[Marlowe]

I think they are discussing the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC, the Abyss flagship which starts at a cool $5k. TBH, as a retired audiophile on a very fixed income (and have about as much a chance as ever buying these as getting shot into space by Jeff Bezos), I sort of semi-pretend stuff like this doesn't exist. I do have some pretty decent gear from scrimping and saving (and the Aeolus courtesy of the first $1200 stimulus check; I spent this year's stimulus on an OLED TV) and am planning on saving into next spring for a good planar (probably the LCD-X or Arya), so I'm doing fine. But Abyss headphones are just out of my financial league.

Or maybe its Abyss' brand new Diana TC. Since writing the above, I noticed that Josh Valour posted his first impressions on this headphone this morning (spoiler alert: he loves them). It's tough to design a great set of cans when you hold the the MSRP target to only $4,495.

 

[smodtactical]

Or maybe its Abyss' brand new Diana TC. Since writing the above, I noticed that Josh Valour posted his first impressions on this headphone this morning (spoiler alert: he loves them). It's tough to design a great set of cans when you hold the the MSRP target to only $4,495.

Not much of a spoiler... its Josh LOL.

 

[Arghavan]

It's tough to design a great set of cans when you hold the the MSRP target to only $4,495.

Is it though? There are many great sets of cans for much much lower price.
Even If I had 4.5k to spend on headphones I would've preferred to buy two or even three complimentary cans.
If you limit yourself to just one can you get bored pretty soon and you'll be tempted to spend even more on an "upgrade" when your brain is just looking for something different. I recommend this video by DMS on this matter:

 

[Marlowe]

Is it though? There are many great sets of cans for much much lower price.
Even If I had 4.5k to spend on headphones I would've preferred to buy two or even three complimentary cans.
If you limit yourself to just one can you get bored pretty soon and you'll be tempted to spend even more on an "upgrade" when your brain is just looking for something different. I recommend this video by DMS on this matter:

Uhhh, sarcasm? (In my post, to be clear.) BTW, I like DMS (even though they are apparently buddies, he's like the anti-Zeos, and I mean that as a compliment; his reviews are concise, detailed, and specific), but I didn't care for this particular video much. And FWIW, I believe DMS works for Abyss, though it has little to do with his reviews--given their prices, almost nothing he reviews really competes with them.

Personally, I wish I had the resources to get (or at least audition) the Abyss headphones. I have little doubt that they are great, though obviously not close to four times as good as an Aeolus ($5k vs $1.2K). I understand the principle of complementary headphones (and practice it myself; I'm thinking of a new pair this spring and am leaning to something very different from the Aeolus like the closed DCA Noire), but in practice I tend to ignore it. Although I have a few pretty good pairs of headphones, I rarely use anything but the Aeolus for music listening. But I watch a lot of streaming TV and movies and do switch off more for that. More often than not, I use the Sennheiser HD700 (which I never use for music any more) because its wide sound stage is immersive and it's easily the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn (I watch for hours). But for a lot of movies, especially modern action movies, I lean to the Focal Elex because of its punchy dynamics. And if the movie is music heavy, I go for the Aeolus.

 

[LeMoviedave]

I don't have the HEKSE, but do very much enjoy Arya on either output on my Chord DAC fed Pendant SE. I enjoy it with the Pendant much more than from out of the TT2 directly. And that's the only other amp I have right now to compare it to.

Any issues with additional bass body or loss of bass control vs the chord?

 

[Arghavan]

Uhhh, sarcasm? (In my post, to be clear.) BTW, I like DMS (even though they are apparently buddies, he's like the anti-Zeos, and I mean that as a compliment; his reviews are concise, detailed, and specific), but I didn't care for this particular video much. And FWIW, I believe DMS works for Abyss, though it has little to do with his reviews--given their prices, almost nothing he reviews really competes with them.

Personally, I wish I had the resources to get (or at least audition) the Abyss headphones. I have little doubt that they are great, though obviously not close to four times as good as an Aeolus ($5k vs $1.2K). I understand the principle of complementary headphones (and practice it myself; I'm thinking of a new pair this spring and am leaning to something very different from the Aeolus like the closed DCA Noire), but in practice I tend to ignore it. Although I have a few pretty good pairs of headphones, I rarely use anything but the Aeolus for music listening. But I watch a lot of streaming TV and movies and do switch off more for that. More often than not, I use the Sennheiser HD700 (which I never use for music any more) because its wide sound stage is immersive and it's easily the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn (I watch for hours). But for a lot of movies, especially modern action movies, I lean to the Focal Elex because of its punchy dynamics. And if the movie is music heavy, I go for the Aeolus.

I'm also leaning toward the Aeon Noire. Aeolus (Open/Dynamic/Warm/Relaxed) vs. Noire (Closed/Planar/Detailed/Bright) could be a good combo. Unfortunately there are not a lot of good closed planars (LCD-XC is too heavy for me)

 

[jinxy245]

Personally, I wish I had the resources to get (or at least audition) the Abyss headphones.

Don't forget CanJam NYC 2022 is right around the corner! IDK where you are in Jersey/how far a trip into Manhattan is for you, but it can be a lot of fun to check out all the great gear.

 

[robo24]

Any issues with additional bass body or loss of bass control vs the chord?

Not that I’ve noticed, but the bass is very variable with tube rolling and I’ve not used the stock tubes since the first week.

 

[jonathan c]

I'm also leaning toward the Aeon Noire. Aeolus (Open/Dynamic/Warm/Relaxed) vs. Noire (Closed/Planar/Detailed/Bright) could be a good combo. Unfortunately there are not a lot of good closed planars (LCD-XC is too heavy for me)

What about Kennerton Rognir at 406g (versus LCD-XC at 675g) and is reportedly fantastic?

 

[Marlowe]

Don't forget CanJam NYC 2022 is right around the corner! IDK where you are in Jersey/how far a trip into Manhattan is for you, but it can be a lot of fun to check out all the great gear.

I can literally see the midtown Manhattan skyline across the Hudson from my apartment window (downtown is blocked), but I really meant seriously audition with a view to purchasing, not listening to an open backed headphone I can never possibly afford for a few minutes in an extremely noisy environment. And frankly, since I am 68 and have some health problems, the odds of getting me to a crowded indoor public place, undoubtedly with plenty of maskless people, despite full vaccination and booster is about zero.

 

[Marlowe]

What about Kennerton Rognir at 406g (versus LCD-XC at 675g) and is reportedly fantastic?

I've seen very few reviews of Kennerton products, which I believe is Russian. How available are they in the US? Prices on their English language website are quoted only in euros; the Rognir closed planars are cheaper than the Abyss cans, but still in Focal Utopia territory. Honest Audiophile did post a favorable review recently of the Kennerton Gjallarhorn, a closed horn driver that (in euros) costs roughly the same as the Aeolus.

 

[jonathan c]

I've seen very few reviews of Kennerton products, which I believe is Russian. How available are they in the US? Prices on their English language website are quoted only in euros; the Rognir closed planars are cheaper than the Abyss cans, but still in Focal Utopia territory. Honest Audiophile did post a favorable review recently of the Kennerton Gjallarhorn, a closed horn driver that (in euros) costs roughly the same as the Aeolus.

You can change the currency on the Kennerton website. There is one distributor in the US. Audio 46 in NYC ( 29 West 46th Street). There are two Head-Fi threads on Kennerton headphones - one for closedback, the other for open back….

 

[DeweyCH]

I've seen very few reviews of Kennerton products, which I believe is Russian. How available are they in the US? Prices on their English language website are quoted only in euros; the Rognir closed planars are cheaper than the Abyss cans, but still in Focal Utopia territory. Honest Audiophile did post a favorable review recently of the Kennerton Gjallarhorn, a closed horn driver that (in euros) costs roughly the same as the Aeolus.

I have a set of LSA HP-2s, which are rebranded Gjallarhorns (less expensive, less fancy wood). I really, really, really like them. Kennerton makes fabulous headphones, and listening to horn-loaded cans is a nice experience. No idea how the tech works, but they sound fancy as heck.

 

[Pier Paolo]

I have installed the new mesh and I think that the aeolus now is more airy, a little more open and precise. Also the bass seens more firm and the all sound more crisp. At the monent I have the universe perforated suede pads but, with these new grilles, I think that the Aeolus original pads could have a new life.
Strange that Zach said that the new grilles should be equal to the old ones…..

 

[NickT23]

I have installed the new mesh and I think that the aeolus now is more airy, a little more open and precise. Also the bass seens more firm and the all sound more crisp. At the monent I have the universe perforated suede pads but, with these new grilles, I think that the Aeolus original pads could have a new life.
Strange that Zach said that the new grilles should be equal to the old ones…..

Have you done a direct A/B new grills versus old grills ?