drivers, or rather, ribbon tweeters. Being used to the texture-rich, deep digging bass Abyss produces I wasn't prepared for the sheer impact and tactility the RAAL punches out. With zero enclosure and no earcups, these things produce bass out of thin air and sound more speaker-like than anything I've heard apart from Abyss. I was so impressed with the demo I stood there and listened for 10 more minutes just to make sure my ears are not playing tricks on me. Their bass performance is just that good. Talking to the rep I think what they're trying to do is to get a powerful driver to physically move air much like a speaker would. Playing some bassy tracks you can even see the drivers moving back and forth, and the excursion is something I've never seen on another pair of headphones before. My jaw hit the floor much the same way when I first got my Abyss. Every Abyss lover should check these out next time they're on Canjam, ridiculous stuff.

 

[mt-hifidelity]

Sorry for going off-topic, but I think Abyss might have another competitor in sheer bass performance.

RAAL debuted their ribbon headphone SRH 1A a while ago and I heard them at AES NY this Thursday and Friday. Many users thought they were the biggest surprise of the show on Canjam RMAF and I have to agree. These headphones look much the same as K1000, no earcups, no enclosure but the biggest surprise is the bass. It's not big, it's freaking tremendous. It defiles any preconception you might have about ribbon drivers, or rather, ribbon tweeters. Being used to the texture-rich, deep digging bass Abyss produces I wasn't prepared for the sheer impact and tactility the RAAL punches out. With zero enclosure and no earcups, these things produce bass out of thin air and sound more speaker-like than anything I've heard apart from Abyss. I was so impressed with the demo I stood there and listened for 10 more minutes just to make sure my ears are not playing tricks on me. Their bass performance is just that good. Talking to the rep I think what they're trying to do is to get a powerful driver to physically move air much like a speaker would. Playing some bassy tracks you can even see the drivers moving back and forth, and the excursion is something I've never seen on another pair of headphones before. My jaw hit the floor much the same way when I first got my Abyss. Every Abyss lover should check these out next time they're on Canjam, ridiculous stuff.

What amp were they using to drive the SRH 1A?

 

[lambdastorm]

What amp were they using to drive the SRH 1A?

A benchmark amp, not sure which model tho.

These are very power hungry and require a speaker amp plugged into an impedance adapter to drive them, much like HE6 & ABYSS.

 

[smodtactical]

Anyone find synthetic leather or velour pads made for the abyss phi ? Also synthetic leather / velour head band.

 

[mulder01]

I think Beolab had some pads custom made, but it was not recommended by JPS labs and expensive. Not sure if he still has them/ wants to sell them.
I had a spare non-leather headband, but I have sold my Abyss. Not sure if the new owner (thunder 99) is using it or wants to sell it if you can't get one directly off JPS.
Not everything is on their website but they do custom orders. Depends how much you want them I suppose.

 

[smodtactical]

I think Beolab had some pads custom made, but it was not recommended by JPS labs and expensive. Not sure if he still has them/ wants to sell them.
I had a spare non-leather headband, but I have sold my Abyss. Not sure if the new owner (thunder 99) is using it or wants to sell it if you can't get one directly off JPS.
Not everything is on their website but they do custom orders. Depends how much you want them I suppose.

I asked if they could make me an abyss without the real leather pads and headband as I don't buy leather products and they basically said no because we have tuned it perfectly and don't want to change that.

I guess I understand that because maybe other materials would make it sound worse and then I might be dissatisfied but I'm sure they could use materials and have alternatives that still sound great (just like @zach915m does at ZMF). Thanks Zach!

 

[mulder01]

Yeah they have recently refined the design with the phi CC, to incorporate perforated pads, so I guess it's understandable they wouldn't want to change their ear pad design for the worse (sound wise). Even if it is only a small difference - sometimes even the slightest change can make a massive impact on someone's opinion of an audio product - especially at flagship level.

 

[FLTWS]

Yeah they have recently refined the design with the phi CC, to incorporate perforated pads, so I guess it's understandable they wouldn't want to change their ear pad design for the worse (sound wise). Even if it is only a small difference - sometimes even the slightest change can make a massive impact on someone's opinion of an audio product - especially at flagship level.

I did not like the original 1266 and did not buy, the Phi changed my mind, the CC pads were a bonus adding to the comfort and a bit to the sound and it clamps to the driver housing with authority and no gaping to be on the lookout for any longer.

 

[wasupdog]

I know you guys are making different size headbands now. Any recommendations on headband sizes based on head size? I don't have any issues with the stock size but want the most support so the headphones don't drop down.

 

[Joe Skubinski]

The latest gen of headband that began shipping with the new CC version is pretty tight. Padding is slightly thicker, and the elastic bands quite durable.
Basically if the leather headband touches the aluminum above it needs to be replaced. The ABYSS website sells these accessories, or ask your local dealer.

 

[Toropijka]

Huh , I'm scared now . I'll buy phi cc or Focal Utopia , but after this case ... I need normal warranty for the whole period promised by Jps .