The Abyss

[tin ear]

They're as unprepossessing in the flesh as they are in the photos, but they were surprisingly comfortable and ridiculously overpriced.

[rod]

I heard the Abyss at Whittlebury hall November ish 2013 with no idea of the price, and when they told me I was stunned that anyone would think about paying anywhere near that much for them,as they seemed poorly made, the fit was awkward and  the guy had problems adjusting the headband screw.,  .. The Stax SR009  however..... the seed was planted, and after a further longer listen at a dealers to both the SR 009,which I now have bought ,Abyss, just to confirm with my ears what I thought the first time, as by now there were some reviews saying how good they were(the king has no clothes) I was still not impressed. The senn hd800 were the only other pair that impressed me(well worth the money) and to be honest if I could not have afforded the 009's I would have purchased them.

[DefQon]

It's a hit and miss with the Abyss, I've heard it on 6 different occasions now and still think its an overpriced piece of shit. The only thing I can only give praise for for the Abyss is the easy removable ear-pads and the bass. 

[rod]

The Abyss build quality just does not say 5k cans to me. I personally would go hd800 based on sound/build  quality  even if the Abyss price was the same tbh.  I didn't dislike  the LCD 2& 3 but I found them very uncomfortable after about 30-45 mins which ruled them out. It was the same more or less with the hifiman HE6 cans.

DefQon  , For me I thought there was a bit too much bass, among other things, with the Abyss , but then some people think the STAX are bass light.

Edited August 15, 2015 by rod
added model number of hifiman

[DefQon]

Usually those that find the Stax or more specifically the 009's bass light favour the Abyss more. Need to hear one of the more recent 009's apparently they have toned down the slight brightness tilt down a bit, have heard it twice on a BHSE and it was bit too bright for me. 

[tin ear]

I heard the Abyss at Whittlebury hall November ish 2013 with no idea of the price, and when they told me I was stunned that anyone would think about paying anywhere near that much for them,as they seemed poorly made, the fit was awkward and  the guy had problems adjusting the headband screw.,  .. The Stax SR009  however..... the seed was planted, and after a further longer listen at a dealers to both the SR 009,which I now have bought ,Abyss, just to confirm with my ears what I thought the first time, as by now there were some reviews saying how good they were(the king has no clothes) I was still not impressed. The senn hd800 were the only other pair that impressed me(well worth the money) and to be honest if I could not have afforded the 009's I would have purchased them.

i think the abyss's build quality is rock solid. it looks and feels like it could withstand being run over by a monster truck. just dust it off and hang it up in the tool shed.

[wink]

I heard an Abyss off both the GSX Mk II and Ragnarok with a Yggdrasil DAC.

 

Properly adjusted, the Abyss was very good.

 

SR-009 good, NOPE. Perhaps if the SR-009 was run off a Stax amp (T2 excluded). Not when the SR-009 was driven by a BHSE or KGSSHV.

[Dave R]

If I was clever enough to design a headphone, I'd not only want it to sound extremely good, but also be very nice looking.

So it would look nothing like that Abyss thing, which to me is one of, if not the ugliest headphone in the world.

[tin ear]

it won't be winning any beauty contests that's for sure

[Audiojunkie]

Anyone see the new $3k on-ear by these guys? Looks to be just a fugly too.

[rod]

I heard an Abyss off both the GSX Mk II and Ragnarok with a Yggdrasil DAC.

 

Properly adjusted, the Abyss was very good.

 

SR-009 good, NOPE. Perhaps if the SR-009 was run off a Stax amp (T2 excluded). Not when the SR-009 was driven by a BHSE or KGSSHV.

Wink

That was a problem for me, They are difficult to adjust,at least the pair I tried on at the dealers, the dealer slipped with a screwdriver trying to turn the screwhead located on  top of the bar and they were uncomortable on top of my head(shaved) from the off.  They sounded to have a tilt towards the bass to me, so I guess the Stax and Abyss are chalk and cheese, you either like one or  the other.

Have you heard the hd800, were they bright for you as well?

Maybe I should get a wig

Edited August 17, 2015 by rod

[wink]

I have my HD800 modded with the Anax mod that Tyll recommended.

Having said that, I have stood behind a number of pianists playing a piano, and the treble was loud and bright, and at times uncomfortable - just like the HD800 reproduces the sound when close miced.

As to the Abyss, they are very dependent on the fit. They go from very weak to overpowering in the bass depending on the fit.

I have a bare noggin on the top thanks to genetics, but have had many years of wearing motorcycle helmets and hence have not had any trouble with headbands or headphone weight.

[Dave R]

On the other site, I've written a few posts on their Abyss thread saying just how fucking ugly I think that Abyss thing is, [ I didn't write fucking because it's not allowed on that site, and would be removed ] which prompted those that very much like that headphone thing into saying it's how it sounds that's the most important, then comfort, and looks don't matter because a headphone can't be seen when listening to it, which is true, unless you've got mirrors all over your home, like I have. 

But the same can be said about a car.

A car's only there to get you from A to B, then in comfort, but while driving that car you can't see it.

So why do so many buy a car because it looks good,  well when I was driving I got what to me was a nice looking car because knowing that while I was driving it made me feel good, and that's how I feel about headphones.

Now it's about time a headphone came out that not only sounded extremely good, but looked similar to the HE-90, which to me is one of, if not the best looking headphone ever.

 

 

P.S. I do think that Abyss might have a good purpose, it could be used as a dumb-bell. 

 

 

 

 

[wink]

I can see a Jecklin Float in your future.....    

[Dave R]

I can see a Jecklin Float in your future.....    

Now that's a very nice looking headphone,  however with me already having 009's and putting a headband on that makes me very happy with how my 009's look,  I think I'll stick with those Earspeaker's.

[purk]

I love your headband work on the SR009 David.

[Dave R]

Thank you purk. 

I don't think the same could be done with the Abyss, but even if it was possible, I wouldn't.