Abbas Audio Owners & Discussion Thread

[MattyW]

I initially had Robertson Audio Diamond and Ruby cables when I had my Abbas. The sound signature of the Robertson cables simply don’t mix well with the Abbas…. With RCA’s I find it doesn’t get along with silver cables from any vendor. Much better with copper…

 

The Abbas cables bring more realism and depth though at the expense of soundstage width. Aurealis Duelund 50 however were just right.

Edited February 16, 2022 by MattyW

[Xecuter]

I did run it with atlas copper cables as well but preferred it with Robertson. I think the tube selection and source were the main things I used to tune it during my audition week.

[xlr8or]

@Xecuter Thanks for the review of the 2.3SE. It may be worth changing the 5Y3 to another rectifier type to see if the B+ can be changed to the E182CC/7119. Perhaps something like a GZ32/5V4G or GZ34/5AR4 would help. Also, for the given 5Y3 you may want to consider changing the E182CC/7119 to a 5687. The changes may very well provide an enhanced soundstage. Perfectly understand if you want to use the designated tubes only.

[MattyW]

9 minutes ago, Xecuter said:

I did run it with atlas copper cables as well but preferred it with Robertson. I think the tube selection and source were the main things I used to tune it during my audition week.

Yeah, I never changed any of the tubes from stock in mine when I had it.

[Xecuter]

1 minute ago, xlr8or said:

@Xecuter Thanks for the review of the 2.3SE. It may be worth changing the 5Y3 to another rectifier type to see if the B+ can be changed to the E182CC/7119. Perhaps something like a GZ32/5V4G or GZ34/5AR4 would help. Also, for the given 5Y3 you may want to consider changing the E182CC/7119 to a 5687. The changes may very well provide an enhanced soundstage. Perfectly understand if you want to use the designated tubes only.

Unfortunately my audition finished today and I have returned the unit. I tried the stock tube and two different styles of 5y3g. I didn't want to purchase many more tubes for the dac as the meatball was about $100usd on it's own.

@MattyWThe USA abbas guys who love the 2.3se said the most important tube to change out was the 5yg, which made a huge difference. wayy too intimate and narrow with the stock tubes for me.

Definitely would roll tubes over cables with something like this!

[Psilonaught]

Guys just wanted to point out that the SE DACs use quite large blackgate caps. I assume you are all aware that they have a very very long break in cycle...some of here seem to be using multiple dacs, suggestions theirs isn't broken in.

 

There is a review on the what'sbest forum of a 3x series user who reported poor imaging initially, but this improved.

 

I'll be keeping an open mind until 600 hours on my dac....

[MattyW]

25 minutes ago, Xecuter said:

Unfortunately my audition finished today and I have returned the unit. I tried the stock tube and two different styles of 5y3g. I didn't want to purchase many more tubes for the dac as the meatball was about $100usd on it's own.

@MattyWThe USA abbas guys who love the 2.3se said the most important tube to change out was the 5yg, which made a huge difference. wayy too intimate and narrow with the stock tubes for me.

Definitely would roll tubes over cables with something like this!

Has a massive wide and open soundstage with mine, though that was with open back type speakers. They tend to sound like that anyway.

[cccrchairman]

54 minutes ago, MattyW said:

I initially had Robertson Audio Diamond and Ruby cables when I had my Abbas. The sound signature of the Robertson cables simply don’t mix well with the Abbas…. With RCA’s I find it doesn’t get along with silver cables from any vendor. Much better with copper…

 

The Abbas cables bring more realism and depth though at the expense of soundstage width. Aurealis Duelund 50 however were just right.

My experience also with the Duelund 50 running from 4.1SE to pre. Only compared to Aurealis R3i and Abbas RCA’s however. Found that the Duelund 50 better suited my listening tastes and system. 

[MattyW]

1 minute ago, cccrchairman said:

My experience also with the Duelund 50 running from 4.1SE to pre. Only compared to Aurealis R3i and Abbas RCA’s however. Found that the Duelund 50 better suited my listening tastes and system. 

More soul and life despite marginally less overall fine detail.

Edited February 16, 2022 by MattyW

[Xecuter]

27 minutes ago, Psilonaught said:

Guys just wanted to point out that the SE DACs use quite large blackgate caps. I assume you are all aware that they have a very very long break in cycle...some of here seem to be using multiple dacs, suggestions theirs isn't broken in.

 

There is a review on the what'sbest forum of a 3x series user who reported poor imaging initially, but this improved.

 

I'll be keeping an open mind until 600 hours on my dac....

yeh that's an interesting point too. Not sure how long Mike has been running his dac.

My curiosity is definitely peaked with Abbas, I think the next step is to try get ears on a 4.1 or a 3 series because apparently they had a wider stage and dug a bit deeper. I do think the 2.3se is a lot better than many of the high end dacs on the market and it is an exciting and enjoyable listen, not cold and sterile and soulless like so many other 'totl' dacs.

Would also be interested in the balanced abbas as my gear prefers balanced input which skewed my review a bit.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Xecuter

[Psilonaught]

If I like the 4.1 SE I'll be placing an order for a 3.2 myself.

 

I really just bought the 4.1 as a "taster", it was only $2k!?

 

@Xecuter how did you find the Hugo TT 2/ HMS out of interest? That is also on my audition list.

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by Psilonaught

[Maven86]

6 hours ago, Xecuter said:

yeh that's an interesting point too. Not sure how long Mike has been running his dac.

My curiosity is definitely peaked with Abbas, I think the next step is to try get ears on a 4.1 or a 3 series because apparently they had a wider stage and dug a bit deeper. I do think the 2.3se is a lot better than many of the high end dacs on the market and it is an exciting and enjoyable listen, not cold and sterile and soulless like so many other 'totl' dacs.

Would also be interested in the balanced abbas as my gear prefers balanced input which skewed my review a bit.

Coming from the Yggy A2, I was actually surprised at how much of the stage was preserved with the 4.1 unlike other NOS DACs I've tried.  From the impressions I've gathered, it seems like the PCM-58 implementations are like the gateway drug to the typical "NOS" sound in that they have some characteristics of good OS DACs (coherent imaging with depth, open stage, perceived extension on both ends), while retaining some of the NOS timbre and tonal coloration.  

 

Personally, the few TDA154x implementations I've heard never clicked with me for reasons stated in your review.  I've actually nudged Abbas a couple of times to make an uber PCM58 on the level of his 3.2SE.  He says it's possible but due to part shortages and demand for the latter, it will be a while before it happens (if even).  Till then, I'll see what all they hype is about when I get my 3.2SE in a few months.

 

 

Still though... Woulda been clutch to see one of these again.

https://abbasaudio.listbb.ru/viewtopic.php?p=55213#p55213

[DrMikeOz]

7 hours ago, Xecuter said:

yeh that's an interesting point too. Not sure how long Mike has been running his dac.

My curiosity is definitely peaked with Abbas, I think the next step is to try get ears on a 4.1 or a 3 series because apparently they had a wider stage and dug a bit deeper. I do think the 2.3se is a lot better than many of the high end dacs on the market and it is an exciting and enjoyable listen, not cold and sterile and soulless like so many other 'totl' dacs.

Would also be interested in the balanced abbas as my gear prefers balanced input which skewed my review a bit.

I’m not logging my hours but I’d say 300 hours on the DAC at a very conservative estimate. That’s in addition to the 100 hours that Abbas himself puts on them before they ship. 

[Artnet]

6 minutes ago, Maven86 said:

I've actually nudged Abbas a couple of times to make an uber PCM58 on the level of his 3.2SE.

That would be awesome!! Dont know that i can wait but would deffinately jump at this. You could see if the 4.0 is available?

Whilst tempted to move up  in format size and sideways in chip set ( hope to at some point)

I think there is still ceiling to be explored in the 4.1SE not yet reached.  Duelund silver in and Aurealis dueland 50 copper out. Tube suggestions from Kirk and its singing, play with the source and get even more i say.

[Xecuter]

6 hours ago, Psilonaught said:

If I like the 4.1 SE I'll be placing an order for a 3.2 myself.

 

I really just bought the 4.1 as a "taster", it was only $2k!?

 

@Xecuter how did you find the Hugo TT 2/ HMS out of interest? That is also on my audition list.

 

I don't like chord gear much. I owned a Dave and heard Hugo TT and TT 2 a few times and don't think it is competitive for my needs (I placed it in mid-fi in my list).

The DAC I am most curious about right now is the sonnet pasithea and of course 4.1se.

[curiousgeorgenz]

Abbas has suggested 2.4SE is coming.  

[MrBurns84]

13 hours ago, Xecuter said:

 

They are just pure silver Robertson audio saphire rcas.

 

I use mostly Robertson audio for my XLR and rca cables. Very solidly built and I prefer it to my atlas and JPS cables I owned.

Might check these out @Xecuter Was going to make some myself,  just having a CBF moment as work has piled on over the last few weeks.

[gemini07]

10 hours ago, MattyW said:

Has a massive wide and open soundstage with mine, though that was with open back type speakers. They tend to sound like that anyway.

Agree with the inherent characteristic of open baffle speakers - that's just what they do.

 

Don't underestimate the impact of power on the sound stage. I recently went from an Accuphase integrated to Accuphase separates and the improvement in sound stage (and sound quality overall) was huge.

 

It's important to get the fundamentals right first. Whilst there is a lot of variation in dac sound quality, it is still an aspect of fine tuning. The type of dac will primarily affect the flavour of the sound rather than the scale of it, IMO. Then again, power to the dac, and the source, also impacts on the quality of sound.

 

[xlr8or]

It's hard to keep up with all the different versions of the 2.3. There's a 2.3, 2.3 SE, 2.3 SE Signature and 2.3SE+. Mind you some of these could be the same models, but have been lost across in the translation to English. Would be keen to know what the operating points are on that E182CC in circuit for the Signature and + models. B+ and grid relative to cathode as a function of rectifier type would be an interesting shoot out.

[Xecuter]

14 hours ago, gemini07 said:

Agree with the inherent characteristic of open baffle speakers - that's just what they do.

 

Don't underestimate the impact of power on the sound stage. I recently went from an Accuphase integrated to Accuphase separates and the improvement in sound stage (and sound quality overall) was huge.

 

It's important to get the fundamentals right first. Whilst there is a lot of variation in dac sound quality, it is still an aspect of fine tuning. The type of dac will primarily affect the flavour of the sound rather than the scale of it, IMO. Then again, power to the dac, and the source, also impacts on the quality of sound.

 

 

indeed, one of the best upgrades I've done was a dedicated line to the music room. I put two independent lines in. one line feeds the speakers only (active) and the other one I use for amps and dacs. Sometimes I need to move the dac to the speaker to isolate it's power from the pre-amp.

All my power issues have completely vanished since moving into this space.

 

[limberpine]

On 15/02/2022 at 4:31 PM, Xecuter said:

Abbas 2.3 SE review:

 

Firstly, keep in mind, every Abbas dac will have a different design (each one has slightly different parts) and depending on your source and tubes you could create a very different experience with this DAC.

Gear: sft-SE+ > abbas 2.3SE with meatball RCA > atc sca-2 > atc 150aslt alternatively abbas fed into my eddie current studio SET - headphone amp.

 

It is super energetic for a NOS dac, very engaging indeed. The abbas DAC is extremely sensitive to source equipment and can sound bad from a lot of sources, fortunately it played very well with my cd-transport with spdif (it's only input).

 

It also changed a lot with the different tube variants. Fortunately I had some foresight to have my friends in the US send me tubes that coax the best out of the Abbas 2.3se.

The stage is still NOS like, congested and a bit too intimate, imaging suffers as a result and this is definitely the weakest aspect of the DAC. This is much less noticeable on headphones but still an issue. I was able to make it more diffuse with tube selection but then lost some of the energy which is what makes this dac special.

 

I feel there is some extra presence in the upper octaves and the treble is not like typical NOS (I'm looking at you metrum), it's strong and focused, and transients are sudden and land with authority giving the dac a lovely timbre and energy, however in complex pieces where there is 'polytonal' things going on with lots of instruments the dac loses focus and can become a bit smeared. Blackground it more of a greyground like the Yggdrasil 1 for those familiar.

 

Due to the greyground, lack of clarity and slight smearing, detail is not a strong point, however this doesn't seem to really detract from the experience as much as other dacs. The PrAT and energy are just addictive.

 

This DAC is not a giant slayer but it is 'fun', it gets the foot tapping but lacks some technical prowess. It's in a similar vein to the terminator DAC but has more tweakability and a much more pleasant price point. There are several tiers above the Abbas 2.3se and I am definitely interested to see if I can get a hold of them because the 2.3se was definitely an enjoyable dac to spend time with.

 

 

This image is from @Indie Hi-Fi place who has some epiccc gear. I took rockna and abbas for him to have a listen.

we did try it with some good sources like the mutec with ref SE120 and some other cheaper options and it really is a chameleon with sources.

Where does it rank on my Dac list?
It didn't quiet hit the top 10 and honestly was lucky to not get knocked down into the mid-fi range, but the moments of engrossing engagement made me prefer it over a lot of other dacs which were more technical but lacked engagement/energy.

Also a huge thanks to @DrMikeOz for making this review possible!

When you say its not a "giant slayer" which dacs would be the giants that you were looking for the Abbas to "slay". Just curious for perspective.

[Xecuter]

15 hours ago, limberpine said:

When you say its not a "giant slayer" which dacs would be the giants that you were looking for the Abbas to "slay". Just curious for perspective.

I link back to my original DAC list where I list and update with the dacs I've auditioned over the last few years:

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/life-after-yggdrasil-watering-the-ash.4036/page-59#post-297431

Clearly a step above everything else

1. MSB Select DAC II (with Femto 33 clock and 2x Mono Powerbases) - as close to perfect as I've heard
2. Rockna Wavedream signature balanced XLR - incredibly well rounded, nuanced, attack could be slightly harder
3. Bricasti m1 SE - convert 2 with more resolution and air, better noise floor etc


better than midfi (marginal)
4.Convert 2 - some disagree but in the right system this is down right nutty but not well rounded
5. Holo May NOS with HQ player or something to upsample - still not engaging
6. dCS Vivaldi (w/ Upsampler and Master Clock) - way overpriced and kinda coloured but tastefully - not for me
7. Boulder 2120 - solid DAC, overpriced, their amps are really good
8. Esoteric D1 - good dac, overpriced, the cd-t these guys makes is in my opinion the best source you can get
9. mola mola: cold and sterile, fast but lacks tonal density, sounds good with warmth in system
10. yggy1 - warmed up this was special but had well documented weaknesses
11. Termi with new board
12. Holo May NOS without HQ player
13. Abbas 2.3 SE with RCA meat ball and a good source - fun and engaging but smeared with NOS mono imaging bit of a wall of sound
14. Matrix X-Sabre MQA - big value and features - lacks body and slam
15. Bi-frost 2 - great tone and timbre - Because we need a good sub 1k dac.

Yggdrasil v2 - slightly above mid-fi - but lacks v1 special sauce resolution


mid-fi at best
dCS Bartok, not engaging, decent with some headphones,
Pavane - good NOS Dac but not a big step up
Dave with Blu2 and M-Scaler - no stage, flat, lacks depths, transients dull and boring - great with headphones
ps-audio DS - soft, weak sauce - tried the last two firmware, this is really mediocre
la scala ii - nothing special here
Termi with old board - new board makes a big difference,
Luxman, mytek, lampi, ifi, border patrol, all in here somewhere.

 

OFC, IMO, YMMV depending on system- I value transient speed and edge, dynamics and resolution above staging.
 

 

[Artnet]

That is an extensive list. My wallet is bleeding but my brain says thank you for the detail.

 

 

[Psilonaught]

Still waiting for my 4.1 SE. It is somewhere in continental Europe heading it's way to me here in blighty 

[MrBurns84]

4 minutes ago, Psilonaught said:

Still waiting for my 4.1 SE. It is somewhere in continental Europe heading it's way to me here in blighty 

Luckily it got out of Ukraine on time! News this morning that the invasion is imminent.