[Sajid Amit]

Has anyone A/B-ed between the WA33 (Elite/JPS/Stock) and the Primavera Trafomatic or otherwise formed first-hand listening impressions, with these amps driving the TC?

I have a serious itch to get one of the two.

I know @paradoxper has the Trafomatic and it appears to be a champ of an amp.

Comparisons between the two driving the TC would be so incredibly helpful for me right now, lol.

 

[simorag]

For those willing to give their AB-1266 TC drivers some serious gym in the bass region I recommend Graffiti Jazz No. 3, the 2nd track from the new David Chesky label The Audiophile Society free sampler. Just ludicrous

The whole sampler is very variegated and enjoyable, I did not expect any disappointment from David. Having headphone-specific mastering available is a great option of course, I will follow closely the next releases from this label

 

[dubharmonic]

do what i did with a lift some posts back. and to keep it in looks I used o-ring to hold the pad. I used a headphone pad for a thin head band forget had nothing to do

Geekria Hook and Loop Headband Cover + Headband Pad Set/Headband Protector with Zipper/DIY Installation No Tool Needed, Compatible with Bose B JBL ATH Hyperx Skullcandy Headphones (Black)​

did quick Amazon search and this is mine but mine is not leather

ZMF's pilot pad is working great!

 

[deuter]

For those willing to give their AB-1266 TC drivers some serious gym in the bass region I recommend Graffiti Jazz No. 3, the 2nd track from the new David Chesky label The Audiophile Society free sampler. Just ludicrous

The whole sampler is very variegated and enjoyable, I did not expect any disappointment from David. Having headphone-specific mastering available is a great option of course, I will follow closely the next releases from this label

​

Doesn’t apply to TC only, actually the bass is further improved by the OG given its more musical tuning but I get your point about the album.

 

[deuter]

On a side note I tried my Grado RS1i’s with some blues music by Peter Green and man do they sound wonderful through the Formula S.
Definitely worth getting them as a side pair given they are quite cheap and excellent value for money.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Spent some time earlier today A/B-ing the Luxman 505uxii and the Accuphase e480 at a friend's place.

I am a big fan of Accuphase. I prefer Accuphase to Pass Labs, Gryphon, most of Mcintosh, when driving most headphones, especially the TC, because the Accuphase has this midrange sweetness which is just the right amount, and a treble that is a nice balance between being energetic and polite. I have owned the e380 for a long time.

However, in this instance, I wanted to see what the Luxman amp could do with the TC. I used my FiiO M17 as a palette cleanser.

The M17 drives the TC well. But of course, not nearly to its fullest technical performance potential. Switching to the Luxman, the stage widened massively even off the humble Denafrips Aries II DAC. The Luxman slammed probably twice as hard as the M17, which you would expect (the M17 was also not in DC powered mode). Resolution improved perceptibly.

Switching to the e480, the TC stage widened even more. The images were massive and out of the head. Slammed as hard as the Luxman was probably slightly, ever-so-slightly more detailed. I didn't have my own e380 at hand, but would have loved to compare.

Overall, in terms of tonal and technical performance, I preferred the Accuphase and the Luxman to the M17, which is of course, no surprise.

But what was surprising to me is how well the TC tonality synergizes with the M17. I find the M17 thick and smooth sounding, which does not work for me with ZMF cans. But with the TC, damn, it's a really lovely sound, even if you sacrifice some technical performance.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

Spent some time earlier today A/B-ing the Luxman 505uxii and the Accuphase e480 at a friend's place.



I am a big fan of Accuphase. I prefer Accuphase to Pass Labs, Gryphon, most of Mcintosh, when driving most headphones, especially the TC, because the Accuphase has this midrange sweetness which is just the right amount, and a treble that is a nice balance between being energetic and polite. I have owned the e380 for a long time.



However, in this instance, I wanted to see what the Luxman amp could do with the TC. I used my FiiO M17 as a palette cleanser.



The M17 drives the TC well. But of course, not nearly to its fullest technical performance potential. Switching to the Luxman, the stage widened massively even off the humble Denafrips Aries II DAC. The Luxman slammed probably twice as hard as the M17, which you would expect (the M17 was also not in DC powered mode). Resolution improved perceptibly.



Switching to the e480, the TC stage widened even more. The images were massive and out of the head. Slammed as hard as the Luxman was probably slightly, ever-so-slightly more detailed. I didn't have my own e380 at hand, but would have loved to compare.

Overall, in terms of tonal and technical performance, I preferred the Accuphase and the Luxman to the M17, which is of course, no surprise.

But what was surprising to me is how well the TC tonality synergizes with the M17. I find the M17 thick and smooth sounding, which does not work for me with ZMF cans. But with the TC, damn, it's a really lovely sound, even if you sacrifice some technical performance.

Thank you very much for your impressions, as a M17 owner this is a pleasure to read .

 

[Cortazar]

I was able to try Accuphase C290 pre + A50V directly via speaker output with Abyss 1266 Phi and it was a bliss! Accuphase is a match made in heaven for Abyss as it has a sweet midrange with plenty of detail and 50Watt power do abyss the justice. I could compare it (on the fly) with riviera AIC 10 balance with Telefunken G73-R tubes which I do own and must sadly confess the Accuphase was hands out the winner .
I know the combo pre, power of Accuphase is also pricy but if you have a chance to try it (or buy) it is a must!

 

[karlheinz147]

-

 

[F208Frank]

When a mother still takes care of her child's problems because he's only in his 30s.

Too funny and too sweet.

 

[karlheinz147]

Too funny and too sweet.

It definitely helps with the weight distribution and hence comfort as well. The leather headband gives me a slight discomfort on the top of my head after 15-20 minutes, specially when the headphones are wide open and the o-rings and headband get tight.

 

[Ruddy1]

I was able to try Accuphase C290 pre + A50V directly via speaker output with Abyss 1266 Phi and it was a bliss! Accuphase is a match made in heaven for Abyss as it has a sweet midrange with plenty of detail and 50Watt power do abyss the justice. I could compare it (on the fly) with riviera AIC 10 balance with Telefunken G73-R tubes which I do own and must sadly confess the Accuphase was hands out the winner .
I know the combo pre, power of Accuphase is also pricy but if you have a chance to try it (or buy) it is a must!

Later version of phi, very good!

 

[Sajid Amit]

I was able to try Accuphase C290 pre + A50V directly via speaker output with Abyss 1266 Phi and it was a bliss! Accuphase is a match made in heaven for Abyss as it has a sweet midrange with plenty of detail and 50Watt power do abyss the justice. I could compare it (on the fly) with riviera AIC 10 balance with Telefunken G73-R tubes which I do own and must sadly confess the Accuphase was hands out the winner .
I know the combo pre, power of Accuphase is also pricy but if you have a chance to try it (or buy) it is a must!

Great to know. Will check out the combo.

 

[Olmanwood123]

Hey guys, I notice some of you have speaker amps and prefer them over headphone amps or even say less expensive speaker amps outperform higher cost headphone amps.

Got any great speaker amps in the 3,000 to 4,000 range for the TC? Was personally looking at the Benchmark AHB2.

I have the Soloist 3X GT which has a sub out. Should I get a speaker amp or just throw a subwoofer in the chain with the TC?

I use a Chord Ttoby for my desktop and Chord Etude (shared with my 2-channel) in my main set-up

 

[mitchb]

Has anyone compared the SC cable to a Danacable Nirvana or Ultra cable? I am enjoying a Nirvana cable with my Abyss TC’s but wonder how the SC cable compares.