Great job and I think you nailed the review of this headphone perfectly. I just received mine a couple of months ago and after getting burned in the first thing I noticed is that it has insanely amounts of resolution and clarity that I never thought possible. I always felt that everything has reached it’s max in overall sound and tell they make a better source gear DAC/AMP etc. But I was wrong with the 1266 Phi TC you hear so much into the recording and the most crazy part about that is you would think it would be crazy analytical and fatiguing, and the answer is NO. I remember seeing so many people owning the 1266TC & the Susvara’s it always made me wonder why, and the overall answer is they compliment each other very well. You want a impactful bass crazy experience put on the TC’s you want warm tonality rich detail put on the Susvara’s. I ended up selling off my other headphones because it was always hard to listen to them coming from the TC/SUS, unless I started with them first. Which were the Utopia, Z1R, Empyrean, HD800, and Arya. Looking to buy a Solid State speaker amp to them both on and I have used the following V281, A90, BassX unleased, and Master 9. Non of these amps gave both of these headphones their true potential tell I received my new headphone amp. Here is my setup Chord MScaler > Chord Dave > Woo Audio WA33 Elite with upgraded KR HP tubes with all JPS cables = END GAME
@@thevashfan12392 yeah I demo both with my WA33 Elite with the Susvara and TC’s and made the Bartok sound to analytical, but the Rossini was really good.
@@russb3n I was kinda joking but wow people got money to burn. Bet it feels good though. I'm just upgrading to an yggdrasil and closing up shop after. Just a ragnarok and yggdrasil for the susvara and that's it for me. Got too many expensive hobbies as it is. Building computers, getting a travel trailer, a truck, and just getting setup for a new life elsewhere, trying various beers, wines, and whisky, studying languages and philosophy. Too many projects can sometimes feel like too many irons in the fire.
@@russb3n it still amazes me how far the ladder goes. From the Japanese retiree with a kicking turntable setup and collection to the guy in California with an acoustically perfect room with a million dollar's worth of high tech audio equipment
Curious to know what your full chain and choice of music was with these? Forgive me if I missed a past review but I wonder how these compare to the Susvara since these are two headphones that many have called the best they’ve ever heard. Very good and honest review sir
Thanks for the kind words. I believe I was using the BorderPatrol DAC. I tested the 1266 with a variety of tube and solid state amps as well as some speaker amps with an attenuator box. They are very power hungry. I'll be doing a review in the Susvaras in the coming weeks. Based on initial impressions I guess I'd say the 1266 is more impactful and exciting and the Susvara are extremely balanced. I don't think there is a clear winner, more a case of personal taste. In either case it's big bucks and big power with outstanding results.
I am relatively new to high end audio, own two headphones, the Audio Technica ATH-AD1000X which is a linear headphone and the Klipsch HP-3 which simulates big spearker sound. Just purchased the Burson Conductor 3 amp/dac and now I am looking for a planar headphone to complete my audio setup. I'm thinking of going all in o. The Abyss 1266 as an endgame solution and be done with the whole headphone thing for as long as my headphones work. What do you think about this? Is it really too much money for a headphone or is it worth it as an endgame solution?
Great question... if it were my money I might go for a lower price (but still very high end) planar like an Audeze LCD-3, Hifiman HE1000 v2, Kennerton Thekk. All these are half the price of the 1266 an offer a significant upgrade over your current HPs. The 1266 has a very intense presentation that you may or may not respond to. It is also big and heavy and a little harder to live with. But it is a fantastic headphone! Let us know where you end up.
Thanks! They are both amazing headphones. I'm going to do a Susvara review in the next few weeks, need some more time with it. Based on initial impressions the 1266 is more impactful and exciting and the Susvara is balanced
@@SineCraftAudio I was thinking the 1266 but I kinda wanna stick with hifiman. Subjectively: I didn't like the proprietary setup for the 1266. Seems a bit of a boondoggle with little flexibility because they imply using it with all the curated goods on abyss which for me is a ripoff. My setup plan: schiit ragnarok with an yggdrasil and use the hifiman susvara. Call it a day. Cheers and hears to listening to great music.
