New Abyss AB-1266 v2 incoming....

Err, how do they upgrade the drivers then?

 

I know it early but I'm guessing it will be 10k USD base on market trend.

 

Did you read the rest of the thread? There won't be any change in price, product is already up on the website. The upgrade price is a bit ridiculous at 1500 but at least they are not doing a sneaky silent revision.

 

Is it me or does it would make a lot more sense to just sell your old Abyss 1266 at a slight loss & just re-buy the new revision.

Seems to me, you would lose a lot less than $1,500 on that process.

Though I'm expecting the value of the original to start dropping fast.

 

It basically comes down to whether you think the improvement is worth the $1,500.

There'll be some give on the market price, since the used Mk2's will eventually be hitting the second hand scene as well. That $1,500 difference isn't going to be as obvious there, but for people who only buy new, the wallet is gonna feel pinched for a bit.

Edit: Also $1,500 for just upgrading the drivers? Holy hell! They could at least give more than a 1 year warranty extension for that!

Edit edit: Wording states that it's a one year warranty on the drivers, not necessarily even the entire headphone. May just be a grammatical mishap, but if it really is only a warranty on the replaced drivers, whaddafuq.

 

It will be interesting to see if this will push the value of stock abyss to sub 3k. Since that is where the upgrade is only really worthwhile.

 

Now there's an interesting prospect. How is their reputation in terms of reliability? I don't like the thought of eye watering repair costs, given other planars' track record.

 

They seem to be very reliable. Driver failure seem to mostly be when people aren't careful with big watt amps like the Wells Audio monstrosity and Egotesticle 2a3 thing.
Joe will bend you over for out of warranty repair, cost of driver replacement have been reported to be $1kusd per driver.

 

Wouldn't be surprised if the retail for this will be 6^2 thousand bucks.

 

Remember the good ole days when everyone was complaining about the price of Stax gear?

$3000 for 009 from Price Japan sounds like a (relative) steal now.

 

Upgrading you is what Cybermen do!

Or at least, that's what THAT iteration of the Cybermen did. That, and pissing off the Daleks.

 

Doesn't everything piss Daleks off?

(OK, so the ones that I've met have been fairly friendly, but still..)

 

It is their natural state of being, for sure ...

Code:

if ( self.isDalek ):
  mood = PISSED_OFF

... or if you prefer ...

Code:

if ( this.isDalek ) mood = PISSED_OFF;

... or ...

Code:

mood = this.isDalek ? PISSED_OFF : COPACETIC

...

Lining up a back-to-back comparison of AB-1266 and AB-1266 Phi ... since the vast majority of my listening time is split between the Abyss and Focal's Utopia. Would love to have just ONE headphone that I could use for everything ... though so far it's hard to imagine that being a planar (as much as I love the Abyss for what it does).

 

In code-review there's an obvious bug there.

The actual logic in any code executing in Dalek context can be logically reduced to:

Code:

mood = PISSED_OFF;

This sort of code is never really encountered, in it's pure form, in the Dalek world. The typical examples in classic texts such as "C for Daleks" are generally in the form:

Code:

mood = PISSED_OFF;

...

if ( mood == PISSED_OFF) exterminate();

In fact, many leading UNIT appointed Dalek researchers believe this code is an artifact of incomplete Dalek-decompilation behavior and is probably actually expressed as:

Code:

while (1) exterminate();

Modern Dalek compilers no doubt perform loop-unrolling and thus we get:

Code:

exterminate();
exterminate();
exterminate();

 

In this modern era of new-fangled languages, it's more likely to be necessary to instantiate a Dalek as needed, and then attempt:

Code:

mydalek.exterminate();

Exception handling is left as an exercise for the Doc.. err.. reader.

 

Talk about tanking the v1 price!!! 3500 AUD!
https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/products/abyss-ab-1266-planar-magnetic-headphones

 

Definitely. Prices seem to be a bit of a mixed bag right now for both the lite and deluxe packages. For the lite package I've seen 4,199GBP for a demo v1, to your 3500AUD for the same thing. I've got my V1's (lite) for sale for $2650USD and I reckon thats a decent deal, but there is no interest at the moment. I've seen a Deluxe used package go for $3000USD, which if you want the accessories, isn't bad. Really all over the place.

 

Yeh I can get v2s for about 3750USD new. So the second hand price of the v1 is going to be very weak. 2-2.5k i suspect.

I had 2 friends who auditioned the v2 Abyss and said it was worse than the v1 in their opinion. I haven't ordered one yet as I'm trying to get away from headphones.
Hoping to get my ears on them in a few months. Will post here as soon as I can!

 

Thats really interesting that your friends who tried the Phi didn't enjoy them as much as the v1. Do you know what they didn't like about the Phi? Also, where can you get them for $3750USD new?

 

Hey Guys,

Well, after selling my regular AB-1266’s, I decided, after LOTS of thinking (and I mean lots over months,) to go for the new AB-1266 Phi instead of purchasing the Focal Utopia. I had to be honest with myself in that I love the Abyss sound signature, and would miss the soundstage and bass.

Please note that these are VERY early impressions. The sort that hit you right away, rather than the small subtle differences that you notice over time.

Amps used in testing: Wells Audio Headtrip, iFi Micro iCAN SE, iFi Micro iDSD Black Label

DAC’s used in testing: iFi Micro iDSD Black Label, LH Labs GO2A. I don’t have a desktop DAC right now.

The Phi’s, I’m happy to report, are still an Abyss! They retain everything I liked about the originals, so I’m not disappointed. The soundstage is huge, the bass is big, the mids are better, and the treble is less harsh. They are dynamic, impactful, and percussive, even more so than the originals.

I won’t go into comfort, build quality etc. as they are the same as the originals. Well built to say the least. Strong.

These sound awesome. They improve and add things to the original sound signature that I didn’t know were missing or could be improved on. There is way more detail, especially in the treble.

Bass: Percussive and impactful. Large. Is there more quantity than the originals? So far, I don’t think so. With that being said, I think it extends deeper. The bass is one of my favourite parts of the AB-1266 Phi, there isn’t too much of it (I like bass though) and there it isn’t lacking. Its just this enveloping force that punches your ears with great impact. It is bass done right, in my opinion.

Mids: The mids are improved over the originals, there is no question. The Phi’s are not a warm headphone, but they are not a cold headphone either. They straddle the mid point between say….and Audeze and the HD800. The mids are not lush and overbearing. They are a bit more present I think than with the original AB-1266.

Treble: Sometimes the treble on the original AB-1266 could be a bit harsh, not often, but enough that I noticed it sometimes. Some have said the Phi’s treble is rolled off compared to the originals, but I’m not hearing it that way so far. It seems clearer, and perhaps extends more into the stratosphere.

Soundstage: The Phi’s retain the phenomenal soundstage of the originals, which is to say it is still large. It doesn’t sound closed in or congested, there is an airy quality to it.

Imaging: Imaging is improved over the original. Real pin point precision.

Detail: Wow! I’m hearing things I’ve never heard before, even with the original AB-1266. The Phi’s are so detailed. If you want to do critical listening to tracks, you could do a helluva lot worse than the Phi’s. I think these are the most detailed headphones that I have ever heard, and are more detailed than some of the expensive speaker set up’s I have heard. Truly impressive.

CONS OF THE NEW PHI: To my ears, vs the originals, there really aren’t any cons. They just improve on everything I liked about the original AB-1266’s, and add some new stuff I didn’t know could be added. They will expose the hell out of flaws in your system. 128kbps MP3’s need not apply. I can’t wait to upgrade my DAC now, as I know there is even more detail to be had. Feed these greatness and I think you will be astonished at what you hear, feed them less than greatness, and you will hear the flaws with your source. 128kbps MP3’s sound muddy and lack clarity.

All in all, so far, the AB-1266 Phi are a helluva an improvement over the original AB-1266. They are the original AB-1266, but better, in my opinion. More detail, less harsh treble, similar percussive, hard hitting bass, a bit more presence in the mids, an expansive soundstage, and did I mention detail? Oh yeah, tons of detail…..To say I am impressed is an understatement. If you like the original AB-1266, I reckon you will like the Phi's. If you didn't like the original AB-1266, I reckon you wont like the Phi's.