[Slim1970]

Hi,

I finally got a pair of the Phi TCs.

After listening for a few hours I have some concerns:


They are connected to the Chord Hugo TT2 from the SE connection.


1. The most worrying problem is a lack of bass under 40hz.

I was very excited to listen to bass heavy songs and I noticed that the amount of bass is really lacking.

So I started playing bass notes at different frequencies and noticed that the bass output goes down severely under 40hz.

The loss is very noticeable at 35hz, 30 hz, 25hz is barely audible.

2. The second problem is with tonality & sibilance.

In some songs the S sounds are sibilant and quite annoying.

And there is an overall feeling of wrong tonality to the music - In some songs it just doesn't sound right.

I have been turning the pads and still didn't find the perfect balance between sound and comfort but I am trying.

Did someone also experience these problems?

Do they get better with burn in?

I have the TT2 and the SE output can’t properly drive the TC’s. Sure the TT2 can play them but the sound quality is not good. Driving the TC’s out of the TT2’s xlr outputs yields much better results in amp mode.

 

[Ciggavelli]

I first drove my TCs outta a TT2. I didn’t experience sibilant sounds. But, I did notice the bass wasn’t as good as everybody was saying. I even went as far as saying the Th900mk2s have better bass in quantity and quality.

Then, I got a Woo Audio WA33 headphone amp, which is more powerful than the TT2. Oh my, it made a big difference. The bass got bigger and better. It was a pretty substantial increase.

So, I no longer think a TT2 is capable of driving the TCs to their full potential. I Replaced the TT2 with a DAVE as well, which is a much better dac too

 

[MachineGunz]

TT2 is powerful enough to drive them?

Maybe SE connection is problem?

I tried using different equipment and the xlr cable but the result is still the same

Make sure not to seal the pads to your head. I found a small gap under my ear, almost like a port, really improved bass response. Try watching video on Abyss website about fitting the headphones. Definitely took me a while to find the right fit for sound. Also I toed them in towards front of my head.

I tried every pad position I can think of but I will keep trying.

I have the TT2 and the SE output can’t properly drive the TC’s. Sure the TT2 can play them but the sound quality is not good. Driving the TC’s out of the TT2’s xlr outputs yields much better results in amp mode.

It's quite interesting - I connected them to the XLR outs and the bass frequencies between 10 - 45 didn't change, Everything above that became much more powerful, But it also made the soundstage smaller, So I actually prefer the SE connection, However I am using a cheap xlr adapter for the TT2 so it probably has an effect.

I first drove my TCs outta a TT2. I didn’t experience sibilant sounds. But, I did notice the bass wasn’t as good as everybody was saying. I even went as far as saying the Th900mk2s have better bass in quantity and quality.

Then, I got a Woo Audio WA33 headphone amp, which is more powerful than the TT2. Oh my, it made a big difference. The bass got bigger and better. It was a pretty substantial increase.

So, I no longer think a TT2 is capable of driving the TCs to their full potential. Replaced the TT2 with a DAVE as well, which is a much better dac too

Thanks again for the help, It will take me a while until I can even think of getting this. But maybe one day.


Do you think it's also a part of the burn-in process?

Because the bass of the Phi TCs is absolutely amazing. It's just the lower bass frequencies that bother me.

 

[Eduardo C]

Hi all. I want to ask about your impressions using the Abyss phy tc while laying on bed. My LCD-4 are perfect for this since most of the weight is supported by the pillow. I understand the clamp force with the abyss is pretty week. Would that be a problem?
Thanks.

 

[InstantSilence]

Hi all. I want to ask about your impressions using the Abyss phy tc while laying on bed. My LCD-4 are perfect for this since most of the weight is supported by the pillow. I understand the clamp force with the abyss is pretty week. Would that be a problem?
Thanks.

I tried, the pillow makes it sound different... Because it's a *wall* to refract?

 

[Hoegaardener70]

Hi all. I want to ask about your impressions using the Abyss phy tc while laying on bed. My LCD-4 are perfect for this since most of the weight is supported by the pillow. I understand the clamp force with the abyss is pretty week. Would that be a problem?
Thanks.

I used my TC in bed at the beginning before moving my amp. It works pretty well if you find a right position for your pillow, I ended up mine putting half upright against my back. But saying that, once again, no real issue there. The frame will rest nicely.

 

[vonBaron]

Can't wait for my 1266 PHI CC to arrive.
OG quite easily beats my Rosson RAD-0.

 

[JLoud]

These are a couple pictures of the Monoprice case I bought for my Abyss. I made room for extra cables and a Dap. But you could easily fit an amp like a Schiit Jotenheim.

 

[JLoud]

The Audeze case is from my LCD-4. Just for reference as to size of the case.

 

[Slim1970]

The Audeze case is from my LCD-4. Just for reference as to size of the case.

The LCD-4 case is already huge. This case dwarfs it!

 

[Ciggavelli]

These are a couple pictures of the Monoprice case I bought for my Abyss. I made room for extra cables and a Dap. But you could easily fit an amp like a Schiit Jotenheim.

How did you cut the foam so well? I can never get it that straight and precise

 

[paradoxper]

Ok. Deciding I'm in the mood to be fickle, I've been playing with the fit on the TC. I've decided 1 o'clock for ear pad position is my overall sound preference. I also prefer the headband toed-out as there are more distortion characteristics toed-in. Bass can get pretty visceral porting lower on the ear.

However, during this replacement, I found when trying to extend my headband out fully, if I slightly flex the cups outward the full-extension slips back-in.
Now, this is actually my preferred fit, but I am left wondering if this is normal operation or if my set-screw has become loose.

Anybody else clarify this behavior?

 

[JLoud]

How did you cut the foam so well? I can never get it that straight and precise

This had the pick n' pluck foam. Took some time but turned out well. It really isn't huge. 19"X16" so not small.

 

[Ciggavelli]

Ok. Deciding I'm in the mood to be fickle, I've been playing with the fit on the TC. I've decided 1 o'clock for ear pad position is my overall sound preference. I also prefer the headband toed-out as there are more distortion characteristics toed-in. Bass can get pretty visceral porting lower on the ear.

However, during this replacement, I found when trying to extend my headband out fully, if I slightly flex the cups outward the full-extension slips back-in.
Now, this is actually my preferred fit, but I am left wondering if this is normal operation or if my set-screw has become loose.

Anybody else clarify this behavior?

I’ve noticed when tilting the cups inward and outward over time that the headband gradually slips back in. It seems like it is probably normal behavior given the physics of it all. If I do not tilt the cups inward or outward, the headband stays pretty extended. I adjust the cups depending on genre, so I ever so often have to fully extend the headband and kind of start over

 

[paradoxper]

I’ve noticed when tilting the cups inward and outward over time that the headband gradually slips back in. It seems like it is probably normal behavior given the physics of it all. If I do not tilt the cups inward or outward, the headband stays pretty extended. I adjust the cups depending on genre, so I ever so often have to fully extend the headband and kind of start over

This makes sense, then. The headband extending out still provides resistance. And it would seem the mechanism there-in is relied more on the o-ring stretch/spring action.

Thank you.