Abyss Headphone Instructions

Thank you for purchasing the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC Headphone. For maximum enjoyment please read these basic user instructions.
Things to keep in mind... These headphones contain very powerful magnets that attract metals and may affect pacemakers or other medical devices. Keep them at least 8” (20 cm) apart from such items. Keep them away from any tools or machinery where metal particles may form. While the polymer ceramic finish is hard and durable, as with any fine surface the headphone can be scratched. When not in use they should be stored indoors in a safe place either on their stand or in their carry bag. They are not designed for children under 12 years of age. Any cable can be a strangulation hazard to small children and pets, keep your cables safely stored when not in use. The slots inside the ear pads where sound is produced are open to the speaker inside and shielded by a delicate screen. Do not poke or place anything in these slots as permanent damage may result. Do not attempt to clean the headphone using a vacuum cleaner or pressured air. Use a soft lint-free microfiber cloth to clean their outer surface or leathers. There are no user serviceable parts inside of you headphones and really not much to see. It is highly recommended not to attempt to open them. They are factory assembled using precision torque screwdrivers and tuned for best sound quality.
Listening suggestions... First and foremost, always protect your hearing by not listening to music excessively loud. To avoid risk of noise related hearing loss, listening levels higher than 85 dB (similar to the noise level of heavy city traffic) have daily time limits that halve for every +5 dB in volume. Permanent hearing damage may result from prolonged exposure to loud music. Always reduce volume when turning your equipment on or when connecting or disconnecting the headphone from electronics, then slowly raise the volume to your desired listening level.
Your headphones have a wide range of adjustability so understanding all of the possibilities will allow you to best set them to your personal liking. The ear pads are magnetically held to the front slotted baffle. Note there are many slots on the back side of each ear pad’s magnetic ring that align with and fit over the silver screw heads on the front baffle of the headphones, and allow you to rotate each curved pad to best fit the shape of your head. Normally the best fit will be with the thick padded portion somewhere between 3 o’clock and 6 o’clock when looking at each ear pad face to face. Note the sewn leather line seen on the pads serves as a more exact point of reference to match left and right position, a good start is to place this sewn line at about 10 o’clock. Hold each pad with one hand on the outer edges, center the pad on the front slotted baffle while aligning the notches with the silver screws until the pad magnetically grabs on. Experiment with positioning by gently pulling the pad off the baffle plate, turning to the next set of holes and repeating above for best fit. Normally you will want to place both left and right ear pads in the same position.
Your ABYSS headphones come complete with a custom designed high performance cable set by JPS Labs tuned for the high resolution capabilities of the AB-1266, use these cables for proper tonal balance and clarity. To connect your cables, please note the 3 pin mini XLR jack on the bottom of each left and right side have a slot that the cable connector must align to in order to push in.
Do not force the connector into the plug. If it does not go in with minimal effort then the cable connector is not aligned properly with the pins of the jack. The push button on the mini XLR connectors will face out of each side of the headphones when properly aligned. The red ring connects to the right side of the headphone. The structural aluminum headband has one large machined screw on the top that is factory torqued, permanently set and not user adjustable. It is designed to have enough slip for width adjustment in or out, or rotation to a limited angle. To adjust the width to fit your head, hold the curved portions of the metal headband with two hands, one on each left and right sides, and slightly wiggle and pull out or push in until comfortable. During listening you may wish to readjust and experiment. Unlike all other headphones they should fit loosely to your head for best sound. A close fit to the sides of your head will create a more focused soundstage, while loose will bring out more space and air to the music. Very low bass is also adjustable by the gap to your head. Moving them front to back on your ears also tunes various instruments and recordings. Also visit the Abyss Headphone website AB-1266 page for a link to our AB-1266 Set-up Video.
The leather headband is designed to self adjust to support the weight of these headphones on the top of your head. It’s tension will balance the headphone position on top of your head. Simply move the headphones up or down on your head for best comfort. Note that extended the metal headband also increases tension on the leather headband. While some are perfectly content with their ears in the center of the ear pads, you may wish to experiment with the position of your ears inside the pads. Piano, horns, drums, and various other instruments present themselves from slightly different acoustic perspectives as your ears move inside the ear pads. Moving the headphones slightly forward or backwards, up or down, on your head will alter the focus of each instrument within the soundstage.
Your Abyss Headphones are designed for maximum subtle detail retrieval and smooth natural sound, similar in performance to a very high-end two channel audio system. In as such, the quality of the equipment, cabling, and source material will dramatically affect results. JPS Labs interconnect and AC cables are recommended for best results. Music and Content... Abyss Headphones are designed for high resolution music. Available detail and tonal balance are averaged over decades of listening experience.
Contact your Abyss dealer for advice on fine- tuning your system for maximum enjoyment. AB-1266 Phi TC Specifications: Frequency Response: 5 Hz to 30 KHz Impedance: 47 ohms nominal Sensitivity: 88 dB/mW Distortion: Less than 1%; Less than 0.2% through ears most sensitive range Recommended power range: 1 to 4 watts @ 50 ohms Weight: 640 grams