Re: Abyss Phi cable upgrade (part 2, including the Superconductor HP – part 1 here)
Background
Several months ago, after a prolonged at-home trial of the Danacable Lazuli Reference and DHC Prion4 (see
this post), I started searching for a 2nd hand Prion4 which I eventually bought from a fellow head-fier.
At the time, I did not include the JPS Superconductor HP (just SC from now on) in my evaluation because I were not able to find a practical way to get a loan here in Italy. Also, I was scared about the price.
However, I always remained curious about what the best JPS Labs cable for the AB-1266 could bring to the table, and you know what happens to an audiophile when the itch starts
A couple of weeks ago I indulged myself with the Superconductor HP cable for my Abyss Phi, and after about 60 hours of burn-in (both of the cable and of my brain / ears) I thought it was time to share some impressions here.
The most significant change of my rig from the time of my previous headphone cable comparison has been the addition of the Hugo M Scaler to my DAVE, which had a profound effect on my system, by making it darker, smoother, fuller, more natural sounding and less fatiguing. Actually, the effect has been so transformational that some of the notes I took in my previous A/B of the Prion4 vs. the stock JPS cable are not applicable anymore to my current configuration (see later on).
This is to remark how also A/B comparisons on single components / accessories are still very system dependent. As usual, YMMV.
Looks and Ergonomics
Ergonomics was the main reason I started looking for a replacement of the stock cable last year. It is much longer than I need, and I don’t really like its plasticky feeling when handling it, and its cheap looks.
Instead, I love the look and feel of both DHC and SC, where the DHC (also because of the color combination I have) is flashier and high-endish with its double braided design, and the SC is more elegant and austere but with outstanding details.
The ergonomics of the SC is easily the best. This cable is incredibly light and flexible, has no microphonics and is smooth to the touch.
Overall Sound Signature
The stock cable is the most neutral of all the cables I tried, in my opinion. It excels at dynamics, has great speed and visceral impact. Its bass response is full without being loose. Midrange is a bit dry and treble has some grain.
The Prion4 is a very transparent and detailed cable, with a liquid, extended treble and an effortless presentation throughout the sound spectrum, the downside being a comparatively lean-ish sound. The airier and most resolving of the three, especially in the bass / sub-bass area.
The SC has the richest midrange, and adds some bloom in the bass region. It is the warmest and overall fullest sounding. To my ears, it does not trade-off too much transparency, except for some bleeding between the bass and the lower midrange and a slight veil at the top end.
Going by memory, the SC retains most of the warmth and opulence of the Lazuli Ref., with less noticeable loss in transparency that was the deal breaker for my tastes with the Dana.
Imaging and Headstage
The SC has the widest soundstage – by a slight margin – and makes the Abyss sound grander than the other two.
The Prion4 is easily the best at imaging, due to its outstanding resolution and fine details retrieval.
The stock is no slouch, only the Prion4 clearly outperforms it, with its almost hyper-realistic focus capabilities.
Frequency Response
The bass of the SC is the thickest and more satisfying one. On the other hand, its added bloom trades for some articulation.
The Prion4 has a very tight and punchy bass. It goes as deep as the SC, but has shorter decay.
The stock has the most visceral impact, it makes the Abyss move air both very fast and strong. Overall, it is the most balanced bass, but the SC can put a larger smile on my face with the right tracks!
Midrange is where the SC does its magic, with a richer and more euphonic response, which is apparent on strings and especially on vocals.
The Prion4 midrange is the most articulated and clean one, very pleasing without being dry, where the stock sounds slightly recessed and sterile in comparison.
The Prion4 treble seems to have no extension limits and it is as liquid as it gets with the Abyss Phi. The Superconductor comes second with a sweeter, but also more veiled, presentation, and the stock falls short comparatively with a (slightly) harder and less refined top end.
Music Genres Match
Vocals are a highlight of the SC, especially female, where the added meat to the bone and harmonic richness make the singer stand out with more physicality.
Classical (orchestral) is a tight match between the stock and Prion4 especially when large scale dynamics and crowded fortissimos are key. Tonality-wise, the SC presents sweeter strings and very engaging double bass and tympany sections. In general, orchestral music is a joy to listen to with the Abyss, they are very, VERY good at this regardless of the cable.
With Chamber and Jazz I slightly prefer the Prion4 because of its immaculate transparency, that makes spatial cues, ambience effects and plankton retrieval very obvious. However, the SC sounded more real with some recordings where the violin came out a bit strident with the Prion4 and stock.
Piano is a clear win for the Superconductor to my ears. Low end harmonics structures are richer and the luminous midrange is very seductive with this instrument. Prion4 wins at transients and resolution.
Rock is where the stock performs best, because of its very fast and impactful response. However, its relative harshness in the upper midrange can be distracting with vocals and with bad recordings. The slightly more forgiving character of the SC can be beneficial in these cases.
Conclusion
At around 2k USD street price, it is clear that the Prion4 or Superconductor cable upgrade is even beyond the decreasing returns definition (you can buy a 2nd hand Utopia for that money!), as, regardless of all the effort in finding adjectives, qualificators and differentiators in what I have written above, we’re dealing with nuances and changes of flavors here - at least to my ears. And the stock cable is a good cable.
That said, with a resolving enough system, the right recordings and entering critical listening mode, these nuances become apparent and have a cumulative, definite beneficial impact on how much I enjoy listening to music with the AB-1266 Phi.
With the M Scaler in place, the improvement has become even easier to detect than when I did my previous comparison, and once heard it would be difficult to go back to the stock now.
Between the Prion4 and Superconductor, I cannot decide what I like best at this point. Both bring very special – different – things I really enjoy, and I believe I need more listening time with the SC to really make my mind.
However, it is hard to me to justify having both, and I believe I will end up putting one of the two in the classifieds in the future.
