[Barra]

Alright, I get it - no pictures and it didn't happen. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it and hopefully, my partners in crime can contribute some. It's not often that we are able to get such a great assortment of headphones together to listen side by side in a relatively quiet listening environment and compare on the same stack - but we got just that chance. With a solid Ygg/Rok platform, there were no worries about driving the HPs properly giving us an level playing field where we could just judge the merits of the headphones and how they compared. Well, that's not quite true as we were using @johnjen's three tweaks for the HD800s including the SonarWorks HD800 plug-in stacked with a sub bass boost and a phase reversal tweak as detailed here. The three tweaks proved to give the HD800 an unfair advantage in the end.
 
Partners in Crime: @Torq - whom we have to thank for hosting at his house and contributing the Ygg/Rok/HD800S/Abyss/HEK, @johnjen contributing the three tweaks plus the HD800 heavy mod, @bimmer100 contributing the HEX/stock HD800, and some Norne super cables, and @Hi-Phi for contributing his Dark Star amp.
 
Listening Method: We just casually took turns between conversations and gawked like children at the level of SQ. The listening was not scientifically controlled and volume matching was by ear, but we all had definite opinions and preferences. The fun part is that they were all different.
 
General Take Aways: Unless my partners in crime say different in the participant comments, the only consensus that I found are these:

• Best SQ: We all thought that the heavily modded HD800 with the three tweaks met or beat the Abyss performance depending on the song. At a quarter to a fifth of the price depending on how you look at it, that is quite an accomplishment.
• Poor Ergonomics: The Abyss ergonomics were awful. It took all night to get a good fit for anyone. Most of my listening was hold the pads to my ears with my hands to get a seal. Without a seal, the drivers fluttered as if they were about to pop.
• Elephant in the Room: We were supposed to also have an LCD4 to compare, but Audeze has been unable to ship anything out the last couple of months that it has been on order. Having heard the LCD4 before, it would be the one that stood out as very different from the rest. The lineup here were all going for audiophile, neutral, transparent, with large sound stage, ultimate detail, and still providing a dynamic bassy thump. The LCD4 goes for liquid euphoric first making it fun, but provides the other requirements only after it knows that we are thoroughly enjoying the experience. Hopefully, we can get one in the future to add the the lineup.

 
On to the impressions.
 
03/02/16 Update: The Abyss in our tests was a library loaner from the Cable Company which turned out to be damaged. Torq ended up buying the Abyss on the news and confirmed that the Abyss SQ is much greater than what we heard with the damaged pair. He will be updating his impressions.

 

[Barra]

Barra's Impressions:

1. Overall SQ: I'm an Abyss kind of guy. I felt that the Abyss - when a good fit can be found - has an unmatched full sized, textured feel. It is the most being there type of HP I have heard. Previously, side by side, my only preference over the Abyss was the LCD4 paired with the Audeze King amp when I was at RMAF. However, I cannot justify $4K for a HP for either the Abyss or the LCD4. That is where the HD800 with the three tweaks comes in. An HD800 can be had for around $1K, and when paired with the three tweaks, can match or best the Abyss at its own game. However, the Abyss always sounds great, where the HD800 sounds mediocre if not tweaked and sourced correctly. Don't get me wrong, the Abyss requires a great source too, but not having to worry about fiddling with your gear and the ease of trying different setup that the Abyss provides is worth a lot - but not the extra $3K to me. In the end, if I could pick one for free, it would be the LCD4 - no question. If I have to pay for it, it would be the HD800. What changed last night, is that the HEX for a little more than the HD800 has very solid SQ that doesn't require tweaking. So were going into last night, I thought I would end up with the HD800 to play with, I am now weighing the HEX option for my setup. Luckily I am on the HEX tour and will have one for a week shortly.
2. HEK vs. Abyss vs. HD800: Having the incredible lineup that we did, some of the greats tend to get ignored because of the other options. The Abyss cast a shadow on the HEK that was so big that the HEK was mostly ignored in favor of the Abyss. The HEK is a great HP and worthy of praise, but I just don't find it that compelling given the company. In its quest to be neutral it has the same fault (IMO) as the HD800 being set back a bit in its sound stage. I am an on stage or front row kind of listener as I don't do much classical that benefits from being set back. Furthermore, IMO the HEK has some frequency dips that further remove instruments or band members to sound if they are off in the audience somewhere. So I am not a fan of the HEK sound stage. The HD800 is all set back, but everything feels like it is full sized and together. The Abyss, on the other hand is intimate as if you are on stage as their special guest and very fun. Comparatively for me, the HEK and HD800 both provide a wide and concise sound stage where you can walk in your mind between the instruments. Abyss take the sound stage to a 3D plane where I can walk between, but then walk around to the other side and look back if that makes any sense. It is just more realistic and life like in its sound stage than either the HD800 or the HEK.
3. HEK vs. HEX: The HEK is the better headphone in terms of performance, but I like the HEX better..... what??? Silly as it sounds, side by side, the HEK draws more detail and is a better performer, but it has some issues that are fixed by the HEX making me prefer the HEX. Getting my shallowness out of the way, the HEX black is a huge improvement over the cheap looking HEK wood. The HEX also seems to feel let delicate than the HEK, but not by much being my main concern with either. The HEK issue for me is that it is a section or two back from the action like the HD800 to inflate the sound stage a bit. Worse than the HD800, the HEK has some frequency drops that put band members or instruments in the audience and off the stage. The HEK does not have a consistently coherent stage causing a loss of realism. The HEK fixes this by having forward mids that put you on stage or in the front row. While there is some frequency drops here too, it feels more like layering rather than putting the instrument in another room. This makes for a very fun and intimate presentation. However, the HEX treble does lose to the HEK treble which is an opinion that seems to be in conflict with the others. So the HEX fixes the HEKs flaws by being prettier, more intimate, and more fun. I am seriously considering getting a HEX for myself.
4. HEK/HEX Stock vs. Super Custom Cable: Side by side with the Abyss, the HEK sounded veiled and lifeless using the stock cable. Unfortunately the HEK has some sibilance too in stock format. Switching to the Norne silver super cable, the veil was lifted and the sibilance goes away. The HEK is back in the races. The HEX benefits from the Norne silver as well, but still has a little sibilance to my ear.
5. HD800S: The HD800S is a definite step up from the stock HD800 without any tweaks. The HD800S is still a HD800 though showing all the same weaknesses on a bad system. However, the HD800 starts out a step higher. Am I interested in getting one, no. I feel that the HD800 tweaked can beat it.
6. HD800S vs. HD800 Modded vs. HD800 Stock: The only competition that the Abyss had in the lineup was the triple tweaked HD800. In fact, they sounded very much alike when fully tweaked. The modded HD800 took it even further even besting the Abyss when ABed using the tweaks. On a raw untweaked system, the HD800S easily beats the stock or modded HD800, but given the tweaks, its left in the dust. The real question is where can we take the HD800S if it is properly tweaked?

 
I came into the meet thinking I would eventually get the HD800 so I can match what @johnjen accomplished. After all, it reaches or surpasses the Abyss at a fifth to a quarter of the price. However, I am almost there with my HD700 in enjoyment using the same HD800 tweaks which eliminates most of my motivation. On the other hand, it is worth a lot to me to easily listen to my HP untweaked at meets and such and that is where I feel the HEX delivers in spades. It is very enjoyable stock (well, better with custom silver cable), scales well up and down, and doesn't require a tweak just to sound good like the HD800 does. IMO, the HD800 sounds terrible/sterile/lifeless/bright/digital/artificial in stock format when not on a premium system built for it - not very versatile. So again, the real question is how far will the HEX go vs. the HD800 with both tweaked properly, and if the HEX sounds as good as it does stock, do I care to try? .............................................Well, I guess that is a silly thought as we are talking about this on Head-Fi. 

 

 

[johnjen]

I second the thanks to Torq for inviting us all to invade his home and fuss with all of this gear.
We all had a really great time, If I can speak for the group, and much was discussed and shared amongst us all.

And my 'heavily modded' 800's are a tweakers dream, in that they lend themselves to experimentation quite nicely.
They come apart and reassemble very easily which 'encourages' exploring differing types of tweaking.

But, at least to my mind, they aren't as heavily modded as some of the other efforts I've seen on the sites that I've perused.
Indeed the changes I've applied are relatively simple and 'easy' to perform.

The trick, of course, is knowing what to change and how, and which material(s) to use to 'tame' the 800's idiosyncrasies while leaving all of the good stuff intact.

And the EQ that I've been playing with is still being dialed in, but thus far shows great promise and just recently I've reached Gen-2 status with my efforts.
And I still have several more avenues to explore.

So, given the 'state of the tweak' and to have my 800's be considered as an equal to the 'high priced' cans, is encouraging.
And what was heard at this meet is only ≈ 85% of what I have achieved at home with the more dialed in gear I've been fussing with to explore tweaking my 800's.

All in all a good time was had by all and I really must thank Torq for letting us all stay FAR to late, as I'm sure there are a few bleary eyes today… :atsmile:

JJ

 

[Torq]

It was great having you all here and getting to spend the evening, and into the small hours, exploring and talking gear and music!  I had a wonderful time, had more preconceived notions brushed away, and came away from it in a different position to how I went in.
 
Even the non-Head-Fi conversations were energetic, fun, varied and educational.
 
Thank you all for dealing with the hassle of tearing down your gear and trekking all the way out to BFE; I got very lucky on that front!
 
So, to impressions – which I may add to over the next day or so (particularly as I get some more info on what was going on with the Abyss):
 

Overall Sound Quality:

 
@johnjen and his modified and tweaked (hardware and software) HD800 were, for me, the standout headphone of the evening.  Despite just acquiring the HD800S, I can see looking around for a good deal on a used set of HD800 to use as an “experimentation platform”.
 
No doubt, at some point, @johnjen will convince me to start experimenting with the HD800S, beyond the EQ and phase-reversal stuff we’ve tried already.
 
Abyss:
 
It’s hard to know where to start with these.  When I first got my hands on them I was expecting (perhaps erroneously) bass performance like nothing I’d ever heard in the headphone world. 
 
That isn’t what I got.
 
The HE-1000 played deeper, with more rumble, the HD800S was right in line, the modified HD800 were all over them and even my pre-fazor LCD-2.2 were in the ballpark
 
This was very much seal-dependent (and I had less trouble getting a seal on the Abyss than others).  For me I found a solid seal muted the bass somewhat and affected its extension.  With a very light (or no) seal, which is what I see recommended for these cans, there was far more bass presence and depth but turning up the volume a bit (about 80 dB SPL) there was horrible and obvious distortion on deep bass notes (the drivers sounded like they were flapping around).
 
I’m going to investigate to see if there is a problem with this (loaner) set of Abyss, or if that behavior is what is expected.  If it’s abnormal, then I can start to see where these headphones earned their “amazing bass” reputation.
 
Otherwise, I thought they were, ergonomics and price excepted, an enormously fun listen, combining the bottom end I’m used to with my Audeze LCD-2.2, but with more control and a more visceral presentation, and a lot more resolution and detail across the frequency range.
 
They are really well integrated and, despite an appparent modest “U’ shape to the FR curve they are very even handed and consequently work extremely well with every genre of music I have tried them with.
 
HEK vs. HEX:
 
While there are definite differences here, the HEX is staggeringly close to the HEK.  In some ways I think the HEX is a better headphone – for one, it doesn’t exhibit the HEK’s sibilance, for another the HEX feels better balanced across the frequency spectrum and it is, for me, a much better looking unit (the HEX really is beautiful).
 
I found myself thinking the resolution/detail “advantage” of the HEK has as much to do with their treble bump around 8-10 KHz and as such I’m not sure if there is a much “extra” or “real” information there as it first seems.
 
Both of these units benefitted markedly from the Norne Silvergard S cable that @bimmer100 brought along.  In the case of the HEK adding the Norne cable pretty much zapped the sibilance issue.  And with the HEX there was more apparent detail, particularly in the mids and higher treble regions.
 
Both of these headphones came closer to the relatively lush, sweet, mid range of my LCD-2.2, than anything I’ve heard outside of this overall lineup, but did so while exposing more detail and texture than the Audezes … and while being far more comfortable!
 
Of the two, I preferred the HEX over the HEK even in stock form and with the Silvergard S cable my preference for the much cheaper headphone was stronger still.
 
That I can use the HEX with my lower-power tube amp and/or my Mojo makes them an even more versatile option.
 
I think Dr. Fang has these models the wrong way round in his line up.
 
HD800S vs. HD800:
 
I think Sennheiser’s modifications to the HD800S have fixed the only real issue I’ve ever had with the HD800.  While my HD800S are not burned in yet (only at about 25 hours now), they’re smoother and far more civilized, maintain the famous soundstage and detail and you wind up with a bass region that seems more powerful as you can turn the volume up without having them screech at you in the treble.
 
They’re a bit more technical sounding, still, than either of the HiFi Man models and also the Abyss, but less sterile than they were before and a very solid offering.
 
Pecking Order:
 
For me, of all of these setups the modified HD800 were clear winners, but since you can’t run out and buy one of those right now, I’ll acknowledge them as the beasts that they are but otherwise limit my rankings to the (mostly) off the shelf-units.
 
I’m also going to assume that the bass distortion we heard in the Abyss with a super light seal (or no seal) turns out to be an issue with the set I have on hand then it looks like this:
 
Abyss > HEX (w/ Silvergard S cable) ~= HD800S > HEK > HD800
 
The differentiation between the HEK and the HD800S is genre dependent for me.
 
With price (or, rather, value I guess) considered, then the Abyss drops to a level closer to the HEX and HD800S for me and it winds up looking like this:
 
HD800S ~= HEX (w/ Silvergard S cable) ~= Abyss > HEK > HD800
 
But for overall capability, with no caveats, the Abyss is an amazing piece of equipment.  Flawed, especially ergonomically and cosmetically, but unfailingly musical, engaging, fun, exciting, interesting and emotive.
 
Big Take-Aways:
 

1. Cables: The more I experiment with cables, the more I’m finding differences … something I didn’t believe would be the case just a few months ago.
2. Amps: Amp pairings are definitely important.  The Abyss, for example, far more readily reflects the darker signature of the Dark Star amp than my HD800S.
3. Detail: I didn’t realize how much detail I was missing with my LCD-2.2c (I never though of them as lacking detail before, even compared to the other dynamic headphones I use).  And now that I’ve heard similar lushness and bass capability combined with that detail, I don’t think I can go back to the LCD-2.2c except situationally.  And I’m not that sure what those situations would be.

 

The $16,300 Question:

 
What am I going to do?  Or rather what am I going to buy?
 
I’ll be keeping the HD800S.
 
I’ll be adding the HiFi-Man Edition X (along with a Norne Silvergard S cable) to my line-up in the next week and those will, for now at least, likely be my general “for pleasure” headphone – largely replacing my LCD-2.2c in that role.  These were a real surprise and I genuinely prefer them to the HEK regardless of price.  And, at worst, if I wind up with the LCD-4 or Abyss later on, these will simply trickle down to one of my other systems.
 
Next will be the addition of a Woo Audio WA5 LE (with the parts upgrades).
 
What happens next will depend on how long it takes Audeze to get to a point where they can sell and SHIP me a pair of LCD-4 and how the issue I found with the Abyss plays out.
If my Abyss loaner just has a fault then I’m likely to just buy myself a pair, as, for as much as I can talk about their odd looks and dubious ergonomics, and the questionable value proposition, I do keep coming back to those to listen to more than anything else.  (And, for as many times as I’ve said “I’m NOT going to buy the Abyss” … I’m inching ever closer).
 
Otherwise it’ll be an LCD-4 vs. Abyss shoot-out and I’ll decide from there …
 
 

 

[Barra]

Finished my original post.

 

[bimmer100]

My wife and I had a great time and want to thank Torq for the invite and his hospitality with a great spread of food and drink to enjoy a plethora of fine headphones for the evening. Also I want to thank everyone for bringing out their gear too! I'm happy to have spent a little time with the Mojo and hear my HEX with them. I would love to attend another even like this in the future. Hopefully the LCD4 will be attending next time and stop being a party pooper and not show up. Torq was able to bring a big boy toy to the party, the infamous 5K headphone known as the Abyss.
 
Anyhow, I'm going to write a quick run down of the headphones I spent some time with. I want to be clear what i'm about to do. Since everyone wrote such a nice review that was quite correct and accurate. I'm going to have a little fun with this and write a bias review with some subtle humor. 
 
 
 
 
Edition X marks the spot : These are my daily everyday headphones that I truly love. I'm glad to have brought these to share with everyone that evening. I find these to be more linear than most any headphone I've ever heard. To me, they don't do anything bad, and do just about everything right. NOT perfect, but not far from. The price is justified imho. They can sound good on just about any setup and they are one of the few headphones that follows the freq curve developed by Doc Olive called the Harman Target. Although Paul Barton of PSB mentioned the Harmon Target is a bit light on bass by 3-4dB to account for natural gain that a listening room imparts on bass frequencies. IF is pretty close to the target with the bass issue mentioned from Paul.  The Edition X does very well in this regard. I've found that EQ'ing the Edition X just messes up the sound imho, i've not been able to EQ anything other than bass to get a little better sound out of these headphones. I like bass heavy music, so it's ideal for me to bump up the Sub Bass around 4-6db. I won't spend anymore time talking about my own headphones. They had a positive impression at this meet with those who had a chance to listen to them, and that is clear. These headphones are like me finding a treasure that I've been long searching for. note: The Norne SIlvergarde S cable makes these can's sing. Especially being 4pin balanced. The overall presentation is even more linear with bass extension improved dramatically and top end has absolutely no grain or sibilance. It's sad the stock cable is so poor. 

 
 
HE1000usd too much : I really love these headphones, and I don't agree with others on them feeling fragile or cheap. They feel solid to me yet a tad too heavy for my preference. My neck is permanently damaged and any extra weight on my head can be a big problem. I've found only headphones 400grams or less will be "OK" for long sessions of listening. These HE1000's are very much like the Edition X's and do a few things better than the Edition X, but overall I still find myself going back to my Edition X's for most of my listening. I spent a solid two weeks with both the HEK and HEX. I truly love both headphones and could never justify paying 1200usd more for a headphone that really doesn't have enough positive attributes beyond the HEX to justify that price. I personally like the wood and metal look, yet it adds a little extra weight. The thing I don't like about these is a slight recessed sound around 1800-2200hz around 3-4db in comparison to the HEX. So i'm a big fan of female vocal tracks and having this dip simply makes the music a little less if your face and intimate. Less realistic and natural. I personally thing both headphones have an excellent sound stage that is very big.  The Norne SIlvergarde S cable makes these sound SOOOO much better it's not even funny. sibilance is eliminated, bass is extended and overall just smoother with excellent detail retrieval. It's sad the stock cable is so poor.
 
Highfreq Death 800 / HD800Sibilant / HD800JJust about right - This was a clear difference between the three. The standard HD800 is awful imho. I own a pair, I should know. It's ear bleeding hell for those who are sensitive to treble. It feels like a screw driver being pile driven in your ear. OK jokes aside. The HD800 has potential once it's tuned with a few tweaks, and even more-so with software tweaks. We ALL know about these and have to say the JJ edition would be the peak of the HD800 status. As he says, Gen 2. 
And the HD800S is Gen 1.5.  The HD800S is a great improvement over the HD800, yet still is too bright imho. I noticed the bass extension the most. They all have potential and it's a great headphone if you don't keep it stock. Otherwise it's dry and sterile, recessed and overly analytical and less musical than other headphones. So get out your modding hats and start to do a bit of DIY to get something REALLY special from these cans. They truly can be unbeatable if you are willing to go this route. I know I actually enjoy my HD800's with a Anex mod 4.0 I did with sorbothane and alcantara with both materials having 3M backed adhesive. This allowed for ultra thin high performance sound dampening to eliminate reflections. Yet I prefer the filters to be on, I like the stock look myself. Soon I'll add the draug2 cable and will have a top performing HD800 that will likely surpass my Edition X. But will stay in my collection of cans. 

 

 
 
ABYSMAL aka ABYSS- What can I say? I'm NOT an abyss kind of guy. The ergonomics.... once I got past this issue I could actually take a listen. We all know about the Ergonomics and the requirement to BEND a 5k headphone. yes...BEND! What? anyhow. The twisting cups on magnets seems "odd" and really only should be adjusted 2-3 positions depending if you're a human, elf or an alien from the deep abyss. So they got their bases covered for most life forms that may want to listen to music. Mad props to JPS Labs for not discriminating against Elfs and Aliens. They actually even considered the use for giants and ogre's like shrek.
OK OK, jokes aside. They are a very awkward pair of headphones that weighs about 620grams of pain. They are not efficient at around 85dB/mW and kinda remind me of the HE-6. Mostly made to flaunt your money and flex your amp muscles. that's ok, I do that a lot too. So i'm quite guilty of it.  The specs of 5Hz to 28KHz sound good to me, and I see they are capable headphones yet the freq response charts are all over the place as if a kid on an etch a sketch made the graph. They are not an accurate sounding headphone. They are a fun sounding headphone. I found them to sound quite congested in the sound stage. I also listened to Norah Jones - Cold Cold heart, and that's about my feelings towards these headphones. They did her no justice considering how well those recordings are.   They simply were not for me! 
 
God, i'm an ass. But hope everyone had at least one laugh. I don't think any of the headphones truly deserve a bashing. They all are potentially top of the line headphones and every one has their flaws. We all hear differently. I have to say thank you to everyone for making this event possible. Lets do this again!
 
 
UPDATE 3/1/2016
 
Apparently the ABYSS we had this evening was DEFECTIVE. and surely would explain why I thought so poorly of it. I would love to have the opportunity to hear them again and give them a review that is more positive. I surely tore them apart simply due to them sounding...well... abysmal!

 

[bacon333]

Great impressions guys! I'm going to have to try those HD 800 tweaks. I'm about to sell them off as even with the Anax mod, can't compare to the Abyss. 
 
Did you guys use any vibration isolation, power conditioners/regens ,USB conditioners, streamers? Would be curious about which ICs as well. Of course the overarching characteristic of these headphones will shine through the components but just curious to know.
 
I did a similar shootout here which should complement yours. 
https://audiobacon.net/2015/12/14/ultra-high-end-full-size-open-headphone-shootout/
 
Obviously, I'm an Abyss kinda guy. Its ability to layer and texture the music is unmatched to my ears. With the proper setup and fitting, the concussive bass is quite a treat. If you prefer a warmer sound their Superconductor HP cable does the trick (moves the mids forwards and chocolate coats it). It's luscious indeed but I feel it takes away from the dynamics and smears the micro-details a bit. Loses quite a bit of sparkle. Needless to say, it changes the sound of the Abyss completely over the stock cable.
 
The HD 800S is obviously an improvement over the original but what would you say are the primary performance differences between it and an Anax modified HD 800?
 
Thanks again for your work with this shootout. I know this type of objective listening could lead to insanity at times. Now my curiosity has been sparked regarding the HEX, HD 800S, and LCD-4 (shakes fist)

 

[Barra]

  Great impressions guys! I'm going to have to try those HD 800 tweaks. I'm about to sell them off as even with the Anax mod, can't compare to the Abyss. 
 
Did you guys use any vibration isolation, power conditioners/regens ,USB conditioners, streamers? Would be curious about which ICs as well. Of course the overarching characteristic of these headphones will shine through the components but just curious to know.
 
I did a similar shootout here which should complement yours. 
https://audiobacon.net/2015/12/14/ultra-high-end-full-size-open-headphone-shootout/
 
Obviously, I'm an Abyss kinda guy. Its ability to layer and texture the music is unmatched to my ears. With the proper setup and fitting, the concussive bass is quite a treat. If you prefer a warmer sound their Superconductor HP cable does the trick (moves the mids forwards and chocolate coats it). It's luscious indeed but I feel it takes away from the dynamics and smears the micro-details a bit. Loses quite a bit of sparkle. Needless to say, it changes the sound of the Abyss completely over the stock cable.
 
The HD 800S is obviously an improvement over the original but what would you say are the primary performance differences between it and an Anax modified HD 800?
 
Thanks again for your work with this shootout. I know this type of objective listening could lead to insanity at times. Now my curiosity has been sparked regarding the HEX, HD 800S, and LCD-4 (shakes fist)

@johnjen is the one to ask about the HD800 mods and tweaks. @Torq is the one to ask about the system chain.

 

[Torq]

@bacon333 I read, and enjoyed, the shoot-out you linked too here before I grabbed the Abyss and HE-1000 for this particular get together.  Since you've used the Abyss, any comment on the Abyss bass distortion we found with an incomplete seal?
 
The system being used for most of the listening was as follows:
 
Music:
 
Predominantly red-book CD-rips, and direct TIDAL “HiFi” streams with a few 24/96 and 24/192 KHz downloads from HD Tracks and Linn Records.  Some of the guys played some DSD files, using Audirvana’s DSD to PCM conversion (since my DAC doesn’t do DSD).
 
Software Player (and Plug-Ins):
 
Audirvana for local files, using a multi-gigabyte RAM buffer, and the OS X Tidal dedicated client, both using exclusive and integer modes.
 
For the @johnjen HD800 experiments we were running the latest versions of Sonarworks and DMG Equilibirum; most of the rest of the critical listening was done without those plug-ins.
 
Computer:
 
12 Core new Mac Pro, fully loaded, on the latest RTM build of El Capitan, outputting exclusively over optical.
 
Interconnects:
 

1. 3 meter glass optical TOSLINK cable⁽¹⁾ from the Mac to the DAC.
2. AudioQuest Colorado XLR (w/ 72v DBS) @ 0.5m

 
DAC:
 
Schiit Yggdrasil (using balanced output, and powered on continuously for several months).
 
AMP:
 
Schiit Ragnarok (medium gain, XLR input and output only).
 
Power:
 
Emotiva CMX-2⁽²⁾ into Maze Audio Ref4 Carbon (10 gauge, Furotech) for both DAC and AMP
 
Misc:
 

1. No USB conditioners/regenerators, since there’s no USB connection in the system.
2. No vibration isolation (solid-state headphone-only system).
3. No streamers⁽³⁾.

 
--
 
Notes:
 

• Tested at my office lab to well beyond the requirements of the TOSLINK spec, even at minimum bend radius, with no issues.
• Adding the CMX-2 made no audible difference to the system; however it did stop a UPS on the same circuit (but not connected via the CMX-2) from buzzing, so I left it installed.
• The next test we do may include one as the experience I’ve had with my Linn Akurate DSM shows it sounds better fed via Ethernet than any of its coax, optical or HDMI inputs.

 

[bacon333]

  @bacon333 I read, and enjoyed, the shoot-out you linked too here before I grabbed the Abyss and HE-1000 for this particular get together.  Since you've used the Abyss, any comment on the Abyss bass distortion we found with an incomplete seal?
 
The system being used for most of the listening was as follows:
 
Music:
 
Predominantly red-book CD-rips, and direct TIDAL “HiFi” streams with a few 24/96 and 24/192 KHz downloads from HD Tracks and Linn Records.  Some of the guys played some DSD files, using Audirvana’s DSD to PCM conversion (since my DAC doesn’t do DSD).
 
Software Player (and Plug-Ins):
 
Audirvana for local files, using a multi-gigabyte RAM buffer, and the OS X Tidal dedicated client, both using exclusive and integer modes.
 
For the @johnjen HD800 experiments we were running the latest versions of Sonarworks and DMG Equilibirum; most of the rest of the critical listening was done without those plug-ins.
 
Computer:
 
12 Core new Mac Pro, fully loaded, on the latest RTM build of El Capitan, outputting exclusively over optical.
 
Interconnects:
 

1. 3 meter glass optical TOSLINK cable⁽¹⁾ from the Mac to the DAC.
2. AudioQuest Colorado XLR (w/ 72v DBS) @ 0.5m

 
DAC:
 
Schiit Yggdrasil (using balanced output, and powered on continuously for several months).
 
AMP:
 
Schiit Ragnarok (medium gain, XLR input and output only).
 
Power:
 
Emotiva CMX-2⁽²⁾ into Maze Audio Ref4 Carbon (10 gauge, Furotech) for both DAC and AMP
 
Misc:
 

1. No USB conditioners/regenerators, since there’s no USB connection in the system.
2. No vibration isolation (solid-state headphone-only system).
3. No streamers⁽³⁾.

 
--
 
Notes:
 

• Tested at my office lab to well beyond the requirements of the TOSLINK spec, even at minimum bend radius, with no issues.
• Adding the CMX-2 made no audible difference to the system; however it did stop a UPS on the same circuit (but not connected via the CMX-2) from buzzing, so I left it installed.
• The next test we do may include one as the experience I’ve had with my Linn Akurate DSM shows it sounds better fed via Ethernet than any of its coax, optical or HDMI inputs.

I appreciate your listing out the gear in detail. I go gaga over this geeky stuff  
 
So the bass distortion was a bit interesting. The borrowed headphones I believe were bent in a way where this distortion was a bit distracting. You won't believe it but I actually had to push the cups towards my ears during listening in order to evaluate (without covering the opening). The "tightest" setting on the borrowed Abyss didn't help. 
 
When I purchased the Abyss, this was not an issue. It fits perfectly and seals properly. I have a buddy with a huge head and he noticed the distortion slightly (It was obvious from a frontal point of view that his head was bending the headphone). Overall he said it wasn't a big deal and didn't detract from the sonic experience.
 
For what it's worth, I've found that placing the Abyss towards a bit behind your ear helps with a heftier low-end response. Hope that helps!

 

[ubs28]

I also liked the HEX over the HEK quite surprisingly. Good to see that I'm not the only one

 

[Torq]

It helps some, thanks!
 
I had no particular problem getting a seal on the Abyss, light or firm.  What I did notice however was the the depth of bass being reproduced was dependent on how tight that seal was.  The lighter the seal, the better the extension and detail got.  To a point.  Cross that point, and it was, above a certain(reasonable (80 dB SPL) level were literally unlistenable - mostly because it sounds like the drivers were flapping about freely and I wasn't comfortable letting the headphones run like that.  Imagine speaker cabinets resonating to the point where it sounds like something is about to break and you'll be in the right ball park.
 
At the lightest reliable seal I could get, the bass extension was good, but certainly not what I'd come to expect from reading reviews (and a bit behind some of the other cans we had on hand).  Control, slam and detail were certainly excellent, but depth ... no, nothing special.
 
Since this was a completely repeatable situation, I assumed that the cans just needed some level of seal to work against to keep the drivers under control.  They certainly sounded excellent when sealed properly.  I'm mostly curious if that's normal or not - as if not it calls other things into question.  At lower volumes, with no seal at all, the bass depth was truly impressive ... so I was surprised when I found the issue as the volume level increased.
 
I talked with the guys at The Cable Co. and they were going to chat with Joe about it today, so I'm expecting to get that response tomorrow - that'll dictate if I persevere with them or not.

 

[johnjen]

Great impressions guys! I'm going to have to try those HD 800 tweaks. I'm about to sell them off as even with the Anax mod, can't compare to the Abyss. 

Did you guys use any vibration isolation, power conditioners/regens ,USB conditioners, streamers? Would be curious about which ICs as well. Of course the overarching characteristic of these headphones will shine through the components but just curious to know.
snip

In my fussings I've tried all of the 'older' varients of the anax mods.
I've not tried their latest efforts including the 6KHz Helmholtz resonator.

I've taken a different path and approach than heavily dampen the ear cavity or 'block' the generated waveform from direct access to my ears.

The idea was instigated by the SAA mods and then when EQ became a viable tool it opened up a HUGE area for tweaking, along with the vibration management approach I'm taking, and the Phase Reversal Tweak.

Together these tweaks are mutually enhancing and work well together, either by using some or all of them in concert.
I'm still in the process of configuring EQ curves and such and playing with further mods to my 800's just to find out how far I can take my approach.

And there are Always trade offs to any approach.

But the experiments continue and the results I'm garnering are quite pleasing. :atsmile:

JJ

 

[wink]

I'd like to see a mod that doesn't require any software EQ being needed.  

 
Pipe dream..?  I hope not..... 

 

[Torq]

  I'd like to see a mod that doesn't require any software EQ being needed.  

 
Pipe dream..?  I hope not..... 

That'd be nice, for sure - as it opens things up to much simpler replay chains that don't require a full-blown computer to drive.  Not that that is too hard with Mac Minis or something like the Intel NUC, but real "appliance" type players are certainly a bit easier to integrate into one's life and don't have the patch-maintenance requirements of normal computers.
 
I can't argue with the results @johnjen has been getting though ...
 
Even with my physically unmodified headphones, the software tweaks alone are quite startling.
 
Of course, "someone" could always put together an appliance/component style equalizer that actually ran software that operated at the same level of fidelity and accuracy as things like Sonarworks and Equilibrium and, once configured, could just be put ahead of the DAC in the chain to do it's magic ...