[sn0gl0be]

Not sure if I’ve ever seen what the 1266 driver/diaphragm looks like. But found a picture on the net for anyone interested. I think they are the only one’s doing single piece one sided magnet structure unlike the row of bar magnets other planar magnet companies use (Eg. Hifiman).
EDIT: This is a broken driver, not representative of a new one too. Please ignore (though still rather cool to see the internails)

 

[ufospls2]

Not sure if I’ve ever seen what the 1266 driver/diaphragm looks like. But found a picture on the net for anyone interested. I think they are the only one’s doing single piece one sided magnet structure unlike the row of bar magnets other planar magnet companies use (Eg. Hifiman).

Thats a Phi, not a Phi TC, just in case people were curious. I think the one below MIGHT be a TC (I'm not sure.) I'd ask Abyss if curious.

Also, opening your Abyss is a bad idea imo, defo not recommending people do so.

 

[DJJEZ]

A bit off-topic but also want to share the change of my setup in 4 months.

When are you adding the 1266tc

 

[sn0gl0be]

Thats a Phi, not a Phi TC, just in case people were curious. I think the one below MIGHT be a TC (I'm not sure.) I'd ask Abyss if curious.

Also, opening your Abyss is a bad idea imo, defo not recommending people do so.

Thanks for the correction. Edited my original post, it turns out these were tampered/defective drivers and not representative of the usual driver.

 

[MWeston]

Thanks for the correction. Edited my original post, it turns out these were tampered/defective drivers and not representative of the usual driver.

Nah, there's nothing wrong with the driver in your picture. DMS misspoke. Here is a post with a really, REALLY defective 1266 driver.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-headphone-driver-pics-thread.202122/post-16303065

 

[lumdicks]

When are you adding the 1266tc

There is no dealer of Abyss in Hong Kong so I am not able to audition 1266TC. I have once tried the 1266PHI and impressed with the bass and soundstage but unluckily the weight and ergonomic were not working very well with me as I am having some problem with my neck.

 

[qboogie]

Thats a Phi, not a Phi TC, just in case people were curious. I think the one below MIGHT be a TC (I'm not sure.) I'd ask Abyss if curious.

Also, opening your Abyss is a bad idea imo, defo not recommending people do so.

I kept hearing a high pitch metallic buzzing in my left TC driver at certain parts of songs. I suspected a tiny hair or dust mote was vibrating against the diaphragm. When I opened it up my suspicion was confirmed. It was worth checking for myself rather than sending it back for "driver failure"

 

[helljudgement]

Studio B will not power the 1266 sufficiently as the Studio T did not.

Thanks for the confirmation. Guess I’ll have to look elsewhere for now.

Studio B might work well, since it's 300B.
1266 doesn't sound like itself on my DNA Stratus, but it's 2A3's and hence lower powered than Studio B.
To be clear it sounds OK, but a but constrained in stage and the vocals are further recessed.

WA33 is very good, but I'm actually preferring them on Solid State at the moment, an Original Cavali Liquid Gold, it's close and I could still swap back to the WA33, I think it plays more to the strengths of the 1266.

It's actually not a lot more powerful than the stratus. It seems like most people are having better results with solid state amps so unless I'm planning to build a separate setup I don't think it's feasible for me to get the abyss now with my current equipment.

The cost of running a WA33 makes it difficult for me to justify owning them alongside my EC and DNA amps but I am interested to hear one someday. Sadly Cavalli amps are no longer available else I'd have gotten the liquid glass and crimson. Fortunately I manage to get on EC last run of amps.

 

[mammal]

Sadly Cavalli amps are no longer available else I'd have gotten the liquid glass and crimson.

There may be Liquid Tungsten happening in the future

 

[lucasratmundo]

A bit off-topic but also want to share the change of my setup in 4 months.

Glad to see that I'm not alone in the speed of changes in my system! I went from a Schiit stack paired with a HD660s to a Topping A90/D90 stack paired with Focal Clear to my current setups (see signature) in about 6 months. The quest continues!

 

[DJJEZ]

Glad to see that I'm not alone in the speed of changes in my system! I went from a Schiit stack paired with a HD660s to a Topping A90/D90 stack paired with Focal Clear to my current setups (see signature) in about 6 months. The quest continues!

Same here. I've upgraded like crazy in 2021

 

[Palyodgree]

You guys with both 1266 TC & Susvaras which brand does well recorded vocals best ? meaning most human sounding,…I haven’t listened to either however next month I will be checking the both brands out , until that day comes time is moving slooow,.

 

[lucasratmundo]

You guys with both 1266 TC & Susvaras which brand does well recorded vocals best ? meaning most human sounding,…I haven’t listened to either however next month I will be checking the both brands out , until that day comes time is moving slooow,.

Vocals sound more natural and intimate with the Susvara in my opinion.

 

[Polygonhell]

Sadly Cavalli amps are no longer available

Yes i got enormously lucky to get mine, I was browsing USAudioMart for a used Bakoon 13R that had just been sold (before they were all the rage), and it popped up then and there, had been listed for less than 15 minutes when I mad an offer on it. It was the one Cavalli amp I really wanted, so it wasn't a hard call.

 

[Polygonhell]

You guys with both 1266 TC & Susvaras which brand does well recorded vocals best ? meaning most human sounding,…I haven’t listened to either however next month I will be checking the both brands out , until that day comes time is moving slooow,.

It's a surprisingly difficult comparison, one that I think comes down to what you listen to most regularly.
My 1266 is still only a couple of weeks old, but it's an initially very impressive headphone, it took me this long to miss the Susvara (I listen to all my new gear pretty much exclusively for a week or two, then swap back).
Short version to me at least is Bass, Macrodynamics and with a slight caveat staging, go to the 1266, with the right amp Naturalness of presentation, timbre and micro dynamics go to the Susvara.
I consider detail to be a tie on my amps, I initially felt the 1266 had more, but having now gone back, I think it's just presented differently, and in some ways I'd argue for the Susvara on that point.
Both are comfortable headphones once you get past messing with the pads on the 1266.
The Susvara is more amp picky, I'll keep both, my D8000pro might be out of a job, but I still prefer the bass presentation on that headphone to even the 1266, it doesn't have the extension or slam of the 1266 but it's still the only headphone that can provide the level of articulation of bass effectively.

The 1266 doesn't murder average to bad recordings quite as much either.

I could see some people taking stances of definitively preferring one or the other, so if you can you should try and hear them, but the 1266 is the most immediately impressive of the two. The Susvara needs more listening time to really appeciate.