Headphones are advancing FAST...Faster than speakers?

[@gaborozorai3714]

The market for audiophile portable and desktop "personal audio" is a good example of demand and supply driving each other and resulting in a massive boom in both quality and quantity.

[@ThevenimX]

I think influencers that talk about headphones like Linus Tech Tips talking about Abyss or the Drop Pandas or Dankpods reviewing the LCD2s or blowing up tiny earbuds with the Diablo has people who dont even care about audio learning more about it. Ultimately more people are going into the Marketing Funnel

[@falcodarkzz]

It's all about changes in the consumer, in the past ten years a new class of individual has emerged; the rich tech enthusiast. Usually computer science grads who work as programmers. People with lots of money, geeky, introverted, lots of time at their desk and with their PC. These people are definately a big part of the totl iem/headphone market. At the same time Apple & other companies have normalised large spending on tech annually. People are used to dropping 1k on a phone, it makes 1k, 2k, even 3k headphones feel a lot more 'normal'. As tech consumption increases this will only become more dramatic.

[@davidcoons89]

‘With great power comes great responsibility’

[@snomofilms]

For the first time ever, I listened to the Bills game last Sunday on my 1266s. Haven’t been able to listen to them since 😂

[@ABYSSHeadphones]

That game sucked!

[@disastrousemouse]

A lot of the new Chi-Fi stuff has new materials, good designs, but they drop the ball on that last mile of QC. This is why my TOTL purchase will be with a company like yours, where obsessive attention to detail creates a better product that lasts. I just had a pair of Chinese IEMs that had great sound crap out because, of all things, the soldering is known to be shoddy (I didn’t know that if this company when I bought them.) Now I’m in the market for a new IEM, not because I want something different, but to replace the dead ones (different manufacturer, though).

[@turbomustang84]

I bought two different electrostatic headphones in the early 70s stax and Koss and the Koss was better and I still own them .... Paid for them with my paper route by the way ... Try that today lol

[@xeniavader]

what other flagships cans do you like and why?

[@bibitsurawan]

people like portabability and space space become expensive, speaker setup need space and certain level of sound to enjoy, thats expensive people nowadays, mostly live in small space ,living together or move around, so headphone and iem/earbud world arise

[@Borednlonely]

headphones are very cool. they are now being built to an exquisite level with exceptional performance. However in performance they cannot impress more than a speaker rig.

[@johndolores315]

Depends on the setup, headphones are enclosed and very controlled by the manufacturers/designers. You need to spend some money and time to setup up a room. For people like me who don’t own a home, headphones are the better option, my b&w shelf speakers just sound like shit on my room. Even my cheap 6xx sound better.

[@dougleydorite]

Systems like Genelec The Ones with the software and a treated room. Seems like the highest tech out for speakers

[@malarkey102]

How do vintage amps sound so dam good. Remember those amps that had a power button. Volume control aux knob with phono for you records. Then they had a balance knob tone knob and bass knob. With a headphone jack. And plug your 2 or even 4 speakers in the back. I watched a few reviews on these amps. But you guys would know. How come they sounded amazing since they were make back in the 70's.

[@shayan-gg]

if we compare similar price amp then newer ones are objectively better. Its just that amps aren't that difficult to make. There is also survivorship bias as mostly good amps are still working today from 70s and you wont find a low quality amp from 70s in working condition.

[@ABYSSHeadphones]

They were simple analog designs.

[@rafaelfranco7041]

About a year ago I spent some time on the internet looking for stereo speakers costing $100K or more. I found close to a hundred pairs.... Crazy.

[@aceofspades6667]

One could argue that speakers have been around longer have been a bigger market so have already made bigger strides since the 70’s. Headphone develop is a recent industry evolution. Maggie planar speaker have been around for 30+ year but only recently planar headphones have developed. Just now we are getting into ribbon driver headphone where ribbon tweets have been in speakers for decades same with AMTs. what is exciting to see is the implementation of a ribbon driver as a full range driver in headphones. No speakers use ribbons for bass frequencies where perhaps headphones will be able to do this successfully in a smaller implementation. Ribbons are also crazy fast transient response.

[@ABYSSHeadphones]

The inability to produce low frequencies is a physical limitation of the driver design. It's like thinking that one day someone will make a tweeter that produces bass. This is why you have IEM's with multiple drivers, etc, within the physical design constraints of each driver any one driver can't do full range, hence the need to stack them.

[@aceofspades6667]

@@ABYSSHeadphones I’m still wondering in 5-10 years of incremental R&D if They will be able to make a ribbon produce low frequencies. I understand today it’s a limitation because ribbons have been developed primarily for speakers. But perhaps with a smaller scale in a headphone they will be able to get ribbons to be tuned to produce bass properly.

[@aceofspades6667]

Either at exiting times to see the progress with headphones across all driver type platforms.

[@ryan011193]

@@ABYSSHeadphones Speaking of IEMs, how goes the development of the Abyss IEM? I don't expect a release date, it's ready when it's ready, just interested on your design process what has gone the way you thought and what didn't.

[@medusa_lives]

Best headphones - Abyss (I own all 3 versions), HE-1 are also a contender Best speakers- Kii Three (alien tech, better than speakers 6x as expensive)

[@keisaboru1155]

Tbh . I still want stereo tho

[@DirectorsGarage]

I think IEMs are advancing faster than over-ears. There may come a time when over-ear headphones will be chasing the abilities of IEMs-- which can now include electrostatic tweeters, dynamic drivers, bone drivers and planar magnetic drivers-- some combine all in one tiny IEM. That's where we're heading, I think.

[@falcodarkzz]

Nah no way. I have £1300 iems and £600 headphones outrun them. They have zero chance of competing at their price point imo, the physics of a bigger driver and cavity is too much of advantage and gives much more control over variables.

[@realcrypt1206]

that b roll tho !

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

Having very good headphones and a great stereo I will take the stereo every time.

[@ABYSSHeadphones]

Living with a great headphone system over time would change your mind. Key would be to make sure the headphone and mating system is similar to your sonic tastes in 2 channel.

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

@@ABYSSHeadphones believe me I have tried, I have Focal Elex, Audeze LCDX, HD800S, Grado PS500e, Fostex TH900, Etymotics, Shures, HD650s and the list goes on and on with too many to even remember. For speakers I use Revel 228be high-passed with two JL Audio Subs with McIntosh MC462 power amp. I like headphones pretty well but if you have the space, money and privacy a good stereo is on another level. It really comes down to imaging and soundstage as the main difference. You might be able to pull out more micro details on headphones but that is not what the music is about. Maybe I will buy something from Abyss someday. Good videos by the way. Keep up the good work.

[@wrnlb666]

Did DMS edited this video? Everything looks so similar.

[@ABYSSHeadphones]

I edit all of them -D

[@Richbroth]

Ew dms

[@arthurhaywood2184]

I think that you guys have it completely backwards! Headphones are just starting to catch up with speaker technology. Miniaturization has allowed technology that has existed for over 30 years to now make it's way into headphones. Speakers have been using planars, electrostatics & ribbons for a very long time.

[@jonasamon9091]

Wouldn't that mean that speakers have reached their limit a long time ago and headphones too will stagnate when they catchup tech wise?

[@ycdouble1]

Require the brain is the way to go

[@bobsykes]

I think AR -- Acoustic Research -- made the first really good acoustic suspension speakers, which were handicapped by extremely low output per watt, so they had to introduce their own clean, low distortion 100 watt per channel amp to properly drive their uniquely inefficient speakers. So, I'd say the low efficiency speaker came just slightly before the high-power solid state amp. Then Phase Linear and their ground breaking 400 and 700 watt per channel amps, followed by Nelson Pass (Threshold), Audio Research, McIntosh, Bryston, and many other audiophile high power amps soon followed.

[@sophanythach8425]

I believe that your memories about speaker drivers are a bit too selective. The advances in speakers throughout the years has a lot more to do than with using new materials. Just on the type of drivers used in speakers alone, we had dynamic cone drivers, electromagnetic drivers (Magneplanar), electrostatic drivers (Accoustat, Quad), ribbon drivers (infinity IRS, Magneplanar 30.7), ionized gas drivers (Dr. Hill Plasmatronics using helium plasma) and the amazing strip (?) radial drivers (MBL speakers) that are so esoteric I am at a loss for words to describe. And let’s not forget the venerable horn drivers (Klipsch). While there has been a proliferation of headphones in recent years, they have been mostly limited to the first three types of drivers listed above.

[@francisdelacruz6439]

Hi end speakers to me are not advancing far enough. They can't even catch up to tube SET powering horn speakers. On headphones they're still that far away from the real thing. Sounds much better but you know it's not the real thing immediately. It fails the reality test completely today as it did generations ago. But you forget everything being done in headphones materials are just copies of speakers. Planar, ribbon, heil, materials diaphragm are all taken from speaker development. Even the language inappropriately uses those developed at absolutesound. And materials? Can you beat tone of paper based materials? Ultra high-end still uses paper based materials. So many headphones get the tone wrong. Planar don't hv that good a tone compared to paper based materials, even ribbons or electrostatics. Test voices and piano / strings and horn instruments live and compare that to the headphone speakers Avantgarde, MBL, Raidho D5 and Wilson Chrinosonic. Which is closest to live? No one will vote for the headphone. But you can't bring those on the plane!

[@ABYSSHeadphones]

Apparently you’ve not heard our headphones in a proper setting, the crux of this video.

[@francisdelacruz6439]

@@ABYSSHeadphones Yes, haven't heard it in the best setting. Only in meets and shows. But my point above I believe is valid. When you go for the reality test Vs live instruments and concerts. As someone said it's no comparison, real is real. But why not make the comparison?

[@klewja]

@@ABYSSHeadphones I have owned the 1266 TC and sold them once I got into my home. I have a pair of Rockport Atria II with 2 JL F110v2 driven by Dan D’Agostino momentum monos and pre with an MSB Dac. Once I got it set-up I did not listen to my abyss anymore and sold it. Granted the speaker system is around $200k and the 1266 system is as around $30k. So it did cost a lot more to get there.

[@omarsoulay4764]

Dr Dre headphones and iphones really took us there

[@EssenceofPureFlavor]

Not really

[@adeadcrab]

hate the intro

[@610-g9o]

I like it

[@xeniavader]

i like it as well

[@MrEvilclick]

Intro is great

[@davidcoons89]

I think it’s fantastic!

[@xiaobaozha]

Classy intro…like it 👍