Audio Heaven

Are you finally ready to make the jump and invest in a pair of end-game planar magnetic headphones? We rounded up the best for a listen.

- Kenny Yeo

With its all-black aluminum frame and unorthodox design, the AB-1266 Phi CC looks more like a torture device and wearing it is unlike any other headphone too. At the top of the frame is a joint that lets users widen the headphone and allows the ear cups to be rotated front and back. To wear, pull the ear cups apart until it fits your head, then put it on and adjust the ear cups until you create a tight enough seal. It may be an elegant design, but unfortunately, it wears as uncomfortable as it looks. I found the clamping force to be a bit overbearing and the leather headband, which is suspended by thick rubber bands, to be over-damped, so it feels as if there is something pushing down on the top of my head. It also doesn’t help that the headphone weighs a significant 620g.

With the new AB-1266 Phi CC, Skubinski sought to create a more accurate driver by altering the trace pattern in the diaphragm. In addition, the new drivers are a tiny bit more sensitive with an impedance of 42 ohms (four less) and a sensitivity rating of 88 dB/mW (3dB more). However, don’t think you can get away with a limp amplifier, even with these new drivers, the AB-1266 Phi CC demands a beefy amplifier to sound its best.

This is evidenced by the cable that Abyss provides with the headphones. While most headphone makers bundle single-ended cables, Abyss provides a 4-pin XLR balanced cable with theirs - a sign that this headphone requires serious power. The cables are custom-made by JPS Labs and they are really unwieldy. There’s no Y-connector and the left and right channels are split immediately from the 4-pin XLR Neutrik plug and they get tangled quite easily too. They are comparatively stiff and don’t drape as nicely as some of the other cables here. Insofar as ergonomics and comfort are concerned, the AB-1266 Phi CC is not as accomplished as its rivals.